(Long Island, N.Y.) The Thirteenth Annual Food Allergy Ball was held this year at the prestigious Waldorf on Monday, December 6, 2010. The Food Allergy Initiative philanthropic leaders joined together at the event to raise funds to support the organization and to honor individuals who have committed so much of their time to the cause. The evening’s proceeds benefited the Food Allergy Initiative’s research activities and educational programs. The Food Allergy Initiative main focus is effectively treating and raising awareness of life-threatening food allergies.
The Food Allergy Initiative (FAI) presented the FAI Legacy Award to Kathy Franklin in recognition of her longstanding commitment to FAI. Ms. Franklin has been a passionate advocate for FAI’s mission of education, research and advocacy helping countless families navigate the challenges of living with potentially fatal food allergies.
Cognac Wellerlane interviews Chairman and Founder Sharon Mann of the Food Allergy Foundation at the Food Allergy Ball and Journalist/Author/Commentator Aliza Davidovit about her new book “The Words That Shaped Me” at the Waldorf Astoria.
Celebrity Renowned Chef/Restaurateur Tom Colicchio received the FAI Lifetime Achievement Award. Mr. Colicchio co-founded Gramercy Tavern and later went on to create Craft restaurants. He has been head judge on Bravo’s “Top Chef” and has received many accolades for his work including the 2010 James Beard Outstanding Chef Award.
Sharyn T. Mann and Todd J. Slotkin were the Gala Dinner Chairs. David Koch was the Corporate Dinner Chair. Benefit Dinner Chairs included Abbey and Steven Braverman, Patricia and James Cayne, Nina Rennert Davidson and Mitchell Davidson, Judi and Joe Flom, Mary Richardson Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Roxanne and Dean Palin, and Stephanie Winston Wolkoff and David Wolkoff.
The Food Allergy Initiative (FAI) is a national, nonprofit organization dedicated to finding a cure for food allergies affecting more than 12 million Americans. Founded in 1998, FAI is the largest private source of funding for food allergy research. Since its inception the organization has contributed more than sixty-five million dollars toward research, clinical activities to improve diagnosis and treatment, public policy initiatives, and educational programs. The Food Allergy Initiative’s mission is to raise awareness among schools, health and child care workers, and members of the food service and hospitality industries.
FAI supports basic and clinical research worldwide. FAI-sponsored research seeks to find a cure and improve clinical treatment, including anaphylaxis and chronic diseases of the skin and gastrointestinal tract caused by food allergy. The FAI Medical Advisory Board comprises leading experts in the field. It also identifies and recommends the most promising studies for funding and ensures that all research is rigorously reviewed.
By funding multi-disciplinary programs involving allergists, immunologists, pediatricians, internists, gastroenterologists, nutritionists, and patients, FAI seeks to improve the identification and treatment of people at risk for food allergies.
Over the past 10 years the incidence of food allergies has been increasing in developed countries worldwide. In the United States more than twelve million people suffer from food allergies of varying degrees of severity including four percent of children under age 18 and three percent of the overall population. There is no cure and no therapy to prevent anaphylaxis, a potentially life-threatening allergic reaction. Only emergency treatment can control a reaction that is already in progress.
Cognac Wellerlane interviews Co-Chair Abby Braverman and Barbara Winston Socialite and Daughter-in-Law of the famous jeweler the Late Harry Winston at the Food Allergy Ball at the Waldorf Astoria.
A food allergy develops when the body’s immune system becomes misdirected and attacks normally harmless food proteins. Although any food can cause an allergy, eight foods cause 90% of all reactions: peanuts, tree nuts (almonds, walnuts, cashews, pistachios, pecans, etc.), eggs, milk, fish, shellfish, soy, and wheat. The only way to prevent an allergic reaction is strict avoidance of the food that causes the allergy.
