CULTURE & COCKTAILS At The Ben Launches Live in March

February 22, 2022) After two event postponements due to COVID surges, Dave Lawrence, President & CEO of the Cultural Council for Palm Beach County, today announced that this season's CULTURE & COCKTAILS series will launch live at last in the beautiful rooftop ballroom of The Ben, located at 251 N. Narcissus Avenue in West Palm Beach. Free valet parking will be provided.

Monday, March 7 - 5 to 7 pm

BADGLEY MISCHKA

A Stylish Conversation with

Mark Badgley and James Mischka, who have been hailed by Vogue as one of the "Top 10 American Designers" and as the fashion darlings of the Hollywood set. The design duo made their mark over the past two decades with glamorous, stylish and wearable evening wear and accessories. Since launching Badgley Mischka in 1988, fashionable clients include Madonna, Jennifer Lopez, Rihanna, Sharon Stone, Jennifer Garner, Julia Roberts, Kate Winslet, Sarah Jessica Parker, Helen Mirren, and Ashley Judd. Badgley Mischka is sold in the most prestigious stores in the world, including Bergdorf Goodman, Nieman Marcus, Nordstrom, and Saks Fifth Avenue, in addition to the designers' flagship boutiques in Los Angeles and Palm Beach.

Moderator: Roe Green, Arts Patron, Activist and CEO of The Roe Green Foundation

The other three CULTURE & COCKTAILS conversations in 2022 will be:

April 11

IN TIME, IN TUNE

A Musical Conversation with

+ Deborah Silver, #1 Billboard jazz vocalist, 2020 Broadway World Best Commercial Recording Award Winner, whose best-selling albums include Glitter and Grits, The Gold Standards, and Pure Silver. Hailed by Quincy Jones for her "strong and sultry vocals (that) are seductive and soul soothing," she has delighted sold-out audiences nationwide including at Jazz at Lincoln Center, Birdland, and Feinstein's 54 Below in New York, Catalina's Jazz Club in Los Angeles, Blue's Alley in Washington, D.C., The Colony's Royal Room in Palm Beach, and the Kravis Center's Rinker Playhouse just last week. Silver has recorded a series of duets with celebrated artists including Bill Medley of the Righteous Brothers, Jack Jones, Freddy Cole, Steve Tyrell, Ann Hampton Callaway, and Ray Benson of Asleep At The Wheel. Her upcoming releases include duets with superstars Tony Orlando, Ronnie Millsap, Crystal Gayle, Pam Tillis, and jazz icon Diane Schuur. Last year, she was the powerhouse behind the star-packed recording of COVID-19 BLUES that raised much-needed money for The Actors Fund and Jazz Foundation of America.

+ Dennis Lambert, the 12-time GRAMMY nominated songwriter who has helmed hit records for legendary recording artists such as The Four Tops, The Grass Roots, Dusty Springfield, Glen Campbell, Richard Harris, The Righteous Brothers, Natalie Cole, Dave Koz, Dionne Warwick, and more. In 2021, he co-wrote COVID-19 BLUES with Deborah Silver.

Moderator: Copeland Davis, Emmy-Nominated Pianist, Tonight Show Performer Inducted into the Las Vegas Entertainers Hall of Fame in 2014

Monday, May 9 - 5 to 7 pm

(Postponed from January 10)

WASHINGTON TO WARHOL

A Revealing Conversation with

Bonnie Lautenberg, an esteemed photographer, writer, philanthropist, and businesswoman. She is the widow of former U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg (Dem., NJ), who got to know many of the nation's leaders from Clinton to Biden. Her portrait series How They Changed Our Lives: Senators as Working People is in the Library of Congress archives, and her work is featured in the Eli Broad Collection and the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of African American History. She is currently co-producing a musical based on the life of pop icon Andy Warhol, along with music manager Steve Leber, director Trevor Nunn, and writer/composer Rupert Holmes.

Moderator: Carol Rose, Editor of The Palm Beach Daily News

Monday, November 7 - 5 to 7 pm

(Postponed from February 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 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 operations executive and restaurant owner.

Moderator: Libby Volgyes, Award-winning Food & Restaurant Photographer

Note: Admission to each of this season's CULTURE & COCKTAILS At The Ben is $75 per person in advance; $85 at the door, $125 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 season of CULTURE & COCKTAILS is generously sponsored by The Roe Green Foundation, Roe Green, Founder; Donald M. Ephraim Family Foundation; Milton and Tamar Maltz; PNC Bank; Jean Sharf; Scott Teich, Teich Wealth Management of Raymond James; The Gardens Mall; Palm Beach Media Group; Piano Distributors; Palm Beach Daily News; Legends Radio; and PR-BS, a Boca-based public relations firm. Additional sponsorship opportunities are still available.

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