Chef Lorena Garcia

Utilísima, the only 24-hour, 100% original, Spanish-language lifestyle network, hosted a select few to the special launch of Chef Lorena García’s new show, “Lorena En Su Salsa.” One of the country’s leading chefs, Lorena has participated on several reality shows including: Top Chef, The Biggest Loser, and America’s Next Great Restaurant. The Venezuelan power house’s new series will be shot entirely in Miami in a custom built studio designed by Lorena herself and will spotlight the many rich culture’s of the Magic City’s people. 

Manu Ginobili, from the San Antonio Spurs was in town to play the Miami Heat, and on Tuesday he visited db Bistro Moderne for lunch with his family and friends and ordered Duck Confit as his main course. While in town, he also visited the JW Marriott Marquis Miami’s 19th floor basketball arena (frequented by Miami Heat players as well) and the Jim McLean indoor golf school.

Athina Marturet, Maestro Marturet, and Christian Meischel

The Adrienne Arsht Center was packed to the rafters on Saturday January 21 for the Miami Symphony Orchestra’s (MISO) annual gala concert, An Evening in Vienna, where more than 3,000 of Miami’s social elite gathered to witness an unprecedented occasion.  On this special evening, the House of Swarovski presented MISO’s Music Director and Conductor Eduardo Marturet, with a one-of-a-kind crystal baton.   Christian Meischel, Swarovski’s project manager, flew in from Austria especially for this momentous occasion, as the baton is the first-ever of its kind.   

Throughout the evening, the charismatic and energetic Marturet, wearing royal blue crystallized Donald Pliner loafers to match the stage lights, encouraged the audience to share in his enthusiasm, which even resulted in a broken baton! Fortunately, said baton was not the Swarovski baton, which had yet to be presented.  The crowd obliged, clapping to the Polka, and dancing to the upbeat tempos, and delighting to the waltzes, and great overtures.  Read the rest of this entry »

Splendor in the Garden at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden 

Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, together with Neiman Marcus Coral Gables, will host “Splendor in the Garden” on Thursday, January 26.  The afternoon will feature a reception in the Garden sponsored by Nicolas Feuillatte champagne followed by a seated luncheon and formal fashion show produced by Neiman Marcus Senior Vice President and Fashion Director, Ken Downing. In addition, Fairchild will honor a group of special women who have contributed significantly to Fairchild’s success and who have made “giving fashionable.” Those being honored are Penny Stamps, Jayne Abess, Pamela Garrison, Judy Kramer, Joyce Burns, Nancy Batchelor, Jennifer Buttrick and Brenda Nestor Castellano. All proceeds will benefit Fairchild’s numerous programs in conservation, science, children’s education and research. For ticket information and reservations please contact: sshubin@fairchildgarden.org or 305.667.1651, ext. 3375.

Roots of Hope “Youth Empowerment through Fashion & Music” 

On Saturday, January 28, at 10:00 p.m., Roots of Hope and Nicolita Swimwear partner up together to present an unforgettable night filled with music, dancing, and fashion at PAX Miami. The event will feature models wearing Nicole Di Rocco’s Nicolita Swimwear interacting with the crowd as the Latin sounds of Suenalo play on the stage. Suenalo’s music, inspired by Afro Cuban and Puerto Rican influences, and has been recognized as Best Latin Band in 2011 by Miami New Times, and Nicole’s swimwear line inspired by Cuban places and icons will give attendees an opportunity to immerse themselves in different aspects of the Cuban culture. They will also have a chance to speak with members of Roots of Hope and find out how they can get involved and help empower Cuban youth.

Gung Hay Fat Choy! Mandarin Oriental Celebrates Chinese New Year 

Mandarin Oriental, Miami has an array of celebratory offerings to honor the Chinese lunar calendar and usher in the Year of the Dragon.The Al Fresco Chinese New Year Party: on Saturday, January 28, from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m.  will include music, delicious Asian cuisine stations with open bar, a majestic dragon dance and entertainment, all set to the backdrop of Biscayne Bay and the Miami skyline. Tickets are $95 per person in advance or $110 at the door, plus tax and gratuity. There will be an art exhibition in the lobby from  January 23 through March 5 featuring the works of renowned Chinese Artist Fung Ming Chip, who specializes in Chinese calligraphy, considered in Asian culture to be one of the highest arts. The exhibition is curated by Vincent Tom and Christopher Thompson from Miami’s Crimson Gate Gallery. Additionally, Cafe Sambal will offer a celebratory a la carte menu nightly from January 23 through February 5, from 5:00 to 11:00 p.m. For dining reservations, tickets or any additional information, call 305.913.8358 or send an email to momia-restaurants@mohg.com.

Family Creativity Center at Bass Museum of Art

On Sunday, January 29, the Bass Museum of Art will introduce the Lindemann Family Creativity Center. The museum will commemorate the opening of the center with an inauguration ceremony and ribbon cutting at 12:30 p.m. followed by family activities from 12:00 to 4:00 p.m. as well as a fortune telling by artist David Rohn, also known as “The Amazing Ultran.” Regularly scheduled family day activities will also take place in the museum’s café from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. In addition, the Bass Museum of Art will introduce two new children’s programs with multiple sessions spanning February through May. The Bass Babies program for ages 2 – 4 will be held weekly on Tuesdays from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. and allow parents and their toddles to tap into their creative side while learning the basics of art. The Bass Buddies program for ages 4 – 6 will be held every other Saturday from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. and will include specific art lessons that are paired with a fitting song. Other activities may include science experiments, slide shows, museum walks and short stories. Admission to the museum and activities are free of charge as always on IDEA@thebass family days.

