We had an especially colorful and delicious pride this year! Although we celebrate diversity throughout the year, we pull out the stops during the months honoring the various groups.
We kicked off Pride with special request from our team at Trinity, which became the décor across our venues during Pride. Our celebrations included several events across New York including First Saturday at Brooklyn Museum, events at Asia Society, and at Rockefeller University.
Decorating for Pride
by Alexander Belmont, Venue Merchandising Manager
From free gender affirming haircuts for local high school students, to hosting a queer prom each year, Kenya came to me with the desire for Trinity Cafe’s seasonal decor to reflect the dedication Trinity Church Wall Street has towards the LGBTQIA+ community. While putting up the window decor, a repurpose of photo booth props and a large vintage hued rainbow garland, the installation enticed pedestrians to walk up to the window and peek through to discover what was inside a building they had glazed over times before. The rainbow of colors summer succulents come in presented a neat opportunity to create small floral designs representing each individual pride flag to fully encompass inclusivity. As a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, I am proud to be able to work with an organization that is just as excited for pride as I am.
Rockefeller University Pride Celebration
Location: Rockefeller University, New York, NY
Guest Count: 250
Date: June 28, 2024
Event Planner: Jessi Owens, Catering Director, The Rockefeller University
Each year, The Rockefeller University hosts a Pride Celebration for it’s students, faculty and staff. It’s a fun, interactive gathering for all and included a photobooth, a swag station where folks could decorate a hat with Pride-themed and self-identifying pins, a rainbow-themed dessert table, and a drag show hosted by New York’s own Jaclynn Hyde!
Following the fabulous performance, dessert stations of grilled-to-order s’mores and Dippin’ Dots Ice Cream remained open as guests danced the night away to the beats of Rockefeller University’s own DJ Marlin.
Special thanks to Broadway Party Rentals who custom made the buffet screens that were thoughtfully designed to reflect the Pride flag.
It was a fun, festive, and colorful event!
Pride Celebration Menu
America BBQ Station
Beef Brisket classic bbq
Carolina Chicken mustard bbq
Beer Bratwurst spicy mustard
Grilled Tempeh blueberry bbq
Sweet Potato & Scallion Salad
Classic Cole Slaw
Mac & Cheese Bites
Latin Seafood Station
Classic Seafood Paella Spanish yellow rice, seasonal shellfish and mollusks
Salmon Ceviche
Vegetable Tamales
Chili Bean Salad
Tostones
Brazilian Steakhouse
Peri Peri Grilled Chicken
Bacon Wrapped Pork Loin
Grilled Top Sirloin chimichurri
Vegan Chimichurri Sausage
Brazilian Style Chopped Salad romaine, green olives, tomatoes, red peppers, fresh herbs, lime vinaigrette
Brazilian Cheese Bread
Desserts
Rockin’ Dots birthday cake, cotton candy, banana split, rainbow ice
S’Mores classic, cookies n cream, reeses, mint
Rainbow Dessert Table
Fruity Pebble Rice Crispy Treats
Rainbow Popcorn
Madeleines
Chocolate Covered Pretzels
Funfetti Cake Pops
Funnel Cakes
Leo Bar Happy Hour Celebrating Pride Month
Venue: Leo Cafe at Asia Society
Guest Count: 250
Date: June 20, 2024
Event Planner: Karla Jovel, Event Director
Asia Society and The Human Rights Campaign celebrated LGBTQIA+ Pride Month with a special Leo Bar Happy Hour event on June 20. A fabulous evening of networking featured a special performance by actor, singer, and producer Lora Nicolas Olaes.
Following the program, guests enjoyed music by DJ Kai Song along with cocktails and snacks, and were invited to check out Asia Society’s current exhibition, COAL + ICE.
We created two specialty cocktails for the event:
Out & Proud Cocktail
aperol, tequila, pineapple, elderflower syrup
Out & Proud Zero Proof Mocktail
pineapple, grenadine, club soda, butterfly pea
FEATURED EVENT:
OHNY OPEN CITY BENEFIT AT POWERHOUSE ARTS
By Great Performances
On May 18, Open House New York hosted its Open City Benefit, a “celebration of the power of place and new possibilities for our city.” They celebrated at the newly transformed Powerhouse Arts; the just-opened venue – once a power plant – is now a contemporary art center and large-scale fabrication studio. As long-time OHNY supporters (Liz Neumark, CEO and Founder of Great Performances, currently sits on the board), we were thrilled to be their catering partner for this 400-person gala.
