Cassius Clay hosts ChefXchange Collaboration

This past Thursday, Victory Club partnered with ChefXchange to pop up in London at the home of art historian Cassius Clay. His knowledge of art history and keen eye for decorative arts inspired the evening

ChefXchange is an online marketplace that allows gourmands to hire private chefs for meals in the comfort of their own home. The platform has over 500 chefs signed up across EMEA and Washington, DC. What distinguishes this brand is the quality of chefs; many trained in Michelin-starred restaurants. We were lucky enough to work with chef Andrea Zagatti. 

Ciprian Ilie of Frameless Gallery spoke about his gallery including works by Ferdinand Leger and Louise Fishman.

Ciprian Ilie of Frameless Gallery

Chefanie devised a menu inspired by the favorite foods of her longtime best friend, Cassius Clay.

For the first course, members and friends enjoyed Pappardelle with Pistachio Pesto. The second course featured Rack of Lamb with Burnt Leak and Cherry gel.

Rack of Lamb with Burnt Leak, Cherry Gel

Rack of Lamb with Burnt Leak, Cherry Gel

The last and most decadent course, Dolci, featured Mille Foglie with Macadamia and Strawberries. 

Preparing Dolci!

Millie Foglie with Macadamia, Strawberries

ChefXChange created some of the most beautiful plates of food, which aroused conversation between the culinary and visual arts.

Of course, Chefanie made her signature American chocolate chip cookies.

Members and friends had the most wonderful experience, thanks to our partner, ChefXChange, our speaker Cipian Ilie, and of course, our host Cassius Clay!

William Anastasi & Dove Bradshaw Host Lunch

This past Saturday, Victory Club hosted a tour and private luncheon in the studio of the artists William Anastasi & Dove Bradsaw. Anastasi was a contemporary and close friend of John Cage and his work has been exhibited in the Met, MoMA, the Guggenheim, and many others. Dove Bradshaw is a conceptual artist who uses the natural elements (like weather) across artistic media. Anastasi and Bradshow were gracious enough to talk about their own works to Victory Club members and friends.

In the center of the table was Bradshaw's very own take on Marcel Duchamp's Bottle Rack. Eleni's brilliantly captured the work on their famous cookies, creating a dialogue between the culinary and visual arts.

The menu took inspiration from Anastasi and Bradshaw's own work.

Menu painted by Chefanie

Bill Anastasi's Puzzle Puzzle, 2015. Photo credit: Sandra Gering Gallery

Carrot soup with a puzzle piece garnish, referencing Anastasi's famous "Puzzle Puzzle"

Seared tuna with potato puree and asparagus

Chocolate cake dusted with 18K gold powder, beside Bradshaw's sculptures

The remains of the cake...

A good time was had by all. We thank our hosts for their warm hospitality and for inspiring the group!

Valentine's Day at Lesley Heller Workspace

This past Sunday, Lesley Heller Workspace hosted Victory Club's annual Valentine's Day party!  Members and friends came together to celebrate the romantic holiday with sweets & treats and, of course, art. But first, they were wrapped in bows to get into the spirit of Valentine's Day!

Hanging on the walls of the Workspace were multi-media works on paper by Tony Ingrisano. Drawing inspiration from various natural infrastructures, Ignasio's work questions how perspective affects natural systems. Lesley Heller, a former dancer and Goldman Sachs employee, followed her passion for art, opening the gallery that she now owns. Lesley showed members and guests around the space, answering questions and providing insight into the world of art. 

A sweet and decadent V-Day was had by all, thanks to our partners at Urbani Truffles, Neuman's Kitchen, Studmuffin Desserts, Chuao Chocolatier and Eleni's Cookies!

