Two chances to titillate the taste buds for worthwhile causes.

By JAKE DOHERTY

Nov. 15, 1991 12 AM PT

Food for thought. Thought for food. Both will be featured this weekend in the South Bay as two well-known charitable organizations serve up fine cuisine for worthwhile causes.

On Saturday, the Assistance League of San Pedro-Palos Verdes will sponsor its annual Cuisine a la Carte fund-raiser at the Sheraton San Pedro.

For $50 a ticket, guests at the Assistance League’s black-tie gala may graze among gourmet foods, imbibe fine wines and dance the night away.

“Every restaurant tries to outdo each other so the food is really wonderful,” said Sharon Ryan, the league’s publicity chairwoman.

Cuisine a la Carte begins at 7:30 p.m. It will feature food from 14 local restaurants, including Rive Gauche, the Oyster Wharf, Admiral Risty and the Green Onion, and eight Southern California wines, including Creston Manor, Korbel, J. Lohr and Miramonte.

“Every penny raised goes right back out again into the community,” Ryan said.

The San Pedro-Palos Verdes chapter of the league, one of 80 chapters in the country, was established in 1936, said Dorothy Vinter, the chapter president. The league offers assistance to children and others in need in the community.

“We’re unique in that we raise all our funds, operate our own philanthropies and do it all with volunteers,” Vinter said.

Projects run by the league include Operation School Bell, which provides clothing for nearly 1,000 children every year, Operation Hug, which provides teddy bears to traumatized children, and the only volunteer post office in the United States, Ryan said.

The league also operates a family dental clinic that charges only what the patient can afford to pay.

At Saturday’s event, the league will auction a trip to Catalina Island, wooden rocking chairs and a birthday party for a child, courtesy of the Firefighters of the Miraleste Fire Station. The party will include a cake baked by one of the firefighters.

Sunday’s South Bay Chef’s Auction, sponsored by the March of Dimes and the Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza, will offer a whole different group of South Bay restaurants and auction packages.

Guests will be able to sample food from such restaurants as Chalet de France, Classico Italian Ristorante and Crowne Plaza’s Coral Restaurant.

The auction packages include a tour of Paramount Studios and tickets for four to the Arsenio Hall show, dance and juggling lessons, a weekend trip to San Francisco and a dinner for eight, prepared in the winner’s home, by John Meeks, the Crowne Plaza’s executive chef.

“You can talk with the chef,” said Jennifer Roberts, the event coordinator. “Maybe some of them will even share their secrets.”

Tickets for Sunday’s event, which runs from 4 to 7 p.m., are $25. All proceeds will benefit the March of Dimes Campaign for Healthier Babies, which aims to prevent infant mortality and birth defects.

“The cornerstones of the Campaign for Healthier Babies are research, community services, public education and advocacy,” said Nancy Paul, director of communications for the Southern California chapter of the March of Dimes.

“The United States ranks 21st in the world in infant mortality,” Paul said. “Every year, 250,000 babies are born with birth defects and 40,000 infants die before their first birthday.”

Paul added: “The single most important thing in ensuring a healthy baby is early and continual prenatal care. But one out of three pregnant women in the United States don’t receive adequate prenatal care and 6% receive none at all.”

Jess Carreon, vice president of instruction at El Camino College and event chair, said, “Combining culinary excellence with the March of Dimes mission of ensuring a healthy baby is a perfect recipe.”

What: Cuisine a la Carte.

Where: Sheraton San Pedro, 601 S. Palos Verdes St., San Pedro.

When: Saturday, 7:30 p.m.

Admission: $50 per person.

Information: Call the Assistance League at (310) 832-8355.

What: South Bay Chef’s Auction.

Where: Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza, 300 N. Harbor Drive, Redondo Beach.

When: Sunday, 4 to 7 p.m.

Admission: $25 per person.

Information: Call the March of Dimes at (818) 972-9449.