“She was great. Everyone LOVED the MUSIC. Really helped ENHANCE the ATMOSPHERE at the party.” – Eddie Emeric, Director of Operations – Specialty Food Association.Thank you Eddie! What else can this female DJ say about the Speciality Food Association’s summer food show, other than it was soooooo FANCY! Last year, I DJ’d the Sofi Awards after party at the Jacob Javit’s Convention Center in NYC. This year? I was so happy to go back and play for over 3,000 guests for the opening night cocktail reception on behalf of EastCoast Entertainment! What makes this show so fancy? 
For starters, it’s hard not to hold a fancy event at the Javit’s center! This breath taking, atrium style venue is made of floor of ceiling glass windows. From the River Pavilion (where the reception was located) the windows allow for a beautiful view of the Hudson River. It’s truly a “state- of- the- art facility”! Learn more about the Javit’s Center.
Next, guests were greeted at the front entrance by a gigantic version of the golden Sofi Award. What is a Sofi? “The Sofi Awards represent culinary creativity across America and around the globe” – The Speciality Food Association. Learn more about the history of Sofi. “A sofi gives a product instant credibility and respect within the industry.” ‒ Brandon Gross, FOODMatch, 2010 Winner.
Once inside, everyone was treated as VIP. Every guest “Walked the Red Carpet”. As a matter of fact, this was one of the longest red carpets I’ve ever seen. My best guess? I would estimate the carpet was 500 ft long, or more! What did guests find at the end of this celebrity style walk? Me! -DeeJay Shelly! It was an amazing experience to be center stage with the Specialty Food Association’s logo behind me and an amazing view of the river and the NYC skyline. I’ll have to say, I believe my red headphones went pretty well with the decor of the event! (Photo to the left of Michelle Lee aka DeeJay Shelly by Tim Roberts. Photo to the right by Bert’s Eye View).
Although the the stage and my four speaker DJ set up was at the end, the center provided speakers aligned down the red carpet walkway to ensure everyone was enjoying the music! Another reason this show was so fancy – the playlist! This is one of my favorite events to DJ because I get to play international music! Guests who attend the food shows come from all over the world. Every year, the Speciality Food Association also has a partner country. This year’s partner is Tunisia! Learn more about the Summer Fancy Food Show and this year’s partner country, Tunisia.
Did I play music from Tunisia? Of course I did! My goal for every event is to make all of the guests feel welcome and special. I was so happy when one of the Tunisian guests came up to me with a big smile and said, “You are playing music from my country!” What else was
on my global playlist? During the two hour event, I tried to incorporate music artists from as many different countries as I could including, America, Morocco, Puerto Rico, Tunisia, Greece, Sweden, Scotland, Norway, Colombia, and Britain. (The Tunisian music I played was by pop artist, Latifa. The song is titled, “Khalleouni, Khalleouni.”)
During the event, I even had the chance to take a virtual reality tour of Ecuador!!! SUPER COOL! Javier Molina of Villa Kuyaya was there giving virtual tours of the company’s organic dark chocolate farms. It was beyond amazing!
The last reason this event is soooo fancy? The people! The leaders of the Specialty Food Association are so nice and wonderful to work with on these events. They really know how to set the tone for a great party! Not to mention, all of the amazing people who attended from many different countries! I was so happy to meet people from all over the world who gave me a warm welcome! If you love food, the Summer & Winter Fancy Food Shows are events you won’t want to miss! – Michelle Lee (aka DeeJay Shelly).
For regular updates on my events you can visit the Sounds By Shelly Facebook page and Sounds By Shelly YouTube Channel. Would you like to come to my events with me live? Join Sounds By Shelly on PERISCOPE! I hope to see you there!
A HUGE THANK YOU to Bert’s Eye View and Tim Roberts for capturing great photos and video footage for us – video coming soon! Thank you to DJ Joey for helping with our four speaker and DJ equipment set up! It was an awesome day for the team!
Photo Gallery By Bert’s Eye View
Photo Gallery By Tim Roberts