GUEST LINE-UP:
- Brian & Sheree Thornsberry - Proprietors, Innumero Wines
- Fred Scherrer - Founder & Winemaker, Scherrer Winery
Showing posts with label SCHERRER WINERY. Show all posts
Showing posts with label SCHERRER WINERY. Show all posts
Friday, June 27, 2025
REPLAY: Innumero Wines, Scherrer Winery
Friday, March 28, 2025
Innumero Wines, Scherrer Winery
GUEST LINE-UP:
- Brian & Sheree Thornsberry - Proprietors, Innumero Wines
- Fred Scherrer - Founder & Winemaker, Scherrer Winery
Friday, November 22, 2024
Rusack Vineyards & Scherrer Winery
GUEST LINE-UP:
- Steven Gerbac - Winemaker & General Manager, Rusack Vineyards
- Fred Scherrer - Owner/Winemaker Of Scherrer Winery
Friday, March 31, 2023
Papapietro Perry Winery, Scherrer Winery
- Ben Papapietro, Owner/Winemaker, Papapietro Perry Winery
- Fred Scherrer - Owner/Winemaker Of Scherrer Winery
Friday, August 12, 2022
Friday, February 18, 2022
Scherrer Winery, CIRQ & Chev Wines
- Fred Scherrer - Owner/Winemaker, Scherrer Winery
- Michael Browne - Founder, CIRQ & Chev Wines (Founder, Kosta Browne)
Friday, October 2, 2020
Friday, July 10, 2020
Friday, May 8, 2020
Friday, December 1, 2017
12/01 DAVE PRAMUK, ROBERT BIALE VINEYARDS, FRED SCHERRER, SCHERRER WINERY
DAVE PRAMUK - CO-FOUNDER, SALES, MARKETING, COMMUNICATIONS OF ROBERT BIALE VINEYARDS
A lifelong friend and schoolmate of Bob Biale, Dave is from a family of eight children and was raised in Napa, attending local schools. At Napa Valley College he played for the Golden West Conference championship tennis team. At CSU Chico, he graduated with a degree in Developmental Psychology, and also studied Journalism and European Studies. An in-depth wine appreciation class and subsequent travels across Europe changed his life. Since 1982, he has worked for several Napa Valley wineries in winery-direct sales, hospitality, public relations, and production: Sterling, Carneros Creek, Clos du Val, Clos Pegase, Kendall Jackson, Cardinale and Lokoya. He has also worked as a wine broker in Napa and Sonoma. Dave has a love for the history of Zinfandel and Petite Sirah and their unique place in American wine. The Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley is Napa’s newest subappellation and Dave contributes as a board member and marketing advisor to advance education and promotion of the district. As Co-Proprietor of Robert Biale Vineyards he directs the winery’s Sales, Marketing, and Public Relations – writing and traveling and “spreading the gospel” of Zinfandel and Petite Sirah.
FRED SCHERRER - OWNER/WINEMAKER, SCHERRER WINERY
Since our small winery’s first vintage in 1991, our goal has been to create handcrafted, full-flavored wines that express the personality of the unique Sonoma County vineyards where they are grown. Fred first became known for Zinfandel from his father’s Alexander Valley vineyard, and now his careful hand with Pinot Noir from the Russian River and Sonoma County has quietly gained attention and a steady following. That same attention has made Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Grenache that exemplify the bounty of Sonoma County vineyards.
A lifelong friend and schoolmate of Bob Biale, Dave is from a family of eight children and was raised in Napa, attending local schools. At Napa Valley College he played for the Golden West Conference championship tennis team. At CSU Chico, he graduated with a degree in Developmental Psychology, and also studied Journalism and European Studies. An in-depth wine appreciation class and subsequent travels across Europe changed his life. Since 1982, he has worked for several Napa Valley wineries in winery-direct sales, hospitality, public relations, and production: Sterling, Carneros Creek, Clos du Val, Clos Pegase, Kendall Jackson, Cardinale and Lokoya. He has also worked as a wine broker in Napa and Sonoma. Dave has a love for the history of Zinfandel and Petite Sirah and their unique place in American wine. The Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley is Napa’s newest subappellation and Dave contributes as a board member and marketing advisor to advance education and promotion of the district. As Co-Proprietor of Robert Biale Vineyards he directs the winery’s Sales, Marketing, and Public Relations – writing and traveling and “spreading the gospel” of Zinfandel and Petite Sirah.
FRED SCHERRER - OWNER/WINEMAKER, SCHERRER WINERY
Since our small winery’s first vintage in 1991, our goal has been to create handcrafted, full-flavored wines that express the personality of the unique Sonoma County vineyards where they are grown. Fred first became known for Zinfandel from his father’s Alexander Valley vineyard, and now his careful hand with Pinot Noir from the Russian River and Sonoma County has quietly gained attention and a steady following. That same attention has made Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Grenache that exemplify the bounty of Sonoma County vineyards.
Friday, August 5, 2016
8/5 TOBIN SHARP, HI-TIME WINE CELLARS, FRED SCHERRER, SCHERRER WINERY, CHRISTIAN ROGUENANT, TRUE MYTH
TOBIN SHARP FROM HI-TIME WINE CELLARS
Hi-Time Wine Cellars is a family-owned retail store located in Costa Mesa, California. Founded by Fritz Hanson and his brother-in-law Jim McVay. Hi-Time opened its cellar doors in 1957 at its original location on 17th and Irvine in Costa Mesa, California. In 1984, the Hanson brothers moved to our present location in Costa Mesa where they built one of the largest underground temperature-controlled wine cellars in the U.S . This 3,000 square foot underground temperature-controlled cellar now includes a selection of 10,000+ wines from many different wineries from all around the world. This selection represents the world's finest growing regions from such diverse areas as California, Oregon, Washington, France, Italy, Spain, Hungary, Germany, Austria, New Zealand, Australia, Eastern Europe, South Africa, South America and Portugal.
The recently re-designed store now has a retail space of 24,000 square feet. We added many new and exotic labels to our selection. Along with our selection of rare wines you will also discover hard-to-find spirits, espcially in the Bourbon and Scotch aisles, and exotic liquors from all over the world. In addition, we offer a comprehensive selection of North American micro-brews along with some of the best beers the rest of the world creates. Our walk-in beer refrigerator offers over 1,200 different beers from 25+ different countries. Our walk-in tobacco humidor holds over 500 different cigar brands and sizes as well as a great selection of pipes and fine pipe tobaccos. We also offer gourmet foods, specialty chocolates, cheeses and charcuterie.
We are proud to have been able to serve our customers for over half of a century. Our goal is to provide our customers with one of the largest selections of fine wines and rare spirits from all over the world, at competitive prices and without sacrificing the quality of our customer service. We are looking forward to serving you at our store location, over the phone or online.
OUR STORY
Fritz Hanson and Jim McVay founded the store in 1957. Jim, unfortunately, passed away many years ago. Shortly after opening the store, Fritz's younger brother Chuck Hanson joined the Hi-Time team. Chuck was interested in wine right away and became the store's primary wine buyer. Most of the business at that time consisted of distilled spirits and jug wines. Chuck remembers the first wines to make a big impression on him were those of Charles Krug and Louis Martini.
Harold Hanson, who was in the military overseas at the time, joined Hi-Time after completing his tour of duty. While in the service in Europe, Harold took pictures of wine caves in Burgundy. Bringing the photos back to his brothers, it was decided that they would build a wine cave within the store. Harold became the General Manger for the store, a position he held for over 40 years.
