Modern Living: Egging On Egos

In this age of universal gourmandise, hardly a celebrity in the U.S. will not confess to being a closet chef. To put unsung Escoffiers in the limelight—and raise some money—the March of Dimes' New York chapter held a gourmet gala at the Waldorf-Astoria last week. Over hot stoves and chopping boards that ringed the ballroom, 26 contestants from the beautiful, the clever and the famed doggedly demonstrated their epicurean eptitude.

Betsy Bloomingdale of the department store dynasty brought her own nutmeg from Los Angeles for a rendition of an Eggs Chimay recipe published by Craig Claiborne (who also happened to be one...