The Crowd:

The 17th annual Wild & Crazy Taco Night presented by Costa Mesa-based Share Our Selves (SOS) attracted more than 650 local patrons.

The event helped raise in excess of $33,000 earmarked for the Share Our Selves Orange Aid Project.

“The funds will be used to feed Orange County residents at risk of going hungry,” said Elizabeth Evans, a member of the SOS staff.

The April 22 taco feast unfolded at the Halecrest Swim & Tennis Club in Costa Mesa and was supported by 22 famous local chefs who spared no expense in serving the enormous crowd that had come to sample an incredible assortment of taco dishes.

They were all outstanding, but my personal favorite came from chef Dennis Brask of Five Crowns.

Brask and crew created a salmon pastrami taco with emmentaler spiced cabbage, whole grain mustard aioli on a pumpernickel toast tortilla.

I had three of these tacos, and would have gone back for more, but I was just too embarrassed.

Bert Agor of Ruth’s Chris Steak House prepared a prime New York strip taco. A Peking duck taco with Hoisin sauce and scallions came from Bill Bracken and David Man of the Island Hotel.

The crowd raved about the spiced roasted pork tacos with Oregon blue cheese prepared by Yves Fournier of Andrei’s Conscious Cuisine.

And one of the big favorites came from the celebrated Allen Greeley of Costa Mesa’s renowned Golden Truffle restaurant. Greeley prepared a taco made with roasted suckling pig and confit buffalo pig’s ears, Greeley’s crew had the entire pig roasting on property.

Every chef from each restaurant deserves a major pat on the back for this enormous undertaking. For the record, the best of the best include Paul Buchanan, Victor Cabral, Ivan Calderon, Mark Cleveland, Tanya Fuqua, Manuel Gonzalez, Scott Green, Chris Hutton, Carlito Jocson, Rachel Klemek, Jason Kordas, Chad Krahling, Alessandro Pirozzi, Deborah Schneider, Christi Carter, Don Schoenburg, Vartan Vbgaryan and Marco Zapien.

Patron margaritas were passed while guests helped themselves to flavored 808 Vodkas and wines donated by OC Custom Wines.

The list of sponsors is long and inclusive of every walk of life in the community with special recognition going to the Taco Bell Corporation, Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian, and Rutan & Tucker LLP.

The event was originally created to support the Orange Aid Project started by dedicated Orange County residents Hal Rosoff, Michael Kang, Marla Bird, John Martin, Jonathan Blum and Karen McGlinn, who came together to find ways to raise funds to be used to collect retrievable food from restaurants, grocery stores, bakeries and caterers in the community that would then be distributed to low-income residents in need of assistance.

Today the Orange Aid Project operates food collections six mornings per week, as staff drivers travel throughout Orange County picking up the food and delivering it back to SOS, Costa Mesa.

In addition, volunteers at SOS package and bag groceries to be given to families to take home for their own personal use.

Five days a week, an average of 300 bags of groceries per day are distributed.

“This distribution is up more than 40% over just two years ago,” Evans said.

The taco night supporting SOS is a massive undertaking that does not happen overnight. Volunteers work for months securing all the elements that make the party a success.

Committee members deserving recognition are Minnie Ballard, Kathleen Bruski, Julie Larson, Karen Harrington, Mary Moyer, Bill Cowles, Ryan Murillo and Scott McKown, to name a few.

Christopher Veitch, a young man in the crowd who grew up in Newport Beach and graduated from UC Santa Barbara, said: “We are surrounded by hundreds of fortunate people who have come together to sample wonderful food provided by the top chefs in the community.

“Imagine what it would be like to have to take your family to the SOS Kitchen on 19th Street because you had to make a choice whether to spend your hard-earned money to pay the rent or to buy groceries.”

The glee in the crowd was certainly tempered by the reality expressed by Veitch. Nevertheless, 650 guests had a wonderful Thursday night community rally.

Spotted in the crowd were the lovely Stephanie Barden of Westcliff/Dover Shores, Sheri Blackwood, Margo Brask, Henry Chang, Gary Crouch, Jeff Eile, Sue Fractman, major sponsors Mary and Stan Frome, Peter Glacy, Bill Gray, Keats Hayden, Amber Houchen, Alison Keith, Irene Krinsky, Evelyn Hart, Gini and Bob Robins, Mike, Diane and Cara Stephens, and Tina and Troy Worth.

THE CROWD runs Thursdays and Saturdays.