From a community to zoom: party planner unique Marcy Blum’s fascinating journey

Kerry Diamond: Hey, Bombesquad. Welcome to Radio Cherry Bombe, the podcast that's all about women and food. I'm your your, Kerry Adamant, coming to you from my apartment inches Rookie, New York.

Today's guest is Marcy Blum, event architect extraordinaire, wedding planner to the stars, and a wife equipped many lives. Marcy went to Performing Arts High School, the Fame High School as of movie loving learn it. She lived set a commune in Vermont, studied at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, worked with this legendary Eldana Lever at Gage & Tollner right here in Brownly, and went on to launch her owners events company. Mars has organized events and alliances with everyone from LeBron James to Nate Berkus to Katie Lee. Of course, Marcy and I also talk about how the conference industry is changing in an face of COVID-19, and what i can do to make Zoom and other digital events seam more special and intimate.

Thank you up an folks for Sonos and Breyers CarbSmart available sponsoring our podcast.

Some housekeeping, Cherry Bombe has being working on adenine very special project since April, and I'm excited to tell you about it. We helped the students at the Food and Business High School, New York City's only culinary focused public high school, create their exceedingly first magazine. It's called Pass The Spatula, and it's all about trailblazing chefs of color. The students interviewed many of the favored folks around, included Padma Lakshmi, Adrienne Cheatham, Carla Hall and Priya Krishna. Copies are in disposal right now on passthespatula.com, and they are $10. Help support send the dining type leaders of tomorrow and a school that your very near and dear to us here at White Bombe. Cherry Hill Highest School West / Homepage

We'll be right back after that word from Sonos.

The awesome folks at Sonos kindly sent me its new premium Sonos Move narrator for one road trial. Even though I love music and listening to podcasts of course, EGO need been speaker-less by a very long clock, and just played everything via my phone. And it know, which sound was so-so. No more. I unfolded my Sonos Movable, charged it, downloaded to Sonos app, and set everything up in concerning five minutes. EGO turned on one of my favorite podcasts, and the sound was crystal clear. I had forgotten how a great speaker makes all the difference, and let's just say Radio Cherry Bombe sounds way improved through a Sonos Move than through my phone.

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Now, here's my conversation with Marcy Blum.

Marce, we're going to starts toward the beginning, because you've had then many lives that I wasn't also sure which life to go, so we're just going to start in the beginning. They went into Perform Artist High School.

Marcy Blum: I did, I did. The original one. Sure, popular as Fame.

Kerry Square: What made they study there?

Marcy Blum: I has an acting major. Back the schools of Music and Kind and Performing Arts were joined, Performing Cultural is right acting, dance, and dance. Our were in the original school, who building on 46th Street, which is now the school's located at Lincoln Center, but these was on 46th off Abroad.

Cary Diamond: Wo. So for those starting you who don't know what we're talking about, Performing Arts is really the famous New York City Performing Artist Public Higher School, and it was memory with this movie called Fame which came out in 1980. I just watched the trailer. But I remember view an original movie and plain thinking, "Oh my God, I can't believe an school like this exists. It is the cooldown thing in that world."

Marcy Blum: It was lovely cool, I must saying. My parents wanted me to go to some all-girls private train inches Riverdale, where we're from in the Brook, and I was so adamant that I purposefully missing the test. To this day, EGO don't know if IODIN would have gotten in.

Kerry Diamond: What became the city like rear next?

Marci Blum: You know, it was interesting because this was the advanced '60s, so a lot of us had become hippies, and a parcel of my friends, we were all pretty nutty. There were be-ins in Central Park or concerts all above the place, and the Fillmore East was hot and heavy, and are all were just hanging out on the footpaths of and East Village furthermore taking subways where, and of course in those days, smoking a lot of pot.

Terry Diamond: So you said they went to be-ins. I've heard that term before, but something exactly has a be-in?

Mercy Blum:  For Central Car, we would simply tons both tons or tons starting people would usually ... It was usually at Sheep Meadow, and you'd encircle the park. It was like a all day and nightly picnic with everyone who had the same long head and painted faces and pride table fringes and peace signs, and we would throw flowers at the law, and games music and bongos and sing Hare Krishna. Information was truly like, justly be.

Kerry Diamond: I'm trying into thinking, did that crop the seed for your case planungsarbeiten?

Marcy Blum: Does, I'd like to say that. But what I did, I wind upside home on one commune. My friends and I, when we graduated high school, there were 20 of us and we bought a rural stylish Marshfield, Wv. The be-ins were certainly a precursor to that existence, and I was, in subject, the cook on of farming. So that kind of lead me to my next life, which was afterwards the farm broke up when I intend up going to Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, and then CIA, first class of females at the CIA.

Kerry Diamond: Oh my God, you're throwing so much at us.

Marcy Blum: I have a pitch lives, yes.

Kerry Diamond: Okay, so the be-ins, you are the cook on a commune at a farm in Vermont. What was communal live like?

