Valentine's of Glitz and Glam
Published:Monday | February 16, 2015 | 12:00 AM
WESTERN BUREAU:
Last year, was a record tally for the Hanover Charities Sugar Cane Ball, and this year, the organisers seem to have hit the jackpot.
The event, tagged a 'Valentine's of Glitz and Glam', was literally oversubscribed, with more than 300 party people experiencing the promise of a red-carpet affair at the fabulous Round Hill Hotel and Villas.
Hoping to top the US$235,000 it made in 2014, if the US$20,000 'tour' of the Blenheim Palace where Winston Churchill was born, is any indication of success, far more students should receive financial aid; the Cecile Clare Soup Kitchen in Lucea will remain stocked; the remedial and breakfast programmes in 11 schools may just spread across the parish, and the West Haven Children's Home will continue to get its annual grant.
These are just a few of the projects, this mammoth charity benefits in the parish no one can ever use the term Cinderella to describe.
Placed in perspective, Lord Charles Spencer-Churchill's appeal for those with money to turn open their pockets at the annual ball, did not go unnoticed and Jamaican artist,
Barrington Watson's pieces were among the ones most sought after.
Opening their hearts on a night when lovers are known to recommit, patrons at the Sugar Cane Ball, also opened their taste buds to the most scrumptious and mouth-watering four-course meal ever served by the resorts awarding-winning culinary team. For starters, the senses were awakened by smoked salmon strudel, served with cauliflower turmeric purÈe, mixed greens and caper raisin dressing. The entrÈe was the most tender braised beef short ribs, served with carmelised onion, crushed potato, and roasted aioli in natural jus.
Titillating the already satiated appetite, they presented a sorrel crËme brulË with ginger biscotti, finishing off the night with petit fours, coffee, and tea.
It was a night for celebrities, locals and international guests, and as much as those in attendance waited to see actress Sigourney Weaver, who reportedly was on property, they had to contend with local stars of the show, the affable Josef Forstmayr, the effervescent Omar Robinson, the efficient, Katrin Casserly, chair of Hanover Charities and the lady that puts the pieces together, Linda Lawrence.