Weekend Update: Chefs & Celebs Come Together For A Cause at L.A. Loves Alex’s Lemonade

Photo Credit: Alex J. Berliner / ABImages

Every year, chefs and celebs come together for one of our favorite charity events, L.A. Loves Alex’s Lemonade, a national childhood cancer foundation dedicated to raising funds for research into new treatments and cures for all children battling cancer. Star power + world-class food and wine? How could you possibly go wrong?

Photo Credit: Alex J. Berliner / ABImages

James Beard Chef of the Year Suzanne Goin as well as culinary superstars Adam Perry Lang, Giada De Laurentiis, April Bloomfield, Nancy Silverton, Chris Bianco, Donald Link, Jonathan Waxman, Michael Cimarusti, Marc Vetri and many more offered tastings of their signature dishes to a 2,200-strong crowd, which was held in the quad of UCLA’s Royce Hall, to benefit Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation and the fight against childhood cancer. Celebrities in attendance lending their names to raising awareness included Jimmy Kimmel, Camilla Belle and Wilmer Valderrama.

Photo Credit: Alex J. Berliner / ABImages

Participating chefs included:

Nick Anderer (New York, NY) – Maialino
Wes Avila (Los Angeles, CA) – Guerrilla Tacos
Chris Bianco (Phoenix, AZ) – Pizzeria Bianco
April Bloomfield (Los Angeles, CA) – The Hearth and Hound
Michael Cimarusti (Los Angeles, CA) – Providence
Josiah Citrin (Los Angeles, CA) – Melisse
Scott Conant (Los Angeles, CA) – Ponte
Giada De Laurentiis (Las Vegas, NV) – Giada
Eva Ein (Santa Barbara, CA) – McConnell’s Fine Ice Creams
Sue Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken (Los Angeles, CA) – Border Grill
Michael Fiorelli (Los Angeles, CA) – Love & Salt
Jeremy Fox (Los Angeles, CA) – Rustic Canyon
Neal Fraser (Los Angeles, CA) – Redbird
Evan Funke (Venice, CA) – Felix Trattoria
Ray Garcia (Los Angeles, CA) – Broken Spanish
Suzanne Goin, Javier Espinoza, Amy Deaderick, Adam Cherney and Mercedes Rojas (Los Angeles, CA) – Lucques, a.o.c., Tavern
Hedy Goldsmith (Los Angeles, CA) – Sweet Hedy
Valerie Gordon (Los Angeles, CA) – Valerie Confections
Cosmo Goss (Chicago, IL) – The Publican
Jonathan Grahm (Los Angeles, CA) – Compartes Chocolatier
Hilary Henderson (Los Angeles, CA) – CUT by Wolfgang Puck
Maria Hines (Seattle, WA) – Tilth Restaurant
Timothy Hollingsworth (Los Angeles, CA) – Otium, Barrel & Ashes
Bruce Kalman (Los Angeles, CA) – Union, Knead Pasta + Co.
Sara Kramer and Sarah Hymanson (Los Angeles, CA) – Madcapra, Kismet
David LeFevre (Manhattan Beach, CA) – Manhattan Beach Post, Fishing with Dynamite
David Lentz (Los Angeles, CA) – The Hungry Cat
Donald Link (New Orleans, LA) – Pêche, Herbsaint, Cochon, Cochon Butcher
Jenn Louis (Portland, OR) – Ray
Bricia Lopez (Los Angeles, CA) – Guelaguetza
Tyler Malek (Los Angeles, CA) – Salt & Straw
Walter and Margarita Manzke (Los Angeles, CA) – Republique
Kevin Meehan (Los Angeles, CA) – Kali
Ori Menashe (Los Angeles, CA) – Bestia
Ryan Messina (Yosemite National Park, CA) – Majestic Yosemite Hotel
Danny Meyer (Los Angeles, CA) – Shake Shack (After Party)
Matt Molina (Los Angeles, CA) – Everson Royce Bar
Dahlia Narvaez (Los Angeles, CA) – Mozza Restaurant Group
Zoe Nathan (Los Angeles, CA) – Huckleberry
Nancy Oakes (San Francisco, CA) – Boulevard
Adam Perry Lang (Hollywood, CA) – APL Restaurant
Chris Phelps (Los Angeles, CA) – Salt’s Cure
Zachary Pollack (Los Angeles, CA) – Alimento
Steve Samson (Los Angeles, CA) – Sotto, Rossoblu
Michael Schwartz (Miami, FL) – The Genuine Hospitality Group, Amara at Paraiso
Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo (Los Angeles, CA) – Animal Restaurant Group
Nancy Silverton (Los Angeles, CA) – Nancy’s Fancy Gelato
Cal Stamenov (Carmel, CA) – Lucia Restaurant & Bar
John Sundstrom (Seattle, WA) – Lark, Bitter/Raw, Slab Sandwiches & Pie
Andrew Sutton (Anaheim, CA) – Napa Rose at DISNEY
Shannon Swindle (Los Angeles, CA) – Craft
Marc Vetri and Jeff Michaud (Philadelphia, PA) – Pizzeria Vetri
Jonathan Waxman (New York, NY) – Barbuto
Rocco Whalen (Cleveland, OH) – Fahrenheit
Jason Winters (Los Angeles, CA) – Urban Pie
Sherry Yard (Los Angeles, CA) – IPIC Group
Shiho Yoshikawa (Los Angeles, CA) – Sweet Rose Creamery

