ST. HELENA, CALIFORNIA – HALL Napa Valley hosted its thirteenth annual Cabernet Cookoff on Saturday, April 30 at HALL St. Helena Winery, with $105,00 dollars raised to benefit non-profit organizations. The event, hosted by Vintner Kathryn Hall, featured an impressive lineup of renowned culinary teams vying for a chance to win proceeds for a charity of their choice by participating in a food and wine pairing competition.
“It was so exciting to be back in person for the Cabernet Cookoff this year,” said Vintner Kathryn Hall. “This event makes a difference for many lives in our community. The twelve chef teams competing this year really impressed all of us – such colorful, delicious dishes with incredibly artistic presentations. I am absolutely thrilled to be able to bring together some of the best restaurants in the Bay Area and help support non-profit organizations near and dear to them.”
Hundreds of guests packed HALL St. Helena to sip on one of HALL’s most popular Cabernet Sauvignon wines, Jack’s Masterpiece, and celebrate the 2019 vintage. The sold-out event included a panel of celebrity Judges such as Natalie Morales, co-host of the CBS’s The Talk, celebrity Chef Brian Malarkey, NBC Bay Area’s Raj Mathai, and two stars from BRAVO’s Southern Charm, Shep Rose and Austen Kroll.
Each of the four winning chef teams helped hand out $23,000 each to the winning non-profit organizations. Additionally, all twelve non-profit teams participating in the 2022 event were given a $1,000 check from the Craig & Kathryn Hall Foundation as a thank you for being involved.
The four 2022 HALL Cabernet Cookoff Chef team and non-profit winners included:
• Judges Choice: InterContinental Mark Hopkins – Chef: Brian Sepulveda
Dish: Lamb Barbacoa sopes, adobo masala, pickled radish, queso cotija, salsa negra Charity Partner: Firefly Autism
“We will proudly and graciously put the winning funds directly to our programs and services,” says Dr. Amanda Kelly, Executive Director/CEO of Firefly Autism. “Specifically looking to impact our home-based services, this amount will cover one year of part-time in-home services for one of our deserving clients. Thank you, Chef Brian and HALL Wines, for making this possible!”
• Judges Choice Runner-Up: One Market Restaurant – Chef: Mark Dommen Dish: Octopus a la Plancha, braised beef cheek, kalamata olive vinaigrette Charity Partner: Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
“JDRF is extremely grateful to HALL for hosting this fun and high profile-event. Special thanks to Chef Mark Dommen of One Market Restaurant who won second place and chose our organization to receive a donation of $23,000,” says Kellee Hearn, Executive Director, JDRF Northern California Chapter. “The funding will help propel our mission to accelerate life-changing breakthroughs to cure, treat, and prevent type 1 diabetes (T1D) and its complications. This generous gift will make a difference and improve the lives of millions of people around the world impacted by T1D.”
• People’s Choice: Hotel Nia – Chef: Chad Bayless Dish: Beet tartare, whipped brie, spiced berry Charity Partner: World Central Kitchen
“We are grateful for Chef Chad’s shared belief that food is a universal human right,” said Jason Collis, World Central Kitchen’s VP of Relief. “This support will help WCK continue to provide fresh, nutritious meals to people impacted by crises around the world.”
• People’s Choice Runner Up: Tarla Mediterranean Grill – Chef: Jason Naaman
Dish: Pomegranate-Cabernet braised short ribs, roasted mushroom, white truffle risotto, beef au jus Charity Partner: St. John’s Lutheran School
“St. John’s Lutheran School will be using the $23,000 to update our STEM program with new technology to further our students’ knowledge in coding and robotics,” says Principal of Napa’s St. John Lutheran School, Christy Wood. “Our purpose is to help students grow in their relationship with Christ and develop the knowledge and skills to be confident, academically capable individuals who serve Christ, His church, and His world.”
Sponsors for the 2022 HALL Cabernet Cookoff included Chefs Life by Brian Malarkey who served as title sponsor for the VIP Culinary Stage as well as Evan Healy, Cypress Grove, Corkcicle, Alastin Skincare, Re-Think Ice Cream, Kollar Chocolates, Proforma and Napa Sonoma Magazine. Since inception, the HALL Cabernet Cookoff has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for non-profit organizations. For more information and to get involved as a culinary team, sponsor, or non-profit organization, please visit www.hallwines.com/cabernetcookoff.
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HALL Family Wines produces high quality Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir and Zinfandel under the HALL, WALT and BACA brand monikers. Owned by Craig and Kathryn Hall, the family-owned winery produces artisan wines that express the unique and diverse character of the wine country’s soils and climates through meticulous attention to detail in the vineyards and throughout the winemaking process. The family’s luxury wine portfolio, led by Winemaker Megan Gunderson, sources fruit from some of the most prominent vineyards up and down the West Coast and includes twelve Estate vineyard including Sacrashe, Bergfeld, Hardester, Cook, Deller-Freidkin, Walt Ranch, Rainin, Beller, Lamoreaux, Bob’s Ranch, Clos Pepe and The Corners. The HALL St. Helena winery was the first LEED® Gold Certified Winery in the State of California in 2009 and earned another LEED® Gold certification for its high-tech production facility and Tasting Room in 2014. Since the inception of HALL in 1995, the three luxury wine brands have earned over 700 ratings of 90 points or above from the industries top critics, including seven 100-point scores from the industry’s most notable wine critics. Visit www.hallwines.com, www.waltwines.com, www.bacawines.com for more information, or call 707-967-2626.
