2018 Live Auction Preview
Lot #2: Pasta-Making lesson and dinner for 12, taught by Thomas McNaughton of flour + water
Lot #4: Dinner for 8 by Chef Val Cantu of Californios in your home
Lot #5: Dinner for 6 with Evan and Sarah Rich at Favia Wines with Annie Favia and Andy Erickson
Lot #6: One Week in Italy at La Cucina Cooking School for 2, with Ryan Pollnow (May 5 – 11, 2019)
Lot #8: Dinner for 8 in your home with Lord Stanley’s Carrie and Rupert Blease + Williams Selyem
Lot #9: Dinner for 8 by Nancy Oakes and Gary Danko in Healdsburg
Lot #10: Cardinale & Chef Ken Frank – Legendary Napa Experience
Lot #13: Dinner for 8 in your home with Lazy Bear’s David Barzelay with wine by Paul Einbund
Lot #14: Two Couples Will Experience Three Nights in London the Nancy Oakes Way!
Lot #1
Seeing Stars – Dinner for four at all 7 of the Bay Area’s 3-Star Michelin Restaurants
This is truly the ne plus ultra Bay Area dining wish list: dinner for four at all 7 local 3-Star Michelin Restaurants. Tables await your party from Sonoma to the South Bay, each set with an exquisitely calibrated wine pairing to match a world-class array of these world-class chefs’ menus – each distinct, inspired, and delicious in its own particular, inimitable way. So here’s to fulfilling wishes, paced out one extraordinary night each month for seven months . . . or diving full-on into one completely unforgettable over-the-top week!
All food and wine costs are included
Dinners must be booked on mutually agreed upon dates by winner AND restaurants and may exclude weekend nights
Lot #2
Pasta-Making Lesson and Dinner for 12, taught by Thomas McNaughton of flour + water
The perfect epicurean gathering for good friends or family! The centerpiece of this evening involves learning to create pasta from scratch, by hand, in flour + water’s private event space, The Upstairs. The lesson will be led by flour + water CEO and Culinary Director, Thomas McNaughton himself. During the pasta-making lesson, guests will be treated to sparkling wine and snacks! The night culminates in a four-course dinner (that you’ve prepared) with wines by Scribe paired with each course. At the end of the gathering, guests then package the pasta they make to take the memories home.
Lot #3
Influential Women of The Valley – Over Three Cases of Wine by Women, and weekday Fireside Chat, snacks and wine tasting for 8 with Heidi Barrett, Jennifer Lamb and Cherie Melka, at ACME Fine Wines in St. Helena.
What a thoughtful way to round out any missing spots in your cellar – or start a robust instant mini-cellar – with over 30 bottles of wine that have all been created by legendary, as well as up-and-coming, female winemakers, viticulturists and purveyors. This multigenerational group includes the work of, Heidi Barrett, Ann Colgin, Cathy Corrison, Helen Keplingher and Jennifer Lamb, just to name a few. In addition, play hookie during the week and enjoy hearing directly from some of the talents behind these bottles themselves in an intimate afternoon for 8 with a fireside chat featuring select women winemakers Heidi Barrett, Jennifer Lamb and Cherie Melka while relishing the afternoon with snacks and tastings in the joint space of ACME and Herb Lamb tasting room in downtown St. Helena. Don’t go on your tasting on an empty stomach. Plan to have lunch at Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen before heading over to ACME. A perfect way to celebrate the year of the woman!
All food and wine costs are included
This lot must be booked upon mutually agreed up dates of winner AND winemakers – WEEKENDS EXCLUDED
Lot #4
A Very Exclusive Engagement: Dinner for 8 by Chef Val Cantu of Californios in Your Home
With a reputation for innovative perspectives on ultra-fresh ingredients, Two Michelin Stars, and a Food & Wine Best New Chef commendation, as well as running a restaurant where it’s nearly impossible to get a reservation – Chef Val Cantu of Californios can soothe your scheduling questions by creating a dinner that, as Michael Bauer puts it, “inspired and entirely personal cuisine, one that transcends techniques and ingredients and comes from within” for 8 in your very own kitchen. Wines will be hand chosen by Charlotte Randolph, Sommelier and Owner, building layers of complementary flavors that compose a singular, personal experience.
