John Varvatos
photo credit: Miami Herald

A newly wed Pharrell Williams was spotted with his wife and family having a casual early dinner with friends at Zuma on Monday. Derek Jeter also enjoyed Kobe steak with team mates at Zuma.  Earlier in the week, Luis Miguel Gallego was seen having a late dinner with a lady friend at the restaurant and an animated Raul de Molina was there for lunch.  

Derek Jeter spent time at the SLS Hotel South Beach. Jeter was seen having dinner at Katsuya with Jorge Posada and later made his way to Hyde Beach where he enjoyed bottle service and hung out with friends and other Hyde patrons. 

Designer John Varvatos welcomed several stylish guests to his Miami store on Lincoln Road on Saturday night for a cocktail party and book signing in honor of  the menswear designer’s first book release, Rock in Fashion.  

Law & Order: SVU star Danny Pino joined Duracell in donating its new powerful Quantum batteries to the Miami-Dade Police Department and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue at Miami-Dade Police Department Headquarters in Doral as part of Duracell’s donation of 1 million Duracell Quantum batteries to first responders across the country, on October 14.

Actors, Robert Rodriguez, Danny Trejo and Alexa Vega attended the Red Carpet screening for Machete Kills at Regal Cinemas on Lincoln Road. The cast also celebrated at Soho Beach House for the after party. 

Musician and songwriter Mike Deleasa performed live on Thursday, October 10 at the Oncology Unit of Miami Children’s Hospital for the inaugural kickoff of the Family Fun Night Series.  

Sweat USA, America’s first All-Star Fitness Festival, flexed its muscle on Miami Beach over Columbus Day weekend as thousands of enthusiasts headed to the Miami Beach Convention Center for classes with their favorite fitness idols.  First up on Saturday morning was ‘America’s Toughest Trainer’ and star of the hit NBC show The Biggest  Loser, Jillian Michaels.  Her class was easily the quickest to sell out as fans from as far as Brazil and the UK packed in to the ballroom as the music thumped before Jillian bounced on to the stage.  Supermodel Karolina Kurkova was seen browsing the exhibition floor, trying a few samples of the latest nutrition bars and weight loss formulas.  On Sunday, the highly anticipated creator of ‘Insanity,’ today’s biggest selling home-based DVD workout program, Shaun T arrived on-stage with his husband, Scott Blokker, in tow.  ABC’s ‘Shark Tank’ panelist, creator of Fubu and Miami resident, Daymon John, stopped by the Convention Center to say hello to his business partners who founded SurfSet, the surf board workout routine, which John invested in on the show.  The day finished with the founder of P90X, Tony Horton, providing a packed ballroom a rendition of his latest routine P90X 3. 

Music producer, Pharrell Williams, married longtime girlfriend, model, Helen Lasichanh, mother to the couple’s son, Rocket, on Saturday night at the Kampong National Gardens in Coconut Grove.  Busta Rhymes and Usher performed a mini-concert for the happy couple to celebrate their nuptials. 

A newly-svelte Rick Ross hosted the “Prestige Sunday” party at BAMBOO Miami Beach celebrating DJ Camilo’s birthday.   DJ Epps and DJ E-Feezy kept the music pumping the party til the wee hours of the morning.  Other celebs were there for the birthday celebration: FLOrida, Busta Rhymes, FABOLOUS and French Montana.  It was a PACKED house, the line of people awaiting entry spanned several blocks. 

Newly wed Savannah Brinson, wife of Lebron James, was spotted enjoying a sushi lunch at Zuma with fellow basketball wife Jenine Howard.  Mexican actor, Jorge Salinas and his wife were also seen sharing Japanese Wagyu.  Also spotted, retired heavyweight champion boxer, Lennox Lewis, dined with friends at Zuma Sunday night.  Greg Oden of the Miami Heat, enjoyed a late night dinner Tuesday there with a lady friend. 

Thursday night, Dwyane Wade hosted “A Night on the RunWade” at the Moore building to benefit his Wade’s World foundation.  Deco Drive’s Louis Aguirre emceed the event, along with Jill Martin from the Today show.

On Friday, Live! with Kelly and Michael co-host Michael Strahan was spotted at Hyde Beach at SLS Hotel South Beach having a late lunch with his wife and friends. Later that night, Strahan attended an event at the garage at 1111 Lincoln Road for an event co-hosted by LeBron James.

