Memories From A Star Filled Evening!

It Happened on Saturday...June 25, 2005

   

I love it when a plan comes together, don't you? On party day, the weather was amazingly cooperative. I was sweating bullets for a little while because there had only been one dry day during the entire month of June...prior to the 25th.

But, I hope you had as much fun as I did and I want to thank you for making this product launch party one to remember. The fact that it coincided with my birthday made it even more special. I created this web page to share some fond memories from the event. As you'll see, there were many shining moments, but they all started with you. So, come on in and enjoy it all again!


If you'd like to see how it all went down in pictures, just click on this link to watch a great slideshow!

And if you want a full set of the photos for your own personal records, RIGHT-CLICK your mouse on the following link and select "Save Target As"...

Download Party Pics

Now, the party did have some unique and fun twists. I planned it that way because I'm a big fan of piling on interesting layers throughtout an evening. One of the early layers was the "Michael Martini"...a light and refreshing concoction to jumpstart your palette when you arrived...


Some people asked for the recipe, so here you go:

Michael Martini

  • 2 oz. lemon vodka
  • 2 oz. grapefruit juice
  • 2 oz. cranberry juice
  • 1 oz. cointreau

Fill the shaker with ice. Mix in the ingredients. Shake,shake,shake! Serve in a martini glass with sugared orange zest. Wipe the rim of the glass with a lemon wedge and dust with sugar. Cheers!

No sooner than a glass was in hand, it was matched by some amazing food prepared by Lenore Nolan-Ryan (caterer extraordinare)...


Lenore is fartherest from the camera and her assistant, Renee, is closest. Check out this all-star line-up of mouth watering delicacies that was served throughout the evening:

Menu

  • Fresh Fig, Star Fruit and Goat Cheese Canapes
  • Rack of Lamb Provencal
  • Medjhol Dates, and Almonds Wrapped in Bacon
  • Warm...cooked to order...Shellfish and Seafood Pasta
  • Crab Cakes with Mango and Mustard Sauce
  • Duck ala Orange in Phyllo Purses
  • Lobster Bisque with Sherry Float Demi
  • Filet of Beef and Boursin Crostini with Roasted Pepper and Dijon
  • Chocolate Truffles

My personal favorite (and that of some others) was the lamb. It literally melted in my mouth. If you'd like Lenore to help you with an event, you can reach her at 954-202-0047 or 954-491-2340. She's the best!

Once everyone had polished off a martini, it was time to pull out the big guns. Yep, I'm talking about some off the scale wines. Tell any wine enthusiast or sommolier about what you experienced and watch them turn green with envy. We started in California with these heavy hitters...


No need to strain your eyes. The corks we popped included:

  • 1996 Dominus (meritage)
  • 1992 Caymus (cabarnet)
  • 1992 &1996 Silver Oak (cabarnet)
  • 2002 Plumpjack (cabarnet)
  • 2002 Cliff Lede (cabarnet)
  • 2004 Eroica (reisling)

But we didn't limit our palettes to California. We ventured over to Europe as well...

Here's what we experienced:

  • 1994 & 1995 Chateau Pichon (Bordeaux)
  • 1995 Chateau Calon Segur (Bordeaux)
  • 1993 Chateau Sociando-Mallet (Bordeaux)
  • 1993 Hospices de Beaune (Burgundy)
  • 2000 Aloxe-Corton Les Chaillots (Burgundy)
  • Laurent-Perrier - Rose' (Champagne)
  • 1992 BellaVista - Sparkling Wine (Italy)

Under normal circumstances, everything that we enjoyed so far would have made for an awesome party. But I hadn't hosted a gathering in a few years, so I wanted to kick it up a notch. And one of the best ways to do that is to throw in some bling and things. So, early in the evening you got the star treatment. All the ladies were given Tiffany-styled starfish necklaces...

And the guys received silver (star) bracelets...

And to top off the evening, there were three prize drawings for unique experiences. The first drawing was held at 10:00 p.m. Three people won a custom embroidered "Live Every Moment!" chef's apron and a certificate to attend a gourmet cooking class at Lenore Nolan-Ryan's cooking school.

The 3 winners were:

  • Ina Felman
  • Opal Gayle
  • Bob Lynch

The next drawing at 11:00 p.m. was for the opportunity to create your own custom fragrance (available at Saks 5th Ave in Bal Harbor)...

The 3 winners were:

  • Todd Robbins
  • Christine Hays
  • Kit Robbins

The final drawing, held at midnight, was for my upcoming product called The Niche Mastery System. It's comprised of 16 CD-roms, a printed course manual, and a quick start guide. The system reveals everything you need to know to create a profitable niche business on the Internet....

The 3 winners were:

  • Ed Williams
  • Tim Harder
  • Conrad Sage

I think I got the names of the winners right. Things started to get a little fuzzy after the 5th or 6th glass of wine. If I messed up, just shoot me an email by clicking here.

Well, that's all for now. If you haven't checked out the slideshow, scroll back up top and do that. And please keep in touch because I'm sure there will be another fun party in the not too distant future. I already have a few ideas in mind ;-).

Wishing you all the best,

Michael