Hosted by PRADA, Chef Andrew Carmellini, and Smyth, a Thompson Hotel
On Wednesday, November 5, PRADA together with Founder and Executive Director Topaz Page-Greenand co-chairs Chef Andrew Carmellini, Chuck Close, and Aimee Mullins, hosted and celebrated The Lunchbox Fund’s annual Fall Benefit Dinner and Auction. The 2014 benefit was generously presented by PRADA and debuted Andrew Carmellini’snewestrestaurant Little Park and thereimaginedlobby spaces at Smyth, a Thompson Hotel in Tribeca.
Notable attendees from the art, fashion and entertainment industries included Liv Tyler, Salman Rushdie, Sting, Trudie Styler, Helena Christensen, R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe and Mike Mills, Rain Phoenix, Sofia Sanchez Barrenechea and Alek De Betak, Mickey Sumner, Tiffany’s Francesca Amfitheatrof, Billy Crudup, Frankie Rayder, Maria Baibakova, Julie Macklowe, Alexander Gilkes, Dalia Oberlander, Monique Péan, Maggie Betts, Caroline Rupert, Alexandra Chemla, Meredith Melling, Valerie Boster, Sarah Hoover, Kyle Hotchkiss Carone, interior designer Kara Mann, Indre Rockefeller, Andrea Glimcher, as well as donating artists Justin Adian, Matthew Benedict, Ellen Berkenblit, Gianfranco Gorgoni, Enoc Perez, Shinique Smith, Peter McGough & David McDermott, and Walter Robinson.
During cocktails,guests enjoyed canapés by Chef Carmellini and artfully crafted cocktails such as the Red Horizon featuring Hendrick’s Gin, Lillet, honey, Boston Bitters and lemon, as well as South African wines from the illustrious Stellenbosch region by Indaba, Bayten, and Thelema, in the hotel’s newly redesigned curated interiors by Christine and John Gachot of Gachot Studios.
As specialty dishes, such as Nantucket scallops and stuffed pumpkin sourced from local vendors,were passed around family style, Salman Rushdie opened the evening’s program by praising Page-Green for her mission to feed the 12 million children without regular access to food in South Africa, and hinted at the charity’s mission to go global by saying “she’s just getting started.”
Following Rushdie, Topaz Page-Green thanked partners and announced that in addition to donating the opening night of Little Park, Chef Carmellini and his partners Luke Ostrom and Josh Pickard had also signed up their entire restaurant group (including Lafayette, The Dutch, and Locanda Verde) to be a part of Feedie, The Lunchbox Fund’s food philanthropy app. Throughout the night, guests were seen uploading images of their favorite dishes in support of the charity’s mission to feed hungry and orphaned children in South Africa.
Page-Green introduced Zimbabwean trio Insingizi, who traveled to New York for the occasion, as they performed two traditional songs from Southern Africa during the first course to thunderous applause from Mullins, Rushdie and model Frankie Rayder. Arrangements of protea, South Africa’s national flower, adorned the farm-to-table restaurant.
Alexander Gilkes, Paddle8 co-founder and auctioneer lead the live auction, eliciting bids from the packed room, phone bidders, and pre bids from Paddle8. Collector and philanthropist Maria Baibakova, once dubbed “Russia’s Peggy Guggenheim” by The New Yorker, was the winning bidder on the Adian and Chuck Close hid under a napkin as Gilkes solicited active bidding on his diptych of Page-Green. R.E.M’s bassist Mike Mills won the Ray Johnson and Jordan Wolfson’sUntitledsold for $80,000 after a frenzy of bids, nearly doubling its pre-sale estimate. Works by Matthew Benedict, Ellen Berkenblit, Gianfranco Gorgoni, Barbara Kasten, McDermott & McGough, Enoc Perez, Erin Shirreff, Kiki Smith, Shinique Smith, and Walter Robinson were previewed by Paddle8 online and in the silent auction. Art handling and installation was generously donated by UOVO.
Inspired by the rich history and vibrant artistic culture of Tribeca, Smyth, a Thompson Hotel, is a proud supporter of enriching and progressive cultural initiatives in New York and the world abroad. In addition to providing access to the hotel’s revamped ground floor spaces, Smyth also donated accommodations for musical guests Insingizi during their stay in New York.
100% of the proceeds from the evening benefitted The Lunchbox Fund, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing daily meals to orphaned and vulnerable schoolchildren across Southern Africa. The simple intervention of a nutritionally fortified meal at school encourages attendance. With education, a student’s risk of HIV infection, abuse and unwanted pregnancy is greatly reduced and their ability to generate income is significantly increased. Through the Lunchbox Fund, as little as 25 cents provides a meal for a child in townships and rural areas of South Africa. Currently The Lunchbox Fund is providing over 2.6 million meals per year.
Helena Christensen and Jennifer Carpenter. Photo: Adriel Reboh / Patrick McMullan