Our original location (pictured on the left)! Those were the days... the wine cellar and La Cave next door. La Cave is still there but we're up the street a bit. Well, tempus fugit, as they say. Hi-Time moved to our current location in 1984... prior to that, the building we're housed in was a telephone company. The underground wine cellar had to be dug out to provide a home for our wines! The groundbreaking ceremony for our building expansion (the new beer area and shipping) was in 2004. What's next? Who Knows! Stay Tuned! ***Yes, more construction in the works... pardon our mess as we strive to make our store better! Facelift at 50? Why not! A few years ago Patterson's Beverage Journal honored the Hanson family for Hi-time Wine Cellars with their Lifetime Achievement Award.
HI-TIME TODAY
Fritz is semi-retired but we always need his help when there's construction to be done... or stocking the liquor shelves during the holidays! Chuck Hanson is still here! Well, at least for a couple days a week he helps keep an eye on the wine department along with keeping up on the latest wines. He knows just about everyone in the California wine industry. Harold has also retired but still stops by a few times a week to check up on things. Today the store is managed by Fritz's oldest daughter Diana Hirst. Both his sons Keith (spirits buyer) and Donnie (clerk) work alongside Diana making Hi-Time the thriving business it is today. Fritz's other daughter Linda is working as an assistant winemaker for Hanzel Winery. Four of Fritz's grandchildren Charlie, Kyle, Jordan and Skylar are working in the store as the 3rd generation of the Hanson family legacy.
WWW.HITIMEWINE.NET
FRED SCHERRER – SCHERRER WINERY
THE WINERY AND WINEMAKING
In the mid-1970’s, due to a normal teenage interest in alcoholic beverages, my family allowed me to make some wine from the family vineyard and beer at home (under adult supervision, of course). This led to a UC Davis degree as well as concurrent work at a local winery doing the dirtiest and most menial jobs imaginable. In the mid-1980’s good friends at Duxoup Wine Works (think Marx Brothers for the pronunciation) inspired me to try my hand at my own label so I negotiated cellar space in lieu of a raise by my then-current employer, Greenwood Ridge Vineyards in Anderson Valley (I got a raise anyway). Greenwood Ridge was supportive of my project and decided to have some Scherrer Zinfandel produced for their label as well. Unfortunately, I had a poor business plan and during the first year I realized I was not yet ready for this project. Greenwood Ridge continues to make a small amount of Scherrer Vineyard Zinfandel to this day.
Enter Dehlinger Winery in the late 1980’s. Tom Dehlinger was very supportive of my long-term plans and challenged me to develop a solid business plan, facilitating an important entry into my own project. In return, his winery received my heart and soul for a decade. The final key element in our getting started was from my parents. They allowed me to delay paying them for their fine grapes until we began getting cash flow from our wine sales. By 1997, we were ready to make the move to a facility of our own. In anticipation of this, we were able to add Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay to supplement the Zinfandel we were producing, all from my father’s vineyard in Alexander Valley. Tom Dehlinger supported this transition of my focus, allowing me to produce these additional wines in his facility and we parted very amicably after that vintage.
And so after the harvest of 1997, I moved our operation to a corner of an apple packing shed-turned-winery, finally leasing the entire building. During this period, our production grew from just the three varietals from Scherrer Vineyard, to now typically a dozen wines, about half of which are Pinot Noir. Total production is now 4000 to 5000 cases. My good friend, Don Bliss helped me whenever I needed a hand (or a finger to dial 911 in the unlikely event of a forklift mistake) throughout this period until he sold his fine vineyard and moved back to his native Texas in 2006. Since then, I have been able to impose on a handful of friends and local customers when I have needed help, but still continue to work at the winery pretty much alone most of the year. Judi, my wife, has handled administrative and compliance for the winery since 2002, keeping me out of trouble with bureaucrats and making sure we are able to conform with the complex and changing world of direct shipping and wholesaling laws, reports and fees.
WWW.SCHERRERWINERY.COM
CHRISTIAN ROGUENANT – WINEMAKER, TRUE MYTH
Internationally traveled winemaker Christian Roguenant is leading the charge as winemaker for True Myth, the latest project from Niven Family Wine Estates, a three-generation, family-owned wine group who pioneered the Edna Valley more than 40 years ago. Christian Roguenant is a true industry veteran having traveled the world to make wine on five continents, including fifteen years with Champagne Deutz, one of the premier Champagne houses in France, and serviced as a consultant to wineries around the world, from Argentina to Australia, and New Zealand to South Korea. Today, Christian enjoys sharing his extensive knowledge of True Myth, a specialty appellation winery that produces wines from regions along California’s Central Coast, focusing on Chardonnay from Edna Valley and Cabernet Sauvignon from Paso Robles. Christian can speak to California’s Central Coast winemaking, the Central Coast lifestyle, and food and wine recommendations.
ABOUT CHRISTIAN ROGUENANT:
Christian Roguenant was born to make wine. A native of the Burgundy region of France, he grew up surrounded by vineyards. Christian decided early on to become a winemaker, studying enology and winemaking at the University of Dijon. There, he honed his skills early and has since made wine in numerous countries across five continents. The opportunity to make exceptional wines in San Luis Obispo County led him to the Central Coast. He is a Chardonnay master with over 30 vintages under his belt and has been with the Niven Family for over 18 years. When Christian is not crafting our beautiful True Myth wines, he is an avid chef, photographer, and guitar player.
ABOUT THE NIVEN FAMILY ESTATES:
In our location on California’s Central Coast, we are eternally awestruck by the magic of her omnipresent influence; from the dry heat of the vineyards in Paso Robles, to the coastal influence on our vineyards in Edna Valley, our grapes are grown just a few miles from one of her greatest creations, the deep, blue Pacific Ocean. We respect Mother Nature for the enigma that she is, and honor her by creating wines of quality and flavor that mirror her splendor. Join us as we continue on this journey. Taste and Believe.
FAMILY HISTORY
Jack Niven came to San Luis Obispo in the early 1970s with the vision to plant a vineyard in what was then a valley of dairy farms and garbanzo beans. After working with the top viticulture professors from UC Davis and Fresno State, he determined the perfect location and planted the Paragon Vineyard in 1973. Home to the oldest continually producing Chardonnay vines in the region, the Niven family has owned and farmed this vineyard for more than 40 years. Jack later went on to petition to establish Edna Valley as an official American Viticultural Area (AVA) in 1982.
The second and third generations of the Niven family have since continued his legacy. Today their portfolio focuses on exploring the endless potential and diversity in their historic Paragon Vineyard and throughout San Luis Obispo County.
True Myth is a new take on the legacy that was built by Jack Niven. The family is now striving to create a fresh new vision for the longstanding quality of the region.
ABOUT TRUE MYTH
TRUE MYTH INVITES INTRIGUE AND EMBRACES A LIFE LESS ORDINARY
From Edna Valley’s pioneering Niven family comes a new take on their legacy. They’ve been here since day one - living, breathing, and farming their historic Paragon Vineyard since 1973. Taking advantage of Mother Nature’s gift of rich and fertile soils on the Central Coast of California, our wines seek to delight and inspire, while maintaining the exceptional quality of which the Niven Family has been known for the last 40 years. True Myth presents an authentic experience, which only Mother Nature can express: one of depth, wonder, and a little bit of magic. Taste and Believe.
