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Next, a curtained entrance led guests to the silent auction and dining area. EventStar built a 48,000-square-foot circular tent with clear walls surrounding the Mildred & Claude Pepper fountain, offering breathtaking views of the downtown skyline. Mixologists from Borrow a Bartender served up lychee, mango, apple, or Godiva chocolate martinis as well as mojitos from a 76-foot-long lit bar from So Cool Events, which changed colors throughout the night. Two raw bars flanking the bar were filled with an array of fresh seafood displayed on nine-foot ice sculptures.
Dining tables were set up along the tent's circular path, dressed in a variety of colors and fabrics, from turquoise and hot pink to purple, navy, and silver. Centerpieces from Jeren Foliage varied from table to table but were mostly low arrangements of vibrant flowers such as roses, calla lilies, and orchids in fuchsia, yellow, and red. The carpeting changed from light to dark blue every couple of feet, adding even more color.
The four-course menu was just as colorful. "We wanted to blow people away and go the extra mile at this event, considering its size," Tornek said. "Nobody walked more than five feet without food and beverage being available to them." Dinner began with chilled Canadian foie gras terrine served with fresh vegetables with sherry basil vinaigrette, followed by Angus filet mignon with horseradish demiglace and roasted baby tomatoes, mushrooms, and.phparagus with goat cheese mashed potatoes. For dessert, each table received platters with mini portions of passion fruit mousse, wild cherry ricotta cheesecake, dulce de leche-filled profiteroles with berry relish, and other decadent treats.
During dinner the performance tent had been transformed into a posh nightclub bursting with hot pink and black tones. Touch littered the space with chocolate dipping stations and cookie stations. Other bite-size treats came right to guests via the hot pink and black tables that moved about the room with a little help from the servers that stood in their centers. A 60-by-20-foot dance floor replaced the stage, giving guests ample room to move to the beats of a 10-piece orchestra from Dan Leslie's Entertainers, which played hit songs from the 60's to today well into the night.
—Vanessa Goyanes
The clear walls of the circular dining tent gave guests unobstructed views of the bay.
Touch Catering lined a 76-foot-long lit bar from So Cool Events with specialty cocktails served by Borrow a Bartender.
Touch Catering served an array of seafood from two nine-foot ice sculptures that flanked the 76-foot main bar.
Models in the center of strolling dessert tables served sweets to guests in the after-hours nightclub tent.
