Yolanda and Jeff Berkowitz

By:  Mary Jo Almeida-Shore 

“It’s never too late to have a happy childhood,” mused Miami Children’s Museum (MCM) Chairman, Jeff Berkowitz as he addressed an animated crowd of 600 on Saturday, March 31 at the museum’s annual Be A Kid Again Gala, which was held in a gorgeous tent on Watson Island, home to MCM.  This year’s whimsical theme, “All You Need is Love” transported guests, most of whom dressed in their best 60s chic, back in time with a 60s/Beatles theme complete with old records, Beatles glasses, moustaches, a red double-decker bus, and fields of Driscoll’s strawberries as parting gifts. 

The party started in the actual museum, where guests got to tour the exhibits while sipping cocktails- which, incidentally, adds a whole new level of fun to the museum visit.   (A few moms who visit the museum regularly with their children suggested that there should be a permanent “bar installment” just for the parents.) 

After the cocktail reception, guests were escorted into the expansive tent for the party, for which MCM pulled out all the stops (which resembled the London Underground stops) with high-top and lounge tables in lieu of regular ballroom tables and a fun-filled buffet by Chef David Schwadron which included burgers, hot dogs, coconut shrimp, and fish and chips instead of the typical banquet food.  This kept people on their feet, chatting and dancing throughout the night. Read the rest of this entry »

Nick D’Annunzio and Brian Antoni’s “Totally 80s” birthday bash at Viceroy’s Club 50 last Friday night was, simply put, the most fun party we’ve been to all summer, maybe all year. We could even exaggerate a bit and say it was the biggest blast we’ve had in almost two decades. Perhaps it was the 80s theme, reminiscent of a time when life was less complicated, before flat-irons and Facebook, Blackberries and Botox, texting and Twitter. A time when the humidity made for a “good” hair day, being that “big hair” was in, every song on the radio or cassette was totally awesome, the ideal outfit consisted of pretty much anything you could find and throw together, people actually danced at parties and even talked to each other on occasion, and South Beach was a quiet, retirement community. Or maybe we were just a bit (quite a bit) younger. The party’s success could also be due to the fact that business and life partners, Nick D’Annunzio and Queen of the Night, Tara Solomon, Principal of Tara, Ink., know a thing or two about throwing a party. The guest list consisted of over 1,000 of Miami’s most influential VIPs, socialites and hipsters, many of whom dressed for the occasion, just adding to the hilarity and excitement, who danced all night- on the floor, on the tables, on the couches…well you get the idea, to excellent music by master DJs, Sean Drake and Johnny the Boy.   Solomon, who barely stopped dancing for a second, commented: Read the rest of this entry »