After losing 15 pounds appearing in the reality television show "Survivor: Fiji," Yau-Man Chan of Martinez found himself the center of attention Sunday in an event celebrating fine wines, luscious strawberries and other food.

The unlikely Survivor star served wine and posed for photographs during "An Afternoon in the Admiral's Garden VII," the annual fundraiser for the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano counties.

The Mare Island event drew nearly 500 people. Food Bank executive director Larry Sly said the goal was to raise at least $120,000. The funds will go to transport food, and also to buy fresh fruit and vegetables to give away with nonperishable staples, he said.

People milled around tasting tents, received a buffet luncheon and enjoyed music by Dave Gleason's Wasted Days and the Sharp Five Jazz Band. The Admiral's and Captain's mansions and nearby St. Peter's Chapel were open.

Though he's familiar to millions of television viewers, Chan said he prefers keeping a low-profile. But, he eagerly accepted an invitation to help out the food bank to which he contributes regularly, he said.

Chan's celebrity status has brought the normally shy, self-described "computer geek" into unaccustomed limelight, he said. Soon, he will appear at a "Survivors" convention which CBS is staging for die-hard fans, he said.

"I'm not normally so outgoing. I'm a geeky guy. I'm used to working alone in dark basements with computers," he joked, flashing a brilliant smile.

Chan finished fourth place out of 20 in the 14th season of the reality show in which contestants use their survival skills to try and win $1 million. As fourth-place winner he got $60,000. This season's show was filmed in Macuata, Vanua Levu, a small island in Fiji, in about five weeks starting Oct. 30. Earl Cole was the winner.

"It's a lot harder than it looks," he said. "Every 45-minute episode is actually about 3 days. There's a lot of suffering. You are always hungry and thirsty."

Chan, 54, watched the first season of Survivor but said he rarely watches TV now. He said show producers recruited him in an effort to have more Asian and other minority contestants. He said one guiding principle was "not to do anything to embarrass my daughters," such as take off all his clothes or jeopardize his integrity. He has two teenage girls.

Originally from Malaysian Bornea, Chan currently works at University of California at Berkeley in informational technology (computers) for the college of chemistry.

He wasn't the only "honored guest" milling around the Admiral mansion lawns. Sunday's fundraiser also drew Vida Blue, former left-handed starting pitcher for the Oakland Athletics, San Francisco Giants and Kansas City Royals. He lives in Tracy, and does whatever he can for the food bank, he said.

"I grew up in an unfortunate environment where I got support from programs like this. Now I'm in a position to make a difference," Blue said. The Louisiana native said he wants to use his celebrity status to help others. Besides helping the food bank, he also volunteers at a Tracy senior center.