OCC culinary team continues to excel Orange...

OCC culinary team continues to excel

Orange Coast College’s culinary arts students are the state

champions for the fifth time in a row, winning the California State

Hot Food Team Competition, which was held on Jan. 25 in the college’s

student center and Captain’s Table Kitchens.

The American Culinary Federation sponsored the competition. OCC’s

team will advance to the Western Regional Competition scheduled to

take place between Feb. 25 and 29 in Colorado Springs.

Last year, OCC earned a gold medal and finished second in the

Western regional contest.

Orange Coast wants your books for sale

The Friends of the Orange Coast College Library are seeking book

donations for the group’s annual spring book sale.

The sale will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 14 in front of the

college’s temporary library, which is on the northern edge of campus

in a parking lot off Adams Ave. The first hour of the sale will be

for members of the group.

Most hardcover books will be sold for two dollars, OCC librarian

Carl Morgan said. Paperbacks will sell for 50 cents.

Books can be dropped off at the OCC library’s circulation desk

from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Fridays. For information, call (714) 432-0202, ext. 21058.

UCI to hold political forum before primaries

A week before voters decide who will appear on the November

ballots UC Irvine will host a candidate forum showcasing candidates

from State Senate District No. 35, State Assembly District Nos. 69,

69 and 70, officials said.

The forum will include short presentations by each candidate

followed by questions posed by moderator Louis DeSipio, who is an

associate professor of political science. Organizers have scheduled

about 30 minutes for each of the four districts.

The topic of Proposition 55 will also be discussed at the event,

with countering opinions on the Kindergarten to University Public

Education Facilities Bond Act of 2004, which provides $12.3 billion

to repair and build schools in the state.

The forum will be held from 6:30 to 9 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 24 in

the UCI Student Center, Crystal Cove Auditorium, on campus. It is

open to the public and admission is free. Parking is available in he

Student Center Parking Structure at Campus and West Peltason drives.

(The first 50 people to show up and mention the forum will park for

free.) For more information, call (949) 824-3558.

The forum will also be broadcast on KUCI-FM (88.9) radio.

Fairview Park winter tours on Saturday

Do the words vernal pool mean anything to you? No? Well, all the

more reason to join the Fairview Park Friends Committee at 9:30 a.m.

on Saturday and learn about this valuable part of the ecosystem.

Vernal pools are increasingly disappearing in the Southern

California and other parts of the country, experts have said. In

Fairview Park, on the Westside of Costa Mesa, the pools are the home

to the San Diego Fairy Shrimp, which are an endangered species.

Residents are invited to come on this special tour, which begins

in the westerly parking lot, and is conducted by avid park

enthusiast, Robert Graham. Graham, a longtime Costa Mesa resident,

will point out the vernal pools and flora and fauna of Fairview Park

during the 90 minute walk.

Participants should wear comfortable shoes and appropriate

clothes, as the ocean breezes that blow through the park tend to be

chilly, officials warned. The tour may be canceled in the case of

heavy rain.

For more information, call the Fairview Park Friends Hotline at

(714) 754-5698 or visit the committee’s website at

https://www.cmfairviewpark.org.

Venetian Carnival at Scampi’s Trattoria

Wine lovers should mark their calendars for a fantastic,

four-course feast and live music at Scampi Trattoria & Enoteca on

Feb. 24.

The Newport Beach restaurant will celebrate Fat Tuesday with wines

from Veneto, including Soave, Valpolli-Ciella, Amorone and Ricioto.

In true tradition, the restaurant will also hold a mask contest, with

the winner receiving a free bottle of Amorone. Of course, masks are

not required but will add intrigue and authenticity to the Fat

Tuesday celebration, officials said.

The festivities will begin at 6:30 p.m. at Scampi Trattoria. For

more information, call (949) 645-8560.