Chester Francis-Jackson, Contributor
Janet Farrow (second left) with friends Anita Chin (left), Jane Stalling (second right) and Stacy Barbar. They were sharing some special moments at Farrow's 50th birthday party. - Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer
OOOH LA-LAA my dears, and then some! Oh, my word, what a night! Pumpkins, what a party!
My darlings in a word (or two) let's borrow from the French as it was c'est magnifique! And daahlings, it was like that truly hot and then some! We are talking fabulously genteel here, not gentrified! Sophisticated, not in your face sophistry! Elegance, not the over the top bacchanal. And all things considered my dears, this was style perfect!
My dears, the event here is last Saturday night/Sunday morning reception/party hosted by the charming Janet Farrow, at her Jack's Hills residence to mark her 50th birthday!
Dovecakes and darling dears, to say that Ms. Farrow raised the bar on haute partying would be to make the social understatement of the season. Ms. Farrow's do will be the yardstick by which all other such dos will be measured. And the bar has been well and truly raised!
My dears, it was so fine that the question of who would be brave enough to host the first party in the wake and the triumph of Ms. Farrow's was on the lips of many a guest.
QUEEN OF CHAMPAGNE DOS
She's known as the queen of champagne dos. Her intimate poolside soirees, and/or cosy dinners always a gourmet treat and fun-filled affairs, but that's only when she's at home entertaining.
At work she's the head of the Jamaica Redevelopment Foundation Incorporated, the successor organisation to the Beal Bank (Texas) consortium, that was headed by Dennis Joslin. Here in the boardroom, she is known as a practical businesswoman, more than quite capable of getting the job done!
With her 50th birthday approaching, however, it was decided that a celebration was more than in order and a special party planned to mark the occasion. The rule of thumb being: 'Those who work hard can play hard'.
Well, sweet-things, to transform her well appointed residence for the occasion, the birthday girl sought out party-planner to the well-to-do, the celebrated Ann Marie Weise, and dears, did she ever deliver!
Dovecakes, ably assisted by the charming Stephanie Scott of Kingston Restaurant Week, and the lovely Cheryl Marshalleck, the Sunset Drive residence of Ms. Farrow was the only place to be last Saturday evening.
The dress code for the affair, as stipulated by the invitations, was lounge suit, for gents. Well my dears, with the men donning their smoking jackets, the ladies took no prisoners and so they went to town, for this one.
Honeychiles, we are talking at sixes and nines here, in designer duds and jewellery. And where couture jewellery was not the preferred accessory, dovecakes, traditional stones lit up the night sky with brilliance.
The affair began with arriving guests being ushered unto the residence's wrap-around verandah, that provided a fabulous view of the St. Andrew hills as well as a warm view of a very well illuminated city. It was, however, the verandah-deck, just above the infinity pool and a view of the city that guests gathered for the prelude to a night of fabulousness, as here the welcoming libations were continental martinis and/or champagne, with a sushi bar, whetting the appetite with some tasty morsels!
TRANSFORMATION
And, daahlings, with martinis flowing, and champagne corks
a-popping, the polite chitter-chatter of the august gathering and the rushing waters of the pool below, added just the right touch of elan to the atmosphere of fabulousness that was the hallmark of the gathering!
Now, some time around 10:00 p.m. guests were invited to the short walk from the deck to the front lawns for the second tier of the affair and the transformation from fabulous to fantasy was total.
Imagine, the front lawns of a really fabulous house transformed into a playground of magical fantasy with a number of ivory coloured marquees, housing Chinese and Indian as well as a grill station. An entertainment area, completed with band stand and dance floor under a party size marquee.
A champagne and caviar bar the champagne literally placed in blocks of ice, so carved to facilitate holding 24 bottles at any one time a giant bar, serving up nothing but premium drinks all dominated by towering cotton trees, made that much more fabulous, draped as they were with crystal chandeliers reflecting dazzling but muted lighting on those gathered for the occasion.
Food stations and bars were decorated with fabulous Gene Pearson busts, bonsai gardens, baby-sized elephants made from moss, a replica of the Taj Mahal, swinging Indonesian lanterns and Indian lamps all made for the picture-perfect backdrop.
And then there was the fare: the grill station offered up some fabulously good New Zealand land chops; served with a Thai sauce (and we are talking to die for, here!); baked tenderloin topped with brandy-chicken liver pate; some fabulous salmon; and some lobster tails that the least said about them, the better, completed this here buzzing station.
People are still raving about the Peking duck, however, and the shrimp dumplings from the Chinese station and the tandoori-shrimp and chicken-tica from the Indian station were nothing short of divine! But, pumpkins, the crepes, served with white chocolate dip and/or fran-jelica made for a most spectacular treat!
There was champagne and strawberries, kir royale, not to mention every other premium liquor. And this was outside of the liqueur bar, serving cognac and other premium libations.
ATTENDANCE
When the Ocho Rios-based United Force Band with its lead singer Roger Mendez took to the stage, the party went unto another stratosphere. On the social Richter scale, this was a tenner.
Among those out sharing the night of fabulousness, were: National Security Minister Dr. Peter Phillips and his wife Sandra Minott-Phillips; head of the EU Delegation, Ambassador Gerd Jarchow and his lovely wife, Mara Mandara-Jarchow; wife of the Canadian High Commissioner the fabulously charming Louise Valle; security mogul Kenny Benjamin; Chris and Michelle Bovell; Joe Matalon and his companion the lovely Bernadette McKinley-Morin; the tres elegant Joan McConnell, her fab daughter Sharon, and husband Nicky Feanny, Anthony and Jeanne Watson and their son James Watson; Richard and Diana Stewart; Honorary Consul of the Kingdom of Iceland and bon vivant Robert MacMillan; Gerry Neissen and his companion, social maven Lorna Myers; Roy and Sylvia Collister who danced up a firestorm.
Also out were the fabulously graceful Valerie Marzouca; the fab Eva Myers who motored over from Ocho Rios for the do; Stephen Facey; Russell and Carol Hadeed; Cindy Breakspeare; Laurie and Ruth Hussey, their fab daughter Michelle Hussey; Richard and Angie Harris and their lovely daughter, Chrystelle Harris; Charles and Alicia Hussey; Percy and Eleanor Hussey; Mario and Fiona Machado; Peter and Susanne Couch; Peter Millingen and his companion the lovely Stacy Barbar; Mark Golding; the positively lovely Valerie Juggan-Brown; George and Julie Habib; Honorary Consul of Ghana Patrick Lynch and his lovely wife, Marguerite, she looking positively flawless, and Janet Stalling, in from Texas for the do.
