Society : Once-a-Year Brunch Aids the Red Cross

Never on Sunday--except to benefit the American Red Cross--does the Rex Restaurant in Newport Beach open its doors to the brunch crowd.

And last Sunday, when the beachfront restaurant’s annual benefit for disaster relief rolled around again, it did just that, serving up $9,000 in proceeds as the result.

The event has become a Christmas tradition ever since a similar brunch was staged three years ago during the Red Cross Campaign for African Relief. Proceeds from subsequent events have gone to the charity’s local disaster fund, which provides food, clothing, shelter and other assistance to victims of tragedy.

“We have single-family fires that we respond to all the time,” said Jackie Powell, chairman of volunteers for the Orange County chapter of the Red Cross. “We also help out in major disasters, the most recent being the Cerritos air crash.”

Restaurant owner Rex Chandler, a member of the chapter’s financial committee, recalled a disaster that struck a patron of the previous year’s brunch. “Oddly enough, one of our guests had said, ‘Who needs assistance in Orange County? This is such a wealthy community.’ Two days later his house burned down.”

Attired in red vest and green blazer, Chandler greeted guests, parked cars and at one point even put on an apron to poach eggs for eggs Benedict orders. “He’s doing whatever’s needed,” observed his wife, Susan, hostess for the day.

Like Chandler, vice chairman of volunteers Sharon Paisley dressed for the occasion, gracing her neck with a string of Christmas lights. “Did you see the earrings?” Paisley asked, pointing to the mini-bulbs on her ears.

The restaurant’s 260 guests included Red Cross volunteers, staffers and many of the restaurant’s most frequent patrons. “We picked out the top 100 or 200 from our preferred mailing list,” Susan Chandler said of the invitation list.

Prominent among the preferred patrons was Red Cross financial development chairman Joe Perricone, as in “linguine a la Perricone.” The restaurant named a pasta dish in his honor. Perricone is also a member of Rex’s 21 Club, composed of what Chandler called “the boys” who occupy the center table, original room, at lunch time.

Before so much as touching his fruit cup appetizer Sunday, Perricone revealed that he will become the next recipient of the chapter’s “Orange County Spirit” award. He explained that a past recipient--Anthony Moiso of the Mission Viejo Co.--surprised him with the news at a recent lunch.

“They set me up is what they did. They said they were bringing a large contribution,” Perricone said. “I saw a guy walk in with a camera and thought it was for the contribution.”

Red Cross Executive Director George Chitty said it was “the first time I’ve seen him (Perricone) speechless.”

Also among those relishing eggs Benedict on Sunday were Red Cross chapter chairman Howard Bland, a partner in the Peat Marwick Mitchell & Co. accounting firm; Don Karcher, president of Carl Karcher Enterprises; Linda Gaede, the Irvine clan member for whom Linda Isle was named; produce mogul Sam Ingardia of Ingardia Bros., who donated the eggs, and food broker Joey Genova, who, along with wife, Shirley, invited 30 guests to join him.