PDF File - The Peggy Siegal Company

TV Footage:
Live with Regis and Kelly
Bethenny Frankel
Robert Kenner, Michael Pollan, Ted Allen, Rocco di Spirito, Eric Schlosser Christine Baranski, Dorothy Hamilton
Aaron Simpson
(Co-Founder – Quintessentially)
and
Dorothy Cann Hamilton
(Founder – The French Culinary Institute)
along with our honorary co-hosts
Ted Allen Anthony Bourdain David Chang
Tom Colicchio Scott Conant Wylie Dufresne Bobby Flay
Danny Meyer Jacques Pepin Ruth Reichl Eric Ripert
Martha Stewart Alice Waters
Invite you to join
Eric Schlosser Michael Pollan Robert Kenner
Dan Barber Mario Batali Rocco Di Spirito Susan Ungaro
Peter Hoffman Sirio Maccioni Silvano Marchetto Drew
Nieporent
Laurent Tourondel Jean-George Vongerichten
at a special sneak screening of Magnolia Pictures’
FOOD INC.
a documentary film by Robert Kenner
FOOD INC. uncovers the truth about the
food we eat
Tuesday, June 9th, 2009
7:00pm – screening and organic treats from the
student chefs at the French Culinary Institute
Angelika Film Center
18 w. Houston Street btw. Broadway and Mercer St.
rsvp@peggysiegal.com or 212-935-6700
this invitation is for two only and is non-transferable
SYNOPSIS
In Food, Inc., filmmaker Robert Kenner lifts the veil on our nation's food industry, exposing the highly
mechanized underbelly that's been hidden from the American consumer with the consent of our
government's regulatory agencies, USDA and FDA. Our nation's food supply is now controlled by a
handful of corporations that often put profit ahead of consumer health, the livelihood of the American
farmer, the safety of workers and our own environment. We have bigger-breasted chickens, the perfect
pork chop, insecticide-resistant soybean seeds, even tomatoes that won't go bad, but we also have new
strains of e coli--the harmful bacteria that causes illness for an estimated 73,000 Americans annually. We
are riddled with widespread obesity, particularly among children, and an epidemic level of diabetes among
adults.
Former 'Queer Eye' star Ted Allen and other gourmets learn to like
fast food
If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.
That's what foodies like Ted Allen and
Rocco DiSpirito do while traveling,
anyway. They've learned to live with and even like - fast-food chains.
"In a pinch, I have had the pretzelcovered hot dogs," said DiSpirito after
the screening of "Food Inc.," a
documentary about the food industry's
Ted Allen and Rocco DiSpirito
imperfections, at Quintessentially. "In my weakest moments, I've even had Cinnabons.
You can't critique junk food like that, though, because how do you judge perfection?" he
laughed.
Reality star (and chef) Bethenny Frankel told us, "I don't eat McDonald's, but if I were
pregnant, I'd probably crave a cheeseburger from there. I also wouldn't eat a Slim Jim,
but I'd get beef jerky from a mini-mart."
Yum ... we guess.
Food guru Allen also tries to ditch mystery-meat burgers. "They're just not a great recipe
for good food," he said. "It's garbage in, garbage out.
"The crazy thing," he joked, "is that, with fast food, you can feed a family of four for
cheaper than one bag of carrots."
What about finding a solution to in-flight food? According to Frankel and Allen, Virgin
America has already found one.
"They have thoughtful food," the "Real Housewives of NYC" star gushed. "It's on-point
and better than some NYC restaurants."
But DiSpirito had a different opinion. Said the chef: "Airline food will be fixed when the
airline industry is!"
Kirsten Dunst and Michael Pollan Attend Party for 'Food Inc.'
Film
Holding a dinner for VIP guests after a movie
screening is standard these days. Yet some
questioned the choice to do so after a viewing
of the new documentary "Food Inc." on
Tuesday night. After all, the film does
investigate how big factory farms raise and
slaughter livestock and poultry — and it ain't
pretty. "If I see chicken come up on the menu,
I'm going to run screaming out of this place,"
said Regis Philbin as he arrived at L'Ecole, the
restaurant of the French Culinary Institute.
The party, hosted by Quintessentially, was
filled with the converted: chefs including Blue
Hill's Dan Barber, Laurent Tourondel and
Drew Nieporent; writers Michael Pollan and
Eric Schlosser, and director Robert Kenner.
