A night with Oscar

Deirdre Newman

In the past, Valerie Torelli has hosted events to benefit local

nonprofits. On Sunday, an event she designed will have national scope

and a dramatic flair.

Torelli, who owns Torelli Realty in Costa Mesa, is sponsoring “An

Evening With Oscar” to coincide with the 76th annual Academy awards

at Troquet Restaurant at South Coast Plaza. The event will benefit

the Cystic Fibrosis Guild.

“I was trying to marry an event with a restaurant with a charity

and make it a fun event,” Torelli said. “It all just came together.”

Torelli said she selected the Cystic Fibrosis Guild on the

recommendation of Frank Groff, whose company is organizing the event.

“I was looking for something catastrophic and where the research

and development funds could help cure,” Torelli said. “And also where

the majority of the funds went to the charity, not to [bureaucracy].”

The event will include six big-screen TVs placed around the

restaurant to maximize the viewing area. After cocktails and hors

d’ouevres, executive chef Tim Goodell will create a multi-course

dinner.

Guests who arrive before the Oscars begin can guess who will win

in the top eight categories. The $20 donation to guess, in addition

to the $85 ticket fee, will also be donated to the Cystic Fibrosis

guild, and the winners will be awarded prizes including a watch by

Hing Wa Lee Jewelers and a handbag by Celine, both valued at more

than $1,000.

Liza Goodell, owner of Troquet, praised Torelli’s event-planning

skills.

“I don’t’ think we’ve ever had an Oscar party inside South Coast

Plaza,” Goodell said. “I think it’s a first and I think it’s going to

be a really high-class, first-rate venue. Hopefully we can continue

doing other events with [Torelli], because she really knows how to do

it right.”

Torelli is expecting 150 to 200 people to attend the event.

Cystic fibrosis affects the lungs and digestive system and is the

most common life-threatening genetic disease among children and young

adults in the U.S. The mission of the guild is to help develop the

ability to cure and control the disease and improve the quality of

life for those who have it.