The Los Gatos Chamber of Commerce braved a stormy evening Thursday to boost a glass to the city’s foods and drinks scene at its annual celebration at Testarossa Vineyard, placing a well-deserved highlight on David Kinch, the chef and restaurateur who helped put Los Gatos on the culinary map.
Rootstock Wine Bar’s Jim Foley, who's president of the chamber’s board, and Chamber Government Director Catherine Somers led the group in counting off favorites — together with a number of not with us, like CB Hannegan’s — that displayed not solely the various flavors of Los Gatos eating however the camaraderie within the trade.
“You all within the restaurant enterprise look out for one another and deal with one another,” Somers stated.
Each Kinch and Testarossa’s Rob Jensen shared a narrative that exemplified that concept. You most likely keep in mind the horrible hearth that destroyed Manresa again in July 2014. Jensen recalled being on his technique to the vineyard on Faculty Avenue when he heard about it and instantly headed to the famed Michelin-starred restaurant on Village Lane to search out out what he may do to assist.
Kinch accepted Jensen’s supply to move the contents of Manresa’s wine cellar as much as Testarossa, the place the precious vino was safely saved away till the restaurant reopened the next January.
Whereas Manresa closed on the finish of 2022, Kinch has been staying busy together with his different eating places — The Bywater in Los Gatos and Mentone in Aptos — in addition to Manresa bread. And he’s bought different tasks within the works, too, although he says it’s too early to speak about them.
Kinch stated Californians don’t all the time recognize how good they've it relating to the standard of fruits, greens, meat and fish accessible right here. “It’s the rationale why we opened up a restaurant right here,” he stated, evaluating Los Gatos to the type of small metropolis you may discover in Europe, the place you may encounter a memorable gem of a restaurant. “It’s off the crushed path, and I imply that in a great way,” he stated.
LUCK OF THE IRISH: Former San Jose Mayor Tom McEnery’s play, “A Statue for Ballybunion,” is all set for its San Jose Playhouse premiere at 3Below Theaters in downtown San Jose on March 16. And if that sounds acquainted, that’s as a result of the play was on the cusp of its U.S. premiere three years in the past when the COVID-19 pandemic shut it down simply days earlier than opening evening. Everybody — and I imply everybody — has their fingers crossed that this opening goes off with out a hitch.
The play, directed by Jeff Bracco, is about an actual occasion when the small Irish city of Ballybunion determined to erect a statue of then-President Invoice Clinton in 1998 to honor his half within the Good Friday Accords — and the way it tried to get Clinton to go to. It was first staged in 2017 on the famed pub of Irish playwright John B. Keane in Listowel, Eire, whom McEnery knew effectively earlier than Keane’s demise in 2002. Whereas it’s billed as a “true Irish comedy,” McEnery views it extra as a humor-laced story of a small city attempting to deliver consideration to itself and the connection between a father who owns a pub and his daughter.
Simply as in 2020, the forged consists of ComedySportz San Jose founder Jeff Kramer, Silicon Valley Shakespeare Creative Director Angie Higgins and San Jose Rep founder James Reber. The play runs via March 26, and tickets can be found at www.sanjoseplayhouse.org.
HEALTHY HIRE: The More healthy Children Basis has discovered its subsequent chief in Melinda Snavely, who’ll be part of the nonprofit as its new CEO succeeding Kathleen King, who's retiring this yr. It sounds prefer it must be match, as Snavely has been working with or on behalf of youngsters all through her profession, together with as director of early care and schooling initiatives on the Santa Clara County Workplace of Training.
“Melinda is a champion for kids and a pacesetter in our group,” stated King, who will keep on throughout a transition interval starting in June. “She brings a wealth of expertise, and I'm assured that she's going to take More healthy Children Basis to new heights.”
Board Chair Meri Maben stated her dedication to the mission and her management expertise made her the best candidate to guide the group’s subsequent part. And Snavely rose to the highest from a big pool of 375 candidates who utilized for the job. More healthy Children Basis bought its begin in 2000 and gives healthcare screenings and academic applications for households in underserved communities in Santa Clara County.
ROAD TRIPPING: Pacific Cocktail Haven, one among San Francisco’s hottest bars, shall be getting a downtown San Jose infusion this coming week. Cache Bouren shall be bringing a crew from Money Solely and Haberdasher to “take over” PCH on March 14 from 6 to 10 p.m., serving up their Whiskey Apples and Frozen Irish Coffees. Then, George Lahlouh and the staff from Paper Airplane and Miniboss will do the identical on March 15.
SCHOOL SCENE: Congratulations to the scholars from Harker Faculty in San Jose, which was one among simply 16 colleges within the nation — and simply three in California — to obtain the First Modification Press Freedom Award for 2023, chosen by reps from the Journalism Training Affiliation, the Nationwide Scholastic Press Affiliation and the Quill and Scroll Worldwide Honorary Society. They’ll be honored subsequent month on the JEA/NSPA Nationwide Excessive Faculty Journalism Conference in San Francisco.