For many people who are shopping for special gifts, attending company holiday parties, or baking for cookie exchanges, taking time to enjoy fine dining during the festivities can be a worthwhile experience especially when benefitting a foster care charity.  Guests at Hillsides Guild’s annual holiday celebration at the Parkway Grill in Pasadena started the holiday season raising over $8,000 to benefit Hillsides, a Pasadena foster care charity that creates safe places for children at-risk and their families.   

Co-chairing the event, Beth Yale of San Marino and Barbara Robison of Pasadena planned the Hillsides Guild dinner, a perfect start to the holidays while giving guests the opportunity to remember Hillsides’ children and youth.  The proceeds enable the Guild to support the charity through its various enriching children’s activities.  Children’s gift wishes were also displayed for guests who wanted to be Santa’s helpers by making a foster care child’s holiday wish come true.   

Over 160 guests savored an assortment of wood fire gourmet pizzas, house-selected red and white wines, and a delectable feast that included Parkway Grill’s signature bread basket, Cabrales bleu cheese organic field greens salad with red wine poached pears married with candied pecans, and mesquite grilled prime filet mignon, crispy potatoes, black olive-potato emulsion and port cherry vinaigrette.  Topping the palate was a cherry and white chocolate bread pudding. Afterwards guests listened to the angelic voices of Douglas Austin’s internationally recognized Citrus College Singers of Glendora.  Adding to the merry evening were opportunity prizes, which included dinners for four at Smitty’s, Parkway Grill, Arroyo Chop House, Crocodile Café, and Vibrato Grill, as well as a Jacob Maarse holiday decoration. 

Interested parties wishing to join the Hillsides Guild should contact the foster care charity at (323) 254-2274, ext. 254.  Hillsides Guild membership is open to adults who want to take an active role in improving the lives of foster care children and youth at-risk.  Visit www.hillsides.org  for more information.