Schilling makes a stem cell pitch; chef runs the show

ACE IS HIS COPILOT So what did Curt Schilling talk about with President Bush on their way to Ohio aboard Air Force One? Not baseball. Appearing on WEEI yesterday with right-wing radio hosts Gerry Callahan and John Dennis, the Sox ace said he and the commander in chief chatted about stem cell research, of all things, during their two-hour plane ride to the swing state. Schill, who gobbled an omelet while gabbing with W., said the president didn't exactly prevaricate but did show some "flexibility" on the issue of federal funding for embryonic stem-cell research. (The pitcher, whose mom suffered from Lou Gehrig's disease, supports it; the president mostly doesn't, or at least didn't.). . .In other news, the bloody sock our hero wore while pitching in Game 2 of the World Series will be auctioned off to raise money for the ALS Association. Scott Edelstein, of the organization's Massachusetts chapter, tells Boston Magazine that he's hoping the soiled sock will fetch $1 million. Schill's cleats, on which he scrawled "K ALS," (translation: strike out Lou Gehrig's disease) have been promised to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

SOME WAITSTAFF Summer Shack chef-owner Jasper White was invited to the wedding reception Sunday night of "Phantom Gourmet" TV guy Michael Andelman and Claudia Bell at Andelman's Cambridge restaurant. But just attending a wedding reception is not White's style. So, instead, he cooked Chinese appetizers and served (with help, of course) the several hundred guests who came to celebrate the couple, who were married last month in Aruba. Among those on hand were the groom's brother, "Phantom Gourmet" frontman Dave Andelman; the show's MC David Robichaud; Comedy Connection chief Bill Blumenreich; Kowloon's Wong family; Giant Glass behemoth Dennis Drinkwater; Viacom's marketing guy Kenny Lawrence; World Boxing Hall-of-Fame announcer "Colonel" Bob Sheridan; Long's Jewelers owner Bob Rottenberg; high-profile Boston lawyer Harry Manion; and EMC founder turned feature film producer Roger Marino. And, of course, the bride and groom's fathers, Harvard professor David Bell and Zone 1510 sports radio guy Eddie Andelman.

NOW OPEN Some 600 people turned out Friday night for the opening of Sorriso, the Leather District eatery that Les Zygomates Wine Bar & Bistro chef-owner Ian Just opened next door to his 10-year-old restaurant. Among the guests were Martha's Vineyard-based author (and Ian's dad) Ward Just with his wife, Sarah Catchpole, and a slew of media and politicos. Designed by Peter Niemitz, Sorriso will feature a menu by chef John Paine. It opens for dinner tonight and for lunch tomorrow. . . . Ian Just's former partner in Les Zygomates, Lorenzo Savona, has teamed up with chef Tony Bettencourt to open Tomasso, a new trattoria and enoteca in Southborough. (Savona and Bettencourt both were at UpStairs on the Square in Cambridge.) Tomasso, designed by Sandra Fairbank, held an opening party on Sunday night.

CHEF TAKES ON BIG APPLE Sure, most chefs are great on their feet, but Legal Sea Food's executive chef Rich Vellante has taken that to a whole new level. An avid runner and triathlete, Vellante ran the New York Marathon on Sunday, finishing in 4:22.

FAB FIVE The five Celtics coaches who combined to win 16 NBA titles were under one roof last night at the C's second annual opening night celebration. (The event at the team's training facility in Waltham was originally scheduled for Oct. 28 but was postponed because all eyes were on the World Series.) The gala raised funds for the Shamrock Foundation's three focus charities: Children's Hospital, the Horizons Initiative, and the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. In addition to the five coaches -- Red Auerbach, Bill Russell, Tom Heinsohn, K.C. Jones, and Bill Fitch -- we spied legends Nate Archibald, Bob Cousy, Dave Cowens, John Havlicek, "Cornbread" Maxwell, Robert Parish, "Satch" Sanders, and Bill Walton.

WORTHY CAUSE Even after 20 years, the VIPs still turn out for Joe O'Donnell's annual party and film premiere benefiting the Joey Fund/Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Sunday's fete thrown by the Boston Concessions bigwig drew 1,200 people to the Atrium Mall in Chestnut Hill and raised more than $520,000. Mucky-mucks in attendance included Governor Mitt Romney, Mayor Tom Menino, AG Tom Reilly, and former Senate president Tom Birmingham. By the way, this year's movie premiere was "Finding Neverland" starring Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet.

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