Stars Play Chefs at Diabetes Benefit

Sports and television celebrities joined forces with local members of the business community Sunday to whip up an Italian brunch for 200 at Prego Ristorante in Irvine.

The $75-per-person event--which raised about $20,000--was held to support the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation.

Minding the Stove

Celebrities worked in shifts preparing pastas and pizza in the crowded Prego kitchen. Some strolled among the guests, pouring wine and waiting tables. Occasionally they warbled their way through authentic Italian songs they had rehearsed for the occasion.

“None of them know what they’re doing,” joked Barbra Marches, brunch co-chairwoman.

Chef Don Andersen, executive director of the Orange County Sports Assn., walked around refilling guests’ glasses from a bottle of red wine in one hand, a bottle of white wine in the other.

“That’s unskilled labor,” said Andersen, pointing to the chefs laboring in the kitchen. “Pouring wine with either hand takes a little talent.”

After his stint in the kitchen, Newport Beach plastic surgeon Nikolas Chugay decided he preferred the operating room.

“With that furnace, it’s a lot warmer than in the surgery room,” he said.

Slaving over a hot stove was a definite change of pace for Gary Sarna, who is more comfortable renting heavy construction equipment.

“I’m supposed to be cooking pizza--but I don’t know how,” he confessed.

That’s Italian

Sampling the food, one would never have suspected it was the work of amateurs. Chefs served up a gourmet pizza with a cracker-thin crust for an appetizer. Then guests filled their plates from a buffet of pastas and antipastos, seafood, rolled eggplant, prosciutto-wrapped bread sticks, Italian sausage, grilled marinated chicken, pork loin roast and other Italian delicacies.

For dessert, Prego had prepared “the biggest tiramisu in the world,” said Kitty Leslie, co-chairwoman of the brunch. The chocolate-and-coffee-flavored confection took up an entire table.

Among the guest chefs who already knew something about fine cooking were Jean Pierre Lemanissier, chef of Antoine at the Le Meridien Hotel and restaurateurs Hans Prager of the Ritz and Tim Plum of Mon Chateau.

Cooking for a Cure

While playing chef for a day was fun, many had serious reasons for participating in the brunch.

“We have a friend and their son has juvenile diabetes, so this is definitely a worthwhile charity,” said Larry Hoffman, a celebrity chef.

Proceeds from the brunch will be used for diabetes research.

“A cure seems to be on the horizon. Our goal is to find one within the decade and I think that goal can be attained,” said Phil Hamilton, president of the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation.

Among the celebrity chefs were Corey Young of “General Hospital,” Roberta Leighton of “One Life to Live,” former Rams quarterback Vince Ferragamo, former USC quarterback Craig Fertig, Raider Todd Marinovich and ex-heavyweight champion Ken Norton.

Other brunch participants included: Joey Bishop, who was master of ceremonies, John Crean, Ben Harris, Gary Jennison, Jerry Kobrin, Jack Kajyanian, Terry Lee, Orange County Supervisor Thomas Riley, Domenick Roppolo, Paul Salata and Jim Slemons.