Shopping for Angelitos de Oro

B.W. COOK

Holiday shopping at South Coast Plaza today through Monday will

benefit Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Orange County, if you have the

Angelitos Card.

The Angelitos de Oro, a support group for Big Brothers/Big

Sisters, is sponsoring a holiday shopping spree at selected South

Coast Plaza stores, where holders of the card will receive a 20%

discount on merchandise. The cost of the card is $50, with proceeds

going to Big Brothers/Sisters. It’s not too late to participate. Call

(949) 642-9883 to order the Angelitos Card.

DISCOVERY SCIENCE CENTER

The Newport-Mesa crowd turned out in force to support Quest 003,

the gala raising funds for Discovery Science Center.

The black-tie affair attracted 360 guests, who dined on the

cuisine of David Wilhelm’s Culinary Adventures; and sipped martinis

provided by Grey Goose.

Raising more than $180,000, with funds earmarked for the science

center’s operations and educational programs, the evening was chaired

with style by Celeste Signorino, David Rofsky and Jack Wareham.

Honorary chairs of the evening were Silla and Dwight Decker. Major

underwriting came from Janet and James “Walkie” Ray and the Arnold

and Mabel Beckman Foundation.

SOUND OF MUSIC

Cartier teamed up with the Sound of Music Chapter of the Guilds of

the Orange County Performing Arts Center to throw a lavish fall

cocktail reception at the oceanfront estate of Irene and Joe

Tomkinson.

Organizers billed the al fresco evening as “For Your Eyes Only,”

in keeping with a James Bond theme selected for the major Sound of

Music gala slated for March 6, 2004, a highlight of the Newport

social scene.

Cartier’s lovely rep Caroline Jones had her models, male and

female, showing off the Cartier collection known as Le Brasier du

Dragon. The evening was chaired by the gorgeous pair of Newport

blonds, Kelly Hague and Eve Kornyei.

Some 200 members and guests dined on exquisite Asian-theme cuisine

catered by the “Kitchen for Exploring Foods,” out of Pasadena.

Introduced to Newport by Pelican Point hostess Sally Crockett, wife

of Randy Crockett, the patrons raved about the food and its

presentation.

In the crowd were Leslie and Dino Cancellieri of the Balboa

Peninsula, Lori and John Loftus, Traci Martin, Karen and Brett

Gregor, Carol and Rick Dalton, Kathie and John Porter, Danni Good,

Kimberly Fernberg, Pamela Lowry, Beth Hart, and Shawn Cunningham.

MISSION IN REMISSION

The Great Stone Church monument at Mission San Juan Capistrano

will benefit from the generosity of Friends of the Mission’s fifth

anniversary gala. A capacity crowd, many coming from Newport-Mesa to

support the architectural statement on the list of the 100 most

endangered historic sites in the world by the Monuments Fund of New

York, raised needed funds toward restoration.

The gala dinner benefit, known as “Romance of The Mission,” was

chaired by Newport’s Cecilia Nott, Janet Curci Walsh and Elaine

Delman. Other Newport-Mesa patrons included Meredith McLarand Curci,

Heather Klein, Amy Nott, Joyce Graham and Kristan O’Donnell.

For the fourth year, the evening was sponsored by the Ritz-Carlton

Laguna Niguel under the direction of general manager John Dravinski.

A lavish Spanish-theme dinner presentation, “La Cocina Avante-Guardia

de Espana,” prepared by renown chefs Christian Rassinoux and John

Rivera Sedlar, delighted the black-tie crowd. The special honored

guest of the evening was Henry Ng, in from New York representing the

“World Monuments Fund.”

* THE CROWD appears Thursdays and Saturdays.