Recap of the American Foundation for the Blind 2014 Helen Keller Achievement Awards

My blog was on a little hiatus while I was in Toronto filming ”Four Senses” season 2--long work days with only two days off out of 22 was a bit of a blog buzzkill. But I’m back, baby!My last gastronomical travels took us to Denver, and if we are to follow my trips chronologically, we would land in New York City where I spent a few days mid-June for the 2014 Helen Keller Achievement Awards. But before we get on to the good eats, the purpose for my being in NYC deserves a post itself.Besides receiving the 2014 Helen Keller Personal Achievement Award and joining the ranks of Ray Charles, Patty Duke, Stevie Wonder, and others (who am I kidding—they are still a million times bigger than me), I was most excited to meet Alex Trebek, longtime host of my favorite TV game show of all time, ”Jeopardy!”. I think it’s the geekiness in me, but I just love trivia.Much like Gordon Ramsay and other celeb figures, Alex is quite charming and funny. He was a great emcee for the HKAA, constantly cracking perfectly timed jokes. Perhaps the highlight of my evening, next to actually receiving the award from the visually impaired former Governor of New York, David A. Paterson, was Mr. Trebek complimenting my dress. His exact words: “Whoever picked that dress for you did a good job because you look great.”Not much excites me, but it sort of blew my mind to hear Alex’s voice saying my name and things other than, “The categories are…” or “No, the correct answer is, ‘Who is Mary Queen of Scots?’”Thanks to my cousin, Pauline, who was my date that evening. She hauled ass to downtown Manhattan from the Bronx where she was doing a deposition that day (she’s a lawyer) just to drink a cocktail with and take photos of me. (Did you know Helen Keller’s libation of choice was whiskey with grenadine? They served this in her honor during the reception.) The menu served by the Marriott was healthy and light: spring salad and salmon with veggies. I wish I had more time to persuade Alex into letting me compete on his show in some sort of reality TV stars for charity episode, but he quickly disappeared into the elevators shortly after dinner. All in all, it was a nice and festive event, and I’m grateful to the American Foundation for the Blind for this honor. Visit the AFB website to learn how you can help make a difference in the lives of those living with vision loss just like me.Coming up soon, I’ll take you around NYC for more good eats. Any thoughts on the NYC food scene? Likes or dislikes?