CELEBFLASH: Royalty

It was a busy weekend for the Spago Beverly Hills family, starting Friday night with an event at the Regent Beverly Wilshire's pool deck in association with the folks from Cigar Aficionado, and culminating Sunday in the 7th Annual Chefs Grand Tasting Dinner* at the restaurant itself.

Friday night I volunteered to help out poolside. Unfortunately I was relegated to the hotel lobby, along with the fabulous pink-haired Mary, to direct guests up to the event. However this did allow me to stop by and say "hi" to the girls at Cut, Wolfgang's essential new LA steakhouse in it's space designed by Getty Center designer Richard Meier. While loitering in the hotel lobby not only did I set eyes on the "rich & famous" Robin Leach, but a way too thin Rebecca De Mornay (so thin actually her head looked somewhat misshapen and too big for her body).

Also loitering around the Regent that evening, perusing trinkets in one of the Regent's boutiques, was none other than Weight Watcher extraordinaire herself Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York (though no longer Her Royal Highness).

Encouraged by the marvellous Mary, over we went to introduce ourselves, gush a little (or a lot as it happened, all the while tripping over my tongue) and with camera phone at the ready, all set to take a snapshot. Fergie willingly obliged, which was really super nice of her since she was doing a spot of shopping with the girls, and especially after the drivel that spewed from my lips. See Exhitibt A to the left (and yes, I'm short and she's quite tall).

* Some of the Chefs who will be plating dishes out of the Spago kitchen will be Mario Batali (Babbo), Alain Ducasse (Plaza Athénée), Bobby Flay (Mesa Grill), Nobu Matsuhisa (Matsuhisa), and Eric Ripert (Le Bernardin) amoungst others, all hand-picked by our own Chef Lee Hefter.