PLUS GREEN COAT GALA; CRADLE BALL; MAC & CHEESE FEST; RAVINIA'S EL SISTEMA; WEIZMANN INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE GALA; KANDY KANE BALL; BUCCELLATI PARTY BENEFITS SERVICE CLUB; BIG ORANGE BALL; SPECIAL OLYMPIC'S INSPIRE GREATNESS GALA; CHEF'S HALL OF FAME INDUCTION; LUXEHOME'S CHILL; FLIGHT FOR THE KIDS; MUSIC BOX THEATRE NEWS; MAPLE & ASH; MARIANO'S NEWCITY GRAND OPENING; YWCA'S CONSCIOUS CHICAGO LEADER LUNCHEON; CHICAGO TONIGHT; LIFE MATTERS WITH JOHN ST. AUGUSTINE; DARLING VIDEOS AND SO MUCH MORE!
Can you imagine walking into the renowned Museum of Contemporary Art's galleries and seeing breathtaking artwork hanging on the walls that you can TAKE HOME?! Well, that was exactly what happened for the MCA's annual benefit art auction for those lucky guests with extra coins in their
pockets. More than 500 attended this event that featured both silent and live auction artworks displayed in the museum's galleries, an impressive roster of work curated by MCA Chief Curator Michael Darling. Following the cocktail reception,
guests made their way into the elegant tent that enclosed the MCA's sculpture garden. The tent setting, designed by HMR Designs, was wrapped floor-to-ceiling in a multicolored striped
fabric of red, burnt orange, royal blue, golden yellow, and chartreuse green. The dining tables as well as the auction stage also featured the same striped design, creating a delightfully colorful and immersive environment. One waiter quipped, "I hope no one has vertigo!" It was
unusual and breathtaking all at the same time. The live auction was led by Sotheby's Deputy Chairman, Europe; Senior International Specialist, Contemporary Art Oliver Barker, and he was assisted by Sotheby's Senior International
Fine Arts Consultant Helyn Goldenberg. (Sotheby's was also a major sponsor of the event). A who's who of philanthropists, gallerists, and artists were in attendance including Neil Bluhm, Nick Cave, Nancy Crown, Chris D'Amelio of David Zwirner Gallery, Theaster Gates, Ken Griffin, Kavi Gupta, Rhona
Hoffman, Gretchen and Jay Jordan, Lauren Lange of David Kordansky Gallery, Liz and Eric Lefkofsky, Michelle Maccarone, Kerry James Marshall, Kat Parker of Petzel Gallery, United States Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker and Bryan Traubert, Katherine Malkin and Helen Zell. The event was co-chaired by Marilyn and
Larry Fields and Barbara Bluhm-Kaul and Don Kaul. After the live auction, guests enjoyed a family-style dinner prepared by Limelight Catering that included a maple-glazed heirloom squash salad, mini potatoes, fresh spring rolls, petite lobster rolls, beef carpaccio, and artisan breads and crispy lavash. The entrée was braised short ribs accompanied by slow-roasted brussels sprouts, a creamy Iroquois polenta cake, and glazed heirloom
carrots paired with Owen Roe Cabernet Sauvignon and Rickshaw Chardonnay. After dinner, guests moved back into the museum for a dessert reception in the Kovler Atrium and had the
opportunity to place their final bids on the silent auction artworks. MCA's Pritzker Director Madeleine Grynsztejn announced that the auction raised $3.7 million, making
this event the most successful in the museum's 48-year history! The highest winning bid of the night was $700,000 (!) for a new painting created specially for the auction by renowned Chicago artist Kerry James Marshall, who is the subject of a major traveling retrospective opening at the MCA in April 2016. All proceeds benefit the museum's exhibitions, programs,
and acquisitions. (Photos by Jeremy Lawson and Peter James Foster).