Even the fashion crowd is on board this new
food revolution. Daisy Lowe shops the Union
Square greenmarket when she cooks for her
boyfriend and David Lauren has started
growing strawberries, potatoes and arugula at his home in Westchester. "If you didn't [see
this film] because you were interested in learning, you come out feeling like you're on a
mission now to eat differently," Lauren said.
"My kids planted a garden with their grandmother for Mother's Day," said Jeffrey
Wright, who was there as a fan of the chefs and hoping to get some pointers for the
kitchen. "It's a very hopeful film because a lot of this stuff is policy driven and consumer
driven. I think we all have a sense of empowerment that we can do something about our
own health."
Kirsten Dunst has stopped eating meat at fast food restaurants, but it seems that some
habits die hard. "I'm a Del Taco girl," she said. "I like a bean and cheese burrito."
Top Three Parties: Swiss Miss, Food for Thought, Good
Friends
June 10, 2009
1. Karl Lagerfeld. 2. Jacob Soboroff and Kirsten Dunst. 3. D.J.'s Jus Ske and Sinatra.
From PatrickMcMullan.com.
VF Daily’s picks for the top three parties around the globe last night.
Swiss Miss
What: The opening day of Art Basel.
Where: Basel, Switzerland.
Who: Brad Pitt, art dealer Larry Gagosian, Karl Lagerfeld, Lagerfeld model Baptiste
Giabiconi, Naomi Campbell, Gloria von Thurn und Taxis, and major collectors such
as Eli Broad and Christine Schwarzman.
Why: Because the art-obsessed hit the Venice Biennale, which opened last weekend,
then moved on to Art Basel, another one of the world's most important art events.
Talking Point: Food and fashion being considered art: a lavish dinner party was held at
Les Trois Rois in honor of Lagerfeld.
Food for Thought
What: A Quintessentially-sponsored screening of Magnolia Pictures' Food, Inc., a movie
about where our food comes from, followed by a private dinner.
Where: Angelika Film Center and L'Ecole, New York City.
Who: Food Inc. documentarians Michael Pollan (who wrote The Omnivore's Dilemma)
and Eric Schlosser (of Fast Food Nation fame), Regis Philbin, writer Nora Ephron,
Kirsten Dunst and filmmaker Jacob Soboroff, Cindy Adams, writer Ken Auletta,
David Lauren and girlfriend Lauren Bush, restaurateur Silvano Marchetto, chef Rocco
DiSpirito, model Daisy Lowe, actor Jeffrey Wright with wife Carmen Ejogo (who
recently appeared in Away We Go), filmmaker Albert Maysles, and restaurateur Drew
Nieporent.
Why: Because this very well might be the year's biggest horror film.
Talking Point: The variety of food documentaries on the table right now, including
Fresh and End of the Line, the film that has caused more than 30 boldfacers, including
Elle Macpherson, Sienna Miller, and Sting, to petition Nobu to stop selling bluefin
tuna.
Good Friends
What: Louis Vuitton's Friends of the House summer cocktail party.
Where: The Louis Vuitton SoHo store, New York City.
Who: Media-ites (Cindi Leive, Robbie Myers, Stefano Tonchi, Jason Binn), Prince
Dimitri of Yugoslavia, D.J.'s Jus Ske and Sinatra, nightcrawler Derek Blasberg,
socialite Jenn Brill, social fixtures Helen Lee Schifter and Jennifer Creel, fashion
designer Kai Kuhne, and fashion-lifestyle guru Marc Ecko, among many others.
Why: Because a friend of Louis Vuitton is a friend of ours.
Talking Point: Space—and we aren't talking about the thing you want more of in your
teeny, tiny New York City closet. Louis Vuitton recently unveiled an advertising
campaign that celebrates the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11's moon landing. The
campaign was shot by Vanity Fair contributing photographer Annie Leibovitz and
features Buzz Aldrin, Sally Ride, and Jim Lovell.
Dan Barber Respects Holy Trinity of Bruni, Waters,
and Obama
Two weeks ago, Dan Barber cooked for the
Obamas on their dinner date at Blue Hill, and
it kind of changed his life. "My father takes
my calls now. My girlfriend seems a tiny bit
more psyched about me," he joked at a
L'Ecole dinner following a Quintessentiallysponsored screening of the documentary
Food Inc. But as for what happened that
fateful night, he can't really talk about it.
"Honestly, I'm not allowed to," he told us.