ABOUT BAILEYANA
Over 30 years ago, an incredibly smart and spirited woman planted a 3 acre vineyard on her home property in the Edna Valley. Diving without hesitation into a male-dominated industry, Catharine Niven later set out to create authentic, complex yet elegant wines. Named for the place she met her husband Jack, Baileyana offers beautiful, cool-climate Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Both are refined, rich, and perfectly balanced. She wasn’t entirely surprised by Baileyana’s early success, but Catharine didn’t dream that her small project would become the family legacy that it is today. Now in the expert hands of the next two generations, Baileyana wines remain true to her pioneering spirit, as well as to the genuine, elegant style she exuded when walking into any room. Boldly Beautiful.
WWW.NIVENFAMILYWINES.COM
WWW.TRUEMYTHWINES.COM
WWW.BAILEYANA.COM
Hi-Time Wine Cellars is a family-owned retail store located in Costa Mesa, California. Founded by Fritz Hanson and his brother-in-law Jim McVay. Hi-Time opened its cellar doors in 1957 at its original location on 17th and Irvine in Costa Mesa, California. In 1984, the Hanson brothers moved to our present location in Costa Mesa where they built one of the largest underground temperature-controlled wine cellars in the U.S . This 3,000 square foot underground temperature-controlled cellar now includes a selection of 10,000+ wines from many different wineries from all around the world. This selection represents the world's finest growing regions from such diverse areas as California, Oregon, Washington, France, Italy, Spain, Hungary, Germany, Austria, New Zealand, Australia, Eastern Europe, South Africa, South America and Portugal.The recently re-designed store now has a retail space of 24,000 square feet. We added many new and exotic labels to our selection. Along with our selection of rare wines you will also discover hard-to-find spirits, espcially in the Bourbon and Scotch aisles, and exotic liquors from all over the world. In addition, we offer a comprehensive selection of North American micro-brews along with some of the best beers the rest of the world creates. Our walk-in beer refrigerator offers over 1,200 different beers from 25+ different countries. Our walk-in tobacco humidor holds over 500 different cigar brands and sizes as well as a great selection of pipes and fine pipe tobaccos. We also offer gourmet foods, specialty chocolates, cheeses and charcuterie.
We are proud to have been able to serve our customers for over half of a century. Our goal is to provide our customers with one of the largest selections of fine wines and rare spirits from all over the world, at competitive prices and without sacrificing the quality of our customer service. We are looking forward to serving you at our store location, over the phone or online.
OUR STORY
Fritz Hanson and Jim McVay founded the store in 1957. Jim, unfortunately, passed away many years ago. Shortly after opening the store, Fritz's younger brother Chuck Hanson joined the Hi-Time team. Chuck was interested in wine right away and became the store's primary wine buyer. Most of the business at that time consisted of distilled spirits and jug wines. Chuck remembers the first wines to make a big impression on him were those of Charles Krug and Louis Martini.
Harold Hanson, who was in the military overseas at the time, joined Hi-Time after completing his tour of duty. While in the service in Europe, Harold took pictures of wine caves in Burgundy. Bringing the photos back to his brothers, it was decided that they would build a wine cave within the store. Harold became the General Manger for the store, a position he held for over 40 years.
Our original location (pictured on the left)! Those were the days... the wine cellar and La Cave next door. La Cave is still there but we're up the street a bit. Well, tempus fugit, as they say. Hi-Time moved to our current location in 1984... prior to that, the building we're housed in was a telephone company. The underground wine cellar had to be dug out to provide a home for our wines! The groundbreaking ceremony for our building expansion (the new beer area and shipping) was in 2004. What's next? Who Knows! Stay Tuned! ***Yes, more construction in the works... pardon our mess as we strive to make our store better! Facelift at 50? Why not! A few years ago Patterson's Beverage Journal honored the Hanson family for Hi-time Wine Cellars with their Lifetime Achievement Award.
HI-TIME TODAY
Fritz is semi-retired but we always need his help when there's construction to be done... or stocking the liquor shelves during the holidays! Chuck Hanson is still here! Well, at least for a couple days a week he helps keep an eye on the wine department along with keeping up on the latest wines. He knows just about everyone in the California wine industry. Harold has also retired but still stops by a few times a week to check up on things. Today the store is managed by Fritz's oldest daughter Diana Hirst. Both his sons Keith (spirits buyer) and Donnie (clerk) work alongside Diana making Hi-Time the thriving business it is today. Fritz's other daughter Linda is working as an assistant winemaker for Hanzel Winery. Four of Fritz's grandchildren Charlie, Kyle, Jordan and Skylar are working in the store as the 3rd generation of the Hanson family legacy.
WWW.HITIMEWINE.NET
FRED SCHERRER – SCHERRER WINERY
In the mid-1970’s, due to a normal teenage interest in alcoholic beverages, my family allowed me to make some wine from the family vineyard and beer at home (under adult supervision, of course). This led to a UC Davis degree as well as concurrent work at a local winery doing the dirtiest and most menial jobs imaginable. In the mid-1980’s good friends at Duxoup Wine Works (think Marx Brothers for the pronunciation) inspired me to try my hand at my own label so I negotiated cellar space in lieu of a raise by my then-current employer, Greenwood Ridge Vineyards in Anderson Valley (I got a raise anyway). Greenwood Ridge was supportive of my project and decided to have some Scherrer Zinfandel produced for their label as well. Unfortunately, I had a poor business plan and during the first year I realized I was not yet ready for this project. Greenwood Ridge continues to make a small amount of Scherrer Vineyard Zinfandel to this day.
Enter Dehlinger Winery in the late 1980’s. Tom Dehlinger was very supportive of my long-term plans and challenged me to develop a solid business plan, facilitating an important entry into my own project. In return, his winery received my heart and soul for a decade. The final key element in our getting started was from my parents. They allowed me to delay paying them for their fine grapes until we began getting cash flow from our wine sales. By 1997, we were ready to make the move to a facility of our own. In anticipation of this, we were able to add Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay to supplement the Zinfandel we were producing, all from my father’s vineyard in Alexander Valley. Tom Dehlinger supported this transition of my focus, allowing me to produce these additional wines in his facility and we parted very amicably after that vintage.
And so after the harvest of 1997, I moved our operation to a corner of an apple packing shed-turned-winery, finally leasing the entire building. During this period, our production grew from just the three varietals from Scherrer Vineyard, to now typically a dozen wines, about half of which are Pinot Noir. Total production is now 4000 to 5000 cases. My good friend, Don Bliss helped me whenever I needed a hand (or a finger to dial 911 in the unlikely event of a forklift mistake) throughout this period until he sold his fine vineyard and moved back to his native Texas in 2006. Since then, I have been able to impose on a handful of friends and local customers when I have needed help, but still continue to work at the winery pretty much alone most of the year. Judi, my wife, has handled administrative and compliance for the winery since 2002, keeping me out of trouble with bureaucrats and making sure we are able to conform with the complex and changing world of direct shipping and wholesaling laws, reports and fees.
