This article was written by Cindy Young Vanhoutte and originally posted on The Salonniere.

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After six months of querying more than 1,000 in-the-know influencers from Aspen and Charlotte to St. Louis and Washington, D.C., it’s time to raise a glass to the honorees on 2017’s The Salonniere 100, our annual list of America’s 100 best party hosts. From LA’s Jeremiah Brent and Nate Berkus to New York’s Darcy Miller and the duo who brought Diner ên Blanc to Philadelphia, this year’s TS100 honorees represent the nation’s most gracious, creative, and inspiring party hosts and hostesses.

 

TS100 honorees Jeremiah Brent and Nate Berkus of Los Angeles

Proving that great party hosts come from all walks of life, the members of the TS100 run the gamut from writers, educators, photographers, and business leaders to designers, philanthropists, retailers, and community leaders. This year’s list includes an Aspen gallery owner who hosts salons designed to start conversations about politics, power, and activism; a Chicagoan who threw a weekend-long party in June that attracted A-listers from around the globe; numerous philanthropists who have raised millions of dollars for local charities; and a woman in Orlando who ignites friendships by hosting dinner parties with random strangers. Thirty-four of this year’s TS100 also appeared on last year’s list.

“Whether known for hosting casual dinner parties or black-tie fundraisers, the men and women on The Salonniere 100 deserve recognition,” says Carla McDonald, The Salonniere‘s founder and editor in chief. “They invest tremendous time, thought, energy, and money to bring joy and opportunities to others. One can’t overestimate the value of their efforts to our communities.”

TS100 honoree Susan Fales-Hill of New York City

To compile the TS100, we spent six months asking national and local society reporters, cultural figures, and leaders in the arts, business, and non-profit worlds for their confidential input about the people nationwide who host the best parties. Those mentioned most often were then reviewed by a group of national and local social experts and members of The Salonniere’s editorial team to determine the final list of honorees. Professional event planners and experts were considered only in their capacity as hosts in their personal lives.

 

Sisters and TS100 honorees Elisa Summers (second from left) and Heather Washburne (right) of Dallas with Lauren Bush and Reese Witherspoon

“From the dawn of humankind to the salons of 17th century Paris to the gatherings of today, socializing has always played a vital role in the quality and advancement of human life,” says McDonald. “The Salonniere 100 is our way of honoring those who are dedicated to advancing the tradition of using parties to connect people, foster ideas, and promote joy.”

Pour yourself a glass of this aptly named giggle water and join us as we toast the gracious socials who are the cat’s meow of American entertaining.

The Salonniere 100
Honorees are listed alphabetically by first name according to how they were most often nominated, i.e., individually or with someone else, and in the geographic area in which they received the most nominations. If a city is not represented, it is because there was no critical mass in terms of nominees in that city.

Aspen, Colorado
1. Amy Phelan*
2. D.J. Watkins
3. Melissa and Marc Ganzi

Atlanta, Georgia
4. Anne Quatrano and Cliff Harrison*
5. Annette Joseph*
6. Danielle Rollins*

Austin, Texas
7. Bobbi Topfer
* Carla McDonald (while honored to be named to the list, our founder opted to give her “seat” to another guest)
8. Eugene Sepulveda and Steven Tomlinson

Birmingham, Alabama
9. Patricia Murray

Boston, Massachusetts
10. Alli Achtmeyer*
11. Ashley Bernon*
12. Elizabeth Georgantas*
13. Kay Bernon

Charleston, South Carolina
14. Carolyne Roehm
15. Patricia Altschul

Charlotte, North Carolina
16. Sarah Crosland

Charlottesville, Virginia
17. Christy Ford

Chicago, Illinois
18. Alessandra Branca
19. Ikram Goldman*
20. Nina Mariano
21. Tereasa Surratt and David Hernandez

Dallas, Texas
22. Cindy Rachofsky*
23. Elisa and Stephen Summers
24. Gene Jones*
25. Heather and Ray Washburne
26. Kimberly Schlegel Whitman*

Denver, Colorado
27. Tristan Chan

Detroit, Michigan
28. Chuck Bennett*
29. Diane and Tom Schoenith

The Hamptons, New York
30. Ben Watts
31. Julie Macklowe
32. Pam and David Zaslav

Hartford, Connecticut
33. Bunny Williams

Houston, Texas
34. Becca Cason Thrash*
35. Isabel David
36. Lynn Wyatt*
37. Lucinda Loya
38. Phoebe Tudor*

Lexington, Kentucky
39. Jon Carloftis and Dale Fisher

Little Rock, Arkansas
40. Tobi Fairley

Los Angeles, California
41. Eva Chow*
42. Jeremiah Brent and Nate Berkus
43. Jim Berkus
44. Kathryn Ireland
45. Lisa McRee*
46. Lulu Powers*
47. Sue Wong

Miami, Florida
48. Gloria and Emilio Estefan
49. Samantha Boardman and Aby Rosen

Milwaukee, Wisconsin
50. Steven Stolman

Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota

51. Martha “Muffy” MacMillan
52. Nancy and Richard Nicholson

Nashville, Tennessee
53. Genifer and Benjamin Sohr

New Orleans, Louisiana
54. Alexa Pulitzer
55. Julia Reed*
56. Melissa Rufty
57. Sara Ruffin Costello*

New York, New York
58. Andrew Saffir and Daniel Benedict*
59. Anne Hearst and Jay McInerney*
60. Ashley McDermott*
61. Athena Calderone*
62. Charlotte Moss
63. Darcy Miller
64. Dennis Basso*
65. Eddie Ross
66. George Farias*
67. Lela Rose*
68. Lisa and James Cohen
69. Michael Devine
70. Serena Boardman
71. Susan Fales-Hill

Newport, Rhode Island
72. Bettie Bearden Pardee*

Orlando, Florida
73. Dana Marie Roquemore

Palm Beach, Florida
74. Annie Falk*
75. Hilary Geary Ross*
76. Kathryn and Leo Vecellio, Jr.
77. Lorraine and Malcolm Hall

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
78. Natanya DiBona and Kayli Moran

Sacramento, California
79. Mary Gonsalves Kinney and Jason Kinney

San Francisco, California
80. Alexis and Trevor Traina*
81. Ann Getty
82. Anna Weinberg
83. Hillary Thomas
84. Kay and Sandy Walker
85. Ken Fulk*
86. Pamela Joyner*
87. Sloan Barnett
88. Sonya Molodetskaya

Santa Barbara, California
89. Oprah Winfrey

Seattle, Washington
90. Renée and Carl Behnke

St. Louis, Missouri
91. Roy Pfautch
92. Signa and Robert Hermann

Washington, D.C.
93. Aba Kwawu
94. Aniko Gaal Schott
95. Barry Dixon and Will Thomas
96. Francesca Craig
97. Karen and Bill Sonneborn
98. Katherine and David Bradley*
99. Mary and Robert Haft*
100. Sydney “Nini” Johnson

* Denotes those who also appeared on 2016’s TS100.