J. Gwendolynne Berry and Angelo Caruso

The evening was hosted by the Young Friends of the Kravis Center.

Zach Berg, Liz Quirantes and Jarrod Schilling

Other media contestants included Erin Guy, WPBF 25 News; Eric Roby, CBS 12; Tim Byrd “The Byrdman,” of PalmBeachLiveWorkPlay.com; and T.A. Walker of “The Mo & Sally Morning Show” on KOOL 105.5.

The celebrities paired up with some of south Florida’s top professional dancers, including Angelo Caruso, Sandra Caruso and Livia Maciel from Caruso Dancesport, Palm Beach; Alex Foraponov from Dance With Us Studios; and Diana Heilig, Michael Housel and Armando Vega-Perez from Dance Tonight.

U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel, former mayor of West Palm Beach, made a surprise appearance on the dance floor. As mayor, she participated in previous “Reach for the Stars” competitions and won in 2009.

Sydelle Meyer and Leona Chanin

Liz Quirantes of CBS 12 served as Mistress of Ceremonies.

Following the dance competition, guests at the April 20, 2013, program enjoyed a tasting of gourmet food and wine from local restaurants and vendors, including Angle at the Ritz-Carlton, Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza, Cabo Flats, Café Centro, Café Chardonnay, Cha Cha’s , Echo, Havana Restaurant, Leila Restaurant, Pampas Grille, PB Catch Seafood and Raw Bar, Seasons 52 and Temple Orange at the Ritz-Carlton.

Alex Foraponov, Suzanne Boyd, J. Gwendolynne Berry, Angelo Caruso, Leslie Gray Streeter and Michael Housel

For more information, visit www.kravis.org/reachforthestars.

Photos by Corby Kaye’s Studio Palm Beach.

Gail Asarch, Sydelle Meyer and Denise Meyer

PALM BEACH, Fla. – The 2013 “Portrait of a Woman” luncheon raised more than $15,000 for Quantum House and honored philanthropist Sydelle Meyer and three other women.

Benefit founder Renee D. Plevy, a professional portrait artist who painted and donated each portrait, said Meyer’s name is synonymous with cultural and community philanthropy in Palm Beach County.

Irma Anapol and Joan Rubin

The sold-out program – the second “Portrait of a Woman” luncheon – was held March 21, 2013, at the Sailfish Club.

The other women honored were Ruth Young, the director of sales and marketing at the Colony Hotel since 1993; Rosemary Krieger, who was recognized for her volunteer work; and Melissa Potamkin Ganzi, the first woman polo player to capture the Monty Waterbury Cup, and a sponsor of youth polo events and charitable functions.

Click photos to enlarge.

As guests entered the Sailfish Club’s dining room, they saw a display of portraits of current and past honorees, including Dorothy Sullivan, Countess de Hoernle, Helen Babione, Sherry Frankel, Bobbi Horwich, Jacie Keeley, Lynda Levitsky and Dr. Maria M. Vallejo.

During the year, the original oil portraits are displayed at venues throughout Palm Beach County.

Singer Bernie Shanahan provided entertainment, and Tim Byrd (“The Byrdman”) served as luncheon emcee. Jack Shulman produced the video spotlighting this year’s honorees, and Moneca Kauffman, president of Kauffman de Suisse Jewelry Design, who used the Portrait of a Woman logo to create special sterling silver keychains/pendants for the event.

Luncheon sponsors included GTP Cares and Sydelle Meyer.

Honorary chairs for the 2013 Portrait of a Woman Spring Luncheon were Etonella Christlieb of Palm Beach and Monica Erickson of West Palm Beach. Honorary committee members were Edith Gelfand and Gail Worth from Palm Beach; Debbie Schwarzberg from West Palm Beach; Johanna Klausen of Royal Palm Beach, Geri Morrow from Singer Island and Joan Rubin of Boynton Beach.

The co-chair of the committee was Bobbi Shorr and committee members were Shelley Cabangon, Kim Champion, Roberta Jurney and Patricia Turner.

