Dunham Cellars

To celebrate their 20^th platinum anniversary (first vintage 1995), Dunham will have a special promotion on the 20^th of each month.  If you want to celebrate in a bigger way, consider joining Joanne Dunham (photo) and Paul Gregutt (Waitsburg Cellars) for an 11-night cruise on Oceania Cruises' Riviera from Venice to Barcelona from May 11-22.

 There will be stops in Croatia, Montenegro, Italy, Monaco and France. You'll be invited to join special tours of rarely-seen wineries (exclusive tastings and wine-paired lunches in Valpolicella, Bogheri and Châteauneuf-du-Pape) and be part of on-board seminars featuring some of the best wines from both Dunham and Waitsburg Cellars.

 www.foodandwinetrails.com/dunham_waitsburg2015

Ray's Boathouse Announces Paul Duncan as Executive Chef

Alright, it's not much of a surprise. Paul came to Ray's in June 2013 as Executive Sous Chef and was promoted to Chef de Cuisine in February 2014 after Chef Wayne Johnson left. He's been overseeing operations and menu development for the Boathouse, Café and catering department. His new role begins immediately; he is just the sixth chef to hold the title in Ray's 42-year history.

Paul started his career in Portland at Assaggio in the late '90s. He received a crash course in precision, speed, and Italian cuisine. He then worked at Serratto, an upscale Italian spot in Northwest Portland. He and his colleagues took part in the birth of the farm-to-table movement in Portland. He worked at Caffe Mingo and Tabla before moving to Hawaii in 2008. He spent one year at Bubba Gump Shrimp Company, then four years at the Ritz Carlton Kapalua. Returning to Seattle, he worked at The Hi-Life in Ballard before joining Ray's.

www.rays.com

Daniel's Broiler-Leschi

Although there are three Daniel's Broilers (Lake Union, Bellevue, Leschi), Leschi is the original. 2015 marks its 35^th anniversary and Schwartz Bros. is celebrating by offering a $35 bottle of Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label Brut Champagne for guests for the entire year. All three locations are great, but there's something about Leschi. It's very intimate and cozy. Being located where it is, it's a different view of Lake Washington and right on the water. Leschi is not open for lunch, but their weekend brunch began in 2012. Their small bar hosts a nice happy hour. Read our article published on their 30^th anniversary.

www.schwartzbros.com

Winners: John Howie/Craig Terrill/Taste of NFL's Kick Hunger Challenge

Alright, this is not much of a surprise either. But that's because Howie and Terrill (former Seahawk and musician) are beasts when it comes to fundraising. For the third year in a row, they raised the most money in the country during the Kick Hunger Challenge. The Challenge is an online-only fundraising campaign that pits fans from all 32 NFL teams and the Hall of Fame against each other to raise money for food banks in NFL communities. John and Craig raised $127,344 for Food Lifeline, the nonprofit food distribution center in Western Washington. Taste of the NFL provides $10,000 to the winners. These funds will allow Food Lifeline to provide 686,720 meals in Western Washington.

"What an amazing result; it just goes to show what a great community can do when we work together," commented John. "So many great community leaders were working behind the scenes to make this happen. Now 686,720 people will get a meal that wasn't there for them four months ago. How cool is that?"

"Even though Western Washington is swept up in Hawk-Mania, the 'Twelves' never forget those in need," said Linda Nageotte, Food Lifeline President & CEO. "That says so much about us. They're not just fans, they're our friends. And we thank each and every one of them."

www.tasteofthenfl.com/about

A new AVA for Oregon

The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) announced that The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater will become the newest American Viticulture Area (AVA) on Monday, Feb. 9. It is on an alluvial fan of the Walla Walla River, where the river exits the foothills of the Blue Mountains and enters the Walla Walla Valley. The Rocks District is inside the Walla Walla

Valley AVA, which is inside the Columbia Valley AVA. It's distinguishing feature is its soil, which consists mainly of dark-colored basalt cobblestones. The cobblestone-rich soil is very well drained, allowing vines to root deeply. The cobblestones are exposed, allowing them to absorb solar radiation. Heat from the sun-warmed stones promotes growth early in the season and assists ripening during the late summer and early fall.

The AVA application effort was organized and managed by Steve Robertson of Delmas/SJR Vineyard along with seven other wine growers and producers. Dr. Kevin R. Pogue, a professor of geology at Whitman College in Walla Walla, submitted the petition to the TTB. This is Oregon's 18^th AVA.

www.oregonwine.org

February 2015