>
The Chicago International Film Festival, founder Michael Kutza, Managing Director Vivian Teng and Programming Director Mimi Plauche hosted the 51st annual Awards Night at The Peninsula on October 23. Over 200 Festival filmmakers and programmers, jury and board members, sponsors and friends came together to celebrate each other's achievements during this festive
night that paid homage to film and those involved in this creative world. Awards were presented in the following categories: International Feature Film Competition, New Directors Competition, Documentary Competition,
Roger Ebert Award, Chicago Award, Q-Hugo Award, and Short Films. (To see list of winners, click here). The highlight of the evening was the presentation of the Founder's Award by Kutza. This award is given to a film that captures the spirit of the Festival for its unique and innovative approach to the art of
the moving image and was presented to director Michael Moore for his film Where To Invade Next. This surprise was a closely guarded secret and even Moore didn't know he had won an award when he flew in for the Fest. His speech was so inspiring and the audience gave him a standing ovation. Here's a snippet of it: "There becomes a tipping point where
eventually, after enough people get involved, it's like then it just happens! One day there's the Soviet Union and the Berlin Wall and the next day, the wall is down. One day it's against the law to marry the person you're in love with because they're the same gender and then, suddenly, one day in June it's gone and it's the law of the land. One day we've got one kind of president and the next day we've got a guy from Chicago whose middle name is Hussein. The strangest, craziest things can happen if we just have the belief in ourselves and not get worn down," said Moore. Other awards went to: Philippe Claudel's
powerful A Childhood (France), winner of both the Gold Hugo for Best Film and the Silver Hugo for Best Actor (for first-time child actors Alexi Mathieu and Jules Gauzelin); Pengfei Song's illuminating ode to modern Chinese society, Underground Fragrance (China, France), winner of the New Directors Competition Gold Hugo; Pablo Larraín's profound story of revenge and compassion, The Club (Chile), winner of three Festival awards; and João Pedro Plácido’s sensitive depiction of a rural Portuguese farming village Volta à Terra, winner of the Gold Hugo for best
documentary. Congrats to all the winners, founder Michael Kutza and his team and to the Festival for making Chicago truly a global city!
The legendary Gary Player, one of only five golfers to win the modern career Grand Slam, was the featured speaker at the Western Golf Association’s fifth annual
Green Coat Gala on Oct. 16 at the Peninsula Chicago with 325 guests. The event raised more than $600,000 for the Evans Scholars Foundation, a nonprofit organization administered by the WGA that provides full college tuition and housing scholarships to caddies. Player, 79, a native of Johannesburg, South Africa, was a member
of the “Big Three” of the early 1960s, which also included legends Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus. Together, Palmer, Nicklaus and Player ignited golf’s popularity at the dawn of the sports television age. Player came to be identified as the “Black Knight,” as he wore black
pants, shirts and shoes during competition. Veteran NBC/Golf Channel commentator Mark Rolfing conducted an interview with Player following dinner at the event, where they touched on topics including his career, the emergence of young stars like Jason Day and Jordan Spieth and the work of the Western Golf Association. "I’ve always been
a tremendous admirer of the Western Golf Association for what they’ve achieved … and what they've done for young people," Player said. "As my hero Winston Churchill once said, 'The youth of a nation are the trustees of posterity.' The Evans Scholars Foundation is a wonderful cause, and to see
more than 10,000 young people benefit from this cause is remarkable." After turning pro in 1953, Player won more than 165 tournaments on six continents, including 24 on the PGA Tour and nine major championships. He is a three-time winner of both The Masters (1961, 1974 and 1978) and the British Open
(1959, 1968, 1974); a two-time winner of the PGA Championship (1962 and 1972), and was the winner of the 1965 U.S. Open. He is the only non-American to win the career Grand Slam. Evans Scholars Joanna Hernandez and Shalonda Jones, both freshmen at Marquette University and participants of the
WGA Caddie Academy, also spoke on how the Evans Scholarship has changed their lives. Hernandez says that through caddying, she has transformed from a shy teenage girl into a mature, confident leader. “I have proven to myself that there
is nothing stopping me from achieving anything. It is one of the best feelings in the world knowing all your hard work has paid off. The Evans Scholarship is the opportunity of a lifetime. It is my American dream. With your help, I have finally reached what was
the biggest goal of my life – going to college. Now, I can only imagine what else is to come.” The Gala co-chairs were Tim and Stacey Cavanagh, Mick and Karen O’Rourke, and Mike and Sharyl Mackey.
