AThis weekend I catered an event at the Los Angeles home of attorney Peter Lopez with his wife actress Catherine Bach which were joined by music legend Carlos Santana, boxing champion Sugar Ray Leonard, Billy Bush and Baby Face along with support from Oscar De La Hoya, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and popular Latino music group Mana in hosting a special fundraising Tardeada to help support Latino students pursuing their dreams of educational achievement at the National Hispanic University.

"We are sincerely grateful for the opportunity to share our story, as well as benefit from the generosity of our friends and supporters in the Los Angeles area," said David Lopez, National Hispanic University President. The invitation list of about 150 guests is a who's-who of Latino entertainment, arts, business, and political leadership across the state. The funds raised that evening will be directed to expand student scholarships, provide more classroom technology resources and teaching staff professional development, as well support general operations.

The National Hispanic University (NHU) www.nhu.edu is an accredited four-year, private institution of higher education in east San Jose, a federally recognized low-income area, with the largest number of children and working poor in the city. Yet, despite this, NHU continues to provide lasting and beneficial solutions to higher education achievement barriers challenging similar communities across the state.

NHU believes in striving for excellence and setting high expectations for its students. NHU's key to success is providing role models and the support systems necessary to assist students successfully attain a college education. "NHU has as its exclusive focus on the education of Hispanics and other students long denied access to higher education opportunities," Lopez said.

Along with fabulous food, beverages, décor, entertainment and company, one of the highlights was the cigars being rolled on site. I selected the following spirits for the cigar bar:

Balvenie
12 Year Doublewood.

Single Malt
A smooth and mellow single malt with beautifully combined flavors of nutty sweetness, cinnamon spiceness and a layer of sherry. The finish is long and smooth.

Navan Vanilla Cognac
A unique fusion of black natural vanilla from Madagascar and French Cognacs.

Micher's Small Batch Bourbon
Big, confidant, high class with a glorious piece of heritage. Perfectly balanced with a terrific vanilla nose and a hint of sweetness. Aged 4-6 years in small batch barrels. A magnificent whiskey!

All are a perfect complement to fine cigars.

Chef LaLa
Contributing Editor, Comida News
http://www.cheflala.com/