Where will you be on New Year’s Eve?
Stanley Tigerman, architect
A very close friend of mine, who has a home in Aspen I happened to do, is having an intimate get-together there. She’s flying us out in a private plane, and we’ll have a very exquisite dinner party that night.
– Is there anything special you’ll need for the night?
Oxygen, because the altitude is hard to take, and a good appetite. I know the food will be fabulous. I’m usually the one doing the cooking, so it will be nice to have someone else do it.
Holly Hunt, design entrepreneur
A friend of mine is having a very large millennial party in Aspen for their friends, and everyone is invited with their whole family. It’s on their ranch, and they’re setting up huge tents. Heated, of course. All three of my boys will be with me, and another couple I share Christmas with every year is bringing their two boys. We’ll be with five boys between the ages of 19 and 24.
– What will you be doing at the stroke of midnight?
I’ll be under the stars, snapping away (photos) for posterity.
R. Kelly, singer
I have a retreat on the lower level of my home, which is designed to look exactly like a log cabin by my architect, Francisco Restrepo of RGI. It’s very intimate and private, and I’ll be down there with my family on New Year’s Eve–with the phones off.
– Your whole family?
Yes, I have a baby girl, named Joann for my mom. A moment like the new millennium happens but once in your life, and the best way to bring it in is with a new life. And she loves it down there. . . . She’s just starting to walk and runs up to the log walls.
What will you do down there?
Watch videos on DVD. That night we’ll probably watch “Titanic.”
Robert Falls, artistic director of the Goodman Theatre
We’re going to Acapulco with another family that also has kids (Falls and wife Kat have two children) and renting a house that has a swimming pool. I plan on cooking, because I love to do it. It’s ironic that I’m going to be in Mexico because it’s one of my favorite cuisines to do. Let’s just hope the kids will be sleeping.
– What are you planning on making?
I’m just starting to think about it, but anything with a kick because I love spicy food. I’ll probably start with a huge platter of shrimp in a spicy red sauce prepared from a lot of different chiles. I’m obsessed with “The Mexican Kitchen” by Rick Bayless and will probably make a few things from that, such as fava bean soup, braised chicken and some veggies.
– Do you have any special way of serving?
At home, Kat is in charge of set-up and presentation, and we love to serve buffet and put out lots of new dishes. The reason to entertain is to try new things. But in Mexico, we’re at the mercy of the location. We’ll just have to work with whatever’s there.
Nancy Tom, Executive Director of the Center for Asian Arts and Media at Columbia College
I will be in California taking care of my children’s pets while they are away: two cats and two dogs.
– How do you usually entertain?
I entertain so much. I like to entertain at home. It’s usually a large group of people, maybe 75 to 125, who come and go throughout the evening.
– What do you like to serve?
I serve buffet style with many different dishes from Asia. Dim sum and sushi are my surefire dishes–they can be prepared ahead of time and put out early.
– How do you set your table?
I mix chopsticks with plates from Japan and China, and silver from Thailand. I always create an unusual centerpiece out of flowers mixed with unexpected items. I like to use containers such as baskets or towel holders for serving pieces. Instead of a cloth, I put an obi on the table and decorate with Chinese art objects, Chinese silks and pieces from the Ming Dynasty.
Fred Bartlitt, attorney
(I’ll be) at our new house that we’ve been building for the last three years in the Colorado Rockies, about 30 miles south of Denver. It’s a big stone house perched on a cliff–you can see 100 miles in every direction.
What wouldn’t you spend New Year’s Eve without?
Close friends and family. We’re inviting a small group of about 30 friends we’ve known a long time. My wife, Jana, loves to cook, and she’ll make something great. It’s not about going to the Rainbow Room in New York. This is a time to look back and reflect. A lot of things are hyped today, and New Year’s Eve is one of them.
– On the morning after?
We’ll drive up to Vail and go skiing. It’s the best day of the year to ski because nobody is on the mountain–they’ve all got hangovers.
Jimmy Damon, singer
I’ll be performing at the Chicago Hilton and Towers. After my show we’ll spend the night, so we’re not on the streets in case the world goes Y2K crazy.
– What you’ll wear?
My brand new double-breasted, peaked-lapel tuxedo, butterfly bow tie and black ostrich cowboy boots. I’ve worn out over 2,000 tuxes.
– Before you go on stage?
I’ll have an early dinner at home with my family.
– On your table?
My wife Marilyn’s chili (my favorite meal), Ralph Lauren china and linens, and my collection of vintage Wild Turkey decanters. Remember, I’m a Southern boy from Memphis.
Lois Weisberg, Chicago commissioner of cultural affairs
This year I’ll be at the city’s event at McCormick Place. The mayor has invited two people (ordinary citizens) from every country around the world for dinner–about 400 people. It will be a huge party with Chicagoans representing each country there to greet them and celebrate together. In all, there will be close to 5,000 people.
– How do you normally celebrate New Year’s Eve?
I like to entertain at home and invite people over. For the past two years I have had dinner for a small group, perhaps 25 to 30. Then we go downtown to watch the fireworks.
– How do you like to entertain?
I usually plan a casual buffet and serve a wonderful garlic lemon chicken dish that is my own recipe.
– What kind of china do you use?
I have a set of my grandmother’s china that looks very Old World European.
– How do you prepare your house for a party?
I like lots of flowers on the table and all over the house.
Helen Zell
(My husband, Sam, and I) will be celebrating at our home in St.-Jean-Cap-Ferrat in the south of France. We’ll be hosting a small, intimate dinner for 12 people.
– How do you like to entertain?
For New Year’s it’s always black tie. We have a spectacular dinner, we dance and then watch fireworks from the terrace.
– What is the table setting like?
The silver is simple and dishes are plain white. The table is a traditional French provincial oval wood dining table, but the most beautiful feature in the dining room is the chandelier, which has real candles in it.
– What will you be doing at the stroke of midnight?
We’ll probably be sitting around the table finishing dessert.
Carlos Martinez, senior vice president and director of interiors at Booth Hansen Associates
My partner and I have a longstanding tradition of hosting a very intimate and memorable dinner party for eight every New Year’s Eve. But this year, in honor of the millennium, we’re going to co-host it with another couple we’re friends with at their Gold Coast home, which will expand our party to 16.
– Why at their place instead of yours?
It’s a very formal, architecturally significant home from about 1900, so we’ll be doing the turn of the century in a turn-of-the-century home. We’re making it black tie.
– How will you serve that will make this different from less formal occasions?
My friends collect antique place settings, serving pieces, silver and flatware, and we’ll use it all that night. It’s all wonderful and much of it is mismatched. Every pattern will be related to the course rather than the meal.
– Do you know what you’re serving?
We’re doing taste tests right now, but dessert is set. I have a very old Spanish recipe for flan, which is from my grandmother but has been in our family for generations. I plan on making that for dessert in individual molds.
What will you be doing at the stroke of midnight?
There’s a Cuban tradition that you have 12 grapes at the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve, so we will each have that with a champagne toast.
