On Wednesday, June 26th, The New England Society in the City of New York honored the winners of its 2019 Book Awards, given to books of merit that celebrate New England and its culture, after a rigorous juried evaluation process. The Awards ceremony was held at the National Arts Club on Gramercy Park, where authors were honored with a formal presentation of their awards followed by a Salon—a question-and-answer discussion with guests followed by a book signing.
The NES Book Awards are presented annually in the following categories and this year’s winners all express and exemplify the spirit and culture of New England.
ART & PHOTOGRAPHY: The Art of Curating: Paul J. Sachs and the Museum Course at Harvard by Sally Anne Duncan and Andrew McClellan (Getty Publications)
FICTION: The Maze at Windermere by Gregory Blake Smith (Penguin Random House, Viking)
CONTEMPORARY NONFICTION/BIOGRAPHY: Searching for Stars on an Island in Maine by Alan Lightman (Pantheon Books)
HISTORICAL NONFICTION: Our Beloved Kin: A New History of King Philip’s War by Lisa Brooks (Yale University Press)
SPECIALTY TITLE: A Naturalist at Large by Bernd Heinrich (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
Winning authors attending the ceremony included Gregory Blake Smith and Lisa Brooks, as well as NES past presidents Anna Bulkot and Jay Sherwood, current president Benedict Gedaminski, and Awards co-chairs Roland Foster Miller and Ellen Scordato, and Awards Committee members Danzey Burnham, Ashley Picker Dubin, Lucy Kirk, Ireen Kudra-Miller, Marian Morrill, Jan Whitman Ogden, Anne Teasdale, and Matthew Rimi von Barton.
Catch-up. On June 10, 2019, 47 chefs came together for The 34th Annual Chefs’ Tribute to Citymeals on Wheels, The Butcher, The Baker, The Cocktail Shaker: Celebrating Culinary Collaborations. 100% of funds raised will support the preparation and delivery of meals for homebound elderly New Yorkers by Citymeals – the city’s only nonprofit providing home-delivered meals to the frail aged in all five boroughs. This year’s event raised nearly $800,000 to deliver over 108,000 meals.
Since its founding in 1981, Citymeals on Wheels has delivered nearly 60 million meals throughout the five boroughs. Each year, the organization prepares and delivers over 2 million weekend, holiday and emergency meals for over 18,000 homebound elderly New Yorkers. For our vulnerable neighbors, a Citymeals’ deliverer may be the only person they see on a regular basis.
The event, hosted by Patina Restaurant Group at Rockefeller Center, was attended by 900 guests – business leaders, culinary insiders, foodies, and young professionals – who enjoyed an 11-piece band, a folk artist playing the musical saw and other acts throughout the night, provided by Noah Bless Music.
Some of the evening’s stellar dishes included: Moules à la Belge from Chefs Daniel Boulud and Dieter Samijn; Blue Moon Ceviche with Tama’s Foraged Flavors & Lindsey’s Sourdough Crackers from Chef Marc Forgione; Beef Tartare with Marcona Almond Gremolata & Spanish Anchovy from Chef Angie Mar; Bietola & Burrata with Warm Walnut Vinaigrette & Crispy Shallots from Chef Karen Akunowicz; Hamachi Crudo with Citrus Olivada from Chefs Michael White and Cesar Guadarrama; 60 Day Cabernet-Aged Beef Tartare with Cherry from Chef Chris Cosentino; Pheasant Boudin Blanc with Crushed Zucchini from Chef Thomas Boemer; Sheep’s Milk Ricotta Tortellini with Morel Mushrooms, Spring Vegetables & Pecorino Toscano from Chef Alfred Portale; and Uruguayan Rustic Carpaccio with Fried Capers, Dijon, Sprouts & Grana Padano from Chef Lucía Soria.