Lot #5
Time Out in Napa: Dinner for 6 with Evan and Sarah Rich at Favia Wines with Annie Favia and Andy Erickson
Join Annie Favia and Andy Erickson as they host dinner for 6 at their newly restored winery in Coombsville. Built in 1886 by Napa’s first Italian immigrants, Annie and Andy have dedicated themselves to reviving the estate — in addition to being the epicenter of Favia Wines, it also is home to a walnut orchard, olive tree grove, and extensive vegetable gardens. Partnering with Evan and Sarah Rich of the Michelin-starred, Beard-nominated Rich Table, this collaboration promises to be an incomparable evening of culinary and wine delights! Dinner for 6 will be followed by lodging at the beautiful Verasa Napa Valley. Once your head meets the pillow in their pleasingly appointed lodging you’ll be dreaming of the next time you can come back to all these unparalleled places.
All food and wine costs are included
Transportation NOT included
Dinner must be booked on mutually agreed upon dates by winner AND chefs/winery and may exclude weekend nights
Lot #6
When in Rome (or Just 30 Minutes North of Rome): One Week in Italy at La Cucina Cooking School for 2, with Ryan Pollnow (May 5-11, 2019)
Tucked within the peaceful, verdant Mediterranean landscape just outside Rome you’ll find the elegantly minimalist Villa La Tartaruga Sabina, with gorgeously updated guest suites. Within the villa, you’ll find La Cucina Sabina, a jewel of a state-of-the-art demonstration kitchen surrounded on three sides with floor-to-ceiling glass looking out on the surrounding olive, lemon, rosemary, and fig trees. An ideal and idyllic place to spend six days learning to cook with Chef Ryan Pollnow of flour + water and Central Kitchen fame, named to Zagat’s “30 Under 30” 2013 list and noted as a 2016 James Beard Foundation Rising Star of the Year.
When you’re not perfecting your kitchen skills, and picking up new ones, you’re welcome to relax on the Villa’s two-acre grounds, which include an 1800 square foot swimming pool with a turtle mosaic on the bottom. Or visit local boutique wineries, make a pilgrimage to the famed Tivoli Gardens, or perhaps check out a nearby castle or two. Trip will be May 5-11, 2019
Lot #7
A Singular Evening at Promontory: Dinner for 8 featuring SingleThread Farms’ chef Kyle Connaughton, and hosted by Will Harlan at Promontory winery, with an overnight stay at Meadowood. Includes 4 magnums of wine – vintages to be chosen by the winning bidder(s) via a vertical tasting at the winery
To dine at the Promontory winery is to spend an evening on the precipice of another world. The newest winegrowing endeavor taken on by the Harlan family, Promontory is forging a new path of discovery and expression within a hidden expanse overlooked for the past century. Wines from its hillsides reflect the many aspects of the territory: the native forests, the moisture of the ephemeral fog, and the minerality of its metamorphic rock. These disparate facets in symphony provide a natural balance of freshness, energy, and tannin. Your party of 8 will revel in the profound and vibrant character of Promontory’s wine as chosen by Will Harlan, who will join you as famed chef Kyle Connaughton prepares an exquisitely unique dining experience. Connaughton’s SingleThread Farms Restaurant is a literal farm-to-table establishment, and you can expect the same loving eye for detail at this meal. After you’ve savored the last few bites, you’ll spend the night at Meadowood, ensconced in its wooded enclave, savoring all of these recently created and most deeply gratifying memories. As a final souvenir, the winning bidder will take home 4 magnums of Promontory wine – vintages to be chosen by the winning bidder(s) via a vertical tasting held at the winery on the evening of the event.
All food and wine costs are included
Dinner must be booked on mutually agreed upon dates by winner AND restaurant/winery and may exclude weekend nights
Lot #8
Lord Stanley’s Carrie and Rupert Blease + Williams Selyem: A Dinner for 8 in Your Home
For its straightforward yet intricate and British/European-inflected, climate-friendly menu, Lord Stanley has spent the last 3 years Michelin-starred, and earned Bon Appétit Magazine’s #3 Best New Restaurant in America distinction immediately after opening. Chefs Carrie and Rupert Blease will come to your home and compose a symphony of a meal for 8. Dishes will balance perfectly with a peerless selection of wines from Williams Selyem for an evening you’ll treasure forever.
Lot #9
Nancy Oakes and Gary Danko – Prepare dinner for 8 at Nancy’s Healdsburg home
Join two of the most famous and loved chefs in San Francisco – Chef Gary Danko of Restaurant Gary Danko & Gala Chef Chair Nancy Oakes of Boulevard & Prospect. They will team up to make your dinner dreams come true, by creating a menu of epicurean excellence for your group of 8, at Nancy and her husband Bruce Aidells’ spectacular hill-top Healdsburg home with sweeping views and, of course, an extraordinary open kitchen to prepare a phenomenal meal for you and your guests. Each chef will hand choose wines for their course. After dinner, head back to Healdsburg to stay the night at the brand new Harmon Guest House, opening summer 2018. This modern guesthouse has 39 rooms, custom-crafted furnishings and engaging, local art throughout. You’re sure to enjoy every moment of your stay at the roof top terrace, lobby bar, event space, swimming pool and creek-side park.
Lot #10
Cardinale & Chef Ken Frank – Legendary Napa Experience
Legendary Hospitality, 100-Point Wines, Culinary Masters and some of Napa Valley’s most extreme high elevation vineyards come together in this unprecedented live auction lot. Two couples will indulge in a two-night stay in Cardinale Estate’s private guest house, which is beautifully situated on a hillside in the heart of Napa Valley’s Oakville AVA. With sweeping views of the Napa Valley, a huge open kitchen, and many outdoor areas to enjoy, you’ll feel like Napa royalty.
Upon arrival, enjoy a VIP tasting at Cardinale. Located in world-renowned Oakville District, Cardinale crafts a single Cabernet Sauvignon from each vintage. The wine is a limited-production blend from Napa Valley’s most celebrated mountain appellations, followed by a vineyard tour on a Mt. Veeder. That evening you will enjoy dinner for 4 at The French Laundry.
The next day, invite two more couples to join you to enjoy a very special tour and tasting at Lokoya for 8 people. Set high above the Napa Valley at 2,000 feet elevation, the newly renovated Lokoya Villa awaits your arrival. You will enjoy every luxurious detail and relax in the most picturesque surroundings.
For the grand finale, enjoy a private dinner for 8 at the Cardinale guest house (lodging for that evening for the additional 2 couples will be provided by North Block hotel in Yountville) with a multi-course meal prepared by Chef Ken Frank of La Toque, Napa Valley, paired with a selection of Cardinale wines. If you favor wines produced by one of California’s most renowned winemakers like Chris Carpenter, from some of the most prestigious high elevation mountain vineyards in Napa Valley, you won’t want to miss out on this lot.
All food and wine costs are included
To be redeemed by June 1, 2019, on a mutually agreed upon date, with a minimum of 60 day-notice.
Lot #11
Women United Buy-In Dinner at Prospect. Featuring Gabriela Cámara, Dominique Crenn, Traci Des Jardins, Loretta Keller, Emily Luchetti, Pam Mazzola, Chef Chair Nancy Oakes and Alice Waters
PRE SET DATE – SUNDAY, MARCH 3, 2019
Mark your calendar for Sunday, March 3, 2019: This is a must-eat buy-in dinner at Prospect prepared by top-notch, preeminent female chefs. If you tried to count on your hands all the major awards their work has garnered – or even been nominated for – you would run out fingers before you even got started. Best Chef in California, Best Chef in America, Rising Star Chef, Best New Restaurant, Who’s Who of Food & Beverage in America, Lifetime Achievement . . . and that’s just from the Beard Foundation.
This never-to-be-tasted-again multi-course dinner will pair with exceptional wines from female vintners – expect to sip wines with Beth Novak Milliken of Spottswoode Estate Vineyards, Jasmine Hirsh of Hirsh Vineyards, CoCo Lopez of M. Etain and Jennifer Lamb of Herb Lamb Vineyards.
This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to support and celebrate the hardworking local women of food and wine, all while enjoying a lovely dinner out with friends.
