Neiman Marcus: Aubrey Brewster’s ‘Mystique Savannah’ Birthday Luncheon

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (March 24, 2018): San Francisco’s who’s who came dressed in elegant garden attire with ladies in glamorous hats as they celebrated man about town, Aubrey Brewster at his annual birthday bash.

This year’s theme, “Aubrey’s Mystique Savannah Birthday Luncheon” delivered a spectacular Savannah Georgia themed event – worthy of a chapter from John Berendt’s‘Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil’ by transforming San Francisco Neiman Marcus’ posh Rotunda Restaurant into an enchantingly chic Southern garden.

In true Southern style, guests made their fashionable entrance through a dramatic 10-foot iron arbor gate, whimsically adorned in English ivy and cascading Spanish moss (flown in from Savannah), and were greeted to scrumptious oyster shooters, shrimp, and a generous caviar bar, served under a beautiful water fountain before sitting down to a lavishly adorned 50’ table under an abundant canopy of beautiful birdsperched upon magnolia branches, lilac, dogwood branches, roses, and other stunning flowers – to a six course elegantly prepared Southern-inspired menu of fried green tomato with chilled Dungeness crab, hominy grits & lobster, braised short rib “Brunswick” stew, and fried chicken & waffle napoleons and country ham, and blue nose crab ‘hush puppies’ – specially curated by Neiman Marcus’ The Rotunda Restaurant’s Executive Chef, Ruby Oliveros.

World-renowned cake designers, BethAnnGoldberg of Studio Cake, and Sam Godfrey of Perfect Ending Cakes, a favorite of Aubrey’s, Oprah Winfrey, Ellen Degeneres, former U.S. Presidents & First Ladies, and other celebrities and notables (Julia Child had one for her 90^th, and George Shultz for his 80^th) collaborated to create this year’s confectionary masterpiece; a stunning 3-foot cake shaped like a vintage birdcage decorated in pastillage sugar flowers & birds.

Within a beautifully festive and elegant garden bar & lounge, that Brewster nostalgically referred to as the “Mercer Garden Lounge”, named for the famed historic ‘Mercer House’ in Savannah (now the Mercer-Williams House Museum), party revelers continued late through the afternoon, sipping on Perrier Jouetchampagne and specially-tailored Southernlibations, rum punch, and gin fizzes served in custom hurricane glasses for guests to take home to commemorate the magical event.

In his toast to the birthday boy, longtime friend and partygoer, the honorable Mayor Willie Brown Jr. says of Brewster’s event, “I don’t know how many of you are repeat invitees, but it is something to look forward to; because you know every year he [Brewster] is going to do something incredibly unique, unbelievable, as is the occasion…” And guests couldn’t have agreed more.

Amongst the afternoon’s 40 guestswere Brewster’s partner, Dr. Edward Winger, Mayor Willie Brown Jr., ABC7’s Carolyn Tyler, Jazz icon, Paula West, fashion designers, Sonya Molodetskaya and VasilyVein, Valentino Manager, Kirsten Skipper, socialites, Clara Shayevich, Lisa Zabelle, and Farah Makras & Victor Makras, philanthropist, Sophie Azouaou, andLuxury Real Estate Agent (and Bravo’s “A-List San Francisco”), Joel Goodrich;

“The level of production value is incredible, the party of the year!” Stated Goodrich about the attention to detail that Brewster put into the 5-hour soirée.