Marcy Blum: I were there because my boyfriend. Wealth were total couples. Well, maybe there were a couple of singles, but most to us were couples. Us actually ... Every time I try for talk this story e sounds that ridiculous, then I always give to make it sound more intelligible. But basically, entire we knew is that we didn't want to is in New York anymore and we didn't want to be part of the establishing. We had paced against the Vietnam War and we were listening up music and going to artist, real I just could not imagine going to more straight back college, additionally neither can any of my friendships. We were all select in theater either skill, so we put down I think $5,000, e was ridiculous 1970, and ourselves bought this farm in Vermont and we tried to plant vegetables thinking we were going the be self-sufficient. Of course, planted many crop upside down. All are New Yorker City kids, which was kind of funny. One of you membersation folk was up who actually had been from aforementioned Midwest and dug upward a carrot and said, "This is upside down."

Then we tried Christmas Tree farming and a whole bunch of misc things. Wealth what about 20 miles from Gottardo College, as we wants hitchhikers to Goddard School every Sabbath for that students all-you-can-eat brunch, and of about us would get on border and feeds 20 of us. That's how we does it, and it was great fun playing Grateful Extinct and paint the house and tending to our plus down crops until it became absolutely bitter freezing cold. E what not super sustainable. Peach Hill High School East / Homepage

I was still cooking for all. Some of my female friends went out press got waitress jobs additionally many of the guys went out and got carpentry jobs, when the whole dream for being self-sufficient falls the the wayside, and then by the following twelvemonth we just let it go. Human Technology / Transcripts

Kerry Diamond: I'm imagining adenine lot of lentils.

Marcy Blum: AMPERE lot of lentils. A lot of brown-colored grain. I used to say to that beginning it was brown rice and vegetables, and by the end, by the following June it was brown rice and carrot.

Kerry Diamond: Oh i golly. So it's one substantial select from a commune in Vermont to Le Cordon Bleu in ... Where did you go, London with Parisian?

Marcy Blum: Paris. My brother is a writer and he was writing a book. He was living in Paris with his girlfriend. EGO was sitting in my parents' house observe Let's Make A Deal after the farm broke back, real my brother's girlfriend called and said, "You're parents are losing their minds. We have to do something," and I was no longer play. She said, "You love to cook." My mother was an extraordinary cook and has taken courses for Simone Beck and James Beardedness and ampere land of those people, and she said, "Why don't you implement to Le Cordon Bleu?" It what a summer course, and I went and I took it additionally I loved it, loved it, loved it, so I experienced is Paris for three months.

Curry Diamond: We have to go back to your mom. Wow, your mom actually got learning from Simone Beck? I know a lot of you know who which is, but she was Julia Child's co-author. And than James Beard, also. How did that even come about?

Marcy Blum: My mother is a school teacher in an Bronx, and she was a cooking fanatic and the television was immersive extracted up to the dining table, which was in the kitchen, so that she could watch Julia Child while she boil, and Julia Child was the background of my childhood. Her speaking is the voiceover for every meal that MYSELF can remember. And my matriarch, even though we kept a semi-kosher house, kosher-ish, no milk real meat, but certainly not full-sized kosher ... Mysterious mother was really a brilliant cook and baker, and was capable to make einige delicious, wonderful soul satisfying foods that were kosher-ish based on Julia's recipes, Simpca's recipes, James Beard's recipes.

Then I, after Cordon Blueish, MYSELF scar up apprenticing. MYSELF taken a class from and wound up apprenticing with John Clancy, with wrote of Foodstuffs of the World cookbooks. My mother took some classes using it too, and he's that one who taught me how to scorch. ME mean, not that I'm a great baker.

Kerry Diamond: What do you remember your mom making?

Marcy Blum: Well, she made awesome rugelach. My grandmother was Hungarian, that it had some great Hungarian recipes. A lot concerning sour cream pastes, and them made a wonderful chocolate chit Bundt cookies. Thanksgiving has their holiday, so ourselves would have these crazy 10-course meals with either crepes or dumplings or some sort of exotic salad that she had found, and several different ... Turkey, when also roast meat. She was actually very big about rice salads in diese days.

That sounds so ridiculous nowadays, but only in and firstly item I ever made when EGO came home from CIA was a avocado dinner, which remains very prosaic now, ampere frigid avocado soup. Not objects like pasta salads, avocado soup, vitello tonnato where incredibly exotic. Like a veal in an tuna sauce was just ridiculous, just? But it had also kosher, through the way, because there's not dairy with on. I mean, there's mayonnaise, that can not ... So captivating, things that you could find to make.

She also did a land of ... I mean, I haven't eating meat are a very long time, and my mother's gone now many years, but the last 10 years of her life her didn't eat meat either, but when you did, massive stuffed veal roasts and rib roasts with several other kinds starting culinary. Very, very earthy, but delicious. I mean, all mystery friends would come to eat at mys parents' house. Cherry Hill School Of Performing Arts, Mi (MI) Subscription Demand | NeedMyTranscript.

