Social Circuits

An elite corps of chefs--all alumni of Berkeley’s Chez Panisse restaurant--reconvened at the Los Angeles Marriott Downtown to honor their mentor, Alice Waters, as she received the 2001 Robert Mondavi Wine and Food Award from Cal Poly Pomona’s Collins School of Hospitality Management.

“An Evening With Alice Waters,” the school’s eighth annual Harvest Auction last weekend, raised more than $200,000 to benefit the school.

Waters, the Berkeley restaurateur-author who is credited with revolutionizing American cuisine over the past 30 years, was feted with a dinner for more than 400 created by her former proteges: Mark Peel of L.A.’s Campanile; Christopher Lee, current Chez Panisse co-chef; and former colleagues Lindsey Shere, Jeremiah Tower and Jean-Pierre Moulle.

The menu began with Tower’s Puree of Boletus Mushroom Soup with foie gras; followed by sauteed Nantucket Bay scallops prepared by Moulle, who flew from France especially for the event. Then came Lee’s roast rack of lamb with sorrel and potato gratin; Peel’s fresh herb salad and a coupe grande duchesse created by Shere, Waters’ pastry chef for 27 years, who came out of retirement for the occasion.

Waters’ mantra, “A cooking school should begin in the garden,” has generated an entire industry of boutique produce growers since she opened her restaurant in 1971. Her passion for quality and freshness has expanded to education with the establishment of the Chez Panisse Foundation and the Edible Schoolyard, a pilot project to involve children in growing and preparing food. The program has not only become part of the curriculum at Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School in Berkeley, it has also revived its school lunch program.

In accepting the award from Mondavi and his wife, Margrit, Waters noted, “This is about more than just eating. It’s about values and the health of this nation. Many people at Chez Panisse deserve the credit because we’re all interested in real food and how it is grown. It’s been more than 18 years since I’ve been in the kitchen. I didn’t do it alone!”

Bruce Baltin chaired the black-tie evening, which included a tribute to the late Hideo Amemiya, senior vice-president of Disneyland Resort Hotels and chairman of the school’s board of advisors, who died in February.

Patt Diroll

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Mumbo Gumbo

Spouting the glib commentary that has helped turn him into a culinary celebrity, Emeril Lagasse whipped up a mouthwatering chicken gumbo during a $500-per-ticket luncheon last weekend that was part of a two-prong benefit for the James Beard Foundation.

Last Sunday, the popular TV chef joined cooking guru Julia Child and restaurateur Zov Karamardian onstage at Zov’s Bistro in Tustin, sharing with about 150 food fanciers the secret to making a perfect gumbo: It’s the base--”the roux,” he said, gently stirring a combination of vegetable oil and flour. “Cook it slowly--about the time it takes to drink two beers--and you’ll be a gumbo hero.”

Lagasse chose to prepare the andouille-laced dish as a tribute to Child, author of the world-acclaimed cookbook that is celebrating its 40th anniversary, “Mastering the Art of French Cooking.”

The previous night, Lagasse and Child were guests of honor at a $1,500 per person gourmet dinner for 30 guests prepared by the staff of Zov’s Bistro that also raised funds for the New York foundation. Menu items from the five-course repast included beef dumplings with sage butter; scallops with morels and asparagus; herb-crusted New Zealand lamb loin; and chocolate bombe.

The nonprofit foundation, which helps provide scholarships and educational opportunities for chefs, “is the most prestigious culinary organization in the country,” Karamardian said. “I wanted to do my part.” Net proceeds were estimated at $112,000.

Ann Conway

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Fit for a Czar

After guests presented photo IDs and had the trunks of their cars searched--”We’ve been doing this since Sept. 11,” an employee said--attendees at Opera Pacific’s Royal Russian Holiday Ball at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel were greeted by a cadre of trumpeters.

About 500 celebrants attended the gala last weekend that netted $250,000 for the Santa Ana-based opera company’s Resident Artists and Educational Outreach programs.

Opera Pacific set designer Kenneth Verdugo transformed the Pacific Ballroom into a salon fit for Russian royalty, with dramatic gold backdrops evoking the palatial style of St. Petersburg in the late 19th century. At the event, partially underwitten by Cartier, guests dined at tables crowned with roses and onion-dome shaped ornaments as they heard the Opera Pacific Orchestra perform selections from Tchaikovsky’s “Eugene Onegin,” which the company will present at the Orange County Performing Arts Center in February.

