The Tasting Panel magazine

January 2013

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PHOTO: STARPIX Left to right: Food Bank's Margarette Purvis; Lee Schrager of SWS; New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn; Food Network President Brooke Johnson; Food Network star Justin Warner. PHOTO: STARPIX , PHOTO: STARPIX e Scott Gerber, co-owner of Martin Scott, withstood 11 days without power, water or heat at his Long Island home. "Shivering in the cold and dark gave me time to think and mobilize," said Gerber. Martin Scott spearheaded an effort to donate $50 from every case of Pellegrini Cabernet Franc and Red Tail Dry Riesling sold to restaurants and retailers to the American Red Cross Northeast Chapter through Christmas. At Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits, based in Westchester County, many of the company's 190 employees were displaced or living in homes without power, water and heat. Deutsch, along with California's Joseph Carr and Australia's [yellow tail], donated $60,000 to the American Red Cross. "As a New York-based family-run business for 31 years, I am profoundly saddened to see so many people facing so much hardship. It is a time for everyone in this industry, no matter where they are based, to come together to help make a difference in these peoples' lives," said Bill Deutsch, founder and Chairman. Deutsch and long-time partner Les Vins Georges Duboeuf, also turned this year's Beaujolais Nouveau release party into a clothing drive. Southern Wine & Spirits of America Inc. launched a three-pronged relief initiative starting with emergency assistance for over 65 employees who sustained the most severe property damage. The company also announced it would match charitable contributions dollar for dollar up to $100,000 among its 12,500 employees across the country. To date that fund has reached a joint total of over $150,000. Many of SWS's distribution partners also contributed to the initiative, including Palm Bay International, also based on Long Island, and Patrón Tequila, who donated $15,000 towards the purchase of gift cards for 30 SWS employees who lost absolutely everything, so they could buy basic necessities. And there were fundraisers and "care dinners" held around the country. In New York City, Food Network and Cooking Channel joined forces with both Southern Wine & Spirits of America and SWS of New York to host "Our Table Is Yours," a special Thanksgiving Dinner at Cipriani Wall Street for 1,000 New York seniors, singles and families who were impacted by Hurricane Sandy. SW&S of Nevada joined with numerous New York restaurants that also call Las Vegas home to hold a fundraising dinner on the "Brooklyn Bridge" at host venue New York, New York Hotel & Casino on December 9, raising an additional $100,000 for the American Red Cross. "Southern employees and our Charitable Foundation have often partnered to demonstrate the company's concern for the communities in and beyond our markets of operation, whether it was for Hurricane Katrina, the earthquake in Haiti or wildires in Colorado, just to name a few," noted Wayne E. Chaplin, Southern's President and Chief Operating Oficer. Beam, Inc. donated $100,000 to the American Red Cross. And its brands gave, as well. Skinnygirl founder Bethenny Frankel, a New York City resident, personally gave $50,000 to the Red Cross. Frankel also took a team of workers to Staten Island on November 29th to help rebuild A Very Special Place, a not-for-proit that provides services for those with developmental disabilities. Skinnygirl provided all materials and supplies for repairs to the organization's three badly damaged buildings as well a $25,000 contribution to help with any future work needed. "We just wanted to come together and try and make a difference," said Frankel. The bartending community also stepped up, holding fundraisers across the country. In New York, Bartenders Tad Left to right: cookbook author Cornelia Guest; Good Day New York's Rosanna Scotto; cookbook Author Katie Lee; Food Network Star Alex Guarnaschelli; Caroline Hirsch, owner of Caroline's Comedy Club in NYC. Carducci (The Tippler) and TJ Lynch (Mother's Ruin) hosted "NYC Hearts NYC" at The Tippler. Joining Tad and TJ behind the bar were colleagues who included Ivy Mix, Simon Ford, Jane Elkins, Franky Marshall, Adam McGee and Steve Schneider, among others. Spirits donors included ABSOLUT, Beefeater, Sailor Jerry, St-Germain, Old Forester and Ilegal Mezcal. "While we may all have our own places, we're really all one big family," said Carducci, "and when family is in trouble, you help out in any way you can. The Tippler, like much of lower Manhattan, lost power for six days, but it took in no water and was big enough to handle a sizable crowd. We felt it was our duty to help our colleagues that were less lucky than we were." $12,000 (100% of the proceeds, including all bartender tips) went to One Love NYC. The numbers alone were staggering: an estimated 70 billion dollars (and counting) in property damage, eight million people without power, 25–30 billion dollars estimated in lost business revenue, 41 deaths in New York City alone. Yet, while the waters have receded, power has been restored and employees have returned to work and homes, there are hundreds of individuals and families in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut who face a long, dificult, and emotional recovery, and many businesses will need time to rebuild and rebound. january 2013 / the tasting panel / 145

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