Think Local, Buy Local, Live Local: Our Milwaukee, an alliance supporting locally owned firms, pooled resources to hold a daylong fund-raiser for Haiti. Up to 1,000 supporters of the cause poured in to Lakefront Brewery to bid on auction items, drink Lakefront beer and listen to Afro-Cuban jazz by De La Buena and Kings Go Forth’s retro rhythms. Food donors included chef Karen Gill from Karen Cooks It.
Organizers Todd Leech from Beans & Barley, Lakefront brothers Russ and Jim Klisch, Ramie Camarena and Alterra Coffee’s Chuck Elsholz were thrilled with the turnout. Kids joined in a drumming session by Cecilio Negron Jr., Jason Gonzalez, Bob Budny and Liat Mayer. In the crowd were Gigi Pomerantz, founder of Youthaiti, Ron Pruhs from the Comet Café, filmmakers Susan Kerns and Kara Mulrooney, and public defenders Kathy Bach and Eric Steele. A long queue formed for glittery body art by Anita Filips Reed from Hands of Henna.
Slow Food, Slow Soup: About 50 devout foodies/farmers/friends gathered at South Shore Park for gourmet soup and food for thought. Slow Food Wisconsin Southeast’s outgoing president Martha Davis Kipcak hosted, with remarks by incoming co-presidents Robert Stockinger and his wife, Dara, whose delightful young daughter Victoria stole the show, as well as MIAD’s Jeff Filipiak, caterer Kathy Papineau, Lisa Kingery of Fondy Food Center; RSA creator/chef David Swanson, and expressmilwaukee.com’s Green Life blogger Kathleen Wills.
|
|
Kipcak thanked the evening’s organizer, Jennifer Casey, who described RAFT (Renewing America’s Food Traditions), and Jill Weinshel for doing double duty on the board. Sampling soups were Scott Buer and his wife, Christin Johnstone-Buer, owners of Bolzano Artisan Meats; Shepherd Express reporter Sarah Biondich, and Rita Hale, a wellness teacher.
Clans Gathering: The 152nd Robert Burns Anniversary Banquet at the Wisconsin Club drew the kilt-clad set from the Highlands, the Lowlands and around Greater Milwaukee. The McWilliam table was hosted by dad Rob, along with his wife, Mary, and sons guitarist Tom and drummer Mike, there with Carrie Berg. Rob Jr. piped in the haggis, an “offal” Scottish delicacy carved via sword. Sharing their table was Joe Spence, the St. Andrew’s Society’s own haiku poet, back from a reading in Lithuania.
Ross and Mary Reed were accompanied by cousin Daphne Chester, a New York visitor. Nearby, Dr. Marta Ross and husband Donald of the Public Health Service shared rounds of happy beverage with her sister, Carmen, and husband Dr. Humberto Lamoutte. Friends Karen and Ed Ducett were joined by their son, Jonathan, a Marquette communications major. He strolled across Wisconsin Avenue from MU’s Straz Tower dorm to join the Scottish soiree.
Ian Day received the society’s lifetime achievement award, following his rendering of scribe Burns’ 1786 “Address to a Haggis.” Judge Tom Cooper presided over the festivities, which included the chandelier-shaking massed pipes and drums of the Billy Mitchell and Celtic Nations bands and ballet-like dancing by the Milwaukee Caledonian Scottish Dancers and Milwaukee Scottish Country Dancers.
Birthday Babes: Cecilia (The Snowplow Queen) Gilbert hosted her 60-plus-one b-day at one of her favorite hangouts, Whiskey Bar. Guests cavorted until the wee hours to CDs of Gilbert’s favorite tunes, compiled by Tracy Stockwell. Among Gilbert’s pals were Kimberly Montgomery from the mayor’s office, sausage guru Deb Usinger, Roz Rouse and Pat Walsh, and photographer Dawn Bloomfield with her husband, Craig.
Gilbert’s 11-year-old grandson, Justin Gilbert, who shares the same birthday, was there, as was his dad, Richard Gilbert, and mom, Joy Macon. Celebrating were Michael Short, president of the Hunter Group and Street Eagle Milwaukee; funnyman John McGivern; Aala Reed’s Laura Lutter Cole and her ever-debonair husband, Preston; Camille Manuel and her mom, Rhonda, and cousin Hope; Dawn Helsing Wolters, happily ensconced as the Rep’s managing director; and Whiskey Bar owner Mike Vitucci.
Yoga instructor Annie Melchior celebrated her actual 5-0 in La Antigua, Guatemala, with coffee entrepreneur Peter Kettler, then hosted a post-b-day gathering upstairs at Trocadero. Proffering best wishes were Janet Lilly and Ed Burgess, UW-Milwaukee Peck School of the Arts co-workers; and Peggy Hong from Riverwest Yogashala, with her husband, Ed Krishok.
Other revelers were neighbors Bob and Beth Wolfley; Caren Connolly and Louis Wasserman; Lynn Sbonik from Beans & Barley; Alterra’s Sarah Johnson; and the Outpost’s Malcolm McDowell-Woods. From the acting community were Laurie Birmingham, Jenny Wanasek, John Kishline and Deborah Clifton. Circulating were Jules Laabs, of Studio D'Angeli; the Goris sisters, Marilyn, Carolyn and Dinah; and Cardinal Stritch-ers Teri Wagner and Cheri Frey-Hartel, with her husband, Bobby.
Joan Kappes, photographer/chemist, celebrated her first 49th with champagne galore and a multitude of Metro Market cakes. Among the partiers were Gabrielle Lyon, Tracy Luber, RN, Kathy Linneman; Haven Interiors’ Carol (C.J.) Mueller, Christine Cacopardo of Cardo Diamond, writer Fran Verito, Cathy Ryan, Kitty Gaenslen, Mary McFadden, Ruth Joachim, of North Shore College Consulting, and Pilates instructor extraordinaire Kathie Spencer.
If you have any tips for Boris and Doris, contact them at borisanddorisott@aol.com. Their next column will appear in the Feb. 25 issue of the Shepherd.
