Tasters Go Global for Food Bank

More than 1,000 people poured into Crystal Court in Costa Mesa on Thursday--not to shop but to eat till they dropped.

“Passport to End Hunger” was the theme of the eighth annual Food Fair & Wine Tasting to benefit the Food Distribution Center of Orange County. The $30-per-person food fest and silent auction raised about $47,000 for the center, a food bank in Orange that helps county agencies feed the hungry.

Meal Tickets

Guests wandered among food and wine tables set up throughout two levels of the mall. Forty restaurants, 45 wineries, bottled water distributors and micro-breweries all contributed to the massive movable feast.

“It’s work-out time tomorrow,” remarked a man in his 30s as he loaded his plate with pasta.

Most gamely mastered the art of balancing plates and glasses in their hands while forging their way through crowded aisles. Restaurants dished out a wide range of fare, including Mexican, Chinese, French and Italian cuisines. For pasta lovers, there was rigatoni, tortellini and angel hair prepared in sauces that boasted of everything from sun-dried tomatoes to vodka. Those with sweet tooths could hunt down ice cream bars, chocolate chip cookies, chocolate mousse, apple pie and every other conceivable confection.

“Is this fat free?” one woman asked in jest as she picked out a chocolate mousse.

Watching the gastronomical proceedings, event chairman Tim Maurier explained why the food fair has become a huge success:

“It’s a blast,” he said. “This event has a lot of sparkle.”

A 25-foot-high replica of the Eiffel Tower constructed of more than 900 cans of food stood as a reminder to the party’s purpose: to increase public awareness about hunger.

Feed the Hungry

“People don’t realize in this affluent community that there are so many people in need,” said Richard Crawford, chairman of the center board.

The center was established in an old orange-packing warehouse in 1983 by the Council of Orange, Society of Saint Vincent de Paul. The center estimates that 400,000 people a month risk going to bed hungry in Orange County.

“It’s a very unacceptable problem in Orange County. There are enough resources here to feed everybody,” said Dan Harney, executive director of the local Saint Vincent de Paul society. “We’d like to see an end to hunger here so we could go out of business.”

Last year the center supplied 8.2 million pounds of food to 236 Orange County agencies at an average of 6.5 cents per pound. The lower food cost allows the charities to expand their feeding programs or use the savings in other areas of support.

“We’re really making headway into the hunger problem. For every dollar donated, that’s 29 meals for the hungry,” Maurier said.

Adding to the evening’s proceeds was a check for $10,000 from California Angels pitcher Chuck Finley.

Among those attending were: event co-chairman Peter Herman, master of ceremonies Ed Arnold, Dino Bardossas, Hayley Brown, Rose Giurbino, John and Barbara Heffernan, Timothy McMahon, Darrell Miller, Coalson Morris, Ward Munson, Pete and Mary Muth, Tod Ridgeway, Supervisor Thomas F. Riley and his wife, Emma Jane, William Spehn, Supervisor Roger R. Stanton and Phyliss Wooding.