The Heart of America Foundation

This review is for Heart of America’s annual Sweet Charity event at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel.
First of all, the location was stellar — the Mandarin is a four-​minute walk from the Smithsonian metro, and once you’re inside, it’s pure luxury; the lobby is well-​appointed, full of staff ready to help point you in the right direction; every room and gallery is spacious and elegantly lit, and the lounge areas are chock full of comfortable couches to sink into.
It was a little chaotic getting myself checked in, but afterwards? Heaven. There were several bars serving martinis, wine, beer and cocktails, stations serving desserts of all kinds (parfaits, petit fours, puffs, etc), tables full of curried lamb sliders, braised duck, slow roasted ribs and tuna tartare. There was a chocolate fountain surrounded by strawberries and a Jose Andres kiosk that served liquid nitrogen-​dipped caramel popcorn (you pop it in your mouth, smoke comes out of your nose like a dragon. SO COOL).
I should have learned from Chef’s Best last year to pace myself, but nope. Stuffed silly in 20 minutes. I couldn’t even look at the appetizers served at the after party :(.
As for the main event — a runway show where the models dressed as book-​turned-​movie characters in edible clothing — it was really neat to see how much creativity and time went into the costumes, and having the chefs come out and describe the details was a great touch. The crowd favorite was clearly Cruella De Ville, who strutted alongside a real live dalmation.
My favorite part, I am not ashamed to say, is when they announced the runway winner and two GIANT cannons filled with confetti went off. I would have started twirling around in the resulting shower of color if I hadn’t been holding a wineglass and camera. Once again, SO COOL.
So that was the «sweet» part. As for «charity,» my English major background and love of reading had me applauding HoA’s mission: the proceeds from Sweet Charity go to their Books from the Heart program, which to date has donated over 1.25 million books to kids who need them. Amazing event –and– worthwhile cause? Completely win-​win.