On a balmy evening, the second successful celebration of chocolate and wine took place at the Carriage & Western Art Museum near the waterfront.

“The VIP party was very well attended because we tripled our sponsorships over last year,” said RCC Executive Director Elsa Granados. “We did really well at the event and appreciate the 200 attendees who came to support us.”

The event featured chocolatiers from Bacara Resort & Spa, Chocolatine, Chocolats du CaliBressan, Christine Dahl Pastries, Elements, Goleta’s Frog Bar & Grill, Jessica Foster Confections, Rincon Beach Club & Catering, Ojai Chocolat, Trufflehound’s Fine Chocolat, The Wine Cask and MMM… Cake! California vintners included Mid-Life Crisis Winery, Addamo Estate, Rideau Vineyard, Riverbench, Summerland, Fess Parker, Curtis, Imagine, Michael David, and Scott Cellars.

The “winners” were judged to be Chocolate Maya, Bacara and Bella Dolce Bakery.

More solid fare included hors d’oeuvres donated by Rincon Beach Club & Catering. Sponsors also included the Hutton Foundation, Allegiant Air, MarBorg, Rabobank, Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, Shoreline Wealth Management, Venoco and others.

Sherrill Nickerson headed up the event committee that included Debby Aceves, Sylvia Hendlin, Tracy Kim, Heather Heyerdahl, Tori Seki, Arcelia Sencion, Mo Weil, Charlotte Ellen, Amanda Beck and Celine Chapman. Spotted in the crowd were Barry Levine, Kris Miller-Fischer, Tom and Susan Parker, John Palminteri, Jan Helsel, Mary Beth Carty, Pedro Nava, Janet Wolf, Helene Schneider, and Chuck and Barbara Bloom.

The delectable and decadent evening of desserts and wine was enhanced by entertainment provided by The Magic of Brazil with Vanessa Isaac and band.

The Rape Crisis Center has been working since 1974 to support survivors of sexual assault and to end sexual violence. It offers a 24-hour hotline, crisis and long-term counseling, support groups, self-defense programs and sexual assault prevention education programs. For more information call 963-3696 or visit www.sbrapecrisiscenter.org.

Contact Rochelle Rose at rochellerose6@yahoo.com.

Rochelle Rose photo
Pastry Chef Cynthia Gonzalez of Bacara Resort & Spa shows off her creative talents at the Santa Barbara Rape Crisis Center’s Chocolate and Wine Tasting Event.