Stars turn out at CPK to aid Children's Foundation

Nation's Restaurant News, Dec 23, 2002

Los ANGELES -- California Pizza Kitchen recently hosted a holiday celebration for 100 Starlight Children's Foundation children and their parents to kick off magician David Copperfield's first show in Los Angeles in nearly 10 years.

The preshow celebration, held at the chain's flagship location at Hollywood and Highland boulevards, also featured such celebrities as Ben Stiller, Bob Sagat, Patricia Heaton of "Everybody Loves Raymond," Stephen Root of "News Radio," and Patrick Warburton of "Seinfeld" and "The Tick."

Copperfield escorted the children on a tour of what was called the largest collection of historic magic ever to be exhibited outside his private Museum of the Conjuring Arts, which is located in Nevada. The tour featured Orson Welles' buzzsaw, Harry Houdini's baby shoes, Edgar Bergen's Charlie McCarthy dummy, plus books and lithographs.

The Starlight Children's Foundation is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to brightening the lives of seriously ill children and the people who love and care for them. Using an extensive menu of in-hospital and outpatient programs, the program serves more than 100,000 children in more than 1,000 hospitals each month.

California Pizza Kitchen, founded in 1985, is a casual-dining chain in the pizza segment.