This year’s theme, “Aubrey’s Kaiseki Bloom Birthday Luncheon” delivered a spectacular Japanese cherry blossom themed event – worthy of the famed Cherry Blossom Festival in Kyoto by transforming San Francisco Neiman Marcus’ exclusively-posh ‘Penthouse on Five’ into an enchanting and magical Sakura orchard. 

In true Japanese hospitality, guests made their fashionable entrance down a pink carpet, through a dramatic Japanese garden gate, whimsically adorned with cherry blossoms, and were greeted to scrumptious hand crafted nigiri rolls, and a generous caviar bar, served from a grand fishing boat before making their way over a wooden Japanese garden bridge, over a brook of black river rocks, hedged by 7-foot ivory sakura trees and tranquil zen water fountains, sitting down to a lavishly adorned 50’ table under an abundant canopy of cherry blossoms. As guests finished sipping on rich lotus miso soup, servers dressed in beautifully embroidered red kimono jackets presented guests with their very own personalized 3-tiered black lacquer bento boxes embellished in gold and red chrysanthemums, each layer containing a different delectable course, including filet mignonette teriyaki, black sesame rice, watercress oshitashi, lobster & Japanese vegetable tempura, and an assortment of toro, maguro, and salmon sashimi, sea urchin and salmon roe nigiri, and maki rolls  – specially curated by Neiman Marcus’ The Rotunda Restaurant’s Executive Chef, Ruby Oliveros.

World-renowned cake designer, BethAnn Goldberg of Studio Cake, a favorite of Aubrey’s, created this year’s whimsical confectionary masterpiece; a stunning 3-foot cake shaped like a  Hinamatsuri emperor doll of the Japanese Heian period, sitting atop a tatami mat, decorated in pastillage sugar cherry blossoms. Even the cake flavor was unique, for Brewster & Goldberg developed a flavor never tasted before…the “Geisha’s Stare”, a one-of-a-kind concoction of mildly-sweet sakura leaf & vanilla genoise sponge, filled with pickled cherry blossom paste, and sakura jam buttercream,

Within the beautifully festive and elegant ‘Sakura Bar & Lounge’, party revelers continued late through the afternoon, sipping on Moët & Chandon champagne and specially-tailored Japanese inspired libations, such as ‘The White Eye’ (named for the Japanese white-eye bird that populates the cherry blossom branches of Kyoto in springtime) a mix of unfiltered sake, peach vodka, and sakura syrup, served in an adorable hand blown bird-shaped glass, warming hot sake served in keepsake porcelain sake bottles for guests to take home to commemorate the magical event. 

“In the state of the world today, I think it’s important for us to indulge in a magical afternoon – a moment to escape and spread the love around” Brewster says in a toast to his guests; and that love reverberated throughout the afternoon. Longtime friend and partygoer, the honorable Mayor Willie Brown Jr. says of Brewster’s events, “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 guests were Brewster’s partner, Dr. Edward Winger, Mayor Willie Brown Jr., ABC7’s Carolyn Tyler, Jazz icon, Paula West, fashion icon and girlfriend to Mayor Brown, Sonya Molodetskaya and fashion designer, Vasily Vein, socialites, Mary Beth Shimmon, Sobia Shaikh, Farah Makras & Victor Makras, philanthropist, Sophie Azouaou, and Luxury 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. “We closed Neiman Marcus”, stated Haute Living Magazine editor, Katie Sweeney. “Neiman Marcus Union Square is honored that Aubrey Brewster chooses our beautiful store as the setting for his annual birthday party. Each year, Aubrey somehow manages to make his party more grand and over the top than the last. Equipped with a pink carpet, he completely transformed the space into a stunning Japanese cherry blossom garden, and the talented staff of The Rotunda restaurant executed his vision perfectly and delighted guests with gourmet cuisine.”, Todd Hoyles, General Manager, Neiman Marcus San Francisco said fondly of the event. 
Photo credit: Drew Altizer Photography

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.