Garden Party 28 Kicks Off Pride Week for the Center; Raises Nearly $200,000 for Vital Programs and Services

Glennda Testone — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 22:13:06 +0000

Thank you to all those who attended Garden Party 28, the only LGBT food tasting event in the country. This year’s event featured more than 30 restaurants, acclaimed syndicated national talk show host Wendy Williams and honorary chair Florent Morellet.

Thanks to our supporters, we raised nearly $200,000 for the Center’s life-changing and life-saving programs and services that benefit lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender New Yorkers 365 days a year; we sold more tickets this year than any other year in the event’s history!

Board President, Mario Palumbo, New York City Council Speaker, Christine C. Quinn and Executive Director, Glennda Testone. Photo: (C) Martha Gorfein

Garden Party started in 1984 as a backyard barbeque. This year, more than 2,000 friends and supporters flocked to Hudson River Park’s Pier 54 to celebrate our kick-off to Pride Week. Guests savored dining “al fresco” on the pier and watching the sun set over the Hudson River, while enjoying an open vodka bar and bidding on delicious dining packages at the fabulous “Foodies” Silent Auction, a popular activity at this culinary event.

The Center was also proud to welcome back longtime supporter Prudential as our Presenting Sponsor, and thanks Capital One and Diageo for their generous corporate sponsorship. The Center was also grateful for the support of our corporate partners Edible Manhattan, Seamless Web and Zagat.

Garden Party Night Shot. Photo: (C) Martha Gorfein

As the only LGBT food tasting festival in the country, Garden Party 28 was a delicious beginning to Manhattan Pride Week in NYC!

Center Blog » Wendy Williams

Garden Party 28 Kicks Off Pride Week for the Center; Raises Nearly $200,000 for Vital Programs and Services