The Makers Behind the Magic
Inaugural Event in Healdsburg Celebrates
The vibrancy of Sonoma County’s agricultural community is surely worth celebrating; the region’s wellspring of locally produced products is renowned across the United States and around the world. Those of us fortunate enough to live in Sonoma County, or the surrounding area, celebrate the region’s bounty in important ways: by eating and drinking local at home and in restaurants, seeking out locally produced goods in markets and coming together for festivals and other events that celebrate the unique terroir of the county.
Enter a brand-new event, the Healdsburg Wine & Food Experience, scheduled for May 20—22, 2022, which has been consciously designed to tweak the standard formula for this type of gathering. While the weekend’s wide ranging offerings will showcase Healdsburg’s and Sonoma County’s world renown food and drink, guests will also have the opportunity to sample wines from some of the other great wine regions of the world. The spotlight will also, notably for this type of event, shine on many of the makers of these acclaimed edibles and potables.
Top Chefs and Michelin Chefs, All in a Row
Yes, top name chefs, winemakers and others will headline many of the culinary events offered over the four-day weekend. Food Network stars Nyesha Arrington and Maneet Chauhan and “Top Chef “ winner Stephanie Izard, to name (drop) a few. Chef Douglas Keane (owner and chef of the now closed and much missed Healdsburg two-Michelin-starred Cyrus) and Viet Pham (“Iron Chef America” winner) will chat up guests at a Sips & Sliders tasting. Chef Kyle Connaughton will be opening his SingleThread’s doors for a special ultra-VIP lunch. Chef Matt Horn, a 2021 Food & Wine Best New Chef and owner of Oakland’s renowned Horn Barbecue and Kowbird, will be smoking a whole hog at a live-fire barbecue lunch.
An Invitation to Look Beyond Marquee Names
At each event, however, guests will be asked to look a little deeper at what is on the table. How did that pig get there? Whose labor raised and harvested the animal? And was the animal husbanded in a way that sustains not only the people at the table, but the greater Sonoma community and the environment?
In the case of the pig to be served at the Horn barbecue event, a student member of the Healdsburg chapter of National FFA Organization (formerly known as Future Farmers of America) has been tasked with raising and harvesting the animal. “It is a part of threering experiential model,” says Healdsburg High School agriculture instructor and Healdsburg FFA Advisor Wesley Hunt, that students complete before graduation. The student will speak at the barbecue, further connecting the attendees to how their meal made its way to their table.
Sponsorships Fuel Sonoma’s Agricultural Community
When we spoke, Hunt stressed the FFA’s efforts to support young adults who want to go into agriculture who might otherwise not be able to afford support organizations that offer training in leadership skills and other aspects of the business of agriculture. As top chefs are critical tent poles to entice culinary adventurers to attend, the organizers of the Healdsburg Wine & Food Experience say that they believe that benefitting organizations such as the FFA are tent poles of equal merit.
According to Hunt, Foley Family Wines and Jordan Winery have both made significant donations to launch a new scholarship fund with the local chapter of the FFA, specifically related to the event. It is expected that the event will generate additional monies for the scholarship fund, with the goal of supporting the long-term viability of agriculture in Sonoma County.
When I spoke to Karissa Kruse, president of Sonoma County Wine Growers and executive director of Sonoma County Grape Growers Foundation (SCGGF), she noted that she and Steve Dveris, founder of SD Media Productions, the producer of the marquee event, were both devoted to shifting the focus of the weekend’s experiential offerings to those too often “behind the scenes” in great food and wine. The farmers and the vineyard workers will be highlighted, and celebrated, at many of the events. “The story of sustainability and of the people in the fields are the key takeaways,” Kruse says.
The SCGGF, which relaunched in 2016 with a mission to support agricultural employee education, safety and empowerment, builds bridges to community resources to help workers not just live, but thrive in Sonoma County. Healthcare and childcare have always been important to these workers, but the issue of affordable housing rose to the top as fire after fire has impacted the region since 2017. “We have been a recovery, resiliency and support fund since then,” Kruse says. The organization currently supports over 1,500 families impacted by fires and the pandemic
The business plan for the Healdsburg Wine & Food Experience has support for SCGGF and FFA built in. The outdoor concert at Rodney Strong will contribute 80% of proceeds to SCGGF. According to Kruse, these funds will directly benefit the Richard and Saralee Kunde Leadership Academy, an SCGGF program for leadership skill development. “We want to help vineyard workers become leaders in their organizations,” Kruse says, through programs like a multi-step course to build skills in financial literacy, conflict resolution, community resources, wine production and more.