Powerhouse Arts is a dynamic venue for an event. Large, open spaces provide the perfect canvas for the most active imaginations. As caterers feeding 400 people family-style, it presented a significant challenge: due to the size and scope of the space and event, serving a hot meal would be challenging.
Morgan Golumbuk, Senior Event Director, collaborated with the OHNY team and GP Culinary Director Andrew Smith to curate a menu that would be delicious served at room temperature. We developed two brand-new seasonal protein dishes for the occasion and engaged with partner Eat Offbeat to provide a couple of their incredibly delicious recipes (that just happened to be vegan!): their Chickpea Salad and their Iraqi Sumac Salad.
We tapped into a local source for dessert, serving rainbow-sprinkled cake pops, chocolate-covered Oreos with vibrant drizzles, and multi-hued macarons from Buttermilk Bakeshop. The colorful theme was a nod to the dynamic graffiti and murals covering the venue’s historic brick walls.
When days run together, or time seems to stand still, it becomes even more important to take some time to pause, reflect and celebrate. Whether its an accomplishment, the completion of a project, a birth or birthday, an anniversary, or a holiday, taking a moment to acknowledge that event and sharing with others is important. When we can’t be together physically, technology has enabled us to be together in more than just spirit — we can connect via phone calls and video conferences. Technology has been the glue holding us together as a team, as friends and as family. The occasional glitches and challenges of managing the technology has only made it more human. People have also been sharing celebrations in novel ways: divided by a window; socially distanced in driveways; and even a parade of cars.
Check out how some of our GP family have been celebrating!
Birthday Toasts!
Tim Berryman, Director of Event Services
For his wife’s birthday, Tim arranged a full-day of video conferences, toasts and games. Collaborating among their friends, they arranged a cupcake toast, shared a bottle (or more) of wine, and enjoyed Jeopardy! hosted by a friend and 6-time Jeopardy! champion!
Birth Days!
Kaitlin Walsh, Director of Design
Kaitlin met her new niece via video conference! Newborn Rose might not have the technology handled yet, but Kaitlin is clearly smitten with Rose’s sweet face.
Birthday Parades
Sarah Saracino, Director of Human Resources
Sarah’s twins celebrated their sixth birthday with delicious and beautiful cupcakes at home, and a drive-by parade from their cousins!
Live Streamed Bar and Bat Mitzvah
Our team — always going the extra mile — went to the home of Rebecca and Yehuda Shmidman to set up their daughter, Jordana’s bat mitzvah that was live streamed to her family, friends and community. Amanda DiUglio, Madison Grando, and Dan Carr helped create a memorable celebration for Jordana.
By Amanda DiUglio
Nothing says summer like a weekend in the Hamptons, and nobody does it quite like Saks Fifth Avenue and Bumble BFF. They took over Hero Beach Club for “Saks by the Sea, a Saks and Bumble BFF Bee-Treat,” an amazing weekend retreat for some very VIP guests. We worked with IMG to create an unforgettable weekend with R+R by the beach and pool, specially curated experiences, and of course, incredible local fare. From the Strawberry Basil Prosecco Pops and Charcuterie Plates that greeted each guest, each and every detail was designed to capture the spirit of a weekend in the Hamptons.
Guests relaxed in the sun by the pool or on the beach, made more luxe with the contents of their curated gift bags. There were also opportunities to stretch with a yoga lesson from Hilaria Baldwin, to de-stress with Happy Not Perfect, a meditation session with Poppy Jamie, or to hang ten in a surfing class at Montauk native Austin Avery Eckardt’s Surf Camp.
Dinners each night were focused on community and featured local foods. One night we held a farm-to-table family-style meal which encouraged guests to interact with and over the food, followed by a movie night projected onto the sail of a boat. The following night we held a magical clam bake with Duryea’s Lobsters. Of course, we closed with s’mores made with branded graham crackers as guests relaxed around a bonfire, watched fire dancers perform, and listened to live music.