WWW.SCHERRERWINERY.COM
CHRISTIAN ROGUENANT – WINEMAKER, TRUE MYTH
ABOUT CHRISTIAN ROGUENANT:
Christian Roguenant was born to make wine. A native of the Burgundy region of France, he grew up surrounded by vineyards. Christian decided early on to become a winemaker, studying enology and winemaking at the University of Dijon. There, he honed his skills early and has since made wine in numerous countries across five continents. The opportunity to make exceptional wines in San Luis Obispo County led him to the Central Coast. He is a Chardonnay master with over 30 vintages under his belt and has been with the Niven Family for over 18 years. When Christian is not crafting our beautiful True Myth wines, he is an avid chef, photographer, and guitar player.
ABOUT THE NIVEN FAMILY ESTATES:
In our location on California’s Central Coast, we are eternally awestruck by the magic of her omnipresent influence; from the dry heat of the vineyards in Paso Robles, to the coastal influence on our vineyards in Edna Valley, our grapes are grown just a few miles from one of her greatest creations, the deep, blue Pacific Ocean. We respect Mother Nature for the enigma that she is, and honor her by creating wines of quality and flavor that mirror her splendor. Join us as we continue on this journey. Taste and Believe.
FAMILY HISTORY
Jack Niven came to San Luis Obispo in the early 1970s with the vision to plant a vineyard in what was then a valley of dairy farms and garbanzo beans. After working with the top viticulture professors from UC Davis and Fresno State, he determined the perfect location and planted the Paragon Vineyard in 1973. Home to the oldest continually producing Chardonnay vines in the region, the Niven family has owned and farmed this vineyard for more than 40 years. Jack later went on to petition to establish Edna Valley as an official American Viticultural Area (AVA) in 1982.
The second and third generations of the Niven family have since continued his legacy. Today their portfolio focuses on exploring the endless potential and diversity in their historic Paragon Vineyard and throughout San Luis Obispo County.
True Myth is a new take on the legacy that was built by Jack Niven. The family is now striving to create a fresh new vision for the longstanding quality of the region.
ABOUT TRUE MYTH
TRUE MYTH INVITES INTRIGUE AND EMBRACES A LIFE LESS ORDINARY
From Edna Valley’s pioneering Niven family comes a new take on their legacy. They’ve been here since day one - living, breathing, and farming their historic Paragon Vineyard since 1973. Taking advantage of Mother Nature’s gift of rich and fertile soils on the Central Coast of California, our wines seek to delight and inspire, while maintaining the exceptional quality of which the Niven Family has been known for the last 40 years. True Myth presents an authentic experience, which only Mother Nature can express: one of depth, wonder, and a little bit of magic. Taste and Believe.
ABOUT BAILEYANA
Over 30 years ago, an incredibly smart and spirited woman planted a 3 acre vineyard on her home property in the Edna Valley. Diving without hesitation into a male-dominated industry, Catharine Niven later set out to create authentic, complex yet elegant wines. Named for the place she met her husband Jack, Baileyana offers beautiful, cool-climate Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Both are refined, rich, and perfectly balanced. She wasn’t entirely surprised by Baileyana’s early success, but Catharine didn’t dream that her small project would become the family legacy that it is today. Now in the expert hands of the next two generations, Baileyana wines remain true to her pioneering spirit, as well as to the genuine, elegant style she exuded when walking into any room. Boldly Beautiful.
WWW.NIVENFAMILYWINES.COM
WWW.TRUEMYTHWINES.COM
WWW.BAILEYANA.COM
Friday, September 25, 2015
09/25 FRED SCHERRER, SCHERRER WINERY, GILIAN HANDELMAN, JACKSON FAMILY FINE WINES, TOMATO FEST, THE KENDALL-JACKSON WINE ESTATE, TUCKER TAYLOR
FRED SCHERRER – SCHERRER WINERY
THE WINERY AND WINEMAKING
In the mid-1970’s, due to a normal teenage interest in alcoholic beverages, my family allowed me to make some wine from the family vineyard and beer at home (under adult supervision, of course). This led to a UC Davis degree as well as concurrent work at a local winery doing the dirtiest and most menial jobs imaginable. In the mid-1980’s good friends at Duxoup Wine Works (think Marx Brothers for the pronunciation) inspired me to try my hand at my own label so I negotiated cellar space in lieu of a raise by my then-current employer, Greenwood Ridge Vineyards in Anderson Valley (I got a raise anyway). Greenwood Ridge was supportive of my project and decided to have some Scherrer Zinfandel produced for their label as well. Unfortunately, I had a poor business plan and during the first year I realized I was not yet ready for this project. Greenwood Ridge continues to make a small amount of Scherrer Vineyard Zinfandel to this day.
Enter Dehlinger Winery in the late 1980’s. Tom Dehlinger was very supportive of my long-term plans and challenged me to develop a solid business plan, facilitating an important entry into my own project. In return, his winery received my heart and soul for a decade. The final key element in our getting started was from my parents. They allowed me to delay paying them for their fine grapes until we began getting cash flow from our wine sales. By 1997, we were ready to make the move to a facility of our own. In anticipation of this, we were able to add Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay to supplement the Zinfandel we were producing, all from my father’s vineyard in Alexander Valley. Tom Dehlinger supported this transition of my focus, allowing me to produce these additional wines in his facility and we parted very amicably after that vintage.
And so after the harvest of 1997, I moved our operation to a corner of an apple packing shed-turned-winery, finally leasing the entire building. During this period, our production grew from just the three varietals from Scherrer Vineyard, to now typically a dozen wines, about half of which are Pinot Noir. Total production is now 4000 to 5000 cases. My good friend, Don Bliss helped me whenever I needed a hand (or a finger to dial 911 in the unlikely event of a forklift mistake) throughout this period until he sold his fine vineyard and moved back to his native Texas in 2006. Since then, I have been able to impose on a handful of friends and local customers when I have needed help, but still continue to work at the winery pretty much alone most of the year. Judi, my wife, has handled administrative and compliance for the winery since 2002, keeping me out of trouble with bureaucrats and making sure we are able to conform with the complex and changing world of direct shipping and wholesaling laws, reports and fees.
WWW.SCHERRERWINERY.COM
GILIAN HANDELMAN - DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS, HOSPITALITY & EDUCATION FOR JACKSON FAMILY FINE WINES - TOMATO FEST
KENDALL-JACKSON HEIRLOOM TOMATO FESTIVAL
19th Annual Kendall-Jackson Heirloom Tomato Festival
Saturday, September 26th, 2015 • 11am - 4:00pm
Kendall-Jackson Wine Estate & Gardens, 5007 Fulton Road, Fulton, CA
Please plan to join us this year for another unforgettable Kendall-Jackson Heirloom Tomato Festival!
In partnership with the Ceres Community Project, please join us for another unforgettable year at the 19th Annual Kendall-Jackson Heirloom Tomato Festival!
This signature event reveals the delicious flavors of more than 150 heritage varieties of tomatoes grown in Kendall-Jackson’s expanded estate culinary gardens. Enjoy the perfect fall day with garden tours, exceptional wine and food pairings, dynamic wine and garden seminars, the popular Chef’s Challenge, and music provided by Grammy nominated Andre Thierry performing his Alternative Creole sounds!
Tickets are available for General Admission, Wine Club Members and the exclusive Premier Package.
• Kendall-Jackson club members enjoy their own Wine Club Member tent and check-in, special wine tasting, and samples of tomato-inspired bites from food vendors.
• The Premier Package includes a Premier tent and lounge, Premier check-in, valet parking with a separate entrance to the event, exclusive foods, along with limited release wines poured by our Master Sommelier.
