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Chefs announced for ‘Art of Eating’

Audubon Canyon Ranch, a North Bay leader in conservation science, habitat protection and restoration and environmental education, are busy planning the second annual Art of Eating food and wine benefit, which celebrates the decorated food writer M.F.K. Fisher. The event takes place on June 3, in Glen Ellen at the Bouverie Preserve.

 The event’s theme, “Women Who Change the Way We Eat,” will feature food and wine pairings as well as dessert, along with a live and silent auction, all in the beautiful, rustic chic setting of Bouverie Preserve. The event is inspired by the life of M.F.K. Fisher, whose book, “The Art of Eating,” changed the way we think about eating and drinking in America. A close friend of David Bouverie, Fisher spent the last two decades of her life living at the Bouverie Preserve, writing about food and hosting friends such as Julia Child, Alice Waters, John Ash, Chuck Williams and James Beard.

 This year’s mistress of ceremonies will be chef, writer and restaurateur Patricia Unterman of Hayes Street Grill.

 Participating chefs and food purveyors to date include Sondra Bernstein, of the Girl and the Fig; Sue Conley and Peggy Smith, of Cowgirl Creamery; Contra Eisely, Patisserie Angelica; Pam Ferrari, of Ferrari Custom Catering; Jill Giacomini Basch, of Pt. Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company; private Chef Isa Jacobs; Eve Love, of Marin Sun Farms; Mary Risley, of Tante Marie’s Cooking School and the Oyster Girls.

  Wineries and breweries expected to particpate include: B.R. Cohn Winery, David Noyes Wines, Gloria Ferrer Caves and Vineyards, Gundlach Bundschu Winery, Lagunitas Brewing Company and Nicholson Ranch.

 The proceeds from this event will benefit the education programs of Audubon Canyon Ranch, which annually provides more than 6,000 elementary school students the opportunity to take part in nature-based educational experiences at no cost to the schools.

 Ticket cost is $125. Private tables of 12 are available. The event will be held rain or shine.

 For call information, call or email Laurie Vermont at 415-868-9244, ext. 11, or or laurie.vermont@egret.org

 Audubon Canyon Ranch (ACR) protects nature through land preservation, environmental education and conservation science. Its nature preserves include the Cypress Grove Research Center on Tomales Bay, the 535-acre Bouverie Preserve in Sonoma’s Valley of the Moon near Glen Ellen and the 1,000-acre Martin Griffin Preserve near Stinson Beach, which is home to one of the San Francisco Bay Area’s most studied great egret nesting sites.

 In 2009, ACR announced an agreement with Jim and Shirley Modini to acquire the 1,725-acre Modini Ranch property, located in the Mayacamas Mountains in Sonoma County.

ACR is an independent nonprofit organization and is not affiliated with the National Audubon Society. ACR’s programs are made possible thanks to the contribution of thousands of hours of volunteer service, and donations from caring individuals, foundations and businesses. For more information, call 415-868-9244, email acr@egret.org or visit www.egret.org.