Barber said he had no warning they were
coming. "They just walked in. They had a
reservation under another name." But he's
sworn to secrecy about what they ate. "It was
just a private dinner to them, even though it
was very public, and strangely, they want to
keep some of it private. So my thing is no
comment. I'm sorry." He's also staying mum
about Frank Bruni's assertion that Blue Hill
was an overly PC, predictable place for the
Obamas to dine. "My response is no
comment, because it's Bruni. The only no comments I have are Bruni and the Obamas."
Actually, we soon found out that Barber has three sacred cows: Bruni, the Obamas, and
Alice Waters. We asked him what he thought of Waters saying she thought hot dogs
should be made of beef from grass-fed cattle. "I never heard her say that," he replied.
"Can I do a 'no comment' on that, too?"
Luckily, Barber does comment on theoretical situations. He'd be into that mythical grassfed-beef hot dog. "I think it would be the most delicious, juiciest hot dog imaginable. The
dirty seventies street hot dog that I grew up on doesn't make my mouth water anymore."
And he would plant tomatoes in the Obamas' vegetable garden and take them to eat at
Franny's in Brooklyn. "Well, I'd like to take them to Brooklyn, get them away from it all.
Also, I think Franny's serves fantastic food, and it's in this family style that I think the
Obamas would both appreciate and really adore. I eat anything on their menu. Except for
the pizzas. I think I've been in there and had pizza once. I just love all the other dishes.
It's my favorite restaurant."
Arugula Is a Hot-button Political Issue
When we caught up with author Michael Pollan at the screening of Magnolia Pictures’
Food, Inc. at the Angelika Film Center last night, we wondered if he agreed with the
Obamas' food choices for their new vegetable garden. "They do have arugula," he told us.
"I thought that was a bold decision, considering Obama mentioned arugula in Iowa and
he got a lot of shit from the media, who seem to consider arugula elitist, despite the fact
that you can get it in any Olive Garden." View our Party Lines slideshow for foodie
insights.
Quintessentially Hosts a Screening of Magnolia
Pictures’ 'Food, Inc.'
Angelika Film Center and L’Ecole. June 9. By Jada Yuan and Vanessa Juarez
Can you cook? “My specialty is peanut-butter-and-pickle sandwiches on white bread.
They’re actually really good.” —Kirsten Dunst
AWAIT ROYAL WEDDING
June 12, 2009
Cindy Adams
IN case you woke up this morning and asked yourselves, "Selves, is Prince William
going to really finally eventu ally marry this Kate Middleton pip he's been dating?" At
least that's what I wondered when I woke up, and here's what one court-watcher replied:
"He has to. Been seeing her too long not to. It would be another embarrassment for the
Palace. The Queen's accepted her at events, which means she's got the royal approval.
Understand, he's not all that easy and affable as he comes off. He's a bit of an arrogant
young man who expects people to bow and scrape."
And Middleton herself? "Not smart. Hasn't picked up a book in her life. But very
calculating. Her mother's been planning this her whole life. And she knew how to play
hard to get.
"The wedding will probably be next year after he finishes military service. Face it,
London is very depressed. The Crown could use a royal wedding at this point."
CHACE Crawford of "Gossip Girl" taking singing and dancing lessons to make the
jump or the tour jeté from small screen onto the big one for the "Footlose" remake . . .
Dolly Parton's advice to Jessica Simpson: "I know what it is to be dropped from your
label. Start your own like I did." . . . Robert Downey Jr. has forever itched to make the
Hugh Hefner bio. Hef finally said yes . . . Salma Hayek, 42, wants to support older
mommies. She says 10 years ago she'd have been too wrapped up in her career to be the
wonderful mother she is today. She's onto writing a book on the subject . . . Jimmy Choo
lady Tamara Mellon and the temporary love of her life Christian Slater are now over.
O-ver.
WEDNESDAY night Woody Allen screened his new movie "Whatever Works" with
Larry David, Evan Rachel Wood, Patricia Clarkson. Afterward he partied at River
Café. In another room at the very same time, same joint, was Stuart Slotnick's 40th
birthday party. Woody Allen won a lawsuit just a few minutes ago against American
Apparel. American Apparel's lawyer? Stuart Slotnick. To make things cozier, one of
Slotnick's birthday gifts was a Woody Allen DVD compilation. He did not request an
autograph.
WHAT we eat eats away at folks who feed off making documentaries, so today "Food,
Inc," a look at the meats, chickens and veggies we ingest, gets served up at local theaters.
It touches news stories about tainted spinach, teenage diabetes, E. coli epidemics and our
newest problem, obesity. If you're into health, if you care about animals, even if you don't
inhale those fast food slambamcramjamspamburgers, swallowing this leaves a bad taste
in your mouth.
