10 Great Chef and Winery Gift Ideas

These gift ideas won’t hold you up with supply chain problems and will support our Great Chefs and Wineries community partners!

Alley & Vine

New Years Eve: Glitz & Glamour Gala

Alley & Vine is a warm, welcoming place to enjoy yourself and the company of those you love. Their team is a family and look forward to caring for you & yours.

Two seatings available starting at 5pm December 31, 2021. See website for reservation details. $95-$240 per person.

www.alleyandvine.com

1332 Park St STE D, Alameda, CA 94501

510.227.5006

Brooks Note Winery & Tasting Room

Pinot lovers dream

Brooks Note is a small, family winery focused on making balanced, elegant wines from the hidden corners of California Wine Country.

Their Marin Pinot displays notes of bing cherry, leather, tea, floral notes and subtle hints of baking spice. 200 Cases Produced $38

www.brooksnotewinery.com

426 Petaluma Blvd North, Petaluma, CA 94952

707.981.8470

il davide

Il Davide has been serving fine Italian cuisine in San Rafael for 27 years. They offer warm, welcoming service and always give back to the community. Grab your loved ones and enjoy a meal that will not disappoint this holiday season.

Gift cards are available via their website or at the restaurant.

www.ildavide.net

901 A St, San Rafael, CA 94901

415.454.8080

Keenan Winery

Wine that’s a family affair

The Keenan Family offers ultra-premium wines produced from this historic Spring Mountain vineyard estate, which has been planted in grapevines since the late 19th century.

Their 2017 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon scored 90 points in Wine & Spirits Magazine. “With its sweet cherry spice and supple espresso-roast tannins, this is a rich, round cabernet with density and length. Pour it while grilling a sirloin steak.” $60 per bottle

www.keenanwinery.com

3660 Spring Mountain Rd #9677, St Helena, CA 94574

707.963.9177

Red Whale coffee

the kick we all need for the holidays

Sourcing and selling the highest quality coffee masterfully roasted in Marin County, California.

The Red Whale Coffee 2021 Holiday Blend is sweet, spicy and chocolatey with hints of red fruit. This is a delicious must have for your holiday season! Starting at $19.50 (12oz)

www.redwhalecoffee.com

169 Paul Dr, San Rafael, CA 94903

855.906.6277

piazza D'Angelo

a taste of southern Italy

This lovely family-owned trattoria is a familiar home away from home for so many Mill Valley residents. Enjoy an elegant meal this holiday season with the ones you love most.

Gift cards available online or at the restaurant.

www.piazzadangelo.com

22 Miller Ave, Mill Valley, CA 94941

415.388.2000

merry edwards winery

Terroir-Driven Winemaking

The Terroir Tasting illustrates the broad range of terroir found in the Russian River Valley. During this approximately hour-long tasting, you will enjoy several single-vineyard Pinot Noirs from across the Russian River Valley. These wines speak to the diversity of the region and the commitment to creating exceptional wines of depth, evoking a true sense of place. In addition, you will sample the Russian River Valley Sauvignon Blanc. Cost: $45 per person / one fee waived with 3-bottle purchase

www.merryedwards.com

2959 Gravenstein Hwy N, Sebastopol, CA 95472

888.388.9050

Insalata's

Christmas eve dinner 2021

Since 1996, Insalata’s has brought the warm spirit of the Mediterranean to Marin County. As an integral part of the community, their Bib Gourmand-awarded restaurant has become a place for every occasion, including once-in-a-lifetime celebrations. Gather with the family this Christmas Eve for their superb special menu. Cost: $68 per person

www.insalatas.com

120 Sir Francis Drake Blvd, San Anselmo, CA 94960

415.457.7700

Thirty-Seven Winery

wine collector’s dream

The Thirty-Seven Wines top scores reserve pack is the perfect addition to any wine collector’s cellar. The pack includes two bottles each of their top scoring wines, 90 points 2015 Reserve Merlot 90 points 2015 Reserve "The Hermit". Cost: $164

www.thirty-sevenwines.com

3000 Sears Point Rd, Sonoma, CA 95476

707.939.8648

left bank brasserie

Bonne Année-New Year's Eve 2021

Make the last meal of the year your best! Say au revoir to 2021 and ring in the New Year with a festive 4 Course Prix Fixe meal for 92.00 per person, including a glass of Champagne to start.

www.leftbank.com

507 Magnolia Ave, Larkspur, CA 94939

415.927.3331

Home for Life

Joy | Independence | Connection

The dreams and aspirations of those we serve to live a full life remain front and center to our mission, even now, in the middle of the COVID-19 crisis.

