Photograph by Kathy De La Torre
Katie Barnette's backyard kitchen will be on the Hillbrook kitchen tour.
Hillbrook sponsors Autumn Kitchen Tour
Varied California architectural styles will be featured
By Shari Kaplan
Hillbrook School in Los Gatos is cooking up something new and different for its fall fundraiser--an event that's been on the back burner since spring and is now ready to bubble forth.
The first Autumn Kitchen Tour, which co-chairs and Hillbrook moms Jenniffer Lewicki and Sheri Wolfgram hope will become an annual event, will take place on Oct. 15 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will feature guided tours through local kitchens--seven in Saratoga, two in Los Gatos and one in Monte Sereno.
"Hillbrook always had an auction, which is a big fundraiser, plus a lot of little things. With the kitchen tour, we thought about having something more out in the community, rather than just limited to the Hillbrook family," explains Lewicki, who early this year rooted around for other kitchen tours in the Bay Area and beyond.
After she and Wolfgram attended the tours and took notes on how such events were run, they presented their findings to an ad hoc committee of Hillbrook parents, who gave them a thumbs up.
"The kitchens have been hand-selected based on architectural significance, decor, style, innovation, creative use of space and unique features," Wolfgram says.
Those attending will feast their eyes on eating and working surfaces that are both aesthetic and practical, such as inlaid limestone, granite, slate, Corian, woods such as cherry and maple, and hand-painted custom tile work. Most kitchens are indoors, but a few residences also sport outdoor cooking areas, including one in which there will be demonstrations of a pizza kitchen.
The tour also takes visitors through other areas of homes and gardens, whose architecture and accents reflect California Ranch, Chateau, Spanish, Contemporary, English Tudor, European Manor and Colonial styles.
"We're not trying to showcase these kitchens or trying to stage things. These are real kitchens that families eat in," she says, explaining that the idea is to present the kitchens in an attractive, livable manner.
As part of the tour, Hillbrook has printed a program for participants that details each home and kitchen and carries ads for providers of home goods and services recommended specifically by tour homeowners. The program also provides information about Hillbrook, a nonprofit, co-educational, independent day school, founded in 1935, that enrolls students in junior kindergarten through eighth grade.
A limited number of $35 tickets are on sale through Oct. 8 at Fiori's Hallmark, 728 Blossom Hill Road, Los Gatos; the Los Gatos Porch, 32 N. Santa Cruz Ave.; and the Butter Paddle, 14510 Big Basin Way, Saratoga. Tickets after Oct. 8 and on the day of the tour are $40.
Free parking is available at La Hacienda Inn and Restaurant, 18840 Saratoga-Los Gatos Road. Included in the ticket price is a La Hacienda buffet lunch. Some of the homes will also offer gift boutique items for sale, as well as refreshments. Free shuttle service by Hillbrook parents runs until 2 p.m. Participants should wear comfortable shoes and expect three hours to complete the tour. No cameras, smoking or children are allowed. For more information, call 408.356.0837.
Saratoga, California Since 1955
