Sunday, June 2nd, was a sunny, celebratory day at Bergamot Staion in Santa Monica. The CLARE Foundation held its seventh annual ART for CLARE benefit offering food, beverages, and a silent auction featuring art, services, gift baskets and more. The CLARE Foundation is a nonprofit organization providing compassionate treatment and recovery services for alcoholism and substance abuse.

For a mere $25, guests were tempted by delicious food from some of the best restaurants in Los Angeles while browsing original art by both emerging and renowned artists. This year’s event was co-chaired by actress and best-selling author Meredith Baxter and Linde Caughey, the event will bring together more than 60 prominent local artists.

The food was out of this world! Provided by a host of famed restaurants including Kate Mantilini, Lemonade, El Cholo and Road Side Eats, it was a gourmand’s delight providing something for every palate.

The pulled pork sandwich from Road Side Eats just melted in your mouth and was accompanied by a fresh watermelon and edamame salad. Kate Mantilini put a new spin on grilled cheese, pairing it with prosciutto. Moving on to dessert… one of my favorites was the red velvet cake squares with cream cheese icing from Nothing Bundt Cakes. Moving on, the next table featured the most amazing cookies and baked goods from The Bread is Red.

In the beverage department….one could enjoy fruity ‘mocktails,’  by Jim Peter and specialty lemonades from none other than Lemonade on Abbot Kinney Blvd. My favorite was the rosemary infused watermelon….yum. Alden Marin, an artist who donated a piece for the silent auction, supplied the wine. Marin has created an exclusive line for Whole Foods with his own art on the label.

Artist Theodore Svenningsen sold all five of his pieces at the auction. There was even a bidding frenzy at the end, with Meredith Baxter gracefully backing down so that another artist named Barbara Blatt could take home the prize.

See image: Theodore Svenningsen and Barbara Blatt

Blatt also had a piece in the auction and explained, “I recently started doing more drawing, and I was so inpired by Theodore’s work, I just had to have it.” There is nothing that makes me smile more than watching artists support other artists.

See image of Beth Blatt with her treasure as well as her own bead sculpture that she donated to the auction.

Proceeds of the event will go to benefit the CLARE Foundation’s mission of providing effective and compassionate treatment, recovery, and prevention services to individuals, families, and the LA community.

For more information, call (310) 314-6200 or see their website at http://www.clarefoundation.org