Aubrey Brewster’s Rencontre Moi à Paris Birthday Lunch

Aubrey Brewster couldn’t make it to Paris for his annual birthday trip, so he brought Paris to his friends. “We needed this,” he said of the escapist afternoon, two years into the pandemic, that he and his partner, Ed Winger, arranged for 50 friends in a private room-turned-bistro at Neiman Marcus Union Square.

Aubrey Brewster gets a video call during the party from San Francisco Mayor London Breed, traveling in London, England
Barbara Brown, Ricky Serbin, and Mary Beth Shimmon
Karen Clopton and Jerold Osato
Marisa Rodriguez, Sonya Molodetskaya, Vasily Vein, and Rada Katz
Sophie Riser and Natalia Urrutia

Champagne flowed like the river Seine. Crystal chandeliers sparkled overhead. And Jerold Osato’s cardboard replica of La Tour Eiffel, carved with an X-Acto knife, impressed. “Absolument spectaculaire!” declared Look Model Agency founder Marie-Christine Kollock, a native of Paris. Brewster beamed as a traveling Mayor London Breed sent birthday wishes via video call from London, England, and as Rada Katz, a champion of good spirit, made multiple toasts during the 4-course lunch. “He’s a talented master of creating beautiful lunches with a gracious, old-school time schedule,” said clothier Ricky Serbin. “Throw out your watch and relax. You’re Aubrey’s guest and he’s a most generous host.

Victor Makras, Charles Baker III, Willie Brown, Carolyn Tyler, and Dr. Ed Winger
Haig Harris, Clara Shayevich, and Lisa Harris
Lisa Zabelle and Aubrey Brewster
Salad with asparagus and poached egg
A grand table for 50
Birthday cake by Studio Cake of Menlo Park

Photos by Drew Altizer Photography