November 2006 - Nr. 11
German Gala blends Success
with Tradition
Sybille Forster-Rentmeister
(pictures: Sybille Forster-Rentmeister/Echoworld Communications)
It
is hard to believe that the annual ball in Toronto’s Fairmont Royal York
Hotel is only 16 years old. Looking back makes it appear a lot longer as the
memories of past glories parade by the inner eye.
Treasure Hunt
The
ball also did not always take place in this hotel, but moved around a bit as
it grew. The big success of this venue necessitated a move to the Royal
York. There are not many downtown hotels that can accommodate a crowd of 400
or more and still maintain an intimate atmosphere as well as deliver an
elegant dinner. Gone are the days of rubber chicken and in are the
delectable delicacies best described only in lengthy lists of individual
ingredients, such as "Gravelax Salmon Filet" with "Potato and Seed Mustard
Salad with White Truffle and Cabbage Cress", and "Mainz Wine Soup with
Plum", "Gewürztraminer Sorbet" for cleansing the pallet, and "Beef
Tenderloin Pfalz - with a reduction of Red Wine - finished with Butter as
well as Red Grapes cut in half, Spaezle, braised Red Cabbage and Autumn
Vegetables", and for dessert "Lorelei Dream Dampfnudel Caramel Cake with
Crème Anglaise", and oh yeah, let us not forget the 3 berries next to the
crème. Without these descriptions most of us would not know what exactly is
so artfully arranged on our plates. But it all tastes a lot better than the
old rubber chicken or Roast Beef or Salmon Filet, which were once the only
choices for big crowds.
Friends
Planning such a meal is a big job in itself and has a few
members of an organizing committee test eat all sorts of sample meals first
before deciding on a choice. The theme of the evening, this year German
Wine, added names of German
Wine Regions to the menu, and of course German wine, as well as the German
Wine Queen. Katja Schweder, a beautiful and intelligent young lady, who
spoke charmingly of the nutritional value of German wine and that it also
makes one sexy, especially its calcium and magnesium content, but not
necessarily in that or any other logical order.
Master
of Ceremonies was another beauty, locally grown CBC journalist Lynne Russel,
who added a splash of red colour to the sea of black dresses and tuxedos.
And it must be said that the ladies were indeed not only sexy that night but
very attractive next to their distinguished gentlemen, who look so good in
their tuxedos as though they were wearing uniforms. Some of the "lions of
the parquets" sported a kilt, some the honours, which were bestowed on them
or those that signified membership in an exclusive order, others just wore a
smile all night, no doubt because their ladies looked so beautiful.
The ladies...
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...and their distinguished gentlemen
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We
spied many interesting personalities, such as Mississauga’s Mayor Hazel
McCallion.
The
décor was white, white tablecloth, white chair covers, except for the
vibrant colours of a very clever low centrepiece with high sprigs, which did
not obstruct the view across the table. Susanne Adamczyk, who on any other
day is the German Chamber of Commerce’s Director of Membership, Events and
Projects, chaired the gala ball committee. (Try to get all that onto a
business card!) She was seen everywhere all night, not leaving anything to
chance, flitting about like a colourful butterfly. Congratulations go to her
and her committee and the organizers!
One of the successful actions were the big screens on either side of the large ballroom, affording a good look at who was giving an introductory speech, which by and large were kept to a smart minimum. One cannot do without a welcome from the President and CEO of the Chamber, Thomas Beck, or the official address of the German Ambassador Matthias Hoepfer, so newly arrived form other shores.
During dinner someone suddenly realized that there was no
dinner music in the background, and perhaps this will be the new trend,
because it encouraged animated dinner conversation, something that was a
lmost
a thing of the past, being drowned out by competing strings. Other
entertainment was also dropped and no one complained.
The
Toronto Starlight Orchestra did a fabulous job after dinner right until
closing time, interrupting only at brief intervals, also to allow the
drawing of the door prizes. A stay at the Delta Chelsea Inn went to
Ferdinant P. Kurt; an Esspresso Coffeemaker by Miele, we apologize if this
is the wrongly named item, went to Gabi Westwinkel; an the big one, the 2
LTU flight tickets to Düsseldorf and back went to Peter Ganko.
Congratulations! So many others won their prizes by bidding at the big
silent auction, which raises much needed funds for the local German
educational bodies.
The winners
As the evening wore on and midnight beckoned people were seen to be leaving with centre pieces, bags full of goodies from sponsoring corporations like REHA Enterprises or Pollock Dance Studios and many others, who were all properly acknowledged and thanked in a very complete 40 page program with inserts. It is definitely a pleasure to be part of such a gala event that manages to blend modern technology with tradition in an elegant setting for maximum entertainment value, an event that brings people together. And in the end that is all that counts: Bringing people together!
