Fly Me To The Moon
A Gala at Montalvo
February 11, 2023
About
You’re invited to dance among the stars at a glamorous winter gala at Montalvo!
Start the evening with a cocktail reception in our stunning historic Villa, then enjoy an elegant dinner curated by Le Papillon with wine pairings by Ridge Vineyards and Joseph George Fine Wines. Bid on spectacular packages in the live auction, then proceed to our delicious dessert buffet and dance the night away to live music. It will be an evening to remember in a one-of-a-kind setting.
Dress to dazzle: Be creative with your fashion with attire that sparkles; the sky—and the moon—is the limit!
Live Auction Lots
Auction Lot 1
A Chef’s Table Dinner at Le Papillon
Elegant tasting menu with wine pairings for 8 at Silicon Valley’s renowned fine dining restaurant
You and 7 guests will enjoy a gourmet tasting menu crafted by Executive Chef Scott Cooper and paired with exquisite wines at Le Papillon. For over forty years, Le Papillon has carried out a tradition of serving the finest cuisine, beautifully presented in an elegant, quiet setting at the heart of Silicon Valley. Under Scott’s tenure, the menu at Le Papillon changes to reflect the best seasonal, sustainable and often organic ingredients at their peak. Scott’s passion and culinary talents result in world-class dishes that continue to impress both local and international patrons and have earned Le Papillon rave reviews and accolades across the board.
DATE: No major holidays or Saturdays
DONATED BY: Le Papillon
Auction Lot 2
Original Artwork by Northern California Artist Laura Engdahl
Plus Studio Visit for 8
Enjoy a luncheon and studio visit with the artist at her stunning Portola Valley home
Don’t miss this opportunity to add Temporary (36″x 36″, pictured), a stunning mixed media work from Laura Engdahl’s exhibition A Time and Space, to your collection. Included with the artwork is a private lunch with wine and tour of the artist’s gorgeous Portola Valley home and studio with sweeping views of the valley hills, where you and 7 guests can learn more about Laura’s artistic process.
Laura Engdahl lives in Northern California. Her mixed media work is inspired by the ethereal nature of time combined with the ideas around growth and expansion—a visual narrative about a world that is constantly in flux. Her paintings are suggestive, revealing portions of a story, a memory, or a place. Her background surfaces begin with vintage materials with an interesting history; things like out-of-print Italian textbooks, handwritten letters home from war, her daughter’s grade school homework, or blueprints for buildings built over a century ago. She builds layers gradually. As the layers evolve, she quiets them by selectively painting, scraping, incising, obscuring, and sanding; often revealing hidden layers from the background of the work. Her work is about creating calm spaces out of the chaos of an increasingly interconnected world. She grew up in the Silicon Valley as the area became an epicenter for technology. Laura prefers a hands-on approach in her artwork which has little to do with technology.
Laura has exhibited extensively for over 30 years and her work is in private collections and part of permanent public collections at Stanford University Hospital, Land Rover, Inc., and the cities of Palo Alto and Dublin, California.
DATE: Studio visit to be coordinated with host
DONATED BY: Laura Engdahl
Auction Lot 3
Gourmet Dinner for 30 at Montalvo’s Lucas Artists Residency Commons
Prepared by three Montalvo Trustees
Montalvo Trustees Paul Conrado, David Hsieh, and Jeff Sobrato will personally prepare a three-course, wood-fired, farm-to-table dinner for 30 at Montalvo’s beautiful Lucas Artists Residency Commons. Dinner will be preceded by wine and hors d’oeuvres on the tree-shaded open air patio. Fine wines will be provided by our Men in Aprons to accompany your dinner, including a very special three-liter bottle of Grace Family, Blank Vineyards, Cabernet Sauvignon that David is breaking out for this occasion. Paul will be baking his homemade sourdough bread and will provide fresh produce from his garden. This dinner experience will be one-of-a-kind and very fun, given who’s cooking.
David Hsieh created a weekly cooking and dining show on Zoom, sharing his love of sourcing and creating fresh recipes far and wide.
Paul Conrado lovingly nurtures his Conrado Vineyard in Saratoga, as well as 28 raised beds, having grown vegetables for the Michelin-starred Plumed Horse restaurant.
Jeff Sobrato’s great-grandfather owned a popular Italian eatery in San Francisco in the 1950s. Jeff’s passion is around cooking fresh, locally sourced fare for his family and friends, and his specialty is hand-made fresh pasta.