Co-Founders of the event, Chefs Jonathan Waxman (Jams, New York) and Larry Forgione (Restaurant Davide in New York, New York) participated, alongside notable chefs from across the country including: Alfred Portale (Gotham Bar & Grill, New York), Angie Mar (The Beatrice Inn, New York), Anthony Andiario (Andiario, West Chester, PA), Carolina Perego (Citarella Gourmet Markets, New York), Charlie Palmer and Christopher Engel (Aureole, New York), Chris Cosentino (Cockscomb, San Francisco), Christina N. Towers (Café Centro, New York), Daniel Boulud and Dieter Samijn (Bar Boulud, New York), David Buico and Antonio Prontelli (Rock Center Café, New York), Francis Guzmán (Vianda, San Juan), Jared Braithwaite (Colonie, Brooklyn), Jarett Appell and Silvana Vivoli (Stella 34, New York and Vivoli Gelateria, Florence, Italy), Jesse Schumann and Kit Schumann (Sea Wolf Bakers, Seattle), Joachim Splichal (Patina Restaurant Group, Los Angeles), Joe Gurrera(Citarella Gourmet Markets, New York), Jonah Miller (Huertas, New York), Karen Akunowicz (Fox & the Knife, Boston), Kate Williams (Lady of the House, Detroit),Kevin Fink (Emmer & Rye, Austin), Louis Bayla and Kevin Woods (Little Park, New York), Lucía Soria (Jacinto Restaurant, Montevideo, Uruguay), Marc Forgione(Restaurant Marc Forgione, New York), Matt Hoyle (Nobu Fifty Seven, New York), Mathew Woolf (Rainbow Room, New York), Michael Gabriel (The Sea Grill, New York), Michael Gallina (Vicia, St. Louis), Michael White and Cesar Guadarrama (Ristorante Morini, New York), Michelle Silberman (Snackadabra: Food Magic, Philadelphia), Morgan Jarrett (Yellow Magnolia Café, Brooklyn), Priscilla Yeh (STATE Grill, New York), Richard Capizzi and Shea Gallante (Lincoln Ristorante, New York), Thomas Boemer (In Bloom, St. Paul), Yuhi Fujinaga and Masaharu Morimoto (Morimoto Asia, Lake Buena Vista, Florida), and Zak Pelaccio and Kevin Pomplun (Fish & Game and BackBar, Hudson, New York).
With the help of Beverage Chairs Audrey Saunders (Owner, Pegu Club) and Daniel Johnnes (Wine Director, The Dinex Group), fine wines and artisanal cocktails were poured by leading sommeliers and mixologists to accompany the lavish tasting.
The evening’s Grand Host was Nick Valenti, CEO of Patina Restaurant Group, and the event was co-chaired by Sabrina and Byron Athans, Beverly and Dan Bartfeld, Alison Lohrfink Blood, Joseph M. Cohen, Laura and John Pomerantz, and Randi and Dennis Riese.
Event guests included Board Co-President Robert S. Grimes, as well as Derek Blasberg and Nick Brown, Samantha Boardman, M.D., Randy Fishman, Colleen Goggins, Yusi Gurrera, Suri Kasirer and Bruce Teitelbaum, Liz Neumark, Drew Nieporent, Lisa Rosenblum, Danielle and Randy Smith, Galia and Axel Stawski, Kathleen Turner, Teri Volpert, and Dasha Zhukova.
Event sponsors included Citymeals’ Official Airline American Airlines, Official Water FIJI Water and First Republic Bank. Beverage sponsors included Belvedere Vodka, Courvoisier Cognac, Plantation Rum, Seedlip Drinks and Sipsmith Gin.
Citymeals on Wheels (citymeals.org) provides a continuous lifeline of nourishing meals and vital companionship to New York City’s homebound elderly. Working in partnership with community-based organizations and senior centers, Citymeals prepares and delivers over 2 million weekend, holiday and emergency meals for more than 18,000 of our frail aged neighbors each year. Last year, nearly 25,000 individuals volunteered over 80,000 hours of their time to Citymeals’ mission.
Amidst the spectacular views and the “inside and outside” venue, The One Central Park Club on the 51st Floor of The Time Warner Center, four companies feted acclaimed designers Clodagh and Noel Jeffrey on June 20th at a cocktail reception on the eve of the Summer Solstice.
The four hosts were James Caroll of LV Wood custom high end wood floorings; Sabrina Fierman of New York’s Little Elves, top residential cleaning company; Gary Mindlin of Top Hat Home Services, preventive caretaking for homes; and Amanda Wiss of Urban Clarity that organizes home-owners in moves and decluttering.
A large crowd of well-wishers greeted Clodagh, author of “Clodagh-Life Enhancing Design” and Noel Jeffrey, whose book is entitled, “Decades of Design.” Both books are available from Glitterati Editions.
Said Sabrina Fierman, “It was a spectacular evening of colleagues and friends, with four top notch entities in various New York area service fields celebrating two of our most esteemed designers… A perfect way to start the summer!”
Photographs by John Sanderson/AnnieWatt.com (NES); Eric Vitale Photography, Konrad Brattke Photography, and Monica Shipper (Citymeals).
