August events keep locals on the go; plans for next wine and food fest look delish

Last Thursday afternoon we experienced some hot weather, but by the time 6 o’cock rolled around and the La Cañada Flintridge Chamber of Commerce mixer began it was truly a lovely evening. Nearly 80 people gathered in the Dilbeck building courtyard for the event, which was hosted by Carrie Grochow, a 23-year Dilbeck agent.

She was such a gracious hostess as she greeted people. Nearby, local band Misplaced Priorities worked its way through its repertoire of upbeat tunes that kept everyone in a fun mood.

Los Gringos Restaurant served up street tacos filled with grilled chicken or beef, accompanied by rice and beans. Sauces of all flavors were just waiting to be ladled on top. Ice cold margaritas and other chilled beverages were waiting for thirsty mixer-goers.

Introduced to the crowd was new LCF Chamber professional member Michael Smith, who has started his own business, a marketing agency. The amazing thing is that Michael is a 15 year-old LCHS senior. He recently designed a website for La Cañada Pet Clinic and will be designing a website for the chamber. He is also a classical pianist, with his favorite composer being Chopin. An athlete, Michael plays la crosse and volleyball at the high school.

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Members of the Professional Women’s Networking Group based in La Cañada enjoyed a daylong retreat to Santa Barbara last Friday.

Taking part in the fun were PWNG members Sharon Collins, Stephanie Brashears, Karen Poindexter, Carol Cormaci, Emelita Bituin, Diane Della Valle, Mary Gant, Linda Magarian and Barbara Marshall. They were joined for the day by guest Dee Draper.

A limousine picked up the 10 women at Lanterman House to begin their adventure. Their first stop was the Santa Barbara Museum of Art for a look at its exhibits and a quick spin through its gift shop. Next on their itinerary was a brief exploration of the casually elegant Rosewood Miramar Beach resort that overlooks the ocean in Montecito, on the site previously occupied by the old Miramar resort. The recently opened hotel, as brought to life by Los Angeles developer Rick Caruso, is quite a showplace.

Their final stop was for lunch at Tre Lune Ristorante in downtown Montecito. After finishing up a sampling of divine desserts — including a birthday treat for Linda Magarian — the ladies boarded their limo for their return trip to La Cañada Fllintridge. I understand the general sentiment at the end of the day was that it was a wonderful excursion and one that will long be remembered by the participants.

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Plans are gearing up the the 17th annual Wine and Food Tasting set for Sept 22, from 3 to 6 p.m. at the new venue of Olberz Park in the Town Center.

The event is presented by the Kiwanis Club of La Cañada, the La Cañada Flintridge Chamber of Commerce and Community Assn. and Rosso Wines. New this year, Kobessi Properties have donated $1,000 worth of wines for a wine toss event. The Kiwanis proceeds will go towards scholarships, as well as sponsorships and other needs-based programs to benefit the local students and surrounding community.

Tickets are now on sale at $60 per person, and $65 per person at the gate. To order tickets go to www.aCanadaKiwanis.org or call the LCF Chamber office at (818) 790-4289.

The event is spearheaded by Kiwanis Club of La Cañada event co-directors are Mary Gant, Clyde Hemphill, Maureen Bond and Michael Leininger. New this year working to make this the best event ever are Trish McRae and Alice Perez.

More than 18 restaurants, caterers and food specialty shops are expected to serve tastes of their delicious cuisine along with wine purveyors pouring exceptional wines from around the world.

Gant stated, “We are super excited about the new location at Olberz Park! We encourage folks to put together a group, and come enjoy an afternoon filled with great wine, delicious food and lots of fun! It takes a lot of work to put on this event, but we consider it a labor of love, as the 26 committee members bring their talents, and enthusiasm, all for the benefit of our local youth and community.”

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