Only the best would do for Hottinger and Partners S.A. and we pulled out all the stops.

What a GREAT weekend! We had a lot to do — 3 events in 3 days — for a fabulous group of ladies and gentlemen accustomed to the finest. A big thank you to Fabien Gaglio for his trust in Eve Italia to organize Hottinger and Partners S.A.’s visit to Venice.

Here’s the agenda for a corporate event to remember.

Day 1

Private tour and Gala Dinner at Palazzo Grassi.  “The World Belongs to You,” curated by Caroline Bourgeois at Francois Pinault’s Palazzo Grassi, was taken in the most literal sense as we privatized the museum, toured the exhibition, dined under the outrageously fabulous “Contamination” by artist Joana Vasconcelos and swayed to the easy jazz sounds of Ty Le Blanc.

While the group toured these beautiful exhibitions, we set a formal dinner for 24 in an hour and fifteen minutes…record time! Watch us in action.

The most elegant dinner table in Venice

Day 2

Quick working lunch was a necessary break out from the Round Table sessions and where else would you take your top clients?? The Grancaffè Quadri clearly!

ABCQuadri was on point to deliver their fabulous chichetti in record time to a group of 28 guests. Perfection (and I heard lots of “yummy noises” coming from the group).

Closing off with a BANG! Our last event was an elegant cocktail and dinner party by candlelight (over 350 candles btw) in Palazzo Pisani Moretta.

Considering it was one of the coldest days on record in Venice, we struggled to keep the guests warm, but we didn’t get any complaints as the fabulous dinner tee’d up by our trusted caterer was served at the most elegant table in Venice!

A glowing success for Hottinger and Partners S.A.

This fun-loving group was then welcomed downstairs to a surprise Disco party where we danced the night away with Glen White and Jeiko at the console.

What comes after a grand dinner party? A grand disco of course!

Onto the next project… G Spot on 17 February. Bollywood Dress Code for a Carnival Party you don’t want to miss. With the anxiously awaited SATURNINO SENSATIONAL DJ Set!

Ciao 4 now 

What a debut! Top talent DJ set. Exotic dancers. Amazing food. Up with friends til dawn. And we’re gonna do it again!

Eve Italia debuted its latest club concept, Evenings, with the premiere event, G Spot, at Palazzina Grassi on January 27.

The buzz in Venice the next day told the story of the night. I heard lots of enthusiastic customers and a few “Why didn’t I know about this?!” If you weren’t there, you missed the phenomenal Motel Connection DJ Set, they created a night to remember.  Epic when they played Two. It was awesome.

The dancers blew everyone’s mind, as you can see from the pics below. They put us in the mood to party, ready for another signature G Spot cocktail.

Here is a photo review of the night.

Ready for Carnevale? See you at the next G Spot, February 17.

Enter into an evening of tantric delights

Setting the scene for the evening at Palazzina G

Entertainment by dance troupe, Amazing

Yes, they are amazing!

An evening of sensual entertainment

DJ Set with Flavia, setting the mood

DJ Set with Motel Connections

And the night unfolds...

...and opens up!

Good times with friends with attitude

New acquaintances...

The sassy and classy are out for the evening

Pour me another cocktail...and I'll see you on Feb 17!

Carnevale, Fat Friday, Fat Saturday, Mardi Gras – excellent reasons for a big phat party Venetian style.

Mask your fun and let loose at Carnevale and G Spot

Grab your best mask and head to Saint Marco’s square! From February 4-21, Carnevale is in full swing.

The Gran Ballo della Cavalchina is considered the most spectacular of the many masked balls and carnival-related events that occur during Carnevale. Held annually, at the world-renowned Teatro La Fenice, for one night the elegant grand ballroom is transformed into a masquerade ball. The evenings program boasts staged performances by period costumed clowns, acrobats and live musicians.

Eve Italia will be celebrating in signature style at the upcoming G Spot Lounge and Dance Club. This exclusive, invitation-only event is sure to rival the Fat Days celebrations.

Invitation-only, pop-up lounges throughout Venice create a surreal experience for a night to remember for local and visiting Venetians.

Eve Italia is at it again. I believe we have topped our own creativity, seen most recently at the Art Biennale galas.

Outdoing Courtney Love crooning to an 18-piece orchestra or making bright red and yellow gondolas possible on the Grand Canal is tough to beat. I think we did though with our new private club concept, Evenings.

We are bringing highly exclusive, emotional happenings to Venice, starting January 27, 2012 (just in time for Carnevale!).

Evenings clubs allow clientele to slip into exotic atmospheres and temporarily escape to another place and time. Custom cuisine by local chefs, signature cocktails and seductive entertainment invite relaxation and enjoyment from dusk to dawn.

While I’m mentioning it now, access to these clubs is solely for those in the know. Through our connections with partners at high-end luxury establishments throughout the city, Evenings nightclubs will take place outside the limelight so I can’t share where our first venue will be.

If you find yourself at an Evenings club soon, you’ll experience a night to remember.

The beautiful side of recycling.

Nick Gentry's Recycled Art...beautiful!

My favorite part of creating an amazing ecotour,  cultural event or private  party is that they fit just about any occasion. I’m always learning something new, while connecting people with ideas to make their event memorable.

When I saw this article a while back on TrendLand about Nick Gentry’s art made from recycled, salvaged media disks so many thoughts fired off at once.

I saw lots of excessive hardware first hand in my early career in IT. Combine that with the daily reality of living with the sea at my front door in a city renowned for it’s art, and I was feeling eco-friendly all over.What a wonderful, beautiful reminder to recycle.

Art is always a great reason to celebrate and reminds us of the delicate beauty of the world we live in. For me this is especially true of Venice.

