
Carbone Fine Food and Vanity Fair Celebrated the Power of Dining at the Power-Lunch Mecca
Snagging a reservation at Carbone, the ever in-demand Italian American red-sauce joint that opened in SoHo in 2013, is so difficult that even A-listers frequently canāt get a table. Even with seven locations around the globeāand two upcoming in London and Dubaiāthereās still a finite supply of tables to go around. Luckily, and maybe inevitably, the buying public can now bring the magic home with Carbone Fine Food, a line of 21 jarred sauces, including Spicy Vodka, the sauce used in Spicy Rigatoni Vodka, the restaurantās signature dish.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JUNE 30: A view of appetizers during the Carbone Fine Food Power Party on June 30, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Carbone Fine Food)Bryan Bedder/Getty Images
āWe realized that the brand had gotten to a level of recognition and we were only able to feed so many people in the restaurants, [so] a way for us to reach people across the country would be to give them a little bit of the restaurant at home,ā Mario Carbone, the eateryās namesake and the managing partner of its parent, Major Food Group, told Vanity Fair on Monday night. Carbone was at another of Major Food Groupās marquee restaurants, The Pool, for a Power Party given by Carbone Fine Food and Vanity Fair to celebrate power diners. The venue paired excellently with the theme. The modernist gem designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Philip Johnson inside the Seagram Building was where the term power lunch was coined in 1979, when the venue was the iconic Four Seasons Restaurant. Guests were instructed to wear red in homage to the sauce.
Alongside Carbone Fine Food CEO Eric Skae, Major Food Groupās three managing partnersāCarbone, Rich Torrisi, and Jeff Zalaznickāwelcomed attendees including Tom Francis, who earned a Tony nomination for Sunset Blvd., jewelry designer Meredith Marks of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, content creator Haley Kalil, Tony winner Adrienne Warren, and The Bacheloretteās Tayshia Adams.
Tuxedoed servers dished out Carboneās famed dishes from the buffet, including the Spicy Rigatoni Vodka, Caesar alla ZZ, and Marioās Meatballs, while waiters passed around crab cakes and truffle arancini as guests sipped espresso martinis and Grill Sours.
Carbone said he believes that jarred sauces only add to the brandās cachet. āIf they really like the product, then maybe theyāll make the pilgrimage somewhere to the restaurant someday,ā he said.
And the best way to recreate the Carbone experience at home? Use Carboneās Spotify Supper curated playlist as the eveningās soundtrack. āI would get some candles, I would play some Sinatra, and I would wine and dine either your family, your kids, your loved onesāmake a Carbone night out of it,ā Carbone suggested.
Model Lexi Wood revealed her favorite way to prepare a dish with Carbone Fine Foodās Marinara: āYou have to get some fresh Parmesan cheese in there. I always love to add a little basil leaf on top for fanciness. I always do a penne noodle, get the sauce all up in there. Itās so delicious and so easy. You have Carbone in your house.ā
Gracie Lawrence, the Sex Lives of College Girls actor and singer who received a Tony nomination for playing Connie Francis in the musical Just in Time, was with her brother Clyde Lawrence. āWeāre native New Yorkers, so [Carbone] is an institution, and weāre excited to be here,ā said Gracie, who revealed that sheās touring with her brother as the band Lawrence this October.
Ashe, the singer-songwriter who recently formed the band the Favors with producer Finneas (also known as Billie Eilishās brother), performed a handful of songs for the crowd while dressed in a periwinkle sequined dress. She sang a rendition of Natasha Bedingfieldās 2004 hit āUnwritten,ā telling the audience, āIām just doing the whole chorus until you sing along.ā They joined in, and she added a special treat, a preview of the Favorsā upcoming single about being heartbroken in New York.
Ashe
Michael Loccisano/Getty Images
āFinneas and I started a band, and next Friday, we have a new song out,ā Ashe said. āThis is an interesting setting to do it, but I would love to play you the totally unreleased song. I feel like I can trust you guys, right?ā The singer belted out the lyrics, āThe only truth I know is youā¦ā
The night closed down with waiters passing out Carbone desserts, like the lemon cheesecake and the Italian rainbow cookies that are usually given with the bill.
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