By Khalida Sarwari
The Montalvo Arts Center will be transformed into a foodie’s paradise on June 8 for an annual fine wine and cuisine benefit to support the institution and its arts and education outreach programs.
Dubbed as “the most delicious day of the year in Silicon Valley,” Montalvo’s Food & Wine Classic will offer attendees a luxurious evening of haute cuisine and wine tasting, with 20 Bay Area restaurants and 23 local wineries participating.
Attendees at the 11th annual event will have a chance to sample gourmet fare from some of the most celebrated restaurants in the Bay Area, such as the Plumed Horse and The Sea by Alexander’s Steakhouse, and enjoy tastings from many of the region’s finest wineries, like Andrew Geoffrey Vineyards and Silver Oak Cellars.
During the event, guests will have an opportunity to participate in a luxury raffle and bid on rare and limited-edition wines and deluxe dining and travel packages during a live and silent charity auction.
Attendees will also have the option to “fund a need,” making contributions to sponsor tuition for a child in need to attend a Montalvo arts camp or help underwrite the creation of an original work of art for the 2014 Art on the Grounds program.
Funds from the event will support Montalvo and its arts and education outreach programs, according to organizers. One of the center’s major focuses is arts-based education programs for K-12 youth. For example, Montalvo serves more than 15,000 Bay Area children annually on its grounds with camps, workshops and its Family Performing Arts series, according to the center.
Another Montalvo program that would benefit is the Teaching Artists Residency, where artists are placed in the classrooms of Santa Clara elementary schools to collaborate with teachers on lesson plans using a STEAM-based approach. This program (Science and Technology interpreted through Engineering and the Arts, all based in Mathematical elements) serves an additional 1,900 students each year, according to the center.
Finally, funds from the Food & Wine Classic will go toward supporting Montalvo’s Sally and Don Lucas Artists Residency Program, the oldest residency program of its kind in the west, which brings more than 60 artists from all over the world to the Bay Area every year. During their tenure, artists-in-residence engage directly with the public by mounting free presentations and discussions, leading master classes in local schools or creating outdoor sculpture and installation art on the grounds of Montalvo.
The Food & Wine Classic runs from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. and tickets start at $225. For more information about the event, visit montalvoarts.org/foodwine or call 408.961.5849.
