“Dreamgirls can make your dreams come true…”

This past Saturday night, I attended the Roxbury Comprehensive Community Health Center (RoxComp) Gala at the Boston Four Seasons. RoxComp is a leading provider of primary healthcare and outpatient mental and social health services in Roxbury and North Dorchester, and provides these services to individuals regardless of ability to pay. The event featured a lovely dine around dinner prepared by the Four Seasons Executive Chef Brooke Vosika (who first wowed me with his dishes at the Tour de Champagne), a silent and live auction, and an intimate live performance by Oscar / Grammy award winner Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls, Sex and the City, The Secret Life of Bees) to cap off the night.

….Wait…did you say an awesome dinner AND private concert with Jennifer Hudson FOR a great cause? No need to ask me twice because I am so there already!


When I first walked in, I immediately ran into Chef Vosika, who told me that I was in for a great meal tonight – simple hearty dishes prepared to perfection. I started at the Carving station, and sampled the beef tenderloin with mashed potatoes, topped with fried onion crisps. This was delicious – the tenderloin was extremely juicy and flavorful, and the bite sized portions made the dish rich but not stuffy.

Next up was the Italian station: spinach filled ravioli, chicken meatballs, and beef rigatoni. All three were very tasty, but the highlight was spinach ravioli – the pasta was wonderfully dense and the pink sauce served as nice flavor booster to the pasta.

Now that I was sufficiently full, I decided to see who was here in this sea of well dressed attendees. The illustrious crowd included supporters from Next Street Financial, Color Magazine, Roxbury Technologies, Mizu Salon, Children’s Hospital Boston, numerous press people (myself included!), and Governor Deval Partick.

Before the Jennifer Hudson performance, there were words spoken by Emcee Karen Holmes Ward, RoxComp CEO Anita Crawford, and RoxComp Chairman Ronald Walker II. There was also an intense live auction where bidding wars escalated as charitable event patrons dug deep in their pockets to bid on Chicago getaway packages, VIP packages at the Four Seasons, and $10,000 donations to RoxComp.

Now to the highlight of the evening…Jennifer Hudson! I always thought she was a great singer when I saw her on American Idol /Dreamgirls, but I was blown away by how amazing her voice was live. She was also very friendly and interactive with the crowd – more than once did she walk into the crowd and encourage the attendees to sing and dance along with her.

After the show, a beautiful dessert buffet was laid out. The cupcakes were not only beautiful to look at, but also extremely yummy to eat.

I sampled my desserts on the fly because right after the performance was the press “meet and greet” with Ms. Hudson. Although it would have been the icing on the cake on an already exhilarating night to take a picture with her, I thought it was probably most prudent not to fight the Governor of Massachusetts and his wife (whose station in life far surpasses mine) for that opportunity.

All and all, AJ (event manager) and her team at Creative Events made this an unforgettable night filled with great music, food, and charity.

For more pictures, please click here: Party Pics