A CUT ABOVE
Foodies were in hog heaven as they gathered in Beverly Hills for the annual Taste for a Cure fundraiser. Party planners transformed the ballroom of the Beverly Wilshire Hotel into a sleek, 1920s style supper club. The décor was divine, but food was the real star at this event. When you have co-chair Barbara Fairchild running the show, you know it will be a first class fling.
Barbara, editor in chief of Bon Appetit Magazine, knows a thing or two about the fine art of eating. The gourmet gala was like no other, with top celeb chefs creating a well-defined menu paired with top-notch wines. Lee Hefter headed the all-star line-up for the Wolfgang Puck group along with Ari Rosenson of CUT. Joachim Spichal of Patina, and Nick Kislo and Paul Villa of BOA rounded out the roster.
Guests didn’t waste any time at cocktail hour, snacking on mini Kobe beef corn dogs, truffle goat cheese baklava and curried crab salad served on lotus chips. But the serious savoring was still to come. As they took their seats inside the supper club, food fans tucked into a crab louis cocktail with Armagnac-spiked rosemary and Saint Agur blue cheese dressing, perfectly combined with a fab Far Niente 2006 chard.
Carnivores couldn’t have been happier with the choice cuts coming up next. For the main course they devoured prime rib loin with herb roasted rib cap, red wine-braised cippolini onions and vine-ripened tomato provencal.
FOX entertainment honcho Kevin Reilly received this year’s Gil Nickel Humanitarian Award, and Jimmy Kimmel provided the laughs as emcee. The evening also struck a chord with American Idol fans.
A. I. champ David Cook serenaded the group with a set of acoustic songs including his current single “Time of My Life” as well as Collective Soul’s “The World I Know” and Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer.”
The event raised more than $740,000 for UCLA’s Jonsson Cancer Center.
FREE FOR ALL
A less formal feast was taking place over at 20th Century Fox Studios where 2,000 folks enjoyed the annual extravaganza of the senses. The all-you-can-eat graze-a-thon raises money for the Free Clinic, (now called the Saban Free Clinic) which provides medical and dental services to uninsured and low income workers.
The event has something for every appetite, with more than 40 restaurants and 100 wineries taking part. There were exotic offerings from Buddha’s Belly, tasty prime rib sandwiches from Lawry’s and perfectly prepared pasta from Angelini Osteria, to name a few.
In between bites and sips of Schramsburg champagne, revelers put down bids on a variety of silent auction items and grooved to DJ Scott Silva. Dee-lish!
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