Food and beverage from Occasions Caterers at the gala included buffets of Cuban-inspired cocktails served in coconut glasses, as well as savory and sweet items like plantain chips, ceviche, empanadas, and coffee parfaits.
Ballet Hispanico's 2015 Spring Gala honored Cuban civic leaders. The event, which had a theme of “Noche Cubana,” took place in March at the Plaza Hotel's Grand Ballroom in New York and featured performances by the Ballet Hispanico Company as well as other entertainers.
At the Phillips Collection’s annual gala in 2012, the Washington Art Museum chose “Havana Nights” as the theme of its after-party to honor the Havana Arts Biennial. A 1959 Chrysler parked outside the Anderson House as well as palm tree projections set the tone at the entrance. In the back lawn, a cigar roller and salsa and meringue music from the Latin band Sin Miedo continued the theme.
Branded hand-rolled cigars from Cigar Stud Events were among the treats for guests at the the grand opening of the Miami Beach location of Puma Lab Powered by Foot Locker. The event, planned by Cluxe Brand Management, took place at Skydeck Miami on July 23.
Cuban cigar boxes served as charming containers for flower arrangements at an “Old Havana”-theme welcome party that the New Orleans Saints hosted before Super Bowl XLIV in Miami in 2010. The event took place at the InterContinental Miami Hotel.
To build buzz before the opening of a new Ikea store in Miami in 2014, the furniture and home goods retailer engaged customers with a mobile tour that stopped in five local neighborhoods. At a stop in Little Havana, the activation set up an area for playing dominoes, complete with Ikea-branded tiles.
Colorful bongos decorated a bar front at an alfresco cocktail party for the international consulting firm FICO, which held its 2010 world conference in Miami.
“Hemingway’s Cuba” was the theme of the 2005 New York Public Library’s Young Lions Benefit, chosen because of the library’s extensive collection of works by Ernest Hemingway. Staff offered guests hats, woven fans, faux orchid boutonnieres, and cigars to help them embody the theme.
The 2011 Ravinia Gala in Chicago celebrated the music of George Gershwin through a concert, but also through catering. The first course from Food for Thought Chicago, called the "Cuban Overture" after the Gershwin song, was shrimp ceviche with mango-jĂcama salad.
With a base of El Dorado three-year rum, the Old Cuban cocktail evokes a Caribbean feel. The beverage, available at new Washington cocktail bar the Speak, mixes in lime juice, prosecco, simple syrup, Angostura bitters, and mint leaves. The Speak opened in May.
Guesthouse—a private, rooftop suite—opened at Dream Downtown Hotel in New York in April. The 2,000-square-foot space holds 75 guests for cocktail receptions. Catering options include miniature grilled-cheese sandwiches, turkey-club sandwiches, and quesadillas.
Dream Midtown Hotel in New York will open PHD Terrace—a rooftop bar and restaurant—this summer. On the 15th and 16th floors, the indoor/outdoor venue has an open-air deck on its top floor. Each floor of the terrace can hold receptions for 115 guests or 230 when used together. Inspired by a penthouse patio, the space is outfitted with wood banquettes, hanging ivy vines, and a bar decorated in custom tiles. Menu items include B.L.T. deviled eggs and aged-prime-beef sliders.
The Rooftop Lounge at Thompson Toronto Hotel is undergoing a refresh in time for summer. The infinity pool deck will be resurfaced and the pool area will be stocked with new loungers and plants. The reception capacity for the entire indoor/outdoor space is 238. If used separately, the indoor space can hold receptions for 112 guests; the outdoor space holds 126 standing. Menu items include craft cocktails, jerk chicken bites, and purple kale salad.
Atop the Envoy Hotel in Boston, Lookout Rooftop and Bar opened for its second season in early May. (The hotel originally opened in 2015.) The rooftop space can hold standing receptions for 275 guests. The menu may change slightly this year, but current selections for events include tuna tartar, soba noodles, and a charcuterie station.
After an extensive renovation, the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles reopened in October. The museum's fourth-floor rooftop can hold 280 guests standing or 150 guests seated. The exclusive caterer for the space is Celestino Drago.
Mr. Purple opened in New York, on the rooftop of Hotel Indigo Lower East Side, in November. With an atmosphere inspired by an artist's loft, the venue has a 3,000-square-foot interior flanked by two terraces. At 750 square feet, the eastern terrace can hold smaller gatherings. The west terrace is 5,000 square feet, and can also hold events; it has a pool, a bar, and plenty of seating. The entire indoor/outdoor space accommodates receptions for 500 guests or seated functions for 100. Menu items include classic and specialty cocktails, flat breads, burgers, and salads.
Chicago's new LondonHouse Hotel is slated to open in late May. The luxury property will have a three-level rooftop bar and restaurant called LH, which will seat 190 guests or hold 300 for receptions. With both indoor and outdoor space, the venue will serve American fare and cocktails.
Mason & Rook, a Kimpton property, opened in Washington in March. The hotel's rooftop pool, set to open in mid-May, will be available for private receptions. It will hold 60 guests for receptions. The adjacent cocktail bar, Radiator, will supply catering; options will include juice bars, taco bars, and an action station serving picnic-inspired fare.
Downtown Grand Las Vegas Hotel and Casino opened Citrus at the Grand Pool Deck in March. At 35,000 square feet, the rooftop space has an infinity pool, cabanas, a full bar, a fire pit, grass seating, and games such as corn hole and table tennis. The venue can hold receptions for 1,200 guests. Menu items include a signature citrus slaw, frozen grapes, and ceviche tostadas.
The Renaissance Chicago Downtown Hotel opened Raised, a rooftop bar, in May. Attached to the rooftop, a 1,278-square-foot event space called Urban Blue can seat 70 guests. Though Urban Blue is enclosed, hosts can leave the doors open so guests can flow between the indoor and outdoor spaces.
The Branksome Health and Wellness Centre opened in Toronto in January 2015. The venue's rooftop can be booked for private events. It seats as many as 70 guests or hold receptions for 110. The venue works with a number of preferred caterers, including Daniel et Daniel and Food Dudes.
The Kimpton Journeyman Hotel will open in Milwaukee's historic Third Ward district this summer. Nine stories above ground, there will be a rooftop bar and lounge called the Outsider. The 5,000-sqaure-foot space will have retractable glass walls and will host events year-round. It will seat 250 guests or hold receptions for 400.
