Though my restaurants davidburke & donatella and dona are booked full of holiday parties, I'm blessed to have staff that can run the show while I attend a few parties of my own.

Last week my Blackberry was chock full of holiday benefit parties. First, was the Robin Hood Foundation's 17th Annual Heroes Award Breakfast, where they honored four New Yorkers for their commitment to improving their communities and transforming the lives of under-privileged New Yorkers. Of course, everyone was watching to see if I'd eat the tepid oatmeal and mini bagel of the same shade. I don't go to these things for the food - no one does - so to avoid any awkward culinary conversations, I stuck with the coffee (Breakfast of Champions, er, New Yorkers).  But the speeches were so emotionally wrenching, I probably wouldn't have been able to eat even if David Burke had prepared my breakfast.

(Link: http://www.robinhood.org/)

Next, I headed to Bally of Switzerland on Madison Avenue, where they hosted a holiday benefit party for New Yorkers for Children, an organization that works to improve the lives of children and families in New York. I'm on the organization's Friends Committee with many incredible, stylish, fun women including Renee Rockefeller, Marisa Brown and Tinsley Mortimer, so I knew the party wouldn't be a run-of-the-mill elbow bumper. I planned to just swing by, but considering my good friend and NYfC board member (and chair of the Friends Committee), Dayssi Olarte de Kanavos was there, I had a hard time tearing myself away.

(Link: http://newyorkersforchildren.org/)

Then, I attended a party hosted by Les Dames d'Escoffier, an organization founded in 1973 for women in the food and wine industry. I'm a proud member, and was the youngest woman to be inducted in 1999. Held at The Consulate General of Argentina, the ladies and I celebrated Argentine style, with a fine selection of Malbec wines from the Mendoza Region of Argentina, and finger foods from the restaurant Buenos Aires. Like I said before, no one goes to holiday benefit parties for the food, but this one was an exception. And what Argentine party would be complete without a Tango? Which, I of course, realized at that moment I have no idea how to do. (New Year's resolution: learn to Tango.)

(Link: http://www.ldei.org)