Social Scene

Mary Bird • May 3, 2012

On July 17, supporters of the Washington Animal Rescue League (WARL) raised their glasses as Board Chair Roger Marmet hosted a wine tasting at his Ripple Restaurant & Wine Bar in Cleveland Park. Proceeds from the event featuring delicious vegetarian and vegan hors d’oeuvres with wines from dog friendly vineyards will support the League’s Disaster Rescue Fund. WARL President and CEO Gary Weitzman expressed his appreciation and urged everyone to visit the League. The recently acquired 42,000-square-foot property adjacent to the current shelter will more than double the existing facility. The League’s goal through a capital campaign is to open the National Center for Rehabilitation for Animals to coincide with its centennial in 2014 in pursuit of its commitment for the “rescue, rehabilitation and rehoming of animals who have nowhere else to go.” [gallery ids="100245,106669,106678,106664,106682,106659,106686,106690,106654,106674" nav="thumbs"]

Mary Bird •

Beating Washington’s killer heat was made easier on Aug. 4 as enthusiastic guests flocked to Morton’s in Georgetown where they enjoyed “Spa-Tinis” that included “Lean and Green” and “Skynny Blood Orange Cosmos,” each with less than 200 calories accompanied by signature hors d’oeuvres. Nectar Skin Bar and Aveda offered pampering. Lucky raffle winners received gift certificates to Georgetown spas and dinner for two at Morton’s. [gallery ids="102538,120059,120044,120050,120080,120093,120086,120074,120066" nav="thumbs"]

Mary Bird •

Children Uniting Nations (CUN) is a proactive organization created to bring attention to the plight of at-risk and foster youth. Children in foster care receive role-model support, guidance, a sense of community and awareness of the importance of education. In conjunction with CUN’s Fifth Annual Conference in support of foster youth mentorship gains in Washington on July 20, Lani Hay, Christine Warnke and Greg Houston hosted a private dinner at Neyla. CUN founder Daphna Ziman said, “our children are our future. We are simply the gatekeepers.” Jermaine and Randy Jackson have lent their support to the program in honor of Michael. At the following evening’s gala in the J. W. Marriott ballroom, Randy said, “we had parents who told us our dreams could come true.” Jermaine charmed the room with his rendition of “Smile,” Michael’s favorite song. Daphna thanked him, remarking, “there were moments that I heard Michael. You are continuing the dream.” — Mary Bird [gallery ids="99321,99322,99323,99324,99325" nav="thumbs"]

Robert Devaney •

When the rain came in the middle of dinner, as predicted, few fled the covered patio, getting splashed nonetheless, for the exquisite interiors of Clyde’s Willow Creek Farm Restaurant. It was that good — and full of flavor and camaraderie. On Aug. 6, Clyde’s Ninth Annual Farm Dinner led 85 guests on a local food sampling exercise. From local honey, veggies, clams and lamb to fine wines, the five-course dinner was an advocate for local farms and local buying. After all, it is a main event for the non-profit Slow Food D.C.

Willow Creek Farm Restaurant, managed by Paul Fox, lives up to the slow food creed. It has its own farm to start — along with four reassembled heavy-timber buildings, thanks to the collecting obsession of Clyde’s main man John Laytham. Spread out like a classic American inn, parts of the restaurant are a sight to behold inside and outside, reminding the D.C. visitor of images of 1789 Restaurant, Old Ebbitt and other Clyde’s places we know and love. The farm is a few minutes’ walk from the parking lot. As for the drive, Willow Creek Farm is in Ashburn (Broadlands), Va., and a straight shot due west on the Dulles Toll Road; be mindful of the street names once off the toll road.

After a tour of the farm and a beekeeper’s presention by Patrick and Diane Standiford, Clyde’s corporate chef John Guattery, a slow food enthusiast, welcomed the diners and let the servings begin. The menu included Chesapeake Bay soft-shell clams with ravioli (herbs from the farm next to us) in Blue Ridge Dairy butter; Roast Border Springs lamb (leg, rack and sausage); roasted peach semifreddo with the farm’s honey popcorn. Virginia wines — Rapidan River, Chrysalis Vineyards, Fabbioli Cellars, Hillsborough Vineyards — accompanied the dishes.

Later, shepherd Craig Rogers gave an impassioned defense of the world’s “oldest profession,” which has been looked down on throughout history. Rogers, a shepherd with a doctorate, had the guests laughing at his contemporary and Biblical insights. Renee Catacalos, former publisher of Edible Chesapeake magazine which folded, spoke of the need to extend the taste and nutritional benefits of the slow food and local farming movement to many people, especially those in schools and hospitals.

