Always anticipated in the community as a cornerstone of the O.C. charity event season, the 29th annual Women of Chapman holiday luncheon, Christmas at the Ritz, also marked the last that outgoing President Jim Doti will attend in the position he’s held since 1991.
The mood among the 280 guests at the Island Hotel in Newport Beach – where the Ritz tradition continued – was festive, featuring greetings from a friendly Santa, a quartet of Dickens carolers, a champagne and martini cocktail reception, and an informal fashion and jewelry presentation by Neiman Marcus, Fashion Island.
Nutcrackers, also a theme in past years, were displayed on the festive tables, centered in beds of greenery with the glow of votives completing the decor. The four-course lunch featured the famous Ritz Egg – topped with caviar, of course.
Laura Baratta chaired the event, which netted an estimated $190,000 to support student filmmaker endowments, the Dodge College’s Digital Media Arts Center and the Marybelle and Sebastian P. Musco Center for the Arts, set to open in March.
