Talk show host and comedienne extraordinaire Ellen DeGeneres attended a private reception held in her honor last Wednesday at Scampo at The Liberty Hotel on Charles Street.
DeGeneres was in Boston promoting the “Ellen” show’s change in time slot to 4 p.m. weekdays on WCVB-TV Channel 5. The show will begin airing at its new time on Aug. 22.
Scampo executive chef Lydia Shire rolled out the red carpet and prepared a special menu for DeGeneres, who is a vegan. Guests enjoyed such delicacies as peasant ravioli, native sugar and butter corn agnolotti with a drizzle of truffle honey, lobster cheddar canapés, tuna tartare, and chilled melon soup cocktail.
DeGeneres thanked Shire for her culinary excellence and posed for photos with the legendary culinary artist.
Channel 5 news anchors Ed Harding and Heather Unruh served as masters of ceremonies for the event. Among the Channel 5 personalities attending the reception were J.C. Monahan, Bianca de la Garza, Susan Wornick, Kim Bookman, Dorothy Krysiuk, and Randy Price.
Boston Mayor Thomas Menino presented a Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins hockey jersey to DeGeneres with her name and the number ‘5’ embroidered on the back. The mayor also proclaimed last Wednesday as “Ellen DeGeneres Day” in the city of Boston.
Bill Fine, vice president and general manager of Channel 5, introduced DeGeneres, who was warmly greeted by the gathering.
DeGeneres, who had taken a duck boat tour of the city before being welcomed by fans at Faneuil Hall Marketplace earlier in the day, said, “I can’t believe the love and support that I felt in the city today. I said to an interviewer that ‘this put it over the edge of my favorite city in America.’ Boston is a gorgeous city. I really love everything about this city.”