Table sales for Passion Ball had been brisk, with a total of 32 tables sold at $ 2500 while a few generous companies and individuals had forked out $5000 per table. As the dinner guests streamed in, there was a veritable buzz in the air as they sipped champagne and blew air-kisses. Taking centrestage in the ballroom was a blank canvas on which dinner guests could draw using an assortment of colourful paints, symbolising the collaborative effort that is Food from the Heart. Even the Guest-of-Honour for the evening, President S R Nathan, lent a hand by autographing the painting. The final work of art, created jointly by everyone there, was to be auctioned off that very night!

Dinner began with a rousing performance by the percussion band Wicked Aura Barracuda. Their pulsating rhythms got everyone in the mood for fine dining. The evening’s menu was modern European fare, starting with an appetizer of rich caviar parfait, followed by a zesty bell pepper soup, a palate-cleansing grapefruit sorbet and the main course - succulent tenderloin steak with creamy mashed potatoes. The meal was rounded off with a sinful dessert of chocolate mousse and delectable chocolate pralines, heart-shaped of course.

The sale of jam jars was by far the most memorable event of the night. Smartly-dressed children with heart-shaped badges trooped confidently into the ballroom bearing jars. One child came up to me and implored sweetly, “Would you like to buy a jam jar for charity at $100 each?”. Who could resist their charms? At my table alone, six jam jars were sold even though they contained nary a spoonful of jam. But the jars contained other treasures! At the end of the night, they could be exchanged for restaurant vouchers, spa discounts and other surprises.

The other highlight of the evening was the charity auction. It was perfectly timed as everyone was in a convivial mood after all that good food and drink. Anticipation had built up about the sale of some special items, particularly the Mont Blanc pen which had been signed by President Nathan himself. Mrs Christine Laimer, the founder of FFTH, went onstage to make a special appeal for the auction of a holiday in her hometown of Vienna. The holiday package was extremely attractive as accommodation and a guided tour by her best friends had been thrown in. Said Christine laughingly, “We are even putting our friends up for sale.” All of the auction items, which ranged from luxury cruises to a stunning Maurice Lacroix watch and a painting by the children of the charity Child at Street 11 invoked enthusiastic bidding.