Cupcake Camp [New York]

by: Jessica "Fast Foodie" Cickay

I often find myself acting in the name of frosting. Whether I’m committing the social crime of a Saturday night stay-in with my dear friend Betty Crocker or stalking the grocery store bakery for half price sheet cakes like a predator to her prey, my frosting radar always seems to be on high alert. My boyfriend teases me, my girl friends giggle and my co-workers find me baffling (to give them some credit, I am a lanky 5’10” competitive distance runner), but I had the last laugh a recent weekend in New York when my police dog-esque abilities to sniff out sweet treats led me to stumble upon Cupcake Camp NYC at the Happy Ending Lounge.

Artists for Humanity: Greatest Party on Earth [Boston]

“Crazy, Sexy, Cool…”

What a rocking weekend for the Finance Foodie! Between all the festivities surrounding the Boston Marathon (I was literally drowning in an ocean of blue and yellow tracksuits), I had the opportunity to celebrate Earth Day at the Greatest Party on Earth (GPE) at the Artists for Humanity Epicenter on Saturday night. My expectations for this event were higher than Method Man – any party that bills itself as the “Greatest Party on Earth” has a lot to live up to – and I am happy to say this party past the test with brightly flying colors.

Beyond Shelter Gala [Boston]

“Home is where the heart is…”

Thursday night’s Beyond Shelter Gala was certainly a celebration beyond my expectations. The event, whose proceeds benefit the Friends of Boston’s Homeless (FOBH) organization, was held in the State Room at 60 State St. When I arrived at 60 State, I was greeted by a man in a tux at the door. I look down at my business casual attire and my driving shoes and immediately feel nervous. Oh shizzle….was this supposed to be a black tie affair? Am I going to be “That Girl” – the foolish one who dressed not to impress?

Aujourd’hui @ The Four Seasons Boston

“Straight up good...”

For this installment of my Dinner with a Chef series, I chatted with William Kovel, chef de cuisine of the AAA Five-Diamond Award-winning Aujourd’hui in the Four Seasons Hotel. I had previously met Chef Kovel at the Tour de Champagne event, where he won me over with his innovative and tasty hiramasa wonton offering. Therefore, I was delighted to have dinner with this culinary talent who has already accomplished so much at such a young age.

Finance Foodie: I heard you just got back from a trip to Iceland. Welcome back! What were you doing there?

William Kovel: I was there as the Boston representative for Reykjavik’s week long Food & Fun festival. I was a guest judge for their culinary showdown, where 16 chefs from Europe and the US battle it out Iron Chef style. It was an exciting event – I even met a few people there who had been to Aujourd’hui!

RoxComp Gala f/t Jennifer Hudson [Boston]

“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!

Dinner on the Stad Amsterdam Clipper Ship [Boston]

"Rock the boat..."

Yesterday evening, I had the pleasure of having dinner on the Stad Amsterdam clipper ship, sponsored by Boston World Partnerships and Randstad. Boston World Partnerships is a non-profit, created by Mayor Menino, to raise global awareness of Boston as one of the world's foremost centers of growth, lifestyle, and innovation. Randstad, an international staffing agency, owns this sweet ship and they sail all over the world with it. It seemed only natural that these two worldly organizations would join forces to provide their internationally minded party attendees an evening filled with lighthearted mingling interspersed with thought provoking discussions.

Before I boarded the ship, I was given this awesome "boarding pass" and clock as a souvenir to commemorate the evening. What a great start to the night!

Boston Ballet Ball After Party

“Sweet dreams of rhythm and dancing through the night...”

Event #2 of the night took me across town to the Castle at Park Plaza for the Boston Ballet Ball’s After Party, hosted by the Young Partners of Boston Ballet. This not to be missed event was a star studded affair; the who’s who of Boston society all came out in full force for an evening of dancing and drinks with the Ballet company’s best dancers. While munching on the delectable dessert from MAX Ultimate catering, I had a chance to check out the lovely outfits the event attendees doned for the night. I must say it was extremely hard to pick favorites in this sea of fashionistas, but below are some of the highlights from the night.

Minds Matter Spring Soiree [Boston]

“Don’t stop believing...”

Last Saturday night, the Finance Foodie got DOUBLE booked for event attendance. Going to one mega event per night already takes the wind out of my sails (I’m getting old folks), so I was afraid that two back-to-back mega events might put me in the hospital. But since I knew both parties were going to be awesome, I (wo)manned up, loaded up on the Red Bull, and set out into the night.

First up was the Minds Matter Spring Soiree at the Artists for Humanity Epicenter. Minds Matter is a non profit that brings high-achieving local high school students from low-income families together with dedicated mentors to achieve academic excellence. When I entered the warehouse-like venue, I was greeted to a delicious spread of pita bread and hummus (prepared by the amazing JJ Gonson of Cusine En Locale), a boat of Island Creek Oysters (tended by CJ, who was just shucking oysters with Mayor Menino a few weeks ago), a beautiful silent auction, and most importantly, a sweet looking open bar. As place packed up, the band of the night, Racer X, rocked out with the hits of the 80’s. The party raged on from that point and the Minds Matter mentors and their charitable friends started busting a move on the dance floor. It was a sight to see and fun times for all, but alas, it was time for me to move on to event #2 of the night…

For pictures, please click here: Party Pics

LifeSavor 2009 Benefit [Boston]

“We were meant to live for so much more…”

Last night, I attended the LifeSavor 2009 cocktail party at the Langham Boston hotel to benefit Community Servings. Community Servings is a wonderful charity that provides free home delivered meals to the ill and their families around Eastern Massachusetts. As foodie who has (so far) lived a rather privileged life, I have to admit that I probably take for granted that I will never experience the fear not having enough food to live. Therefore, I feel it is extremely important to use the tools I have been blessed with to help the less fortunate in whatever capacity I can – even if it is just spreading the word through a blog post.

I started out the evening in the main hall, where I was greeted with a massive spread of finger foods, which was prepared by the staff at the Langham Hotel
.