Oceanside, CA (March 1, 2010) – On Sunday, April 18th, Casa de Amparo, along with corporate and community partners, will present Meet the Chefs of Del Mar at the Hilton Del Mar.

Seventeen chefs from Del Mar’s finest restaurants will prepare and serve samples of their signature dishes, accompanied with premium wines, courtesy of John Parker, Young’s Market Company, paired to complement each dish.

Serving the San Diego community since 1978, Casa de Amparo offers innovative programs and services to treat and prevent child abuse and neglect. April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month.

Chefs and their restaurants include Dustin Anselm/Jake’s Del Mar, Izzy Balderas & Eddie Zamarripa/Pacific Coast Grill & Belly Up; William Bradley/Addison at The Grand Del Mar; Francisco Castaneda/Hilton Del Mar; Daisuke/Shimbashi; Mason Garske/Brigantine; Roberto Gerbino/Il Fornaio; Timothy Gutmann/Poseidon; Bryan Graham/Sbicca; Randy Gruber/Americana; Chris Idso/Pacifica Del Mar; Paul McCabe/Kitchen 1540 at L’Auberge; Jose Montano & Mauricio Pineda/Red Tracton’s; Christopher Sayre/Paradise Grille and Jeffrey Strauss/Pamplemousse Grille.

“I have a huge spot in my heart for the children helped by Casa de Amparo as well as the organization itself,” said Jeffrey Strauss, chef/owner of Pamplemousse Grille, who has participated in the event since it began 14 years ago. “This event brings local chefs together with the community and raises much needed funds for children who’ve been abused. Meet the Chefs of Del Mar is a great event on so many levels.”

Meet the Chefs of Del Mar will be held poolside at the Hilton Del Mar, 15575 Jimmy Durante Blvd, Del Mar, CA, from 1 to 4 PM and includes live music by Coastal Eddy. Tickets are $125. A VIP Reception ($185) just before the event from 12:15 to 1PM includes a special champagne and gourmet cheese
tasting, valet parking, express check-in and drawings for exciting food & wine prizes as well as the Chefs food and wine tasting that follows.

The San Diego Union-Tribune is Media Partner for the event. Signature Chef Partners are DEI Holdings and DJO Incorporated. Sous Chef Partners are California Bank & Trust, Grant General Contractors, Jim and Llyn Mallen, OneSource Distributors, Al and Lee Ann Puglisi, Roel Construction, Smith Barney and Sony. Underwriters include San Diego County Credit Union, Chefworks, Cubic, Intuitive Insights and U.S. Foodservice.

“Meet the Chefs of Del Mar is a really fun event with fantastic food and great entertainment—all for a very deserving organization,” said co-chair Laura McPhee. Co-chair Lisa O’Laughlin added, “Laura and I and many of our committee members have been volunteers at Casa for a long time. It’s truly heartwarming to see the smiles on Casa Kids faces as they realize how much we care and want to help them heal and lead healthy, happy lives. Our Chefs event is a delightful means to that end.”

Other committee members include Trina Asaro, John Bryant, Teela Celerac, Mike Croes, Stephanie Crognale, Gerri Dobruskin, Kim Glynn, Beverly Haney, Marilou Hruby, Bonnie Keenan, Kerstyn Keenan,
Stephanie Kolb, Amasa Lacy, Cathy Puckett, Heather Smith, Carol Smyth, Jen Steiger, Natalie Stones
and Donna White.

For tickets, please see www.casadeamparo.org or call/email Keely Tidrow at 760-754-5500 x23, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .