Congregation Beth Shalom holds L’Chaim Food and Wine Festival on Sunday
By Evy Warshawski
NAPA, Calif. — The Hebrew word L’chaim (to life) is often heard as glasses clink and wine is sipped. Implicit in this toast is a shared wish for health, prosperity, happiness and a long life. No worries if your Hebrew isn’t perfectly pronounced. The very act of reciting these words has universal appeal.
A great deal of glass-clinking, sipping incredible wines and enjoyment of an eclectic array of Jewish-themed culinary delights will take place at the CIA at Copia on Sunday, Aug. 27, from 3:30 to 7 p.m. at the L’Chaim Jewish Food and Wine Festival sponsored by Congregation Beth Shalom.
The festival was originally created more than 15 years ago by members of CBS as a way to raise funds for the synagogue, which is currently observing its 70th year, and to honor the more than 34 Jewish vintners in Napa Valley as well as other Bay Area communities. Proceeds help fund CBS education programs as well as public speakers, workshops and salons.
“Food and drink, particularly wine, have been a huge part of Jewish culture and religion for millennia,” said Rabbi Niles Goldstein, CBS’ spiritual leader. “We hope that both Jews and non-Jews alike will attend this family-friendly event and join us as we honor and celebrate an important aspect of Jewish life -- vitality and perseverance.”
The menu of activities taking place during the afternoon and early evening will be wide-ranging and eclectic. A sample includes:
Cooking demonstrations and tastings with Chefs Jeff Morgan, Micah Siva and Alison Negri
Music from Jealous Zelig in the outdoor amphitheater
Some 16 different wine-tasting tables from Matthiasson Wines, Pellet Estate Wines, Art House Wines and Arkenstone Vineyards, to name a few
Foods that include hummus, sweet kugel and many others
Violet the Clown doing face-painting plus songs and storytelling from Megan Schoenbohm
Hands on Global selling earrings, cards, bracelets and dolls to help support the sending of medical teams and supplies to Ukraine.
"It is always great to come together as a community to share our wines and food and culture,” said Ernie Weir, owner and winemaker at Hagafen Wines. “Our stories are unique and a testament to the hard work of all of us who love Napa Valley and make it our home. We share a long history of immigration and success in this wonderful region of California."
Last year I attended L’Chaim and enjoyed the event immensely. It was an opportunity to try new spirits, savor delicious food, and catch up with chums and vintners whom I had not seen since COVID began.
My only complaint was that the babka was so popular that there was not one crumb left by late afternoon. A babka is sweet braided bread that originated in the Jewish communities of Poland and Ukraine.
Dana Koschitzky, born and raised in Jerusalem, Israel, and a CIA graduate, created The Tish Bakery Napa Valley. She promised that her chocolate Nutella and chocolate chip loaf-shaped cake -- the babka -- would be plentiful this time around.
“I want to re-create the flavors and smells that are as close as possible to the flavors I enjoyed at home,” she wrote on her website. “I want people to know what real Jewish-Israeli food is, to experience it the way I did growing up.”
Tickets are available here.
Evy Warshawski is a longtime promoter of the arts in Napa Valley. She currently is a member of the Napa Valley Register's editorial board.