Photo credit: Neshan H. Naltchayan
The Palm celebrated its 40th Anniversary on Tuesday night – a $200-per-person party to benefit Share Our Strength, a charity that combats childhood hunger.
The party was more about Tommy Jacomo though – the front guy who makes or breaks your seating plans.
Sonny Jurgensen and Tommy
The 50 Most Powerful People in D.C.
38. TOMMY JACOMO
Executive Director, The Palm
Mark Shields and James Carville
“Congress may have the power of the purse, but only Jacomo can get you a table at the most powerful lunch spot in Washington. In a town ruled by appearances, that kind of authority won’t just make you a major player; it’ll get you a day named in your honor. (Former mayor Anthony Williams declared November 19, 2002, “Tommy Jacomo Day.”) That puts him in the company of George Washington and Martin Luther King Jr., but Jacomo isn’t so holy that he won’t trade some gossip about his famous clientele.
Tommy and Greta van Susteren
On James Carville: “He’s like a family member in the restaurant. He’ll go from table to table and talk to anyone about anything. I’ve been to the racetrack with him down in Gulfstream Park, too. He’s not a big gambler, though—$10, $20 bets compared to my fifties and hundreds. He always says, ‘Whatever horse Tommy bets, I’ll take all the other ones.’ “
On Grover Norquist (#27): “He always rushes to his booth—table 56—off in the back, on the right-hand side. He takes his watch off and puts it on the table while he’s eating. It’s a little habit he has. I’ve never asked him about it.” GQ MAGAZINE 20007
Happy 40th Anniversary
Tommy in motion:
