And They're Still Speaking To Us

Records were shattered at Fort Mason’s Festival Pavilion on May 18, as the 21st Annual Star Chefs & Vintners Gala raised an astounding $1.1 million to benefit Meals On Wheels of San Francisco and aid in their mission to provide nutritious meals, daily human contact and supportive services to the City’s homebound seniors.Some 700 guests attended this year’s gala, which featured the culinary creations of more than 80 of the Bay Area’s top chefs including Gala Chef chairwoman Nancy Oakes (Boulevard), Charles Phan (The Slanted Door), Douglas Keane (Cyrus), David Kinch (Manresa), Traci des Jardins (Jardiniere), Roland Passot (La Folie), and Jan Birnbaum (Epic Roasthouse). The mouth-watering food was paired with wine from more than 50 of California’s top vintners, including Cakebread Cellars, Chalk Hill Estate Vineyard & Winery, Duckhorn Vineyards, Grgich Hills Estate and Silver Oak Cellars. In an incredible show of generosity, the item that garnered the biggest donations of the evening was Fund-A-Route, the annual auction item in which guests pledge cash contributions ranging from $20,000 to $250, all of which go directly towards funding a meal delivery route in San Francisco. This year, Fund-A-Route raised an incredible $308,000, a 48% increase over 2007. The 21st Annual Star Chefs & Vintners Gala was chaired by Laurie Thomas and Andrew Wiegand and produced by Hartmann Studios, Taste Catering and Event Planning and Dominic Phillips Event Marketing. The Gala was sponsored by Kaiser Permanente and Valley Services and supported by American Airlines, AT&T, BMW of San Francisco, Dodge & Cox, Macy's, PG&E, TPG Capital and Wells Fargo Foundation. Media sponsors for the event are ABC 7, KOIT/KDFC, San Francisco Business Times, San Francisco Chronicle and San Francisco magazine. Since 1970, Meals on Wheels of San Francisco (MOWSF) has been delivering hope to homebound seniors, providing nutritious meals, daily human contact and supportive services to prevent their premature institutionalization and ensure that they can continue to live independently, with dignity and respect. Today, MOWSF serves more than 1,400 clients daily, either through home-delivered meals or at the Dorrwin B. Jones Senior Center in San Francisco.