BEHIND THE SCENES : Ringing in the New With a Bit of the Old Thrown In

Looking back on 1993 wasn’t good enough for New Year’s Eve revelers at the Robert Mondavi Wine & Food Center in Costa Mesa. They wanted to see all the way back to ‘43, maybe even ‘33, and dance to those old swing-and-sway classics.

As an alternative to the hectic 500-person hotel parties, Mondavi limited attendance to 64. Chef Sarah Scott consulted a 1938 menu from the elite Pump Room in Chicago, then drew her recipes from the late Vincent Price’s “A Treasury of Recipes,” in which he and wife Mary literally chronicled the flavors of the ‘40s.

Mondavi also urged guests to dress ‘30s and ‘40s style, and some efforts were inventive.

Toren Segerstrom donned a velvet embroidered vest under his tuxedo. Mondavi events manager Clare Scarborough wore a Rita Hayworth-esque long, straight, black velvet dress with a slit up the side and long black satin gloves. Center director Joyce Barela combed through vintage clothing stores to find an authentic black velvet hat and coat.

At midnight, everyone was on the black and white dance floor, and when Kathy Segal Garcia and her band led the countdown, the couples did a very ‘30, ‘40s and ‘90s thing: With champagne glasses in hand, they kissed and cheered in the new year.