Lot #12
Cabo Getaway for 6: Private Jet – Luxury Gulfstream 200 to Cabo for 3 Nights at the #1 Hotel in Mexico by Travel+Leisure, The Resort at Pedregal, Fishing for a Fresh-Caught Meal with Gerald Hirigoyen and Nancy Oakes
You and five friends fly in absolute luxury on the private jet – Gulfstream 200 – to The Multi-Award winning The Resort at Pedregal. The majestic Resort lies on Cabo San Lucas’ most coveted parcel of land– an extraordinary 24-acre site at the southernmost tip of Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula. The exclusive haven, accessible only by the private dos mares tunnel, is just minutes from the vibrant downtown Cabo San Lucas, yet seemingly worlds apart. The Resort at Pedregal offers unprecedented luxury, sophistication and personalized service widely recognized by some of the world´s most coveted awards; #1 Hotel in Mexico by Travel+Leisure, 2018 Gold List by Conde Nast Traveler, AAA Five Diamonds, and the only Resort in the Pacific side of Mexico with Forbes Five Stars for both the Hotel & Spa.
Your first night, settle in and enjoy dinner prepared by Chef Gustavo Pinet and team of The Resort at Pedregal.
The next day enjoy a day of cruising, snorkeling or fishing with tournament winning Captain Gallo Zumaya on Aristo, a Cabo 43 sportfisher along with James Beard nominee Gerald Hirigoyen of Piperade and James Beard Best Chef Nancy Oakes of Prospect and Boulevard, whom you may also know as the Meals on Wheels Gala Chef Chair. Enjoy dinner that night by Chef Oakes and Hirigoyen – possibly even preparing what you caught that day, ensuring a repast that’s as fresh as can be.
Ease back into life on your luxury return on the G200.
Lot #13
Lazy Bear’s David Barzelay Comes to You: Dinner for 8 in Your Home, with Wine by Paul Einbund
Experience a culinary collision of epic proportions when an award winning chef and sommelier create a one of a kind meal just for you! Food & Wine 2016 Best New Chef David Barzelay brings the artistry and craftsmanship behind his two-Michelin-starred modern American supper club LAZY BEAR to you, cooking a one-of-a-kind dinner for 8 in your own home. Fresh, exciting combinations of ingredients will be magnified by wines poured by star sommelier Paul Einbund, Food & Wine 2018 Sommelier of the year and owner of new restaurant THE MORRIS, whom you may remember from his Michelin-starred work at Coi and Frances. Paul will be selecting wines from his personal cellar in close concert with chef Barzelay to create incredible pairings with chef’s one of a kind dishes. Spend an evening at your home with these two talents, and let them host a unique, once-in-a-lifetime night in.
Lot #14
Two Couples Will Experience Three Nights in London the Nancy Oakes Way!
On your first day, check-in to the Dorchester Hotel, one of the world’s most iconic hotels, and settle in for your three-night stay. That evening, venture to the heart of Mayfair where you will join Nancy for cocktails at the art deco icon of timeless elegance, Claridge’s Champagne Bar. There you will meet Nancy’s friends and your local companions during your visit.
The next morning, take in all that London has to offer. Stroll through the exclusive Bond Street shopping area, visit the extraordinary quintessentially British gem, Thomas Goode to admire, and perhaps purchase some of the world’s finest china, silverware and glassware. If you’d like, join Nancy at one of the oldest wine stores in London, Berry Bros. & Rudd, established in 1698, and select a wines to pair with the meal she is going to prepare for you later that day.
That evening, meet Nancy & Co. for pre-dinner cocktails at the “Members Only” Royal Automobile Club. Afterward, you’ll be whisked off to an exclusive dinner at the home of the owner of Motorsport magazine and patron of the arts along with his enchanting wife amid their art collection including Hockney, Damien Hirst and Chihuly. Dine overlooking Green Park and St. James’s Palace, the residence of Charles, Camilla and Princess Anne. Situated in one of the toniest neighborhoods in London, the flat is the perfect location for Nancy to prepare an exquisite dinner from the season’s best offerings.
On your last night, meet for dinner at Chef Jacob Kennedy’s award-winning Italian restaurant, Bocca di Lupo. Jacob is an old family friend of Nancy, and one of the most talented chefs to pass through Boulevard, so you are sure to receive the ultra-VIP treatment. Enjoy an amazing meal specially created just you and paired with phenomenal hand-selected Italian wines – it is sure to be a night to remember!