Society: Cleveland’s Wahlburgers draws Detroit crowd
Cleveland’s new Wahlburgers draws Detroit crowd
A couple dozen Metro Detroiters showed up in Cleveland last week for a VIP grand opening party for Wahlburgers. Owner/actor Mark Wahlberg was there, along with co-owner Nino Cutraro of Bloomfield Hills. There were more than 200 people at the private event, where a team of waiters consistently pushed trays of the juicy burgers accompanied by cups of tasty tater tots. About 1,000 Wahlberg fans waited outside of the restaurant, hoping to snag a glimpse, a picture, an autograph (and the gracious movie star tried to literally touch each one of them). The newest Wahlburgers is in the midst of some retail space owned by Dan Gilbert, across the street from Gilbert’s JACK Casino in downtown Cleveland. Many of the Detroiters in attendance (quite a few, we hear, arrived by private jets) came at the request of Cutraro and his wife, Elizabeth. Cutraro and Wahlberg own the Wahlburgers in Greektown in Detroit and are very close to opening a location in Taylor. Some of the Detroiters who attended included lawyer Juan Mateo and his wife, Rosann; retired Ford exec, Bud Moore and his wife, Mickey; Bedrock VP, Dan Mullen; and Jay Feldman (who also has interest in Wahlburgers) and his wife, Ann, and sister, Maria Feldman.
Foundation Hotel opening ‘dream come true’
If the Foundation Hotel is supposed to be one of Detroit’s chicest new hotels, the private grand opening party held last Saturday was totally on brand. Several hundred well-dressed Detroiters attended, visiting a variety of bars and food stations on several floors throughout the posh new establishment. Guests were greeted by a team of gorgeous models with slicked-back hair and sexy black dresses. This group of guests was so cool that several of them left early to attend a bar mitzvah featuring Snoop Dogg as the live entertainment. “This is a dream come true,” exclaimed Michael Kitchen, VP of Aparium Hotel Group, which owns the hotel. “Seeing this project through development to reality — a reality that we’ve all been very passionate about — is amazing.”
Homeowner’s away, but zoo benefactors party goes on
Doreen Hermelin opened her jaw-dropping home to about a hundred people on Tuesday for a reception for benefactors of the Detroit Zoo’s upcoming Sunset at the Zoo party. Only problem, though, is that Doreen couldn’t be there. But not to worry, while she was off to New York, watching one of her grandchildren graduate from NYU, the group of zoo supporters enjoyed quite a swank little party at her home, in her absence. Co-chairs Joseph Campanelli and Karen Cullen attended along with zoo CEO Ron Kagan. Sunset, presented by Strategic Staffing Solutions, will provide an evening of exquisite cuisine from 45 metro Detroit restaurants, delectable drinks, and live entertainment. “Green is the New Black” is the theme of this year’s event which takes place on June 16.
Chuck Bennett hosts “Chuck’s Closet” every Saturday from 4-5 p.m. on Super Station 910AM. He also is the Fox 2 News Style Ambassador.