Chef Thomas Keller was the headliner at this past weekend's charity dinner and auction, "A Night of Friendship & Neighbors," which raised $3.4 million in support of wine-country wildfire relief efforts and demonstrated the wine community's resolve to rebuild. Held at the Greystone campus of the Culinary Institute of America in St. Helena, the Wine Spectator–sponsored event featured a who's who of wine and food industry stars.
Midway through the event, a brief video summarized the harvest inferno's impact on Napa and Sonoma counties. It was a sober reminder of the devastation caused by the harvesttime blazes: 44 people killed, more than 9,000 homes and businesses lost, nearly 100,000 people displaced, and a recovery price tag estimated at $6 billion. That last figure was the one that really jumped out at me.
Even if someone could cut a check for that amount, it will be years before there's equilibrium between forces. But recovery has begun in earnest. Nothing brings Americans together like disaster and the urgency to rebound. It will be a long, long road back. The refusal to give up in the face of what seems an insurmountable chasm is heartening and inspiring. The first steps to rebuild and rejuvenate have begun.
