Academy Prep patrons gear up for Masked Ball

Last weekend was the busiest yet in terms of places to go and people to see; lots of folks hopped from event to event, even crossing the bay to and from Tampa.

Dr. Al and Debbie Saltiel opened their home in Tierra Verde on Nov. 15 to patrons of Academy Prep Center for Education, whose annual Masked Ball was Saturday night at the Renaissance Vinoy Resort.

The center is for middle-school age children who qualify for the federal lunch program; all students attend on full scholarships.

Among those attending the event, which was sponsored by Northern Trust, were Cary and Joan Putrino; Donna Tyler and Tim Main; Cathy Unruh and Tom Sansone; Shannon Jager; John Erik Savitsky, his wife, Denise Weigel, and his mother, Georgine Savitsky; Andre and Angel Hudson; Jack and Donna Painter; Roberto Hernandez and Ivonne Barber; Kimberley Lovato; Marc and Linda Jacobson; Bob Devin Jones and Jim Howell; Jesse Williams; Gil Fortune; Dr. Lawrence and Carol Merritt; Dr. Andy and Thelma McCloud; and Dr. Jim and Sunny Endicott.

Brad Stang wore a Valentino tie his wife, Melody, purchased earlier in the day at the Valentino at the Vinoy benefit for the Stuart Society of the Museum of Fine Arts.

At the Coliseum in St. Petersburg the same night, Massimo Patano reprised his culinary victory of last year, winning the second annual Battle of the Bay Culinary Competition to benefit the St. Petersburg Museum of History.

The event is based on the Food Network's Iron Chef program. Patano competed along with John Terczak of Perch in St. Petersburg, Eric Lackey of Grillmarks in Clearwater, Alexeier Delgado of the Blue Heron in Palm Harbor, Rand Packer of Roy's in Tampa and John Sampson of the Renaissance Vinoy in St. Petersburg.

Three chefs -- Jay Minzer, Noreen Kinney and Fred LaCardie -- were judges along with three "civilians" -- Paul Stavros, Kerry O'Reilly and Rene Flowers.

The men worked their magic in kitchens supplied by the Home Shopping Network, blending the "secret ingredients," oranges and beef tenderloin, with other provisions they brought along for the competition.

Sampson placed second; Delgado third; and Lackey, Packer and Terczak received honorable mention.

Bay area television personalities Laura York and Jen Holloway were emcees for the event.

I also saw Emmanuel Roux, Kevin Brown, Dave and Margo Fischer, Kathleen Peters, Sally Poynter, Sharon Clayton, Gus and Frances Stavros, Edie Spies and John Murphy, Liz Gordon, Barbara and Carrie Johnson, Susan Carlson, Mary Wyatt Allen, Diane Winning, Rutland Bussey, Fran Risser, Niel Allen, Chris Bradley and Mathias Bergendahl.

A benefit Nov. 16 in the St. Petersburg home of Steve and Sonia Raymund raised $50,000 for the LiveArts Peninsula Foundation.

Supporters included Sean and Beth Manning, Clint Page and Dar Webb, Robb Hough, Dr. Al and Debbie Saltiel, Tom Sansone and Cathy Unruh, Tim Clemmons and Robin O'Dell, Ray and Nancy Murray, Nestor and Cristina Cano, Jeff and Mary Ellen Howells, Jeff and Susan Neustadt, Cary and Joan Putrino, Drs. Glenn Vaughn and Mimi Farmer, Ian and Jean G. Irwin, Howard and Dina Sachs, Steve Dupre and Cheryl Lee, Jim Howell, Bill and Diana Lucas Leavengood, and Michele Lamar Richards.

Chad Harrison and the staff from Personal Gourmet set up kitchens in the Raymunds' garage, from which emerged tantalizing aromas.

Regular furnishings had been moved to accommodate the dinner tables indoors.

The evening also featured presentations from Webb's City, the musical that debuted in 2000; from Manhattan Casino, scheduled to open in February at the Coliseum; and from The Floridians, which will feature the work of six playwrights and six composers. Bonnie Whitehurst performed her original song about the writer Majorie Kinnan Rawlings.

Lee Ahlin accompanied Bob Devin Jones and Monica Raymund, who sang a duet of Nat King Cole's Unforgettable.

Their performance was a surprise birthday present for Steve Raymund, whose chocolate creme brulee arrived with a lighted candle.

LiveArts' mission statement is to preserve and celebrate Florida and Tampa Bay's heritage through the support of community artists and organizations, and productions of original theatre projects about Florida, its past and its people. It is a nonprofit organization.

John and Mary K. Wilson, well-known throughout the bay area for their musical performances with numerous organizations, received the Florida Orchestra Guild's 2002 Golden Baton Award on Sunday in a luncheon ceremony at the St. Petersburg Yacht Club.

John Wilson is a news anchor at WTVT-Ch. 13, and Mary K. Wilson is a well-known church and secular musician.

They have been recognized together and individually by numerous organizations for their professional, artistic and humanitarian accomplishments.

Rich Ridenour, who was guest pianist in the orchestra's pops series last weekend, entertained the group with Rialto Ripples, George Gershwin's first published piece, and Louis M. Gottschalk's The Banjo. The latter work, he pointed out, contains an homage to Stephen Foster's Camptown Races.

His finale on the Steinway supplied for the occasion was Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, which Ridenour said is the most often requested piece for piano, the instrument for which it originally was written.

Attending the event were Greta Myers, John DiMura, Bill and Hazel Hough, John Galbraith, Celma Mastry and Dr. Joe Pilkington, Norman and Mary Brown, Ken and Donna Welch, Claudia Galea, Mary Perry, Irv and Terry Ray, Don and Joan Jaicks, Fred and Mary Shuh, Maritza Smith and Dr. Royce and Priscilla Hobby.

-- Mary Jane Park can be reached at (727) 893-8267; fax (727) 893-8675; e-mail park@sptimes.com; P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731.

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