A prominent Central Coast journalist has enlisted the help of regional chefs and winemakers to raise funds for the Sansum Diabetes Research Institute of Santa Barbara.
Wendy Theis Sell has scheduled a series of three dinners, the first on April 10 at Ember restaurant in Arroyo Grande, a second on May 17 at S.Y. Kitchen in Santa Ynez and the third on Sept. 27 at the Wine Cask in Santa Barbara.
The respective winemakers include San Luis Obispo winemakers Mike Sinor of Sinor-LaVallee and Ancient Peaks, and Ryan Deovlet of Deovlet Wines and Biddle Ranch Vineyard at Ember with chef/owner Brian Collins; winemaker Ernst Storm of Storm Wines and Notary Public Wines at S.Y. Kitchen with chef/co-owner Luca Crestanelli; and winemaker Paul Lato of Paul Lato Wines at the Wine Cask.
“We are delighted that Sinor and Deovlet and Chef Brian Collins at Ember are so enthusiastic about our inaugural winemaker dinner,” Sell said.
The Sansum Diabetes Research Institute created a new website for its upcoming events, including the three winemaker dinners.
“Sansum Diabetes Research Institute organized a small committee of people to plan this series of winemaker dinners, including myself, Kara Hornbuckle, Patrick Woolpert, Katie Haq, Corinne Samu Smith, Julie McSorley and Ellen Goodstein,” Sell said. “Type 1 diabetes has directly impacted each of our lives.”
Sell said SDRI is a world leader in research and innovation, education and care for adults and children living with all forms of diabetes.
Tickets for the April event are $250 each and limited to 100 guests. Click here to purchase tickets.
Sell said that she and her co-organizers hope to seat at least 50 people at the May dinner in Santa Ynez.
“Storm and Chef Luca have fabulous ideas for this dinner,” she said. “We are also thrilled that Gary Hall Jr., Olympic gold-medal winning swimmer and a resident of the Santa Ynez Valley, plans to be in attendance as our special guest at the dinner at S.Y. Kitchen.”
Hall has lived with Type 1 diabetes for much of his life, and Sell called him “a tireless advocate for advancements in diabetes research. He is a tremendous friend to the Type 1 diabetes community.”
Sell also has a personal connection to the disease in her 10-year-old daughter, Sienna, who was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when she was just 4 years old.
“Type 1 diabetes is an enormously challenging and relentless condition, demanding our attention 24/7. I am determined to do whatever I can to raise awareness and funds for research in the hope that there will be a cure for Type 1 diabetes in her lifetime,” she said.
Sell, who resides in Orcutt with her family, anchored and reported the news at KSBY-TV and KCOY-TV for 12 years, and before that at WMTV-TV in Madison, Wis. She has won four Emmy Awards for her work in television, which also includes a stint as a featured panelist for a recent season of the nationally syndicated TV show Moms EveryDay.
Sell has contributed feature articles to Wine Enthusiast, The SOMM Journal, The Tasting Panel Magazine, Santa Barbara Seasons, Edible and KidTripster.com.
She also is a professional voiceover artist, emcee and panel moderator for organizations such as JDRF, the Central Coast Writers Conference, Hospice du Rhône, Santa Barbara Vintners, San Luis Obispo Wine Country, Big Brothers Big Sisters, the San Luis Obispo Symphony, the Santa Maria Philharmonic Society and the Orcutt Children’s Arts Foundation.
She volunteers in Orcutt public schools, for the Santa Maria Valley Discovery Museum and other local organizations.
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In other wine-related fundraising news, the second annual Women Winemakers Dinner on March 8 at K’Syrah Catering & Events in Solvang raised more than $8,500 for the Women’s Fund of Northern Santa Barbara County, according to publicist Anna Ferguson Sparks.
“Last year, we raised and donated $6,273.94 from the event,” Ferguson Sparks added.
For the second year in a row, the event celebrating female chefs, caterers and Central Central winemakers sold out.
March 8 was International Women’s Day, celebrated annually since 1909, and the recent event again benefited the Women’s Fund, a giving circle through which individuals combine their time and/or money to better fund important causes — more so than they would via individual donations.
In 2016, the Women’s Fund distributed $50,000 in grants to organizations serving women and children.
— Laurie Jervis blogs about wine at www.centralcoastwinepress.com, tweets at @lauriejervis and can be reached via winecountrywriter@gmail.com. The opinions expressed are her own.