Friends, foodies and those who simply like to eat well all learned something about the care of farming, cooking and eating locally. For us city folk, it is no longer a far-away feast, thanks to the master designers of the complete food experience at Clyde’s. Let’s give them an old-fashioned Georgetown “huzzah!”
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Mary Bird •

Fashion for Paws’ Tara de Nicholas and Jayne Sandman teamed up at Nectar Skin Bar and on Aug. 24 for a shopping event to benefit the Washington Humane Society. Known primarily for its annual Fashion for Paws Runway Show, in five years F4P has raised over $1.5 for the WHS through high profile events. Nectar Skin Bar showcases top beauty lines and pampering spa treatments in a stunning Wisconsin Avenue townhouse and garden oasis. Owners Amy and Brian Thomas, who also have Ipsa down the block, donated a portion of the evening’s proceeds to WHS. [gallery ids="99227,103549,103580,103554,103576,103559,103572,103564,103568" nav="thumbs"]

Neshan Naltchayan •

A reception in honor of Amb. Andrew Young and Mrs. Carolyn Young on the occasion of the dedication
of the martin Luther King Jr. Memorial. Aug. 25, 2011 [gallery ids="99230,103596,103589,103593" nav="thumbs"]

Mary Bird •

The International Eye Foundation celebrated its golden anniversary Sept. 18 at an Ambassadors Wine Tasting, hosted by Dr. and Mrs. Steven B. Hopping. A highlight of the event was the presentation of the 2011 Promotion of Peace and Vision Award to the King family to honor the memory of Dr. John Harry King, Jr., and his belief in “the promotion of peace through the prevention of blindness.” The IEF is in the vanguard of preventing blindness and restoring sight in the developing world. [gallery ids="100299,107547,107563,107559,107552,107555" nav="thumbs"]

Robert Devaney •

While the words, “The Amazing Race,” “Modern Family,” “Mad Men,” “The Good Wife” and “The Kennedys,” read like chapter headings in a book about our nation’s capital, they are, in fact, names of TV shows or movies that earned Primetime Emmy Awards Sept. 18 in a place called Hollywood.

With occasional appearances before Congress, at the Kennedy Center or in a downtown restaurant, denizens of Georgetown, Foggy Bottom and Capitol Hill are acquainted with a few of these actors, actresses, directors and producers but know little of the inner-workings of their powerful TV and film industry, those dream factories, in a state called California.

Luckily, D.C. had some knowledgeable representation out there during Emmy Awards weekend. Businesswoman Elizabeth Webster is newly employed as director of business outreach at the District’s Committee for Small and Local Business Development which oversees the Commission on Motion Pictures and Television Development, chaired by At-large Councilman Vincent Orange. So, Webster reached out to Los Angeles, attending pre- and after-parties and the awards show during a trip that she planned and paid for before her District government job began. She is also well known as secretary of the Georgetown Business Association.

“My favorite part of the Emmy Awards show was Michael Bolton’s performance and the beautiful, colorful staging throughout the show,” said Webster, who, like many, wore a red dress to the show. “I thought Melissa McCarthy was very down to earth. I could relate to her comments in her speech about her parents’ endless support of her career.”

Clearly in her element, Webster, a former actress and model, spoke of meeting friends and former colleagues at the Governor’s Ball, HBO’s after-party, the NBC party at Spago’s in Beverly Hills and the Vanity Fair pre-party in West Hollywood. She said she was also glad to see longtime and family friend, actor Vincent De Paul, a former Marylander who lives in L.A. and whose sister lives in Georgetown.

En route back, Webster said she is preparing for public hearings before the District Council on Nov. 9, 10 a.m., with “studio executives and experts in the entertainment industry to testify about what incentives and requirements D.C. needs to implement to be more movie- and production-friendly.” Orange and his TV-film team have set a goal of getting two permanent TV series to be produced regularly out of DC. as well as increasing film production. (Mayor Vincent Gray and Orange last met with film executives in L.A. on July 21.)

Aside from rushing to fly home from sunny Southern California so soon, Webster was asked, any other vexations? “Betty White should have won in her category.”
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Mary Bird •

Having lost her mother Pat to late diagnosed lung cancer, Andrea Stern Ferris was determined to find a cure for the nation’s number-one cancer killer. She now serves as president and chairman of LUNGevity Foundation, the largest national lung cancer research non-profit, which celebrated the opening of its D.C. office at a spectacular Sept. 16 gala at the Mellon Auditorium chaired by Grace Bender. The Stern family totally underwrote the event. Former Rep. Mike Oxley (R-Ohio), a non-smoker and lung cancer survivor, received LUNGevity’s first Face of Hope Award for his advocacy of better research and treatments. Design Cuisine served an elegant repast as auctioneer Lynne Zink and generous bidders enabled the foundation to reach its $1 million goal. [gallery ids="99239,103994,104025,104021,103999,104017,104013,104004,104009" nav="thumbs"]

Mary Bird •

On Sept. 11, there was a respite in a day of remembrance as Thai Ambassador and Ms. Nuchjaree Klongsungsorn welcomed supporters of the Spanish Steps Project to a relaxing afternoon in their residence, Codman House, at the foot of the Kalorama landmark now requiring restoration. Spanish Steps Project board president David Bender made introductory remarks on proposed plans. He hailed the board’s vice president Jean Tippett as the “grandmother of the Spanish Steps.” The ambassador and his wife charmed their guests with classical Thai dance, a fabulous Thai buffet accompanied by special wines and Thai Chang beer with the bonus of a cooking demonstration which the ambassador narrated with chef Jitapa Haoharn. Historian Paul Williams traced the history of the residence commissioned by Miss Martha Codman in 1906, which the Government of Thailand purchased in 1995 and restored to its former splendor. There was also a raffle with many happy winners garnering a Smithsonian publication, “Treasures of Two Nations: Thai Royal Gifts to the United States of America.” [gallery ids="100297,107548,107522,107544,107540,107527,107536,107532" nav="thumbs"]