Sonoma County Wine Growers will participate in programming throughout the Experience, most prominently on Saturday when Kruse will be a member of the Climate Change & Sustainability panel. On Sunday, during the VIP vineyard truck tours, grape growers and vineyard workers will be showcased at various events throughout the day and at the Dutton Ranch BBQ where “Texas Cowboy Chef “ Tim Love will be cooking up a storm.
Sustainability Initiatives Ensure a Future for Farming
Sustainability as a driving force of the event and of a manageable future for Sonoma agriculture will be threaded through the Healdsburg Wine & Food Experience. Knowing that winegrowers had such a big role in transitioning Sonoma to a sustainable wine region inspired Jackson Family Wines, whose Kendall-Jackson and Stonestreet Estate wineries will be featured at the event, to come on board as a sponsor. The multi-generational business has prioritized sustainability, environmental stewardship and a people-first approach to management for decades.
With sustainability already steeped into it’s culture, the family-owned wine company recently launched Rooted for Good: Roadmap to 2030, a comprehensive action plan to double-down on their sustainability commitments, including cutting their carbon emissions in half by 2030 and transitioning their estate vineyards—where more than 85% of their fruit is grown—to regenerative farming. At Stonestreet Estate, most of the property is unplanted and left in its natural state, leaving wildlife corridors and native flora and fauna to flourish. Protecting these natural habitats, combined with the use of cover crops, composting and rotational grazing, contributes significantly to enhanced soil health—a hallmark of regenerative agriculture.
Katie Jackson, second generation proprietor and senior vice president of corporate social responsibility at Jackson Family Wines, said being a part of the inaugural Healdsburg Wine & Food Experience was a no-brainer for the company. “It is important for us to engage with consumers and help them understand why this matters, that being more sustainable and using regenerative farming practices do have a positive on the quality in the bottle.”
Among many other projects that the Jackson family has undertaken to reduce their carbon footprint, their “light-weighting the glass” initiative has redesigned the mold for their Kendall-Jackson Vintner’s Reserve Chardonnay, the number one Chardonnay by bottle sold in the United States for over 40 years. “Just through those bottle-mold efforts, we reduced our carbon footprint 2 to 3%,” Jackson says. The winery’s extensive culinary gardens will host Chef Nyesha Arrington’s farm-to-table lunch for VIP ticket holders.
All Roads Lead to Healdsburg
Situated on the town’s remarkable Plaza, The Matheson, the latest project from Dustin Valette, chef-owner of Healdsburg’s Valette and The Matheson, will act as the Experience’s activity hub. “I am excited about HFWE because it keeps the focus on what we do,” Valette says. “The more people understand the sustainability of the industry, the better it is for us as an industry and the more it supports sustainability.”
As a chef who is typically the face of events like these, Valette appreciates the spotlight shift to farmers and vineyard workers. “The Experience supports the craftsmen and farmers that make these foods,” Valette says. “They are helping to get the next generation excited and able to see that there is a sustainable future for them in farming.”
Valette knows events like these, along with investing back into the agriculture community, are essential for long-term growth—not just for his business, but for his community. Look for The Matheson’s spectacular “wine wall” to showcase Sonoma wines, as well as Pinot Noirs from Burgundy [France] and Cabernet Sauvignons from Napa—and more of the world’s best wines—during the weekend. The mezzanine will showcase different styles of wine service and Roof 106, The Matheson’s rooftop lounge, will host a lounge for “Ultra” VIP ticket holders. Culinary artistry will be delivered by Valette along with his deep bench of chefs—Nathan Davis, executive chef at Valette; Drew Boczon, events chef de cuisine; The Matheson chefs Matt Brimer and Brian Best, and pastry chef Skyler Spitz.
No matter what type of events tickle your particular fancy, from a country music concert in the vineyard, to vintner led VIP truck tours offering unique ‘boots on the ground experiences’, to culinary and wine pairing classes to high-end multi-course meals, the Healdsburg Wine & Food Experience offers a wide array of events to enjoy—while providing support to Sonoma County’s agricultural future. See you there!
For more information and ticketing details, including special pricing for Healdsburg residents, visit HealdsburgWineAndFood.com.
