PinotFest kickoff to benefit Hathaway Sycamores

The kickoff dinner for the fourth-annual Pasadena PinotFest will feature a five-course prepared by five preeminent chefs, all accompanied by outstanding pinot noir and chardonnay wines provided by five of California's top wineries. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the in-need children and families served by Hathaway-Sycamores Child and Family Services, one of the largest provider of children's mental-health services in Los Angeles County.

The Grand Kickoff Dinner will be held on Jan. 15 at 6 p.m. at the Altadena Town & Country Club. Guests will be joined by the following chefs and winemakers:

Course I—Elements Kitchen (Chef Onil Chib¿s) and Clos Pepe Winery (Wes Hagen);

Course II—AKA Bistro and Bistro 45 (Chef James Lambrinos) and Hitching Post Winery (Gray Hartley and Frank Osini);

Course III—Altadena Town & Country Club (Chef John Angelopulos) and Alma Rosa Winery (Richard Sanford);

Course IV—The Raymond Restaurant (Chef Tim Guiltinan) and D'Alfonso-Curran Wines (Kris Curran and Bruno D'Alfonso);

Course V—Noir Food & Wine (Chef Claud Beltran) and Williams-Selyam Winery (Jeff Mangahas and Bob Cabral)

Tickets are $149 - $179 per person. Visit www.pasadenapinotfest.com/Kickoff_Dinner-2012.html for information.

The Grand Kickoff Dinner ushers in the Pasadena PinotFest—sponsored by Pasadena's Noir Food & Wine, from Jan. 15 through Feb. 11, 2012. A celebration of the wonderful world of pinot noir, events include gourmet winemaker dinners at Elements Kitchen, Vertical Wine Bistro and Raymond Restaurant, as well as wine tastings at Noir Food & Wine.

The festival will culminate with a public tasting at the Altadena Town & Country Club on Feb. 11, which will feature wines from more than 100 wineries. For information and tickets ($95 per person), visit www.pasadenapinotfest.com or call (626) 795-7199.