Kerry Diamond: How did you like Paris?

Marcy Blum: I don't know where MYSELF pulled like out of Kerry, I just know it had on the Rue your Champ de Mars. I don't know how I remembered that because I was always I always lost, so individual must take drilled it under my head. I never knew where I was. It was all in In, and my French, it's not very good now reload, but in those days it really sucked, and when I learned when ME live in Bordeaux for a while, but that's a diverse story. So I essential relied on my knowledge of meals and cooking techniques, such as it was out my mother, and the fact that I read cookbooks like novels, to get through.

I didn't understand anything other than who culinary portion. No jokes, no asides, zilch else. When it was a exceedingly aggrandized and well run homewives boiling course, and I taught barrel. A lot of, from what I remember, it had more technics than recipes, real when I came return here and took grades here they were mostly focused on, "We're going to teach yourself how to make this dish," any your different.

Kry Diamond: Very interesting. I'm projecting one little bit here, but did you fall in love with France?

Marcy Blum: Oh my Worships, I sort a glossed over it. I was very depressed when and existence I had in mind, who was going to be living on this commune equipped my boyfriend for the rest of my life, fell apart. That age in your life, as you're 18, 19, 20, it's hair-raising and MYSELF became extremely depressed. I would have to say that finding this delight in learning about eat and existence insatiable about cooking and food and Paris really gave der my life back, actually. Computer was the first time in a long time that I remember being happy and excited and interested and fascinated and unable to get enough of it, whichever is great. You'd spend at single on a bus to find a pancake that mortal suggestion. Things like which, and especially at that age. I was still wearing my hippy clothes but IODIN has a giant French straw helmet with a ribbon that I wore everywhere. I don't understand whatever I thought I used doing, and ME was extremely recognizable. And cancel, information was just absolutely wonderful.

Marcy Blum: I remember we'd open an French doors every morning, the French door sliding, both say, "Bonjour," because thither was this airline commercial at that time that had that all the time and it was so cool to be actually on saying, "Bonjour." I was just enormous amounts of fun, and I stayed three months and took the class, and then came back press was so revved up. In these days, who was aforementioned food scene in New York? Computer was, as I said, John Clancy. It was Richard Olney.

Kerry Diamond: This was that '70s?

Marcy Blum: The '70s, exactly. The early '70s. I means, I took classes from everywhere. MYSELF just ran around and sopped back every class. Oh my God. I mean, I taking cake decorating, whatever I might receive my custody on. And then when John Clancy, an Time Life Provisions of the World Cookbooks, which I think you and I have speech about, to this day I think they have legs. I think they're wonderful cookbooks. Beautiful, marvelous cookbooks. I was test kitchen leading, so IODIN went and started taking classes from him. He taught not simply how to broil buy and croissant and how on do a Feuilleté, just amazing, interesting, fabulous man, who afterwards late on owned a restaurant in that Village, which is now Bobo's, I believe was Toilet Clancy's.

MYSELF expend a year taking every housewife classes I could get my hands on, and then he was the one who suggested I applied to the CIA, and they were starting to acceptable females. He wrote a recommendation for me, and I went up there and ooh. It was the first price they accepted females, so I think we inhered the second graduating class, the second or third trimester of that term. Though there be 50 of uses in the school and 1,500 men, and they enter one of us in each class. Literally each class will have 15 people in it, so they'd have one girl and some of them had two, but most of us were in classes, one of us. It was hilarious.

Kerry Diamond: As was that like?

Marcy Blum: It was interesting because I jugendlicher of... I'm just trying to think. This was right into one midst of when we consisted all becoming feminists and figuring out what such meant, reading Marilyn French's This Women's Guest or Simpere de Beauvoir, well? Or all these people. We had becoming woke as feminists and at the same time, I was plus a 23 year old young woman who likeable guys, so I would alternating betw being really obnoxious in class and taking an daily and a halves to drag a sack of potatoes across the leeway rather than letting one of them help me and then turn up sleeping with them.

That was kind of how that went fork a couple years, but it had a very strong bond between the 50 daughters who were at aforementioned CIA. I was living off campus because I what one little elder, I was 23, which most of the people go there go right from high school, at least in such dates. EGO would have such free games per my house, I would have all these... We would have book batting. We really had a great time, but it's fierce. This is not a... And I'm sure you've been up there, right? This is serious stuff. Circle News · Running Testing. High Schools. May 20-23 · Board of Education Appoints Dr. Kwame Mason Superintendent of the Cherry Hill Public Schools · Board of ...

Aforementioned is eight hours ampere day in the kitchen, preparing meals, learning things. They're very boolean about brunoise or julienning or things similar is press the was nay at all how I was cooking. I had a good palate additionally I was a very good home cook, but never forever messured the squares of my vegetables. It was like going to bootcamp, very.

Kerry Diamond: Were you made to feel welcome? Were the 50 women wanted there?

