Nine renowned chefs from California, Hawaii and...

Nine renowned chefs from California, Hawaii and Japan were honored Sept. 18 by being the first inductees into the new Santa Monica International Chef’s Walk. The chefs were Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken, of Border Grill in Santa Monica and Food Network’s “Too Hot Tamales”; Nobu Matsuhisa of Matsuhisa’s Beverly Hills and Santa Monica, and Nobu, Tokyo; Bradley Ogden of Lark Creek Inn in Larkspur, Calif.; Wolfgang Puck of Spago, Beverly Hills, and Granita, Malibu; Hans Rockenwagner of Rockenwagner’s Santa Monica; Joachim Splichal of Patina in Los Angeles; Makoto Tanaka, Chinois on Main, Santa Monica; and Roy Yamaguchi, Roy’s Hawaii, California and Arizona. Fashioned after the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the International Chef’s Walk features decorative art tiles with the names of award-winning chefs, which will be placed within sidewalks on Main Street in Santa Monica. The ceremony, held at the California Heritage Museum in Santa Monica, also marked the museum’s 11th annual Heritage Award Dinner and the opening reception for the museum’s “Mask of the World” exhibition. About $50,000 was raised for the museum. Smart & Final Inc. is the Chef’s Walk sponsor.

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Singer Diana Krall was the headliner for “Jazz at the Vineyards III” on Sept. 18, which raised $125,000 for the Starlight Children’s Foundation. The annual Napa Valley wine-tasting event, held at the estate of Lee and Lavonna Williams, featured a gourmet dinner, an auction of vintage wines and the unveiling of a new work, “Jazz,” by kinetic sculptor Frederick Prescott. More than 300 guests attended the event, which was hosted by Starlight spokeswoman and board member Shari Belafonte. The 15-year-old foundation works with seriously ill children and their families. Proceeds will be used for Starlight’s program services, including audio-visual entertainment equipment for hospitalized children, and for community activities and “wish” experiences.

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The grand ballroom of Pasadena’s Ritz-Carlton Huntington Hotel was transformed into an elaborate Chinese pagoda Sept. 19 as more than 600 guests celebrated the 21st anniversary of the Festival of the Autumn Moon to benefit the Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena. More than $300,000 was raised. KNBC-TV news chopper pilot Bob Pettee was the emcee, and Sotheby’s Lisa Hubbard conducted a live auction. Among the items were a 1999 Lincoln Navigator donated by Advantage Ford Lincoln-Mercury in Duarte, a Caribbean luxury cruise, two Chinese Han Dynasty ceramics, a pair of Qing Dynasty armchairs and a pair of Ming Dynasty gold earrings. Guests included Caroline Ahmanson, actress Ronnie Claire Edwards, Paul and Georgianna Erskine, Joanne Hale, Jane Messler, actress CCH Pounder, state Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) and John and Andrea Van de Kamp. Pacific Asia Museum in the only museum in the Southwest solely dedicated to the presentation and promotion of the art and culture of Asia and the Pacific Islands.

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Los Angeles Police Chief Bernard Parks and his wife, Bobbie, were honored for their community involvement by White Memorial Medical Center at “Gala ‘98,” a black-tie fund-raising event held Sept. 27 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. More than $100,000 was raised for the Boyle Heights hospital. Comedian George Wallace entertained the 700 guests. A tribute march titled “Chief Bernard C. Parks, LAPD” was performed for the first time ever by the Los Angeles Police Department Pipe Band, a group of civilian volunteer bagpipe players who perform for civic and law enforcement functions.

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Has your group held a charity fund-raiser recently? Let us know about it. We will report on selected local benefit projects and events. Please tell us about your organization and the charity you support, how much you raised, how the charity uses your gift and the details of your event--what, when and where. Send a letter or news release to Social Sunday, Life & Style, Los Angeles Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, CA 90053, or fax to (213) 237-4888. Submissions must reach us no more than two weeks after the benefit.