Winners are Grinners

Meet Sarah Salmon (pictured right) who last night picked up the Veuve Clicquot 2015 Business Woman  Award in the New Generation section (those under 40 years of age)

Sarah along with her mum Jan Slater from Swan Hill in Victoria have spent nine years building up their business, Simply Rose Petals. 
Together with a small staff they freeze dry the petals and ship them around the world to customers for all sorts of occasions. Rose petals are popular for weddings and being biodegradable they won't ruin or stain a bride's dress or leave any mess for an aging vicar to sweep up. They've even supplied petals for the opening of a US  department store.
 We think Sarah deserves her award- she wins a trip to France. And guests at the awards party in East Sydney got to toast Sarah with Veuve Clicquot Rosé (naturally) and vintage champagnes and that is  a very good thing.   Check out the Simply Rose Petals' website here.

Party Rivals see in the New Year

Catalina in Rose Bay                                                                Bondi Icebergs

Paris Hilton at Icebergs in 2007

Ever since Paris Hilton and then boyfriend Stavros Niarchos III attended the first New Year's Day charity bash at Bondi  Icebergs in 2007 it's been the recovery party for January 1st but a new competitor looks like stealing Iceberg's thunder. 

Damion Downey

Catalina in Rose Bay threw an almost identical party hosted by musician Damion Downey formerly of Sneaky Sound System . With his party partner Tim Holmes a'Court they pulled in around 300 guests, about the same number that attended the Bondi Bash.

Catalina's was slightly marred by the discovery of a body floating beneath the pier the previous day, the result of  tragic boating accident but with it's expansive view and large dining room it's certainly a comfortable venue.

Chris Brown

Chris Joannou * Laura Csortan

At the Icebergs and sipping on Veuve Clicquot: Dan Single and girlfriend Bambi Northwood-Blyth, Kings Cross nightclub mogul John Ibrahim, Charlotte Dawson and Brian McFadden with Vogue Williams.
At Catalina swilling Pommery and lunching on pancakes and duck sauce-the newly trimmed billionaire James Packer taking a series of intense looking phone calls and wife Erica, Laura Csortan and boyfriend Chris Joannou from Silverchair and Southeby's Justin Miller with designer Danielle Wallace-she flew in from Lake Como.
Missing in action : Kylie Minogue and Leonardo DiCaprio.

A Swell Birthday Present

Laurent Boidevezi, Maryanne Shearer & Boris de Vroomen

We admit to being a tad jealous of this award as we love the product. Maryanne Shearer is the lucky recipient of the 2012 Veuve Clicquot Business Woman Award. 
  
The award was presented at a lunch at Cafe Sydney restaurant by Veuve's International Director Laurent Boidevezi, appropriately on International Women's Day last  Thursday (other notable events-Europe's biggest selling tabloid Bild has promised no more nudes will appear in the publication!). 
The lunch was attended by some of Australia's best known business women including NSW Governor Marie Bashir, Deeta Colvin, Janet Holmes à Court, film producer Rebel Penfold Russell and our favourite pearl producer Marilynne Paspaley.

Ronni Khan of OzHarvest

Maryanne Shearer is the founder and CEO of Tea Too P/L (T2) and while everyone else was pondering whether a Cafe con leche was superior to an Espresso Con Panna or if the intricacies of an Latticino really were appreciated by the inner city latte crowd, she realised there was a huge gap in the market-tea drinkers were demanding, but not getting much more than their morning cup of Billy Tea. 
And thus 16 years ago an empire was born with Maryanne now employing 300 people with 30 stores throughout Australia selling her superb premium blends of tea.

But not only does Ms Shearer get the well deserved accolade from Veuve Clicquot-the awards were held jointly in 16 countries to celebrate female innovation and achievements in business -she will fly to Reims in France and, this is the good part-she'll receive a bottle of champagne on Madame Clicquot's birthday every December 16.
Also receiving an award for innovation was Ronni Khan who runs OzHarvest Food Rescue a non profit company that collects and delivers surplus food to charities. And that is something worth raising your glass to.

Just Like Central Park

To St Mary's Cathedral in the heart of the city and the launch of the Australian Winter Festival's pop-up ice skating rink.
The 1200sq m rink is twice the size of last year’s and will play host to alpine-themed events such as ice dancing, ice hockey, ice discos and mulled wine drinking.Hungry skaters can tuck into bratwurst and poffertje and more importantly, glasses of Veuve Clicquot.

The 2011 Alpine Winter Festival offers an exciting array of gourmet winter food sensations, some dazzling action on the huge open air ice skating rink, skating performances, themed nights and much more.
It's open 12pm-10pm on weekdays and 10am-11pm on Saturdays and 10am-10pm n Sundays.
Entry to the event site is FREE - We highly recommend that you book ice rink tickets online in advance as they often sell out.

Singer PJ Lane gets romantic

Husky Rusky wonders who the sponser is