CULTURE & COCKTAILS Series Launches 18th Season Next Week At The Ben In West Palm Beach

Dave Lawrence, President & CEO of the Cultural Council for Palm Beach County today announced the 18th annual season of one of its most popular series: CULTURE & COCKTAILS at The Ben, November 2022- March 2023

"The Cultural Council is proud to be presenting four all-live events featuring some of the most exciting personalities in the world of food, fashion, history and art-all at our beautiful venue, The Ben, in West Palm Beach," says Lawrence. "All four CULTURE & COCKTAILS will be held in the hotel's gorgeous Blue Heron Ballroom, downtown's only rooftop venue with outdoor terrace and stunning water views, overlooking the intracoastal packed with pleasure boats and yachts."

The Ben is located at 251 N. Narcissus Avenue in West Palm Beach. Free valet parking will be provided for each of the CULTURE & COCKTAILS conversations, running from 5 to 7 pm.

November 7

FOODIES

A Tasty Conversation with

+ Chef Lindsay Autry, co-partner and founder of The Regional Kitchen & Public House in West Palm Beach. She has held positions in restaurants on the East Coast and in Mexico, made headlines as a finalist on Bravo's ninth season of Top Chef, and was a three-time James Beard nominee (2018, 2019, 2020) for Best Chef: South. Autry describes her cuisine as soulful, embracing Mediterranean flavors with a blend of her Southern roots.

+ Chef Pushkar Marathe, Executive Chef at Stage Kitchen & Bar and Ela Curry Kitchen, both in Palm Beach Gardens. Born in India, his culinary roots originate in the rich tapestry of flavors from his homeland. His early culinary training was in Switzerland and has held cooking positions in restaurants in the Caribbean, the Middle East and around the United States.

+ Chef Lisabet "LB" Summa, Executive Chef at Elisabetta's Ristorante in Delray Beach and West Palm Beach. After working in restaurants in Chicago and South Florida, she became the culinary catalyst for the 18 restaurants of the Big Time Restaurant Group. Summa is one of the few women in the U.S. restaurant industry who is both a senior culinary operation executive and owner.

Moderator: Libby Volgyes, award-winning food and restaurant photographer

January 9

Palm Beach STYLE:
Today & Tomorrow

A Buzzy Conversation with

+ Bonnie Roseman, fashion stylist and designer who began her career selling art before shifting to "art to wear" collections from designers all over the world. Featured in People Magazine and on NBC's The Today Show, she went on to design collections for the Home Shopping Network before opening her own retail boutique off Worth Avenue, and now hosts the weekly Bonnie's Buzz About Town on Legend Radio 100.3 FM.

+ Steven Stolman, designer, author and "observer of all things stylish" spent many years as a "worker bee' on Seventh Avenue before launching his own collection of resort wear sold in tony towns like Southampton, Palm Beach and Beverly Hills. He later served as president of Scalamandré, the renowned textiles house, where he wrote his first book, Scalamandré: Haute Décor. More books followed including the popular Confessions of a Serial Entertainer and, most recently, Bill Cunningham Was There, co-authored John Kurdewan, the photojournalist's longtime partner at The New York Times. Stolman currently consults on matters of design, product development, and marketing for a host of designers and manufacturers.

+ Annette Tapert, author of The Power of Style and The Power of Glamour has published 12 books from a collaboration with style icon Slim Keith to books on celebrity, society, fashion, style, decorating and entertaining. Her picture and textbook The Power of Style profiled 14 icons including Coco Chanel, The Duchess of Windsor, CZ Guest, Jacqueline Onassis and Babe Paley.

Moderator: Pamela Fiori, author of In the Spirit of Palm Beach and former editor-in-chief of Town & Country

February 6

HISTORY'S MYSTERIES

20th Century Secrets & Scandals in Palm Beach County

A Revealing Conversation with

+ Sue Gillis, Curator of The Schmidt Boca Raton History Museum

is the author of eight books on local history and has received the Award of Merit from the American Association for State and Local History and the Cooper Kirk Award from the Broward County Historical Commission for her publications.

+ Jeremy W. Johnson, CAE, President & CEO of the Historical Society of Palm Beach County and the award-winning Richard and Pat Johnson Palm Beach County History Museum, which received the Cultural Council's prestigious 2020 Muse Award for Cultural Impact.

+ Charlene Farrington, Executive Director of the Spady Cultural Heritage Museum, whose mission is to expand, preserve and present the culturally diverse history of the Black communities of Palm Beach County. The daughter of Spady co-founder Vera Farrington, she oversees programming that uses local black history as a teaching tool to promote understanding, equity, and unity.

Moderator: Rick Rose, author of Palm Beach: The Essential Guide to America's Legendary Resort Town and popular Worth Avenue tour guide.

March 6

ACTING, ADVENTURES & ART

A Zesty Conversation with Regan Rohde

+ Regan Rohde is an actor, longtime art collector, and guiding force behind the popular multi-gallery exhibition series Arts & Conversations, whose mission is to demystify the art market and to expand emerging artists exposure in South Florida. After giving up her 40-year acting career (What Women Want, Under the City, Chicago Med), she became an international traveler and board member (New Moms, Lyric Opera's Women's Board, Emerge with Chicago's Museum of Modern Art).

Moderator: Joel Straus, Principal at Straus Art Group which focuses on estate art collections for sales, fine art appraisals, and assisting collectors with building and maintaining their collections.

Note: Admission to each of this season's CULTURE & COCKTAILS At The Ben is $100 per person, $150 for VIP Seating, and FREE for Supporter, Contributor, Patron and Business Arts Partner level members of the Cultural Council. RSVP to Debbie Calabria at 561.472.3330 (or visit www.palmbeachculture.com/cocktails).

The 2022-2023 season of CULTURE & COCKTAILS is generously sponsored so far by The Roe Green Foundation, Roe Green, Founder; Donald M. Ephraim Family Foundation; Milton and Tamar Maltz; PNC Bank; Jean Sharf; Scott Teich, Senior Vice President, Teich Wealth Management of Raymond James; The Gardens Mall; Bonnie Lautenberg; Palm Beach Media Group; Palm Beach Daily News; Legends Radio; and PR-BS, a Boca-based public relations firm. Additional sponsorship opportunities are still available.

All proceeds from CULTURE & COCKTAILS go to support the Cultural Council for Palm Beach County's mission to champion, engage, and grow the arts in Palm Beach County. For membership information, please contact Debbie Calabria at 561.472.3330.

Topics and speakers are subject to change depending upon the availability of scheduled participants.