Chef Ambassadors JOACHIM SPLICHAL of the The Patina Group, MATTHEW POLEY of Heirloom LA and HUGO BOLANOS of Wolfgang Puck at Hotel Bel Air came together to help raise over $300,000 for the foster youth in UFC’s Programs. VIP guests enjoyed early entrance to the Garden Party with special pours from Asombroso Tequila, Frank Family Winery, Glenfiddich, Moraga Estates and selections from The Kitchen for Exploring Foods and The Truffle Brothers as well as special tastes from the Chef Ambassadors.

Guests loved our new location this year – at the Italian-style villa of Carla and Fred Sands – and enjoyed tastes from over sixty restaurants, bakeries, craft distilleries, breweries and wineries as well as an auction featuring large format wines, incredible trips and experiences and a raffle to win a luxury trip to London, instant wine cellar and fabulous cookbook collections!

View more great photos on our Facebook Page!

Amongst the great food, wine and spirits guests were reminded about the mission of United Friends of the Children with inspiring remarks from one of our College Sponsorship graduates.

“As you may know, less than 1% of foster youth graduate from college. I really want to emphasize that I literally couldn’t have done it without support from UFC. UFC helped me realize that being a former foster youth is nothing to be ashamed. It’s one of many experiences that makes me Lemicher, and for that I am very grateful. Thank you for being here tonight and for supporting United Friends of the Children.”
College Sponsorship Graduate Lemicher

A BIG THANK YOU!

We are most grateful to our gracious hosts, Carla + Fred Sands, our amazing dynamic trio of Event Chairs – Sarah Bowman, Deb Parr/Amazing Grace Design, and Toni Schulman, as well as the stellar group of ladies that make up the Cultivate LA Committee. Of course, this event would not be a success without our incredible Chef Ambassadors, restaurants, bakeries, wineries, breweries, craft distilleries, volunteers and event sponsors.