Macro shot of one of the fancy dessert items.
The 7th Annual Gala Fundraiser for the Celiac Disease Center At Columbia University took place on October 16th, 2008. The event was at the posh Mandarin Oriental Hotel and there were several hundred people in attendance. I brought my new Nikon D80 with me and my only two lenses, a zoom and a macro. You know how it has become sort of a tradition to share my Vanity Fair style photos of these events with you. Well, the funny thing is that I totally don't know what I'm doing yet with my new camera and I was scrambling to figure it all out! I just decided to have fun with it and joked with my "models" while I backed up about 20 feet for a decent shot. Hopefully, in time I'll figure out my new tools. (Any camera buffs out there? Feel free to share your tips!) In the meantime, here are the shots I took that are decent enough to share.
The Teitelbaum family started the program with a warm welcome.
Dr. Peter Green chatting it up with Elisabeth Hasselbeck.
Michael Riley and Sprig online green guide designer, Julie Fowler
Dr. Robin Gymryk and guest. Turns out that Dr. Gymryk is a dermatologist with celiac disease that suffered from dermatitis herpetiformis. I wish I had met her about fifteen years ago.
The Colin Leslie (left) Walk For Celiac Disease raised nearly $44,000 this year and Eesha Dave (right) just published a children's book, Timmy's Gluten-Free Safari, that will benefit the center.
I bump into Amy and Doug Hertford at almost every celiac disease related event! The odds are high that you'll bump into Doug at Lilli & Loo's too!
I wanted to show you the pretty desserts...
...and the gorgeous table settings. Joan's GF Great Bakes and Everybody Eats contributed a variety of bread and rolls.
The evening started with a cocktail hour and mingling. This year the center honored Tal & Ariel Recanati, Ford's Gourmet Foods (aka Bone Suckin' Sauce), and the John J. Kelly Celiac Disease Foundation. Dr. Green also introduced the center's new staff members Christina Tennyson, MD (Gastroenterologist), Carolina Arguelles, MD (Research Associate) and Suzanne Simpson, RD (Registered Dietitian).
I was surprised and thrilled to meet the Alkatraz swimmer, David Milkes, and his two sisters. And everyone was pleasantly surprised when the Nobel Prize winner for medicine, Eric Kandel stepped up to the podium during the program.
As you can see, it was a lovely evening.
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