The Italian hot spot was bustling inside and out as we made our way to the back of the restaurant and its exclusive VIP event space to await the woman of the hour, philanthropist Jean Shafiroff.
We sipped on cocktails and dined on hors d’oeuvres including grilled calamari and the restaurant’s signature mozzarella burrata as the May 2015 cover girl arrived and dazzled us in one of her fashion savvy outfits.
Fabulous in short floral, Shafiroff smiled as she joined the lively group including Resident Magazine Publisher and Editor-In-Chief respectively; Michael Travin and Pamela Jacobs, Resident Magazine’s Lisa Bernstein, and Real Housewives of New York City newbie Dorinda Medley with boyfriend John Mahdessian, who owns Upper East Side Custom Couture Cleaner Madame Paulette.
Also in the crowd looking fabulous, I spoke with lovely ladies Delaina Dixon of Vh1’s The Gossip Table and designer Rosemary Ponzo who adds style to any party.
Hubby Martin Shafiroff was there of course, as well as Roy Kean, Barbara and Peter Regna, Chiu-Ti Jansen, Alisa Roever, Katlean DeMonchy, Nicole DiCocco and Lucia Hwong Gordon.
In the issue, Jean Shafiroff discusses her passion for philanthropy as she serves on several charitable organizations including The New York Women’s Foundation, NYC Mission Society, Couture Council and the French Heritage Society, and lends her support to numerous other charities.
What motivates her? “We live in a city where 30% of the children live at or below the poverty level. I can’t just go on living here and remain idle. I must try to facilitate change. We live in an age when the middle class is having a tougher time to survive.”
Pictured: Shafiroff, Travin, Jacobs