A festive crowd of 350 dined on an extravagant multi-course meal at the 11th annual Table for 10 fundraiser held March 5 at the Laguna Cliffs Marriott Resort & Spa in Dana Point.
Top local chefs prepared a luxurious meal for guests who dined at tables decorated with extravagant floral centerpieces as tall as 6 feet. This year, 31 chefs came from top culinary destinations: Waterman’s Harbor, Stonehill Tavern and the newly renovated The Ranch at Laguna Beach.
The event typically raises about $300,000 for The Teen Project and Vocational Visions. Both charities give the less fortunate a second chance at life.
Sponsors included Ed Lee of Wahoo’s Fish Taco, Susan Samueli, and Deborah and Eric Keillor of GreenSpring Capital.
Wahoo’s co-founder Mingo Lee said Vocational Visions, which provides skills training to people with developmental disabilities, has helped one of his family members find work.
“It’s close to our heart,” he said. First-time chef participant and mother of four Rachel Klemek, owner of Blackmarket Bakery in Costa Mesa and Santa Ana, said organizations like The Teen Project are crucial to support. The organization helps hundreds of young adults transition out of foster care.
Chef Pascal Olhats, a longtime Table for 10 volunteer, agreed. “These charities are powerful. If you don’t have these groups, then there’s no one to take care of these kids.”