Last year, when Lifehouse celebrated it’s 65th anniversary, we launched the capital campaign, Home for Life: Campaign for a Permanent Home for Lifehouse. Our new headquarters will help control operating costs and provide us with a permanent home from which to offer a lifetime of services. Lifehouse provides an array of services and support that facilitates a full life for over 360 people with developmental disabilities in the Bay Area. We also want to acknowledge our 400+ staff who are working every day to get us through this crisis.

Lifehouse will rise to this challenge with ingenuity, compassion, and resilience. We are facing challenges to our operations, fundraising, and advocacy for our staff and the people we support. In times like these, Lifehouse and other nonprofit organizations in our community stand shoulder-to-shoulder, and we encourage you to support our efforts. Lifehouse needs you now more than ever.

Warmest regards,

Nancy Dow Moody

President & CEO

It's a Suite Life

This year marks the 25th year that Lifehouse will be hosting our annual Awards Banquet at the Embassy Suites in San Rafael. As we celebrate yet another year of our incredible community members, Embassy Suites has a celebration of their own coming in 2020— the completion of a full hotel renovation.

This exciting relaunch of the hotel aims to bring an artsy, cool, and intellectual west coast vibe to life. It will boast thoughtful, clean and modern design elements throughout, including an enhanced pool, fire pits, a culinary garden, and an exciting new food and beverage program lead by Chef Brian Whitmer.

Stay: 101 McInnis Pkwy, San Rafael, CA 94903. Rates range from $200-$329 and includes complimentary hot breakfast and 2 hour managers happy hour.

Gather: There will be 15,000 square feet of meeting and event space, including, two new outdoor options and flexible floor plan choices, all equipped with new Audio Visual and Wi-Fi. Seasonal food and beverage tastings will also be made available to create a high-end experience for any event.

Catering and Conference Services, including Lifehouse’s Awards Banquet, is lead by Heather Liencres. Heather brings expertise in both non-profit values and high-end hospitality. She has provided guidance and flexibility to plan for the Awards Banquet, continuing this legendary San Rafael partnership.

Eat & Drink: Chef Whitmer’s vision for the new food and beverage program is a beautiful blend of his expertise in creating first class culinary experiences by bringing together communities and sustainable food practices. “Named after the trees native to the area, the Red Oak Pacific Rotisserie & Bar will include a locally sourced menu complimented by our very own culinary garden, Red Oak honey bees, and handcrafted beverages for any age,” says Chef Whitmer. The innovative new menu will also be available in the Private Dining Room, Outdoor Terrace or the Red Oak Farm - Culinary Garden event space.

In the spirit of practicing sustainability, the culinary garden will support a fresh produce stand each Sunday across the foot bridge at the Marin County Farmers market. Donations of produce will also be made to the Marin Food Bank.

Through this highly anticipated transformation, Embassy Suites aims to be on the cutting edge to bring our community together. It will be the perfect place to host family from out of town, commune friends after work, or hold your next big event.

Congratulations to Embassy Suites on a wonderful new chapter!

Looking for the perfect space to host your next event?

Email Heather Liencres, Director of Catering & Conference Services

Let’s Celebrate

Each year at our Annual Awards Banquet we celebrate the dedicated staff and community members that support our mission of ensuring that individuals with developmental disabilities have the opportunity to live a full life. PLEASE follow along this month as we honor the big-hearts that make it all possible.

