LA can have its movie stars; in San Francisco, our hot celebs are the chefs that make our restaurants among the world’s most desirable destinations. You can have Robert Pattinson—we have Daniel Patterson. George Clooney? We’ll take Michael Mina. Meryl Streep? We’ve got Alice Waters, thanks. (Hey, there might be a good parlour game here …) So, when a gaggle of San Franciscans gets invited to to celebrate Gary Danko’s birthday on New Year’s Eve, you bet we brought along our notebook and our appetite.
Gary Danko at his birthday celebration
Who comes to a chef party? Foodies, friends, and lots of other chefs. Newlywed KQED chef Joanne Weir & her handsome hubby, Greg Ehrlich, McCall and Associates’ Lucas Shoemaker on a rare date with his betrothed, Gary Lopez, nephew Chris Danko, Dr. Alan Malouf, gallerists Serge & Tatiana Sorokko, Google’s Steve & Jennifer Schimmel, the Four Seasons’ Catering Director David Robinson, and a host of fans, colleagues, and Danko devotees.
A tip-top team of five slaved over a hot stove in the kitchen, turning out successive trays of gorgeous canapés, one more enticing than the next. But in the interest of quality, each item came around precisely once, requiring any Jenny-come-latelies to trail the waiter to catch up. A bountiful array of salumi, cheeses, and sweets was positioned thoughtfully in the center of the room in case anyone couldn’t wait for the parade of perfection on a plate.
The party also served as the inaugural event for 12 Gallagher Lane, a gallery exclusively featuring the works of New York–based artist Hunt Slonem. Gallerists Derek Cabaniss, John Washko and Brian Hogg converted a SOMA grammar school gymnasium into a vaulted exhibition space to great effect. With a deejay spinning atop the grand piano, and arrivals walking a sparkly red sequin carpet upon arrival, the vibe was definitely hipster-chic-meets-fabulous-eat.
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Some ladies weren’t eating a thing for the month of January, the better to slip into their gowns for the San Francisco Ballet Opening Gala. Opera has its share of Ruebenesque ravishers, but balletomanes are often as svelte as their onstage doppelgangers, with an audience of admirers who are tutu slim. The opening was a special tribute to celebrate the 25th year of Artistic Director and Principal Choreographer Helgi Tomasson, who has led the company to its premier position as one of the world’s great ballet companies. In his “spare” time, the Iceland-born Tomasson & his wife, Marlene, have been growing a vineyard, the fruits of which were poured for the several dinners—Grand Benefactor, Benefactor, Patron, and Encore!—in City Hall prior to the performance.
The results of that metaphor were not lost on the 2,500 fortunate patrons who, despite the rain, ducked into City Hall and swanned amongst the crystal and silver décor. Tomasson the vintner and Tomasson the director have employed the same skills of sourcing and planting, cultivating and pruning in both roles. His legendary patience and discipline has served the wine and the company well, producing a distinctive result that has immediacy and longevity, strength, and delicacy all at once.
The Gala was chaired by Laurie Sharp, with Carol Benz chairing the dinner. Cecelia & Jim Herbert chaired the Honorary Committee, which was populated with a sterling silver roster of supporters including Judy Swanson, Dede Wilsey, Carole Shorenstein Hays & Dr. Jeffrey Hays, Akiko Yamazaki & Jerry Yang, and Lucy Jewett. The Grand Benefactors’ dinner in City Hall Rotunda was awash in shimmering silver and crystal by Blueprint Décor, and ably executed by McCall Associates. “Our daughter Sydney [Bernier] waved to us from the ‘children’s table’ upstairs,” giggled an affectionate Ann Fisher, delighted that the Encore! Gala Dinner, chaired by Kristen Marsh, was located within sight on the first floor landing, carrying the opening-night tradition forward to the next generation. Erin Glenn, Holly Davidson and W. Leake Little, and David Spencer sponsored Encore! tables to encourage friends to get involved with the ballet, as did the hardworking committee numbering fifty strong led by co-presidents Marsh and Robin Farmanfarmaian.