Over 220 guests attended the 21st annual Cradle Ball at The Ritz-Carlton Chicago on Oct. 17. The event raised more than $130,000 to support The Cradle’s mission of finding loving homes for babies. The highlight of this year’s gala was an appearance by Julia Sweeney, a former cast
member on Saturday Night Live who is also an adoptive mom. Sweeney, who lives in Wilmette, spoke about adopting her daughter, Mulan, from China in 2001. Cradle mom Kathy Hart, co-host of The Eric & Kathy Morning Show on
101.9 FM The Mix, served as the emcee and live auctioneer for the evening. Hart, who has two biological children, adopted her son, Allen, from The Cradle in 2008.“Adoption opened a place in my heart I didn’t know I had,” Hart said. “The Cradle
has always been there for us, for Allen and for his birth mom.” As part of the event, The Cradle also presented Silver Cradle Awards to a total of 21 companies that support adoption by offering adoption benefits to their employees. Their benefits range from providing financial
reimbursement to employees who are going through the adoption process to offering several weeks of paid leave. The organizations that received Silver Cradle Awards this year were: AbbVie; ADM; Advocate Healthcare; Aon; Barilla America, Inc.; Baxter International, Inc.; CBRE, Inc.; CNA, Deloitte LLP; Fellowes, Inc.; Hospira, Inc.; Mead Johnson
Nutrition; Northern Trust; Perkins+Will; Sidley Austin LLP; Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A.; United Way of Metropolitan Chicago; USG Corporation; VML, Inc.; W.W. Grainger, Inc.; and William Blair & Company, LLC. Representatives from 13 of the companies were on hand to receive their awards. Kim Simonton of Naperville served as the chair for this year’s black-tie gala, which featured
a cocktail reception, dinner, and dancing to live music by Greenlight, as well as a silent auction and live auction. Some of the prizes included stays in private homes in Italy, Montana and Jamaica, as well as autographed items from the Blackhawks and Bulls. For more info, click here. Since it was founded in Evanston in 1923, The Cradle has helped place more than 15,000 children into permanent loving homes.
The 2nd Annual Mac & Cheese Fest, held on Saturday, October 24 at the UIC Forum, was a smashing success with more than 4,000 attendees and 100 participating vendors in attendance over two sessions. AMK Kitchen Bar’s won the Golden Noodle Lunch Session Award with their signature AMK Mac -N- Cheese from Executive Chef Barney Smith, which features Asiago, provolone, gouda, fontina, Havarti and jalapeno with a bacon crust. This Mac also appears on their menu. Auntie Vee's won the Golden Noodle Dinner Session Award with Chef Navena Moore’s sweet and savory Mac & Cheese Bread Pu' deesie (Pudding). Event owners and producers Cece Gonzales, Melinda Joseph and
Ozzie Meza will be donating $15,000 of the event's proceeds to Ronald McDonald House Charities of Chicagoland & Northwest Indiana.This is the second year they have donated to Ronald McDonald House, the selected event charity partner, with a total of $25,000 from the fest’s first two years. 50 restaurants in each session competed for the Golden Noodle award based on taste, texture and creativity judged by noteworthy foodies in addition to the people’s choice. Each guest received a voting ballot upon arriving and votes were
tallied live during the event. Watch this website for more fun event news!