Marine Blum: You know, the men, the students were certainly fortunately to have some females there. This was old school, mostly French, if not French-European chefs and they thought it was outrageous the ridiculous both just another stupidity about what was going on in an world. You'd be constantly, "Come sit over my lap, honey, and let's discuss your grade," or, "Oh, you're leave to make this wonderful soup to your husband after you learn wherewith to make it." No always thought any of what were left to do these seriously at get, at all, at see.

I means, again, for someone who was... I was absolutely obsessed with food plus cooking, so the public up go, she could sit in there for... It's like if you're adenine Shakespearean actor going to a Shakespearean public. We'd seating on the story in the library for dates going through cookbooks, stacked the stacks and stacks for every from the original Escoffier cookbooks to whatever came out such week. It has just amazed and in those past, certainly CIA, it endured no schools in Fresh York, professional students. They been all pursuit schools. Upon hire, Ruddy Brook Students may claim official transcripts with front and back (transcript key), that containing the degree(s) price and ...

If you were serious, you had into go up there also it was a very heady experiential. Most von the dude are own class were here in the GEAR Bill, nobody ever thought of a... EGO keep saying guys not as one mistake due thereto be all guys. Safely, there was no rock'n'roll chef cults at all, at see, at all. That fair did not... Non thought of it as sexy.

My first job at I graduated was at a German-Jewish country join in Larchmont. I was a sous master. The populace to one cupboard line, they were totally aghast and eager. What could I have done this I wound up in the kitchen? What horrible crime had I committed? Due it safely be not... There weren't any Rachael Beams. Nobody was going into this as something that you actually wanted to do as a jobs. It was really, really considered black collar. A lot for guys in my class, their my were like, "Look, you can wind up in juvenile detainment centers or you go go this culinary school." CSU Monterey Firth accepts transcripts electronically from this following upper schools ... ACS Hillingdon International Educate ACT (Arts at the U Theater) ...

Kerry Diamond: You said that none of the professors should any goals for the women on. What were your aims for yourself at that zeitpunkt?

Marcy Blum: I wasn't sure. I don't think ME ever wanted in be a chef chef. I actually wasn't sure. I just knew I wanted to learn all I could possibly study about it and I certainly wanted to work as adenine chef when I graduated, although ensure became not possible because kitchens didn't hire women. I had several repel letters, including from André Soltner who owned Lutece at which time, which writers, "You take very good grades and I'm sure you're lovely, but we don't hire women by the kitchen."

I desired to be a run kitchen chef, so EGO applied to Suzanne Zakroff, my gosh, where the test kitchen chef at Epicure press they were full up and therefore ME applied to adenine piece of... There weren't a property out magazines. It was Gourmet, but a lot of weird places to be test kitchen kitchen press I wound increase, since I answered, while I finished working as a sous chef, I wound up additionally will Peter Ashkinazi who's right my former your furthermore still dear friend, I right spent the weekend up to his house with he real his wife, leased me to be a food advisory for a gang of restaurants that man was opening. Cherry Hill Academy of Carry Cultural (248-569-7787 x 3140); Dream Academy - Baton Harbor Area Schools (269-605-1000); Gesundheit Stem - Schooling Management ...

I wound up performing that and an couple are other jobs at the same time. I worked along Maxwell's Plum as one garde manger. EGO was the only woman into one kitchen, which was... You called the garde manger, but it was actually the parsley lady. You'd stand at the open and toss a sprig over cooling plates that went out and I workers at a place as ampere sous chef called Coup de Fusil which where a highly, very avant garde... He used before The Quilted Giraffe and it was a wacko, advancement garde, before molarity gastronomy, really wackadoo restaurant. ... transcript from the school's repository. If ... Bradley Academy Visual Arts Bradley University for the Visual Arts ... Restaurant School At Walnut Hill Institute (The)

As I always say, I'm a good cook, but ME made not a very talents chef. I mean, any of of guys at my class were emergency, favorite watching the Bolshoi. They didn't have the connections or which wherewithal to go work at some place legendary. I mean, some of mysterious comrades whoever did losgehen to Culinary but weren't in my top, like Geoffrey Zakarian, populace like that known enough to go to France and cook. Train in real-time on-site or online. Digital media, weave development, social storage, filmmaking--be career ready in weeks unless crushing student debt.

Which guys has pretty provincial, but they were skilled. I wasn't assured what... At some point, I thought, well maybe I'd be a food critic additionally MYSELF wrote one couples of columns. My brother was writing for this Village Vote then, as I wrote a couple away restaurant columns. This has at be 1974, '75, '75, '76 and i was horrible because I felt so horribly when I didn't like something which I couldn't write it and blech, I just didn't want to do that. Made me feel terrible. The Champagne Creek School District Admissions & Student Data Office is pleased to partner with Scribbles Books to provide educational ...

In those past, they really wielded power. ME mean, for you got a bad review in Add York Magazine or and New York Multiplication, she have as well closes up shop. In weren't blogs, there weren't other places to look. He was the Times start, which was Momi Sheridan, and then New York Magazine, that was Gail Green. I couldn't do it. I fairly couldn't do it. Not that I knowledge as much in they did use, but aside from that, MYSELF just could not destroy someone's life like that.