Ceres Community Project builds healthy and caring communities by engaging teens as gardeners and chefs and nurturing their leadership skills and commitment to healthy eating. Ceres’ volunteer chefs will prepare 93,000 free and low-cost meals in 2015 for hundreds of Sonoma and Marin county families facing a health crisis such as cancer.
WWW.KJ.COM/VISIT-TOMATO-FESTIVAL
TUCKER TAYLOR – DIRECTOR OF CULINARY GARDENS, JACKSON FAMILY WINES
EXPLORE THE WINE ESTATE GARDENS
The Kendall-Jackson Estate Gardens offer seven distinct garden spaces. Some are educational in nature; some planted solely for beauty. Still others provide the fruit, vegetables and herbs that inspire the Food & Wine pairings created by our Culinary Team. A veritable cornucopia of beauty and flavor, the gardens are a core component of our commitment to food and wine education.
Set on 2 ½ acres, the gardens offer a seasonal abundance of sight, smell and taste.
OUR GARDEN SPACES INCLUDE:
• Entry Garden: Blooms of Bressingham
• Wine Sensory Gardens
• Red Wine Sensory Garden
• White Wine Sensory Garden
• Culinary Gardens
• International Cuisine Garden
• Vegetable Trial Garden
• Culinary Herb & Edible Flower Garden
• Viticultural Garden
• Seasonal Gardens
VISIT THE GARDENS
Garden Tour and Tastings are offered at 11:00am, 1:00pm and 3:00pm (weather permitting).
5007 Fulton Road
Fulton, California 95439
707.571.7500
Hours:
Open daily from 10:00am to 5:00pm
WWW.KJ.COM/THE-WINE-ESTATE-GARDENS
In the mid-1970’s, due to a normal teenage interest in alcoholic beverages, my family allowed me to make some wine from the family vineyard and beer at home (under adult supervision, of course). This led to a UC Davis degree as well as concurrent work at a local winery doing the dirtiest and most menial jobs imaginable. In the mid-1980’s good friends at Duxoup Wine Works (think Marx Brothers for the pronunciation) inspired me to try my hand at my own label so I negotiated cellar space in lieu of a raise by my then-current employer, Greenwood Ridge Vineyards in Anderson Valley (I got a raise anyway). Greenwood Ridge was supportive of my project and decided to have some Scherrer Zinfandel produced for their label as well. Unfortunately, I had a poor business plan and during the first year I realized I was not yet ready for this project. Greenwood Ridge continues to make a small amount of Scherrer Vineyard Zinfandel to this day.
Enter Dehlinger Winery in the late 1980’s. Tom Dehlinger was very supportive of my long-term plans and challenged me to develop a solid business plan, facilitating an important entry into my own project. In return, his winery received my heart and soul for a decade. The final key element in our getting started was from my parents. They allowed me to delay paying them for their fine grapes until we began getting cash flow from our wine sales. By 1997, we were ready to make the move to a facility of our own. In anticipation of this, we were able to add Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay to supplement the Zinfandel we were producing, all from my father’s vineyard in Alexander Valley. Tom Dehlinger supported this transition of my focus, allowing me to produce these additional wines in his facility and we parted very amicably after that vintage.
And so after the harvest of 1997, I moved our operation to a corner of an apple packing shed-turned-winery, finally leasing the entire building. During this period, our production grew from just the three varietals from Scherrer Vineyard, to now typically a dozen wines, about half of which are Pinot Noir. Total production is now 4000 to 5000 cases. My good friend, Don Bliss helped me whenever I needed a hand (or a finger to dial 911 in the unlikely event of a forklift mistake) throughout this period until he sold his fine vineyard and moved back to his native Texas in 2006. Since then, I have been able to impose on a handful of friends and local customers when I have needed help, but still continue to work at the winery pretty much alone most of the year. Judi, my wife, has handled administrative and compliance for the winery since 2002, keeping me out of trouble with bureaucrats and making sure we are able to conform with the complex and changing world of direct shipping and wholesaling laws, reports and fees.
WWW.SCHERRERWINERY.COM
GILIAN HANDELMAN - DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS, HOSPITALITY & EDUCATION FOR JACKSON FAMILY FINE WINES - TOMATO FEST
19th Annual Kendall-Jackson Heirloom Tomato Festival
Saturday, September 26th, 2015 • 11am - 4:00pm
Kendall-Jackson Wine Estate & Gardens, 5007 Fulton Road, Fulton, CA
Please plan to join us this year for another unforgettable Kendall-Jackson Heirloom Tomato Festival!
In partnership with the Ceres Community Project, please join us for another unforgettable year at the 19th Annual Kendall-Jackson Heirloom Tomato Festival!
This signature event reveals the delicious flavors of more than 150 heritage varieties of tomatoes grown in Kendall-Jackson’s expanded estate culinary gardens. Enjoy the perfect fall day with garden tours, exceptional wine and food pairings, dynamic wine and garden seminars, the popular Chef’s Challenge, and music provided by Grammy nominated Andre Thierry performing his Alternative Creole sounds!
Tickets are available for General Admission, Wine Club Members and the exclusive Premier Package.
• Kendall-Jackson club members enjoy their own Wine Club Member tent and check-in, special wine tasting, and samples of tomato-inspired bites from food vendors.
• The Premier Package includes a Premier tent and lounge, Premier check-in, valet parking with a separate entrance to the event, exclusive foods, along with limited release wines poured by our Master Sommelier.
Ceres Community Project builds healthy and caring communities by engaging teens as gardeners and chefs and nurturing their leadership skills and commitment to healthy eating. Ceres’ volunteer chefs will prepare 93,000 free and low-cost meals in 2015 for hundreds of Sonoma and Marin county families facing a health crisis such as cancer.
WWW.KJ.COM/VISIT-TOMATO-FESTIVAL
TUCKER TAYLOR – DIRECTOR OF CULINARY GARDENS, JACKSON FAMILY WINES
The Kendall-Jackson Estate Gardens offer seven distinct garden spaces. Some are educational in nature; some planted solely for beauty. Still others provide the fruit, vegetables and herbs that inspire the Food & Wine pairings created by our Culinary Team. A veritable cornucopia of beauty and flavor, the gardens are a core component of our commitment to food and wine education.
Set on 2 ½ acres, the gardens offer a seasonal abundance of sight, smell and taste.
OUR GARDEN SPACES INCLUDE:
• Entry Garden: Blooms of Bressingham
• Wine Sensory Gardens
• Red Wine Sensory Garden
• White Wine Sensory Garden
• Culinary Gardens
• International Cuisine Garden
• Vegetable Trial Garden
• Culinary Herb & Edible Flower Garden
• Viticultural Garden
• Seasonal Gardens
VISIT THE GARDENS
Garden Tour and Tastings are offered at 11:00am, 1:00pm and 3:00pm (weather permitting).
