Wednesday, October 18 2006
On October 7th, 250 cigar devotees from around the world gathered at Hotel Bel-Air in Los Angeles to attend the second annual God of Fire Dinner for Cigar Family Charitable Foundation. Held in honor of Carlos Fuente Sr. and the debut of the Don Carlos Edición de Aniversario cigar, the fundraiser was a star-studded affair that included cigar and entertainment celebrities alike.
Joining cigar industry attendees such as Reinhold Widmayer, editor of European Cigar Cult Journal, Andre Zabitsky, CEO of David Cigar Corporation in Montreal, Canada, noted cigar journalist and author Richard Carleton Hacker, amid a throng of authorized God of Fire dealers from around the country, were actors Dennis Franz, Andy Garcia, Joe Mantegna, Ron Perlman, comedian/actor Paul Reiser, and jazz trumpeter Arturo Sandoval.
Co-hosted by Keith K. Park, CEO and Founder of Prometheus and God of Fire, and Mr. Mantegna, it was a night of fine food, exquisite wines, and special and rare cigars produced by the Fuente family.
One of the highlights of the evening was a charity auction that raised more than $200,000.00 for Cigar Family Charitable Foundation, which was started by the Fuente and Newman families in 2001 in order to help the children in Dominican Republic.
Some of the items up for bid included a Krieger Gigantium Elite watch, a two-night stay at the Mirage in Las Vegas and VIP table at Club Pure, a three-year supply of God of Fire cigars, a wine dinner at Hotel Bel-Air for 16 people that includes Joe Mantegna and his friends, a 2004 limited edition God of Fire humidor with 10 boxes of God of Fire cigars, and a limited edition Don Carlos Edición de Aniversario humidor. The humidor is produced by Prometheus in commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the Don Carlos cigar and comes with 90 Don Carlos Edicion de Aniversario cigars in 3 sizes.
At the start of the dinner, Andy Garcia spoke about his friendship with the Fuente family and making of The Lost City in Dominican Republic. Also present at the dinner were The Lost City executive producer Johnny Lopez, and producer Frank Mancuso Jr.
All the celebrity "meet and greet" aside, what made The 2006 God of Fire Dinner all the more special was the attendance of legendary cigar maker, Carlos Fuente Sr., patriarch of the Fuente family, who was honored for his lifetime of achievement in the cigar industry.
2006 is also the 30th anniversary of the Don Carlos cigars created by Carlos Fuente Sr. As a tribute to his father, Carlito Fuente created the Don Carlos Edicion de Aniversario cigar which he presented to his father on stage.
"My father is my hero," said Carilto Fuente. "It is my dream to follow his footsteps but will be impossible to fill his shoes." µ
If you would like to see all of the photographs from The 2006 God of Fire Dinner, click here.
