(Long Island, N.Y.) The Hamptons kicked Off Memorial Day Weekend with Miracle House’s 20th Anniversary Charity Gala on May 29th.
The event was hosted by Bravo TV Stars Andy Cohen and Countess LuAnn de Lesseps. As you all know Andy Cohen Star and host of his own show “Watch What Happen Live” is also Bravo’s Senior Vice President of Original Programming and Development. Each week Andy interviews celebrities, moviestars and Realty TV Stars on the hit show.
Known as the Countess of Class, Countess de Lesseps stars in “The Real Housewives of New York City” and has recently penned the book “Class with the Countess.” She has also completed her debut single, the disco sensation “Money Can’t Buy You Class.”
Hamptonites and supporters enjoyed performances by Grammy Legend Thelma Houston. The Gold Record classic, “Don’t Leave me This Way was placed high on the R&B, Pop and Dance charts winning Thelma a Grammy award for “Best R&B Female Vocal Performance.
Other celebrities that came to give their support were Kathie Lee Gifford, Bethenny Frankel, Hoda Kotb and Tommy Hilfiger. The event also had an added feature of painted ceramic plates that were auctioned off during the evening’s art auction. The art items were painted by renowned artists Ross Bleckner and Damien Hirst
The event honored This year, Amy Chanos and Jim Chanos. Amy is one of the organization’s founding Board Members and has brought to this role exceptional commitment and compassion. Jim has been a tremendous benefactor and long-time supporter of the Miracle House mission.
Established in 1990 to help support the AIDS crisis, Miracle House’s mission is to provide temporary housing, meals, and advocacy to caregivers and patients coming to New York City for critical medical treatment.
For more info on how you can contribute please visit www.miraclehouse.org
This past weekend Hamptonites were summering in Hamptons and rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous at many of the local eateries and trendy hotspots. Dining in the Hamptons can be quite rewarding. New to the Hamptons Scene is Annona Restaurant in Westhampton Beach. I visited this glamorous eatery on Sunday during Memorial Day weekend. Annona has become the sexy destination for A-listers and a trendy spot for intimate elegant sophisticated dining. The ultra chic ambiance caters to the ultra chic jet set VIP clientele including models, wall street hedge funders, fashionistas and celebrities.
I had a chance to chat with Owner Mario and Executive Chef Anthony Decker. The two partners revealed their passion for opening a unique Italian restaurant like no other in the Hamptons.
Later I sipped cocktails with Chef Anthony, formally of Le Cirgue and Felidia as he explained the exciting dishes he prepared for me and my guest. Special dishes on the menu include Semi Carpaccio Di ToNo, a spicy Seared Tuna Loin complete with Cherry Tomato Agrodolce and Arugula Pesto.
Another exotic dish invented by Chef Antony is his Lasagna d’Anatra. Fresh Pasta, Braised Long Island Duck Leg, Taleggio Cheese and wild Mushroom will tantalize your taste buds with this unique dish.
My guest and I enjoyed salmone patate Potato Crusted Salmon, Braised Spring Onions, Leeks, Ramps in a bed of Tomato Horseradish Mustard Sauce, simply delicious.
Diners must also experience their lamb chops. These tasty little morsels will melt exquisitely in your mouth. While waiting for dinner, Photographer and former Playmate Model Cindy Von Sear came by and chatted with me about her work as a model and photographer. “Being in front of the camera for so many years is great, but shooting photos is something I always wanted to do, now I’m doing it.. and I truly believe that you cannot be amazing behind the camera unless you know what it feels like 2 be in front of the lens,” explained Cindy.
For more info please visit http://www.annona.com
After dinner we were invited by special invitation to Portraits Of Iconic Designers a series of Celebrity Portrait Photographer Lucille Khornak’s early photographs of fashion designers at her gallery in Bridgehampton. Some of the designers featured in the show included Giorgio Armani, Geoffrey Beene, and Andrè Courrèges. This show, along with future exhibitions was featured in one portion of the gallery, while Khornak’s commissioned work of family portraits were on display for potential clients in another area. This past weekend was Lucille’s inaugural exhibition at Lucille Khornak Photography Gallery.
During my interview with Lucille Khornak, she discussed her long love affair with photography and the many celebrities she has photographed throughout her career as well as being interviewed by Oprah Winfrey.
In her ambitions to stretch her imagination beyond the bounds of an assignment and take complete artistic control, she completed her first book, FASHION 2001. For research she interviewed 103 top international fashion designers, Giorgio Armani, Geoffrey Beene, Bill Blass, Karl Lagerfield and Zandra Rhodes. The release of this publication launched Lucille’s reputation as an expert in the field of fashion photography and landed her dozens of appearances on radio talk shows and TV interviews including one with Oprah Winfrey.
Currently Lucille continues to photograph celebrities and families in black and white and color exploring new territories. Her emphasis today is in photographing children, Why you ask? “Because they are uninhibited and totally natural. They have so many moods from adorable to ornery,” she expresses. Her history in fashion photography has created her distinct eye for detail establishing her as an expert in capturing her subjects.
For more info please visit: http://www.lucillekhornak.com
