This year’s Food Allergy Ball, set to the theme of My Fair Lady, would surely have kept Eliza Doolittle and Henry Higgins dancing all night. Black-and-white accents (reminiscent of Cecil Beaton’s elegant set designs and costumes from the 1964 film) were spotted around the room (as in the chic black-and-white parasol centerpieces) and in numerous fashion ensembles. Guests swayed to the tune “I Could Have Danced All Night” (and did!) and were entertained by 10 members of the current London stage revival.
The magical evening benefited the Food Allergy Initiative (F.A.I.), a nonprofit group dedicated to raising funds for the effective treatment and cure for food allergies (which affect nearly 7 percent of the American population; 3 million are allergic to nuts and peanuts, alone). Allergic symptoms can range from nausea to sudden death (anaphylaxis) from as little as a bite of something sliced with a knife that previously cut through a piece of nut bread.
The evening’s Guests of Honor were Joseph Flom and his son Jason (who suffers from a nut allergy that once forced him to unceremoniously leave a Chappaqua dinner at former President Clinton’s home). The two-time four-star chef (as rated by The New York Times) David Bouley, owner of Bouley Bakery and Danube, received the Joe Baum Lifetime Achievement Award.
Evening celebrants included F.A.I. chairman and co-founder Todd Slotkin (whose twin sons both have a nut allergy), F.A.I. vice-chairmen Sharyn and Steven Mann (whose daughter has severe food allergies), Bonnie and Steven Stern, Ellen Barkin and Ron Perelman, Martin and Madge Miller, Tami and David Baxt, Susan Kahn, Howard and Lynette Gittis, Larry Alletto and Stacia Banta, Aryan Shayegani, Helen Jaffe, and Julia and David Koch.
The Plaza royally prepared an allergy-free meal (with all ingredients diligently printed on the menus). The highlight of the Ball: the seven delectable desserts whipped up by the staffs of Bouley Bakery and Danube, heralded by dimmed lights, trumpets, and a drum roll. It was a grand feast fit for a king and safely edible.
Get your tickets early for the next Food Allergy Ball at the Plaza on November 30, 2004. Call 212-675-9474 x15.
