As promised, “Queer Eye’s” Ted Allen’s talk was “Off the Cuff” and sometimes over the top, but the 1,000 members and guests of the Hinsdale Junior Woman’s Club devoured every morsel of advice and vice at a luncheon to raise funds for the Wellness House Family Matters Program. The event brought in more than $185,000. “Pat yourself on the back, we’ve come a long way,” said Jeannie Cella, executive director of Wellness House. And bravo to Ted for showing up at the O’Hare Westin to fill in for Carson Kressley, who opted to co-host the red-carpet show at an obscure awards ceremony in Santa Monica.
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“Off the Cuffs” from Ted:
“I hugged Beyonce’s sequinned booty, and although I’m not her target audience, it did feel good.”
“Pamela Anderson is actually smart.”
“You couldn’t make over Howard Stern. You’d start with his hair and work your way down.”
Ted’s favorite Chicago dining places: “That Italian beef place on Wells.”
And “The Peninsula’s No-No, NahHa…Mini-Me.” (Sorry, Teddy, it’s the Park Hyatt’s NoMI.)
-Celia Daniels
MEATY TREATS
Meats, not veggies, were the big hit at the Local Organic Food Festival’s awards bash at Navy Pier. Hungry gala-goers queued for socca crepes stuffed with lardon-laced greens from Michael Alterberg, chef at Bistro Campagne and Campagnola, and organic prairie pork stir-fry from caterer Greg Christian. Some were avowed “health nuts,” like Wilmette’s Joyce Knauff, who ran the Chicago Marathon on her 60th birthday. Or Chicago’s Nancy Daley: “Anything’s great if I don’t have to cook.” And the three culinary students who sneaked into the $100-a-head event. Said one about Christian’s advice to them: “He said find a place you love to eat and keep applying until they hire you.”
-Lisa Skolnik