Tommy Davidson at Ricochet Bar and Lounge

Impersonation guru Tommy Davidson joins the comedian line-up at Ricochet Bar & Lounge this month showing off his wit and innovative talent to the crowd. Best known as one of the original stars from In Living Color and his role in Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls, Davidson will perform live stand-up comedy at Midtown Miami’s newest culture-centric bar and lounge on Monday, January 30. Doors open at 8:00 p.m. with an anticipated, soon to be announced, opening act for Davidson. Tickets are only $25 per person, so don’t miss out on this extraordinary performance by a comedy legend. Purchase your tickets at http://ricochetlounge.com/#section8.

Sixth Annual Stars of Design Awards

On Wednesday, February 1, Design Center of the Americas (DCOTA) and Charles S. Cohen, Owner, CEO and President of Cohen Brothers Realty, will shine a spotlight on the design world’s leading professionals with the Sixth Annual Stars of Design Awards. A ceremony and reception will be held on day one of the Design Center’s two-day WinterMarket in honor of the design luminaries, at which time guests will celebrate with live music, performances, hors d’oeuvres and beverages courtesy of 42 Below, Alacrán Tequila, Mandarine Napoléon and Société Perrier. The 2012 Stars of Design Award Honorees are: Clodagh, Chad Oppenheim, Jennifer Post, Kiran Shiva Akal, Franco Pianegonda, DJ Hay, Iran Issa Khan, and Henry Richardson. This year, DCOTA will add a new facet to its Stars of Design Awards, the “Stars on the Rise” category, which will honor five designers forty years of age or younger, who have already made a significant mark in the design world. The 2012 Stars on the Rise are: Alison Antrobus, Eric Winnick, Joe Fava, A. Keith Powell and Donanne Ramos. The award ceremony begins at 5:30 p.m. with a cocktail reception following at 7:00 p.m.; to RSVP contact 954.920.7997 extension 240 or adriana@taraink.com .

National Frozen Yogurt Day

National Frozen Yogurt Day is on Monday, February 6 and Yogurtland is celebrating this day by offering FREE frozen yogurt to everyone who visits any of the 160+ locations across the country! Yogurtland will be giving away 5 oz. cups of frozen yogurt from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. in each participating location for one day only.

We fully expected to be smitten on Saturday night at the YoungArts “An Affair of the Arts” Gala, where one of our favorite actors of all-time, Robert Redford, was honored with the Arison Award.  What we didn’t expect was that we would have the honor of meeting the Sundance Kid and gushing, shamelessly, about the fact that we are lifelong, card-carrying members of the Robert Redford fan club.  The still-gorgeous-as-ever, septuagenarian actor, director, activist and founder of Sundance Institute+ Film Festival humbly listened and even indulged us in a photo- a privilege reserved to very few on that stellar evening.   

Prior to the gala, more than 800 A-list guests, including prominent artists, community leaders, philanthropists and celebrities, gathered for the performance and awards presentation at the historic Gusman Center for the Performing Arts where visual artist and 1986 YoungArts winner Doug Aitken was presented with the Alumni Award; and arts administrator Robert L. Lynch, president and CEO of Americans for the Arts, received the YoungArts Leadership Award. Read the rest of this entry »

Dwayne Wade

By:  Mary Jo Almeida-Shore

To ease the pain of entering a new decade, Dwyane Wade’s family and friends (and by “friends” we mean sponsors such as Hublot and The Collection) celebrated the basketball star’s birthday with a weekend filled with festivities, beginning with a surprise brunch hosted at the W Hotel by his mother Jolinda and sister Tragil. The intimate gathering included Wade’s girlfriend, Gabrielle Union and featured a performance by Grammy Award-winning singer Yolanda Adams.

On Sunday night a slew of celebrities including the usual suspects, teammates Lebron James, Chris Bosh and Udonis Haslem as well as Pat Riley, DJ Irie and Usher feted Wade at the Setai’s courtyard with free-flowing Hennessy and Belvedere and special surprise performances from Kelly Rowland, T.I., Common and Rick Ross.

The evening began with a special “30 for 30” dinner at the Setai hosted by Dom Perignon, Belevedere and Hennessy, during which the vintage champagne producer presented Wade with a bottle of 1982 Dom Perignon, in honor of his birth year. After dinner, the party moved to the courtyard where Wade was greeted by over 300 friends and VIP guests. One of the biggest surprises was the all-new 2012 McLaren MP4-12C supercar, customized just for Wade, which was perched on a platform on the pool awaiting Wade’s arrival. Ken Gorin, president and CEO of The Collection had the car airlifted onto the hotel pool earlier in the day. Read the rest of this entry »

Loren and Kate Kreiss with Tracy and Alonzo Mourning

Earlier in the week, home furnishings powerhouse, Kreiss, celebrated the arrival of its Design District showroom, with a cocktail hosted by retired NBA All-Star Alonzo Mourning and his fabulous wife, Tracy Wilson Mourning to benefit the Honey Shine Mentoring Program, founded by Tracy more than a decade ago. The event attracted more than 300 design-minded trendsetters who enjoyed eco-friendly cocktails courtesy of VeeV, hors d’oeuvres by MG Events and beats by DUTCH. 

Special guests included: photographer Iran Issa-Khan, outdoor living designer Fernando Wong, NIBA Home owner Nisi Berryman, stylist Elyze Held, philanthropist Jennifer Valoppi, Miami Beach Commissioner Michael Gongora; Barbara Becker, Kate Kreiss, Amaris Jones, Tara Solomon and Nick D’Annunzio. 

The lovely Loren Kreiss, Managing Director of Kreiss Enterprises shared the following about the stylish gathering at the 3,800-square-foot showroom, “I’m thrilled with the turnout and reception for the grand opening of our Design District location. The crowd’s palpable energy, coupled with the inspiring support for Honey Shine, made this a truly memorable occasion.”