On Saturday, Matt Damon along with a group of 26, comprised of family and friends,  enjoyed a leisurely lunch at La Cote, the Fontainebleau Miami Beach’s outdoor Mediterranean restaurant.

Also on Saturday, former NBA superstar Dennis Rodman was spotted at Hyde Beach at SLS Hotel South Beach sipping Grey Goose vodka cocktails at the outdoor bar with friends. Also there that night was Kim Kardashian’s ex, Kris Humphries, who plays for the Boston Celtics.

Lionel Ritchie was seen at Baoli Monday night enjoying a bottle of Perrier Jouet Belle Époque rose and Absolut Elyx.  On Tuesday night, Ritchie performed a private concert at the Seminole Hard Rock Resort and Casino. 

Shalim Ortiz, who stars in the TV show, Magic City, was spotted dining at SUGARCANE raw bar grill last week with his family. He enjoyed hibiscus blossom cocktails, flap steak, octopus from the robata grill, scallops and broccolini. 

Over the past two weeks at Zuma:   former USA #1 tennis pro, Jennifer Capriati was spotted on Friday night; Ben Moss, star of reality show Hot Listings Miami, was seen having a power lunch;  Jon Secada joined his son and friends on Friday night for a quick bite before heading to the Bruno Mars concert at the AA Arena.  After back to back shows at the AA Arena, Marc Anthony was seen relaxing with his girlfriend Chloe Green, and Related Group’s Jorge Perez and his wife at Sunday Brunch at Zuma and Shaquille O’Neal stopped in for a late night drink

While many celebrities who frequent our town have been spotted on and among the runways of New York Fashion Week (check back for our recap next week) and/or the Toronto International Film Festival, we did catch a glimpse of music superstar,

Drake, on September 4 at Soho Beach House sipping on Coconut Cartel all-natural, organic coconut water.  Our favorite beach house is just one of the many hotels and restaurants in the Miami-Dade area who have recently picked up the brand for retail.  In a matter of 6 weeks, Coconut Cartel has become an instant overnight success. Coconut Cartel’s founder Michael Zig, is a Miami native who started the company just six months ago.  For additional information, check out www.thecoconutcartel.com. 

Intentional music star and Grammy award winner, Gloria Estefan held a press conference last Tuesday at the Mandarin Oriental to launch her latest album, The Standards.   Estefan shared, “I am so happy to be able to release this…the songs are so important and cathartic and  I wanted  to give this album a  great mood and vibe, especially just before the holidays.” 

Congratulations to Miami’s own, Julio Cabrera (Regent Cocktail Club and Fifty Lounge at Viceroy Hotel), who has just been announced as the 2013 National winner of Bombay Sapphire & USBG’s Most Imaginative Bartender competition.  After earning the regional title in Miami last month, Julio advanced to the national finals this past weekend in Las Vegas – competing against 51 of the nation’s most talented mixologists.

Robin Thicke in town for his gig at  Fontainebleau Miami Beach with Pharell Williams dined at Hakkasan on Friday night – he and his wife shared a dim sum platter,sesame prawns, lobster soup and a bottle of Dewazakura sake.  Artist Romero Britto was spotted entering the Forge just before 10 p.m. with a group of a few friends on Monday (Labor Day). The artist arrived and began his evening with Champagne around the bar prior to being seated at his favorite table within the main dining room. After a great dining experience, the group finished their evening with a Sommelier guided tour of the restaurant’s subterranean wine cellar.  On Saturday, August 24, the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County and its Arsht Families committee, a volunteer group of parents committed to supporting children’s access to the performing arts, hosted an exclusive Slava’s Snowshow meet and greet event inside the Ziff Ballet Opera House’s Next Generation Green Room. Guests included Arsht Center members and VIPs, as well as an appearance by Burn Notice star Gabrielle Anwar, her fiancé, Miami-based restaurateur Shareef Malnik, and Anwar’s children: Willow Anwar, Hugo and Paisley Verea. The family enjoyed time with the Slava’s Snowshow clowns, participated in winter-themed arts and crafts, and indulged in sweet treats courtesy of Prelude by Barton G.