B.W. COOK -- The Crowd

Art of Dining is a world class experience in Orange County. The 14th

annual gala fund-raiser for the Orange County Museum of Art unfolded

Sunday evening in Newport Beach. It was the talk of the town.

Event chairs Marsha Anderson and Pam Muzzy produced a party that would

have made the late Malcolm Forbes smile. It would have even received the

sign of approval from the late Doris Duke, another of the infamous social

organizers of the recent past, known for taking a gathering to artistic

levels only few can imagine possible.

It’s all about creating drama. It’s about surprise and sensuality in a

setting where one might not expect to be seduced by atmosphere, food or

people. Anderson and Muzzy understand the art of drama, the art of fine

food, the art of making people feel special.

And special they did feel. Arriving at the Four Seasons Hotel, Newport

Beach, 400 guests were directed to the side of the hotel and met by an

armada of valet attendants stationed next to a cocktail tent erected on

the north lawn of the hotel property.

The tent was a simple peaked roof pavilion of white canvas, sans

sides, providing shade from the late day sun and allowing in a wonderful

breeze from the ocean, creating a bit of magic in which the very well

dressed assemblage could meet and greet, listen to a few introductory

speeches, and slip into the mood for what was to come.

Actually, producers Anderson and Muzzy set the tone as Oriental

sounding drum beats were heard in the distance and all eyes were drawn to

a troop of Chinese dragons making their way down the path from the Four

Seasons entrance, heading directly for the cocktail tent.

The dragons entered the party like the invited special guests that

they were. They danced. They pranced. They brushed against ladies in

sheer satin and gents in black tie. The white fur on the dragon’s head

swooshed with each ancient movement. Jewels and sequins and beads

refracted light hitting the beasts, bringing good luck to the crowd.

It was magic. And it was the beginning of an evening that ushered the

fortunate museum supporters into a glamorous world of eastern mystery as

they followed the dragons from the cocktail tent into the Palm Gardens.

Making the march with the dragons, Bobbi and Jerry Dauderman joined

David Dukes, Renee and Sidney DuPont, Iris and Arnold Frankel, Alison and

Bud Frenzel, Marlene and Sam Homontree, Gail and Roger Kirwin, Victoria

and Gil LeVasseur, Randy McCardle, Laurie and Mike Mendenhall, Pat and

Carl Neisser, and Elaine Redfield as the entourage entered a setting

transformed by Ken Downing, corporate vice president of Neiman Marcus, a

major underwriter of the extravagant evening.

Downing, a designer with access to the unlimited possibilities

provided by his employer, created a Moroccan theme, exquisite down to the

last detail. And, the last detail was a troop of elaborately costumed

belly dancers . . . female and male (we didn’t know that they came in the

male variety) . . . spinning their veiled and unveiled magic amid the

tables.

Red, orange, and creme candles of varying sizes burned on tables

covered in specially created Kismet-inspired paisley tablecloths that

blended with red roses and purple grapes in arrangements created by Los

Angeles florist Malcolm Morain. The tables were set with china service

offering an eastern flair.

The wine flowed. And it was good wine. A 1999 Danzante Pinot Grigio

was served with the first course of eggplant prepared by chefs Hiroshi

Nagashima and Shinji Nakamura of the Four Seasons Tokyo.

The second course was a duet of soups, Tom Yam with Siamese mushrooms

in lemon grass broth, and white asparagus Tom Kah, prepared by Apisak

Thaweesinsathit of the Regent Bangkok. The wine poured with the soup came

from a 1999 Robert Mondavi unfiltered fume blanc reserve.

Then, sauteed prawns and black bean sauce with fine noodles were

served in a hollowed out rolls prepared by Bernhard Mayer and Man Kam

Hing of the Regent Hong Kong. The service was offered with a 1999 Byron

Chardonnay, Santa Maria.

A citrus-pepper grilled beef medallion was the main course, served

with wonderful Asian-inspired preparation and a 1998 Robert Mondavi

merlot, unfiltered and straight from the Napa Valley.

Dessert was a work of art -- a ginger bittersweet chocolate cream and

lotus chip vanilla bean mango compote prepared by Sheldon Millett of the

Four Seasons, Newport, delighted the crowd.

A bit of insiders information surrounding the chef from Bangkok

includes State Department intrigue. It seems that museum officials had to

go the extra mile to ensure that the chef was not a flight risk to

immigration officials, and that his presence was actually essential to

the event, the charity and the meal. And you think flying in an

international culinary crew is just a matter of plane tickets!

The evening attracted support from Orange County luminaries including

Henry Segerstrom, escorting his incredibly disarming bride Elizabeth.

This European-born brunette beauty has won the hearts of Orange County.

She is smart. She is savvy. She shows a genuine interest in the people

and the important causes of the community. Following in legendary

footsteps, she will surely make a mark of her very own.

Also in the crowd were Barbara and Bill Roberts, Pat and Alan

Rypinski, Nola and Malcolm Schneer, Harriett and Jim Selna, Sheila

Sonenshine, Marilyn and Tom Sutton, Erin Trunel and John Macaluso, Ann

Van Ausdelen, Laura and Frank Di Chirico and Billur Wallerich with Larry

Williams.

When the final musical beat filtered into the night, co-chairs

Anderson and Muzzy raised an impressive half million dollars net for the

museum. They created an intimate, glamorous and culturally stimulating

evening that surely ranks among the best charitable and social evenings

on the Orange Coast.

The party was dedicated to Robert Rauschenberg, represented at the

affair by Sydney Felsen. Museum director Naomi Vine charmed the gathering

with her own personal artistic point of view. Patrons left the evening

with a gift from artist and designer Jay Strongwater, creator of

collectible faux jewel encrusted works of art for the home. Malcolm

Forbes and Doris Duke are both smiling at Marsha Anderson and Pam Muzzy.

* THE CROWD appears Thursdays and Saturdays.