Celebrating milestone birthdays during the age of Covid is a tricky thing, especially when the birthday boy is celebrity photographer and author (and SocialMiami contributor) Manny Hernandez, who knows everyone and is loved by everyone. And, on top of that, when the birthday boy is turning 50, and is a total germaphobe.

The solution? An intimate, socially distanced surprise party at Melinda’s Miami, the birthday boy’s favorite restaurant. Under the guise of going for birthday cocktails with Melinda’s owner Aramis Lorie, Current Miami creator/producer Aaron Glickman picked Manny up on his birthday, the day after Christmas (talk about luck, right?) and drove him to the Wynwood open-air restaurant/bar, where a coterie of his inner circle awaited to surprise him. A mariachi band followed, a gift from Louie D., Manny’s longtime BFF in Toronto.

The Antoni family – author Brian Antoni, mom Lynette Antoni, and dad Dr. Robert Antoni – surprised Manny with a drive-by celebration, complete with exploding confetti. Manny’s cake was the ultimate tribute – a luscious, dark chocolate cake with coconut cream filling that was a replica of his trusty Nikon camera, created by the exceptionally talented team at Cake Lounge Miami. (Did I mention that this delicious confection was gluten-free and sugar-free, to boot?)

After blowing out the candles, Manny opened his gifts – tequila and Gucci, the perfect combination for an It Boy, if you ask me. For this very special trip around the sun, one very special person was showered with the love, affection and respect he so richly deserves. —Tara Solomon