Exclusive | Hotspot Crane Club staffing up for new Bar CC, and other items from the column

Monday August 10

BUZZY Meatpacking hot spot Crane Club has snagged Overstory’s Harrison Ginsberg to helm their latest spot, Bar CC, Page Six has learned. “We got this incredible mastermind genius,  the guy behind Overstory and Crown Shy. Really talented mixologist. He uses 100 ingredients for his drinks,” Tao Group’s Noah Tepperberg told Page Six. Bar CC will make its debut in September during New York Fashion Week and “it’s going to be very exclusive. The actual bar is 25 seats, so it’s going to be tight reservations,” Tepperberg said. Bar CC will occupy the shuttered Mel’s Pizzeria. Tepperberg described the space, which was previously The John Dory as “legendary.”  The space will also have a wine room that will accommodate fully private dinners for up to 12 guests.

PULITZER Prize-winning author Wendy Wasserstein’s play “An American Daughter,” is making a bang Off-Broadway with a wobbly prop that went kerplop. During a recent show, Jean Lichty, who stars as the witty play’s main character, went to take a seat on set when the chair unceremoniously collapsed under her, according to a source. “Both Litchy and the audience audibly gasped,” says the playgoer. But the show must go on! We’re told Lichty quickly recovered, and she and her costars—Robert Sean Leonard, Tony Award nominee Montego Glover, and Drama Desk Award winner Ryan Spahn—carried on without missing a beat, earning a standing ovation at the curtain call. The play officially opens on August 11th.

PETER Simel, who went viral for his resemblance to late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, is turning heads in the Hamptons this summer. “People can think what they want, I can’t control what they think,” Simel, better known online as “Palm Beach Pete,” told us at a “Spotlight” magazine party in Southampton. “So I get idiots that think I’m him. . .  I am just a regular guy having a really fun time with this viral moment on the Internet and the absurdity of the Internet.” Instead of hiding from the attention, Simel has turned it into a social media following — particularly among Gen Z. “This 71 year old guy is having a blast,” he said. “The ride has been crazy.” He’s not about to dye his hair or grow a beard. “I’m happy with my look,” he says. Simel told us he has collabs coming up with fellow influencers and he has thrown his hat into the ring for mayor of the Florida enclave in the 2028 race. “Let’s make Palm Beach cool and hip.”

YOU won’t see this billionaire on the Jitney. We hear radio mogul John Catsimatidis was spared the indignity of bumper-to-bumper traffic heading out to the Hamptons thanks to one well-connected friend. We hear precious-metals mogul Andy Sabin dispatched a private helicopter to take the grocery store magnate out East for his annual summer bash at his Amagansett estate. Sabin had legendary Rao’s executive chef Dino Gatto commanding the kitchen at the bash, with those at the fete branding the helicopter “The Rao’s Express.” We’re told Sabin has been bringing Gatto in to cook for his inner circle for over 25 years, making it one of the most coveted culinary traditions on the East End.

A pack of pups greeted guests at animal welfare benefit, Padel for a Purpose, hosted by founder Josh Fox — co-creator and executive producer of CBS’ “Extraordinary World with Jeff Corwin.” We hear Kyle Lutnick, executive vice chairman of Cantor Fitzgerald, made a rare appearance in the DJ booth for a surprise set at the Brady Hunter Foundation’s fundraiser in Bridgehampton. “I was delighted to support the event by dusting off the decks for a brief cameo. Was great to see so many people come together to make a real difference for some truly deserving causes.” Dad, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, was not at the event, but showed his support by promising a generous contribution. Guests at the bash, which raised $250,000, included  “Owning Manhattan” star Jordan March, Caitlin Sinclair, entrepreneur Richie Hosein, DJ Robert Beer, PR executives Adam Weiss and John Arundel, and former UFC standout Al Iaquinta.