Ravinia Festival created its first El Sistema student orchestra with 100 elementary school students (who received free instruments) from five under-served schools in Lake County as part of its REACH*TEACH*PLAY program. “The Ravinia
Family firmly believes that music and arts education must be part of the core curriculum of every student, not just because it facilitates growth in other areas like math and science, but because art itself is such an essential and worthwhile
aspect of all our lives, individually and as a culture,” said Ravinia President and CEO Welz Kauffman, who is also a board member of Ingenuity 
Inc., an independent not-for-profit that routes arts education resources throughout the Chicago Public Schools system. Sistema Ravinia is a free program that fosters social development through intensive music instruction. The initial program is open to students in grades 4 through
6, and students may continue through 8th grade. Selected students from North, Glen Flora, and Lyon Magnet Elementary Schools in Waukegan; Northwood Junior Academy in Highwood; and The Cove School (which serves special-needs students in both Lake and Cook Counties) met, received their instruments, and worked in sections for the first time at
a special open-house event last month. The special event also included tours of the park and performances by Mexican-American child prodigy pianist Daniela Liebman and the
Circle Rockets, the Sistema Ravinia orchestra launched in 2012 at Catalyst Circle Rock Elementary School in the Austin neighborhood of Chicago. The Ravinia Women’s
Board, which started the festival’s earliest community programs four decades ago, hosted and underwrote the open house. Currently in its fourth year in CPS, Sistema Ravinia has been providing instruments and instructors for the popular year-round program that has been praised by the teachers, students, and their families. Ravinia’s REACH*TEACH*PLAY programs serve about 75,000 people in the Chicago region each year.
Supporters of the Weizmann Institute of Science (based in Rehovot, Israel) came together in to raise funds for the research institute, which is home to thousands of scientists who strive daily to improve mankind’s understanding of nature and illnesses. This year, more than
800 supporters convened at the Fairmont Chicago Hotel to honor Mesirow Financial Chairman/CEO Richard S. Price at their annual gala, raising $1.8 million. The festive evening, themed “Limitless, Celebrating Collaborative Achievement," was
co-chaired by Marilyn Perlman and Brian Price. Guests celebrated Price’s many philanthropic efforts and his support of the Weizmann Institute of Science. The evening featured an intriguing discussion between three of the Institute’s most esteemed scientists,
Prof. Alon Chen, Prof. Nachum Ulanovsky and Dr. Ofer Yizhar. Richard Price was surprised at the end of the evening with an announcement that a special fund was put in place to offer a
scholarship for a PhD candidate doing research on the brain. The mission of The American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science is to showcase the multitude of scientific contributions made for the benefit of humanity by the Weizmann Institute of Science. (Photos by Mitchell Canoff and Lee Litas)
You are invited to the 13th Annual Kris Kringle's Kandy Kane Ball and Toy Drive on Saturday, December 12 at Joe's on Weed St.! Why you ask, am I sharing this info so early?! Because it sells out in a heartbeat! Guests will enjoy festive decor, passed appetizers, premium open 
bar, World Class DJs and music from Sorry for Partying! Proceeds will benefit Chicago Children's Charities. Everyone must bring a toy to the event or it will be $20 extra at the door if you forget! The organizers' goal is to get toys in the hands of every child who might
go without one this holiday season.
Buccellati partnered with the Service Club of Chicago for the U.S. launch of the Milanese jewelry house’s long anticipated ‘Opera’ collection at the elegant Oak Street retailer on October 26. Guests enjoyed cocktails and passed hors d’oeuvres displayed on elegantly balanced trays
suspended from whimsical contraptions worn by the talented Red Moon performers, who also sang opera at the event! The eighteenth century Venetian pharmacy was aglow with beautiful party-goers as Vonita Reescer thanked
Buccellati’s newly appointed CEO Randal Soto for supporting the Service Club in its’ 125th year in existence. Gala co-chairs Anida "Cookie" Cohen and Susan Gohl and Service Club president Myra Reilly were thrilled to see members preparing for the upcoming gala (Watch my Tribune column next Sunday for Gala coverage). A very special
collection of High Jewelry was flown in for the occasion where guests marveled at spectacular cuff bracelets encrusted with emeralds, sapphires, yellow and white diamonds, richly engraved in the signature Buccellati fashion. 100% of proceeds from the sale of a special Buccellati cuff was
donated to the Service Club! Wowza! Additionally, a portion of proceeds from the evening and sales through December 31st will benefit the charity. Upon departing, guests were gifted with a beautiful Buccellati pendant with silver inlay and the coffee table book ‘A Day with
Elisa’ photographed by Peter Lindbergh. Thanks to Marit and Jacques Bohbot for your continuing generosity to so many non-profits in our city! Just love YOU!
