FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM JUNE 3, 2021 • BUZZ • THE QUEENS COURIER 67
Victoria’s
SECRETS
Victoria
SCHNEPSYUNIS
vschneps@gmail.com
tweet me @vschneps
So what if it rained?
The long Memorial Day
weekend began with a
bang before turning into
two days of rain — but nothing
stopped my joy!
Dan’s Papers launched the
summer season with a party at
Capri Hotel in Southampton
under crystal clear blue skies and
warm weather. Th e joy of not
wearing masks — for those who
are fully vaccinated — in the
spacious outdoor facility seemed
contagious. So many people
were happy to be out aft er our
forced COVID-19 containment.
With a huge smile, powerhouse
Julie Ratner told me,
“Vicki this is my fi rst party in
a year-and-a-half. I’m so happy
to be here! Th anks for hosting
this!”
The celebration was
my chance to thank
our advertisers for the
record-breaking 350-page
editions of Dan’s Papers
and Behind the Hedges,
our new “breakout” real
estate supplement. It was
also an opportunity to pay
tribute to my award winning
team of writers and
professional associate publishers
for helping clients
grow their businesses.
I felt the fl ow of good
will in the crowd as
Southampton Town
Supervisor Jay Schneiderman
and Southampton Village
Mayor Jesse Warren greeted
the crowd. Upper East Side
Assemblywoman Rebecca
Seawright and her brilliant husband
Jay Hershenson, the vice
president of Queens College,
also added their well wishes.
What a night!
From our party I was invited
to the Blu Mar Hamptons
restaurant to help Zach Erdem
celebrate his new club Buddha
Bar. He is also the owner of 75
Main, just down the block.
What a way to end the night!
Th en came the rain!
But I wouldn’t let it
damper my joy because
bursting into my house
was my beloved
son, daughter
in-law and
three grandchildren.
What energy
they brought to
my home that had
been bereft of guests! They
now felt safe enough to visit and
the lid of loneliness was lift ed
as I squeezed them with all my
might!
Th e rain didn’t stop us from
going to town and visiting our
favorite store in Westhampton:
SHOCK. Elyse Richman, a
decadeslong businesswoman in
town, runs SHOCK (a women’s
clothing store), Baby Shock (a
children’s clothing store), Toy
Shock (a toy store) and Shock
Ice Cream (a destination ice
cream parlor), all on Main Street
in Westhampton Beach.
Needless to say, the ice cream
shop, which also off ers toys, was
the No. 1 destination for my
grandchildren! Each of them
knew they could get one toy.
Negotiations began quickly, with
5-year-old Sloane asking, “Can’t
I have two? I love this one, too,”
with her big eyes in a begging
position. I folded. What fun to
see her be a negotiator at such a
tender, young age.
Aft er many minutes of “critical”
decisions, all three left the
toy store with wide smiles as we
made our way toward the ice
cream store.
Th ere, they were all very decisive
— Sloane asked for a Dippin’
Dots ice cream cup, Hudson
(now 8 years old and getting
ready for his fi rst year at sleepaway
camp) immediately said,
“I’d like a cookies n’
cream cup, please,” and 9-yearold
Addy wanted a vanilla swirl
cone. And I asked for my
favorite: chocolate ice cream
with mounds of
whipped cream!
We ate it
together inside
to avoid the rain.
Th en, with the
rain calming down
to a drizzle, we all
went back to the
house and the kids
changed into their
bathing suits and
jumped into the
heated pool.
I love to swim, but
it was too cold for
me, even if the water
was heated! But the kids must
have a diff erent thermometer in
their body, because they lasted
an hour before they called for
the towels laughing all the way
to the shower.
Th e next rainy day was similar
to the previous one, but we
decided to have an early dinner
at one of my favorite restaurants:
Union Burger Bar in
Southampton, owned by talented
and innovative Ian
Duke.
We chose to go there
because the kids are
not yet vaccinated
and the restaurant
has “protected”
outdoor seating with
heat lamps in the ceiling.
My daughter
Elizabeth joined us
to take Addy home.
My favorite dish at
the terrifi c eatery is the
turkey burger served with
delicious and crispy sweet
potato French fries. We also
indulged in their delectable guacamole,
which was paired with
the crispiest crackers, as well as
carrots and celery. We also tried
some of their crunchy chicken
wings!
But the pièce de résistance
is their desserts. We screeched
when Addy’s strawberry fl oat
topped with a surprise mound of
blue cotton candy and an enormous
lollipop on a stick with
colored sprinkles around the lip
of the glass arrived at the table.
What a treat!
One night, I had a “grownup”
dinner with my new
best friend, the marketing
guru Mitchell Modell .
He invited me to dinner
with his two friends
to Le Bilboquet Sag
Harbor. Little did
I know, it’s a celebrity
magnet that Donna
Karan oft en frequents.
But the night I was
there, we entered the “holy
grail” of celebrities by literally
bumping into “Foodgod,”
who was previously known
as Jonathan Cheban and has
a close friendship with Kim
Kardashian. Aft er taking a few
photos on our phones, we waited
at the large, circular light
wood toned bar for our table.
As I shift ed into my seat, two
seats away was the immensely
talented renowned architectural
landscaper Frederico Azevedo
and his husband Alex Cohen.
It was so dear of them to
introduce me to their friend,
who is opening a Ferragamo
store in Montauk.
Designer pop-up stores can
be seen now on the East End
with a Christian Louboutin
in Southampton, Gucci in
Easthampton and now
another Ferragamo in
Montauk!
But back to dinner. Yes, the
food was good. But “the scene”
was better.
As we were leaving the
restaurant, Mitch recognized
Jill Zarin, formerly of “Real
Housewives of New York
City” fame, who recently lost
her beloved husband. And then
appeared respected CBS News
Anchor Chris Wragge.
Th at place was buzzing!
What a way to end the weekend!
It was great spending time with
my family at my home over
Memorial Day weekend!
Jill Zarin, Mitch
Modell and
Chris Wragge
Mitch Modell, PoliticsNY’s
Skye Ostreicher and
Foodgod
Master of Ceremony
Todd Shapiro with Eric
Lerner at our party.
The remarkable flfl oat at
Union Burger Bar.
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