Food, wine and music flowed into the night at the Italian Wine and Food Institute's fifth annual Bevi e Mangia tasting event at the Roosevelt Hotel. The event, sponsored by American Express, CIBC World Markets and DeFalco & Company, raised more than $30,000 for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA).
More than 300 guests came to taste offerings from restaurants such as Tuscan Square, Ferrera, Palio, Jerry's, Marado Blu and Coco Pazzo Cafe, who provided samples ranging from spring terrine with rooster and.phparagus to classic bruschetta. Breads were provided by the Tom Cat bakery and the Royal Crown bakery, and some of the participating wine distributors included Panebianco, Kobrand, Fedway and Ronac.
A silent auction was held in the hotel's terrace suite, and included lots from Time Out New York, Paul Mitchell, Metronome, the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London, Lia Schorr salon and MTV's Total Request Live, plus several pieces of signed sports memorabilia. A seemingly mismatched--but welcome--component of the evening of food and wine was the presence of two massage therapists from the Oasis Day Spa who provided back rubs to guests.
The event also had an underlying mob theme--Sopranos star Aida Turturro made an appearance, and a Frank Sinatra cover artist known as John "Old Blue Eyes" Esposito sang numerous songs made famous by the Chairman.
--Suzanne Ito
More than 300 guests came to taste offerings from restaurants such as Tuscan Square, Ferrera, Palio, Jerry's, Marado Blu and Coco Pazzo Cafe, who provided samples ranging from spring terrine with rooster and.phparagus to classic bruschetta. Breads were provided by the Tom Cat bakery and the Royal Crown bakery, and some of the participating wine distributors included Panebianco, Kobrand, Fedway and Ronac.
A silent auction was held in the hotel's terrace suite, and included lots from Time Out New York, Paul Mitchell, Metronome, the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London, Lia Schorr salon and MTV's Total Request Live, plus several pieces of signed sports memorabilia. A seemingly mismatched--but welcome--component of the evening of food and wine was the presence of two massage therapists from the Oasis Day Spa who provided back rubs to guests.
The event also had an underlying mob theme--Sopranos star Aida Turturro made an appearance, and a Frank Sinatra cover artist known as John "Old Blue Eyes" Esposito sang numerous songs made famous by the Chairman.
--Suzanne Ito
Lioni Bufala Mozzarella, one of the several Italian restaurants and food stores at the Bevi e Mangia Italian food and wine tasting event, put out plates of mozzarella.
Tuscan Square pastry chef Patti Jackson carved these decorative watermelon baskets to complement her watermelon parfait dish.
The Muscular Dystrophy Association's William White headed the event's coordination.
Liz Derringer and Michael Weitz of Derringer & Weitz Communications handled the event's public relations.
