Newswise — NEW YORK, NY, May 21, 2012 – Last night, New York City’s business, politics, media, and philanthropy elite came together at The Four Seasons restaurant for the 30th annual “Through the Kitchen” benefit for the Cancer Research Institute (CRI). This is the only event for which The Four Seasons closes to the public and invites guests to walk through its world renowned kitchen. More than 280 guests donned aprons and sampled dishes named for New York’s iconic places before making their way to the Pool Room featuring 27 elaborately decorated tables representing famous New York City “hot spots” of past and present, from CBGB’s to the Copacabana. The event concluded with a live auction, raising $914,000 to benefit CRI’s Irvington Institute Fellowship Program.
“This truly is one of New York City’s most highly-anticipated and memorable parties,” said Jill O’Donnell-Tormey, Ph.D., chief executive officer and director of scientific affairs for the Cancer Research Institute. “One of our trustees, Lauren Veronis, conceived of the idea 30 years ago, creating a unique event in a beautiful setting with some of the best food in NYC, all to raise money for an important cause.”
Since Through the Kitchen’s inception, the event has raised close to $8 million—half of that within the past five years alone—to fund promising young scientists focused on studying the immune system and its power to conquer cancer. Former fellows funded through the Cancer Research Institute’s Irvington Institute Fellowship Program have gone on to win the Nobel Prize and head major research centers and laboratories at top universities throughout the world. These scientists and doctors have made remarkable discoveries and have pioneered life-saving new treatments for cancer and other diseases.
Some of the other featured “hot spots” at last night’s party included Studio 54, the Latin Quarter, Peppermint Lounge, Limelight, Plato’s Retreat, Hogs and Heifers, the Continental Baths, Persian Room, Atlantic City, and Paddles.
Guests at last night’s party include NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Diana Taylor, Barbara Walters, fashion designer Tory Burch, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly and Veronica Kelly, Marlene Hess and James D. Zirin, Elaine and Kenneth Langone, Jo Carole Lauder, Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey Peek, Nancy Silverman, A. Alfred Taubman, Lally Weymouth, Tiffany Dubin, Heidi J. Ueberroth, Cece Cord, Dr. William Haseltine, and Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Gleberman, among many other notables.
Special thanks to event co-chairs Christine and John Fitzgibbons, Veronica Kelly, Denise and Michael Kellen, Jamie Niven, Margaret and Andrew Paul, Perri Peltz and Eric Ruttenberg, Betsy and Paul Shiverick, Jeanne Sorensen Siegel, and Lauren and John Veronis.
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Photos Available at:http://www.cancerresearch.org/events/ThroughTheKitchen.html
About the Cancer Research InstituteThe Cancer Research Institute (CRI), established in 1953, is the world’s only nonprofit organization dedicated exclusively to transforming cancer patient care by advancing scientific efforts to develop new and effective immune system-based strategies to prevent, diagnose, treat, and cure cancer. Guided by a world-renowned Scientific Advisory Council that includes three Nobel laureates and 30 members of the National Academy of Sciences, CRI has invested more than $200 million in support of research conducted by immunologists and tumor immunologists at the world’s leading medical centers and universities, and has contributed to many of the key scientific advances that demonstrate the potential for immunotherapy to change the face of cancer treatment.
To accelerate the pace of progress in the field, CRI convenes and coordinates global collaborations among academics, industry scientists and decision makers, regulatory representatives, and health research associations focused on discovery, development, and refinement of new cancer immunotherapies. A founding visionary and scientific leader in tumor immunology, CRI is helping to shape the emerging field of immuno-oncology, and is ushering in a new era of medical progress to bring more treatment options to cancer patients sooner.
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