Rosé, Chuao Chocolatiers mini chocolate bars, Urbani black & white truffle bonbons (which we affectionaley call truffle truffles), homeade cotton candy and Neuman's Kitchen macaroons

Bacon, sea salt, caramel and  chocolate ganache macaroons by Neuman's Kitchen

"Love Stinks" and "iCookie" by Eleni's Cookies and Chefanie's famous chocolate chip cookies

"Jackie Os", "Lemon Crisps" and "Sinners & Saints" by Studmuffin Desserts

A warm thank you to everybody who braved the cold and helped make this year's Valentine's extra sweet ;) 

Chefanie holding Eleni's "Emoji in Love Cookie"

Afternoon on the LES

This past Sunday, Victory Club made its was down to the Lower East Side, where it hosted an event in the studio of the late artist, Charles Keller. Located on the second floor of a quintessential LES walkup, the space boasted some of Charles Keller's most prominent works of art, and his daughter, Marthe, was the perfect ambassador to talk about them. The big windows provided a view of the springlike January day -- and a view of a brand new BMW 7 Series. BMW of Manhattan graciously sponsored the event and provided a car that was a great conversation piece for guests throughout the meal. 

GH Mumm champagne to welcome guests at the event

Martha Keller, a world renowned artist and Charles' daughter, and her husband Brad showed members and friends around the studio, answering questions and providing historical background behind Charles's works.

The tablescape was decorated with Chefanie's signature menus, bottles of Brancott Estate sauvignon blanc, Urbani's "truffle truffles" (chocolate truffles with Italian mushroom truffles), and cookies from our event sponsor, BMW of Manhattan. 

The menu took inspiration from Charles Keller's time in Rome, where he lived as a communist in the 1960s. 

Chefanie's ravioli in a white truffle sauce, courtesy of Urbani

Tiramisú in the making

Guests conversing over the lively luncheon

It was a beautiful luncheon that lasted beyond sunset. Thank you to our members, guests, and BMW of Manhattan for making the event the success that it was. 

Chefanie with the BMW 7 Series

Luncheon at Kristin Simmons studio

This past Saturday, Kristin Simmons hosted Victory Club in her private NYC studio! Kristin's art comments on the excesses of NYC, an excess that Kristin herself personally experienced while growing up in the city. 

As members & guests entered Kristin's studio, everyone was greeted with cheese and crackers, GH Mumm champagne and friendly faces.

Champagne courtesy of GH Mumm

Kristin's art is colorful and fresh, and the menu reflected the nature of her work.

For the first course, members and guests were presented with a blood orange salad. Bright and bold just like Kristin's art. 

Orange salad

"Chefanie" and Kristin talking over orange salad and Mumm Napa Rosé

For the second course, members and guests shared in enjoying Kristin's favorite dish: filet mignon.

Filet mignon

Some of Kristin's more recent works provide commentary on political affairs, like gun control and Wall Street scandals. The dessert was in homage to Kristin's iconic, eye-catching "Second Amendment" pieces: an ice cream sundae with a cherry and white chocolate gun on top.

Kristin Simmons' "Second Amendment: 1989"

White chocolate guns to garnish ice cream sundaes referencing Kristin's work with the Second Amendment

And of course, what's a Victory Club event without "Chefanie's" famous, bite-sized chocolate chip cookies. Warm, gooey and fresh out of the oven!

Bite-sized chocolate chip cookies

Cookies and Mumm Napa rosé. A great pairing!

At the end of the meal, members and friends were lucky enough to have Kristin share her Senior Thesis at Columbia University: a re-interpretation of the childhood board game "Candy Land" from an adult lens.

Artist Kristin Simmons answering questions about her Senior Thesis at Columbia University

More champagne made members and friends (and "Chefanie") bubbly and happy.

"Chefanie" celebrating a victorious luncheon by popping another bottle of GH Mumm rosé

Thursday's luncheon was a great time had by all!

And a special thank you to our sponsors at BMW for an amazing ride to and from the event!

"Chefanie" in BMW New York's 7 Series

2015 Cookie Swap at Geary Contemporary

It has been a busy year since Victory Club launched membership at last year's cookie swap. We now have a robust membership of entrepreneurs and influencers. We have hosted 30 events in New York, London, Miami, and the Hamptons. We have been covered by Food & Wine, Town & Country, Harper's Bazaar, and many others. This year, we celebrated! 

