Hyatt Century City Hosts Silver Spoon’s Dog And Baby Buffet

This year, the Hyatt Century City hosted the 4th Annual Silver Spoon Dog & Baby Buffet featuring the latest in luxury baby and doggy products and services.  Such celebrities as Tori Spelling, Shar Jackson, Jason Priestly, Samantha Harris (co-host Dancing With The Stars), Beverly Mitchell (7th Heaven), Marissa Winokur (Dancing With the Stars) and Karina Smirnioff (Dancing With the Stars) fancied the hippest place to learn about ultra-chic baby products all wrapped in one exclusive venue. 

Melissa Lemer and Lorena Bendinskas, founders of The Silver Spoon, have grasped the concept of showcasing to celebrities and hand-picks each product and service for every special event. Silver Spoon is known in the industry for their unique approach to hosting events including production, guest list, DJ, location, celebrity attendance, event press, and sponsorships. These two business-women know what it takes to organize successful events such as this one! Visit their site here:The Silver Spoon Entertainment Marketing.

Excitingly, this event witnessed a 90210 reunion with Tori Spelling and Ian Ziering where Tori introduced her son Liam to his Uncle Ian for the first time.  Ian lit up when he saw the two of them and ran over to Tori giving her a big hug and congratulating her on her next baby.  They spent some time catching up and discussing some of the favorable healthy snacks such as Nola Ice treats.

Other hot celebs seen table-hopping and being gifted were Jewel and John O’Hurley who were busy perusing designer high-chair covers, burp cloths, infant carriers, travel blankets, men’s diaper bags, even exclusive Swarovski crystal embellished pacifiers.  Not only did the event cater to babies but celebrity pups as well.  Everything from doggie tees to jerky treats to jeweled collars were available at the buffet.

Some of the hand selected vendors that were featured this year included: Boogie Wipes saline nose wipes for kids; The Baby Planners pregnancy planning services; Boon Inc’s innovative children’s products; Fierce Hugs organic baby clothing; GaGa Gourmet all natural baby food; Lucky Kid and Lucky Hound; MetroMamma; Munchkine-Pet designer and manufacturer of modern infant and toddler products; online to a virtual world where you can play with Rescue Pets; Spoiled Mama maternity beauty products; Sportz Dawgz sports oriented dog toys; and Classic Kids Photography specializing in family and dog photography.

One of the biggest attractions this year was the doggie treats and snacks made by Homemade Doggy Dinners. The guests and pooches could not get enough of these yummy treats and all huddled around the displays discussing their favorite flavors. Ian Ziering’s dog Sparky and Jennifer Morrison’s (House MD) Malti-Shu puppy Ava “couldn’t get enough of the Chicken Jerky treats”. Scott Baio agreed with Ian and added that the “Sweet Paw-tato Chips tasted so good” and threw one into his mouth.  Susie Castillo and Beverly Mitchell commented on what a great company Homemade Doggy Dinner was. Dogs seemed to respond so well to these flavorful delights, the Homemade Dinners saved Shar Jackson’s yorkie who was hospitalized for not eating.  “The Doggy Dinners were exactly what I needed”.

Another great thing about this dog and baby gifting suite is it really lets Mompreneurs showcase their creative ideas that have now turned into a booming business. One such Mompreneur in attendance was Vanessa Stricklin, Founder and CEO of Little d, a flourishing baby line that specializes in the Traveling Tot “offering high-end, yet practical travel products for infants and toddlers”.  Such items range from a travel accessory bag, toddler sleeping bag, travel pets, floor mats to the ever-needed Metamorphosis All Terrain Stroller that comes equipped with a portable I-Pod speaker System, DVD Package and lighting package.  Now what more could you need on your beautiful stroll through the hills of Hollywood!

Vanessa not only started this company due to the lack of resources there were for on-the-go Moms, but as an inspiration to other women in realizing their goals of starting their own businesses.   “I want women to understand that business is not just for the big boys anymore. We have unique skills to bring to the table to create solid and sustainable companies and to be true contributors to our society on so many levels.” You can find more about Little d products on her website: www.LittleDBaby.com

Many of the vendors came prepared to showcase their latest spring items, but not only were there great baby and dog products, many service providers were on hand.  One such local company that had a bustling booth was Classic Kids Photography.  Located in Santa Monica, Classic Kids Photography is known for their unique black and white photos.  Their artwork has been considered "breathtaking".  The photos aren’t what set this company apart form others, it’s their fun, relaxed atmosphere that encourage children to enjoy their session.  Some parents who have got to be a part of this wonderful experience said that they couldn’t get their kids out of the place.  So if you ever thought there wouldn’t be a day you could get your 2-year old child to sit still long enough for a photo, try Classic Kids Photography and let them snap away!

