The crème de la crème of San Diego chefs are joining forces to present a series of benefit dinners aimed at helping local line cooks and sous chefs advance their careers in the culinary arts.

The program, called Chef Celebration, runs through mid-October and features nine elaborate multi-course dinners to be held at various restaurants throughout the county, such as Thee Bungalow, El Bizcocho, Laurel, Meritage and others. Organizers say that customers will enjoy the “latest and greatest” food offerings on the culinary scene as teams comprised of five or six top-name chefs work in collaboration for each pre-fixed dinner.

One of the meals, scheduled for Oct. 14 at Meritage in Encinitas, will showcase an all-woman team headed by owner Susan Sbicca. She will be joined by Amiko Gubbins of Parallel 33, Terryl Gavre of Café 222 (seen in past years on city billboards with a waffle taped to her head), ZheeZhee Aguirre of Mixx and Karen Krasne of Extraordinary Desserts. The menu will include delectable dishes such as Seared Tourchon of Foie Gras, Northern Halibut with Sherry-Vanilla Beurre Blanc and Caviar, and Ginger-Soy Short Ribs with Parsnip-Potato Purée.

According to Deborah Schneider, chairman of the Chef Celebration’s planning committee and executive chef at Hilton Torrey Pines, dinner prices will average about $60 per person with $40 from each allotted to the organization’s scholarship fund. The money is then awarded to aspiring chefs currently working in local kitchens, allowing them to enroll in cooking courses at schools of their choice. “The goal is to help them raise their skills so they can bring their talents back to San Diego,” she adds. “It is our way of saying ‘thank you’ to the people who work for us.”

Ed Moore of Thee Bungalow founded the event in 1997 in an effort to draw attention to San Diego’s culinary scene. The “celebration” has since grown to include more chefs and restaurants from locales outside of our metropolitan boundaries, such as the coastal strip and North County.

Among the cutting-edge gourmet dishes appearing on various menus this year are: Monkfish Cheek, Warm Beef Salad, Coconut-Plantain Chowder, Braised Lamb Shank in Phyllo, Maple Leaf Duck Breast, Quadruple Belgian Chocolate Tortelettes and Pear Marscarpone Mousse.

Other chefs in the stellar lineup include Jeff Rossman of Terra, Bernard Guillas of the Marine Room, Jeff Thurston of The Prado, Jean-Michel Diot of Tapenade and Martin Woesle of Mille Fleurs, to name a few.

The dinner series began on Sept. 16, and continues through Oct. 14. Below is a list of dates and locations for the remainder of the program. For exact times, prices, reservations and menu information, call the participating restaurants directly or visit www.gaylesbiantimes.com for a link to the web site.

Sept. 18

Macy’s School of Cooking at Macy’s Mission Valley Home Store

Reservations: (619) 224-2884

Sept. 23

El Bizcocho

Reservations: (858)75-8500

Sept. 25

Thee Bungalow

Reservations: (619) 224-2884

Sept. 30

Anthony’s Star of the Sea

Reservations: (619) 232-7408

Oct. 2

Trattoria Acqua

Reservations: (858) 454-0709

Oct. 7

Laurel

Reservations: (619) 239-2222

Oct. 9

Third Corner

Reservations: (619) 224-2884

Oct.14

Meritage

Reservations: (760) 634-3350