San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
GARDEN FEAST GROWS FUNDS FOR KIDS
The glorious San Francisco Botanical Garden at Strybing Arboretum is technically a “look but don’t dig” horticultural oasis. However, the Garden Feast Luncheon keynote speaker on May 23 was one our most famed farmers: Slow Food maven Alice Waters.
Yet Waters’ mission (aside from running her epochal Chez Panisse restaurant) — connecting young people with nature via her Edible Schoolyard Project — dovetails with the garden’s youth education programs that, annually, enrich science knowledge for more than 13,000 students.
And 450 supporters raised more than $500K toward that effort as they alighted atop the Great Meadow in Golden Gate Park, where a clear tent encased a silent auction of earthly delights followed by a McCalls garden-fresh feast.
Introducing event co-chairs Sarah Earley and Wendy Tonkin, along with new board chairman Delle Maxwell and new garden director Stephanie
Linder, S.F. Recreation & Parks General Manager Phil Ginsburg, also welcomed his wife.
“I’m excited to be here with my favorite person in the world: my wife, Emily,” he enthused. “And Emily is here with her favorite person in the world: Alice Waters.”
Waters described for the rapt crowd her path from teaching Montessori to 47 years in the kitchen at Chez Panisse. In 1995, she founded Edible Schoolyard at Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School in a run-down Berkeley public school she at first thought was abandoned. Although she abhors blacktop playgrounds, she made note of the school’s 17-acre setting.
With a laugh, Waters recalled convincing the school’s science and math teachers that a school garden could, and should, be considered academic by inviting them to hold meetings at her restaurant.
But even Waters’ ethereal voice couldn’t mask her disdain for America’s fast-food culture.
“Every time we eat it, it tells us work is drudgery. That more is better. That our natural resources are limitless. That everything should be the same, no matter where we go,” she said. “I feel like it’s imprisoned us, depriving us of living harmoniously with nature. Every time we choose what to eat, we’re voting for the kind of world we want.”
Waters expressed hope that encouraging children to interact with nature will develop them into capable, joyful stewards of our land.
“Being in a garden ensures children feel the soil with their own fingers, harvesting its bounty in the sunshine,” she said, beaming at the thought. “It’s about watching their own hands create beautiful, inexpensive food that can nourish the body and the spirit.” Hot wheels: Homebound seniors felt the love May 20 when 900 Meals on Wheels supporters raised a record $3.3 million at Fort Mason’s Festival Pavilion during the 31st Star Chefs & Vintners Gala. That healthy total will fund delivery of 660,000 meals amid every ZIP code throughout San Francisco.
Led by chef chairwoman and restaurateur Nancy Oakes, the heartfelt soiree featured culinary creations and primo vino supplied by 100 chefs and 100 vintners, served by 300 volunteers who are expertly corralled by Taste Catering CEO MeMe Pederson.
“This year, we’ll deliver over 2 million meals to 4,500 seniors. That number is growing by 10 percent every year,” said Meals on Wheels CEO Ashley McCumber. “We’re also facing this country’s greatest aging-wave. In San Francisco, 80 percent of our clients live below the federal poverty level. Imagine aging in this city while living on a $1,000 monthly income — that’s a tough reality.”
Yet the work of Meals on Wheels extends far beyond a mere meal drop. The organization also provides safety checks, nutrition counseling, connections to critical senior services, minor home repairs and a friendly visit to isolated seniors.
And our local top toques gladly gave up their Sunday chef’s night off to prepare exquisite menus for the seated dinner preceded by a carnival-style fair of delectable sips and nibbles.
“This is like the World Cup of food events,” enthused Piperade chef-owner Gerald Hirigoyen, dressed in crisp kitchen whites.
In the pavilion’s far reaches, a warm camaraderie hovered over long prep tables where four-star chefs (including Thomas McNaughton, David Nayfeld, Mourad Lahlou) plated their gourmet fare. Taste Catering President Margaret Teskey carefully assembled her caviar plate for high-rolling Constellation patrons. Outside on the pier, NoPa chef Laurence Jossel stirred pots of Mediterranean fish stew as a bracing breeze blew across the bay.
“It’s a great event and cause. For us in the business, it’s nice to be all together. I’m enjoying tasting my colleagues’ food as we collaborate on plating,” said Lord Stanley chef Rupert Blease. “Later, we might all enjoy a beer together.”
Meals on Wheels announced a $35 million capital campaign to build a new state-of-the-art kitchen in its Bayview neighborhood. To date, $19 million has been raised.
Prior to his Meals on Wheels Board presidency, Russ Flynn, also a kitchen campaign co-chair, has supported the cause for decades due to a family member who suffered from schizophrenia.
“By receiving meal deliveries for 20 years, she was able to stay in her apartment and live independently,” he shared. “There are thousands and thousands of people in this city who are trapped in their apartments due to physical, mental and economic reasons: They’ve outlived all their family, friends and savings. This new kitchen will enable us to continue for the next 30 years.”
Catherine Bigelow is The San Francisco Chronicle’s society correspondent. Email: missbigelow@sfgate.com Instagram: @missbigelow