Photo Credit: Ian Chin for Drew Altizer Photography
Local power couple Victor and Farah Makras have a charming love story that is quintessentially San Franciscan. They met at the opening of Betelnut in 1996 and went on their first date to Union Street Fair followed by dinner at the Balboa Cafe. Twenty-three years later, and it seems as if this type of love story only exists in the movies. Technology and the rise of the dating apps have made meeting in real life virtually impossible. However, Farah and Victor are determined to ensure that all the people they love find love, including Mayor London Breed.
Photo Credit: Devlin Shand for Drew Altizer Photography
Recently they hosted a book party in honor of The Art of the Date, a new publication by Rori Sassoon and Dr. Errol Gluck. Sassoon and Dr. Gluck are the founders of Platinum Poire, a luxe invite-only matchmaking service based in New York. Farah met Sassoon three years ago at Paris Fashion Week, and the two quickly became fast friends. When Makras got wind of Sassoon’s new book, she knew she had to introduce Rori to all of her favorite people in San Francisco.
Photo Credit: Devlin Shand for Drew Altizer Photography
Sonya Molodetskaya, Haute Living’s fashion editor-at-large, was Farah’s co-host for the elegant affair. The party was held in the Makras’ gorgeous waterfront home in the Marina. Entertaining guru Aubrey Brewster helped plan the event and came up with the menu of aphrodisiac-inspired eats like oysters and strawberries dipped in chocolate. Brewster is known for his over-the-top extravagance, and he made sure there was a chocolate fountain! Makras collects Champagne flutes—she has tons, but no two are alike—and guests sipped bubbly from a uniquely designed glass.
“Victor and I have such a strong relationship that our love comes easy for us,” Farah told Haute Living. “Too often, I see people struggling in their relationships, and I sympathize with them. This book conveys a healthy relationship and what creates a loving bond between two people.” Makras couldn’t have put it better: The Art of the Date is an easy read—the book is a conversation between Sassoon and Dr. Gluck. No topic is overlooked; they discuss everything from jealousy to perfume to more complex subjects like why you should never settle and when a relationship transitions from ‘me and you’ to ‘us.’
Photo Credit: Devlin Shand for Drew Altizer Photography
Sassoon signed copies at the event and shared her tips with the fashionable crowd which included some of the Bay Area’s most eligible bachelorettes like Mayor Breed and Paula West. Other notables in attendance were former Mayor Art Agnos and his wife, Sherry Hankins, Carolyn Tyler, Lt. Governor Eleni Kounalakis, and George and Fabiola Gascon.
The Art of the Date is now available on Amazon.
Photo Credit: Devlin Shand for Drew Altizer Photography
Photo Credit: Devlin Shand for Drew Altizer Photography
Photo Credit: Devlin Shand for Drew Altizer Photography
