William Sansum Diabetes Center board member Anne Patterson, left, board president Alex DePaoli M.D. and executive director Ellen Goodstein at the 15th annual Taste of the Vine & Auction at QAD in Summerland. 
Telegraph Brewing volunteer Lin Graf with Bill Burtness, who served on the William Sansum Diabetes Center board for 10 years. 
Avalon Romero of Nuclear Wine Co. and Michael DePaola of De Paola Vineyard. 
Longtime supporter Lois Kroc, left, and Pat Maxim. 
Martine Miguel of The Berry Man with a colorful display of fruits and vegetables. 
Raffle sales volunteer Raquell Julca. 
Tasting purveyor Martin Brown from Area 5.1 with Michelle Quinn. 
QAD’s oceanfront headquarters in Summerland. 
Sponsor Rabobank’s Curt Cruthirds and Luis Villegas. 
Diabetes advocate and celebrity chef Charles Mattocks addresses the crowd. 
Jamie Gillies, the 2016 Teen Star, performs at the event. 
Auctioneer Geoff Green gathers bids at the live auction as executive director Ellen Goodstein looks on.
The William Sansum Diabetes Center presented its recent 15th annual Taste of the Vine & Auction at the oceanfront headquarters of QAD in Summerland. The event raised critical funding to support diabetes research, education and care.
New this year was featured guest speaker Charles Mattocks, who has traveled the world as a diabetes advocate. This summer, Mattocks’ reality show Reversed, which is about diabetes, premiered on the Discovery Life channel. He also is a published celebrity chef who has focused his culinary skills on diabetes-friendly meals since his diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes.
“I knew that I had my uncle’s gene in me, so I had to make an impact,” Mattocks said. “My uncle’s, Bob Marley, impact on the world was through music, and mine is through health.
“At the end of this life, I want to say that I left something that mattered and to answer the question about who we have touched and who we have empowered.”
The Taste of the Vine & Auction showcased dozens of local food, wine and beer purveyors who generously shared tastings and samplings to 300 guests. The party got started early for VIP attendees who enjoyed specialty wines and tastings on the sun-filled balcony before the regular event began.
Executive director Ellen Goodstein and board president Alexander DePaoli spoke before the live auction, which was orchestrated by Geoff Green, CEO of the Foundation for Santa Barbara City College.
Entertainment included 2016 Teen Star winner singer Jackson Gillies and music by DG Zeke, who dedicated one song to “all mothers of children with diabetes and all mothers.” He added, “It’s great to be part of a community devoted to health.”
Goodstein told the crowd: “The William Sansum Diabetes Center has been a hidden gem for Santa Barbara County and the entire country for the past 75 years. We plan to continue to be part of breakthroughs in diabetes care and research, such as the artificial pancreas. Thank you to the 36 purveyors who donated all the food, wine, beer and refreshments for this event.”
DePaoli added: “I am excited to announce that WSDC is embarking on a new study of the risk and care of Type 2 diabetes for 1,000 Latino families. Understanding diet and lifestyle factors can be key to the effective management and prevention of Type 2 diabetes.”
Top sponsors included Rabobank and Curt Cruthirds, Judy and Bruce Anticouni, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck and Steven Jung, the Coeta and Donald Barker Foundation, Thomas Jr. and Nancy Crawford, Joy Redman and family, Mannkind Corp., the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians and many others.
Some of the purveyors included Area 5.1, The Berry Man, Cambria Winery, Caribbean Coffee, Giessinger Winery, Jaffurs Winery, Jersey Mike’s, Lunchbox, Loquita, Outback Steakhouse, Silver Wines, The Patio Café, Toucan Wines, Baja Sharkeez, Telegraph Brewing, HiWi Fusion (which just opened four months ago in Isla Vista) and more.
The William Sansum Diabetes Center is not part of Sansum Clinic, but it was founded by Dr. William Sansum in 1944. Dr. Sansum was the first to administer insulin to an American patient in the United States in 1922. The Santa Barbara-based center is known around the world as a leader in diabetes research. It also is a place where local residents rely on free or low-cost care and education to help manage diabetes.
Click here for more information about the center, or contact marketing and communications manager Regina Ruiz at rruiz@sansum.org or 805.335.0569. Click here to make an online donation.
— Noozhawk contributing writer Rochelle Rose can be reached at rrose@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkSociety, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Become a fan of Noozhawk on Facebook.