Special Olympics Illinois held its 8th annual Inspire Greatness Gala at the Four Seasons
Hotel Chicago. The event, chaired by Karen Wilson, (President/CEO, MAKE Corp.) and emceed by board member, CBS-2's Rob Johnson, included dinner, a high-end live/silent auction, and dancing to the sounds of the City Lights Orchestra. A special guest in attendance was American race-car driver Sage Karam. Pat Hemingway
Hall, CEO, Health Care Service Corporation, was honored as the recipient of the Champions Award for Impact on Special Olympics Athletes. Pat was instrumental in developing the Inspire
Greatness Gala and she has been a long-time supporter of Special Olympics Illinois. Kelli Ewbank, the featured Special Olympics Illinois athlete of the evening, and her father, Kevin delivered keynote speeches. Kelli, 25, has overcome both physical and intellectual disabilities throughout her lifetime to achieve incredible things. Her biggest accomplishments with the
program have been winning a Gold medal at Summer Games in swimming and becoming a Global Messenger. Since its inception, this event has raised over $5 million to support the nearly 22, 000 athletes and over 21,000 Young Athletes (ages 2-7)
who participate in Special Olympics programs in Illinois. (Photos by Tracy Flynn Photography and Tang Tech Photo).
The Chicago Culinary Museum and Chefs Hall of Fame hosted its tenth annual gala featuring the induction of Chef Tony Mantuano for Chef of the Year, Chef Judy
Contino for Pastry Chef of the Year, Chef J. Joho for Legendary Chef, Georges “Kiki” Cuisance as Industry Legend, and Steve Lombardo and Hugo Ralli both as Industry Leaders into the Chefs Hall of Fame for 2015. These six culinary innovators, all steeped in Chicago’s
epicurean history, were formally inducted before a crowd of over 300 at an event open to the public in Navy Pier's Crystal Gardens. The Honorary Event Chair, Phil Stefani, was inducted into the Chefs Hall of Fame as an Industry Leader in 2014. 2015. Congrats to all!
The Annual Benefit Party of The Women’s Board of the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC) was held at the Blu Aqua Hotel with nearly 400 guests in attendance. Chairing this year’s party were Susan Felker, Jacque Nygaard and Lindy Keiser with support from the President of
the RIC Women’s Board, Julie Allen. “This year our annual benefit was a festive dinner dance as we celebrated RIC and its impact on physical medicine and rehabilitation, both here in Chicago and around the world,” said Nygaard. The elegant décor featured square black lacquer tables complemented by varying
levels of candlelight amid lush greens of myrtle and magnolia leaves. Lynne Jordan and the Shivers, one of my very favorite groups, provided entertainment. Host committee members in attendance included Cindy and Ben Chereskin, Carrie and Laurence Grant and Caryn and King Harris, Kristi and Kevin Brown, Mary and Paul
Finnegan and Cindy and Chris Galvin. Other guests included Elizabeth Warnock, Dawn Meiners, Connie and David Coolidge, Kathleen and Jamie Cowie, Britt Taner, Keith and Rodney Goldstein, Rhonda and Scott Swanson and Robin and John Parson. A new aspect to the event was an after-party, “Associate Board Late Night.” A
fabulous DJ plus light fare and a bar were part of the later festivities. Proceeds from the event, nearly $1 million, will help RIC remain at the forefront of Rehabilitation – offering expert medical care and consistently delivering better outcomes and faster recoveries, as RIC changes the lives of the patients it serves.
On Thursday, November 12, LuxeHome, in partnership with Wine Spectator Magazine presents the ninth annual CHILL, an International Wine & Culinary Event featuring the best in food, drink and design to benefit three local charities. One of Chicago’s biggest and most popular culinary events, CHILL takes place amid the ambience of the
LuxeHome Boutiques on the first floor of Chicago’s famed Merchandise Mart and features over 150 superb wines paired with cuisine from distinguished Chicago chefs all in the name of charity. Again this year, proceeds from LuxeHome CHILL will directly benefit the local programming of three distinguished charities—The Lynn Sage Foundation, Saturday Place, and the Respiratory Health Association. Over the past eight years, CHILL has raised nearly $1 million dollars for charity. The event takes place from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Merchandise Mart, and tickets ($95) can be purchased here.
