Former Van Halen front man and OC resident Sammy Hagar counts plenty of interests: the Red Rocker is also a tequila and spirits entrepreneur as well as a restaurateur, with his Cabo Wabo Beach Club at Huntington Beach’s Waterfront Beach Resort doing brisk business since opening last year.
Add bread maker to that list. As part of the Nov. 16 I Am Giving Gala, benefiting the youth-focused Tilly’s Life Center, attendees had the opportunity to bid on a bread-making session at the home of Tilly Levine, founder of the Irvine nonprofit, along with Hagar and his wife Kari, whose Hagar Family Foundation is a backer of TLC.
The 10th edition of the gala, held at the Waterfront hotel, brought in plenty of bread, with over $530K raised, officials said last week. The Hagar family chipped in $25K during the event’s in-person auction event, with the evening’s largest public donor being Hezy Shaked, CEO of apparel chain Tilly’s Inc. (NYSE: TLYS), and the former husband of Levine.
Other notables in attendance included Henry and Susan Samueli and TLC board chair Dr. Adrienne Matros, wife of Sabra Health REIT (Nasdaq: SBRA) CEO Rick Matros.
TLC’s mission is to empower “all teens with a positive mindset and enabling them to effectively cope with crisis, adversity and tough decisions.” The nonprofit reported $2.9M in revenue for the 12 months ended June 30; see next week’s print edition for our annual list of largest local nonprofits.
One of the other large auction items at the I Am Giving event was a VIP experience for an upcoming concert by Sammy Hagar in Las Vegas; that item raised about $11K.
Hagar used the Surf City event to announce that he would be bringing his Best of All Worlds tour to Las Vegas for a nine-show residency at Park MGM, starting in April. Tickets went on sale last week.
Joining the Dana Point resident on stage will be another OC local, founding Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony, along with famed rock guitarist Joe Satriani. Hagar, 77, said the Vegas residency takes much less of a toll on the performers than a multi-city tour.
Santo Tequila, a venture between Sammy Hagar and food celebrity Guy Fieri, is one of several tequila brands with ties to OC.
Two other brands worth seeking out: 4 Copas, marketed as ‘The World’s First Organic and Kosher Tequila,’ and Divertido Tequila, both of which are backed by the family that runs the chain of Taqueria Hoy restaurants across OC.
You can’t find the booze at the restaurants, however. The founder of the taco and burrito chain, Rafael De Anda (better known as Don Rafa), doesn’t sell alcohol at the spots, preferring to keep them more family friendly.
The chain’s one of the few local spots that stays open 24 hours a day, every day. And they’re expanding, with a new spot in Tustin in the works.
You’ll also find the chain’s taco truck at Anaheim Ducks games and at matches for Orange County Soccer Club, where they’re the team’s ‘official taco.’
