Gastronomical delights, fine wine, acrobatic and cabaret entertainment followed by dancing all await you at the Cirque du Gourmet fete on Saturday, May 10, from 5 to 10:30 p.m. in the picturesque Occidental CYO, at 2136 Bohemian Highway, in Occidental.
In what promises to be filled with over-the-top delights, attendees of Cirque du Gourmet will gaze in amazement at a troupe of death-defying performers while enjoying culinary creations from local chefs, many involved in the slow food movement. Local wineries will offer tastings of some of their best wines, and then offer larger glasses of your favorites for a small fee. And so that your shopping sensibilities won’t be ignored, you’ll find fantastic artwork, getaways, tickets, exotic plants, and much more available to purchase, all to benefit the Harmony and Salmon Creek schools.
The Harmony Ark Education Foundation raises money to help fund music, art, drama, Spanish, an environmental and garden program, plus after-school sports for Harmony Elementary and Salmon Creek Middle schools. This year’s annual fundraiser has been revamped into a spectacular display for the senses – food, wine, performances, music, and shopping will welcome attendees with a festive, celebratory feeling.
Wine tasting from Dutton-Goldfield, Martin Ray, Boheme, and other local wineries will be enjoyed alongside freshly picked lettuces and local goat cheese. An organic garlic-tasting will perfectly complement the extraordinary main courses prepared by local chefs Snap Gonnella, a former restaurateur who uses the freshest ingredients possible; Cy Colbert, a New Orleans cuisine specialist; and Pierre Bernier, a classically trained French chef whose dishes have pleased kings, queens, and world-renowned musicians.
And let’s not forget the more than $40,000 worth of amazing auction items are up for grabs, including numerous getaways and excursions, theater tickets and dining, wine and wine tours, spa treatments, golfing, gifts for your home and garden, art by local artists and students, theme park tickets, portrait packages, landscaping packages, jewelry, and much more.
Tickets are $55 in advance ($75 at the door), and can be purchased at the Salmon Creek School office, Hand Goods in Occidental, and by mail (P.O. Box 1017, Occidental, CA 95465).
Ticket prices include admission, wine tasting, appetizers, dinner, dessert, coffee, champagne and entertainment. Childcare is available. For tickets or more information contact Alex Mountjoy at 707-874-2009, or go online to harmonyark.org/auction.
