Photo : (left to right) BOD President Henry Grunwald QC, The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh and Arieh Wagner. Photo Credit: © D Katz

Tony Blair Addresses Board of Deputies Dinner with Many Notables in Audience

LONDON – Glamour, celebrity, politics and Kosher gourmet dining converged this evening at the Park Lane Hotel, Piccadilly, at the elegant President’s Dinner of the Board of Deputies.

Prime Minister Tony Blair addressed the event with a passionate speech and lavished praise upon the Board and the larger Jewish community. The Prime Minster was accompanied by his wife Cheri.

Over 400 guests were in attendance, including Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, Lord Levy and Lord Janner of Braunstone, foreign ambassadors, and leading personalities in the Jewish community.

"A very strict schedule and tight security measures certainly add to the challenges of organizing such a high profile event", said Arieh Wagner, Managing Director of Silberhorn and Kosher catering consultant to The Park Lane Hotel in London. “I’m very pleased with the dinner, which was executed flawlessly.”

“The event was a unique one for us in the kitchen as well,” added Executive Chef Andrew Bennett. “We developed a special menu for tonight, and we must be very flexible about the service timings, as the arrival time of a Prime Minister can not be communicated precisely. Both the cuisine and the presentation were excellent, which is a credit to our staff.”

The menu included a Salad of Asparagus and Avocado Dressing, followed by Moroccan Supreme of Chicken. A decadent Apple Tart Tatin and Cinnamon Ice Cream with Minted Blueberries added the perfect ending to this elegant evening.

The Park Lane has been honored to serve gourmet Kosher cuisine to royalty and heads of state numerous times. HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, Baroness Margaret Thatcher, President Nelson Mandela and Swedish Prime Minister Goran Person are among the many illustrious people who have enjoyed Kosher dining at the Park Lane.

“The Park Lane Hotel is the perfect venue for high profile events,” Arieh Wagner explains. “We have an unmatched ballroom, many years of experience and an award winning team of professionals.”

For more information about Simchas at The Park Lane Hotel -please call us on: 020-7290 7368 or see: www.sheraton.com/parklane.

Arieh Wagner