LOS ANGELES?There was no lumpia, the favorite Filipino food of ?Iron Chef America? host, actor and martial artist Mark Dacascos, but there were plenty of goodwill, philanthropy and gourmet grub in the recent ?Dining With the Chefs? benefit event held in LA.

Filipino-American Mark, recently seen in ABC Network?s ?Dancing With the Stars,? and his wife, actress Julie Condra Dacascos, headed the guest list in the fundraising dinner for the Ayala Foundation (AF) USA?s laudable projects, especially toward helping underprivileged children in the Philippines. Edwin and Leilani Raquel and their daughters graciously opened their majestic Hancock Park mansion, where ?America?s sweetheart? and actress Mary Pickford lived circa 1918, to guests who came from all parts of the US.

Sherri Bautista Burke, the mother of two-time ?Dancing With the Stars? champion Cheryl Burke and is a member of AF USA?s board of trustees, helped welcome the crowd of Fil-Am achievers, newsmakers and philanthropists.

Three chefs donated their talents and prepared a gourmet-tasting menu?Cecilia de Castro, who has collaborated with Wolfgang Puck for over 30 years at Spago, the Academy Awards Governors Ball and other events, and is the founder of the Academy of Culinary Education; André Guerrero, whose restaurants earned accolades from Esquire Magazine and Los Angeles Times; and Carlito Jocson, partner/owner of Yardhouse, a restaurant chain in the US.

Another chef, Gary Menes of Marché restaurant, was scheduled to participate but he was stricken ill.

Mark, who said that he can cook a decent banana pancake at home, thanked the attendees as they savored the Fil-Am chefs? delicious cooking, which ranged from pulled chicken adobo sliders with sweet tomato on hot mini pan de sal, butter-poached prawns with butternut squash in coconut milk to calamansi tartlettes with raspberries. Even the drinks evoked Philippine pride?San Miguel Beer, VuQo premium vodka distilled from coconut and Haliya mango wine.

Cavite-born Bob Shroder led select members of the Filipino-American Symphony Orchestra (FASO), the first Fil-Am orchestra outside the Philippines, in playing Pinoy classics and OPM pieces by the pool, the benefit?s spectacular setting. Incidentally, we are looking forward to Faso?s holiday concert with Charice, Joey Albert and Kit Navarro on Sunday, Dec. 6, 5 p.m., at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium. E-mail faso@asianjournalinc.com for details.

Tommy ?Tomiko? de los Reyes, one of LA?s top floral artists, enhanced the grandeur of the Raquels? home?which is a historical landmark?with his colorful centerpieces.

Dado Banatao and Vicky Garchitorena, chair of the board and president, respectively, of the AF USA, expressed joy and gratitude over the fact that the spirit of giving and generosity is alive in the Filipino. The event, which raised over $66,000, raised awareness for the AF USA which strives to be a bridge of hope across the seas. The foundation collected close to $200,000 for Storm ?Ondoy? victims.

The proceeds from the dinner will go into such projects in the Philippines as Gilas (Gearing up Internet Literacy and Access for Students), which provides computer labs and Internet access in over 6,000 public high schools; Pinoyme, which helps Filipinos create sustainable livelihood opportunities; Centex (Center for Excellence in Elementary School Education), which offers quality education to bright but less fortunate children.

Congratulations to the committee behind the success of this second ?Dining with the Chefs? benefit dinner (the first one was held in the San Francisco area last year). Will the next edition tap the Filipino talents in the New York/New Jersey/DC area or in Las Vegas? The challenge now is how to top this recent LA affair.

Scorsese is the man

?Bravo! Scorsese is the man!? ?It?s about time!? ?It?s overdue.?

These were some of the comments we received on Martin Scorsese?s being voted by the board of directors of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA)

as the recipient of the Cecile B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement at the Golden Globes on Jan. 17. It was a no-brainer on our part. Martin received two Golden Globe Awards for Best Director for ?The Departed? and ?Gangs of New York.? He earned five additional Golden Globe nominations, including four as Best Director (?Casino,? ?Age of Innocence,? ?Goodfellas,? and ?Raging Bull?) and one for Best Screenplay for ?Raging Bull? (with Nicolas Pileggi).

?I?m extremely gratified to be receiving the Cecil B. DeMille Award from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association,? Martin said. ?It?s difficult to say how much this means to me, and I am honored to be receiving an award, named after the great Cecil B. DeMille, from such a remarkable organization.?

Vera Farmiga, who was in Martin?s ?The Departed? and appears in Jason Reitman?s new film, ?Up in the Air? (buzzed about as a contender in this awards season), made the announcement on Thursday morning in Beverly Hills.

Past winners

Previous winners include Steven Spielberg, Alfred Hitchcock, Laurence Olivier and Judy Garland.

The nominations for the 67th Annual Golden Globe Awards will be announced on Dec. 15. Ricky Gervais will host the Globes on Jan. 17. The awards show, given by the HFPA which is headed by Phil Berk, will be seen in more than 160 countries worldwide and is one of the few awards ceremonies that span both television and film achievements.

E-mail the columnist at rvnepales_5585@yahoo.com and read his blog, ?The Nepales Report,? on http://blogs.inquirer.net/nepalesreport.