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ANDY GARCIA HOSTS RUMBAR GRAND OPENING
August 11, 2007
Watch TV Coverage
Oscar-nominated actor, director, writer, producer and musician Andy Garcia, joined Ritz-Carlton, Key Biscayne General Manager Marco Selva to open the resort’s new RUMBAR in a glamorous, magical night to showcase the vintage Havana/Hemingway style bar with its 52 rums, cachacas and piscos from 18 countries, live music, plush décor and VIP rum lockers.
All proceeds from The Ritz-Carlton “Community Footprints” evening benefited the cure-focused work of the Diabetes Research Institute (DRI) at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and raised more than $23,000 through donations and a silent auction that included luxe items such as Ritz-Carlton hotel stays and conga drums, movie posters, DVDs and a Titleist golf bag autographed by Andy Garcia.
The private, invitation-only event drew more than 350 guests, who mingled with the famous actor, feasted on caviar and passed hors d’oeuvres from waiters dressed in white tuxedo jackets, sipped champagne and complimentary mojitos from a sculpted ice bar and danced to Grupo Nostalgia. Garcia brought down the house when he jammed with the band, playing the piano and congas to a cheering crowd, before leading them like the Pied Piper to watch The Lost City in a ballroom that was transformed to look like a vintage Havana supper club.
“I’d like to introduce two important people that I’m very proud of. My first experience with diabetes was with Gary Kleiman and his family,” Garcia announced to the audience with an arm around his childhood friend who is now the executive director of medical development at the DRI. “My nephew, Anthony Puentes, was also diagnosed with diabetes at an early age,” he continued, expressing his deep regard for the Diabetes Research Institute and its cure-focused mission.
The decadent evening continued with VIPs feasting on gourmet snacks set on each table and enjoying an open bar throughout the film.
Ritz-Carlton, Key Biscayne General Manager Marco Selva, Andy Garcia and the DRI's Gary Kleiman |
DRI Scientific Director Camillo Ricordi, M.D. with his wife, Valerie |
Garcia spoke with Dr. Ricordi about the DRI's life-saving work (with Kleiman at center). |
Throughout the evening, media cameras were rolling! |
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