Debbie with Eric Muscatell of amfAR

December 1, 2009 was World AIDS Day. On that day, I agreed to match any donation made on my donation page ( http://bit.ly/AIDS1 ). Together, we raised over $500 in one day! Thanks to everyone for your help.

I have been asked many times why I care about HIV/AIDS, and why I devote so much effort to a disease which has never directly touched anyone in my family. It’s just such a horrible disease that 33 million people are dealing with worldwide. In the United States, three times more people die from AIDS each year (including 2009) than all strains of flu combined, including H1N1! But yet, improvements in treatment have made this an almost forgotten disease, even as 2 million people were infected in 2007 alone. In Haiti, one of every three pregnant women has HIV. That’s 33% of the entire future population! My friends at amfAR (The Foundation for AIDS Research) are working hard to help find a cure and put an end to AIDS once and for all.

On April 24, 2010, I am hosting a Benefit Dinner for amfAR in NYC. Please join us! There are only 30 seats, so get your tickets now. Click Here for more info.

And thanks again for caring. - Debbie

Dolce Debbie as Sophia Loren

Who doesn’t love a good party? For me, that’s what I live for, and whereas I love to have themed, festive get-togethers, I decided this year it would be fun to add a little of old Hollywood glamour into the Halloween theme. So, needing to keep it a little macabre, I decided to do a theme on the Hitchcock classic “The Birds”. Easy enough, just find some black crows or any type of black bird, a bird cage, get some white pumpkins and spray paint a couple black...get where I’m headed…black and white. This is truly a case of less is more and nothing screams glamour more than black and white!

September is harvest season in Piemonte. Barolo, the King of Wines is first, and the White Truffle of Alba is the next in line. As usual, the Italians welcome these harvests with festivals!

This year, the festival starts in Vergne, a pictoresque hamlet between Barolo and Narzole, with the FESTA DELL'AMICIZIA E DEL BON VIN (festival of friendship and good wine), from September 3rd to 7th. The program includes dance, music, kites meetings, wine tastings and a photography exhibition. For further information call (+39)017377305 or (+39)3392264982

Next is the Barolo Wine Festival (Festa del Vino Barolo) in the town of Barolo September 11-13, 2009

A couple of month’s ago I was asked by a friend of mine, Chef Gui Alinat to participate in an Itinerant Cookbook Project. Of course I accepted the offer immediately.