At  Geary Contemporary on Saturday, we welcomed 50+ guests with a social media reach of more than 1 million! Guests munched on cookies from Eleni's, Neuman's Kitchen, Amy's Bread, Studmuffin Desserts, & Brookie's Cookies while enjoying Michael Meehan's "Ice Bather" show.  

Peppermint cookies from Neuman's Kitchen

Chefanie's Comté Cookies to pair with GH Mumm champagne

Cookies from Amy's Bread

Assortment of treats from Studmuffin Desserts

Cake Batter Cookies by Jessica Roy

Neuman's Kitchen Peppermint Cookie in front of Michael Meehan's Painting

Hanukkah Cookie from Brookie's Cookies

Stephanie in front of one of Michael Meehan's Ice Bather paintings

GH Mumm sponsored champagne. 

GH Mumm champagne

The invitation was clear: Bring a friend... or a batch of cookies.

And so many of our friends and their friends came! 

The event would not have been possible without Julie & Abby. 

Abby Porter, Stephanie Nass, Julie Koessendrup

We're excited for another year of Victory Club -- and many more cookies! 

Customized Victory Club logo cookies by Eleni's

Pop-Up in Miami for Art Week

Victory Club partnered with Miami Project, one of the Miami Art Week fairs, to host a private tour & luncheon for members & friends. 

Invitation, painted by Stephanie Nass

The event began with a tour of the fair. Then guests were escorted to the poolside dining area. The whole week was rainy, but the sun peeked out for Victory Club's event. 

Stephanie Nass prepping the lunch al fresco, wearing Rebecca Minkoff

As ever, the menu was inspired by the art space, which yesterday was the Miami seashore. All of the dishes were served family style.

Mozzarella Sushi from The Big Mozz

Key Lime Pie with a side of Misha Dairy's Vanilla Coconut Quark. Behind are Eleni's gingersnap cookies. 

It was an amazing afternoon. Thank you to all partners, members, & guests. 

Dinner and Discussion with Russell Maltz

Victory Club hosted an intimate dinner in Russell Maltz's New York studio this past Thursday. Russell's art expands on the tradition of minimalism, utilizing color blocking and different arrangements of materials to convey his message. 

Tablescape.

Moreover, Russell's pieces reference layers of information, and the dinner menu incorporated layers to create a dialogue between the food and the art. 

Menu.

Squash salad.

Fall leaf lasagna.

A great time was had by all!

Modernist Thanksgiving at Mana Contemporary

This past Sunday, Victory Club hosted a luncheon at Mana Contemporary. Mana is one of the largest contemporary art organizations in the United States. They host a wide variety of artists, such as Shephard Fairey, collections curated by Saul Ostrow, as well as performance art pieces. They also have a large amount of studio space for artists. 

Installation shot: Arnulf Rainer, presented by the Ayn Foundation

The menu was a modernist take on a traditional Thanksgiving fare.

Menu.

Pumpkin soup with cinnamon foam

Sous-vide truffle turkey over gravy, under cranberry sauce and microgreens. Accompanied by a carrot.

Cookies as table markers.

Victory Club members and guests were given a private tour of 2 of the museum's exhibitions:  Arnulf Rainer, presented by the Ayn Foundation and Intimacy in Discourse: Reasonable Sized Paintings, curated by Phong Bui. The art tour was followed by lunch. We thank Mana Contemporary for hosting!

Installation of works by Thomas Nozkowski, from Intimacy in Discourse: Reasonable Sized Paintings

Installation of works by James Siena, from Intimacy in Discourse: Reasonable Sized Paintings

Luncheon Celebrating David Temchulla

Victory Club hosted an intimate luncheon in Chelsea this past Sunday, celebrating the work of David Temchulla.

David Temchulla and his work.

David's work is characterized by paper that has been twisted into intricate shapes. The menu evoked this through the twisted garnishes that adorned the courses, and the last course of twisted sour candy.

Menu.

Carrot soup.

Filet mignon with brussels sprouts.

Stephanie Nass prepares for the event.

Victory Club members and guests had a great time!

Victory Club members and guests.