Local wines, bite-sized homemade desserts and high fashion took
the runway Saturday night at the Hollister Downtown Association’s
fourth annual Sweets
&
amp; Wines of San Benito County event.
Hollister – Local wines, bite-sized homemade desserts and high fashion took the runway Saturday night at the Hollister Downtown Association’s fourth annual Sweets & Wines of San Benito County event.
While the HDA is still adding up attendance and fundraising numbers, HDA Executive Director Liz Sparling said Monday the event was a success.
“We were really happy with the turnout. We think it was a great event,” she said.
Saturday night’s festival at the Veterans building showcased everything from San Benito County’s gourmet confectioners, to fine jewelry and local artists’ interpretations of nearby landscapes and attractions. As models strutted down the runway in the latest fashions from Boutique de Lingerie, Hollisterites sampled chocolates from Marich Confectionery and cakes from the Elegant Touch, tasted zinfandels and dessert wines from local favorites such as Calera and DeRose, and oohed and aahed over cases of earrings and necklaces from Maddux Jewelry.
“We don’t really get any new customers from this event, because most of our customers already know we’re here,” said Maddux owner Rick Maddux. “But it’s good to see people who have been here a long time and didn’t even know we had all these wineries here.”
Lupe Downing said she attended Saturday night’s event specifically for the wine tasting, which she had never done in San Benito County but had always enjoyed up in Napa.
“I’m a wine person, and I heard that there were going to be two new wineries here tonight,” Downing said, adding she was pleased with the local spirits.
Tracy Martin of Marich Confectionary said Saturday’s party-goers also seemed happy with the night’s selection of candies, which included chocolate-covered dried pears and almonds.
“We get people in from all over the world coming in (to Marich) to buy candy, but what’s great about this event is you get to see (local) people you haven’t seen in a long time,” Martin said.
By Monday, Sparling’s best attendance estimate was around 225 people for the three-hour showcase. Locals and business owners who attended prior years’ events said the turnout was about the same as, if not more than, it had been in the past.
“I would say it’s about the same as last year,” said Patsy Zuniga, who displayed her landscape paintings at the event. “We came again this year to show my artwork, and I even sold a painting. But of course we also came because of all the wonderful food and wine.”
Deputy City Clerk Geri Johnson said Monday she had sold 163 HDA wine glasses Saturday, which attendees purchased at $10 each to benefit the HDA and to taste wines from Calera, DeRose, Pietra Santa, Enz, Flint and Summerayne wineries.
“So far, it’s enough to cover the cost of the wine glasses, so we’re happy,” she said.
Jessica Quandt covers politics for the Free Lance. Reach her at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or at jq*****@fr***********.com.
