The Crowd: Annual smoker raises funds for scholarships
In one sense it was a coming-of-age event. In another, it was a blending of private purpose for public benefit.
The 2015 Gentlemen’s Smoker, held the evening of July 31 on the lawn of the Balboa Bay Club Resort, marked the 21st year that the event has attracted a cross section of Newport-Mesa testosterone, raising significant funds for student scholarships in the community sponsored by the “1221” auxiliary of the legendary coastal institution.
The event is actually one of two “smokers” considered the premiere events of their kind in the U.S. The other notable smoker takes place on the East Coast, and both have direct ties to hotelier Henry Schielein.
Schielein, of Newport Beach, now retired, is ipast president of The Balboa Bay Club. In a previous assignment at The Ritz Carlton-Boston, Schielein inaugurated the modern-day version of the smoker, which he then later transferred to his post in Newport Beach.
Trained in the strict old-world European tradition of hotel and dining service in the years of reconstruction following WWII, Schielein took the concept that he had witnessed as a young man and gave it an all-American spin.
As the summer sun began to sink into the ocean, some 150 men, mostly in navy blue blazers and crème colored trousers (a few in shorts and hula shirts), converged on the lawn for an evening of male bonding, a dose of braggadocio and a bacchanalia of fine wines and gourmet food prepared and served by the culinary team at Balboa Bay Resort. Executive Chef Rachael Haggstrom led the team under the supervision of General Manager Sam El-Rabaa.
The gents departed the Balboa Bay Resort valet station and were greeted on the bayfront lawn by a martini bar courtesy of Ultimat Vodka. White gloved waiters passed canapés on silver trays while Domaine Chandon Blanc de Noir flowed.
Spotted in the arriving crush, Bay Club ownership including Dick Pickup, son Todd Pickup, Pacific Hospital President and COO Steve Arnold, and General Manager Scott Blakeslee of the soon to debut Paséa Hotel & Spa, Huntington Beach. John Wortmann, chairman of the board of governors for the club joined pals Gregson Hall with his soon-to-be brother-in-law Frank Ultimo, Jeff Rowerdink, Tom Pollack of ExplorOcean, real estate financier Donald Wise, Fletcher Jones’ leasing kingpin Kirk Dawson and diamond broker Nelson Holdo of Pasadena.
Since this was a smoker, the puffing began in earnest at the outset. The offering of complimentary cigars made the price of admission ($300 per person) seem like a bargain to lovers of the leaf.
It was nothing short of a bonanza with such brands as A. Fuente don Carlos Robusto, Casino Gold Jack, Cohiba Lonsdale Grande, Macanudo Duke of York, Partagas Black Label Magnifico and Rocky Patel Royale Sumatra Robusto among the some 30 brands passed out among the patrons.
Fortunately a soft sunset breeze carried the smoke off the bay. A still night would have prevented guests from seeing the stage for the major fund-raising auction presented by chairman Wortmann and his comedic co-host Peter Buffa, investment banker and former Costa Mesa mayor.
Buffa, with his rapid-fire wit and politically charged sense of humor, kept the men laughing and bidding. He and Wortmann have been on stage together raising funds at this event all 21 years.
The result of this effort has been considerable. This past year the funds raised by the smoker, combined with funds raised by the BBC ladies “1221” Club, top the million-dollar mark. The entire amount has gone to support Newport-Mesa student’s college grants making the BBC’s 1221 Scholarship one of the most generous in the community.
An amazing four-course dinner began with an appetizer of lobster bisque and crab duo served with avocado, orange, cognac and crème fraiche. The second course of Duck Confit Cannelloni in black truffle and Parmesan crème sauce had the men raving.
An entre of beef filet and lobster tail was paired with “The Prisoner Red” Napa 2013 wine. Sharing tables for dinner were gents who have attended the smoker year after year, many of them bringing two and three generations of family.
Among the notables, Bob Robins with sons Jim, Dave and grandson Chad. Don Bartolo Sr. joined sons Don and Brian Bartolo. Tykye Camaras dined with son Dean Camaras, and Steve Rosansky shared the event with Jonathan Rosansky. Also front and center for the scholarship fund were Welbourn family members Edward, Bob, Robert and John. Brian and Kevin Corrigan, Dean and Wes Hacker, and Marty and Todd Bell among the legacies in attendance.
In between generous wine pourings, plenty of puffing (and a bit of huffing), Wortmann and Buffa auctioned a series of extravagant travel and dining packages assembled by the Balboa Bay Resort’s Rachael Putnam. Generous donors included The Arizona Biltmore, Fairmont Hotels, Surf and Sand, Westgate Hotel, Claremont Hotel & Spa, as well as Meritage Collection properties such as the chic Bacara Resort & Spa, and the Meritage Resort and Spa, Napa, only a partial list of donors.
Bidding was fast and furious with major sellers including two original paintings by artist Michael Bryan, each going for $4,500, a luxury package at Bacara Resort & Spa, and another at Cabo Villas Beach Resort.
Supporting the evening were Casey Ueberroth, David Chou, Scott Matteson, Tom Wilson, Richard Moriarty, Sergio Antonucci, Andy Theodorou, Ron Gold, Brad Hinman, Alex Lukoff and Balboa Bay Club General Manager Malcolm Smith. Special kudos to Southern Wine & Spirits for its support. By the end of the evening, almost $50,000 was raised for the 1221 Scholarship Fund.
THE CROWD runs Fridays. B.W. Cook is editor of the Bay Window, the official publication of the Balboa Bay Club in Newport Beach.
