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CITY HARVEST RAISES $2 MILLION
TO FEED HUNGRY NEW YORKERS
AT AN EVENING OF PRACTICAL MAGIC,
HONORING MARC MURPHY
Last Minute Additions to the Live Auction Courtesy of
John Legend, Richard Gere and Miss Universe Push Auction
Totals to
Highest Level Ever
New York, NY - April 17, 2013
- Marc Murphy was honored at City Harvest's 19th
annual gala, An Evening of
Practical Magic, on Tuesday, April 16th at
Cipriani 42nd Street in New York City. The event
was hosted by Ted Allen of the Food Network's Chopped
and attracted more than
500 guests, raising $2 million.
Attendees were treated to three
surprises during the live auction, which helped City Harvest
raise over $800,000 from the live auction alone. The first
came when Chef Marc Murphy invited Olivia Culpo, Miss
Universe to bake cupcakes for the winner of a chefs
in-home-dinner for 20 he would be hosting with Chris Santos,
doubling the highest bid at the time. Another auction item
addition was a private concert by nine time Grammy Award
winner John Legend in the bidder's home as long as it could
fit a piano. Finally, bidding reached an all-time high for a
custom tasting dinner for 20 prepared by chef Eric Ripert,
when actor Richard Gere joined Ripert on stage and offered
to assist him at dinner. Two of these custom tasting dinners
were auctioned off for $220,000 each.
Notable event attendees included:
actor Richard Gere; preformed John Legend; model Chrissy
Teigen; actress Elizabeth Olsen, Olivia Culpo, Miss
Universe; Nana Meriwether, Miss USA; New York Jets
quarterback Mark Sanchez; and Kim Cooper; as well as
renowned culinary experts: Eric Ripert; Tom Colicchio;
Geoffrey Zakarian; Donatella Arpaia; Amanda Freitag; Alex
Guarnashelli; Kerry Heffernan; Chris Santos; Terrance
Brennan; and Tracy Nieporent. Gala co-chairs were: Nina
Rennert Davidson and Mitchell Davidson; Heather and Steven
Mnuchin; Lise and Michael Evans; Arthur Backal; Carola and
Robert Jain; Misook and Harry Doolittle; Pamela and Andrew
Kaufmann; and Sandra and Eric Ripert.
Nicholas D. Lowry, President of
Swann Auction Galleries, served as auctioneer. Highlights
from the live auction include:
DINNER WITH THE MASTERS:
A four-course dinner for 20 guests prepared in your home by
Chef Marc Murphy, of Landmarc and Ditch Pains, and Christ
Santos, of The Stanton Social and Beauty & Essex, with
Olivia Culpo, Miss Universe preparing cupcakes for dessert.
The evening also included wine pairings by Landmarc/Ditch
Pains Wine and Beverage Director David Lombardo.
Winning Bid: $46,000.
BALLERINAS:
A 62 x 70 inch original painting by international artist,
Domingo Zapata. Winning Bid: 70,000
A NIGHT OF MUSIC:
A performance by music sensation John Legend at a private
concert in your home. Winning bid: $110,000.
FRENCH FEAST:
Eric Ripert, Executive Chef of Le Bernardin, preparing a
custom tasting menu for a 20-guest dinner party in the
winner's home. Guests will also be joined by actor Richard
Gere.
Winning bid: 2 winners at $220,000. Totaling $440,000
An Evening of Practical Magic paid
tribute to the efforts of individuals and organizations who
have gone above and beyond in their commitment to help City
Harvest feed hungry New Yorkers at a time when demand for
emergency food remains high.
In addition to recognizing Marc
Murphy, Robin Hood was presented with the Harry and Misook
Doolittle Heart of the City Award, given to a City Harvest
partner who has provided City Harvest with extraordinary
services or has performed in an exceptional manner to impact
hunger. City Harvest also acknowledged Vita Coco, Whole
Foods, Fino Farms and Goya as
Food Donors of the Year.
Ticket prices for An Evening of
Practical Magic ranged from $750 to $2,500 and tables
from $10,000 to $100,000. City Harvest is also grateful to
Barclays, Citi, Groupon Reserve, Manhattan Lincoln, I.
Halper Paper and Supplies, MKD, Specialty Food Association,
and all event sponsors.
# # #
About City Harvest
Now serving New York City for more
than 30 years, City Harvest (www.CityHarvest.org)
is the world's first food rescue organization, dedicated to
feeding the city's hungry men, women, and children. This
year, City Harvest will collect more than 42 million pounds
of excess food from all segments of the food industry,
including restaurants, grocers, corporate cafeterias,
manufacturers, and farms. This food is then delivered free
of charge to some 600 community food programs throughout New
York City by a fleet of trucks and bikes. City Harvest
helps feed the more than one million New Yorkers that face
hunger each year
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