It was a night Frankie and Dino would’ve loved – one of music, good food and drinks, sleek cars, handsome women, laughs and a few tears. In a sense, they were there – or at least their cutouts were and I like to think their spirits were as well as Mercedes Benz of White Plains and Westchester Magazine teamed with Chazz and Gianna Palminteri for “An Evening of Hope.”
The Rat Pack-style benefit raised $25,000 for The Child Reach Foundation, which Chazz and Gianna (WAG May 2011) founded to combat thalassemia and other pediatric blood disorders. Gianna, always a softie where children are concerned, teared up as she described the suffering of youngsters with these diseases. She moved the crowd of 200 while Chazz fired it up, acting as auctioneer for a special Las Vegas trip and an original poster from his seminal film “A Bronx Tale,” each of which went for $1,500. (Chazz also donated tickets to his June 1 performance of “A Bronx Tale” at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester.)
As the guests perused silent auction items ranging from an unusual autographed picture of Mick Jagger and John Lennon to a swimming clinic with Ryan Lochte, they enjoyed spring vegetable ravioli and other treats courtesy of Crabtree’s Kittle House in Chappaqua and its imminent Rivermarket in Tarrytown. Hal Prince Music & Entertainment kept us in the mood with a selection of Sinatra standards. To riff on Ol’ Blue Eyes (and Cole Porter) in “High Society,” What a swell party this was. For more on the foundation, check out the childreachfoundation.org. And for more party pix, check out WAG’s July “Hot Tomatoes” issue.Georgette Gouveia
