Latin rhythms and jazz standards flavored a gourmet feast prepared by famous chefs at the Loews Miami Beach Hotel's Americana ballroom. They did it all to raise money for Hurricane Katrina victims at the Miami Rocks for Relief benefit.
WFOR Channel 4's Jill Martin, Ocean Drive magazine public relations and merchandising manager Lauren Reitman, Loews manager Shawn Hauver, and Randi Friedman of Logistics Management Group worked on the lavish fete, which boasted a slew of sponsors, including Clear Channel Radio Broadcasting, Emeril's, Estefan Enterprises, and Sports Talk 790 AM.
When stormy weather threatened the tented beachside event, it was moved into the ballroom. The evening began with cocktails and ended with Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine and Queen Latifah's performance before 800 guests.
Outside the ballroom, a cocktail area featured two bars, a sushi station stocked with an array of hand rolls and sashimi, and two stations offering piping hot bowls of Emeril Lagasse's spicy seafood gumbo and white rice. Tall candelabras with vanilla-scented candles decorated the serving stations, accented with colorful green and purple swags and feathered masks from Fabulous Linen. Lagasse enlisted the help of another celebrity chef, Norman Van Aken, and Loews' own Marc Ehrler, to whip up three courses for guests who forked over $3,000 for a pair of tickets (V.I.P. and platinum tables sold for $15,000 and $25,000 respectively). Barton G glammed up the tables with periwinkle ultrasuede linens overlaid with Indian beaded organza fabric in silver that shimmered under the lights. Centerpieces of white orchids, roses, hydrangea, and calla lilies in stark glass vases added the finishing touch.
Ehrler's plantain-wrapped lobster tail and mojo-grilled scallops with salsa tropical and guarapo vinaigrette was followed by Van Aken's ancho-guava glazed roasted quail with cornbread and foie gras stuffing. Lagasse prepared a grilled filet of beef tenderloin with sour cream and chive mashed potatoes, sautéed green beans, and crispy bacon with homemade Worcestershire sauce. For those wanting a sweet ending to the decadent meal, a tapas-style dessert bar set up in a separate ballroom offered goodies such as passion fruit rocky road s'mores, peanut butter and jelly on chocolate brioche, and specialty coffee drinks by Café Ala Carte.
The evening's main draw—the performance by Estefan and Latifah—began after dinner. The hotel's in-house team built a 76-foot-long stage flanked by Swank Audio Visuals' twin 10- by 14-foot video screens. Guests worked up a sweat when Estefan sang her signature hit "Conga," while Latifah kicked it down a notch with sultry jazz renditions. By the time Entourage's Adrian Grenier took the stage with his band the Honey Brothers, guests were dancing spiritedly.
The evening raised more than $750,000, which will go toward CBS 4's Neighbors 4 Neighbors, the Emeril Lagasse Employee Disaster Relief Fund, Workers Disaster Relief Fund, the MusiCares Hurricane Relief Fund, and the American Red Cross.
—Vanessa Goyanes
WFOR Channel 4's Jill Martin, Ocean Drive magazine public relations and merchandising manager Lauren Reitman, Loews manager Shawn Hauver, and Randi Friedman of Logistics Management Group worked on the lavish fete, which boasted a slew of sponsors, including Clear Channel Radio Broadcasting, Emeril's, Estefan Enterprises, and Sports Talk 790 AM.
When stormy weather threatened the tented beachside event, it was moved into the ballroom. The evening began with cocktails and ended with Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine and Queen Latifah's performance before 800 guests.
Outside the ballroom, a cocktail area featured two bars, a sushi station stocked with an array of hand rolls and sashimi, and two stations offering piping hot bowls of Emeril Lagasse's spicy seafood gumbo and white rice. Tall candelabras with vanilla-scented candles decorated the serving stations, accented with colorful green and purple swags and feathered masks from Fabulous Linen. Lagasse enlisted the help of another celebrity chef, Norman Van Aken, and Loews' own Marc Ehrler, to whip up three courses for guests who forked over $3,000 for a pair of tickets (V.I.P. and platinum tables sold for $15,000 and $25,000 respectively). Barton G glammed up the tables with periwinkle ultrasuede linens overlaid with Indian beaded organza fabric in silver that shimmered under the lights. Centerpieces of white orchids, roses, hydrangea, and calla lilies in stark glass vases added the finishing touch.
Ehrler's plantain-wrapped lobster tail and mojo-grilled scallops with salsa tropical and guarapo vinaigrette was followed by Van Aken's ancho-guava glazed roasted quail with cornbread and foie gras stuffing. Lagasse prepared a grilled filet of beef tenderloin with sour cream and chive mashed potatoes, sautéed green beans, and crispy bacon with homemade Worcestershire sauce. For those wanting a sweet ending to the decadent meal, a tapas-style dessert bar set up in a separate ballroom offered goodies such as passion fruit rocky road s'mores, peanut butter and jelly on chocolate brioche, and specialty coffee drinks by Café Ala Carte.
The evening's main draw—the performance by Estefan and Latifah—began after dinner. The hotel's in-house team built a 76-foot-long stage flanked by Swank Audio Visuals' twin 10- by 14-foot video screens. Guests worked up a sweat when Estefan sang her signature hit "Conga," while Latifah kicked it down a notch with sultry jazz renditions. By the time Entourage's Adrian Grenier took the stage with his band the Honey Brothers, guests were dancing spiritedly.
The evening raised more than $750,000, which will go toward CBS 4's Neighbors 4 Neighbors, the Emeril Lagasse Employee Disaster Relief Fund, Workers Disaster Relief Fund, the MusiCares Hurricane Relief Fund, and the American Red Cross.
—Vanessa Goyanes
The Miami Rocks for Relief benefit featured staging and elegant decor in the Americana ballroom of the Loews Miami Beach Hotel.
Emeril Lagasse's dessert bar was set with gold and silver linens and enhanced with candlelight.
Fabulous Linen draped the food stations with emerald green fabric and added beads, masks, and other Mardi Gras-inspired accents.
Queen Latifah crooned sultry jazz during an intimate performance.
