12th Annual Chef Celebration Dinner Series Pairs
San Diego's best chefs with aspiring young chefs

“Five-course banquets benefit nonprofit culinary scholarship program"

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, August 14 2007, Chef Celebration, a nonprofit organization striving to lay a foundation of excellence for San Diego's dining community, today announced the schedule of events for its annual dinner series, held at restaurants across the county during the month of October 2007.

Chef Celebration is a collaborative effort by more than 50 award-winning local chefs who donate their talent, time and energy to raise money for a culinary scholarship program. Through a new partnership with the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) Greystone in Napa, California, Chef Celebration will offer aspiring chefs the opportunity to learn from the best in their profession. Applications are currently being accepted from prospective scholarship recipients for a variety of educational grants.

The 12th Annual Chef Celebration Dinner Series takes place every Tuesday in October and will focus on fusing each renowned chef?s unique talents into a delectable five-course dinner. Teams of chefs will join forces at some of our city's finest dining establishments including Pamplemousse, Savory, Thee Bungalow, Azul La Jolla and Terra. Each chef will contribute one of their most notable recipes and throughout the dinner make special appearances to mingle with the guests.

“Last year, more than $26,000 was donated to aspiring local cooks who will perfect their skills in the kitchen with the support of Chef Celebration," said Jeff Rossman from Terra Restaurant. “We are grateful to all the participating chefs and restaurants who have been involved in this and past events. It is amazing to see the teamwork involved behind the scenes to make these five-course fundraising dinners an experience that diners will never forget."

Chef Celebration dinners require a $75 donation per person, with $40 going towards the nonprofit scholarship fund. For menu information and reservations, please contact host restaurants directly by phone or email.

2007 host restaurants and participating chefs:

Tuesday, October 2nd – Pamplemousse
514 Via de la Valle, Del Mar, CA 92075
(858) 792.9090
www.pgrille.com

Hanis Cavin -- Kensington Grill
Amy DiBiase -- Baleen/Paradise Point
Bernard Guillas -- Marine Room
Paul McCabe -- J Taylor/L'Auberge
Jeffrey Strauss & Tommy DiMella -- Pamplemousse

Tuesday, October 9th – Savory
267 El Camino Real, Encinitas, CA 92024
(760) 634.5556
www.savorycasualfare.com

David Birtness -- ECR Grille
Paul Murphy -- Humphrey?s By the Bay
Patrick Ponsati -- Bernard'O Restaurant
Franck Riffaud -- Four Seasons Aviara
Pascal Vignau -- Savory

Tuesday, October 16th – Thee Bungalow
4996 West Pt. Loma Blvd., San Diego, CA 92107
(619) 224.2884
www.theebungalow.com

Todd Nash -- Dakota Grill
Paul Niles -- Thee Bungalow
Jonathan Hale -- Blue Point
Deborah Scott -- Kemo Sabe, Indigo Grill, Island Prime
Jeff Thurston -- The Prado

Tuesday, October 23rd – Azul La Jolla
1250 Prospect Street, La Jolla, CA 92037
(858) 454-9616
http://www.brigantine.com/azul/

Orion Balliet -- Azul La Jolla
Ish Espinoza -- Miguel's
Steve Floyd -- Zócalo Grill
Michael Mitchem -- Brigantine Restaurants
Rich Schmitt -- Pacific Coast Grill

Tuesday, October 30th – Terra
3900 Vermont St., Ste. K, San Diego, CA 92103
(619) 985.8202
www.terrasd.com

Brian Malarkey -- The Oceanaire Seafood Room
Benjamin Moore -- Parallel 33
Gavin Kaysen -- El Bizcocho
Jeff Rossman -- Terra Restaurant
Nicola Calamari -- Vigilucci?s Restaurant

About Chef Celebration:
Chef Celebration is a nonprofit organization that strives to enhance the knowledge and potential of promising young chefs and lay a foundation of excellence for San Diego?s culinary future. Over the past ten years, Chef Celebration has distributed in excess of $60,000 in scholarships and such notable chefs as Riko Bartolome of Asia Vous, Hanis Cavin of Kensington Grill, Denise Roa of Art Institute, and Josh McGinnis of L.A. Specialty & Produce have been past recipients. For more information, please visit www.chefcelebration.org.