Said the French Culinary Institute's Dorothy Hamilton: "Formerly nobody cared who
cooked in any restaurant. Today's stars of the industry are chefs. Tomorrow it'll be the
farmer. The grower. The fishery. And, 'Where did my food come from? Who actually
caught the halibut? What is the source of what I'm eating?' Wolfgang Puck and Whole
Foods now only buy meats from farms that treat animals humanely."
Said award-winning chef Laurent Tourondel, who owns BLT Steak, BLT Fish, BLT
Market, probably even something called BLT Snack: "We get our food from the right
sources."
Said Le Cirque's Sirio Maccioni, who's as famous as his restaurant: "Don't eat at home.
Come to Le Cirque. You won't have these problems."
Sighed restaurateur Drew Nieporent, who owns Tribeca Grill, Nobu, Corton and a dozen
other places: "I'm going back to one of my joints and have a hamburger."
TYRA Banks has a runway coach. Born in The Bronx, he now lives in Paris. Naturally,
right? His name is "Miss J." I mean, naturally. He's a judge on "America's Next Top
Model" and has now written a book. Well, naturally. "Follow the Model" is out
November . . . Question: Are people shopping again? Tony-winning actress Debra
Monk, last on B'way in "Curtains": "I'm paying for my house and shopping in the back of
my closet. Whatever I'm wearing now I've had." Tony-winning producer Daryl Roth,
married to Vornado's Steve Roth: "Who's spending money now? Whoever has it would
rather give it to whoever needs it. What I'm wearing now is an old Jean Muir." . . . Tyson
Beckford arrived at Via Dei Mille on his Harley.
TARA Conner ex-Miss USA? Not to worry. In '83, Miss America Vanessa Williams
got bounced and supermo del Linda Evangelista entered but didn't win Miss Teen
Niagara, and look what happened to them! Meanwhile, Debbie Reynolds, now at the
Carlyle, anybody know she was Miss Burbank in 1948 and won barefoot because her
shoes were too tight? And Michelle Pfeiffer was 1978's Miss Orange County. And at our
first Miss United States beauty pageant in 1880, the judge was Thomas A. Edison. A light
bulb must've gone off in his head.
THIS column started with food, it ends with food. There exists a deli on the Upper East
Side that advertises "Boar's Head Meat." Beneath is the sign: "Notary Public."
The French Culinary Institute and Quintessentially
Host Starlets And Chef-Activists At A Private
Screening of FOOD INC.
Manhattan’s hottest foodies and starlets turned out for last night’s special
sneak screening of FOOD INC, a documentary by filmmaker Robert
Kenner which uncovers the truths about the food we eat. Eric Schlosser,
Michael Pollan, Robert Kenner, Dan Barber, Mario Batali, Rocco Di
Spirito, Susan Ungaro, Peter Hoffman, Sirio Maccioni, Silvano
Marchetto, Drew Nieporent, Laurent Tourondel, Kirsten Dunst, and
Jean-George Vongerichten snacked on the delicacies prepared by the
prestigious student chefs from The French Culinary Institute.
The event hosts included Quintessentially President (Americas Region) Diana Berman,
Founder & CEO The French Culinary Institute Dorothy Hamilton, Ted Allen, Anthony
Bourdain, David Chang, Tom Colicchio, Scott Conant, Wylie Dufresne, Bobby Flay,
Danny Meyer, Jacques Pepin, Ruth Reichl, Eric Ripert, Martha Stewart and Alice
Waters.
Jacob Soboroff, Kirsten Dunst, Christine Barankski
Dorothy Hamilton, Kenneth Cole
James Lowther, Antony Todd
Bethany Frankel, Jeffrey Wright, Carmen Ejogo
Karen Duffy, Carmen Scott
Susan Ungaro, Ted Allen
Dan Barber, Aria Sloss, Regis Philbin, Joy Philbin
THE FASH PACK
Food Inc
June 10, 2009
Rate or Slate: Daisy Lowe Explores Food
Daisy Lowe appeared to be in a slasher mood for the Quintessentially screening of 'Food
Inc' in New York last night. My dear mother would've told me to get that hair out of my
face, but we're not asking her. We're asking you.
Do you like Daisy’s rock ‘n’ roll look?
Working rock-chic attitude as well as her enviable model figure, Daisy Lowe goes for an
all-black outfit for the New York screening of Food Inc, pairing a black leather jacket
with a fitted body-con dress, buckle detail ankle boots and a chic tote bag; she even
completes her ensemble with black nail polish.