From charitable women to all things culinary at my second shindig of the week, held by the third chapter of Disciples Escoffier SA.
This pat on the back for chefs and their foodie friends takes its cue from Auguste Escoffier, the French chef who gave the world dishes from crêpes suzette to melba toast. It was held at Park on 7th in Joburg's Hyde Park Corner shopping centre.
The president of the local wing is Marie Christine Giblot Ducray, who just might possibly be the most famous French madame in the land.
The perky redhead, who founded catering company French Corner, now run by her son Christophe Jouet, was there to welcome us.
This year the theme was "Three Global Legends - Escoffier, Champagne and Mandela's Legacy". It was there that I greeted Leanne Manas, the Morning Live broadcaster, and Susan Greig, wife of jeweller Christopher of Charles Greig fame, an inductee.
Other recipients included Marble restaurant sommelier Wikus Human, event décor king Wally Clack and two Mauritian chefs who are whizzes at whipping up confectionery, Diolle Bertrand and Ted Onno (who also moonlights as a male model).
The Madiba bit came in the form of photographer Mark Peters, who took one of the first published pictures of Mandela walking out of prison 29 years ago and who told us about that, among other vignettes about the icon.
The entertainment highlight was when Phenye Modiane, of the now sadly closed-down Gauteng Opera, joined performing American couple Brandon James, who sings tenor, and his cellist husband James Clark, on stage.
The four-course meal was a gastronomic feast. It included a shoulder of Karoo lamb cooked for 12 hours and potato pavé main and chocolate pistachio mousse with dark-choc crumble dessert. For those like me with shellfish allergies, there was no alternative to the marinated scallops in lemongrass with cauliflower puree and curry infused greens starter.
Oh, and as for who shares a daughter with Yvonne Chaka Chaka's eldest son, as hinted in my previous story?
I can reveal that it's someone who is known for her musical talents, chanteuse Tamara Dey, whose little bub, Lala Bella, has made two appearances in this column already.
"It was never a secret, but it is something which we felt was quite private and had no plans to make any big announcement about," says the singleton mom...