Fasten your seat-belts for the 2015 FLIGHT Event benefiting Children’s Oncology Services, Inc., on Friday, November 13th at the Four Seasons Hotel-Chicago. Over 300 guests will gather for this memorable night that will feature a cocktail reception, dinner, live entertainment and a program highlighting the joys of One Step Programs. “Flight” was created to provide a 
different virtual destination each year for guests and this year's theme is inspired by Argentina. Children’s Oncology Services, Inc. will be honoring Chicago Baseball Cancer Charities/Billy Pierce Family and Mitch Rosen/670The Score at the event. For tickets, $275, and more info, click here!
Howard Brown Health Center hosted its first ever Big Orange Ball at The Geraghty on October 24. Guests and residents were invited to get in the spirit of Halloween a bit early at one of Chicago's newest and trendiest event spaces to benefit the Center, a diverse health and social service delivery system that serves more than
18,000 adults and youth each year. Attendees arrived in their spookiest attire and, for those lacking a costume, offerings were available through Howard Brown's Brown Elephant resale shop. 
The party included catered treats, specialty cocktails and two DJs that kept the dance floor full. A shuttle was provided to help guests arrive and return home safely–what a nice touch! Funds raised support Howard 
Brown's vital medical care and community initiatives. (Howard Brown Health is also one of the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender organizations).
Woody's Winter Warm Up is baaaack! Join the Wood Family Foundation, the 2015 Chicago Cubs, and your favorite Chicago athletes for 
the 5th annual Woody's Winter Warm-Up at Harry Caray's 7th Inning Stretch in the iconic Water Tower Place! Chicago's top sports celebrities, past and present, along with other local celebrities will be bar-tending for tips and enjoying the interactive games in the Chicago Sports Museum. There will also be surprise LIVE performances and tunes by DJ Niena Drake! This event raises funds for Foundation's after school mentoring program, Pitch In. General 
Admission tickets are $150, and include music, premium dinner stations, open bar, a silent auction and a live auction including the ultimate Cubs experience! (For tickets and more info, click here!)
Congrats to the YWCA Metropolitan Chicago and its fearless leader CEO Dorri McWhorter on an afternoon of inspiration and
exhilaration. Guests at Conscious Chicago's Leader Luncheon filled the grand ballroom of the Hyatt Regency to honor six outstanding community leaders. They included Julie Howard (Chairman/CEO Navigant), Dr. Jennifer Holmgren (CEO LanzaTech), Aylwin Lewis (Chairman/CEO/President Potbelly Corp.), Christie Hefner (Corporate exec/activist/philanthropist), Maggie Anderson (Activist/Author/CEO & Founder The Empowerment Experiment) and Shradha Agarwal (President/Co-founder Context Media). Dorri
offered opening remarks and darling comedian/presidential impersonator Reggie Brown provided comedy relief in a skit as President Obama. Congrats to ALL on their remarkable accomplishments!
One of our favorite venues to see movies is in the historic Music Box Theatre, 3733 N. Southport. It's been in existence for 3 decades and I hope it continues for 100 more. For this reason, Claire Alden, membership and group sales manager, has come up with an ingenious new
program that directly supports preserving the beauty and elegance of this iconic theatre. A membership program will allow movie goers to enjoy a comped first ticket (after signing up), reduced ticket prices, monthly Members-Only screenings, free 
popcorn refills, discounted house wine as well as discounts to the theatre's partner restaurants! And don't forget the theatre has a cool new Lounge and Back Patio to enjoy too! (What a great gift idea for movie lovers for the upcoming holidays, too!) Congrats to 
Claire and GM Ryan Oestreich for keeping this grand gal in style! Email Claire for details and more info at claire@musicboxtheatre.com.
