photo credit: Seth Browarnik

By:  Mary Jo Almeida-Shore

Haiti Means Business

 On June 25, the President of the Republic of Haiti, Michel Joseph Martelly attended a private reception at the exclusive Soho Beach House hosted by Michael Capponi and General Consulate of Haiti in Miami, Ralph Latortue to unveil the “Haiti Means Business” campaign. The handsome and charismatic Martelly, a former pop star and club promoter, made a grand entrance into the party in a procession led by the banging of a giant drum accompanied by live Haitian music, surrounded by close friends and family.  President Martelly then stood on the edge of Soho Beach House’s private 8^th floor pool, to proclaim his vision for the future of Haiti, in a speech which echoed his inauguration speech this May. “This is a new Haiti, open for business now,” he told the cheering crowd of 300 at the party.  Martelly’s plan focuses on the urgent need for action, recovery, and renewal to improve the living conditions, well-being and prospects of the Haitian people, with new impetus given to job-creating sectors. Read the rest of this entry »

Chef Todd Erickson and Tara Solomon

Queen of the Night turned PR Maven, Tara Solomon held an “intimate” birthday cocktail party at the sleek, shiny-new Haven gastro-lounge on Saturday, July 2. The party was elegant, stylish and fabulous, (to sum it up in three words) much like the birthday girl herself, who hand-picked her exclusive A-list guest list (and their +1 or 10).  The 100 or so guests filled the high-tech South Beach hotspot to fete Solomon and enjoy bites by rising star and cutie pie, executive chef Todd Erickson, and molecular mixology (think delicious, drinkable chemistry experiment) by Haven’s friendly bar staff. Guests “oohed and ahhed” during the custom-designed photo retrospective – spanning over 30 years of Solomon’s reign– that was displayed on Haven’s digital wrap-around walls- kind of like an Imax slide show. An array of shots showcased Solomon’s past and present, alongside famed faces such as legendary Salsa singer, Celia Cruz, fashion prodigy Esteban Cortazar and many of the VIPs at the party.  Notables in attendance included TARA, Ink. co-principal, and fiancée extraordinaire, Nick D’Annunzio; owner of Haven South Beach Mike Boles; filmmaker Alfred Spellman; reality television personalities Ariel Stein and Michael Cohen; Jose Ortiz; photographer Iran Issa-Kahn; photographer Seth Browarnik and wife Melissa Katz; international Diva and personality, James Davis a.k.a. Elaine Lancaster; Read the rest of this entry »

Tyrese Gibson and Michael Bay

By:  Mary Jo Almeida-Shore

Nearly a thousand fans converged on Lincoln Road last Thursday for the South Beach premiere of Transformers: Dark of the Moon despite torrential downpours, barricades, street closures and police presence.  A soggy Michael Bay, the film’s director, a part-time Miami Beach resident, spent lots of time on the red sponge carpet, greeting and talking with fans. To the surprise and cheers of the crowd, at around 7 p.m., more than an hour behind schedule, JT Holmes and three fellow members of the Red Bull Air Force skydiving team – Jon DeVore, Andy Farrington, and Mike Swanson – parachuted from a helicopter 2,000 feet in the air, performing their trademark high-speed landings on the intersection of Lincoln and Alton roads.  One of the jumpers’ parachutes got caught in the traffic light and had to be cut down by firefighters, just adding to the excitement of those gathered. 

VIP guests were then escorted into the theater- some lucky enough to enjoy the movie along with Bay, Tyrese Gibson, who has played Air Force Master Sergeant Robert Epps in all three blockbuster films, Pat and Chris Riley and U2 guitarist, The Edge (there’s a U2 song in the movie).  Bay gave a brief overview of his vision for the films, talked about his first movie in Miami, Bad Boys starring Will Smith, introduced the skydiving team, which was in the audience and closed with, “I hope you got some rest, because this is going to be a wild ride.” Gibson also Read the rest of this entry »

By:  Mary Jo Almeida-Shore

On the evening of the summer solstice, Grey Goose vodka aptly kicked off the first official day of summer with a “Summer Soiree” alongside Ocean Drive magazine around the Arkadia pool at the Fontainebleau Hotel.  Nearly 300 guests stayed “cool” (we use that term loosely as it IS summer in Miami) by sipping cocktails and sucking the very dangerously delicious Grey Goose popsicles . 

Those willing to brave the crowd and the long line were treated to BBQ sliders and hot dogs from Gotham Steak which were cooked to order on an outdoor grill. Many opted instead to play with the props around the pool deck, such as the beach balls, and the hunky lifeguard- who dominated the party from an actual lifeguard stand- only making things even hotter! The other topic of conversation of the night was the popsicles, which were served from a branded novelty ice cream push-cart by a beautiful Grey Goose spokes model. See below for the recipes so that you too may create these tasty summer treats for an upcoming summer soiree- Le Citron Frozen Fresh Berry Lemonade, La Poire Frozen Frenchy (the favorite of the night) and L’Orange Frozen Summer.  As for the eye candy- we are still working on a recipe for that one.  Read the rest of this entry »

By:  Mary Jo Almeida-Shore

Sir Richard Branson’s 25 Year Old Virgin 

Sir Richard Branson, Founder of Virgin Atlantic Airways, greeted Miami from the wing of a 747 while carrying British singer, Sarah Harding, on the runway at Miami International Airport to kick off a two-day celebration of 25 years of connecting Miami and London on Wednesday June 15.  The next morning, as press and hotel guests gathered on the outside terrace of the Mondrian Hotel, facing Biscayne Bay, Branson drove a speed boat, which was chasing another boat, in a mock Miami Vice style chase.  After passing the onlookers twice, Branson picked up a megaphone, demanded that the other boat stop, then proceeded to board it and “arrest” supermodel Karolina Kurkova with gold handcuffs he purchased at the Mondrian’s vending machine. After posing for photos, the pair disembarked and jumped in the Mondrian’s pool. Read the rest of this entry »

Gerry Kelly and guests celebrate

By:  Mary Jo Almeida-Shore

Of the decades to which we wish we could time travel on a regular basis, the 1970s tops the list, specifically the halcyon days of Studio 54.  Last Saturday night, we got our birthday wish, thanks to the creative genius of nightlife guru Gerry Kelly who threw a Studio 54 Disco birthday extravaganza at Trio on the Bay, which he graciously shared with his faux, Gemini wonder twin- yours truly. All we can say is that this party was a Disco-heavenly, dance-until-you-can’t-walk, sweat-right-through-your-polyester-leopard-jumpsuit, in-traction-the-next-day, Rolling on the Floor –LITERALLY, Did-that-really-happen?-  kind of night! Truly unparalleled with regards to pure, unadulterated dancing fun!  Over 1,500 guests filled the enormous space and vast outdoor area, at Kelly’s latest nightlife venture, to delight in outrageous performances and an ambience that can only be created by a master of nightlife, such as Kelly, whose nightlife resume includes seven years in Ibiza managing Pacha and fifteen years on South Beach overseeing legendary clubs such as Bash, Read the rest of this entry »