Plevy conceived of the idea to recognize women and to raise funds for Quantum House, a facility that lodges families of children who are being treated in Palm Beach County for a serious medical condition.

Photos by Corby Kaye’s Studio Palm Beach.

Tiffany Kenney and Todd McDermott, WPBF-TV co-anchors, will serve as emcees of the program at PGA National Resort & Spa.

Nicole Henry and Elin Nordegren

The Berlin Family Foundation has pledged to match up to $50,000 in donations raised from the evening’s “Bid from the Heart” cash call.

Place of Hope is a faith-based, state-licensed organization with campuses in Palm Beach Gardens, West Palm Beach and Boca Raton. If offers help for abused and neglected children, foster care and housing assistance, transitional housing and maternity care.

Tickets for the 2013 Hope Bash are $300 per person.

For more information, call Sarah Livoti, (561) 775-7195.

Amy Kazma, Faby Hooker, Michelle Toomey

Steve and Stephanie Miskew were honorary chairs, and Thom and Joyce DeVita were chairman of the weekend.

Robert “Bobby” Campbell was presented with the prestigious Bacchus Award for his support of the Boca Bacchanal and the museum.

Tom and Marti White

The featured vintners were: Count Patrick d’Aulan, Alta Vista Winery, Argentina; Luciano Castiello, Castello Banfi and Vigne Regali, Tuscany, Italy; Thierry Roset, Champagne Charles Heidsieck, Reims, France; Cynthia Lohr, J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines, San Jose, Calif.; René Schlatter, Merryvale Vineyards, Napa Valley, Calif.; and Christopher W. Silva, St. Francis Winery & Vineyards, Sonoma Valley, Calif.

Jay and Katie Marhefka

Elegant “Vintner Dinners,” on Saturday, March 23, 2013, were held in six private locations, and paired the talents of the chefs and vintners. The chef chair was Stephanie Miskew and chef liaison was Laurie Saunders.

Steve and Stephanie Miskew

The grand tasting co-chairmen were Brandon and Kelli McLeod, and Craig and Katherine Regna.

Boca Bacchanal 2013 partners were Republic National Distributing Company, The Boca Raton Resort & Club, Boca Raton Magazine, Cendyn, JM Lexus, Crown Wine & Spirits, Comerica Bank, Legal Sea Foods, The Buzz Agency, Champagne Tattinger, Saratoga Water, City of Boca Raton, Cultural Council of Palm Beach County and the Palm Beach County Tourist Development Council. Atlas Party Rental, Greater Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce and LivingFLA.Com served as promotional partners.

Mary Csar, Bob Campbell, Jim Ballerano

John and Heidi Niblack

PALM BEACH, Fla.– The South Florida Science Museum welcomed five former NASA astronauts and made a couple of major announcements at its annual gala.

The museum is changing its name to the South Florida Science Center and Aquarium, and it’s receiving a $900,000 grant from the Quantum Foundation, which will enable the museum to pursue additional exhibits.

Pandora and Robert Crippen

“We are a high touch, interactive center and we wanted a name to reflect that,” said museum CEO Lew Crampton.

The museum spent the past year and $5 million to expand, from 20,000 square feet to 30,000, including tripling the aquarium space. The new name will be officially unveiled June 7, 2013, when the museum opens for a free community day.

The gala, “Out of This World – An Evening Honoring America’s Space Pioneers,” featured a moderated discussion highlighting the achievements of astronauts Scott Carpenter, Robert Crippen, Charles Duke, Edgar Mitchell and David Scott.

Led by CNN space correspondent John Zarrella, and with an authentic Mercury space capsule as their backdrop, the astronauts shared tales of walking on the moon, hitting a golf ball in space, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean and other first-hand accounts of their careers.

Matt and Helene Lorentzen

The gala, April 5, 2013, also included a cocktail reception and dinner. It was chaired by Elizabeth and Benjamin Gordon. The host committee included Howard Cox, Elizabeth and Matthew Fifield, Allison and Stuart Haft, Afsy and Dr. Carter Pottash, and Karly and Heath Randolph.

