During ‘Evening With Oscar,’ They Who Only Stand and Serve Also Ate

Oscar was all over the place Monday night at the Anaheim Marriott, scene of the annual “Evening With Oscar” party staged by the Orange County chapter of the National Assn. of Catering Executives.

He towered over guests as they swept into the hotel over a faux Hollywood Walk of Fame. He stared up at them from programs. A foil-wrapped chocolate version of him held court at 720 table settings. And, of course, the real Oscar was splashed all over the four gigantic silver screens set up in the ballroom.

“ This is the best party in town,” proclaimed Santa Ana’s Eva Schneider, arriving on the arm of husband Fred. “Here, the caterers are serving the caterers. So you get the best service and the best food. We buy a table every year.”

It may well have been the most avant-garde game in town. “This is the night when the caterers come together not only to watch the Academy Awards but to get a glimpse of what’s new in catering,” said co-chairwoman Pam Spinarski, surveying a cooled-to-perfection ballroom arrayed with glittering mylar backdrops and a forest of silver palm trees. “In our business, you have to continually know how to give 100%. That keeps the customer coming back.”

Spinarski, catering director of the Newport Marriott, co-chaired the event with Sunny Saldana, catering director for the Anaheim Marriott.

Proceeds of about $7,000 will be used to finance grants for “universities that have a catering curriculum,” Spinarski said.

Guests arrived to the squeals of hired autograph seekers. “Eeeeeeek! Hold me back!” one yelled at an unsuspecting male guest. “It’s Michael Douglas! I may die!”

After being besieged by the “screamers,” guests were invited to bid on silent auction items and to cast their ballots for Oscar winners.

“ ‘Moonstruck’ should get best picture,” said Alan Trider, movie star-ish with a white silk stole around his neck. “But ‘Fatal Attraction’ was great too.”

“We didn’t speak to each other through the whole movie (‘Fatal Attraction’),” said his wife, Nila, gowned in white silk, shoulders studded with pearls.

Kathryn Sherman, catering director at the Irvine Hilton & Towers, predicted that “The Last Emperor” would get the nod for best flick. “It was wonderful,” she said. “And so is this. I love show biz! The glitz! The glamour! The excitement!”

Especially the excitement. It was everything this crowd could do to down their California chilis stuffed with cheve cheese, their grilled veal chop with truffle sauce and their chocolate “Top Hat Finale,” they were so excited about the Academy Awards.

Every time a favorite loomed on the screens, they cheered. Ecstatically. If they had had their way, Robin Williams, Michael Douglas and Jack Nicholson all would have won in the Best Actor category. And Cher would have shared her honor with Meryl Streep.

But show biz is what the catering biz is all about, according to Peter Gunther, president of the National Assn. of Catering Executives and director of catering for national accounts at the Anaheim Marriott. “A winning caterer is creative and competitive,” he said. “He knows how to give his audience his very best.”

Also on the scene: Bunny and Jeff Pero from Laguna Beach, Elaine and Bill Redfield from Santa Ana, Dolores and Ed Olivarez from Huntington Harbour, and Fifi and Patrick Chao of Irvine.