Eat, Drink & Be Wary celebrated its official launch with champagne and sparkling company Thursday, May 27. We met at Flute in Midtown Manhattan, which occupies an atmospheric, below-ground warren of a space that formerly housed one of Texas Guinan’s speakeasies.
The party’s host was Kevin Fitzpatrick, head of the Dorothy Parker Society, one of my fellow Marxfest organizers, and author of a gazillion NYC-centric books. (Might I recommend Under The Table: A Dorothy Parker Cocktail Guide?)
COVID considerations, work and an injury truncated the guest list, but the gathering made up for numbers with spirit, following Spencer Tracy’s fabled description of Katherine Hepburn, “Not much meat but what’s there is cherce.”
Representing the book’s Texas flavor were three dear friends who’ve been partners in culinary (and other) adventure for decades, longtime pals Kelley Loftus and David Miller (who generously supplied the champagne) and Suzanne Savoy, film & TV actress and the photographer of my author portrait.
Joining us were fellow Marxfest organizer Brett Leveridge, who curates toe-tapping tunes of the 20s, 30s and 40s on Cladrite Radio, and Simon & Schuster author Laurie Gwen Shapiro, who chronicled Kevin Fitzpatrick’s mission to relocate Dorothy Parker’s ashes, for The New Yorker.
Kathy with Kevin Fitzpatrick, at the stairs to Flute David Miller and Kathy stand by while Kelley Loftus does her thing Kathy and Suzanne Savoy, at the stairs to Flute The author, her book, and champgne
