Rivers of Chocolate will again flow in Saratoga
Annual fundraiser
By Shari Kaplan
It's no April Fool's Day joke--the forested hills above Saratoga will be overflowing with chocolate on April 1. Adding to this delicious danger is the intoxicating flow of premium wines and the presence, on higher ground, of gourmet morsels ready for the eating.
Far from a natural disaster, Rivers of Chocolate is, in fact, an annual fundraiser that benefits Social Advocates for Youth, a Silicon Valley-based nonprofit agency that provides services to thousands of at-risk young people and their families each year.
This is the fifth year the festival has gathered Bay Area chocolatiers, chefs and vintners to create, demonstrate and offer samplings of their creations. It again takes place on April 1, at Saratoga's Mountain Winery, at 14831 Pierce Road and runs from 3 to 7 p.m. Each year's theme highlights one of the world's great rivers. This year it is the Danube River, as it winds through the Black Forest of Germany, into Austria and on into the hills of Bohemia, now known as Hungary.
Among the more than 30 participants are Saratoga restaurants Viaggio, Chateau la Cresta and The Plumed Horse, and Sweat Pea's and Fleur de Cocoa Patisserie/Chocolaterie of Los Gatos. To wash down the food and sweets are wines and champagnes hailing from the Santa Cruz Mountains, San Jose and Morgan Hill.
Other activities include live entertainment by the Mike Sloan Big Band and a live auction. Tickets to Rivers of Chocolate are $75 each. For tickets, or for more information, call 408.253.3540.
Social Advocates for Youth was established in 1973, to meet crisis needs of Santa Clara County children, teenagers and families. The organization's mission is to offer services that teach resiliency, self-respect, responsibility and healthy social interactions. The organization operates many programs serving all of Santa Clara County:
* Casa SAY offers temporary food, shelter, counseling and casework for runaways and homeless youths.
* Safe Place programs in various South Bay cities are the outreach arm of Casa SAY. Local businesses provide safe places for youths to go until a SAY counselor arrives.
* The Youth and Family Counseling Center offers outpatient and school-based counseling services to help divert youths from gangs and criminal activity, improve peer relations and help parents relate to their children.
* Independent Living Skills staff provide counseling, training in job skills and financial matters and support for dependents of the court, to prepare them for their independence at age 18.
* The mentoring and school liaison program provides trained advocates to help young people who have problems in school. The youths also receive mentoring and encouragement to pursue their educational, social and community interests.
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Saratoga, California Since 1955