We finally dined at Maple & Ash, the new Gold Coast steakhouse and seafood restaurant located at 8 W. Maple. Kudos to Mary and Jim Lasky on their latest contribution to Chicago's dining scene! We loved everything about it, except for the fact that they didn't have Pinot Grigio (LOL!). The decor is elegant and soothing and the views from the 3rd
floor overlooking the Viagra Triangle are breathtaking! Our server Russell Senser made the entire experience one we won't soon forget and we can't wait to return! For more info and reservations, click here!
We attended a kick-ass opening party for Mariano's NewCity at 1500 N. Clybourn on October 26. Nina and Bob and Roundy's Supermarkets have done it again! With
dramatic decor by Tom Kehoe Designs and showgirls in martini glasses provided by ZZAZZ Productions, this by-invite-only party was a happening! The store opened the following day and features a patisserie, specialty cheese and charcuterie shop and oyster bar. In
celebration of the new opening, the Roundy's Foundation made a $10,000 donation to After School Matters, a non-profit that provides opportunities to more than 15,000 Chicago high school teens yearly. Guests seen on the scene
included the Landan Twins, Ken Norgan, John Walcher, Gale and Jay Gottlieb, Hedwig and Bob Golant, Pam Sage, Deputy Mayor Steven Koch, Mickey Segal, Ji Suk Yi,
Kathleen Henson, Loren Adolph, Carol and Dominic DiFrisco, Tracey DiBuono, Jim Karas, Shaun Rajah and Jasper Nowell, Denise
Tomasello, Tracey and Russ Scurto, Amanda Puck and Billy Rairigh, Toni Canada, Ron Gidwitz, Dorothy Whealan and Jolenta Reuge among many others. Congrats and
welcome! (Photos by Mila Samokhina)
It was such a thrill to appear on WTTW's Chicago Tonight with host
Phil Ponce and fellow guest Sam Jemielity, formerly with Playboy in the digital division. We discussed Playboy's new direction for the magazine and some other fun stuff. If you missed the show, check it out below!
And if you missed my PBS Antiques Roadshow segment, see it here! It was thrilling to have my Playboy memorabilia appraised by expert Laura Woolley (the Collector's Lab) And here is the link to the "Behind the Scenes at the Antiques Roadshow Chicago" segment that aired a week before the PBS show! Hope you enjoy them! hhh
I'm so thrilled that John St. Augustine has found a new home back on the radio where he belongs! I've always loved talking to him as he's one of THE most positive people I've ever met! He's a best-selling author and shares inspirational speeches across the country. His 
blog, Notes from the North, is a must-read. Augustine has joined the CBS Radio family with his own on-demand show, "Life Matters" on CBS' Play.It podcast network. In our far ranging interview we talk about Playboy, of course, but also what it's like growing up in a small town and so much more. Hear it here and subscribe, you'll thank me later! 🙂 hhh
Bunky (Payson McDonnell Cushing) had a memorial service at Ralph Lauren following a "service of thanksgiving to God" at St. Chrysostom's Episcopal Church on November 3. The afternoon and evening included a performance by the Chicago Gay Men's Chorus, remembrances by Stanley Paul, Heather Wright and Hazel Barr as well as the reading of a letter sent from Bunky's former boss, Ralph Lauren. A touching poem by Diane Edelman was included on the memorial hand-out that also had a tiny red bow tie at the bottom. (It was designed by Bunky's friend John Ansehl). Ladies wore red and men wore bow-ties in honor of this loving, generous friend. RIP Bunky. You were much loved. hhh
Hope you're all enjoying our Indian Summer and I hope you've enjoyed this edition of Candid Candace! If you would like to subscribe to my blog, please click here! My list is never shared and it's completely spam-free.
And now, as always, I want to leave you with a smile!
Love always,
Candace
Candace@CandidCandace.com
P.S. A huge congrats to beautiful newlyweds Chris Doerr and Corinne Melchior Doerr! Their wedding at the Peggy Notebaert Museum was completely magical and filled with so much love! Congrats, congrats, congrats!
Always love reading your Candid Candace blog!