When: October 25, 2019

Where: Embassy Suites, San Rafael

Tickets: $60

To purchase tickets please call 415.526.5300 or email: mail@lifehouseagency.org

Outstanding Community Members

OUTSTANDING STAFF RECOGNITION

Stepping it Up

As part of our mission here at Lifehouse to increase the quality of life for our residents, we aim to integrate health and wellness living skills in our programs. On June 4th, with the help of Filice Insurance as our sponsor, we launched the pilot run of a new Resident Wellness Program. Equipped with Fitbit trackers, four Lifehouse residents, Bomun, Anne, Patti and Kasie, embarked on an eight week wellness challenge. Badges could be earned every week for walking 1,000 - 10,000 steps in a day as well as walking 3,000 steps or more for multiple days in a row. Each resident sets individualized goals for themselves. Anne was determined to hit 4,000 steps a day, and Bomun was determined to increase the length of his daily hikes each week. As a whole, each of the residents were inspired to lead more well balanced and healthy lifestyles. In the end, Kasie came out victorious by logging 190,489 steps and earning 43 badges! Go Kasie!

Life(house) with Katie

Meet Katie- She has been with Lifehouse since 2006. She started out at the Corte Madera house and has since moved to the Montecillo house in the Independent Living Service (ILS) program. She is a lover of music, art and animals.    

As a part of her goals in the ILS program, Katie volunteers one day a week at the Ben & Biscuits of Marin to stay motivated and active. Helping take care of the pups here is a great way for her to practice organizational skills and caring for her own pet. Katie’s favorite furry companion is a cat named Lily. She adopted her from the Pet Cottage in San Anselmo.

Art is a natural medium for Katie to express herself. She is constantly streaming music via Spotify to fuel her creative side when she is working on her art at San Anselmo’s Cedars Fine Art Studio. Katie has an extensive  artistic style, meticulously creating modern geometric works as well as pieces inspired by animals and nature. Her fascination for marine life often reveals itself in her paintings in the form a dolphin. Katie says the dolphin is her spirit animal and even got to swim with them once on a trip to Mexico with her family.

Supported living programs can help individuals, such as Katie, live inspired, purposeful and independent lives. Subscribe to our email list for more updates on Lifehouse residents, volunteer opportunities and how to donate.

Congratulations!

Please join us in celebrating the recent promotions of Kate O Connor, Michelle Condit, Claudia Silvia, and Lisa Ann Carbone. We look forward to seeing what their wealth of experience will bring to the continued success and growth of programs supporting Lifehouse residents. Your dedication, energy, and enthusiasm is an inspiration to us all. Congratulations!

Kate O'Connor

Michelle Condit

Claudia Silva

Lisa Ann Carbone

Co- Director of Programs & Operations 

Co-Director of Programs & Operations

Senior Manager

Senior Manager 

Life (house) with Amy

Meet Amy- she’s one of those people that just sparkles. Her warm smile and upbeat personality are contagious, which makes her a well-known fixture in the Lifehouse community.

Amy has been a Lifehouse resident for nine years in the Independent Living Service (ILS) Program and lives at Laurel House. Like many of our Lifehouse residents, Amy enjoys the independence that the program gives her. Amy says that Lifehouse has helped her grow both personally and within the community. She regularly walks on her own to the library and is able to independently schedule all her rides with the Whistlestop ride service.

Many of Amy’s interests include singing, dancing, drawing and hanging out with friends. Amy spends four days a week at the Alchemia day program. Here, she uses that infamous sparkle on Mondays and Wednesdays in her musical theater class. In these workshops, members work together to develop original musical productions for audiences, focusing on issues relevant to their families and the community. Her favorite performance to date is a twist on a classic, “All That Jazz”.

Additionally, Amy is a creative soul and enjoys the Visual Arts Program at Alchemia. She takes inspiration from the planned art adventures to museums and art galleries throughout the Bay Area. Like any true artist, Amy takes the time to hone her skills and attends weekly lessons at Hamilton Field Art Studios in Novato. One of her favorite subjects to draw is animals—a diverse collection of creatures fills her sketchbooks.

Amy’s love for animals is a continuous thread throughout her life. She has set a long-term goal of having her own pet to care for someday. In the meantime, she volunteers as a dog walker every Tuesday for Jessica’s Haven and Rescue. This allows her to stay active and interact with her favorite pooch, Stormy the Chihuahua.

Subscribe to our email list for more of Amy’s sparkle and updates on Lifehouse residents.