Carl Straub & Brenda Bernheim
Private Vintner Dinner
August 11, 2022
FEATURING
Chef Andy Blanton - Cafe Kandahar
Andy Blanton is one of the most acclaimed chefs in Montana and the Pacific Northwest for that matter. Blanton, the executive chef and owner of Café Kandahar, is a four-time semifinalist for the James Beard Foundation’s best chef in the Northwest region, and his Big Mountain restaurant has carved out a widely praised culinary reputation for excellence. Blanton moved to Whitefish in the fall of 1999 from New Orleans, where he worked at two prestigious institutions: Commanders Palace and Brigtsen’s. But like many in the industry, he worked his way up from the bottom, starting as a dishwasher in Virginia Beach during high school before moving up to prep cook, cook and culinary school. He describes Café Kandahar fare as thoughtfully constructed cuisine that essentially incorporates a variety of styles and techniques, both classic and modern. It doesn’t really categorize menu options or the restaurant into a specific cuisine. Chef Andy adheres to the farm-to-table approach and cooking with local ingredients as much as possible and without a lot of similarities on the menu, meaning each dish has its own composed features.
Chef Tony Tran - Blue Samurai
Blue Samurai Sushi Bar & Grill is located in Downtown Kalispell, Montana, a beautiful town just about 30 miles away from Glacier National Park, one of the most magnificent national parks in the America. Known for its fresh Japanese Cuisine and cozy atmosphere, Blue Samurai Sushi was the first Tony Tran Concept opened in 2017. Regarded as one of Montana's most popular Japanese destinations for dining, they offer an extensive menu of fresh raw fish, seasonal seafood, rolls, yakitori, tempura and much more. Their fish and seafood are shipped fresh from around the world. Chef Tony has participated in every wine auction dinner at the Straub house and will provide both traditional and fusion sushi to accompany the white and bubble tastings.
Battuello Vineyards
Since 1909 the Battuellos have believed that great wines are grown by careful hands and an intimate knowledge of the land fostered by working the soil vintage after vintage. To that end, the Battuello family has cultivated the same rocky soil in St. Helena for over 100 years, producing excellent grapes for award-winning wines in the region. For five generations the Battuello Family has been growing vines in the renowned Napa Valley. Battuello Vineyards, in St. Helena, was founded in 1909 by Matteo Battuello and his wife Serafina, who immigrated to California from Northern Italy. Four generations later, the vineyard is operated and managed by Craig and his son, Dave. They believe still that great wines are grown by careful hands and an intimate knowledge of the land fostered by working the soil vintage after vintage. That is how the family has been able to cultivate the same rocky soil in St. Helena for over 100 years and continue to produce excellent grapes for award-winning wines in this region.
More at: battuellovineyards.com
Lede Family Wines
Come taste on of the premier wineries from Stags Leap District in Napa, Ca, enjoy this opportunity to taste the wines that will be auctioned off as part of the Silent Auction. Enjoy the finest Bordeaux and Cabernet Sauvignon from this rock and roll winery. Then line up to bid on the wines at the wine auction
Cliff Lede Vineyards was founded in 2002 by Cliff Lede following the acquisition of 60 acres in the Stags Leap District of Napa Valley. With a focus on producing wines from estate vineyards, Cliff engaged industry experts to redesign and replant the majority of the estate. The plantings were so specific and precise to each soil type and exposure that, to keep track without having to refer to a clipboard, Cliff decided to name each block after some of his favorite rock songs and albums. From “My Generation” to “Dark Side of the Moon,” he created what is known today as the Cliff Lede Vineyards “Rock Blocks
V Wine Cellar
Taste the Best of Napa Bubbles and White wines donated by V Cellars of Yountville. V Wine Cellar started out with the hopes of creating a place that we’d like to drop in to, have a great glass, see friends from the business and pickup an interesting bottle or two. Since then, we’ve grown to over 4,000 square feet of lounge, tasting space, private dining, outdoor cigar patio and wine retail. A good friend of ours, who also happens to be a great Winemaker likes to say “this is the place people in the know like to go”, and we’re proud to be that place we could only have imagined a few years back.
Scott Lewis, Wine Knave
For the past ten years, Lewis has been the partner and manager of the highly successful V Wine Cellar, a fine well known wine boutique cellar/wine bar located on the 23-acre Vintage Estate in Yountville, California. Scott spent his earlier years working in some of the top hotels in the world in food and beverage management found Napa and never left . An Irish man turned rouge on wine his special powers are anything Pinot and California Cabernet.