Anaphylaxis is a sudden, severe, and potentially fatal allergic reaction. Food allergies are the single leading cause of anaphylaxis outside of the hospital setting. For some people, even a tiny trace of the wrong food can trigger an anaphylactic reaction. People with food allergies must always be vigilant. Dangerous trace amounts of problem foods may be found in poorly labeled processed foods, on cross-contaminated utensils or manufacturing equipment. It can even be carried on another person’s hands or transmitted through a kiss. The foods that most commonly cause anaphylaxis are peanuts, tree nuts, and shellfish. Every year food-allergic reactions account for some 125,000 emergency room visits.
Epinephrine (adrenaline) is the only medication that halts the symptoms of anaphylaxis. People at risk should always wear medical identification jewelry and carry self-injectable epinephrine. Available by prescription, epinephrine must be given as soon as possible to hold off symptoms which enable time to get to an emergency room for more care.
Who Gets Food Allergies:
- Food allergies affect children and adults of all races and ethnicity, and can develop at any age.
- Children of parents with any type of allergic disease (eczema, asthma, environmental allergies or food allergies) are particularly at risk.
- More than 6.5 million Americans are allergic to seafood and over 3 million are allergic to peanuts and tree nuts.
- The number of children with peanut and tree nut allergies tripled from 1997 to 2008. Teens and young adults with these allergies appear to be at an increased risk for severe allergic reactions.
- Food allergy can be responsible for chronic diseases such as eczema and can stunt growth in infants and children by damaging the digestive system.
To educate the hospitality industry about food allergies and cross-contamination, FAI funded the creation of the first Food Allergy Training Guide for Restaurants and Food Services distributed nationwide by the National Restaurant Association.
Acclaimed chefs and restaurateurs who have worked with FAI to train their staff include: David Bouley; Daniel Boulud (Daniel);Thomas Keller (The French Laundry, Per Se); Emeril Lagasse (Emeril’s); Sirio Maccioni (Le Cirque); Danny Meyer (Union Square Hospitality Group); Drew Nieporent (Myriad Restaurant Group); Jacques Pépin, Alain Sailhac, and André Soltner (The French Culinary Institute); Marcus Samuelsson (Acquavit), and Alex von Bidder and Julian Niccolini (the Four Seasons).
The Food Allergy Initiative recently announced its endorsement of comprehensive food allergy diagnosis and management guidelines released by an expert panel sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), a division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH)
The Food Allergy Initiative recently announced its endorsement of comprehensive food allergy diagnosis and management guidelines released by an expert panel sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), a division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). FAI, the largest private source of funding for food allergy research in the U.S. is in the process of underwriting the publication of the long-awaited guidelines as a special supplement to the December 2010 issue of the prestigious Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. The guidelines are also available online.
“The Food Allergy Initiative is proud to underwrite the publication of this landmark document, which will be distributed to thousands of healthcare professionals nationwide,” said Mary Jane Marchisotto, Executive Director of FAI, who also served on the coordinating committee. “Food allergy is a major national health concern, particularly among children. Almost a quarter of all emergency room visits now involve children under age five, and in a national survey, elementary school nurses identified food allergy as a larger problem than diabetes. We hope these guidelines will become the standard of care for all medical professionals who treat food allergy, enabling us to save lives as well as much-needed costs in our healthcare system.”
Every minute of every day people with life-threatening food allergies have to worry about those tiny amounts of peanuts, milk, eggs or other food allergens that could be lurking in whatever they eat. Every 15 minutes one child is rushed to the emergency room because of life-threatening food allergies. The numbers are staggering; twelve million Americans including three million kids are affected by food allergies. Peanut and tree nut allergies have tripled in children over the past 11 years.
Still the federal government spends only about $26 million a year on food allergy research, far less than other important diseases. There are no medications to cure or control food allergies but more federal funding could help advance many promising studies that are getting the world closer to a cure.
To learn more on how you can support this cause please visit www.faiusa.org for additional information.
