Brunch, concert raise funds for Gulf Coast

Orange Coast College serves up jazz and southern food to help hurricane damaged colleges.A brunch and concert held Sunday at Orange Coast College raised almost $10,000 to benefit Louisiana community colleges damaged by hurricanes Katrina and Rita, said Doug Bennett, president of the Orange Coast College Foundation.

Funds were raised through ticket sales and a silent auction.

About 150 people feasted on a Southern-style brunch, prepared and served by students in the college’s award-winning culinary arts program. Menu items included fried catfish, grits, corn bread, pecan and key lime pie, cheese blintzes, pancakes with caramel sauce, eggs scrambled with chives and cream cheese, and tiger shrimp with cognac sauce.

“The food was excellent,” said Pamela DiGiovanni, an Orange Coast College student and the president of the school’s Sociology Club.

Marc Drummond, chancellor of the California Community Colleges, challenged the campuses in the system to raise $1 million for hurricane relief. Orange Coast College students and event organizers decided to coordinate their benefit brunch with the college’s fall jazz concert.

“We got inspired by music and how it relates to Hurricane Katrina,” said DiGiovanni, who served on the committee responsible for organizing the concert and brunch. “Generosity is what it’s really about. These people need ongoing help. We’re going to have ongoing projects.”

After the meal and silent auction, the guests headed to the Robert B. Moore Theatre for a three-hour jazz concert performed by the Orange Coast College Studio Jazz Ensemble, the Jazz Improv Ensemble and the Jazz Lab Ensemble.

“We do this about once a semester,” said Paul Navidad, director of Orange Coast College’s jazz program. “We donated all of our proceeds for hurricane relief.”

Two accomplished musicians who are Orange Coast College alumni -- tenor saxophonist Bruce Eskovitz and trumpeter Ron Stout -- performed as special guests at the concert.

Navidad said the jazz program is in a rebuilding phase, and he encourages the public to attend the concerts and support the program. The next jazz concert is scheduled for May 21, 2006, in the Robert B. Moore Theatre.

For more information on the Orange Coast College Culinary Arts and Jazz programs, visit www.orangecoastcollege.edu.

* LINDSAY SANDHAM is the news assistant. She can be reached at (714) 966-4625 or lindsay.sandham@latimes.com.

20051031ip75swknDOUGLAS ZIMMERMAN / DAILY PILOT(LA)Trumpeteer Ron Stout, a college alumnus, performs a solo with the OCC Studio Jazz Ensemble during a concert Sunday at the Robert B. Moore Theatre that raised funds for hurricane relief.