On Saturday night, the AIDS Foundation of Chicago celebrated its 25th anniversary with a black-tie gala for 1,000 guests at the Hilton Chicago. The organization's World of Chocolate fund-raiser—its biggest of the year—takes place each December. But the gala "was a one-time event," said director of fund-raising events Chris Matthews. "This was a very special year for us."
To celebrate the milestone anniversary, the charity tapped Jam Entertainment and Creative Services to wrangle the Bangles, whose set at the end of the evening included the '80s hit "Manic Monday." "This song is 25 years old, too," said guitarist Vickie Peterson. "What a coincidence."
If the entertainment had a retro vibe, the decor was "ultra sleek, and very modern," Matthews said. Inspired by the red ribbon that symbolizes the movement to fight AIDS and HIV, Kehoe Designs created three tabletop designs that incorporated stainless steel and red floral accents. Hilton Chicago executive sous chef Mario Garcia designed a special menu to "visually play into the decor scheme" with complementary coloring, Matthews said.
The three-course meal included a salad with carpaccio of watermelon radish, a grilled petite filet mignon with tamarind rub and red wine reduction, farm-raised sturgeon with sundried tomatoes, and vanilla sponge cake with white chocolate mousse and strawberry and blueberry compote.
