Kentucky Derby comes to La Jolla Cove Junior League of San Diego’s (JLSD) upcoming Food and Wine Festival will fuse gourmet fare, wines, locally crafted beer and handcrafted cocktails with a panorama of La Jolla’s coastline at the 13th annual event. From 2 to 6 p.m. on May 4, more than 50 of San Diego’s top restaurants and beverage purveyors will wine and dine guests amid live music at Ellen Browning Scripps Park. This year’s theme will bring the excitement of Churchill Downs to the shores of La Jolla with a live viewing of the Run for the Roses, a chance to win great prizes in “win, place and show” drawings, costume contests for the best hat and best dressed couple and more. Tickets to the event are $75 in advance and $85 at the door with VIP tickets, including access to the VIP lounge stocked with specialty samples and valet parking, available for $125. Tickets are available at www.ljsdfoodandwine.com. All proceeds from the event will support the Junior League of San Diego’s mission-based programs. EdUCate! continues annual tradition supporting local schools The 19th annual Taste of the Triangle returns on April 19 for an evening of entertainment and delicious food to raise money for University City’s five public schools. EdUCate! will honor its donors who give $250 or more annually with a VIP reception featuring a food and wine pairing demonstration prior to the main event. The event, which usually draws between 400 to 500 guests each year, will feature food and drinks from local restaurants, auctions and live music performed by the Standley Middle School String Quartet and the Classic Jazz Trio. Restaurants that have already committed to the event include the 3rd Corner Wine Shop and Bistro, Herringbone, Leucadia Pizzeria, Sushi on the Rock, Tender Greens and The Marine Room. During live and silent auctions throughout the evening, guests can bid on artwork, jewelry, vacations and activity packages. Proceeds from the event go directly to Curie, Doyle and Spreckels elementary schools, Standley Middle School and University City High School. In 2012, the event raised more than $50,000. The event will be held at The Ida and Cecil Green Faculty Club at UCSD, located at 9500 Gilman Drive, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Tickets are $75 in advance or $80 at the door. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.uc-educate.org. Pet books on board at Warwick’s As part of its ongoing “Weekend with Locals” series, Warwick’s will welcome two local authors for a special pet-themed book-signing event. Charmaine Hammond, author of “Toby and His Hospital Friends” and “On Toby’s Terms,” will be in attendance to discuss the best-selling author’s experiences with her rescued Chesapeake Bay retriever, Toby. When Hammond and her husband brought Toby home, the antics and odd behaviors Toby began exhibiting (like locking himself in the bathroom and destroying the lid of the toilet tank) became so alarming it led to professional help and, eventually, Toby’s participation in a pet-therapy program. Hammond wrote about her family’s experiences raising Toby and his work as a therapy dog in “On Toby’s Terms,” on which she based a children’s book series, “Toby, the Pet Therapy Dog.” “On Toby’s Terms” is soon to be a major motion picture. Also in attendance will be Kendahl Brooke Youngs, author “Kendahl Gets a Puppy,” a children’s book about a young girl who gets a puppy for her birthday and discovers that raising a dog is nothing like owning stuffed animals. The “Weekend with Locals” event will take place at Warwick’s, 7812 Girard Ave., at noon. For information, visit warwicks.com. Chefs fight cancer with good eats, wine Local and national award-winning chefs will convene in La Jolla for the 32nd annual Celebrity Chefs Cook Gala on Saturday, April 27 to benefit UCSD’s Moores Cancer Center. The event will feature 11 prominent chefs’ signature hors d’oeuvres paired with fine wine, with all proceeds going to the cancer center’s MyAnswertoCancer™, which uses DNA analysis for cancer treatment. The gala has raised more than $9 million since its inception to advance cancer research, patient care, community outreach and education programs at Moores Cancer Center. This year, the Moores Cancer Center’s Healthy Foods Cooking program will join the lineup of chefs to demonstrate easy, healthy recipes that nourish the body and help fight disease. Chefs for the gala include:
- Amanda Baumgarten, Herringbone
- Jean-Michel Diot, Tapenade Restaurant
- Susan Faerber, Healing Foods Kitchen at the UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center
- Bernard Guillas, The Marine Room
- Stephanie O’Mary-Berwald, Pacifica Del Mar
- Jeff Rossman, Terra American Bistro
- And many others from across the country
Tickets are $350 or $500 and sponsorships are available. For details and reservations, call (858) 246-1230 or visit www.celebritychefscook.org. Information about Moores Cancer Center can be found at www.cancer.ucsd.edu.