5007 Fulton Road
Fulton, California 95439
707.571.7500
Hours:
Open daily from 10:00am to 5:00pm
WWW.KJ.COM/THE-WINE-ESTATE-GARDENS
Friday, February 13, 2015
02/13 SPRETI VALENTE, FRED SCHERRER, SCHERRER WINERY
SPRETI VALENTE, CERTIFIED SOMMELIER
Spreti is the wine buyer for Anne’s Boutique Wines in Costa Mesa, California. As the wine buyer, Spreti specializes in procuring the best small production wines from all around the world. As the Sommelier and buyer, Spreti meets with winemakers, importers and winery owners to sample many wines each week. From these wines, a limited few – the best of small producers are chosen to be featured in weekly tastings and in the three wine club she oversees. Spreti has served as a wine judge for the prestigious International Los Angeles Wine and Spirits Competition for the past two consecutive years and is currently mentoring several aspiring Certified Sommeliers while she herself prepares for the Advanced Sommelier exam. Spreti was first introduced to wine by her mother, who owned a wine and spirits store in Guatemala City, Guatemala. During her college years, she further immersed herself in the world of wine through studies abroad in France and South America.
Anne’s Boutique Wines
Anne’s Boutique Wines is a wine shop located in the heart of coastal Orange County. With an incredible selection of small production wines, hard-to-find wines in a super-friendly atmosphere. Wine tastings are conducted three times a week and boasts a by-the-glass wine list that rivals many restaurants. Our shop maintains a database on each client’s palate to further enhance their wine enjoyment experience. Our wine club is “avant-garde” in style, to educate and introduce our members to new wines and varietals from all around the world. Many famous winemakers host events in our tasting room each month. We are on our 6th year in business.
Anne’s Boutique Wines is a known as “Orange County’s Best Kept Secret” in the top five “BEST WINE SHOP” by Orange County’s City Voter. (2nd to HiTimes)
www.annesboutiquewines.com
FRED SCHERRER – OWNER, SCHERRER WINERY
In the mid-1970’s, due to a normal teenage interest in alcoholic beverages, my family allowed me to make some wine from the family vineyard and beer at home (under adult supervision, of course). This led to a UC Davis degree as well as concurrent work at a local winery doing the dirtiest and most menial jobs imaginable. In the mid-1980’s good friends at Duxoup Wine Works (think Marx Brothers for the pronunciation) inspired me to try my hand at my own label so I negotiated cellar space in lieu of a raise by my then-current employer, Greenwood Ridge Vineyards in Anderson Valley (I got a raise anyway). Greenwood Ridge was supportive of my project and decided to have some Scherrer Zinfandel produced for their label as well. Unfortunately, I had a poor business plan and during the first year I realized I was not yet ready for this project. Greenwood Ridge continues to make a small amount of Scherrer Vineyard Zinfandel to this day.
Enter Dehlinger Winery in the late 1980’s. Tom Dehlinger was very supportive of my long-term plans and challenged me to develop a solid business plan, facilitating an important entry into my own project. In return, his winery received my heart and soul for a decade. The final key element in our getting started was from my parents. They allowed me to delay paying them for their fine grapes until we began getting cash flow from our wine sales. By 1997, we were ready to make the move to a facility of our own. In anticipation of this, we were able to add Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay to supplement the Zinfandel we were producing, all from my father’s vineyard in Alexander Valley. Tom Dehlinger supported this transition of my focus, allowing me to produce these additional wines in his facility and we parted very amicably after that vintage.
And so after the harvest of 1997, I moved our operation to a corner of an apple packing shed-turned-winery, finally leasing the entire building. During this period, our production grew from just the three varietals from Scherrer Vineyard, to now typically a dozen wines, about half of which are Pinot Noir. Total production is now 4000 to 5000 cases. My good friend, Don Bliss helped me whenever I needed a hand (or a finger to dial 911 in the unlikely event of a forklift mistake) throughout this period until he sold his fine vineyard and moved back to his native Texas in 2006. Since then, I have been able to impose on a handful of friends and local customers when I have needed help, but still continue to work at the winery pretty much alone most of the year. Judi, my wife, has handled administrative and compliance for the winery since 2002, keeping me out of trouble with bureaucrats and making sure we are able to conform with the complex and changing world of direct shipping and wholesaling laws, reports and fees.
www.scherrerwinery.com
Anne’s Boutique Wines
Anne’s Boutique Wines is a wine shop located in the heart of coastal Orange County. With an incredible selection of small production wines, hard-to-find wines in a super-friendly atmosphere. Wine tastings are conducted three times a week and boasts a by-the-glass wine list that rivals many restaurants. Our shop maintains a database on each client’s palate to further enhance their wine enjoyment experience. Our wine club is “avant-garde” in style, to educate and introduce our members to new wines and varietals from all around the world. Many famous winemakers host events in our tasting room each month. We are on our 6th year in business.
Anne’s Boutique Wines is a known as “Orange County’s Best Kept Secret” in the top five “BEST WINE SHOP” by Orange County’s City Voter. (2nd to HiTimes)
www.annesboutiquewines.com
FRED SCHERRER – OWNER, SCHERRER WINERY
Enter Dehlinger Winery in the late 1980’s. Tom Dehlinger was very supportive of my long-term plans and challenged me to develop a solid business plan, facilitating an important entry into my own project. In return, his winery received my heart and soul for a decade. The final key element in our getting started was from my parents. They allowed me to delay paying them for their fine grapes until we began getting cash flow from our wine sales. By 1997, we were ready to make the move to a facility of our own. In anticipation of this, we were able to add Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay to supplement the Zinfandel we were producing, all from my father’s vineyard in Alexander Valley. Tom Dehlinger supported this transition of my focus, allowing me to produce these additional wines in his facility and we parted very amicably after that vintage.
And so after the harvest of 1997, I moved our operation to a corner of an apple packing shed-turned-winery, finally leasing the entire building. During this period, our production grew from just the three varietals from Scherrer Vineyard, to now typically a dozen wines, about half of which are Pinot Noir. Total production is now 4000 to 5000 cases. My good friend, Don Bliss helped me whenever I needed a hand (or a finger to dial 911 in the unlikely event of a forklift mistake) throughout this period until he sold his fine vineyard and moved back to his native Texas in 2006. Since then, I have been able to impose on a handful of friends and local customers when I have needed help, but still continue to work at the winery pretty much alone most of the year. Judi, my wife, has handled administrative and compliance for the winery since 2002, keeping me out of trouble with bureaucrats and making sure we are able to conform with the complex and changing world of direct shipping and wholesaling laws, reports and fees.
www.scherrerwinery.com
Friday, December 26, 2014
12/26 FRED SCHERRER, SCHERRER WINERY, BILL BRACKEN, BRACKENS KITCHEN
FRED SCHERRER – SCHERRER WINERY
In the mid-1970’s, due to a normal teenage interest in alcoholic beverages, my family allowed me to make some wine from the family vineyard and beer at home (under adult supervision, of course). This led to a UC Davis degree as well as concurrent work at a local winery doing the dirtiest and most menial jobs imaginable. In the mid-1980’s good friends at Duxoup Wine Works (think Marx Brothers for the pronunciation) inspired me to try my hand at my own label so I negotiated cellar space in lieu of a raise by my then-current employer, Greenwood Ridge Vineyards in Anderson Valley (I got a raise anyway). Greenwood Ridge was supportive of my project and decided to have some Scherrer Zinfandel produced for their label as well. Unfortunately, I had a poor business plan and during the first year I realized I was not yet ready for this project. Greenwood Ridge continues to make a small amount of Scherrer Vineyard Zinfandel to this day.
