IN THE SPRIT
Food fans flocked to the Pacific Design Center for California Spirit’s annual garden party. Locals like Katie Row joined celeb chef Wolfgang Puck for a first-class feast with delicious dishes from his famed eateries. Top chefs from Spago, Cut, Red 7 and Chinois on Main were slicing, dicing, mincing, baking and serving up a storm.
Spago’s gourmet guru Lee Hefter created a tasty combo of fresh Maryland soft shell crab topped with a Chinese black bean glaze and Asian cabbage slaw. Cut’s Ari Rosenson returned with his palate-pleasing prime rib sandwich, garlic saffron aioli and crispy tempura onion rings. For Puck pal Matt MacDonald, it was all about heirlooms. His menu included a yummy tomato soup with roasted red peppers and juicy baby tomatoes with black pepper creme fraiche. Instead of gift bags, Matt sent his friends home with baskets of handpicked heirloom gems.
Other outstanding eateries included Patina with a surf and turf combo of chilled Maine lobster and Colorado rack of lamb lollipops, and Nobu Matsuhisa with its signature spicy tuna rolls.
Some of TV’s most famous faces sampled the fancy food and drink, including “Wheel of Fortune’s” Pat Sajak and leggy letter turner Vanna White as well as “Jeopardy’s” silver fox Alex Trebek. Longtime weather guy Fritz Coleman presided over the live auction, which included a one-week getaway to Kauai, a six-day tour of Slovenia and Dodgers box seats. In keeping with the food and wine theme, there was a tour of Malibu’s Rosenthal Vineyards and even a limited edition bottle of 100-year-old balsamic vinegar.
This year’s honoree was Sony pics prez Steve Mosko who thanked the ACS for its efforts and vowed to make cancer a thing of the past. The delicious event fetched more than $700,000 for the American Cancer Society.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Wolfgang Puck and Barbara Lazaroff are gearing up for another big fundraiser. It’s their American Food and Wine Festival to support Meals on Wheels. The event takes place Sept. 25 on the Universal Studios backlot.
The all out eat-a-thon is celebrating its 28th year and pulls in some of the world’s top culinary masters.
This year’s line-up reads like a Michelin guide with superstars like French Laundry’s Thomas Keller, Osteria Mozza’s Nancy Silverton, ragin’ Cajun Paul Prudhomme, Nobu’s Nobu Matsuhisa and Campanile’s Mark Peel- to name a few. To sweeten the pot, Spago’s dessert diva Sherry Yard will be hosting a pastry party and Champagne lounge. De-lish!
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