Frances and Jeffrey Fisher, Helene and Matthew Lorentzen and Heidi and John Niblack served as the event’s honorary chairmen and stewardship council chairmen were Dale Hedrick and Harvey Oyer.

Click photos below to enlarge.

Grand benefactors were Kathleen and Lewis Crampton, Frances and Jeffrey Fisher, Mary Hulitar, Helene and Matthew Lorentzen, and Heidi and John Niblack. The gala’s grand corporate sponsor was PNC Wealth Management. Betteridge Jewelers and Neiman Marcus, Palm Beach were constellation sponsors.

For more information, call (561) 832-1988 or visit www.sfsm.org.

Photos by Lucien Capehart Photography.

Dubbed “The Factory,” the party, including cocktails and dinner, will be held April 26, 2013, at 7:30 p.m. at Pan’s Garden, 386 Hibiscus Ave., Palm Beach.

Co-chairs are Jason Arbuckle and Mark Arena; James Berwind and Kevin Clark; Emily and Jay Clifford; Shanna and Daniel Kahan; Patrick Killian; Dusty and Connor MacBeth; Brooke Chapman-Marshman; Elyse Maschmeyer; Robert Murphy; Julie Parker; Frances and Todd Peter; Allison Ridder; and Penny and Keith Williams.

Tickets are $200 ($250 day of party). RSVP to (561) 832-0731.

The sponsor is Tito’s Handmade Vodka.

Lexye Aversa, Anka Palitz and Carla Mann

Stephen and Petra Levin

The benefit, “Palm Beach Rhapsody,” was held at the Mar-a-Lago Club and was chaired by Melania and Donald J. Trump.

Jahja Ling, the San Diego Symphony’s music director, led the orchestra.

More than 400 people attended the concert, which was preceded by cocktails and followed by a poolside dinner.

Patrick Park and the Park Foundation underwrote the concert, held March 28, 2013. Additional sponsorship was provided by Tiffany & Co.

Click photos to enlarge.

The symphony, founded in 1974, performs in a variety of historically important venues in Palm Beach, including the Bethesda-By-The-Sea Episcopal Church, the Henry Morrison Flagler Museum, the Mar-a-Lago Club, The Society of the Four Arts, in addition to performing at the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach.

For more information, call 561-655-2657 or visit palmbeachsymphony.org.

Alexander Dreyfoos, Margie Luntz and George Michele

“Alzheimer’s is the sixth-leading cause of death in Americans age 65 or older,” said Enrique Piñeiro, president of the southeast Florida chapter’s board. “In the next 15 years, Florida will see its cases of Alzheimer’s grow to nearly 600,000.”

Guest speakers Jay Cashmere and Laura Jones

The benefit, which raised almost $50,000, was held at the Julian Cohen Pavilion at The Kravis Center.

Guest speakers were Jay Cashmere and Laura Jones. Cashmere is a Channel 5 reporter and anchor, and served as master of ceremonies for the luncheon. His grandmother suffered from Alzheimer’s, which prompted his efforts to fight the disease. Jones is a mother and advocate and also serves as a caregiver to her husband, Jay, who was diagnosed with the disease at age 50.

More than 135 guests attended the March 19, 2013, luncheon, including Palm Beach Mayor Gail Coniglio, Alex Dreyfoos, Dorothy Sullivan, Leslie Randolf, Elinor Belfer, Joyce McLendon, Olympia Devine, Lenore Zake, Shirley Cowen, Bobbi and Harry Horwich, Paula and George Michele, Ann and Baxter Webb.

Joyce McLendon and Harry Horwich

The Alzheimer’s Association is the largest non-profit funder of Alzheimer’s research, and works toward finding new treatments, preventions and, ultimately, a cure.

For more information or to make a donation, call (800) 272-3900 or visit www.alz.org/seflorida.

