Cooking with star power

Darleene Barrientos

It might not be what Gilligan and Mary Ann ate on the island, or the

cuisine from aboard the Starship Enterprise, but it doesn’t matter

because the proceeds from this cookbook will still go to a good

cause.

Tobinworld, a school catering to autistic and other special needs

children and adults based in Glendale, compiled recipes from the

likes of Dick Clark, Richard Simmons, James Garner, Hugh Hefner,

Shaquille O’Neal, Tori Spelling, Hideo Nomo, Madonna, Jay Leno,

Rodney Dangerfield, Dean Cain, Diane Sawyer, Tipper Gore and Hillary

Clinton. Proceeds from the book of recipes, complete with each

celebrity’s photo and tidbits about their careers, will go to

Tobinworld’s educational programs.

Recipes include Gilligan’s Island star Dawn Wells’ “Mary Ann’s

Coconut Cream Pie” and Star Trek star James M. Doohan’s “Chicken

Cordon Bleu.” The cookbook also features the late comedy legend

Rodney Dangerfield on its cover and inside with his entry, “Quail in

Rose Petal Sauce.” Dangerfield passed away last week.

The cookbook was a project that began years ago as a way to

complement the services and equipment at the school, at 920 E.

Broadway. But with the past two years of state budget cuts, the pinch

trickled down to Tobinworld, which is funded by the 23 school

districts it serves, including Glendale, Burbank and Los Angeles

unified school districts.

“We didn’t think at the time we would be in such a budget crunch,”

Director Judy Weber said. “It’s been rough because the school

districts haven’t given us cost-of-living increases the last two

years. I’m losing staff and I’m just desperately looking to give

little increases.”

The cookbook marks the school’s first fundraising effort in 15

years, Weber said. Weber founded the school in 1977 to provide her

severely autistic son, Tobin, and other children, with an appropriate

education.

The school, which serves about 300 students at its Glendale school

and 65 more in its Northern California location, operates on a budget

of about $10 million. Without the cost-of-living funds from the

school districts Tobinworld serves, the specialized school was

without about $500,000 that should have gone to pay increases.

The cookbook costs $19.95. To order a copy call 247-7474. Or order

one online at www.tobinworld.org.