Powerful Women in Food Gala

For nearly two decades, Sprouts Chefs Training has helped move young adults facing economic hardship out of uncertainty and into professional kitchens; pairing them with working chef mentors, providing steady pay for the hours they train, and placing them in jobs across the Bay Area’s finest kitchens. On November 1st, the organization, founded by Kate Rogers Mery de Bellegarde, will hold its largest fundraiser of the year in service of that mission: the Sprouts' Annual Gala held at The Aviary in San Francisco, where money raised will directly benefit the program toward the wages, mentorship, and job placement that carry the next generation of Sprouts trainees forward.

Honorary guests for the evening include Alice Waters, founder of the Bay Area’s legendary Chez Panisse and a supporter of Sprouts since its genesis in 2006; and Debby Soo, CEO of OpenTable. Emmy Award–winning broadcaster Liam Mayclem, known to Bay Area audiences from his years covering food and culture, will host the evening's live auction and fundraising program.

This year’s theme, Powerful Women In Food, brings together a collection of some of the region’s most accomplished chefs, restaurateurs, sommeliers, and hospitality leaders for a four-course dinner built in service of what Sprouts has always been about: belonging and community. Guests will begin with celebratory welcome bubbles and libations, along with canapes, before moving into a seated experience and a shared meal cooked by the women who built their own careers the same way Sprouts trainees will build theirs: in the kitchen, under the guidance of those willing to share their knowledge and expertise.

This year’s all-women chef roster includes:

Carrie Blease (Wolfsbane), Azalina Eusope (Azalina's), Danielle LeFevre (Trestle), Belinda Leong (B. Patisserie), Nancy Oakes (Boulevard & Prospect), Laura Ozyilmaz (Dalida & Maria Isabel), Melissa Perello (Frances & Octavia), Gayle Pirie (Foreign Cinema), Pim Techamuanvivit & Meghan Clark (Nari & Kin Khao), Pam Mazzola (Prospect & Boulevard), Danielle LeFevre (Trestle), and Dana Younkin (Boulevard).

Each of the evening's four courses will be brought to life through wine pairings from two of the Bay Area's most beloved voices in wine, Shelley Lindgren and Debbie Zachareas. VIP guests will be treated to an even more intimate journey, mingling with the winemakers themselves including: Julie Elkeshen of Impensata Wines who will lead the VIP wine program, with support from Cortney Klein of Allora Vineyards, and Jan Zakin of Zakin Estate. The evening's production is generously led by Taira Kater of Foxtail Events, set against the backdrop of Skylight, with event co-chairs Tommy Halvorson and Michael Bauer lending their warmth, wisdom, and decades of community ties to bring the community together.