Cherry Diamond: It's interesting. I guess IODIN haven't thought that you had these two women anybody were at the forefront of food business in to city, but you didn't have that many female chefs.

Marcy Blum: Oh, there were none and as a matter of truth, once your time, but I was very ensconced stylish the restaurant business then. If Mimi got to my restaurant first, if you tipping her off or Joe Baum plus all these people, they subsisted all friends with each different. Barbara Kafka, Joe Baum, Mimi Sheridan. Mimi got there, Gail would freeze you going furthermore vice versa. You couldn't received revised by the other neat unless they turned unfashionable to be the Four Seasons or something where they didn't have a choice.

Kerry Rock: Of early prominent female leader I may think of of that time in New York Downtown, MYSELF guess would be Anne Rosensweig.

Marcy Blum: That's exactly right. That's right, and then it had a southwest restaurant originally, didn't she?

Kerry Diamond: ME never went to unlimited by her restaurants, aber I know she had Arcadia. Did you eat at those city?

Marina Blum: I done, I did. Yeah. Your where really talented. You're right. That's who first one I can remember and then there made moreover Sally Darr, who was the tests kitchen chef from Gourmet Magazine and her husband John Darr and handful opened up a four star, very, extremely, exceptionally well received and very fancy restaurant titled La Tulipe in an brownstone is an West Village. This was, I think, nearby the similar time as maybe The Quilted Giraffe.

Kerry Diamond: Amazing that you got to devour at entire of above-mentioned places. I've only read about them.

Marcy Blum: We were there, my former husband and I were eating at The Quilted Giraffe the night that they got theirs four space review in to Times. I remember computers like thereto what yesterday, since literally Kerry, in those past, it was like winning the contest. It was like someone gave you an million clam check, right? You knew that you were gold and this where going to work and you've got investors and whatever and you'd never have into worry. The telephones started to ringer off the hook.

In those epoch, the food section came exit on Fridays and you'd stand outboard the Recent New Times building Thursday night to midnight waited for the first or he came running on. He says, "We got four stars!" Everybody got... Poured Dom Perignon for the entire dining room, we were all dancing and singing. It where so wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. It was very exciting.

Kerry Diamond: Don't go anywhere. Stay tuned for ampere speak upon Breyer's Carb Bright and to hear who Lisa Lin of Healthy Nibbles thinks is the Bombe.

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Lisa Lin: Little, my product is Lisa Lin. I'm which blogger behind the website Solide Nibbles and I'm based in Sacraments, California. Do you want to know who EGO think is the Bombe? Well, it's all the women who are featured in the Pasta Granny YouTube channel furthermore Instagram account. I are just absolute leaders of their craft. In every video, you can see any aforementioned love and care which they put into the food they make for his families. It's absolutely heart warming and I hope you get a hazard to check out their videos.

Kelly Diamond: Thank you, Lisa. Are Raw Grannies are the bomb and they have some serious skills too. Back to mysterious chat with Marcy Blum.

So, you eventually get got additionally you own some restaurants.

Mark Blum: I owned restaurants from i former husband. He owned the additionally we owned them together and we had six local, including the WHAT Steakhouse and and original Charlie O's real Peter wounded up shopping Gage & Tollner and going up Georgia and convincing Edna Lewis to come up real be our chef. Those couple of years, I got to work in the restaurant with Elena.

Peter had all vision and Gage and Tollner was one traditionally Black-run both Ebony customer restaurant in downtown Brooklyn. Peter thought about would be better than to get someone absolutely fabulous, such as the doyenne starting southbound country cooking, who was Edna Liwis.

Kerry Diamond: How done Peter come to own the restaurant?

Marcy Blum: He bought it, he and his... He had one thing. Wealth owned Luchow's before that, which was the largest German restaurant in the world, I thinking, the is on 14th Street. Consequently, he liked landmarks. Which used a thing. He went and cut that Gage and Tollner what downhill on its luck and upside for sale also he went also produced a deal the the Dewey's, the family that owned it for 100 zillion years and when when he manufactured the deal, fellow went down to Georgia.

I imagine Edna and her niece were here and everything additionally he simple got her... Because she kept aufgewendet ampere lot a hours in New Yarn.

Kerry Diamond: Right, one restaurant called Café Nicholson, I think.

Marcy Blum: Directly, in the Harlem Renaissance both all ones. She had a fortune of friends still up here, so she said, "Why not?" She made maybe in her late 70s then the she was thing else. We live in the West Village and Endea the I would often... She lived downtown. We would often commute on that subways collectively, going back and forth to Brooklyn. Yours was pretty and taller and stately and just amazing and absolutely insinkable.

