Breakfast at Tiffany’s with South African Style
Sheryl Westerman planned for months to create a themed brunch, for which she is well known.
After 37 years with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and now with the AJT, , Jaffe’s focus is lifestyle, art, dining, fashion, and community events with emphasis on Jewish movers and shakers.
Nutritionist and cookbook author Sheryl Westerman lets her creativity flow to plan and execute lively parties for “her best girlfriends.”
This year, 28 classy gals showed up on Aug. 3 in their fanciest pearls, diamond tiaras, little black dresses, chignon hair twists, and elongated cigarette holders to channel their best Audrey “Hepburn-owitzes” as the ingénue high class “call girl” in the 1961 movie, “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.”
Sheryl said, “Every year, I think of a theme and go with it. I have done a party ‘let’s make lemonade out of lemons’ where everything was served in lemon dishes. Then, there was my Valentine party. So much great décor! I want to create special memories for my amazing girlfriends. Now they want a theme party every year. I enjoy just having the girls!”
Sheryl began with about four months of preparation. She knew she wanted to only use the famous Tiffany blue and white from the eponymous store which she visited, especially trying to recreate their flagship store in New York where they also have a restaurant. Thus, the Westerman home had model mannequin busts on with jewelry on display, while everything was draped in “Tiffany” blue and white.
The menu, which Westerman deemed “elegant,” was a mega-sized charcuterie board, English party sandwiches (no crust on the bread — filled with smoked salmon and cream cheese, grated cheddar and tomato and basil, mayonnaise, cucumber and cream cheese), egg frittatas, mushroom and asparagus quiche, tossed green salad, fruit platter with fresh mangoes, pineapple leeches, coconut, and kiwi, an assortment of South African candies and a cinnamon bun cake, English scones, clotted cream and assorted jams, cheesecake, champagne and orange juice, assorted teas, coffee, and honey tea sticks.
Guest and retired caterer extraordinaire Sandra Bank prepared the scones, while her sister-in-law, Janice Bank, made the sandwiches. Sandra related, “Everyone shows up for Sheryl because she shows up for everyone as a kind and caring friend. For the party, she put her husband to work with setting up; and she must have gone to Amazon and Home Goods weeks before to coordinate the details down to the bathroom hand towels. She is very proud of her home and magnificent manicured garden.”
One of the handful of non-South African guests, Suzanne Eisenberg, said, “It was lots of fun. Sheryl outdid herself with the décor. There were Tiffany boxes and bags, and pictures of Audrey used throughout. Tiffany-style necklaces were displayed strategically. Champagne and Aperol spritzers were flowing. Each ‘Audrey’ was sent home with a party favor!”
Blonde “Audrey” Lana Imerman stated, “It was a fabulous ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’-themed brunch. We enjoyed Sheryl’s impeccable décor with fastidious attention to detail. She has the knack of creating an innate sense of community, bringing everyone together in such a warm manner. This was a much-anticipated event, and it certainly met everyone’s high expectations.”
Looking back, Sheryl thought it all went well, “Everyone left with small Tiffany box gift, and I put a blue tweezer in each box. Everyone dressed up and made a huge effort. It created a lot of excitement and good atmosphere.”
Hats off to Westerman whose infectious joy is “wider than a mile” — from “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” famous song, “Moon River.”
Breakfast at Tiffany’s To-Go Box
Before attending, guests were told to watch the movie to play for prizes as Sheryl posed questions. Here is a sampling:
1. Who was initially supposed to play the main female character? Marilyn Monroe
2. Who was the leading male actor? George Peppard
3. How much money did Holly Golightly get when she went “to the powder room”? $50
4. What gift did Holly give Paul? A typewriter ribbon
5. What did Paul give Holly from Tiffany’s? A ring from a crackerjack box (he could only afford $10 so Tiffany engraved the ring)
6. How old was Audrey Hepburn when the movie was shot? 31
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