It was all kind of, well, very Hollywood—but in a down-home Santa Maria way. It was the Orcutt Children’s Art Foundation’s (OCAF’s) Sixth Annual Winter Gala, this year honoring CafeFX, a homegrown visual effects studio, and its founders, Jeff Barnes and Dave Ebner.
On Feb. 20, more than 200 people flocked to the Radisson Hotel for the celebration. This is a very chummy group. They convened for hors d’oeuvres and no-host cocktails at 5:30 p.m. and were seated for dinner at 7:30 p.m.
“My God, all these people have been talking and talking for two hours,” said one astonished onlooker, who wished to remain anonymous.
While folks were schmoozing, magician Rich Ferguson circulated, demonstrating his sleight-of-hand expertise and holding his onlookers in rapt attention as flames briefly appeared from his wallet now and then. This guy is hot!
Dinner was petite filet mignon with shrimp, salad, and chocolate cake, accompanied by ever-so-wonderful Costo de Oro Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Denise Cora’s awfully cute centerpieces (film reels, film strips, and red roses) enhanced the pleasure of the meal.
Let’s hear it for the peripatetic Santa Maria Breakfast Rotary Club that goes everywhere together. They bid more than $5,000 for the live auction piece de resistance: CafeFX’s Superhero Party for 50. Does this not sound like too much fun? The Superhero Party will take place at CafeFX, among the movie memorabilia, in the screening room and the bowling alley.
Chef Rick and Costa de Oro will furnish hors d’oeuvres and wine. Guests will “sip on [Pat] McDermott’s ‘stronger than a locomotive’ cocktails.” Revelers will then “jive to Mr. Incredible, Disco DJ Danny Hutchinson.” Items in quotation marks are from the Gala program.
On hand for the festivities and to witness the after-dinner slideshow celebrating the careers of Jeff and Dave were Chef Rick Manson, Pat McDermott, Nat Fast, Karen and John Ransome, Radisson co-owner Blanche Hollingshed and new husband Bert Fugate, and Rob and Sandy Buchanan, she of St. Joseph High School BASH office fame.
In her glamorous green gown, OCAF board member and former board president Chris Slaughter looked like she just came from the Golden Globes. Chris gave the commentary during the slideshow, and remarked that “CafeFX is a super cool place to work.”
The company, founded in 1993 as a two-man shop, has grown rapidly to become an important provider of imagery and animation for films. Their work has appeared in Iron Man, John Adams, Pan’s Labyrinth, Spider Man 3, and a host of others.
Jeff, who gave the bulk of the thank you remarks, said that good employees for his business need to be flexible, intuitive, self-confident, imaginative, and team players—“very much like our wives,” he added to a predictable response of laughter.
Jeff and Dave had couriers present huge bouquets of flowers to said wives, as well as to Chris and Brenda Sullens, the Gala chairperson. Are these guys classy or what?
The evening ended on a high note—indeed, many high notes from the band Unfinished Business, which drew a slew of people to the dance floor.
Deborah Jackson, OCAF Gala silent auction coordinator, asked that I please mention how wonderfully flexible and helpful were the Radisson manager, the ever-debonair Jean-Luc Garon, and his staff. m
If you want to hobnob with Helen, you may contact her at helenthom232@yahoo.com.
This article appears in Mar 12-19, 2009.