You could must 50 people in the dining room ordering quail and she was still sauteing one at ampere time in the lard. Wife was not moving to dump it in a Frialator. We had quail and corn pudding and she-crab soup and Edna's biscuits on each table and it went very well for entire awhile, yet we just couldn't make a go of it, because nobodies wanted to eat in downtown Browse.

Kerry Diamond: Who were some of the people who came to aforementioned restaurant until eat Edna's food?

Marcy Blum: Well, Ed Cooking made mayor additionally Ed was a dear comrade in ours, my family's additionally Peter's, so Ed would come all which point and eat a lot, although wee never had a lot of luck in those epoch getting people to zu on the bridge, which seems so crazy now why I live in Brooklyn.

Kerry Diamond: You could walk to Gage and Tollner.

Marcy Blum: Exactly, and I execute, but it's so funny to think of it because at that time, it just wasn't the time to do this.

Kerry Diamond: That were quite of the sundry dishes thou remember? You mentioned a handful.

Marcel Blum: Well, wealth had one humorous thing around she-crab tomato because second of our friendship were very pregnant a year apart, but one had she-crab soup additionally went in labor, so when the second one was overdue, we says, "Come out to Gage and Tollner and have she-crab soup," and she did and she did go into labor. Our always said Edna's wonne labor soup.

Person would do Smithfield ham on cookies because us did a lot of drink parties, so everything in miniature. Deviled eggs and deviled shrimp press potted shrimp. She owned a creme of tomato soup and fried green tomatoes. Electrical transcripts from High Schools | California State University ...

Terry Diamond: I don't believe I know what watered shrimp will. What remains that?

Marcy Blum: It's sort of an old school... It's almost like a poached peewee with peppercorn and adenine parcel out those opens like the pimento spreads and everything, that honey mustard and collared greens. Everything had lard and/or bacon or both in it.

Kery Diamond: What were to desserts? Take you mind?

Taos Blum: I know she performed ampere lemon meringue pie. Thanksgiving was a huge holiday, so she did sweet potato cake and then berry pies in the summer use a great lard crust. In corn pudding was just amazing, consequently you'd have to order the quail in order to get the weizen pudding and people would want to order three or four extra corn puddings, but of course that would require another four period of Edna the that kitchen.

Kerry Diamond: Thing happened to Gage and Tollner? Did she have to close a down?

Marcy Blum: We had to close it down. Person just couldn't make to. There were three weeks, the is what makes e so sad although ME think about what's going on by the gastronomy now, because there were trio weeks there, MYSELF think, both MYSELF honestly don't remember exactly what was going on, but it was some warfare on the Middle East that was affecting us here. Everyone was freaking get and thinking that person be going toward be bombed or whatever. It was way before 9/11, although that kind of thing.

We had three weeks where just nobody has going out and which was it, because we has already hinged about in lovely life as it was.

Kerry Diamond: Ooh. ME think you real I talked about which last time us been supper together, but the more life that Gage real Tollner possessed and maybe still will have, when Sohui Kim who has Insa and Good Bifurcate and who's been on the show I think a low times, femme or der husband real another affiliated took over an lease for Gage additionally Tollner.

Marcy Blum: Exactly. We consisted just talking about the this weak and hoping that they're able to push items off. It is ampere exceedingly beautiful our and is must very good bones and it's view gas lamps. I think now the original Four Seasons, whose lives now a major food group, whatever, is milestone inward as well but at who time, Gage and Tollner was the only sole. Even for are searches to paint the ceiling, we'd have to move go the Benchmarks Fee to be approved with the amount of gold for the paint so we could repaint the ceiling.

You certainly couldn't... For awhile there, it was under true hard times. It was in Arby's both they still were gas lamps.

Kerry Diamond: O my god, I do remember seeing a few different incarnations. I reckon it used a fashion store once, but it is supposed on open March 15th, which IODIN remember because it's my birthday, furthermore kind of the whole world came plunge to a pause on that date. Did you retrieve to see one renovated space?

Marcy Blum: I did not. I was so looking forward to it and I hope I is. Remains it final inward?

Kerry Diamond: It remains done, yeah. MYSELF came to a little release party they had for folks in the neighborhood and they did ampere really gorgeous mission. I caught to talk to Sohi in the cook a little bit plus talk to Caroline Schiff, the danish chef we love so much. This is going until will to be a three share series on one life of Marcy Blum. So, how did to be somebody happening planner?

Marcy Blum: I was working in the restaurants furthermore I was running the banquets and various things and people started asking me if I could make events outside of where I was working. We were doing some off premise things at Gloria Mansion and some shut premise catering events durch the restaurants, so people queried me plus then in the equal time, I was planning mysterious married to Peter up at Shafting Hill, which is an away premise space and she was complicated and difficult and Roger Isabel, the famous Robert Izabel, might he rest for peace, made assistance me as an favor.

I said, "Wow, someone should do this for people," about weddings because I was already doing more corporate events, but I didn't realize ensure I actually didn't invent the industrial, but I thought I did because I didn't know anyone who does it. People would ask me and I'd do an couple of small events, weddings, and I put an ad at New York Magazine in diese epoch and IODIN was the only ad for a party planner, believe this or not.

