Snow and cold, go along your merry way. Spring is in the wings. Eating wings and then some were more than 150 people who attended the annual Sunday Supper held at the restaurant Daniel. This year’s event raised $840,000, all benefiting Citymeals on Wheels. The funds will be used to prepare and deliver 113,821 meals for homebound elderly New Yorkers. Citymeals on Wheels Board Co-President Daniel Boulud has hosted this fabulous dinner for the past 20 years. Joining him in the kitchen are celebrated chefs from across America and Europe. So you know the menu is eclectic. For all of you foodies who follow the food networks, culinary expert, food writer and dynamic television personality Gail Simmons was the evening’s master of ceremonies. Simmons is also special projects director for Food & Wine magazine and a judge on Bravo’s “Top Chef.” So perhaps you’ve seen her.
Since its founding in 1981, Citymeals on Wheels (citymeals.org) has been working in partnership with community-based organizations and senior centers delivering more than 2 million weekend, holiday and emergency meals for more than 18,000 seniors. Last year, more than 15,000 individuals volunteered nearly 72,000 hours of their time. And you say you don’t know what to do with your spare time. Citymeals on Wheels co-founder, board chair and food critic, Gael Greene, was there looking quite distinctive in a hat featuring a large, shiny star that sat right in the middle of her forehead. You deserve it Gael.
The New York School of Interior Design held its annual gala at a very swanky private club, and although Kathy Prounis was there looking rather swanky herself, where was Elaine Griffith? She is most definitely my interior designer of choice. The school is ranked the #1 program in the country for interior design education, and this year the school will graduate its 100th class.
Did you know that yearly income taxes originally had to be filed on March 15? That was until 1955, when the due date was changed to April 15. Maybe that is where the phrase “beware of the Ides of March” originated. History tells us that the Ides of March is the day on the Roman calendar as the date of the assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 B.C. It was also seen as a turning point in Roman history, which marked the transition from the historical period known as the Roman Republic to the Roman Empire.
Wishing you were a snowbird and could get away from it all? Well, even if you can’t, you can dream can’t you? Far, far away, in a distant land is a national wildlife reserve located in a place called Masai Mara, in Kenya, East Africa. It is no easy trek to get there as travel can include taking a jumbo jet from NYC to Dubai, a slightly smaller plane from Dubai to Nairobi, Kenya, and finally a single engine Cessna from Nairobi to Masai Mara. No, this trip is not for the faint of heart. However, rumor has it, Masai Mara is one of the finest wildlife reserves in the world with more 550 square miles filled with roaming lions, leopards, cheetahs, rhinos, zebras, elephants, giraffes, crocodiles and hippos, not to mention the more than 95 different species of mammals and reptiles and more than 400 species of birds. Imagine if you can see a hyena laughing among the elephants. Sad but beautiful to see are the black rhinos. Because of poaching, there are fewer than 5,000 rhinos worldwide, down from 70,000 in the 1960s.
What is most enticing to me is being out in the wild among the animals in their natural habitat, and then coming home at the end of the day to a luxurious hotel with a bathtub, hot water and a masseuse at your beck and call. I recall several years ago, my friend Cheryl Chambers telling me of her safari trip that she smartly planned before leaving the states, and bravely took alone while her husband, Seymour James, Esq., was attending a conference in Johannesburg, South Africa. It has always been on my must-do list, and just telling you about it gets me very excited.
A little bit closer to home, Dana Riley shared her secret recipe for Hangover Healers at a tasting held at the Winery, 116th Street at Eighth Avenue. Believe it or not, after a heavy night of drinking, there is a recipe to smooth away the sting. The secret ingredient is enlightened grain USDA organic vodka. I am told it is so good and workable in several cocktails. (I am more of a gin drinker because vodka gives me a headache.) Riley demonstrated how to make an Inspired Red Snapper and a Windsor Palmer.
The Inspired Red Snapper (Bloody Mary): 1.5 oz. EG Rosemary & Lavender Vodka, 4 oz. Bloody Mary mix, 2 lemon wedges, celery for garnish. Let me know how you make out. I am particularly looking forward to the Sake Nobu tasting Thursday, March 23, 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. This event is a special tasting all about Japanese sake executed by Nobu Otsu, proprietor of The Winery. It will be a very good tasting for those who want to learn about the world of sake. I can’t remember the first time I had a hot sake but do remember having it when I was in Tokyo, Japan, several years ago. As good as it is here in the States, it is definitely the diluted version.
Are you caught up in the March Madness NCCA Basketball games? Oh, to be on the college campus where all of the excitement is going on! The women’s final tournament will be held March 31 in Dallas, Texas. A great way to celebrate the games and Women’s History Month as well.
Until next week … kisses.
