Chaine des Rotisseurs Reigns in This Forest

What do you say after you say hello? If you’re talking to hotelier Henry Schielein--vice president of the Ritz-Carlton in Dana Point--you beg him to name-drop.

What celebs have done time at the Ritz lately? “Oh, we’ve seen Iman (the stunning fashion model who dates rock star David Bowie), the Ronald Reagans, Rod Stewart, Isaiah Thomas,” said Schielein on Sunday during a dinner staged by the Chaine des Rotisseurs at Hotel Laguna. Not to mention Twiggy, David Letterman and Heather Locklear.

Schielein and his wife, Carol, were among guests at the annual fest for gourmands held at Hotel Laguna, once a playground for Bogie and Bacall (the surfside hotel has a suite named in their honor).

Before he got down to some serious champagne sipping, Schielein had one last name to drop: George Hamilton. The co-star of “The Godfather III” will star at his annual World of Wines celebration at the Ritz the week before Thanksgiving, Schielein said.

Last year, Hotel Laguna owner Claes Andersen staged a luau for the Rotisseurs in the inn’s rose garden. Tiki torches lit the night as guests feasted on roast pig and sipped fine wines.

This year, Andersen decided to go “Brazilian,” he said, “because I have so many Brazilians who work for me. They thought it would be fun.”

So it was back to the rose garden for “A Night in the Rain Forest” at tables decorated with melons carved like Brazilian masks, banana boats and exotic women wearing fruit baskets on their heads.

Water gushing from reed-thin pipes misted the night as guests tossed down Laurent Perrier champagne and then sat down to lobster with coconut milk, pineapple stuffed with white cocoa cream and prune flan with guava sauce.

Ah, the good life. “We’re a good group,” Schielein said. “We come together to enjoy fine food and wine and each other. It’s also a way to inspire young professionals in our business to be creative.”

The checks are in the mail: The New York office of Giorgio Armani is sending checks for $10,000 each to the beneficiaries of Saturday night’s gala opening of Emporio Armani at South Coast Plaza. The grateful recipients are the Newport Harbor Art Museum, Orangewood Children’s Foundation and the Special Olympics. “We feel very lucky to have been able to send our major supporters to a great party at no cost to us and then receive a donation,” says museum spokeswoman Maxine Gaiber.

Brunch with Tiffany’s: Gay Bryant, a patron of the Newport Harbor Art Museum, was honored by museum supporters on Tuesday at a brunch held at the Four Seasons Hotel in Newport Beach. Bryant--daughter of Myford Irvine--helped establish the museum’s consignment shop and has served as president of the museum’s board of trustees. Guests dined on Caesar salad and medallions of beef with whiskey shallot sauce, and ogled jewels created by Tiffany & Co. Among guests were Joan Beall, president of the museum board, and Jo Ellen Qualls, a vice president with Tiffany.

Summit conference: The new Summit House restaurant in Fullerton was the site of a benefit for St. Jude Medical Center’s emergency services center on Friday. Guests enjoyed dinner while they drank in the bistro’s 360-degree view. The event was sponsored by the Siglos Club, established in 1986 to provide financial support for the medical center’s special projects.