Mario Batali ditched his signature orange Crocs on Thursday.
“It feels a little weird. One day a year, I put on the red shoes,” Batali said from the 42nd floor of the Time Inc. building. “I actually had orange on when I got here and I realized I better switch to my red [Crocs].”
Batali was hosting the RED Supper along with Anthony Bourdain. The dinner kicks off the monthlong Eat RED Save Lives campaign, which gets the food world involved with the organization’s mission of raising awareness and funds for the global fight against AIDS. Arianna Huffington, Miguel, Action Bronson, David Burtka, Jon Batiste and Jonathan Cheban (“He’s a friend of the Kardashians,” offered a publicist) came out for the cause and to nosh on a family-style dinner crafted by 10 notable chefs, including an on-color-theme strawberry desert by Dominique Ansel.
The event was billed as “the world’s most Instagrammable dinner,” a bold claim despite the celeb chef quotient in the room, but sure enough there was plenty of social media activity in the room.
“Turn off your flash,” Batali offered as a tip, which Bourdain also confirmed. “No flash. No people, get right in there,” said the “Parts Unknown” showrunner. “Remember, it’s basically an aggressive act. You’re not sharing. The purpose of an Instagram of food is to make people who see the Instagram feel bad about their food choices.”