BENVENUTI IN GIARDINO
Each year, the CVLUX Magazine aims to outdo itself, and the annual 2024 Luxury Awards certainly lived up to that expectation. In its eleventh year now, the most luxurious night of the year was brimming with beautiful people, exquisite décor, and flowers galore, not to mention a superb menu and a slew of stunning craft cocktails. This is the night that recognizes all the Central Valley’s favorites. If you weren’t there, this LUX life Issue will teleport you to an Italian garden in the heart of Downtown Fresno. Benvenuti in giardino!
This was the second year the Luxury Awards descended at The Grand 1401, one of Fresno’s most cherished historical landmarks. The divine original architecture of the
first-floor ballroom seamlessly integrated with the party’s Italian theme. Ceiling-high carved columns, intricate banisters, and marble floors formed an exquisite backdrop for the added ornamentation. Fern green velvet and airy white drapes surrounded said interior and hung to the floor, puddling with effortless elegance. Uplighting against them dosed the room in subtle color.
Upon valet entry off Fulton Street, guests turned the corner and strolled beside boxwood hedges along Tuolumne Street to the entrance, where the building’s door is flanked by imposing antique lanterns. Two step-and-repeat backdrops offered attendees more than one opportunity for official photo ops and interviews for this year’s live stream, a first for the Luxury Awards. It could be seen on social media in real-time and later show glimpses of the event in the recap video.
Hand-passed signature cocktails and champagne greeted guests. Once inside, the first of three bars was immediately to the right. A second was centrally located, near the dance floor, opposite the stage. Upstairs, another bar was perfectly positioned to serve those on the mezzanine. Specialty cocktails are always a staple at the Awards, but this year, the bar had six to choose from. The White Linen, North East Girls, Montecito Punch, Dazzling David, and Black Walnut Old Fashioned offered gin, vodka, tequila, and bourdon options throughout the night, while Espresso Martinis were reserved for the After Party.
No Luxury Awards is complete without fantastic florals. Gorgeous green foliage served as bouquet bases and echoed the hedges outside. Shiny leaves of all shapes, sizes, and growth patterns hung in harmony with three arrangement styles: elevated large globes, petite low vases, and nestled within crystal candelabras. Salmon and pale pink petals added just a touch of springtime color. All the florals were designed by Judy Gentile of beloved Fresno florist Lou Gentile’s Flower Basket and were especially enduring given that this was Judy’s last Luxury Awards before retirement this year.
Also on the tables were alternating linens. More fern green velvet, as well as checker pin-tucked and plain ecru satin tablecloths, each made up a third of the tablescape toppers. Matching velvet and satin napkins offset the color scheme, which served as the foundation for glistening silverware and a trio of crystal glasses. Mirrored tabletops made the settings subtly shine, as did votive and tiered white pillar candles in simple cylindrical glass hurricane vases. White plates rimmed with silver foil were an elegant and unfussy base to display the colorful food presented.
The menu consisted of a three-course meal. Out first was a Fig & Goat Cheese Salad consisting of mixed baby greens, fresh figs, and goat cheese, dressed in champagne vinaigrette and topped with house-made croutons. For the second course, guests chose between the Filet Mignon (served with whipped potatoes, charred asparagus, blackberry bordelaise, and tarragon vinaigrette-dressed mustard frisée), Pan-Seared Salmon (atop zesty romesco, grilled squash, roasted fingerling potatoes, honey glazed rainbow carrots, and tarragon vinaigrette-dressed mustard frisée), and Vegetarian Bucatini (in a parmesan cream sauce with asparagus, leeks, crouton crumble, pan-seared trumpet mushroom, and charred Meyer lemon). For dessert, a Lemon Tart wowed the crowd.
All the women on stage were stunning, as always. Emcee Margot Kim of ABC30 hosted the 2024 Luxury Awards. She was assisted by the current local Miss American organization titleholders, which included Miss Clovis Gabriella Ramirez; Miss City of Fresno, Amy Bishop; and Miss Fresno County, Olivia Harden. These damsels escorted the winners to and from the stage during the dinner show and then directed them to the Winner’s Circle, following acceptance speeches, for official photos. DJ Diko maintained the lively mood all night, from the moment guests walked into The Grand 1401 until the After Party finally wrapped up near midnight.
The Luxury Awards may be only one night of the year, but it takes an entire calendar cycle to bring this luxurious evening to life. Nominations were submitted in July 2023. Only the top five in 42 categories made it to this year’s ballot. Voting began in September 2023 and closed in December 2023. Each email address was allowed to vote once, and all emails were authenticated at the end of the voting period. The winners were announced at the 2024 Luxury Awards in March. In 2025, the Awards will return to its original winter weekend date in January. Keep an eye out for further details on what is sure to be another stellar soirée then!
Editorial Director Lauren Barisic
Photographer Ellie Koleen Photography
Event Director Laura Thompson
Event & Set Up Assistant Micshel Kalkowski
Venue The Grand 1401
Catering Sierra Coast Catering
Linens The Linen Shoppe
Rentals Standard Event Rentals
Lighting & Sound CDH Productions
Flowers Lou Gentile’s Flower Basket
Signage AlphaGraphics
Valet Central CA Valet
Stationery Modern Press Paper Studio
Video/Photobooth Root Creative Marketing
Live Stream Hosts & Social Media
Nicole Giordano Ashjian & Alexandra Merritt
DJ Diko Chekian
Ellie Koleen
Photographer
Ellie is a lifestyle, wedding, and brand photographer based in Fresno, California. An artist behind the lens, her trademark airy, light-filled style and masterful camera angles make her work easily recognizable. She uses her love for all things design related as inspiration for her work, and you can find her traveling any opportunity she gets to capture stories for her clients. The Fresno Bee named Ellie Best Photographer for five consecutive years in a row.