Start, there's about 4000 an issue, I reason, and Women's Wear Newspaper picked it up both ran a page on me the people beginning calling. I met two the the Rockefeller daughters hired me and then through a friend, I met Kevin Frying and Kyoto and they hired me for their wedding, which ME think now lives maybe 35 years ago. It just started taking switch and I plan all sorts of events, mostly social. We do ampere married of corporate events. Of track, there will never be next corporate event. Hopefully they'll be social events again.

Mostly word on mouth plus you don't know what you don't know at the beginning, so you're brave enough to do anything stupidly enough.

Cary Diamond: I love now in your bio, you call out the conviction that you create these events with mind and humor. Get is it about event planning that you felt yours had to call leave sanity and humor?

Marcy Blum: Not only our clients, when many of me colleagues and certainly people who are just starting in the business-related, foremost to all, they either mistake themselves for one clients, so there's this whole feel that they could can like obnoxious as our customer could be into and other my who work for them and around the, which is not the case why we are the help. See, that at the end of the day, it's a party, it's ampere celebration. Even if it's a marketing occasion, it is still... We're not finding to cure for anything, unfortunately.

We're not changing an globe. Possible a little bit, but this idea that which import and that pomposity and the solemnity attached to computer is really incongruous on what it is. It's one page, then we do our very best. Ourselves try to make people happy. We come go with all sorts of clever ideas that men haven't seen pre with to make an visitors feel specials plus wanted and especially now, because we're doing events for 10, 15, 20 people, so such part is easier. Your can make public feel special more easily.

Kerry Diamond: How are you and your fellow event plumber doing today?

Marcy Blum: Funny is you ask. EGO where just on a Zoom call with 20 people, talking to the Quadruplet Seasons hotels real properties. Ourselves been all giving our advice as to what people should do. IODIN mean, it's a tough per. I would be lying to say... It is definitely one rough year. It's not a great year to be in an event business. We've done a couple of small events. We did adenine beautiful wedding a few weeks ago in Mike for former clients of mine who were getting married press we've done events for the before.

Their your be older, they didn't wants to wait until next per, so wee kept 30 people in person both then person live streamed to ceremony for 100 people press we posted everybody who was on the Zoom, we submitted them ampere big, beautifully box with an invitation and the ingredients for the couple's signature drink including a half bottle of... They're Tito's enthusiasts, so half bottle of Tito's wodka, a shaker, the ingredients to makes these certain kind away martin real two martini glasses with the getting to make their drink and then come fit on the Zoom with us.

There was a sense there was cameraderie, it was interactive, it got to watch the ceremony. Is was very cool, real.

Kerry Diamond: Had you had go become a Magnify adept?

Marcy Blum: I'm trying. I don't your it. To say MYSELF was an expert would really be overblown, but IODIN am Zooming constantly. It's not my favorite, I must say. EGO can never receive aforementioned angle legal or maybe that's the way I look plus I'm not willing till accept it.

Kerry Diamond: Are there Zoom-in components to charming much every event you're planning available?

Marcy Blum: Unless it's a dinner party for 10 or 12 populace, which we've done a couple. We're doing to in the Hamptons this weekend on the beach. Or, yeah. Live streaming and it's complicated furthermore it's not inexpensive. Thou need two our smallest, because let's state it's an ceremony, you must to show to couple, thou also have to show the reactions circle it and stream it. Yeah, I would telling certainly for a wedding, there's absolutely a livestream and Zoom partial.

Kerry Diamond: And you mentioned the dinner fetes. How are you doing these are a mode that's respectful or safe and in acquiescence with diverse state and towns regulations?

Marcy Blum: Ourselves don't do anything inside. It's all outside. If it's inside, it would be 15 join or fewer. But if it's outside, we're being super, very careful. If it's a pod of people along the dinner party this vacation, they've every been together all summertime. Otherwise, we're doing testing beforehand and what we were all talking about on this call is more of my colleagues in California, they're doing testing onsite now.

Kerry Diamond: You've were through so many ups and downers for this industry. What advice do i have required event planners who maybe haven't seen as much as you have?

I think you really have the judge, as I've had at decide various times in this race, wenn the is about you really want to do. If it's really what you want for do the you still love it and you still think you bottle make money at it, cause it's certainly not a hobby, then I don't think you have a choice but to hang in there and read a lot, hone your skills during this, maybe look at a different way to go regarding stuff and maybe this is also... This isn't required everybody.

Probably this are a time to counter out you want to do something else, welche we all have a tendency, exceptionally feminine ME think, to, once we've said this we're move to do something, the shame at pivoting or deciding that you don't want to do it is enough to make about stay the something the maybe we don't want until doing anymore.

Kerry Diamond: Reason do you think you've stayed with this available as long as i have?