Elite Professional Networking Group and Gloria Cressler hosted a “Fabulous” Christmas Event at the Pearl Lounge in Chelsea, New York on Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2010. Attendees mingled with corporate sponsors, models, singers, celebrities and VIP Guests.
Entertainment was provided by Singer/Songwriter Brendan Coskerry.
Brendan Croskerry was born on July 24, 1985 in St. John’s Newfoundland on the east coast of Canada. At the early age of five his parents enrolled him in the local Canadian Conservatory of Music. The first few years of musical training and lessons were grueling. By the age of 13 Brendan started experimenting with other instruments including guitar bass and drums, developing the fundamentals of sound. In 2005 the release of his debut solo album “Tapas EP” proved to be Brendan’s first serious project. The genre was easy listening and took its name from the Spanish tradition of eating small delicacies and appetizers from a succession of bars. Each song on the CD reflected the diversity of tapas typically enjoyed in a soirée. In 2005 Brendan received a scholarship to study at the Universidad de La Rioja, in Logroño, Spain.
TV Host Cognac Wellerlane interviews Canadian Singer Songwriter Brendan Croskerry and Fashion Designer Richie Rich at the Pearl Lounge in Chelsea, New York.
Integrating quickly into the music scene, he formed an international band La Casaloca with a violinist from Germany and a soul singer from Venice, Italy. The multinational band created a strong bond within the international student population that year. During this time Brendan met producer Miguel Ángel Andrés and Paulino Lorenzo from the Contactados label. “Superman is on Holidays”, his first commercial release was featured on the international selling compilation albums Disco Estrella and Supermodelo in 2007. Both compilations reached number one in Spain enduring a total of 8 weeks in the number one spot.
In 2008 he released his debut album “Goodbye Harrier”, produced by Leroy Quintyn of the independent Spanish label Contactados Factoría Musical.
Brendan has recently signed a contract worldwide with the Italian label Just Entertainment and continues to write music and entertain fans in Europe and the United States. To find out more please visit his MySpace page at www.myspace.com/brendancroskerry.
During the event Entertainer Marla Mase and world renowned Musician Tomas Doncker stopped by to chat with me.
Marla Mase is a writer/performer/producer/singer/songwriter from New York City. She has written and continues to write plays, monologues, poems, solo performance pieces, erotica, blogs and songs which have been performed by her and other actors around Manhattan. She is known for her balls-to-the-wall performance style and her no-holds-barred honesty. Her most recent show “A Brief Night Out (BNO)” a kick-ass rock-n-roll musical that tells the story of a middle-aged woman who is having an affair, falling apart at the seams and busting with a sexy brand of anxiety. The musical is fast becoming an underground sensation. The CD soundtrack of the show, co-produced and co-written with Tomas Doncker is going viral across cyberspace and is getting downloaded daily. BNO has been workshopped at The Duplex, The Barrow Street Theatre, The Delancey Bar, and The Laurie Beechman Theatre and is currently looking for a permanent home to live in.
Marla’s play, “The Canarsie Line” directed by Kathryn Rossetter ran at The Bank Street Theatre in New York City to sold out audiences in 2002 and was invited to the Edinburgh Theatre Festival. Her play “Man/Woman” was workshopped at the Abingdon Theatre in 2004. She is a regular performer in Carolyn Kitay’s Variety Show, Kitay Kitay and the Wonderfuls and she is a frequent performer of her songs at benefits, mixers, and clubs in New York City.
Cognac Wellerlane interviews Singer and Playwright Marla Mase and Musician Tomas Doncker – renowned guitarist & recording artist at the Pearl Lounge in Chelsea, New York.
Marla has her MA in writing and performance from NYU. She is a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Society and is the owner of PARTYpoopers.com and partySWANK.com where she has produced over 2,500 events for eighteen years. Marla’s second CD “SPEAK” is scheduled to be released in Spring 2011.
For more information on Marla Mase please visit www.MarlaMase.com.