Janice Johnson, gala co-chairwoman with Margie Hubbard and Barbara DeMain, topped her burgundy and black velvet ensemble with a glittering tiara. “I feel like a Russian princess,” Johnson said. Guests also included Marybelle and S. Paul Musco; Roger Johnson; John DeMain; Martin G. Hubbard; Gail and Roger Kirwan; and Pat and Richard Allen.

A.C.

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Descanso Festival

The former home of newspaper publisher E. Manchester Boddy and his wife, Berenice, on the grounds of Descanso Gardens in La Canada-Flintridge has been refurbished and decorated for the holidays.

The 22-room English Regency mansion, designed by architect Joseph Dolena in 1938, is all decked out for the gardens’ Winter Festival and will be open to the public through Jan. 6.

Last weekend more than 300 guests turned out for a lavish cocktail buffet prepared by caterer Peggy Dark, a silent auction in Van de Kamp Hall and a preview of the home, which raised about $35,000.

Mannequins created by George Martin depicting the Boddy family populated the rooms. The mannequin of “Mr. Boddy” in the library bore a striking resemblance to the festival’s creative director, Jim Watterson. “It is me!” Watterson said. “George made it for my retirement party. It’s been in my garage ever since.”

Among the real folks in the crowd were Sandy and Richard Schulhof, Barbara and John Crowley, Betsy and Sid Tyler, Warren Hillgren, Helen and Jerry Stathatos, Pat McNamara, Nancy and Bill Burrows, Bob Cheesewright, Dawn Frazier and Pamela and J.C. Massar.

P.D.

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Diva Waltz

Despite recent knee surgery, diva Carol Vaness waltzed though her debut as Anna in “The Merry Widow” while maneuvering Thierry Bosquet’s fin de siecle costumes and headgear last Sunday at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.

Vaness, whose portrayal of Tosca brought her worldwide acclaim, is inured to singing in elaborate chapeaus. Arriving promptly for the opening night cast party, she said that singing beneath a platter of plumes doesn’t faze her. “It isn’t hard, she said, “because the hat is always firmly attached to the wig and it doesn’t move.”

Several braved a downpour to attend the bash held at Nick and Stef’s Steakhouse. Among them: director Lotfi Mansouri, conductor John DeMain, co-stars Virginia Tola, Rodney Gilfry, Dean Peterson, Greg Fedderly, Jessica Rivera, Marnie Mosiman, Brooks Almy, Gordon Goodman. Jason Graae, Ross Halper, Louis Lebherz, Charles Castronovo, Malcolm MacKenzie and Reid Olson.

P.D.

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Dickens of a Night

Theatergoers attending the opening night of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” last weekend at South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa were welcomed by SCR director David Emmes. After the show, actor Hal Landon Jr., who plays Scrooge, met with honorary play producer Paul Folino, permitting him to try on the top hat he wears in the production.

Landon has done a rolling somersault into the hat about 770 times in the play’s 22-year history at SCR, a spokeswoman said. “He has only missed once.” The production runs through Dec. 24.

A.C.

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Coming up:

* The West Coast Chairmen’s Council of American Friends of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra will stage “A Musical Evening of Dreams” honoring Zubin Mehta on Wednesday at the Pacific Palisades home of Dennis Tito. Tickets $5,000. (310) 454-7191.

* The Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce and the ZONE Club will honor Earthlink’s Garry Betty at its Holiday Technology Gala on Thursday at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel. Tickets $125. (213) 580-7524.

* The American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California will honor Jerry Offsay, Fred Davis and Antonio Villaraigosa at its Bill of Rights Dinner at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel on Thursday. Tickets $150-$1,000. (213) 977-5252.

* The American Ballet Theatre’s Family Day benefit luncheon and matinee of “The Nutcracker” will be Saturday at the Grand Ballroom and Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland. Tickets $250. (310) 201-5033.

* The Second Annual Awards Dinner to benefit the Kids Talk Foundation’s “Voices of Tomorrow” will honor Art Linkletter on Saturday at the Bel-Air Country Club. Tickets $150; $100 for children younger than 12. (323) 850-1303.

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Information for Social Circuits can be directed to Patt Diroll in Los Angeles or Ann Conway in Orange County. Diroll is at patt diroll@earthlink.net; Conway at ann.conway@latimes.com, or (714) 966-5952.