Blog
SAVOR 2026 Set to Honor Orange County Legends Before Anticipated Sold-Out Crowd
09.23.26
The Literacy Project will host SAVOR 2026, an elegant, Napa-inspired culinary soiree, on Friday, Oct. 2, at the Newport Beach Country Club to support its mission of bringing the gift of literacy to underserved children.
The outdoor evening promises an unforgettable experience, with a stroll through luxury automobiles from private collections, a curated art gallery, live artistic talent, fine wines and a farm-to-table dinner beneath the stars. About 350 distinguished guests are expected to gather in the club's garden setting for a memorable night that supports a meaningful cause.
This year's honorees are Erin Anderson, president, CEO and founder of the A. Gary Anderson Family Foundation; Kathy Simon Abels, board member of the Ronald M. Simon Family Foundation; and Julie Ann and Jim Ulcickas, proprietors of Blue Water Grill Restaurants.
The evening begins with a 5 p.m. cocktail reception featuring opportunity drawings for unique items valued at more than $15,000. Throughout the reception, guests can admire more than 14 rare and luxurious automobiles from esteemed private collections, curated by Car Gallery co-chairs Simon Dillon, a prominent Newport Beach car collector, and Jean Alexander. The Art Gallery will showcase works from Georgeana Ireland's Ethos Art and Shawn Thomas's Laguna Beach studio. Ireland will also lead a live painting demonstration while Ron Kao, the "Virtual Violinist," strolls through the garden and serenades the crowd.
Dinner begins at 7 p.m. on the club's garden lawn, where the 2026 honorees will share intimate stories about how literacy has shaped their careers and lives. The evening's pinnacle fundraising moment will be a live auction of luxury items and experiences valued at more than $90,000, giving guests an exciting chance to bid on extraordinary offerings while supporting The Literacy Project.
Tickets for SAVOR 2026 start at $300 per person. Sponsorships are available from $100 to $20,000. For tickets and sponsorship opportunities, visit theliteracyproject-savor2026
Learn more about The Literacy Project at literacyproj.org
Blog
Pete’s Spookeasy Returns to Huntington Beach This Fall
09.22.26
Pete's Spookeasy is back at Pete's Sunset Grille inside Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort & Spa, running Sept. 27 through Nov. 2. The coastal restaurant gets a full Halloween makeover for the occasion, with themed decor, a spooky food and drink menu, and a few movie nights thrown in for good measure.
The food leans into the theme without losing sight of flavor. Starters include Dracula Bat Wings and a Char-BOO-terie board, and from there diners can order the Grill-Reaper's Ribeye, a 10-ounce house-butchered rib eye with crispy fries and cowboy butter, or the Haunted Harbor Cake, a lump crab cake with roasted corn salsa and house remoulade. The Pasta From the Black Lagoon is squid ink spaghetti with sauteed shrimp and lobster cream sauce, and the Haunted Harvest Pot Pie is exactly the kind of thing you want on a cooler fall night. Round it out with the Poultrygeist Sandwich or Pete's Monster Wave Burger.
Cocktails get the same treatment. The Black Magic Margarita is made with Lalo Blanco Tequila, fresh blackberries, lemon and lime juices, agave nectar and a black salt rim. There's also a tropical Creepy Colada, and Potion No. 13, which combines pumpkin-washed Templeton Rye Whiskey with pumpkin pie spice syrup. For dessert, the Witches Brew Tiramisu is made with chai tea-soaked chocolate lady fingers and purple sweet potato mascarpone mousse, and the Poison Apple Toffee Pudding comes with apple compote, miso caramel and vanilla bean streusel.
New this year, the resort is adding Pete's Spooktacular Movie Nights, a series of outdoor screenings in the Lighthouse Courtyard throughout October. Bring the popcorn and warm apple cider mindset for Hotel Transylvania on Oct. 9, Monsters, Inc. on Oct. 16, Hocus Pocus on Oct. 24, Coco on Oct. 30 and Ghostbusters on Oct. 31. The screenings are free and open to resort guests and locals alike, but reservations are required.
Pete's Sunset Grille sits right on the coast, so the setting alone is worth the trip. Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort & Spa has 519 guestrooms and suites, a private pedestrian sky bridge with direct beach access, and plenty of dining and wellness options if you want to make a longer stay of it.
The Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort & Spa is located at 21500 Pacific Coast Highway, Huntington Beach, CA. For more information or to make a reservation, visit the hotel’s website.
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from the blog
- 09.23.26 – SAVOR 2026 Set to Honor Orange County Legends Before Anticipated Sold-Out Crowd
- 09.22.26 – Pete’s Spookeasy Returns to Huntington Beach This Fall
- 09.22.26 – Ruin Bar Celebrates 10 Years at The LAB
- 09.21.26 – QUA Debuts Afternoon Tea With a Chinese Twist
- 09.21.26 – ENC Wine Walk Returns to Support Environmental Education
- 09.17.26 – Inside My Ritual Diaries
- 09.16.26 – Willem Dafoe to Headline “The Process Unlocked” Premiere at Newport Beach Film Festival
- 09.15.26 – Broken Yolk Café Dishes Up Hope for OC Kids This Holiday Season
- 09.09.26 – Levain’s Black & White Weekend Comes to Orange County for the First Time
- 09.09.26 – LAWineFest Marks 21 Years With a New Home at the LA Equestrian Center
- 09.02.26 – Newport Dunes Celebrates Labor Day Weekend With Live Music, Beach Movies and Waterfront Fun
- 09.02.26 – Pacific Symphony Opens New Era with Joshua Bell, Celebrates Shelley’s First Season
- 08.30.26 – VOX Kitchen Brings Modern Chifa Flavor to Aliso Viejo
- 08.29.26 – Outpost Kitchen Refreshes Menu for National Better Breakfast Month
- 08.29.26 – Blind Boys of Alabama Bring Seven Decades of Gospel to Musco Center
- 08.26.26 – Chef Turned Author Launches New Thriller Series
- 08.25.26 – Landers Supply House Celebrates Grand Opening at The LAB Anti-Mall
- 08.24.26 – Sushi Roku Debuts New Small Plates and Signature Sushi
- 08.23.26 – Cozy Earth’s Biggest Sale Comes to Corona del Mar
- 08.23.26 – Marriott Irvine Spectrum Offers Shuttle Pass for Daisy Chain Fields Festival
More Daily Doses
- 09.18.26 – Roger’s Gardens Unveils Moonlight Masquerade for Halloween
- 09.18.26 – Get RELISH Ready: OC’s Premier Food and Wine Weekend Returns to Newport Beach
- 09.16.26 – Newport Beach Film Festival Turns 27, and the Lineup Is Stacked
- 09.15.26 – Purrs in Paradise Opens Its Doors at The CAMP
- 09.14.26 – Katella Commons Adds Five More Reasons to Get Hungry at OCVIBE
- 09.13.26 – Musco Center Celebrates 10th Anniversary Jubilee! With a Decade of Its Own Talent
- 09.09.26 – Maleza Brings Modern Mexican Flavor and Mezcal to The CAMP in Costa Mesa
- 08.30.26 – Zov’s Mediterranean Restaurant Set to Open on 17th Street in Costa Mesa
- 08.29.26 – Sweet Arrival: Levain Bakery Opens First Orange County Location at Fashion Island
- 08.26.26 – OCAPICA’s Tastemakers of Orange County Celebrates 10 Years of Community-Driven Cuisine
- 08.24.26 – Telefèric Barcelona Brings Spanish Flavor to Fashion Island
- 08.20.26 – Pacific Wine & Food Classic Returns to Newport Beach in September
- 08.18.26 – Dream Glow Festival Returns to Celebrate the Beauty of Chinese Culture
- 08.13.26 – Z SUPPLY Pops Up at Lido Marina Village With New Denim Collection
- 08.11.26 – Inside Eichholtz’s New SOCO Showroom
- 08.10.26 – Good Together House: Laguna Beach’s Home for the Extraordinary and Unexpected
- 08.06.26 – Kei Concepts Expands ROL Hand Roll Bar with New La Habra Location
- 08.04.26 – Anaheim’s Sixth Annual World Taste Returns to the Packing District
- 08.02.26 – ‘Gala of the Stars’ Returns to Segerstrom for 17th Year
- 07.24.26 – LJ’s Lounge Brings Soul-Infused Dining and Music to Triangle Square
