Barbecue

COSTA MESA — The public is invited to recognize local firefighters, police officers and 911 dispatchers with an appreciation barbecue Thursday at the Orange County Fairgrounds. The Costa Mesa Chamber of Commerce will be hosting the luncheon at the grounds from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Admission is $10 at the door. Last year's event included a routine by local cheerleaders and a martial arts demonstration by members of a local dojo. —Joseph Serna Twitter: @JosephSerna

Costa Mesa is now taking reservations for its public safety recognition barbecue, a chance for the city to recognize the people who serve city residents every day. The barbecue is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct. 8 at the Orange County Fairgrounds. The event is sponsored by the Costa Mesa Chamber of Commerce and tickets are $10 for the public and chamber members. Police and fire department employees as well as communication personnel can get in for free. Make a reservation by Oct. 5 by calling (714)

The second annual Costa Mesa Public Safety Recognition Barbecue is coming up, giving employees, business owners and residents a chance to honor the men and women who put their lives at risk to keep residents safe. Hosted by the Costa Mesa Chamber of Commerce, the Oct. 4 event has a distinctive style for honoring public safety workers by recognizing the group effort behind the personal saves. Raffle prize donations are needed. For more information, call Mason at (714) 540-8222 or the chamber at (714)

A local barbecue restaurant will donate money from turkeys sold through Nov. 24 to a local nonprofit organization geared toward helping the needy, company officials said. From today through 4 p.m. Nov. 24, the Beach Pit BBQ restaurant will donate $10 from every turkey purchase to Share Our Selves, whose volunteers provide free assistance to the county’s in-need population. Slow-cooked in a giant smoker in the restaurant, 18- to 20-pound turkeys cost $95 and can serve up to 24 people.

More than 100 girls will attend a barbecue cook-off Wednesday in Costa Mesa as part of Girls Inc.’s Fit Girls and Families Program. Chef Jamie Gwen, author of four books and radio show host on 97.1 FM, and her manager Lana Sills, will host the barbecue. Girls, ages 4 to 12, will help prepare grilled chicken soft tacos, fresh salsa, corn on the cob, wedges of watermelon and a fruit cobbler. The Fit Girls and Families Program is an educational undertaking to battle obesity in girls and teens of Orange County and is made possible by the support of California Endowment, Foster’s Wine Estates Americas, Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian and Kaiser Permanente.

Have you got your grill on yet? We’re sure some of you dads will get a “world’s greatest cook” apron on Father’s Day this year, but you’ll want to make sure you have the best barbecue gear, too. This week we thought it was a good time to catch up with the Barbeques Galore team in Costa Mesa.   How much do sales for barbecues go up during the summer? Sales usually double during summer. What is a hot seller this year?

Ahoy, Fourth of July is next Friday, and this is one of the busiest boating times of the year. I expect the crowds to begin this weekend and continue through next week. Hailing all boaters to register now for the 53rd annual Old Glory Boat Parade at 1 p.m. on the Fourth of July. You are invited to share the American spirit by celebrating at the American Legion and especially the boat parade. The theme is “America the Beautiful,” and that should bring out the red, white and blue decorations on the parade vessels.

It is fortunate for barbecue lovers that Tim DeCinces didn't make it as a major league baseball player. The son of famed third baseman and former Angel, Doug DeCinces, languished in the minor leagues, never catching on with the big show. In those eight years, he spent four of them in the minors with the Baltimore Orioles, who had drafted him in the 17th round in 1996. It was the next four years that shaped DeCinces' future career. Playing for the Mobile BayBears, DeCinces traveled around the South, playing against teams in Alabama, Mississippi, Florida and Tennessee.

NEWPORT BEACH — Dan Marcheano is ready to serve up some Texas-style barbecue at his new venture, The Arches Grill and BBQ, which is scheduled to open in July at the former Aubergine restaurant on the Balboa Peninsula. The restaurateur is packing up at the iconic Arches location at West Coast Highway and Old Newport Boulevard, taking everything from the paintings and the Tiffany chandeliers to the employees. It's been well-known that Marcheano was taking The Arches with him after his 25-year legacy at the restaurant.

Vanguard University sports fans can eat in style Saturday at a barbecue sponsored by Outback restaurant. The barbecue will benefit the school's athletic department. A limited number of tickets are still available for the barbecue, which will be held after the Vanguard versus Chapman University women's softball game and before the Vanguard versus Fresno Pacific University men's and women's basketball games Saturday. The barbecue is $5 per person with a special $3 discount for Vanguard students.

