Offering a champagne toast at their “First Anniversary Celebration” are members of the Taj Boston team, left to right: Claude Dubois, Director of Food and Beverage; Executive Chef Franck Steigerwald; Ranjit Phillipose, Hotel Manager; and David Gibbons, General Manager. (Photo by Roger Farrington)

Over the years we have been privileged to enjoy many special events in the legendary 1927 building situated at the corner of Boston’s fashionable Newbury Street and the Public Garden. The former Ritz-Carlton reopened as the Taj Boston in January of 2007, and already has received prestigious international recognition.

We recently were invited by General Manager David Gibbons to celebrate the Taj’s “First Anniversary” at a gala reception. The 1927 Dining Room was transformed into a stylish supper club for the evening with incredible “curtains of cascading white orchids” welcoming guests as they entered.

An ice sculpture designed like a tree with branches of yellow orchids turned out to be a “slide” dispensing martinis! Lucky guests enjoyed an opulent buffet of Indian specialties, sushi, and chilled lobster tails presented in the most beautiful ice-sculpture “bowls” we have ever seen.

Delicious desserts were “works of art” creatively displayed, while musicians and talented singers enticed guests onto the illuminated dance floor.

Salvatore DeGeorge, the new Director of Catering Sales for Taj Boston, created the design of the event in cooperation with Claude Dubois, Director of Food and Beverage and Executive Chef Franck Steigerwarld.

Among the 200 guests attending were: Pat Moscaritolo, President and CEO of the Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau; Jonathan McPhee, Music Director and Conductor of the Longwood Symphony Orchestra; Mary Nobile-King, manager of the Chanel boutique at Taj Boston; and Nancy Keller, of Myopia Polo where the Taj Boston Cup is held.

Also: Katherine Getchell, Deputy Director, Museum of Fine Arts; Commander Robert Gillen, former commander of USS Constitution “Old Ironsides”; Raghunath Kale, Vice President, Internal Communications, Taj Hotels; and James Fallon, Regional Director of Sales, Taj Hotels; just to name a very few.

A personal highlight for us was reconnecting with longtime staff members of the legendary property—like Joseph Scolastico who has worked there since 1982, and Alfonso De Lucia, who returned just a few months after The Taj opened and is now one of the managers in The Café. The delightful Caron Le Brun, Director of Public Relations, will have been there ten years this coming June.

Caron tells us that the “2007 Condé Nast Traveler’s Readers’ Choice Awards” included the Taj Boston in the “Top 100 Best U. S. and Mainland Hotels.” And, “Condé Nast Traveler, 2008 USA Gold List World’s Best Places to Stay” also included Taj Boston. Other kudos have been received from “Travel + Leisure’s 2008 World’s 500 Best Hotels” and “Institutional Investor’s 2007 World’s 100 Best Hotels.” Congratulations and much continued success!

For more information about The Taj and its fabulous sister hotels throughout the world, visit www.tajhotels.com.

Boston Community Leaders Support “Dress for Success”

The second annual “Celebrating Self-Sufficiency” luncheon will be held on Friday, February 1 at the Fairmont Copley Plaza hotel in Boston beginning with a reception at 11:30 a.m.

Chaired by Stacey and Larry Lucchino, with Mayor Thomas Menino and Mrs. Menino as honorary chairs, the luncheon will raise funds to benefit Dress for Success Boston, a non-profit organization that helps disadvantaged women by providing professional work attire for job interviews and a network of support and career development tools.

Founded by Enith Levine and Nancy Schneider, Dress for Success Boston has helped close to 2,700 women since it opened in July 2001 and has 34 active volunteers.

Jacqui Budd and Carol Fulp are chairs of the large luncheon committee which includes Joe Bergantino, Emily Di Maggio, Vicki Donlan, Peggy Dray, John Drew, Paul Guzzi, Lisa Hughes, Pat Kreger, Vivien Li, Irma Mann, Dr. Mallika Marshall, Sheryl Marshall, Ralph Martin, Otile McManus, Patrick Moscaritolo, Colette Phillips, Dusty Rhodes, Meg Vaillancourt, Linda Whitlock, Bennie Wiley and Donna Wolfe, just to name a very few.

A live auction will be held following the luncheon with all proceeds benefiting Dress for Success Boston. There is also an online auction at www.dfsb.cmarket.com.

For luncheon tickets or more information, call 617-204-4272; Email dressforsuccess@conventures.com; or visit www.dressforsuccess.org.

Boston Wine Expo Returns

“The Boston Wine Expo” kicks off its annual two-day wine event with “Jazzed About Wine,” a preview night featuring premium wines, mouth-watering hors d’oeuvres and live jazz entertainment, on Friday, February 8 at the Seaport Hotel. “The Boston Wine Expo” takes place on Saturday, February 9 and Sunday, February 10 at the Seaport World Trade Center.

The largest trade and consumer wine event in the country, the Expo offers wine enthusiasts an unparalleled educational and entertaining wine and food experience. “The Grand Tasting” showcases more than 450 international and domestic wineries from 13 countries pouring over 1,800 different wines.

More than 25 seminars will take place over the weekend. Guests do not have to purchase a Grand Tasting ticket in order to purchase a seminar ticket.

The cooking demonstrations are designed to highlight the interaction of food and wine while allowing guests the opportunity to observe some of the area’s finest chefs. There are a total of 15 chefs participating on two stages at the Grand Tasting in the exhibition hall.

Throughout the history of the Boston Wine Expo, more than $780,000 has been donated to over 27 charitable organizations.

To purchase tickets or for more information, call 1-877-946-3976 or visit www.wineexpoboston.com.

Enjoy!

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