“I’ve always depended upon the kindness of strangers,” said Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire.
For me, what has struck me most about the Santa Clarita Valley is that strangers are always willing to be kind and generous here. And that trait is infectious. It carries over to other people we meet, whether they’re from here or elsewhere.
An upcoming example of that are some local and far away Heroes who are coming to the rescue of our kids.
On March 21st, at Salt Creek Grille, folks who know each other well and folks who have never met will come together to benefit the Boys & Girls Club by drinking some outstanding wine.
Here are some of those Heroes.
Greg Amsler, owner of Salt Creek Grille, is a familiar figure to many. On March 21st, he will open his restaurant to wine lovers to come indulge their passion while supporting our youth. On the 21st, he will supply the wait staff, the venue, and the food, all at no cost to the club. He does it with an engaging smile, humor that’s infectious. There’s a reason why he was an obvious choice for Man of the Year.
Additionally, he encourages his Catering Chef Tamra Levine and his Director of marketing Jennifer Chadwick to help out however they can. Even if it gets in the way of doing what he pays them for, which is to operate the restaurant. And, like Greg, they do it willingly and cheerfully. They embrace the conviction that what strengthens and maintains our community is our support for one another, even for at-risk youth who can never pay back the generosity.
From far away, we have Jason Haas, owner of Tablas Creek Winery. Jason will supply the wine and many of the very unique items to be auctioned off that night. He’ll travel down from Paso Robles just to help out. And Jason, like the folks from Salt Creek, do this not because he’s going to sell a ton of wine (let’s hope he does, though). He does it because it’s the right thing to do. He’s offering wines that Robert Parker (the world’s most influential wine critic) describes as “fabulous” and that are produced “in a restrained, age-worthy and savory style that sets them apart.” We’re lucky to have him and his vino.
Two of Jason’s neighbors from Paso, Stefan Asseo of L’Aventure Winery and Georges Daou of Daou Winery, will be contributing tours, tastings, and overall enjoyment of what the Central Coast has to offer valued over $1,000. Again, it’s because it’s the type of people they are, not because it makes good business sense.
As result of this combined effort, the guests on the evening of March 21st will have a fabulous night and will contribute almost $20,000 to the club. Just another example of the folks of Santa Clarita and our friends from elsewhere giving back.
While seats are limited, there are still a few available if you’d like to join us. Buy your tickets at https://bgcscv.ejoinme.org/marchwine2017 or call the Club at 254-2582.
