Tuesday, December 3rd, Provino, the Valle de Guadalupe’s Winemakers Association, in conjunction with Kettner Exchange and Baja Wine + Food, and in collaboration with Chef’s Roll, 15 of the Valle’s best wineries, 11 celebrated chefs from both sides of the border, 4 award winning breweries and 2 craft spirit distillers, San Diego’s premier fromager, along with a supporting cast of restaurants, wineries, farmers, fishermen and artists bring you:
Unidos por Valle: A Spirited Collaboration in Support of Baja Firefighters!
Participating Chefs
Drew Deckman
Benito Molina & Solange Muris
Sheyla Alvarado
Adria Montaño
Ruffo Ibarra
Brian Redzikowski
Brad Wise
Claudette Zepeda
John Bautista
Martin San Roman
Fromager
Jack Ford
Craft Beer Stations
Border Psycho
Cerveceria Transpeninsular
Colibre
VIP Beverage Service + Cuisine
Los Javis Mezcal
Tequila Forteleza
Border X
Along with 15 Valle Wineries Pairing a Curated Selection of their Best, Live Music, Auctions and much more!
Special Performance by the San Diego Firefighter’s Emerald Society Bagpipes and Drums to honor the Bomberos of Baja.
A Gringo in Mexico (AKA W. Scott Koenig) will be on hand with his book, Seven Days In The Valle: Baja California's Wine CountryCuisine. He has generously offered to donate 75% of the profits from sales until December 31stto benefit the cause.
General Admission Entry at 7:00 PM
VIP (limited seating) Entry at 6:30, includes premium beverage service, tray passed small plates and your name on a brick at El Porvenir fire station
100% of the proceeds from this collaboration will go directly to the Firefighters Crossing Borders, our 501(c)(3) partner, to benefit Bomberos Voluntarios El Porvenir, the Valle de Guadalupe’s volunteer fire department
Background:
Over the past several years, the Valle de Guadalupe has become a haven for aficionados of wine and food from all over the globe. With tremendous worldwide press focusing attention on this valley of boutique wineries and culinary experiences based in locally sourced ingredients, “the Valle” has earned it’s place amongst the top wine regions of the world, standing out for it’s pastoral identity; a proudly bucolic landscape of farms and vineyards, elegant in it’s unruined quality.
But that pastoral elegance comes with challenges; and at no time in recent history have those challenges been more prevalent than during the recent fire storms that encroached upon the peaceful rural communities that constitute the Valle de Guadalupe.
As the fires impinged upon the region and surrounding towns, incredibly overtaxed volunteer firefighters – clad in sneakers and hand-me-down fire coats – fought back flames fueled by 60 mph Santa Ana winds with little more than shovels and pickaxes. The resulting losses of these devastating fires brought to forefront an issue that has long been a troubling thorn in an otherwise idyllic paradise: operating on an entirely volunteer fire service with outdated training and obsolete equipment, the most desirable wine region in the west is in dire need of modernization if it is to support the standards necessitated for the people who call this valley “Home”.
In need of everything from fire retardant pants and long-range walkie-talkies, to fire hoses, smoke masks and fire & rescue certifications, the 16 volunteers that compose the Bomberos Voluntarios El Porvenir use unpaid days off from their usual paid full-time jobs to support the emergency and disaster response team responsible for the 304 square mile region encompassing the Valle de Guadalupe. With a crumbling infrastructure and equipment deemed “Precarious”, the needs are great and lacking the administrative structure to obtain funding from the government. Fiscally supported by small donations from the communities they serve, Bomberos Voluntarios El Porvenir gallantly provides safety and resources to over 7000 residents and 10s of thousands of Valle’s visitors each year.
If you are unable to attend the event, but are interested in donating the Bomberos Voluntarios El Porvenir, a GoFundMe has been established
https://charity.gofundme.com/o/en/campaign/unidos-por-valle-equipping-baja-bomberos
Unidos por Valle would like to thank every chef and beverage vendor for their generous donations to this event. In addition, we are grateful for the full support of our sponsors:
Young’s Market, Specialty Produce, PastureBird, Brandt Beef, Taj Farms, El Faro Seafood, Dobson’s, Deckman’s en el Mogor, Pacifico Aquaculture, Baja Shellfish, Berry Good Noche
Unidos por Valle is fiscally sponsored by Firefighters Crossing Borders, a 501(c)3 designated organization. Donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. Tax ID #: 33-1148556.