HughE Dillon: Cheers to Bourbon at the Marriott’s 13

Plus: Who recently got engaged, who's having a baby, and who's changing jobs

Last Thursday, Fred Booker Noe III — the great grandson of Jim Beam — stopped by the Marriott Downtown to kick off the introduction of Maker’s Mark 46 bourbon. This is Maker’s Mark’s first new bourbon in half a century, and the distillery’s first new product in five decades. Noe became the seventh-generation Beam family distiller in 2007 and regularly travels the world to educate consumers.


He went over a few of the recipes with servers; it was probably the first time they were encouraged to drink on the job. Tonight at 13, you can enjoy a few Maker’s Mark 46 special cocktails as the bar participates in Center City District Sips.

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Caitlin Joyce and Christie Honigman recently moved in together in a high-rise Center City apartment.


They held a party to celebrate their new place. More than 50 people came to enjoy treats and drinks in the two-bedroom home. A few of the peeps who stopped by to wish them well included power bigs Jonathan Saidel, David Dinenberg, David Grasso, and neighbor David Maser.


ABOVE: DJ Adrian Hardy, Catherine Sullivan, Dani Gonzalez, Caitlin, and Andres Gutierrez III.


ABOVE: Katie Seiverling, Elisha Rampolla, Laura Powers and Michelle Rossi.


ABOVE: Christy’s parents, Chris and Colleen Honigman, and brother CJ Honigman. I hear CJ has a “4c” tattoo on his chest to represent the family’s first initial. Colleen just celebrated her 50th birthday in Atlantic City with the whole family.

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I recently ran into the newly engaged Kelly Boyd, of KB Consultants, and Dr. Robert Kreb (who practices sports medicine at Pennsylvania Hospital) in Rittenhouse Square as they returned from a dinner at D’Angelo’s.


Kelly tells me that they were running over to see the new windows put in at her client’s restaurant Serafina at 10 Rittenhouse. Recently Kelly and Bob had dinner in NYC with Serafina co-owner Fabio Granato to discuss the November opening of the Philadelphia restaurant. And sitting nearby with friends, was a low-key Stephanie Germanotta — oops, I mean, Lady Gaga.

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ABOVE: Steve Carlino, Dan Bove and WMMR’s Pierre Robert at the closing night party of QFest at the Loews Hotel. TLA head/QFest artistic director Ray Murray tells me that “attendance was up 15% over last year; income was up 8%; and they went from a deficit last year to a surplus this year.” The new festival series Danger After Dark was hugely successful and brought out a very different crowd. Most people I spoke with at the party told me that this was the best festival yet, and they could barely wait for next year. By the way, Carlino and his partner Dennis Fee just bought the bar Uncles at Locust and Camac streets. They currently own Terra restaurant and Tavern On Camac.

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CONGRATULATIONS TO


Brian and Steffi Freedman are expecting a baby girl in December. Also kudos to Brian as he is the new restaurant critic for the Philadelphia Weekly.

Kayce Cashman and Luke Thomas are engaged. Luke popped the question on Sunday, after they both attended the weekend wedding of Michael Petitti and Kristin Laird, asking for her hand in Rittenhouse Square near the Rittenhouse Hotel, where they met at at the Give the Shirt Off Your Back gala last year.

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OUT AND ABOUT

Sabrina Tamburino-Thorne got her exercise on with neighbor Kendra Wilkinson-Baskett last week at Two Liberty gym.

On Saturday, July 31, QVC once again joined forces with the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund (OCRF) to broadcast QVC Presents Super Saturday Live. The two-hour live broadcast featured premier products at HALF the manufacturer’s suggested retail price with net proceeds benefiting the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund. Over the past three years, QVC has donated more than $2.2 million to OCRF. The star-studded event was held in the Hamptons and included: Kelly Ripa, Kim, Kourtney and Khloe Kardashian, Kelly Rutherford, Christie Brinkley, and Rachel Zoe, as well CEO Mike George, host Lisa Robertson and a crew from the West Chester studio.

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MOVING ON
Former Devine & Powers PR peep, then head of her own firm that helped spearhead Philadelphia Fashion Week last year, Kristen Insalaco, leaves August 9th to take a job in the Big Apple.

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Check out my blog PhillyChitChat.com and follow me at Twitter @iPhillyChitChat for my latest adventures.