Tomas Doncker is the co-writer of music, producer, and musical director of “A Brief Night Out.” Tomas found himself amongst the ranks of New York’s groundbreaking musical elite. He has played in such groups as James Chance and the Contortions, James White and The Blacks, Defunkt, Latin-groove-meisters Konk, and New York’s absolute first hip-hop group, J. Walter Negro & The Loose Joints (featuring Grammy-nominated pianist Arturo O’Farrill).
Tomas has amassed performance and recording credits with a diverse list of musical luminaries including: Bootsy Collins, Ivan Neville, Yoko Ono, Amp Fiddler, Bonnie Raitt, folk-pop-diva Morley, Japanese saxophonist Sadao Watanabe, Grammy winner Prince Charles Alexander’s City Beat Band, along with spoken word pioneer Sonya Sanchez. In 2009 Tomas released the highly anticipated collection of songs with Pulitzer-Prize winning poet Yusef Komunyakaa entitled, “The Mercy Suite.” His Global/Soul CD “Small World Part 1 – Deluxe Edition” has been selected by BDG/Sony/Red for worldwide distribution. The CD featured performances by Bill Laswell, Gigi, Selam Woldermariam, and Martha Redbone.
For more info please visit www.tomasdoncker.net.
I also had the chance to chat with Actor/Director Alberto Bonilla. Alberto Bonilla is originally from Mesa, Arizona. He was born in Mexico City and his family is from Honduras. His parents immigrated to the United States in 1973 for a better quality of life and more opportunities. Although being raised in the United States his whole life, Alberto became a United States citizen in 1999 while attending Rutgers University.
Entertainment Journalist Cognac Wellerlane interviews Actor/Director Alberto Bonilla at the Pearl Lounge in Chelsea, New York for the Longislandexchange.com.
Alberto received a BA in Theatre at Arizona State University. He also studied at The British American Dramatic Academy in Oxford, England. He continued his studies at Rutgers University and Mason Gross School of the Arts receiving an MFA in Acting under Maggie Flanagan and William Esper.
At the event my celebrity guest for the evening was Fashion Designer Richie Rich formerly from the Brand “Heatherettes.”
Designer Richie Rich was born in California as Richard J. Eichhorn. He was an avid ice skater with a strong ambition to pursue the Olympics. On the music stage at the 1992 Folsom Street Fair, Richie Rich performed singing a song he had written called Go-Go Dancer. Soon after that he moved to New York City for fame and fortune.
In the mid 1990’s Rich was a staple on the New York City club kid scene and made a cameo appearance in James St. James’s club kid film Party Monster. Branding his name further he teamed up with handsome Western based Traver Raines and established the defunct fashion label known as “Heatherette.”
The brand is no longer in existence but Rich continues to brand his name and himself. He recently launched his new label in September 2010 and signed on with The King Collective to produce a new line called Pop Luxe. The collection was one of the first to be shown at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week At Lincoln Center and featured Ellen DeGeneres.
In November 2010, Richie produced a limited edition t-shirt to benefit the Harvey Milk Foundation.
Rich continues to be a fashion icon and is in the process of creating his new website richierichworld.com and will be showing his collection in February 2011 during Mercedes Benz Fashion Week.
Corporate sponsors for the event included:
HSBC Bank (40th & 5th Avenue), Quest Magazine And TV.com, www.brumosracing.com “TRG” The Racer’s Group, Stockton Inn (New Jersey), Chef Frederig, Egon Gronau & Company, Chef Uwe Scherk, Chef Rudi Fers, AbakaHoldings.com, Emperors Brand, Vias Imports, Oak Beverages, House of Burgundy LLC, Niche Imports, Wide World Wines Inc. Casa De Vino, Global Fine Wines, Sonu Water,Cameron Graphics, Anthony’s Exclusive Limo & www.logoweardirect.biz/gcressler32 (logo Embroidery for Polo Shirts, Ball Caps & other Promotional items.