COSTA MESA — The public is invited to recognize local firefighters, police officers and 911 dispatchers with an appreciation barbecue Thursday at the Orange County Fairgrounds. The Costa Mesa Chamber of Commerce will be hosting the luncheon at the grounds from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Admission is $10 at the door. Last year's event included a routine by local cheerleaders and a martial arts demonstration by members of a local dojo. —Joseph Serna Twitter: @JosephSerna

News flash: Father's Day is Sunday. If you've been asleep at the wheel, here are several ways to show the dad in your life that you love him — and none of them involve a tie in a cardboard box, a new pair of socks or a honey-do list. For the Family Man Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort is pulling out all the stops for its inaugural Father's Day on the Back Bay on Saturday, which will include a barbecue lunch; beach activities; an amateur barbecuing contest; live music by a surf band; and a cardboard boat regatta.

An application for what is being described as the first upscale, late-night food delivery service will be the subject of a public hearing at Thursday's Newport Beach Planning Commission meeting. Jeff Reuter, owner of 3-Thirty-3 Waterfront restaurant in Newport Beach, intends to fill the food nighttime niche with Dry Dock, which would deliver "fall-off-the-bone" barbecue throughout Newport and also serve dine-in customers along Mariner's Mile. "There are a lot of people doing dinner later these days than ever before," Reuter said Tuesday.

W hat's the best way to celebrate June graduations, the kids getting out of school and Father's Day? With a good old-fashioned barbecue, of course! Whether you want to try something new or stick with tried-and-true favorites, you'll find a tempting array of outdoor cookbooks at the Newport Beach Library. Dig into these selections for mouthwatering recipes to make your summer sizzle: "500 Barbecue Dishes: The Only Barbecue Compendium You'll Ever Need" by Paul Kirk : Packed with more than 500 recipes, this volume also covers essential barbecue techniques.

Delaney DeCinces, her best friend Taylor Craig, Delaney’s sisters Paige and Riley, and Taylor’s brother Jordan are ordinary American kids. But a random act of kindness on their part has inspired an adult to go beyond expectations and help the people of Haiti recover from last week’s earthquake. “We heard there’s a big huge earthquake in Haiti and that people needed medicine and food and money for medical care,” Delaney, 9, and Taylor, 10, said in one voice.

Beach Pit BBQ will donate all of its proceeds from meal sales Thursday to the Haitian earthquake relief effort. Tim DeCinces, founder and manager of the restaurant, is giving proceeds from his locations in Costa Mesa, Tustin and Orange to Peace Relief, a local organization leaving this week on a humanitarian mission to Haiti. DeCinces was inspired by his 9-year-old daughter, Delaney, who raised $85 from a bake sale for post-earthquake relief efforts in Haiti. The Costa Mesa Beach Pit BBQ location is at: 1676 Tustin Ave. Costa Mesa 92627 (949)

There is perhaps no better gift than the gift of hope. An organization known as Furnishing Hope brought the community together for a good old fashioned country Western barbecue raising funds to literally furnish hope. Founded in 2003 this group provides furniture for shelters. They have furnished 33 homes built by Habitat for Humanity in Orange County (every single home since 2004). For Orangewood, they have decorated 14 apartments. In addition, Furnishing Hope has donated three furnished residences for the Red Cross in Orange County, as well as working with another dozen local nonprofits donating furnishings and decorative fixtures.

Costa Mesa is now taking reservations for its public safety recognition barbecue, a chance for the city to recognize the people who serve city residents every day. The barbecue is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct. 8 at the Orange County Fairgrounds. The event is sponsored by the Costa Mesa Chamber of Commerce and tickets are $10 for the public and chamber members. Police and fire department employees as well as communication personnel can get in for free. Make a reservation by Oct. 5 by calling (714)

With summer just around the corner, it?s time to fire up the grill and get ready for outdoor barbecues. The Newport Beach Public Library has many new cookbooks to help you cook outdoors with recipes ranging from flavorings to meats to pizza cooking on the grill. ??500 Barbecue Dishes: The Only Barbecue Compendium That You?ll Ever Need? by Paul Kirk . This barbecue compendium is crammed with 500 mouth-watering recipes, all of them clear and easy to follow. Filled with tips on how to select the right ingredients for your barbecue and how to make them taste absolutely perfect, this may be the only book about barbecue you will ever need.