Facebook COO, Sheryl Sandberg
Two of the year’s most exclusive, high-powered dinners in Silicon Valley take place this month, and there is one figure – but only one – who is central to both: Sheryl Sandberg.
Michael Mina
You may have heard about one of the events – it’s the fundraiser that Sheryl Sandberg and husband Dave Goldberg are hosting on September 25, 2011 at their Atherton home (at $35,800 per person.) As Facebook’s COO, and with connections just as powerful in Washington as in Silicon Valley, it’s hard to imagine a better host for the President when raising funds in the Bay Area. She didn’t get to be named, by Forbes, as the 5th most powerful woman in the world for nothing (behind only Indra Nooyi, of PepsiCo, and Hillary Clinton in the United States.)
But the other dinner already occurred (September 12th, 2011), was not publicized in advance, and media were not allowed. It was The Moet Hennessy & Financial Times Club Dinner, now in its second year in San Francisco. As regular readers of San Francisco Luxury Living will recall, the first annual dinner was held at Quince, and featured Carol Bartz, then the CEO of Yahoo, as the honored speaker.
Michael Mina, Sheryl Sandberg – Alexandria Albers, Dave Goldberg
This year, it was held at Michael Mina (252 California St), and was the first time in Michael Mina’s history that the restaurant was closed for a private event during a weekday. Chef Michael Mina prepared the meal himself, which was paired with Moet & Chandon’s rare estate and vintage wines, Nectar Imperial champagne, Hennessy X.O cognac, and the rare 18 year old Glenmorangie Single Malt.
John Ridding and Jim Clerkin
The by invitation-only dinner, hosted by John Ridding, the CEO of Financial Times, and Jim Clerkin, the CEO of Moet Hennessy US, occurred after the first day of TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco, the influential tech conference which draws almost every important person in the industry.
Roger Barnett, Juliet Flint De Baubigney, Sloan Barnett and Zachary Bogue
A few of last year’s guests attended again (Ron Conway, Trevor Traina, Roger and Sloan Barnett, Gavin Newsom), joined by some new faces: Zachary Bogue, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Founders Den (minus wife Marissa Mayer, who attended last year), Brian Chesky, the Co-Founder and CEO of the sizzling new site Airbnb; Richard Costolo, the CEO of Twitter; Max Levchin, the Founder and CEO of Slide Inc.; Dick Kramlich, the Co-founder of NEA; Frank Quattrone, the Founder and CEO of Qatalyst Group; Heidi Roizen, the Founder of SkinnySongs; Jon Rubinstein the Senior Vice President for Product Innovation at Hewlett-Packard, among others.
Jonathan Kaplan, of The Melt, with Jim Clerkin, and Gavin Newsom. Gavin, incidentally, recently gave an interesting interview about why he prefers Silicon Valley over the State Capital. Newsom is actually one of the tenants in Zachary Bogue’s Founder’s Den when he’s working in San Francisco.
Rob Grimshaw, Greg Zorthian – Joanna Rees, Juliet Flint de Baubigny
Zachary Bogue and Dick Costolo
Roger Barnett and Max Levchin
Just a few hours earlier in the day, Max Levchin appeared on stage with Peter Thiel at the TechCrunch Disrupt conference to speak about the forthcoming book he co-authored with Garry Kasparov and Thiel. Entitled “The Blueprint: Reviving Innovation, Rediscovering Risk, and Rescuing the Free Market,” it’s not coming out until February 2012, but is already getting a lot of buzz for boldly arguing that we are not living in an age of technological progress, as “we have become a risk-averse society, hobbled by tort laws and government regulations, short-term financial thinking, and mind-numbing complacency.”
Ron Conway and Roger Barnett
Ron Conway, Sheryl Sandberg and Frank Quattrone
Peter Kaufman with wife Christine Pelosi, and Sheryl Sandberg
Gillian Tett, Trevor Traina, Sheryl Sandberg, John Ridding
Carolyn Mehran, Alexander R. Mehran, Sr., and Jill Reber
Hilary Newsom Callan, Jill Hamer, Bob Hamer
Chris Nuttall, Richard Waters, Joe Menn and Jon Rubinstein
John Ridding, Willie Brown, Jim Clerkin and Michael Mina
The after dinner speech took the form of a candid conversation between Sheryl Sandberg and Gillian Tett, US Managing Editor of the Financial Times.
Gillian Tett and Sheryl Sandberg
Osso Steakhouse (1177 California Street at Jones), a new venture from Jerry and Jennifer Dal Bozzo in partnership with Dante Serafini, recently celebrated its grand opening.
The restaurant offers a diverse a la carte menu featuring the highest quality of 4-6 week dry-aged tender prime beef with bone-in (osso) steaks, along with specialty offerings like Hot Iron Skillet Dungeness Crab. Great pride is taken in the extensive wine list.
The Dal Bozzos and Serafini are the same group behind other San Francisco favorites like The Franciscan Crab Restaurant, The Stinking Rose, Calzone’s Pizza Cucina, and the recently revamped The Old Clam House.
Osso Steakhouse is open everyday for dinner only, from 5-10pm. Valet Parking available for $10. 1177 California Street at Jones. 415-771-6776.
We’re delighted to see that the Alex Chases Salon, run by the renowned hairstylist Alex Chases, has recently moved into a larger space at Rosewood Sand Hill’s Sense spa.
Designer Cedric Charlier recently visited San Francisco from Paris, to present his Spring 2013 collection at Barneys.
Osso Steakhouse (1177 California Street at Jones), a new venture from Jerry Dal Bozzo and Jennifer Dal Bozzo in partnership with Dante Serafini, opened on May 3, 2013, and aims to become a new favorite with San Francisco foodies and steak lovers especially.