Sunday August 9

STACEY Bendet has gone from grind to gratitude and is feeling hotter than ever. The Alice + Olivia designer, 47, has been spending the summer with her best friend, newly single Jenny Mollen, 47, who’s been staying at her Hamptons home. Bendet previously told Page Six that they were having a “fun girl summer,” which she’s been chronicling on Instagram with snaps from boat days, spa sessions and glamorous parties. Now, Bendet says they’re embracing life in their 40s more than ever. “We were just saying today that we are at this point in our 40s where we are so happy with who we are and what we do and where we are in our life,” she told us at Maison Close in Southampton, where she celebrated her “Spotlight” magazine cover. “We were like, ‘You know what? We feel hotter than we did in our 20s.’” For Bendet, getting older has meant finally enjoying the success she spent decades building. “I always had this pressure to build and grow,” the designer, who founded the much beloved brand in 2002 told us. “I knew I had this opportunity in life that wasn’t just given to me. I always worked for everything I had and never took anything for granted.” And while that work ethic hasn’t changed — her perspective has. “Today, I still don’t take things for granted. I take every moment of every day as an opportunity to do better, to make someone feel good, to make a woman feel beautiful,” she said. “I feel like in my 40s, I can appreciate what I’ve built and what I’ve done and allow myself to just have fun nowadays, which I don’t think I did when I was younger.” Bendet said finding fulfillment in her work has been the key. “The advice I give to women all the time is find something you love and make it your work, and you will be happy.” She added that both she and “Influenced” actress Mollen — who recently split from “American Pie,” star Jason Biggs — have reached a place where they’re appreciating the lives they’ve built. “We’ve both sort of gotten there. We’ve had our kids, we’re raising our kids. Every day, I love what I do.” That doesn’t mean Bendet is slowing down. She recently launched her Legends collection celebrating iconic musicians including The Rolling Stones, Guns N’ Roses, Willie Nelson, The Beach Boys and The Who, marking the launch with a Southampton party attended by Brooke Shields and daughters Rowan and Grier Henchy. She’s also deep into preparations for New York Fashion Week, teasing an “Enchanted”-themed Alice + Olivia show. “The show is gonna be really f—ing crazy and cool” she said, promising “over-the-top, maximalist glamour.”

CHARLIE Puth, who just released his first-ever Tiny Desk set, had an intimate dinner party at The Mulberry in SoHo this week, where he was honored by Lucky Brand and Flaunt magazine. The singer-songwriter, who played a free concert at the Z100 Summer Bash at Hudson Yards on Thursday, sat down with guests over bites that included fortune cookies, with attendees cracking open messages telling them to “create your own luck.” Puth then made a beeline for an intimate, bouncer-protected corner of the club, where he held court with a Flaunt higher-ups and other members of his inner circle before quietly slipping out before 9:30 p.m.

GWYNETH Paltrow’s Manhattan Goop takeover continues to spread. The wellness brand opened its third Goop Kitchen in the city on Monday, and this time they’re not just using a ghost kitchen for takeout. Goop’s new Upper East Side location is an actual storefront on East 92nd Street, where diners can walk in, order in person and leave with their meals in hand. Paltrow’s booming takeout eatery is inching closer to becoming a sit-down restaurant, Page Six Hollywood previously reported. Sources revealed Goop Kitchen is opening a restaurant around LaBrea Avenue in LA. They’re keeping details on the pending “good clean food” eatery close to the vest. A rep for the brand said there’s nothing to confirm yet.

LEAVE it to Taylor Swift’s celeb pals to assure the world how much she really cares.  “Adults” star Owen Thiele and Este Haim had a mutual love fest singing the pop star’s praises on an episode of Thiele’s SiriusXM podcast “In Your Dreams.” Haim described their relationship as being so close that Swift is practically her family. “She really is a sister. She’s a sister. Taylor and I have known each other since 2014. I love her more than anything. She’s the best,” she said. Thiele co-signed, describing the “Blank Space” singer as “the best!” “She’s so supportive,” he said. “‘Adults’ comes out. I was scared that no one saw it. I was, you know, whatever. Fully. She’s like, ‘That episode where…’ She’s so locked in and she just cares,” he added. And if there was ever any doubt on Swift caring, Haim doubled down, assuring listeners that Swift “Cares! But also I love that she, like my girl watches everything,” she said. Well, except for maybe “Gossip Girl,” or anything else starring, ahem, ex-friend Blake Lively.

Bravo’s beach-house franchise “Summer House” is setting sail in the Mediterranean for a crossover with fellow fan favorite “Below Deck” — bringing together two of the network’s biggest reality juggernauts in what insiders say will be one of the buzziest trips of the season. Sources tell us the yacht getaway won’t just feature familiar faces Jesse Solomon, Mia Alario, Lindsay Hubbard, Ciara Miller, Carl Radke, Kyle Cooke and Bailey Spinn — all of whom were spotted filming aboard a luxury vessel on Thursday. We’re told there are also additional, as-yet-unannounced cast members joining the voyage, with Bravo keeping their identities tightly under wraps for now.