But these business-minded self-starters aren’t just found in LA, they can hail all the way from Israel, like designer Hagit Neeman-Gorni, mother of three.  Her couture diaper bags, Gittabags were such a hit at the event that Tori, Drew and Marissa had to scoop one up for themselves.

Attracting so much attention and causing quite a stir, people were raving about Gittabags!  Tori’s husband Dean was heard exclaiming, “Man this is an awesome Manny Bag!  I wish I had this when Liam was born”.  And I’m sure Drew Lachey was thrilled about the new daddy diaper bags because he said, “I always end up carrying my wife’s pink and purple diaper bag, I am VERY happy to have a Manny Diaper Bag!” Samantha Harris stopped by the Gitta display and liked the new bags so much she switched her old diaper bag with a new Gitta bag right there and threw the old one away.  As Karina Smirnioff stopped by the display, she was overheard saying “I’m not a mom yet but you never know, maybe one day me and Mario will have one!”

Not only specializing in diaper bags, Gittabags also produces accessories such as wipe and diaper pouches, changing pads and satchels with rubber straps that buckle securely onto strollers.  Please visit www.gittabags.com for more information or contact Michelle Shiloni: michelle@gittabags.com or Orit Sharon: orit@gittabags.com

Another hot item on the must-have list for Moms this year was the MetroWrap. Made by MetroMamma, the Metro Wrap is the most secure and comfortable baby carrier on the market.  It singles itself out for having such a unique, new age baby wrap design that incorporates the “age-old baby sling technique for carrying your child with the fashion demands of today’s world”. Jodi Sweetin tried on a MetroWrap and modeled a doll in it explaining that People Magazine had an exclusive on the first photos of her baby.  She took home a CAMO Dragon MetroWrap and 2 MetroBebe Onesies (Angels Wings and Crown) while Busy Philipps came to the booth and requested a Seattle Sage Peace MetroWrap and a MetroBebe Onesie Skull exclaiming “This is supercute!” Marissa Winokur and Beverly Mitchell both have the same taste in slings and each picked up a Manhattan MetroWrap, one in Black Crown, one in Black Angel.

These Moms weren’t only checking out items for themselves, they were picking up  gifts for their friends just like Shar Jackson did for Britney. Selecting some really cute clothes for Sean and Sutton from Lucky Kid saying “They are going to look so cute in these!”  Lucky Kid clothing has become very popular because of its little indie rock flair it brings. Just ask Scott Baio who picked up a handful of Lucky Kid items for their new daughter.  “Being a Dad is the best thing in the world,” said Scott, who sure proved it with the interest he and his wife showed while picking out the very best items for their family.   

The event carried so many great baby items, that even first time moms like Marissa Winokur was busy going from booth to booth trying to get up to speed about some of the necessary items she would be needing for her expecting son and finally settled on Boogie Wipes, Smart Mom Teething Bling and Spoiled Mama beauty products. While taking a much needed break from Dancing With the Stars, both Marissa and dance partner Tony discussed baby products giving her advice on how to use them since he is already a Dad himself. The best advice of the day he did give to Marissa was “Patience”.

Ok, so we’ve told you about the goodies, and we let you in on a few of the celebrities that stopped by, but what else did this eventful 2 days spawn? Charitable causes – something that we know all celebrities will venture out to support.

The Dog & Baby Buffet benefited The Center for Discovery, a non-profit dedicated to the needs of people with disabilities and their affected family members. The center also provides a full range of educational, clinical residential and health services to hundreds of children and adults with significant disabilities and medical frailties, as well as those with Autism Spectrum Disorders. www.thecenterfordiscovery.org

And in honoring our lovable pets, LA’s Amanda Foundation, an organization that works to save dogs’ lives and place strays in homes was on-sight hoping to find some caring families.  The Amanda Foundation has over the years steadily boosted adoptions and found new families for older and special needs pets. If you’re looking to place your pet for adoption, the service is free. You can call Rachael at                     310.278.2935         . www.amandafoundation.org

Hope to see you next year!