Taste & Tribute New York 2010
At the beautiful penthouse apartment of Alice Kandell

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On May 5, 2010 Tibetan Aid Project held its annual benefit dinner in New York City.  The event was hosted by renowned art collector Alice Kandell, who recently donated a portion of her collection to the Smithsonian’s Arthur M. Sackler Gallery in Washington DC.  Ms. Kandell opened the doors of her lovely home to forty generous supporters, for an evening of delicious food, fine wine, an exciting live auction and a live performance by composer Jimmy Roberts.

Guests enjoyed a fabulous four course meal prepared by the talented chefs of New York based Saffron 59.  The live auction gave attendees a chance to bid on everything from a romantic getaway in Tuscany to an 18th Century ritual box once used by a Tibetan master to transport sacred objects.  Alice Kandell generously offered a last-minute item to our auction.  Guests bid on the opportunity to have lunch with her, receive a signed copy of a book detailing her expansive collection, and tour her uniquely beautiful home, with its unparalleled collection of Tibetan art.   

We are so grateful to Alice Kandell, fabulous entertainer Jimmy Roberts, Saffron 59 and all of our generous supporters who attended the event for making Taste & Tribute 2010 a huge success.  We also thank all of our dedicated volunteers, without whom, none of this would have been possible.  All of the funds raised at the event will go toward the printing, shipment and distribution of sacred texts at the World Peace Ceremony in Bodh Gaya, India.   

Thanks to Walter Arader, who attended the event, we already have a date and place chosen for next year.  It will be held at Arader Galleries on May 5, 2011. We look forward to next year’s event being equally as joyful and successful.

 

Taste & Tribute New York 2009
Le Bernardin Restaurant, New York

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On June 29, 2009, Manhattan Chef Eric Ripert hosted Taste & Tribute New York, the fourth annual benefit dinner for the Tibetan Aid Project, at his acclaimed restaurant, Le Bernardin. Guests enjoyed an amazing four course dinner with wine pairings prepared by Alfredo Ayala of Delirio, Gavin Kaysen of Café Boulud, Michael Laiskonis of Le Bernardin, Laurent Manrique of Aqua and Fifth Floor, and Eric Ripert of Le Bernardin.

Chef Ripert’s cuisine has been praised in magazines such as Gourmet, Food Arts, The Wine Spectator, W, and Elle. The New York Times gave his restaurant four stars, its highest rating, three months after it opened in 1986, and it has held this position ever since. The Michelin Guide has given Le Bernardin three stars, its top rating, since 1995.

Highlights included an intimate reception with the chefs, as well as a live auction featuring unique Tibetan art and luxury getaways and a “Fund A Library” campaign which helped support the production of at least 5,000 sacred texts in the Tibetan language.

In total, the event raised $50,000 for the ongoing text preservation project and distribution of traditional Tibetan texts to Tibetan refugees throughout Asia. These treasured texts are presented annually at the World Peace Ceremony in Bodh Gaya, India, where over ten thousand Tibetans gather each year to offer prayers for peace and the well-being of all humanity.

Founded in 1969, the Tibetan Aid Project helps Tibetans rebuild, preserve, and strengthen their cultural and spiritual heritage for the benefit of all humanity. The ongoing text preservation project has led to the distribution of nearly three million traditional Tibetan texts to Tibetan refugees throughout Asia—one of the largest free book distributions in history.