Bettina's Take: Barefoot Under the Stars Benefit
Breathtaking beaches, acres of fertile farmland, dunes, marshes, Stanford White homes: The East End of Long Island is one of the most beautiful places on earth. OK, I'm biased, but I've been deeply attached to the Hamptons since childhood.
Anything else that upsets its the fragile ecosystem also upsets me, and there are plenty of culprits: McMansions, water pollution, strip malls, amusement parks. I know that if we don't act, and act fast, the ocean will be so polluted in 50 years that we will neither be able to fish nor swim, and our beach resorts will become ghost towns.
Luckily I'm not alone: For 40 years, the Group for the East End has been fully committed to preserving and restoring the environment on both the north and south forks of Long Island. And to that end, more than 400 like-minded people came to support this wonderful organization at its annual benefit at the Wölffer Estate Vineyard, in Sagaponack, on June 25.
Guests, among them were Nicole Miller and Kim Taipale, Andre Balazs, Zack Bacon, and Stephen Drucker, mingled, bid on silent auction items, and sipped on bellinis. "I support the group because I live here and I love it. We need to protect and preserve the East End, not only for ourselves, but for generations to come," said philanthropist and event committee member Frances Schultz.
The evening was a foodie's delight: Food Network star Ina Garten, aka the Barefoot Contessa, created the scrumptious menu and hosted the evening—hence the evening's title, "Barefoot Under the Stars."
"The great advantage of having Ina Garten host is we could serve you anything, and you'd say it was great," said special guest and master of ceremonies Alec Baldwin. "We could serve you oatmeal. We could serve you a Power Bar, and you'd say it was the best Power Bar you ever ate."
Beverly Hills Kitchen entrepreneur Alex Hitz, who knows a thing or two about food, was thrilled that Garten was hosting. "The magic of Ina is her timelessness. Her food is steeped in tradition, yet updated for today. I am in awe of her," said Hitz, whose cooking philosophy is similar to Garten's.
After the live auction (and the croissant bread pudding), guests went crazy on the dance floor as the great Tom Finn DJ'd. All told, the evening raised more than $600,000. Which will be put to good use.
In the past year, the Group for the East End was instrumental in putting together a coalition to oppose—and stop—the development of a 900-acre theme park, Riverhead Resort; blown the whistle on a massive illegal dredging project in Lake Montauk; and helped the North Fork community redesign its roadways in a manner that will keep millions of gallons of polluted storm runoff from heading directly into the Peconic Bay. And these are just a few of its projects, with so much more to do.
Group For The East End, thank you for making this part of the planet a better place.
Photo: Left to right, Bob DeLuca, Nicole Miller, Ina Garten, and Alec Baldwin