The owners hosted an intimate gathering of friends and supporters to support the new restaurant the day before the opening.
Osso Steakhouse is open everyday for dinner only, from 5-10pm. Valet Parking available for $10.
With Sloan and Roger Barnett, Sabrina Buell and Yves Behar, Jean-Pierre Conte, and Alison and Mark Pincus, Gucci recently hosted a private cocktail party at the San Francisco store to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the loafer, and the new 1953 collection for men and women.
Catherine Kwong’s living room, inspired by Mick Jagger and Bianca Jagger, is one of the highlights of the 2013 San Francisco Decorator Showcase, taking place at 2800 Pacific Avenue.
Saks Fifth Avenue and San Francisco Ballet Auxiliary are presenting Zac Posen as this year’s guest designer at the 32nd San Francisco Ballet Auxiliary Fashion Show, benefiting San Francisco Ballet.
San Francisco Symphony fans recently gathered for a launch party at the Macy’s on Union Square in anticipation of the Symphony’s first Spring Gala, featuring R&B singer, songwriter, and fashion icon Janelle Monae performing with the Orchestra.
The 2013 Spring Gala featured Monae’s funky, soulful hip-hop and R&B style in combination with brand new orchestral arrangements of her songs, plus new material from her upcoming album. The Spring Gala raised money for the Symphony’s education programs, which reach over 75,000 children each year.
Michael S. Smith was recently honored at Hedge Gallery in San Francisco at a party hosted by Alison Pincus, Vanessa Getty and Allison Speer. His design work for a Palladian Villa in Malibu is being put up for auction at Christie’s in New York. Nicolas Berggruen, Princess Tatiana Galitzine, Dede Wilsey, and Sabrina Buell were among the guests.
Deepa Pakianathan and Phil Pemberton recently hosted a reception for the San Francisco Conservatory of Music in anticipation of its upcoming Gala on April 20, 2013, which pays tribute to legendary opera baritone and Conservatory Advisory Board member Thomas Hampson.
Conservatory mezzo-soprano Catherine Cook directs and stars in a program featuring special performances by Hampson with Conservatory students, faculty and guest artists. Teresa Medearis and Barbara Walkowski co-chair the event, with catering by McCall’s Catering and Events and decor by Blueprint Studios.
Tickets for this very special occasion can be purchased at www.sfcm.edu
UCSF Partners in Care recently held its 2013 kick-off membership event at Reed & Greenough. Membership co-Chairs Schuyler Hudak and Libby Leffler hosted the launch party and kicked off the well-attended evening with brief remarks, followed by UCSF Partners in Care President Katie Budge, who spoke about the services that the auxiliary organization provides to the hospital.
UCSF Partners in Care works with UCSF hospital staff to fund programs that provide comfort and well-being to patients and their families while visiting the UCSF medical center.
Guests enjoyed spirited greyhounds nicknamed “Doctor’s Orders,” and a “Members Only” wine special while noshing on sweet treats from Kara’s Cupakes, and savory sliders and arancini from Cedar Hill Kitchen and Smokehouse.
Please visit www.ucsfpartnersincare.org for more information about this important organization.
Renowned European designer Ms. Madeline Pauw recently made an appearance at a delightful luncheon at Saks Fifth Avenue in San Francisco, where her Spring 2013 collection was presented.
The Pauw collection is designed by Madeleine Pauw, daughter of the original founders. Pauw is known for its luxurious fabrics and soft touches of femininity while integrating just a splash of masculine undertones, but always keeping the fit and style in mind for the female physique. The company has been in business for over 50 years, and originally was created in the Netherlands where it currently has 29 stores.
You can purchase pieces from Pauw at Saks Fifth Avenue at 384 Post Street, San Francisco, or online at Saks Fifth Avenue
Neiman Marcus and Vanity Fair, with writer Amy Fine Collins, recently hosted a luncheon in celebration of Vanity Fair’s 2013 International Best Dressed List. Guests included some of the West Coast’s best dressed women, such as Vanessa Getty, Pamela Joyner, and Sobia Shaikh. It also provided an opportunity to meet Alan Morell, the new general manager for Neiman Marcus’s Union Square store, following the move of our beloved John Capizzi to Bergdorf Goodman in New York.
ModeWalk recently unveiled its newest service for their clients, a first-of-its-kind, by-appointment showroom in San Francisco called Boudoir, located on the 7th Floor of 391 Sutter Street in Union Square.
Betty Lin, the chic Presidio Heights boutique, recently celebrated the launch of the new Maiyet collection with a party hosted by Alexis Traina, Alison Pincus, Nina Stanford, and Seth Miller.
HBO recently presented the premiere of Game of Thrones Season 3 with a VIP screening at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco, attended by cast and creators, and VIP guests.
After the screening there was an on-stage discussion with Executive Producers D.B. Weiss, David Benioff and Co-Executive Producer George R.R. Martin, moderated by Kara Swisher and Walt Mossberg, Co-Executive Editor’s at All Things D.
The Mid Winter Gala for 2013 honored the exhibit, “Girl with a Pearl Earring: Dutch Paintings from the Mauritshuis” with a chic winter wonderland that raised over $400k. Marissa Mayer, Jonathan Ive, Alison Pincus, Vanessa Getty, Dick Costolo, Stephan Jenkins, Connie Nielsen, Lori Levine, Evgenia Peretz, Jeremy Stoppelman, Trevor Traina, Allison Speer and Kathryn Lasater were among the 380 who attended.