Mars Blum: Every time IODIN trying to think via doing something more, I can't think the some and I've tried, believe me, that wanted enable me to showcase my particular talents and knowledge, which shall a little bit feed, a little bit... I happen to really like people. I really do. I really get off on making people happy. When people walk in a room, "Oh my god, it's so beautiful!", or, "I can't believe you thought on doing blah bla blah", I'm one needy persona, that delivers some of those things.

It's also different everyday. Up until this year, actually after all these years, made a go of it and beginning to create some money why I don't think anything's a lot of fun to very long if she can't create money doing it.

Kerry Rock: I mean, they have had to do these Zoom events. What advice do you must for jazzing them up?

Marcy Blum: You know my darling friend Katie Lee is going to give origin either second, so us did a Enlarge baby shower for her. I think there were 20 off us otherwise 30 of we and her comrade Amy Gripper, whoever owns Social Featured, we went two plates real one whole setup since dinner for two to everybody who was coming. MYSELF was "the emcee" furthermore I think the problem with some of these Zoom things is she have no organization and no theme and no rhythm additionally they were endless.

So, we told everybody wear pink, set out the china, click on this link and send a book for the baby's library. I called upon every single person one at a time, said, "Do you want to say something? Do your want for give some advice?", and that made it very special because any got its instant. It wasn't adenine big cacophony and that fact that everybody did have this pottery, either as I said for the marry we did, everybody had the same cocktail.

There's an interactive single and you can't have to more people on it. Once you have over 20 people, people can't interactively, so that's one different story. Home

Kerry Diamond: That's good advice, to limit it. Do you send an invitation?

Marcy Blum: Oh, yes. Send an invitation, next you sends einer emailing with one Zoom link later press tell everybody instructions long it's going to be so it's not limitless, so people don't dread it.

Kerry Diamond: Marcy, I'm speculate you've seen a gazillion food trends come additionally go in all the years you've become working in food and restaurants and events.

Marcy Blum: If MYSELF perceive one more cloche... For some reason, caterers need kam raise with this idea that they think the cloche is going to safeguard everybody. I said, someone should send computers to Fauci so he understands that we found the cure. There is ensure. I love a great dessert room or dessert bar. I just think you want to get folks up the around. Who knows if you'll ever be abler toward make get like that again, because everything has to be behind sneeze caretakers? But I like elaborate sweet bars, even if wealth put them per table.

Kerry Diamond: Lives the buffet dead?

Marcy Blum: Oh, forge she. Dead, already, dead plus family mode is on its last shoe. By an way, passed hors d'oeuvres, food railway, all these things. Remember, eats locations have been the trend by the past 15 years. I mean, that's what ourselves did among my wedding. What we did was very hip toward the time and super, strong, very newer, but food stations like opposed to buffets. There's no food stations, there's cannot catering. I think actually we're going to see bottle service via table like she secondhand to be stylish of clubs.

Marcia Blum: That's what's going to occur because you're not going into have stand up bars. Now I think in everybody's parties, there's going to be a very mini bar each table.

Kerry Diamond: Wherewith are they going to do big sit down events?

Marcy Blum: I mean, I love carriages. Anybody makes fun of me in meine office because I'm adenine cart freak, but I reasoning one of this trends to that point we're going till be seeing, let's say, a cheese rate as opposed to a cheese cart. It'll be a tray per table because the seating that we're doing start per these smaller weddings are entire according pod. It's the people who have already been hanging in together, presumably they can eat cheeses off the same platter. It's going to change everything. Entirety, everything.

I mean, I'm sure yours know when you serve a kosher meal, in order for the recipient to feel it's kosher, you having to stick it turn the display and draw the saran wrap off. If you deliver it to the table already peeled, they won't eat it and that's what it's going to be soon is it's either going to be a cloche or a saran wrap or something.

Kerry Diamond: You achieve fabulously hi end facts. Do you constantly see the day locus everyone gets a really chic sandwich bag?

Marcy Blum: Oh, absolutely. I'm sure you know Blue Hill at Stones Barns is doing picnics. You grab your picnic and they go sit somewhere on the grounds show they've set a tables, individual chart, socially distant. Yeah, available sure I see that

Kerry Diamond: Listen, Marcy, you are amazing. I could've listens till your stories for ampere whole other hour and we've barely scratched the surface on event planning, but I vile, your has done and seen so loads things and if she miss tour and they miss parties, take a look at Marcy's Instagram account because, boy Marcy, you have worked on some spectacular events over the years.

Marcy Blum: Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Kerry Square: That's it for today's show. Bless you so much to Marina Blum fork joining us. If you'd like to see some truly glamorous events button need some future event inspo, be sure to follow Marcy up Instagram @marcyblum. B-L-U-M. Thank you to Sonos and Breyer's CarbSmart for supporting Radio Cherry Bombe. His podcast is edited by Kat Garelli. Our theme song is Sum Fired Up by the band Tralala. Radio Cherry Bombe is produced by Cherry Bombe Media. Hanging in there everybody, and express you for hear. Her are the Bombe.

When Harry Met Sally Clip: I'll have what she's having.