This is a tough time for the restaurant business. While things are looking better and diners are returning to their favorite gastronomic haunts, restaurateurs are often short-staffed and chefs have seen food costs increase while some items have been difficult to obtain, meaning menus often change without warning.
Despite these challenges, chefs and restaurateurs continue to give back to their communities by partnering with nonprofit organizations for culinary fundraisers.
Case in point: Festival of OC Chefs, a foodie fundraiser benefiting KidWorks to be held on Sunday, Oct. 3, from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Newport Beach Country Club.
The event features 25 chefs preparing signature bites al fresco for several hundred hungry patrons who roam the event lawn at the country club while a handful of wineries and spirits purveyors provide liquid refreshments.
At 7 p.m., guests can sample desserts and be seated at tables for the program, when the chef awards are presented to Chef Event Chair Pascal Olhats and Honorary Chef Lindsay Smith-Rosales of Nirvana Grille in Laguna Beach.
The Title Sponsors, Kay Family Foundation and the David A. Pyle Family, will also be recognized.
Following a Fund-A-Need portion at 7:45 p.m., the band Flashback Heart Attack will entertain for dancing until 9 p.m.
And in case you’re wondering, KidWorks has a mission to restore at-risk neighborhoods one life at a time. For nearly three decades, KidWorks has grown into a vibrant community development non-profit that serves central Santa Ana students and families through a fully licensed preschool, after-school programs, tutoring, mentoring, and adult services in the areas of health, parenting classes, and support groups.
Tickets for this event are $500, and at last report the event is sold out—but they do have a wait list. To add your name to the waitlist, please contact Lisa Gels at lisa.gels@kidworksoc.org or (714) 834-9400 x126.
To whet your appetite, here’s a partial list of participating chefs and restaurants: Robert Gomez, A Restaurant; Jacob Davis, Balboa Bay Resort; Victor Soto, Cannery Seafood; Elvis Morales, CdM Restaurant; Linda Johnsen, Filomena’s Italian Kitchen; Rob Wilson, Glasspar; Andy Arndt, Newport Beach Marriott; Adam Navidi, Ocean’s & Earth; Kyung Carroll and Zack Kasmara, Pelican Hill Resort; and Riley Huddleston, the Mayor’s Table.
Visit https://festivalofocchefs.org for more information.