Enter Dehlinger Winery in the late 1980’s. Tom Dehlinger was very supportive of my long-term plans and challenged me to develop a solid business plan, facilitating an important entry into my own project. In return, his winery received my heart and soul for a decade. The final key element in our getting started was from my parents. They allowed me to delay paying them for their fine grapes until we began getting cash flow from our wine sales. By 1997, we were ready to make the move to a facility of our own. In anticipation of this, we were able to add Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay to supplement the Zinfandel we were producing, all from my father’s vineyard in Alexander Valley. Tom Dehlinger supported this transition of my focus, allowing me to produce these additional wines in his facility and we parted very amicably after that vintage.
And so after the harvest of 1997, I moved our operation to a corner of an apple packing shed-turned-winery, finally leasing the entire building. During this period, our production grew from just the three varietals from Scherrer Vineyard, to now typically a dozen wines, about half of which are Pinot Noir. Total production is now 4000 to 5000 cases. My good friend, Don Bliss helped me whenever I needed a hand (or a finger to dial 911 in the unlikely event of a forklift mistake) throughout this period until he sold his fine vineyard and moved back to his native Texas in 2006. Since then, I have been able to impose on a handful of friends and local customers when I have needed help, but still continue to work at the winery pretty much alone most of the year. Judi, my wife, has handled administrative and compliance for the winery since 2002, keeping me out of trouble with bureaucrats and making sure we are able to conform with the complex and changing world of direct shipping and wholesaling laws, reports and fees.
WWW.SCHERRERWINERY.COM
BILL BRACKEN – BRACKENS KITCHEN
Living in Southern California is not cheap and the new economic reality has left many people facing the choice between food & groceries or paying for rent and other life necessities on a regular basis”, says Bill. To add to the burden, the lack of public transportation makes it very difficult for those in need to connect to those organizations that can help them. I have seen friends lose their jobs over the past few years and have witnessed the impact it has had on their families, says Bill, the emotional struggle alone is often times more than some people can overcome.
In contemplating how to best help those in need, one of the main obstacles that Bill kept running into is the lack of mass transportation in Southern California. While the face of those in need has changed over time, public transportation in Southern California has not. Unlike other major metropolitan areas Southern California does not benefit from a subway, “L” or other large mass transportation systems for those without a car or can afford the outlandish price of gasoline today. Bill’s original plan was to build a restaurant modeling the success of Jon Bon Jovi’s “Soul Kitchen” in Red Bank New Jersey. However without the ease of mass transportation Bill has decided to bring the restaurant to them.
With that in mind Bracken’s Kitchen will jump on the growing popularity of food trucks as a means to help those in need. With a mobile kitchen / restaurant Bill will bring the food to those who need it most. By networking with churches and other nonprofit agencies that provide for those in need, Bracken’s Kitchen will be able to announce when and where they will be feeding.
The goal of Bracken’s Kitchen is to provide high quality and healthy meals on a regular basis to those who need it most. Our hope is that by providing meals on a regular basis we can lessen the financial burden of those in need and their precious few dollars can be spent on housing and other important life necessities.
While the goal of the food truck will be to feed, it is also our goal to eventually become self-supporting by selling food on those days that we are not feeding. One of our newest plans is the possibility of branding our trucks with the companies & individuals that have supported us. With the right branding we feel that the food truck can be even more successful in raising capital on the selling days. To further expand the impact that Bracken’s Kitchen hopes to have in our community it is our goal to partner with various organizations to help employ those individuals who need a job most.
While we intend to start very modestly with just one truck our goal is to have a larger impact by growing the fleet. There is much more need just in Orange County than 1 truck can handle not to mention other areas of Southern California. The ability to expand to those areas is our end goal. Imagine a day where Bracken’s Kitchen food trucks dot the landscape of Southern California and beyond.
RANDY'S STORY
It was October of 2009 and I had just been blessed with the birth of my youngest son, Lukas. It was a wonderful time in our lives and we were truly ecstatic. Welcoming him home were my two older kids, Jacob and Jessica.
Shortly thereafter my wife, Molly, made the difficult but exciting decision to stay home to raise Luke. Molly had a successful career in hospitality, was moving up the corporate ladder and was well compensated for her work. The loss of her income put a big dent in our personal budget but we knew it was the right thing to do. While we were not wealthy we were able to manage this financially, as I have had a successful career as a chef and have always been very conservative with my money.
It was during this time that we started having our weekly Starbucks date with Luke in tow. I was never a big coffee drinker but I developed a taste for lattes with all the syrup and soy milk to make it taste good. Luke always looked forward to those mornings when he would get a donut while mom and dad spent a little time together before dad went off to a long day of work. Luke loved to sit on the stools at the end of the counter and just wait for someone to order a Clover so he could watch the fancy reverse French press. It was a fun time in our lives that gave us a lot of happy memories.
It was during one of these weekly visits to our local Starbucks that I first spotted him. He was a good looking well-dressed man with golden blonde hair. He was always well groomed and always sat in the corner alone with his laptop. Something seemed out of place. Being the overly observant person that I was, I soon realized that it was his drink. He always had a glass of water, never coffee. Why in the world did this business professional not drink coffee? Didn’t everyone drink coffee? Even I had started drinking it. Maybe he didn’t like it, but then why come to Starbucks. Time would reveal the answer to this and so many other questions that surfaced.
As time passed and our dates continued I noticed the subtle changes that occurred with Randy. His grooming was slipping with hair not as neatly combed as it had been. I realized that he was wearing the same clothes a lot and his suit was not as crisp and shiny as before. He was suddenly in need of a haircut and shave. His posture, once perfect and upright was faltering as he hunched over his laptop. I soon realized that I was witnessing the decline from “proud and successful” to “beaten and hopeless.
Sometime later I found Randy at the local Ralphs asleep on the bench with his shopping cart next to him. I watched as the store manager came out, woke him and chatted with him. I was able to talk to the store manager who shared Randy’s store with me. It turned out that months earlier when I first noticed Randy, he had just lost his job. With their free wifi, Starbucks was the perfect place for him to conduct his job search. Coffee was a luxury he could not afford so water it was. The obvious deterioration that I witnessed over time was when Randy lost his home and started sleeping in his car. The really big change came when he lost his car and moved all of his possessions into a shopping cart. I was shocked to actually know what I had been seeing over the days, weeks and months that we went to Starbucks. The one thing that stuck with me after that conversation at Ralphs was how proud and caring Randy was. He was too proud for handouts and would never accept them. He did not want to be a bother or burden to anyone.
As we fast forward to a year later it was late 2011 and I was 48 years old. In December I found myself thrust into the lines of unemployment. It came so quickly that I was not prepared for it but ready or not my worst fears were realized and I was unemployed. I have had a blessed career and have never been let go from a job in my life. I suddenly was very aware of what that felt like. The best and worst part about was that we were ok. Being financially conservative and, unlike Randy, with the benefits of a really good severance package I had lots of options.
What happened to Randy, I don’t know. I have never seen him since that late afternoon at Ralph’s. But it is Randy and many others just like him who has inspired me to “Do Something”. I could tell you countless other stories of people whom I have encountered, such as the attractive young woman and her daughter at Someone Cares Soup Kitchen in Costa Mesa but will not. Let’s just say that Randy planted the seed that has grown into Bracken’s Kitchen.
I have thought about Randy often over the last 2 years and wonder what happened to him. To watch a man literally deteriorate a little bit every day is a very sad thing.
If Bracken's Kitchen can provide a healthy and wholesome meal in a dignified and fun environment to those in need just a couple of days a week maybe we can help people like Randy get through some difficult times.
