Food for Thought

(NEW YORK) Last night's Food Bank for New York City's 25th-annual Can-Do Awards dinner raised nearly $1 million for the fight against hunger. No wonder the honorees had appetites on the mind.  "Cooking is my not-so secret obsession," confessed honoree Gwyneth Paltrow, who sat next to her mother, Blythe Danner. "I happily get my apron out whenever I can. And spending so much time with Mario [Batali] in Spain automatically motivates you to the fullest!"

Batali confirmed his friend's passion for the kitchen. "Chris [Martin] bought Gwyneth cooking lessons from me as holiday present," the chef recalled. "When I went over [to her home], she basically didn't need me at all!" Nearly a thousand guests dined on zucchini tartes and orange glazed chicken at Abigail Kirsch's Pier Sixty at Chelsea Piers, including Christy Turlington and Ed Burns, Petra Nemcova, Andrew Saffir and Daniel Benedict, Rachael Ray, Stephen Colbert, and Mick Rock.

Award recipient Helena Christensen was also squired by family. "My wonderful mother is here, who taught me how to cook," the supermodel shared. "When she's in New York she's happy to spoil me!" Mom Elsa couldn't have been prouder. "People don't believe me that Helena has a healthy appetite," she shared.  "But she loves everything Peruvian, and so does my grandson. She deserves to have some nice plates at her table--she's getting an award tonight, after all!"

Isaac Mizrahi shared a provocative hypothesis. "Someone who actually has a figure like Linda Evangelista eats like a bird," the designer smiled, "but really, really skinny ones like Shalom Harlow eat like hungry truck drivers!" Jill Hennessy confessed her love of gastronomy, but attempts at home cooking can be stressful. "I cook at a lot of Italian stuff like meats and vegetables, but my struggle is that my husband [Paolo Mastropietro] is an Italian chef," offered the actress, who sang later on in the evening. "I have a tough act to follow!"

But fundraising was the real passion. Paltrow donated $70,000 out of her own pocket to support the cause. "I've been telling everyone that sitting here, waiting for our food and wine, we're removed from harsh reality a bit," explained the actress. " I hope the money raised tonight makes a difference, because we're phenomenally lucky. Food Bank is worth a lot more than the next shopping spree!"
VALENTINE UHOVSKI