Chef Joe Busalacchi shares a fun moment with

County Supervisor Greg Cox.

SEE MORE EVENT PHOTOS AT:CAUSE

^{Photo by Cause for Celebration}

A parade of endearing critters, including Tyto, an inquisitive barn owl and Kruk, an expressive sugar glider, welcomed guests to “Where the Wild Things Are,” a culinary celebration benefiting the Chula Vista Nature Center. The idyllic sights, sounds and scents of the Sweetwater Marsh National Wildlife Refuge provided a picturesque backdrop for the Nature Center’s first annual Food and Wine Classic, a carnival of mouthwatering cuisine, palate-pleasing wines and fabulous auction items donated by an eclectic band of business and civic partners with a heart for preserving one of the South Bay’s most precious environmental treasures.

Who Came? The twilight soiree attracted several hundred smartly-dressed nature lovers, including Dr. and Mrs. Francisco Anguiano, Lisa Cohen (she’s executive director of the Chula Vista Chamber of Commerce) Dana Arbogast, Beth Thomsen, Michael and Ginny Mace and Miguel Diaz and Priscilla Martinez of Better Events Magazine. Nature Center board member Christopher Lewis and his wife, Jean, joined Betty Kornreich in cheering on fellow board member Ron Cohn, of Henry’s Farmers Market, as he co-piloted a cooking demonstration with Celebrity Chef Deborah Scott of the Cohn Restaurant Group. Meanwhile, Chula Vista Mayor Cheryl Cox and her husband, County Supervisor Greg Cox, made a special effort to welcome guests – among them Nature Center board member Steve Williams and Tracey Kinsella, Renee Herrell, Frances Kinney, Adam Westmoreland, Celeste Raso, along with Jeff and Roseman Phelps – to the evening’s festivities.

The Cause: For nearly a quarter century, the Chula Vista Nature Center has promoted coastal resource conservation and environmental stewardship through a variety of hands-on educational opportunities. The Nature Center welcomes nearly 70,000 visitors and 400 school field trips annually for up-close encounters with critters that inhabit San Diego County’s coastal waterways, among them endangered green sea turtles, shorebirds, hawks, sharks, stingrays, and jellies. In 2001, The Nature Center earned the distinction as the first ever facility to breed one of California’s most endangered water birds–-the light-footed clapper rail--in captivity. In partnership with SeaWorld and the Wild Animal Park, the Nature Center has raised and released more than 240 clapper rails into Southern California marshes.

The Good Hearted: The vision and resourcefulness of the Food and Wine Classic Planning Committee breathed life into a celebration buoyed by the participation of Celebrity Chefs Joe Busalacchi and Deborah Scott, and Celebrity Chair Shawn Styles, Meteorologist and Lifestyle Reporter for CBS 8. A team of local businesses, including Allied Waste Services, Dining Out, Henry’s Farmers Market, Luce Forward, Jaime Construction, Marine Group Boat Works, Pacifica Companies, San Diego Zoo, and South Bay Fish & Grill headlined a marquee of event sponsors whose generosity and compassion inspired contributions from more than 100 vendors and auction donors. The magic of the evening’s festivities so inspired Joe Busalacchi that he offered an impromptu live auction item that raised nearly $4,000 for the Nature Center: three lucky bidders each won a dinner for 10 people, complete with a bottle of wine for each guest at Via Lago Trattoria, the most recent addition to the Busalacchi family’s stable of fine Italian restaurants.

The Creative: Eco-friendly Green with Envy Events tied together the many facets of the celebration with the perfect balance of style and sustainability. Emcee and Auctioneer Charlie Bradley’s energy maintained a flow to the evening’s entertainment, which featured amazing animal presentations by San Diego Zoo Education Ambassadors and musician Julie Mack’s soulful melodies.

Get Involved: San Diegans who care about wildlife and coastal resource protection are invited to donate a few hours of their time each month to the Nature Center. Nature Center volunteers receive a discount on membership, parking privileges on the Refuge, and invitations to special volunteer-only workshops and lectures! Membership packages – offering an array of wonderful benefits – are also available.

(See more event photos at: CAUSE)