Christine Sherry and Lucy Jewett
The Benefactor and Patron dinners flanked the rotunda in the North and South Light courts, each with its own variation on the silver theme. Alison & Peter Engel of JP Morgan welcomed guests, including Clorox’s Beth Springer & Paul Rosenblum, who declared ad-guy Rich Silverstein’s tux-and-black-sneakers combination to be “sartorially sensitive” for a rainy night. Wife Carla Emil went for black-and-white in corset-laced Yohji, as did Judy Singer in black Dior with dramatic pearls, Lonna Wais wearing a covetous Cartier orchid, Rosemary Brown, Paula Carano, and Barbara Brown in Oscar, and Trustee Tim Wu, who adorned his white satin tie with the text number to text for a Hatian relief donation. Many chose gowns of vibrant hue, with Kristi Yamaguchi in midnight blue, Trustee Suzy Kellems Dominik in a staggering emerald malachite-patterned Chado, Charlotte Shulz in regal purple, Patricia Ferrin Loucks in auburn, and Karen Caldwell in fairy-princess sea-foam green of her own design. Black gowns that were anything but basic were seen on Elaine Mellis, Randi Fisher, Alison Mause, Margaret Mitchell, Cathy Post, Lily Samii, Jeanne and Stephanie Lawrence, and Katie Schwab, beautifully accessorized with her new fiancé Ken Paige. A few women chose to make their statement short and sweet, including Deepa Pakianathan and Melissa Barber. And the men? Alas, George Lucas, Paul Pelosi, Will Wick, Bret Hedican, Hooman Khalili, John Little, Bob Hill, David Gockley, Richard Kovacevich, Jim DeMartini, and all of the elegantly black tie’d barons were left to be recognized by their accomplishments rather than their couturiers. As ever, galas are a gowned girls’ world.
Though it was “his” evening from start to finish, Director Tomasson exhibited his characteristic focus on others, greeting family (sons Eric and Chris & Chris’s wife, Daisy Tomasson) and old friends with enthusiasm, and deflecting compliments with his natural reserve. His one moment of visible exuberant pride was during the presentation of the Lew Christensen Medal to wife Marlene, who has served as the company’s artistic advisor since 1985. A dancer in her own right, her husband indicated that her unnamed and unspoken contributions to the San Francisco Ballet far outnumber her acknowledged ones. Board Chair Richard Barker indicated that the medal is “not awarded annually and is reserved to honor those rare individuals who have left an indelible mark on the history of the San Francisco Ballet.”
Exuberant dancing followed exuberant pride, with a program of sixteen short pieces showcasing the wide-ranging talents of the company. Most were choreographed by Tomasson, with a sprinkling of pieces from Mark Morris, Paul Taylor, Christopher Wheeldon, George Balanchine, and Jerome Robbins, the latter two whom choreographed a number of pieces for Tomasson in his earlier incarnation as a dancer. The dancers’ excitement was palpable; they were dancing for their leader, and they wanted to achieve Tomasson’s legendary perfection, too. The brief formats gave many dancers a chance to do their best, and to shine in the reflected glow of Tomasson’s Silver Anniversary. Stylistically, there was something for everyone: a tiara’d Pas de Six from Tchaikovsky’s Sleeping Beauty, Chinese flags and drums surrounding Yuan Yuan Tan in Chi-Lin’s “Flute Moon,” a swooning Gershwin duet to “The Man I Love,” and a self-conscious giggle of choreo-gaffes set to Chopin’s “Mistake Waltz.”
When it was all over, Tomasson stood on stage with his company, being showered with silver confetti and balloons from above and applause from all sides. For once, the audience and company were telling the great choreographer where to stand, front and center, in the silver 
spotlight that has shown on his work for two-and-a-half shimmering, sparkling decades.
Jennifer Raiser has tutu and tiara envy.
