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June 2010


Alvin Malnik’s Son Hosting A Wishful Cocktail Party

Forge owner, Shareef Malnik held an exclusive cocktail for the unveiling of the renovated façade of the Forge Restaurant I Wine Bar, which was dramatically covered in white fabric. To the average observer driving by, the wrapped building may have resembled the work of Christo and the late Jeanne-Claude (you remember, the folks who wrapped the islands in Biscayne Bay a few decades back).



A gorgeous sunset served as the backdrop for this momentous street-side affair, during which Miami Beach commissioner Michael Gongora presented Malnik with a Proclamation and Key to the City and shared that he held his first victory party at the Forge a few years ago.  Malnik followed with a touching speech in which he told guests that he considers the $10 million renovation a “labor of love and the result of fine work.” He said that the Forge has a sense of community and that he is touched by the support of the community throughout the years.  Malnik closed with “I consider it a responsibility to serve you and feed you.” He then invited several people who were instrumental in “Forge of the future” to join him for the ribbon cutting and unveiling, including Chef Dewey Losasso and Michael Capponi, whose company, the Capponi Group  was critical to the project.



A collective, “Wow!” emanated from the crowd as Malnik pulled the enormous cover off of the façade of the building, which boasts a neoclassical design and seems to glow, illuminating 41st Street.



Christo and Jeanne-Claude once stated that “the purpose of their art, is simply to create works of art or joy and beauty and to create new ways of seeing familiar landscapes.”  With the renovation of the Forge I Wine Bar, Malnik has done just that.

Make at Wish Foundation Kick off event at Hotel Intercontinental Miami

InterContinental Miami hosted its kick-off celebration to commemorate the upcoming 16th Annual InterContinental Miami Make-A-Wish Ball benefiting the Make-A-Wish Foundation® of Southern Florida on Thursday, May 27 at InterContinental Miami. The private cocktail reception, to be attended by more than 200 of South Florida’s leading philanthropists, will honor the highly anticipated annual Ball, which will be held on Saturday, November 6, 2010.



The Ball’s “Three Amigos” – Norman Wedderburn, President/CEO of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Southern Florida; Shareef Malnik, Ball Chairman and proprietor of The Forge Restaurant | Wine Bar; and Robert Hill, Gala Host and General Manager of InterContinental Miami – will make exciting announcements throughout the event, including the selected theme for the upcoming ball and a list of highly coveted items that will be up for bid at the live auction. Guests enjoyed cocktails and hors d’oeuvres while being entertained with beats by DJ Irie and a slideshow from last year’s Ball.



Last year’s 15th Annual InterContinental Miami Make-A-Wish Ball raised more than $1 million for children in need across South Florida. The night’s events, which included a Beatles-inspired cocktail reception and dinner, musical performance by Beatlemania Now, live auction emceed by Pamela Anderson and 2nd Annual InterContinental Miami Make-A-Wish Nightclub, successfully kept The Power of a Wish® alive.



The Make-A-Wish Foundation of Southern Florida grants the wishes of children who have life-threatening medical conditions, to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. Covering a 13-county territory of Southern Florida, the chapter’s goal is to grant more than 525 wishes this year. For more information, contact the Foundation at (888) 773-WISH or log on to www.sfla.wish.org.