WWW.BRACKENSKITCHEN.COM
Enter Dehlinger Winery in the late 1980’s. Tom Dehlinger was very supportive of my long-term plans and challenged me to develop a solid business plan, facilitating an important entry into my own project. In return, his winery received my heart and soul for a decade. The final key element in our getting started was from my parents. They allowed me to delay paying them for their fine grapes until we began getting cash flow from our wine sales. By 1997, we were ready to make the move to a facility of our own. In anticipation of this, we were able to add Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay to supplement the Zinfandel we were producing, all from my father’s vineyard in Alexander Valley. Tom Dehlinger supported this transition of my focus, allowing me to produce these additional wines in his facility and we parted very amicably after that vintage.
And so after the harvest of 1997, I moved our operation to a corner of an apple packing shed-turned-winery, finally leasing the entire building. During this period, our production grew from just the three varietals from Scherrer Vineyard, to now typically a dozen wines, about half of which are Pinot Noir. Total production is now 4000 to 5000 cases. My good friend, Don Bliss helped me whenever I needed a hand (or a finger to dial 911 in the unlikely event of a forklift mistake) throughout this period until he sold his fine vineyard and moved back to his native Texas in 2006. Since then, I have been able to impose on a handful of friends and local customers when I have needed help, but still continue to work at the winery pretty much alone most of the year. Judi, my wife, has handled administrative and compliance for the winery since 2002, keeping me out of trouble with bureaucrats and making sure we are able to conform with the complex and changing world of direct shipping and wholesaling laws, reports and fees.
WWW.SCHERRERWINERY.COM
BILL BRACKEN – BRACKENS KITCHEN
In contemplating how to best help those in need, one of the main obstacles that Bill kept running into is the lack of mass transportation in Southern California. While the face of those in need has changed over time, public transportation in Southern California has not. Unlike other major metropolitan areas Southern California does not benefit from a subway, “L” or other large mass transportation systems for those without a car or can afford the outlandish price of gasoline today. Bill’s original plan was to build a restaurant modeling the success of Jon Bon Jovi’s “Soul Kitchen” in Red Bank New Jersey. However without the ease of mass transportation Bill has decided to bring the restaurant to them.
With that in mind Bracken’s Kitchen will jump on the growing popularity of food trucks as a means to help those in need. With a mobile kitchen / restaurant Bill will bring the food to those who need it most. By networking with churches and other nonprofit agencies that provide for those in need, Bracken’s Kitchen will be able to announce when and where they will be feeding.
The goal of Bracken’s Kitchen is to provide high quality and healthy meals on a regular basis to those who need it most. Our hope is that by providing meals on a regular basis we can lessen the financial burden of those in need and their precious few dollars can be spent on housing and other important life necessities.
While the goal of the food truck will be to feed, it is also our goal to eventually become self-supporting by selling food on those days that we are not feeding. One of our newest plans is the possibility of branding our trucks with the companies & individuals that have supported us. With the right branding we feel that the food truck can be even more successful in raising capital on the selling days. To further expand the impact that Bracken’s Kitchen hopes to have in our community it is our goal to partner with various organizations to help employ those individuals who need a job most.
While we intend to start very modestly with just one truck our goal is to have a larger impact by growing the fleet. There is much more need just in Orange County than 1 truck can handle not to mention other areas of Southern California. The ability to expand to those areas is our end goal. Imagine a day where Bracken’s Kitchen food trucks dot the landscape of Southern California and beyond.
RANDY'S STORY
It was October of 2009 and I had just been blessed with the birth of my youngest son, Lukas. It was a wonderful time in our lives and we were truly ecstatic. Welcoming him home were my two older kids, Jacob and Jessica.
Shortly thereafter my wife, Molly, made the difficult but exciting decision to stay home to raise Luke. Molly had a successful career in hospitality, was moving up the corporate ladder and was well compensated for her work. The loss of her income put a big dent in our personal budget but we knew it was the right thing to do. While we were not wealthy we were able to manage this financially, as I have had a successful career as a chef and have always been very conservative with my money.
It was during this time that we started having our weekly Starbucks date with Luke in tow. I was never a big coffee drinker but I developed a taste for lattes with all the syrup and soy milk to make it taste good. Luke always looked forward to those mornings when he would get a donut while mom and dad spent a little time together before dad went off to a long day of work. Luke loved to sit on the stools at the end of the counter and just wait for someone to order a Clover so he could watch the fancy reverse French press. It was a fun time in our lives that gave us a lot of happy memories.
It was during one of these weekly visits to our local Starbucks that I first spotted him. He was a good looking well-dressed man with golden blonde hair. He was always well groomed and always sat in the corner alone with his laptop. Something seemed out of place. Being the overly observant person that I was, I soon realized that it was his drink. He always had a glass of water, never coffee. Why in the world did this business professional not drink coffee? Didn’t everyone drink coffee? Even I had started drinking it. Maybe he didn’t like it, but then why come to Starbucks. Time would reveal the answer to this and so many other questions that surfaced.
As time passed and our dates continued I noticed the subtle changes that occurred with Randy. His grooming was slipping with hair not as neatly combed as it had been. I realized that he was wearing the same clothes a lot and his suit was not as crisp and shiny as before. He was suddenly in need of a haircut and shave. His posture, once perfect and upright was faltering as he hunched over his laptop. I soon realized that I was witnessing the decline from “proud and successful” to “beaten and hopeless.
Sometime later I found Randy at the local Ralphs asleep on the bench with his shopping cart next to him. I watched as the store manager came out, woke him and chatted with him. I was able to talk to the store manager who shared Randy’s store with me. It turned out that months earlier when I first noticed Randy, he had just lost his job. With their free wifi, Starbucks was the perfect place for him to conduct his job search. Coffee was a luxury he could not afford so water it was. The obvious deterioration that I witnessed over time was when Randy lost his home and started sleeping in his car. The really big change came when he lost his car and moved all of his possessions into a shopping cart. I was shocked to actually know what I had been seeing over the days, weeks and months that we went to Starbucks. The one thing that stuck with me after that conversation at Ralphs was how proud and caring Randy was. He was too proud for handouts and would never accept them. He did not want to be a bother or burden to anyone.
As we fast forward to a year later it was late 2011 and I was 48 years old. In December I found myself thrust into the lines of unemployment. It came so quickly that I was not prepared for it but ready or not my worst fears were realized and I was unemployed. I have had a blessed career and have never been let go from a job in my life. I suddenly was very aware of what that felt like. The best and worst part about was that we were ok. Being financially conservative and, unlike Randy, with the benefits of a really good severance package I had lots of options.
What happened to Randy, I don’t know. I have never seen him since that late afternoon at Ralph’s. But it is Randy and many others just like him who has inspired me to “Do Something”. I could tell you countless other stories of people whom I have encountered, such as the attractive young woman and her daughter at Someone Cares Soup Kitchen in Costa Mesa but will not. Let’s just say that Randy planted the seed that has grown into Bracken’s Kitchen.
I have thought about Randy often over the last 2 years and wonder what happened to him. To watch a man literally deteriorate a little bit every day is a very sad thing.
If Bracken's Kitchen can provide a healthy and wholesome meal in a dignified and fun environment to those in need just a couple of days a week maybe we can help people like Randy get through some difficult times.
WWW.BRACKENSKITCHEN.COM
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