(From left) Gordon Ramsay, Dana Walden and Paul Telegdy
Photos: Getty Images for UCLA Jonsson Cancer Center Foundation
The UCLA Jonsson Cancer Center Foundation (JCCF) held its 23rd annual Taste for a Cure event on April 27, 2018, at the Beverly Wilshire hotel. Gordon Ramsay, multi-Michelin-starred chef and star of FOX’s Master Chef and Hell’s Kitchen, hosted the Italian-themed evening. Matt Iseman and Akbar Gbaja-Biamila, hosts of NBC’s American Ninja Warrior, presented Paul Telegdy with the Gil Nickel Humanitarian Award, named in memory of Gil Nickel, proprietor of Far Niente Winery and Nickel & Nickel and Dolce wineries, who lost a courageous battle against melanoma in October 2003. A highlight of the evening was a performance by Kelly Clarkson, three-time Grammy Award-winner and coach on NBC’s The Voice.
“This is a monumental year for the foundation, as we welcome Dr. Michael Teitell as JCCF president and director of the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center and celebrate our 23rd anniversary of Taste for a Cure,” said Randy Katz, JCCF chairman. Katz noted that the annual event was established to raise money for highest-priority cancer research that has led to 11 U.S. Food and Drug Administration approvals of new therapies over the past four years.
Top: (From left) Taste for a Cure co-chairs Jon Holman, Joe Cohen, Larry Maguire, Dana Walden and Gary Newman. Second: Honoree Paul Telegdy (left) and singer Kelly Clarkson. Bottom: Richard Azar (left), chief operating officer for UCLA Health, and Johnese Spisso, MPA, president of UCLA Health and CEO of the UCLA Hospital System.
Katz went on to say that “we are excited to present Paul Telegdy with the Gil Nickel Humanitarian Award in recognition of his dedication to inspiring those who battle with this disease. Through his platform at NBC, he has worked to shift the narrative around the cancer struggle from one of anger and defeat to that of encouragement and bravery.”
Telegdy, co-chairman of NBC Entertainment, is an active philanthropist dedicated to supporting the JCCF and its mission. He also oversees the annual global philanthropic event Red Nose Day, organized by Comic Relief and broadcast across NBC Universal to raise awareness and funding to end child poverty in the United States and around the world.
Dana Walden and Gary Newman, co-chairmen and CEOs of FOX Television Group; Joe Cohen, co-head of television for Creative Artists Agency; Jay Sures, co-president of United Talent Agency; Jon Holman, president of The Holman Group; and Larry Maguire, president of Far Niente Winery served as event co-chairs. Delta Air Lines and Modern Luxury’s Angeleno magazine were event partners.
Guests enjoyed wine tastings, Italian-inspired gourmet cuisine with a unique twist and a live auction.
For more information, contact Jacqueline Farina at: 310-794-7643
