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Are there any words more beautiful than
truffle mac-n-cheese?
Get ready to salivate. Here’s what was
served at the Center’s 29th Annual
Garden Party: crab cake sliders, coconut
cupcakes, mini croque monsieur,
champignon crostini, tuna tartare with
avocado mousse, pecan butterscotch bars,
butter crunch and marzipan squares,
summer tomato soup, citrus cake with
blueberry and coconut filling and
candied lime.
Hungry yet? Wait, there’s more: vodka
mint cucumber cooler, tiramisu, summer
panino, mini cannoli, salmon tartare,
mushroom truffle croquettes, caramel
crème cookies. (Whisper these words into
the ears of your beloved - and watch
what happens.)
Each year, the Center’s Garden Party
kicks off NYC Pride Week with its Monday
evening fundraiser - and this year,
Garden Party 29: A Taste of Pride
attracted nearly two thousand gourmands
to its brand new home at Hudson River
Park’s tree-lined Pier 46 at the base of
the Richard Meier-designed Perry Street
towers.
What started as a fundraiser in 1984
with one catering company has evolved
into the largest LGBT food festival in
the country - and one of the most
celebrated tasting events in the
culinary world.
The Center’s longest-running event is
also its largest annual fundraiser - and
Garden Party 29 featured more than forty
restaurants, caterers, and food trucks,
all of whom generously donated their
food, as well as staff and time, to feed
a crowd of hungry (and sartorially
astute) New Yorkers.
Food participants at Garden Party 29
included Esca, Aria, Li-Lac Chocolates,
Rickshaw Dumplings, Murray’s Cheese,
Mitchmallows, Mappamondo, Dos Caminos,
Amy’s Bread, Tiffin and Thali, Good, and
dozens of other altruistic restaurants
that deserve our community’s support all
year long.
Apart from the surfeit of sinfully
delicious delectables, the Garden Party
is always a showcase for spring fashion
with a festively attired crowd that
promenades like peacocks in their
seersucker and gingham, bow ties and
waistcoats, and tutus and leather.
This year’s Foodies Silent Auction
included a chocolate tasting for twenty,
tix to hit Broadway shows, a private
tour of the Metropolitan Museum, and
home decor - while the winner of the
raffle won a vacation in Tuscany.
Volunteer bartenders wandered through
the crowds bearing Ketel One cocktails
and wine from Beaulieu Vineyard.
The Center’s Executive Director, Glennda
Testone, accepted a commemorative
proclamation from Governor Andrew Cuomo
- and Christine Quinn (who might well
become the first lesbian mayor of New
York) reminded a cheering crowd about
the incredible progress toward LGBT
equality that has occurred during the
past year.
Now celebrating 29 years, the Lesbian,
Gay, Bisexual, & Transgender Community
Center has spent its history building
community through arts and culture,
wellness and recovery, in its mission to
envision a world where LGBT people no
longer face discrimination or isolation
because of who we love.
Oh, wait; did we forget to mention the
homemade meatball sliders? And crudo,
and gelato, and an assortment of
rainbow-colored and flavored
marshmallows, and green papaya salad,
and free-range chicken poppers.
More than 6,000 LGBT people visit the
Center weekly, with more than 300 groups
meeting at the beloved Village
institution. The Center is home to a
rainbow coalition of organizations from
the Youth Pride Chorus to Center
Families, as well as the largest LGBT
job fair in the Northeast - and the
proceeds from the Garden Party enable
the Center to remain open 365 days a
year.
If, for some silly reason (such as a
diet), you missed this year’s Garden
Party, mark your calendars now for next
year’s Monday evening kick off to NYC
Pride Week.
Because you only turn 30 once - and you
know that Garden Party 30 is going to be
a major celebration of food, community,
and Pride.
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