18 Nov Please The Palate Pick of the Week: #SonomaStrong

The recent wine country fires were horrendous. Beginning October 9th and raging for three weeks, the destruction was devastating. More than 160,000 acres (250 square miles) have burned in Sonoma, Napa and Solano counties. 100,000 people have been displaced. 43 people have died and more are still missing. More than 8000 structures were destroyed, including 5,500 homes that were completely destroyed and an additional 4,000 partially burned, as well as some wineries. This is a crisis that continues to reverberate. It is also impossible to wrap your head around the magnitude of damage. I was in Santa Rosa this week and saw first hand the neighborhoods that are destroyed as a friend took me to see her home in the Fountaingrove neighborhood. But recovery is starting to happen and the people are strong and resilient. They are optimistic, ready to rebuild and are working hard to get back to a normal life. And the outpouring of support and the generosity of fundraising from around the world has been extraordinary! The motto is #SonomaStrong and that is the Please The Palate pick of the week. TRAVEL TO WINE COUNTRY Head up to Sonoma Valley right now and support local wineries, restaurants, hotels and other businesses. Bring your tourism dollars. Sonoma and Napa are tourism-based economies so now is the time to take a trip! They are open for business and would love to see you! DRINK SONOMA (AND NAPA) If you can not travel to wine country, purchase their wine and drink it! HELP THE CHILDREN WITH THE SANTA ROSA TOYS FOR TOTS WITH JORDAN WINERY The holidays are coming and many children will not get gifts. On any given year, there are more than 9000 children who do not get gifts but with the fires, there are an additional 2000 children estimated. Each year, Jordan Winery employees and Jordan Estate Rewards members rally to donate toys for local children in need through the Toys for Tots non-profit organization. Donate money or toys today to the Santa Rosa CA Toys for Tots and help Jordan Winery continue to be the largest annual donor. FEED A FAMILY WITH SONOMA FAMILY MEAL Sonoma Family Meals has served more than 50,000 meals made by some of the Bay Area’s best chefs, packed up and ready to take home for anyone who asks. It started out as a simple plan to hand out prepared meals donated by renowned restaurants but has turned into a full-on professional cooking operation with a staff of more than 20. Any funds raised will be used to fund their operations through December, and go toward paying the local farmers, ranchers and chefs who have so graciously donated their time and ingredients to their cause. Donate Today. DONATE, DONATE, DONATE AND SUPPORT, SUPPORT, SUPPORT THROUGH NORTH BAY FIRE DONATIONS If you are looking for any where that you can make a donation, check out North Bay Fire Donations. Discover nonprofits, events, wine, services and more supporting fire relief in Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino and Lake Counties. This amazing list was created by fire survivors and tells you where you can eat, drink, sleep and shop. The business are making a donations in return for each purchase. You can also donate money and stuff! REMEMBER SONOMA BEFORE THE FIRES WITH GEORGE ROSE’S VINEYARD SONOMA COUNTY Photographer George Rose has produced his love letter to Sonoma County where he used to live. The images are magnificent and showcase every AVA in Sonoma County, in different seasons. Sadly, the final image in his new book is of the metal “LOVE” sculpture overlooking Santa Rosa from what used to be the deck of Paradise Ridge Winery, before being destroyed in the recent Tubbs Fire. Purchase this gorgeous coffee table book at www.georgerose.com and 10 percent will be donated to the Sonoma County Grape Growers Foundation Wildfire Relief Fund!! CELEBRATE AND SUPPORT AT RISE UP SONOMA Rise Up Sonoma will bring together iconic Sonoma County wineries, Chefs, and legendary music stars to benefit those deeply affected by the tragic Sonoma County fires. The wine and food community are joining together to create an incredible night to raise money and awareness for those who have lost so much. When:  December 3, 2017 – from 4:00 – 9:00 PM Where: Sonoma Country Day School – Jackson Theatre at 4400 Day School Place, Santa Rosa, CA 95403 PARTICIPATING WINERIES: Alden Alli, Aperture, Arista Winery, Benovia Winery, Bob Cabral Wines, Carlisle Winery & Vineyards, CIRQ, Coursey Graves Winery, Davis Family Winery, Devil Proof Vineyards, DuMol Winery, Eric Kent Wine Cellars, Ernest Vineyards, Failla Winery, Flaunt Wine Company, Hartford Winery, Hirsch Vineyards, Holdredge Wines, Iron Horse, Joseph Swan, Kesner, Kistler, Kosta Browne, Lando Wines, Limerick Lane, Lombardi Wines, Martinelli Vineyards & Winery, Mauritson, Saxon Brown, Siduri, The Larsen Projekt, Three Sticks Wines, Williams Selyem, Young Hagen PURCHASE RISE UP SONOMA TICKETS Price per ticket:

• $500 for general admission. This group will enjoy 30 exclusive dine & wine stations with local featured chefs from San Francisco and Sonoma County. This includes general admission to the seating for the evening’s music performance. Limited to 650 seats
• $1500 for VIP. The VIP guests will have access to the dine & wine stations, as well as the Green Room, with special music talent. The Green Room will host a caviar and foie gras station with an assortment of exclusive wines served from magnum. Finally, VIP guests will enjoy front of the theatre section seats for the music performance. VIP is limited to 100 guests.

All proceeds from the event will be distributed to the following charities in support of victims: Direct Human Element:

• Care Relief Fund: www.calrestfoundation.org/fires.html
• Redwood Credit Union Fund https://www.redwoodcu.org/northbayfirerelief
• UnDocuFund Fire Relief for Sonoma County http://undocufund.org

Long-term and short-term housing:

• Burners Without Borders: www.burnerswithoutborders.org
• Homes for Sonoma: www.homesforsonoma.org
• Rebuild Wine Country: www.rebuildwinecounrty.org

Remember, we can all help! #SonomaStrong