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Eric Ripert
Nicholas D. Lowry, the president of Swann Auction Galleries, often starts the bidding with a bottle of Herradura Tequila that might cost $50. He uses it to get the crowd going, and the item fetches far more than it’s worth.
On Tuesday night, Mr. Lowry did a masterly job running the live auction at the annual gala to benefit City Harvest, at Cipriani on 42nd Street; Eric Ripert, the chef and an owner of Le Bernardin, bought the bottle for $1,100.
It was an omen. A half-hour or so later, the dinner for 20 that Mr. Ripert had offered to prepare in the home of the winning bidder, or in the private dining room of Le Bernardin, sold for $200,000. That’s $10,000 per guest — pretty astronomical for a charity auction. (The name of the winner has not been released.)
At last year’s auction, which earned $267,000 total for the charity, Mr. Ripert’s dinner for 12 went for $80,000. Thanks to the generosity of the crowd this year, Tuesday’s auction brought in $376,000. “I feel great about it,” Mr. Ripert said. “I’m happy that the person who bought the dinner believes in City Harvest, and I’m proud to be part of the process.”
As for what dishes he’ll make for the dinner, Mr. Ripert was not sure. “It almost doesn’t matter,” he said. “We’ll do the best we can. And at this price I’m going to include the tips and the wine.”
City Harvest, which was founded 30 years ago, collects unused food from restaurants, caterers , markets and other organizations to distribute to the needy.