Several hundred dog lovers and local philanthropists gathered at the Festival of Arts grounds in Laguna Beach September 22 for the third annual Chef Masters event benefiting Unconditional Senior and Special Dog Rescue.
More than 60 chefs, wineries and product sponsors participated in this culinary extravaganza. Guests enjoyed a sumptuous two-hour food and wine reception including local favorites Balboa Bay Resort & Club, Cannery Seafood of the Pacific, C’est La Vie, Hotel Laguna, Marriott Newport Beach, Nirvana Kirchen & Pantry, Pacific Club Newport Beach, Pascal Olhats, Pendry Newport Beach & SET, Renaissance Newport Beach, Salt Creek Grille, SHOR, Splashes at Surf & Sand Resort, and Tango Laguna Beach.
The evening featured the announcement of a generous $100,000 donation from Maria A. Cadigan and the donation of a complete solar system for Unconditional Rescue donated by Matthew and Carol McCullough.
Guests wrapped up the evening with a dance party led by Flashback Heart Attack.
Unconditional, a Laguna Beach-based nonprofit founded by Amy and Julian Mack, is currently building an 8,000 sq. ft. rescue and adoption center for senior and special needs dogs, due to open in 2025.
The couple recently opened Rise Pet Health, a technologically advanced emergency and specialty veterinary hospital located in Laguna Hills. Profits from Rise go toward providing free care to the dogs at Unconditional, thereby ensuring the financial sustainability of the nonprofit by eliminating around half of the operating costs of the rescue.
The Macks are also the proud parents of four senior and special dogs, and are committed to helping this very undeserved but deserving group of pups through these bold initiatives.
Senior and special dogs are the fastest growing shelter population and are the most at-risk group. While there are approximately 14,000 animal rescue organizations in the United States, only about 40 have missions focused on senior or special needs dogs – the animals who arguably need help the most. Unconditional’s mission is to provide a proven, scalable solution to create transformative change in the lives of these dogs.
For more information, visit https://www.unconditionalrescue.org.