Photo Credit: Alex J. Berliner / ABImages

Mixing up craft cocktails were:

Jeremy Allan – Minibar Hollywood
Eric Alperin – Varnish
Neal Bodenheimer – Cure
Matthew Biancaniello – Eat your drink
Beau du Bois – Corner Door
Dave Kupchinsky – Freehand Hotel
Shawn Lickliter – Republique
Darwin Manahan – 71 Above
Ignacio Murilla – Lucques Group
Christiaan Rollich – AOC, Lucques and Tavern
Marcos Tello and Federico Lozano – El Silencio Mezcal
The Hungry Cat
Ryan Wainwright – Faith & Flower, The Ponte

Photo Credit: Alex J. Berliner / ABImages

Last but not least, the following wineries donated their wares for rose all day:

Amitie Wines
Black Sheep Finds
Chambers & Chambers
Cade
Emanuel Tres Wines
Garber & Co. A Wine Company
Grandes Places Sélections
Grapevine Wine Co.
Greg Condes Wines
Habit Wines
Hitching Post Wines
Hollywood & Wine
Hoxie Sprizers
Hudson Wine Brokers
Indigenous Selections
Jardesca
Jelly Roll Wines
Kimberly Jones Selections
Lanson Champagne
Lang & Reed
Lieu Dit
La Voix
Martiaan Ranch
Martine’s Wines
Melville Winery; Samsara
Next Generation Wine Co.
Ole Imports
Palmina
Presqui’le Wine
Rare Wine Company
Return to Terroir
Red Car Winery
Revel Wines
Sandhi/Domaine de la Cote/Evening Land
Paul Jaboulet Ainé
Shacksbury Cider
Scribe
Silverlake Wine; Everson Royce; Silverlake Wine Arts District
Soliste Winery
Springboard Wine Co.
Shiverick Imports
Strange Wines
Storm Wines
Tercero Wines
Timbre Winery
Tyler Winery
Trombetta Family Wines
Veritas Imports
Wenzlau Vineyards
WINC
The Winehouse
Whitcraft Winery

Photo Credit: Alex J. Berliner / ABImages

More than $1.3 million was raised at the event, which was helped in part by a dynamic live and silent auction that raised more than $640,000, including a women’s chef dinner provided by Suzanne Goin, April Bloomfield, Giada De Laurentiis, Nancy Oakes and Sherry Yard, as well as an impromptu dinner coordinated with Jimmy Kimmel and chefs such as Jonathan Waxman and Chris Bianco held at his barn, which raised $200,000 ($100,000 twice).

Photo Credit: Alex J. Berliner / ABImages