Pencils of Promise 3rd Annual Gala - Guastavino’s - October 24, 2013

Pencils of Promise (PoP) hosted its third annual gala at Guastavino’s, New York City on October 24, 2013. This star-studded event honored Pencils of Promise ambassadors and leading figures in international education.  Sophia Bush, a PoP Ambassador and actress, hosted this year's gala festivities.  The gala honored three international leaders in education: Malala Yousafzai, Senator-elect Cory Booker and The Cahill Family.

Pencils of Promise has built more than 150 schools throughout Ghana, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Laos, and enabled 13,000 children to attend school. This year's gala raised over $1.48 million was raised to support the mission of PoP. 

International education icon Malala Yousafzai broadcasted a video message to the attendees to accept her award.  “It is an honor for me to be awarded by the Pencils of Promise such a prestigious award… Education is very important and [children] must stand up for the right of education and they must fight for it. I believe even one teacher, one child, one book and one pencil can change the world,” said Malala Yousafzai.

Christie’s hosted the live auction for the evening.  Items included private dance lessons with Dancing with the Stars choreographer Derek Hough, Jay-Z and Beyoncé concert packages, and a private studio session with musician Benny Blanco.  The evening was made possible by the generous support of Delta Air Lines, 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, and General Assembly.

Malala Yousafzai broadcasted a video message to the attendees to accept her award

Aussie Pop Singer Cody Simpson

Sophia Bush and Adam Braun

Upcoming Event - Not My Day Job 2013 - Sunday, October 27 2013 - 1 to 5 pm

Pass on brunch this Sunday and attend the Not My Day Job 2013 event at the Prince George Ballroom in NYC on October 27, 2013.

Organized Epicurean, Not My Day Job 2013 brings together the most celebrated culinary talents from New York City's finest restaurants for a full afternoon of food tastings and live performances. A variety of performances are scheduled in recognition of the many artists who have talents beyond the culinary fields.

Participants in this year's tastings include Colicchio & Sons, Commerce, dell’anima, Evelyn’s Kitchen, Harlow, Hecho en Dumbo, Marzano Bakeshop, Khe-Yo, L’Apicio, L’Artusi, Pat LaFrieda, Roberta’s, Rouge Tomate, Shake Shack, The Wren, Willow Road - need we say more?

Greenhook Ginsmiths, Captain Lawrence Brewing Co., Wines of Portugal, and Vita Coco will be there for cocktail tastings. 

All proceeds from ticket sales and silent auction items will go to Heritage Radio Network and Fourth Arts Block. 

Tickets for this event are $50 for food, drinks and entertainment and can be purchased here.  

Third Annual Young Artists for St. Jude's "30 Under 30" Showcase - C24 Gallery - October 21, 2013

The third annual Young Artists for St. Jude event benefiting St. Jude Children's Research Hospital was held at the C24 Gallery in New York City on October 21, 2013. In the spirit of this year's "30 under 30" theme, this event featured a silent auction for 30 pieces of donated artwork by 30 young, emerging artists.  Many young patrons gatherd for an evening of cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, live entertainment and a fabulous raffle. Funds raised at this event benefits the St. Jude Child Life Program.

The holistic goals of the St. Jude Child Life Program eases the stress and anxiety of illness and treatment for children and their families. Child Life Specialists do this by providing education about the treatment on the child’s level and opportunities for expression, such as the Teen Art Gallery at St. Jude.

