So I was poised to play elegant and charming hostess this past Monday for a benefit I was hosting for “JAM” at the swanky Dwell95 building on Wall Street.  JAM is a non-profit my father and I started together that brings arts and music education to inner-city kids using social media.

Everything was in place—the champagne and rosé had arrived, the flowers were both stunning and delivered on time, the guest list was safely with the doorman—it was all going according to plan.

Yes, it looked like the night was going to go off without any major fires.  And I was fairly calm…until everything went wrong.

When I say Anne Thornton is an angel, I am not exaggerating in the slightest.  She flew into the kitchen with the grace that had long ago escaped me (probably somewhere between the air condition breaking and realizing the sound system wasn’t working) and truly saved the night.

There Anne was: hand frying 150 little crostinis on the stove top, delegating in broken Spanish to a housekeeper-cum-sous chef, and working off a make-shift cutting board.  She didn’t even pause to complain about the terrible working conditions.  Instead, she continued smiling and in between making a delicious edamame-tahini paste she waxed poetic: “There is never a reason to lose your cool.  After all, there is always a solution.  And darling, when have we never gotten it done?  It always comes together…”

By the way, did I mention Anne is stunning?  The hottest woman ever to grace the kitchen, she is the newest addition to the Food Network.  Her show, Dessert First With Anne Thornton, is scheduled to air this October. With bright blue eyes the size of gold coins and a blonde mane that would make Mufasa blush, Anne is poised to become the next big star of the food world.

I arrived in New York when I was 19 years old with absolutely nothing.  A friendly smile and long legs landed me a gig at the front door of the Waverly Inn, where Anne began her career as a pastry chef.  My first day I was told by the general manager: “You, my dear, are a decorative menu holder.  Now, shhh…” The whole women-are-meant-to-be-seen-and-not-heard thing seemed so antiquated that his comment left me in shock.

Without pause Anne came to my rescue, teeming energy and elegant authority.  Yes, we were in a man’s world (women are outnumbered at the Waverly roughly 30:1), but Anne insisted: “You are always the most powerful woman in the room.  Walk shoulders back, chin up, and don’t ever ever let anyone speak to you like that again.”

I watched in awe at how this woman carried herself.  She was beautiful, yes, but she also demanded the utmost respect.  This is precisely the attitude led Miss Thornton to Hotel Griffou, where her famous salted caramel banana pudding pie won her the attention of the Food Network.

“My life is dream come true. I live in the most amazing city, I cook and write for a living, I have fantastic friends, and now I get to share my “dolce vita” with the world thanks to Food Network. I really couldn’t ask for more!”  She exclaims when I ask her how she feels with a TV show under her belt and a book coming down the pipeline.  I can’t help but smile at my old friend; New York always seems to reward the passionate, the gifted, and the hardworking…

While she’s notorious for statements such as “I’m a more whore.  I want more of everything,” she also sites the Tao Te Ching as one of her major influences.  Anne was the first woman to teach me that life is a rainbow of grays—as she always says, “I live in the tension of the opposites.  And it is just fabulous!”

They say the quickest way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.  Experience has shown that this is absolutely true, so keep your eyes out for Anne when her show goes nationwide this fall.  If you’re to lazy to strap on your apron and pull out the baking sheets, for a limited time Anne is still catering private events.  You can contact her at anne@annethornton.com.

Bon Appétit She is French followers—why not let them eat cake?

~ Lily La Tigresse