DATE: Sunday, July 30, 2023, 5:30pm
DONATED BY: Paul Conrado, David Hsieh, and Jeff Sobrato
Auction Lot 4
Five Nights in a Spectacular 9,000 Sq. Ft Home Overlooking Whitefish Lake in Montana
Golf, ski, fish, explore Glacier National Park
You and up to 10 friends will enjoy 5 nights in the luxurious comforts of this spacious home with beautiful views of Whitefish Lake, complete with a gourmet kitchen, an in-home theater and game room with pool table, shuffleboard and card-playing room, multiple bars, fluffy bathrobes, and dreamily soft slippers.
The Gomos’ home is set within the panoramic backdrop of Whitefish’s pristine lake and scenic mountains and close to the quaint shops and eateries of downtown. This gorgeous mountain retreat has 6 bedrooms (3 King beds, 2 Queen beds, and 1 Double) and sleeps 8-11 adults very comfortably. Tucked away at the edge of Glacier National Park in the Northern Rocky Mountains of Montana, every season brings opportunities to experience the millions of acres of mountains, forests, lakes and rivers that encircle the small, charming town of Whitefish in every direction. Located on Whitefish Lake and just 7 miles to the Whitefish Mountain Resort ski area, Whitefish is a breathtaking destination all year long.
This home includes two Subaru cars to utilize during your stay and delivered to the Kalispell Airport for your use upon arrival.
DATE: Available after May 15th, 2023. Blackout dates are June 19–June 29, September 17–September 29, December 27–January 1, 2024. Reservation dates by mutual agreement.
DONATED BY: Chris and Steve Gomo
Auction Lot 5
Murder Mystery Dinner Party for 30 in the Villa
With an elegant gourmet dinner by Le Papillon
Autumn leaves are drifting across the veranda, the wind whistles in the eaves of the Villa, and the candelabras are flickering in the dining room. There’s nobody around for miles…and there’s a dead body in the library—one of your fellow guests! With the guidance of several actor/hosts, you’ll become a character in the scene as we follow the action throughout the Villa, unlocking secrets in different rooms as clues are revealed, and work together to solve the mystery of ‘Who did it?’.
We’ll provide the mystery, Chef Scott Cooper of Le Papillon will provide incomparable cuisine, and you provide your alibi…if you have one! The unforgettable evening will begin with a reception followed by a sit-down dinner in the historic Villa. Limited to 30 people.
DATE: Wednesday, October 18, 2023, 6–9pm
DONATED BY: Montalvo Arts Center
Auction Lot 6
Original Oil Painting of Villa Montalvo by Thomas Kinkade
This is a rare opportunity to own an original Thomas Kinkade painting! Villa Montalvo is one of only two works the “painter of light” captured of our historic Villa, painted plein-air at Montalvo by Kinkade in the summer of 1994. Very few original Kinkades are available to the public after the artist’s estate elected to preserve the originals for future generations and focus on reproductions. This original oil painting is sized at 12”x16” and beautifully framed in gold gilt. Included with the painting is a hardcover edition of Thomas Kinkade: Masterworks of Light, featuring a selection of his light-filled paintings.
DONATED BY: Montalvo Arts Center, The Thomas Kinkade Museum
Auction Lot 7
Girls Night Out
Enjoy appetizers, wine, and champagne in Montalvo’s beautiful Villa, followed by an encore performance of Love, Loss, And What I Wore
Written by Nora and Delia Ephron, the play is based on the bestselling book of the same name by Ilene
Beckerman. Five actresses—including Montalvo’s very own Kelly Hudson and Lee Ann Payne—invite you to sit back and explore the most important subjects in life: mothers, prom dresses, mothers, buying bras, mothers, hating purses, and why we only wear black.
You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and you will be sure to laugh some more during this humorous and touching play that explores women’s lives through the clothes they wore.
What will you wear to this magical night of fun?
DATE: Saturday, March 11, 2023, 6pm
DONATED BY: Montalvo Arts Center
Event Sponsors
“YOU’RE THE TOP”
Sally Lucas
“SOMEONE TO WATCH OVER ME”
Charmaine & Dan Warmenhoven
“MY FUNNY VALENTINE”
Jean & Aram Compeau
Laura Engdahl
Chris & Steve Gomo
Marcia & Russ Hansen and Patti & Tom Larkins
Debbie & Ward Harriman
Heritage Bank and Jill & Jack Conner
Lori & David Hsieh
George & Judy Marcus
Palo Alto Networks
Cathie & Jeff Thermond
WINE SPONSORS
Ridge Vineyards
Joseph George Fine Wines
UNDERWRITERS
Gretchen & Matt DiNapoli
Barbara & Austin Kilburn
IN-KIND DONORS
Paul Conrado
Laura Engdahl
Chris & Steve Gomo
David Hsieh
Kelly Hudson
Joseph George Fine Wines
Le Papillon
Lee Ann Payne
Ridge Vineyards
Jeff Sobrato
The Thomas Kinkade Museum