Sea Soirée

A tidal wave of generosity swept over the historic El Paseo restaurant when Heal the Ocean, celebrating its 21st anniversary, hosted its annual sold-out gala, raising around $300,000 from 200 guests.

The fun fete had Montecito actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus, now recovered from breast cancer surgery, as honorary chair and Los Angeles auctioneer T.Wanna Kennedy selling off a cornucopia of goodies, including a Napa Valley glamping experience, a week’s vacation anywhere in the world – which sold twice for $7,000 -, and an oil pet painting by Peggy Lindt.

Among the tsunami of tony types flooding into the eatery for Hillary Hauser‘s popular charity were John and Hazel Blankenship, Hannah-Beth Jackson, Jean-Michel Cousteau, Mahri Kerley, John Palminteri, Teresa McWilliams, Pat McElroy, Janet Wolf, Gregg Hart, Trish Reynales, and Das Williams.