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‘Gourmet Grazing on the Green’ Returns: 16th Annual Food, Wine Beer Festival Takes Place Oct. 9 • David Reid Heads New County Office
16th Annual Food, Wine & Beer Festival Takes Place Oct. 9
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Gourmet Grazing on the Green, Santa Cruz County’s premier event for local food and artisan libations, will take place October 9 noon to 4 p.m. in Aptos Village Park — celebrating the unique culinary flavor, local fresh ingredients, and diversity of Santa Cruz County.
The fundraiser brings together local community farmers, chefs, winemakers, brewers, spirits distillers, artisans and restaurateurs to celebrate community and enjoy great food and drink.
Gourmet Grazing on the Green is the ultimate foodie festival, featuring an afternoon of tasting fine local wines, refreshing handcrafted beers, delicious food from top local chefs, plus live music.
This year’s event features more than 45 local wineries, restaurants and breweries. and is a must stop for Santa Cruz foodies. Experience the talents of some of Santa Cruz’s best chefs and taste specialty creations for the event, using locally grown produce and products generously donated by Coke Farms and Watsonville Coast Produce. This year’s attendance is capped at 750 guests to provide more open space for participants. Attendees will be required to show vaccination proof or a negative COVID test; see website sccbg. org/gourmetgrazingonthegreen for full COVID entry requirements.
If bought in advance, general tickets are $95 and designated driver tickets are $60. Tickets for those ages 10-20 are $45, and kids 9 and under are free. If the event isn’t sold out, tickets will be $120 at the door or $70 for designated drivers. For tickets, visit sccbg.org
For a full list of this year’s participating vendors see sccbg.org.
The event is sponsored by Devcon Construction, Santa Cruz County Bank. SunRidge Farms, Wedeen Hammer Locatelli Group at Morgan Stanley, New Leaf Community Markets, Watsonville Coast Produce, Coke Farm, the Shadowbrook Restaurant, Sandbar Solar, Allterra Solar, and Greenwaste Management.
Gourmet Grazing on the Green is a fundraising event of Santa Cruz Cancer Benefit Group, a nonprofit dedicated to improving the quality of life for people living with cancer in the Santa Cruz community.
Working with volunteers and partners, SCCBG raises community consciousness through events and outreach and provides vital financial support for several Santa Cruz beneficiary organizations: Hospice of Santa Cruz County, Jacob’s Heart Children’s Cancer Association, Katz Cancer Resource Center, WomenCARE cancer advocacy, researchers from the University of California Santa Cruz and the Teen Kitchen Project. Over the last decade, Santa Cruz Cancer Benefit Group has distributed more than $2 million to directly support the Santa Cruz community. n
David Reid Heads New County Office
Dave Reid has been selected as the first director of the Office of Response, Recovery and Resilience.
Reid, a UCSC graduate, is a 14-year County employee who has been working closely with CZU fire survivors for the past year. He will lead a new office responsible for emergency response, community preparedness, climate change mitigation and more.
“I’m honored to be chosen for this role,” Reid said. “There is no higher responsibility than protecting the residents of Santa Cruz County from disasters, preparing and building climate change resilience and helping our CZU Fire families through their recovery journey. I look forward to collaborating with the community as we meet these challenges together.”
Established by the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors in response to the CZU Lightning Complex fires, the Office of Response, Recovery and Resilience (OR3) serves as the County’s primary emergency response agency, while helping prepare for future disasters and other events, and assisting residents through the recovery process. The Office also helps prepare the community for climate change.
Reid previously served as a senior staff analyst for the Board of Supervisors. Over eight years, Reid worked extensively with constituents, organizing residents and building coalitions to address issues related to land use, environmental policy and social equity.
Prior to that, Reid worked for the County’s Department of Public Works and Redevelopment Agency, and as a research scientist with the USGS. He has a comprehensive understanding of the science behind climate change and how our community and local government can prepare for and adapt to it.
In his new role, Reid will continue recovery work from the CZU Lightning Complex fire while working to mitigate future hazards and increase community resiliency, including using an equity lens to protect those most vulnerable to climate change and natural disasters. n •••
For more on the Office of Response, Recovery and Resilience, visit santacruzcounty. us/or3.aspx.
