NEW YORK—On April 26, City Harvest, New York City’s largest food rescue nonprofit organization, painted the town (or should we say city) red. The 2022 City Harvest Gala took over the landmark, century-old Cipriani 42nd Street in Midtown Manhattan for its red supper club-themed live fundraising event and celebration, honoring three Michelin-starred French chef, and vice chairman of the board of City Harvest, Eric Ripert, and his wife, Sandra.
Upon entering Cipriani 42nd Street, a longtime partner of the annual City Harvest Gala, guests were greeted with an over-the-top photo op featuring a red-velvet curtain and marquee lettering.Photo: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for City Harvest
The invite-only evening was designed by Colin Cowie, as it has been since 2019. Cowie, who is also a dedicated co-chair of the event, said of the theme: “It has to be red! It has to be elegant and sexy.” And he did just that, with a crimson-lit, red-velvet-curtained photo op donning marquee letters that spelled out “City Harvest,” which greeted guests upon their arrival.
After a cocktail reception, guests took their seats for dinner at tables covered in a shimmering red tablecloth—of course—with scarlet bouquets as the centerpiece. Gregory Boroff, the chief external relations officer for City Harvest, said that “there was no rulebook for throwing an event after two years away because of a global pandemic.” He added that the room had “the feel of Old New York with marbled walls and high-vaulted ceilings,” noting that Cipriani 42nd Street was the perfect venue for its rich history, from its opening in 1912 to its partnership with the City Harvest Gala since 2005 (the 2005-2018 editions of the Gala were also held at the landmark venue).
Boroff added, “City Harvest is all about New Yorkers helping New Yorkers, and holding our gala in Cipriani gives us a connection to generations of New Yorkers who came before us. You don’t get more New York than Cipriani 42nd Street.” 
The Gala honored three Michelin-starred French chef, and vice chairman of the board of City Harvest, Eric Ripert, and his wife, Sandra (pictured).Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for City Harvest
More than 500 guests on the star-studded list—which included the likes of John Legend and Chrissy Teigen, Richard Gere, Neil Patrick Harris, and Ted Allen, just to name a few—leaned into the theme of the evening, walking onto the red carpet dressed to the nines.
Boroff said that curating such a guest list was simple, as “many of the celebrities on hand have been part of the City Harvest Family for years. When we plan our invite list, we're really thinking about all the amazing people who have come out to volunteer with us, donated to us, or told their fans about us.” He also commended the Gala’s producer, Josh Wood of Josh Wood Productions, for being “terrific partners in helping reach celebrities and getting them to see how they can help their fellow New Yorkers by attending.”
Stars dined on burrata and tomato salads, wagyu steak, and a selection of sumptuous desserts while sipping on tequilas courtesy of Casa Dragones. They also enjoyed the evening’s programming, which was hosted by actor and producer Benjamin Bratt, and included a rousing rendition of “Vivir Mi Vida” performed by local entertainment company On the Move. Other programming included moving speeches by City Harvest employees, live auctions, and an awards ceremony honoring the Riperts for their 25 years of support with the organization’s “Heart of the City” award.
“Andre Martin, a worker in our new Sunset Park warehouse, brought down the house with an inspiring speech on why it means so much to him to work for City Harvest. He got a standing ovation and a curtain call—perhaps the first in gala history!” Boroff noted, adding that “in the most tear-jerking moment of the night, the Riperts’ son, Adrien, flew in from college to surprise them and help present them with the award.” 
The gala was designed by Colin Cowie, and tables were fittingly cloaked in shimmering red tablecloths with crimson florals at the center.Photo: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for City Harvest
Live-auction highlights included “A Night of Motown” at world-renowned, Southern-inspired Melba’s Restaurant in Harlem; an “Eight-Michelin-Star Dinner” in honor of Eric Ripert’s cuisine, prepared by chefs Emma Bengtsson, Gabriel Kreuther, Christophe Bellanca, and Eunji Lee, who collectively have eight Michelin Stars in NYC; and more.Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for City Harvest
Live-auction highlights? A once-in-a-lifetime experience—an in-home dinner for 20 guests cooked by Chef Ripert, accompanied by a live performance by John Legend—sold for $1.2 million, “enough to feed more than 3.4 million New Yorkers for a day.” Then, “A Night of Motown” at world-renowned, Southern-inspired Melba’s Restaurant in Harlem, hosted by chef-owner Melba Wilson, raised $390,000, enough to put 928,000 meals on the tables of New Yorkers in need. Plus, an “Eight-Michelin-Star Dinner” in honor of Eric Ripert’s cuisine, prepared by chefs Emma Bengtsson, Gabriel Kreuther, Christophe Bellanca, and Eunji Lee, who collectively have eight Michelin Stars in NYC, raised an additional $70,000 and will feed 200,000 more New Yorkers for a day. By the end of the night, the Gala raised a record-breaking $5.2 million to feed more than 12 million food-insecure New Yorkers.
“There wasn’t a dry eye in the house,” Boroff said.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at some of the annual event’s most moving moments.
New York-based entertainment company On The Move performed throughout the night.Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for City Harvest
Cowie said of the red supper club theme: “It has to be red! It has to be elegant and sexy.”Photo: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for City Harvest
The crimson-clad evening was produced by local event production and talent booking company Josh Wood Productions.Photo: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for City Harvest
A once-in-a-lifetime experience—an in-home dinner for 20 guests cooked by Chef Ripert (left), accompanied by a live performance by John Legend (right)—sold for $1.2 million, enough to feed more than 3.4 million New Yorkers for a day.Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for City Harvest
