by Frank Sabatini Jr.

Gala to Support Our Youth

Chef Jeff Henderson will share his astonishing story of reform at a private Temecula estate on Oct. 4 for the first annual gala by Circle of Hope, a philanthropic organization serving at-risk youth as an initiative for New Haven Youth and Family Services. The event will feature gourmet food, Chuao chocolates and wine tastings from Orfila Vineyards. Henderson, a former San Diego drug dealer and prison inmate, worked his way up from a penitentiary kitchen to become a New York Times best-selling author, an executive chef at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, and, most recently, the TV host of The Chef Jeff Project, which debuts this fall on the Food Network. He will be joined by wine columnist Frank Mangio and the Cecilia String Quartet. The gala runs from 6 to 9 p.m., with a meet-and-greet reception from 5 to 6 p.m. The cost is $500 per person.

Circle of Hope Gala • 760-630-4035 ext. 223 • circleofhopegala.org

Culinary Competition for a Cause

In honor of National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, the Center for Community Solutions (CCS) will hold its fourth annual Chef Showdown from 6 to 9 p.m., October 2, at Luce Court & Legacy Place in the NTC Promenade. The theatrical event brings together two teams of top local chefs, who face off on a large stage replete with industrial kitchen appliances and concert-size screens for easy viewing. Similar to the Food Network’s wildly celebrated show Iron Chef, the teams are presented with “secret ingredients” for constructing multi-course meals for a panel of judges in a one-hour period. Offstage, attendees can graze among two dozen food and drink stations featuring gourmet appetizers from popular restaurants. Admission is $125 per person. Proceeds benefit CCS, which provides emergency shelters and transitional housing for victims of domestic violence and their children.

858-272-5777 ext. 120 • ccssd.org