Chef to the stars brings her cooking to Celebrity Chef event

A well-known chef who has wowed the taste buds of celebrities, presidents and royalty plans to cook up something yummy for a good cause right here in Yuma.
 
Chef Denise Vivaldo will be the queen of the kitchen when Soroptimist International of Yuma hosts Celebrity Chef, a tasty fundraiser set for Feb. 28 at the new Pivot Point Hotel. Proceeds will benefit the Safe House in Yuma.
 
Organizers say the experience Vivaldo brings to the their event is enough to blow the lid off any celebrity's pot.
 
Vivaldo has cooked for celebrities and dignitaries like George H.W. Bush, Ronald Reagan, Prince Charles, Bette Midler, Suzanne Somers, Merve Griffin, Cher, Aaron Spelling, Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwartzenegger.
 
"Oh my gosh, she's huge," raved Blake Doten, publicity chair for the nonprofit club. "She has cooked for so many famous people and has even done big award shows."
 
Vivaldo boasts over 20 years in the culinary arts and has catered more than 10,000 parties. Some of those special events range from the Academy Awards Governor's Ball and Sunset Magazine's Taste of Sunset to various Hollywood wrap parties.
 
She has also appeared on such major television shows as "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," "The Tonight Show" with Jay Leno, "NapaStyle" with Michael Chiarello and "Inside Dish" with Rachel Ray.
 
Soroptimist International is a world-wide nonprofit organization that describes itself as being "women for women."
 
"We do scholarships and anything in the community that is for the betterment of women," Doten said.
 
Soroptimist International of Yuma was able to land a date with Vivaldo thanks to her close friendship with local personal chef Karla Bildt, owner of Karla's Kreations.
 
Doten stressed that being able to book such a successful chef truly amounts to a great stroke of luck for Yuma.
 
"This is big," the organizer said. "She is so much in demand. We can thank Karla for getting her out here."
  
Tickets for Celebrity Chef are $75 each. Tickets are available at Sergio's House of Carpet, 1245 S. 4th Ave. or by calling Barbara DeWitt at 783-0969 or Roe Doten at 246-4068. Tickets will also be sold this weekend during Lettuce Days.
 
In addition to a social time with appetizers, champagne and auctions, the event's fun will also include Vivaldo demonstrating how the night's meal is made. Headlining the evening's menu will be beef wellington or portobelo wellington.
 
"Things like this just haven't been done in Yuma," Doten said. "This is something you would expect to find in Phoenix."


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Darin Fenger can be reached at dfenger@yumasun.com or 539-6860.