DELICIOUS SUCCESS! The 5th Annual Women’s Leadership Luncheon: Nurturing the Soul of Oakland
Family Paths’ 5th Annual Women’s Leadership Luncheon was held on Friday, October 21, 2016 at the Lake Merritt Sailboat House in Oakland, CA. We were thrilled to have C.J. Hirschfield, Executive Director of Children’s Fairyland, as our Emcee for the event and Tanya Holland, Restaurateur and Chef/Owner of West Oakland’s Brown Sugar Kitchen, as our Keynote Speaker. Our heartfelt thanks to all who joined, purchased auction items or BSK Cookbooks or made donations. Your support helped us net nearly $20,000 in critical unrestricted funds for this event. Thank you!
In addition to cooking for 300 happy diners on a regular basis, Tanya spent the past summer taping a new round of cooking shows, including DISH NYC, so we felt incredibly lucky to have her support! In addition to being internationally known for culinary expertise and philanthropy as a Grande Dame of Les Dames d’Escoffier International and as the US State Department’s 2015 Culinary Ambassador to Kazakhstan, Tanya shared an authentic Oakland voice and radiant presence with our guests. To watch Tanya Holland’s dynamic and inspirational talk on “Nurturing the Soul of Oakland”, simply click on the video below.
The delectable, down-home family-style lunch featured menu items from Tanya’s own restaurant, Brown Sugar Kitchen, soulfully prepared by Blue Heron Catering. Our attendees enjoyed Creole oyster gazpacho shooters, buttermilk fried chicken, cheddar grits, sweet potatoes with peach ketchup, pulled pork sliders, and apple bundt cake with brown sugar glaze. Our VIP guests enjoyed an after-party book signing, mingling with Tanya over specialty treats and drinks.
We wish to thank our generous sponsors and in-kind donors: Kaiser Permanente, Lane Partners, First Foundation, Bridge Bank, Donahue Fitzgerald, Blue Heron Catering, Luna, Ocho Candy, Chronicle Books, City Slicker Farms, ABC Security, Schmitz Ranch, Children’s Fairyland, and Brown Sugar Kitchen.
We have begun securing sponsors for our prestigious 2017 event. If you’d like to partner with us or have suggestions for keynote speaker or venue, please contact Development Manager, Kimberly Cohn: 510 893-9230 X 262.