Jeffery Bland and Jane Mitchell

PALM BEACH, Fla. – Beard-award winner Larry Forgione was joined by his three chef-sons for the sixth annual Palm Beach Wine Auction, a sold-out program that has raised more than $1.6 million over the years for the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts’ education programs.

About 200 friends and supporters attended the event at the Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach.

Ted Mandes and Larry Forgione

“To further advance and broaden the scope of the educational experience of our youth is not just a cause, but an ongoing obligation,” said Ted Mandes, chair of the wine auction and a member of the Kravis Center’s board of directors.

The Kravis Center’s award-winning education programs have served more than 1.7 million children of all ages over the past 21 years.

In collaboration with the James Beard Foundation, four celebrity chefs were part of the auction: Forgione, who’s a James Beard Foundation award winner and was named “Chef of the Year” by the Culinary Institute of America; Marc Forgione, winner of the third season of “The Next Iron Chef” and Star Chef’s “Rising Star of the Year” in 2010; Bryan Forgione, the executive chef of Society Café at Encore Las Vegas; and Sean Forgione, apprentice to Larry Forgione at the Conservatory of American Food Studies and Farm to Table Studies at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone.

Patrick Park and Lola Astanova

The Forgiones were hosted by Mar-a-Lago’s Executive Chef Aaron Fuller and his culinary team: Executive Pastry Chef Graham Randall, Chef Xavier Santiago and Banquet Sous Chef Sarah Dingle. Representing the James Beard Foundation at the event were Yvonne Ros, director of sponsorship and special events, and Julie Marshall, director of events and marketing.

Also attending the Palm Beach Wine Auction and the Vintner’s Dinner at Tiffany’s the night before were Margareth Henriquez, president and CEO of the House of Krug, Patrick Sullivan, winemaker for Rudd Winery; Ed Snider, owner of Beau Vigne; and Alex Gambal, an expert in Burgundy and the creator of Maison Alex Gambal.

The evening began with a reception around the Mar-a-Lago pool that featured a foie gras and caviar station, followed by a five-course dinner, with each course paired with specially selected wines from around the world.

Click photos to enlarge.

The auction of 37 lots was once again under the direction of Michael Troise, the retired auction director for NY Wines/Christie’s Fine and Rare Wine Department and an expert with more than 40 years experience in tasting, buying and brokering wines from vintages dating as far back as the late eighteenth century.

The Premier Grand Cru sponsor for the annual Palm Beach Wine Auction was PNC Wealth Management. Patrick M. Park was the Grand Cru sponsor and also served as Grand Cru Ambassador.

Premier Cru sponsors were Marjorie Fink, Madeline and Roderic Fink, Chris N. Kritikos, and Laurie Silvers and Mitchell Rubenstein.

Private Reserve Sponsors for the dinner on Jan. 31, 2013, included Braman Motorcars, Inc., Stuart and Sharyn Frankel, Barbara and Jerome Golden, Steven M. Gottlieb and Laurie Raber-Gottlieb, Mark and Stacey Levy, Craig and Rochelle Menin, Menin Development, Inc., Jane M. Mitchell and Lewis M. Schott. Grand négociant was Tiffany & Co.

Photos by Corby Kaye’s Studio Palm Beach.

The orchestra will be led by the San Diego Symphony’s Music Director Jahja Ling.

Patrick Park and the Park Foundation are underwriting the event, with additional support by Tiffany & Co.

The program includes Harbison’s “Foxtrot for Orchestra;” Astanova performing Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue;” Puccini’s “E lucevan le stelle” from “Tosca;” Leoncavallo’s “Vesti la giubba” from “Pagliacci;” Sorozabal’s “No Puede Ser” from “La Tabernera del Puerto;” and Lara’s “Granada.” The orchestra will perform a Foxtrot by John Harbison and conclude with Gershwin’s “An American in Paris.”

Tickets to the gala are $500 and benefit the Palm Beach Symphony. For more information, call (561) 655-2657 or visit palmbeachsymphony.org.

The concert is chaired by Melania and Donald J. Trump.