The 30 artists whose works were featured includes:

Amelia Alpaugh | Diego Anaya | Maris Berkowitz | Olivia Boa | Sophie Broadbent | Mariya Chekmarova | Samantha Chen | Marilyn Choi | Meghan Collins | Stevie DeChiaro | Tristan Nicolas Gondek- Brown | Matthew Hanratty | Justine Jones | Zoe Kessler | Su Yeon Lee | Julian Lorber | Barbara Low | Illana Lowenstein | Chelsea Maida | Adriana Mrnjavac | Mary Munshower | Kevin Nguyen | Danielle Niemann | Linda Rucina | Jamie Ryan | Jennifer Silverstein | Mari Smith | Gabriel Stein | Erin Treacy | Nato Tuke

Organizers of this years event gather for a group photo

The program cover of the evenings artistic celebration

Funds raised at the event are used for everything from meals to oxygen treatments

Young patrons gather for a night of drinks and a good cause

Delicious bites served through the night

Artwork up for auction by young emerging artists

A raffle was held with items donated by many local NYC based businesses

Our Top Picks of the New York City Wine & Food Festival - October 17 - 20, 2013

The New York City Wine & Food Festival 2013 is back this year with 4 days of food tastings, dinners, brunches, and late night parties at some of New York's best event venues (The Standard Hotel, Mandarin Oriental, Morimoto, etc).  Celebrity chefs will be hosting many of the events throughout the night - giving cooking demos, doing book signings, and creating unique dishes for this year's attendees.  Some of this year's participating chefs include Geoffrey Zakarian, David Bouley, Masaharu Morimoto, Mario Batali, Daniel Boulud, and other top chefs who keep the caliber of dining in NYC top notch.  

With so many events to choose from, below are some of our top picks in each category.  All tickets can be ordered here but click on the links below to search for event by category.

1. Late Night Parties:

The Gotham West Market Opening Night - October 18, 2013 - 10pm to 1am.  This party is a preview for New York's newest upscale food hall.  Shops there include El Comado (a tapas bar by Chef Seamus Mullen of Tertulia), Roadside (American Roadside fare by design firm AvroKO), Little Chef (farm to table cuisine by Caroline Fidanza of Saltie), and Brooklyn's Court Street Grocers.

Global Night Market at the Todd English Plaza Food Hall - October 19, 2013 - 10pm to 1am. Enjoy the wide variety of gourmet foods featured in this beautiful upscale food hall - Lady M cakes, Luke's Lobsters, and the Japanese, Italian, Seafood, and American selections of Todd English's Food Hall. 

2. Walk Around Tastings:

Grand Tasting presented by Shop Rite - October 19 - 20, 2013.  This is the biggest event of the festival, featuring gourmet tastings from New York's top restaurants and food demos by the city's top celebrity chefs.  Participating chefs include Bobby Flay, Morimoto, Andrew Zimmern and more.

3. Dinner Parties:

Hooked - A Dinner at Catch with Hung Huyn - October 20, 2013, 6 - 8pm.  Top Chef Season 3 winner Hung Huyn will be preparing a seafood dinner at restaurant Catch 21.

A complete list of events can be accessed here.  Many events sell out quickly so we recommend getting your tickets as early as possible.

Second Annual Savor the Season - Uptown! - Museum of the City of New York - September 26, 2013

The second annual Savor the Season - Uptown event was held at the Museum of the City of New York this year on September 26, 2013.  This gourmet culinary event benefits Harvest Home, a nonprofit that works to bring farmers markets to low income areas of New York City that are lacking in shops that sell fresh fruits and vegetables.  

At this year's event, guests were treated to tastings from highly acclaimed Harlem restaurants.  Participants for this year's event included the Red Rooster, Community Food and Juice, Melba's, Le Monde, Levain Bakery, and the Harlem Corner Social.  Guests sipped on cocktails and mingled to live jazz tunes on the beautiful terrace of the museum, overlooking Central Park.

Sponsors of this year's event includes Emblem Health, The Morrison Foerster Foundation, and Edible Manhattan Magazine.

A live jazz band performs throughout the night

Oysters from the Red Rooster

Guest s checking into the venue of this year's event - the Museum of the City of New York

Fruit Strudel with rich caramel sauce from Community Food & Juice

Colorful gift bags at the atrium of the Museum lobby

Delicious carrot ginger macarons over raspberry sauce from french bistro Le Monde