The Stars Come Out For A Great Cause
The stars of the Bay Area culinary world were out in force at the 25th Annual Star Chefs and Vintners Gala held at Pier 48 near AT&T Park.
The event, which benefits Meals on Wheels of San Francisco, raised a record $1.9 million this year. Meals On Wheels was founded in 1970 and is the City’s oldest and largest provider of home-delivered meals for seniors.
Tables were set up featuring some of the best chefs, wineries and bartenders and mixologists, offering guests a snippet of what was to come in the opening reception. There were also tables set up for the event’s silent auction items, many of which included some pretty spectacular wine packages.
The more than thousand people in attendance were then treated to an amazing three-course dinner with wine pairings. The list of participating chefs and dishes would make anyone’s mouth water!
Probably the only thing more amazing than the food were some of the items up for bidding in the live auction. Included were an “End of the World Foie Gras Party” for 16 guests hosted by chef Roland Passot of La Folie and a Healdsburg Holiday, which included lunch for eight at the Healdsburg Hills home of chef Nancy Oakes of Boulevard with meal and wine pairing prepared by Oakes and chef Charlie Palmer. But the biggest bids came in for “The Ultimate Napa Night,” dinner for 12 at The French Laundry paired with wines from Harlan Estates, which sold for $30,000 and two private dinners at the home of chef Gary Danko, which each fetched $35,000.
Meals On Wheels of San Francisco serves approximately 18,000 home-delivered meals a week. 57 percent of the group’s budget is raised privately with nearly a third of those funds coming from the Star Chefs & Vintners Gala.
