SoCal Chef Open Raises $43K for Oak Grove Center

On Monday, November 14, 400 people gathered in the Journey at Pechanga Clubhouse to support a worthy cause and crown the Best Chef in Southern California during the 4th Annual So-Cal Chef Open. Owner and Executive Chef of Rustico Ristorante, Francesco Cusimano, won the coveted title. Together the Golf Classic and Chef Open, raised over $43,000 for Oak Grove Center, a nonprofit treatment and educational facility for at-risk youth.

Tammy Wilson, Chief Executive Officer for Oak Grove, was delighted with the turnout and the generosity of sponsors for both events. "While Chef Cusimano won the title at the Chef Open, all nine competing chefs deserve recognition for their generosity. They shared their culinary skills and compassion for our kids," she said. The funds raised at the golf tournament and Chef Open totaled $43,000 to benefit sports & recreation programs and the new gym/multipurpose room at Oak Grove Center's Murrieta campus.

Oak Grove Center celebrated the groundbreaking for the new gymnasium in mid-October. Murrieta Development Company is managing the construction project. The new recreation building is slated to be complete by summer 2012.