Red roses, big names and bigger love: Inside Neal Zucker’s legendary 60th

There are parties and then there are Neal Zucker parties, which exist in a rarefied stratosphere all their own.

Start with this: Neal knows everyone who’s anyone. He doesn’t network so much as collect people, the way others collect stamps, carefully, joyfully and across every era of his life. An invitation to one of his and longtime partner Marko Iglendza’s soirées is the social equivalent of winning the Golden Ticket.

Neal’s uber-elegant 60th birthday celebration was held at the elegant Casino, the invitation-only private club tucked inside a historic Art Deco building at 195 E. Delaware. Built in 1914, the space already inspires awe the moment you walk in. But on this night, with master event designer Vince Hart at the helm, it was transformed into paradise.

Valentino-red roses, surely every last one in Illinois, filled gold-plated bookcases, spilled across black-and-silver-draped tables and glowed by candlelight beneath silver candelabra. The ballroom felt lush, dramatic and impossibly romantic. Photos don’t do it justice.

The guest list read like a living, breathing Chicago Who’s Who: Governor JB Pritzker and MK Pritzker, Grant and Joanna DePorter, Linda Johnson Rice with her stunning daughter Alexis, Alpana Singh, attorney Richard Boykin (currently running for Congress in the 7th), Kathy Brock, Les Coney, Charlie Mills (Medline), Beth and Rich Heller, Nate Berkus, Julie Harron, Abby Pucker, Paul Rehder, RJ Melman, Ricky Abt, John Kelly, Alexi and Jo Giannoulias, Jason Friedman, Lou and Monica Canellis, Todd Hatoff, Frank Jeffery, Jennifer and Dr. Joaquin Brieva, Paul R. Iacono, Leslie Hindman, Dia Weil—and so many more familiar faces.

Neal, President and CEO of Corporate Cleaning Services, Chicago’s largest all-union window washing company, and son of legendary sports agent, the late Steve Zucker, has long been a force in the city. Together with Marko, his much-loved partner, they have become powerhouses in elevating Chicago’s nonprofit community.

Love was palpable during the evening’s speeches. Neal took the mic, his voice breaking with emotion as he spoke, much to Marko’s surprise. “I had no idea he was speaking,” Marko later shared. They talked about the people in the room, how each guest represented a meaningful chapter in their lives. Neal’s mother, Shelly, followed with her own heartfelt words, as did Governor Pritzker, sharing stories that were personal and warm. (JB and Neal have been friends since they were young.)

Despite the packed ballroom, the night felt intimate, like a family dinner, if your family happens to include half of Chicago’s most influential and fabulous citizens.

Dinner was, as expected, flawless. Guests indulged in starters of jumbo lump crab cake with Casino vinaigrette, followed by filet mignon with Bordelaise sauce or miso-glazed Chilean seabass, accompanied by Parisian potatoes. Desserts were pure drama: Baked Alaska, Pavlova (the meringue confection named for ballerina Anna Pavlova), and vanilla soufflé. Wines flowed freely and impeccably—Far Niente Chardonnay 2023, Cakebread Sauvignon Blanc 2024, Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 and Flowers Pinot Noir 2023.

Even the details whispered luxury. Black napkins, emblazoned with “NZ60” in gold, reminded you that no element was too small to be considered.

It was one of those nights that lingers, where friends feel like family and laughter and gratitude fill the room—a celebration not just of a milestone birthday, but of a life extraordinarily well lived. (Congrats to Affairs with Linda, who expertly produced this event!)

And then, like all perfect evenings, it ended…and I turned back into a pumpkin.