Hope to see Nick Gentry in Venice one day for a cultural event or the next Art Biennale! Hope to see you in Venice for an elegant ecotour.

Contact Eve Italia to coordinate a cultural event or ecotour to remember.

Plan now for an excellent holiday event

Whether for a business or personal party, now’s the time to scoop up the best venues and restaurants

Every year it creeps up on us. That darn calendar just keeps flying by and all of a sudden it’s fall and time to think about Christmas and  New Year’s Eve.

Private dinner for a small group? No problem. Big gala for the new year? We got it covered. We specialize in private parties of all sizes and we have the best connections in Venice for caterers, entertainment and hotels. You name it.

Get together with family, friends and business colleague to celebrate the new year and raise a glass to the past year’s events/people/memories to be thankful for. Even when the economy is down, we all need a little break, and time to reflect and celebrate what is good in our lives.

Contact Eve Italia to make your event festive and fun!

Build a team while making dinner.

I love to eat, drink and sample all of the wonderful culinary delights of Venice.  Hey, it’s just part of the job so I can bring you the best food and wine in Venice!

Break bread, build a team

Mix it up

What I really love though is cooking with other people.

You know how the conversation flows freely about one topic (like work) when you are working on an unrelated task (like, cooking)?

For your next team-building event, what about cooking lessons? There are many classes in and around Venice. It’s a wonderful experience to work side by side as a group and then enjoy the fruits of your labor for dinner … with a bottle of local wine.

The International Kitchen at the Gritti Palace or The Cooking Contessa (Enrica Rocca) are both exceptional solutions for large or small groups.

Try it yourself

To inspire you, here’s a favorite recipe  I’ve recently mastered — Risotto d’ Amarone.

• 320g Rice Vialonenano
• Half a bottle of Amarone, slightly warmed
• 1 Liter of beef broth, brought to a boil and kept warm
• 100 grams of finely chopped onion
• 40 grams of butter (20 grams to sautee the onion, the remaining bit added at the very end)
• 60 grams of parmesan cheese, finely grated

Saute the onion in 20 grams of butter. Add the rice, stir and brown for a few minutes. Add the wine and broth and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down and simmer to thicken, stirring often. Add the rest of the butter and cheese when done.

Try it you’ll like it!

Contact Eve Italia to coordinate a memorable (and productive) team-building or corporate event.

Fashion trends come and go, but old-fashion letterpress beauty is timeless.

Eve Italia now has an exclusive partnership with a U.S.-based wedding invitation designer and letterpress printer. You can have your theme, colors and personal interests become the concept for your one-of-a-kind invitation and wedding materials.

Here are two recent examples of standout wedding invites — custom designed and letterpress printed.

Passport to the rest of your life

This couple was married on a yacht during a harbor cruise. The passport-style invitation set the tone for an elegant step back in time for a vintage ceremony and reception.

Stylish text and layout impressed the guests before the wedding

Pre-party invite luggage tag ties into the travel concept

Vines and wines

This couple’s ceremony and reception took place at a winery. The subtle vine images and wine concept delighted the guests when they saw ceremony programs, table tents and other wedding print materials in the same motif and the invitation!

Cover and envelope of winery-themed invitation booklet

Wedding invitation detail

Menu

Ceremony program

Contact Eve Italia to plan an elegant wedding with an edge. They have loads of unique ideas for the non-traditional bride and groom getting married in Venice, Italy.

Cheers to your wedding planning!

Whether you find porcini in the wild or your local supermarket, you’re sure to love this seasonal Italian favorite.

Looks funny. Tastes great.

Mushroom risotto is wonderful, especially in the fall when the mushrooms are freshly dried.

If you don’t have time to cook risotto, grill them! Lightly brush clean porcini caps with olive oil on your BBQ grill with a pinch of salt. Fabulous!

To serve 4:

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

• A one-ounce packet dried porcini (25 g, about a packed half cup)
• 1/2 of a small onion, finely sliced
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter, or: 3 tablespoons olive oil + 1/4 cup butter
• 1 1/2 cups (300 g) short-grained rice, for example Arborio or Vialone Nano
• 1/3 cup dry white wine, warmed in a pan on the stove
• 1 cup (50 g) frehsly grated Parmigiano
• The water the mushrooms were soaked in, strained, and a quart of simmering water, beef broth, or watery bouillon
• A bunch of parsley, minced
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

Steep the porcini in a cup of boiling water for fifteen minutes.

Meanwhile, slice the onion finely and sauté it in either three tablespoons of oil or 1/4 cup of butter. When it’s lightly browned remove it to a plate with a slotted spoon and stir the rice into the drippings in the pot. Sauté the rice for several minutes, until it becomes translucent, stirring constantly lest it stick and burn.

Return the onions to the pot, stir in the wine, and continue stirring until it has evaporated completely. Then stir in a first ladle of liquid (if you’re using plain water, add about 3/4 teaspoon of kosher salt at this time), and while it’s absorbing, chop the mushrooms and strain the liquid they soaked in, which can contain sand. Add the mushrooms and their liquid to the rice, then continue adding water or broth a ladle at a time, stirring occasionally. About five minutes before the rice is done, check seasoning. As soon as the rice is al dente, turn off the heat, stir in the remaining butter, half the cheese, the cream if you’re using it, a little bit of ground pepper, the parsley, and cover the risotto for two minutes. Serve with the remaining grated cheese.

The wine? A light red, along the lines of a Sangiovese di Romagna or a Valcalepio Rosso would be nice.

Buon Appetito!

Contact Eve Italia for fine Italian wines and meal ideas for your corporate event, cultural event or private party.