When the King of Prussia Mall opened its doors after-hours on September 25 for a special benefit for Penn Medicine’s Abramson Cancer Center, guest Bethenny Frankel was on hand to raise money for the Center, meet fans, sign autographs and engage in two informative, interactive demos featuring food from Savor, the dining area at the mall’s newly opened extension.
Prior to the main event, I had the opportunity to sit down with Bethenny and find out what she had in store for guests that evening, what she’s currently working on and what fans can look forward to in the future.
“This food court isn’t like a regular food court,” said Bethenny. “It’s high-quality food, which takes ‘food court’ to the next level.” Savor’s range of eateries include The Fat Ham, sweetgreen, Hai Street Kitchen, Melt Shop, Nicoletta Pizzeria and Shake Shack.
During the demonstrations, Bethenny stressed the importance of making healthy choices when eating. Go ahead and enjoy that pizza, she encouraged the audience, but do it with healthy toppings such as vegetables.
Bethenny shared that American cuisine is her go-to style when it comes to creating recipes, even though she enjoys eating all different types of cuisine.
Her favorite recipe from her collection? “Out-of-This-World Stuffing,” she said without hesitation.
Skinnygirl, Bethenny’s popular brand, was a hot topic throughout the evening, especially with plenty of cocktails going around, including the new Skinnygirl Spicy Lime Margarita, a ready-to-drink cocktail for margarita lovers.
We spoke about the Skinnygirl brand, and I inquired why she had branched out from her initial products to a more extensive product line.
“I wanted to continue to offer healthy options,” she explained.
In addition to being an entrepreneur as well as a best-selling author, Bethenny is also a reality television star on Bravo’s Real Housewives of New York City.
When I asked what she liked most about starring on the show, Bethenny shared, “It’s real. It’s not made up.”
As for one of her dislikes? “Negativity,” she stated matter-of-factly.
What’s up next for this busy entrepreneur, author and reality television star?
Bethenny is keeping busy with her television production company, which has new shows in the works, and the newly launched Skinnygirl products. As for Real Housewives of New York City, she’s unsure at this point whether she’ll be taking part in the show next season. We’ll all be keeping our fingers crossed that the talented star joins the cast once again, as her fans clearly can’t get enough.
The evening continued with butlered hors d’oeuvres, splits of champagne and wine as well as Yards Brewing Company beer. The enticing food station drew a large crowd with banh mi sandwiches, lobster rolls and other made-to-order items.
Entertainment included DJ Eddie Tully, fashion shows, a beauty bar and of course, shopping at stores such as Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdale’s, Jimmy Choo, Louis Vuitton, Tiffany & Co. and more.
The night resulted in a generous amount of fundraising for Abramson Cancer Center, thanks to all who volunteered their efforts and to the guests who came out to shop for a great cause.
With the success of the Evening of Giving, those who are battling cancer will now have a a bit more ammunition on their side.
- Top photo: Kristen Kwiatkowski
- Remaining photos: Sabina Louise Pierce
