Hillside House Sunset Soirée

Hillside House has been around for more than 80 years providing a home for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Caregivers are there round the clock with a wide range of therapies, independent living skills, and continued education, as well as life enrichment opportunities.

Each year, there is a fundraiser for Hillside House in the fabulous estate gardens of El Mirador. The estate is owned by Tita Lanning and has been in her family since 1914. The stone ruins at the top of the driveway were part of a mansion built in the 1880s by horticulturalist Frederick Eaton, who collected plants from all over the world.

When Tita was 21, her grandparents gifted her the property. They had the Gate House and Farm Building built and other buildings added along the way. Then the estate was divided with Tita’s brother. For 23 years, Beto Ayala has maintained the gardens. Fortunately, the estate escaped both the Thomas Fire and debris flow.

We all gathered in the garden for wine and canapés. Besides savoring the garden, we had Jim Clendenen and his Au Bon Climat wines to drink. He was one of the pioneer winemakers in the Valley back in 1982, when there were only 12 wineries. This era was chronicled in my former husband’s book, Vintage Valley, the first one written about the wines being produced in Santa Ynez Valley. As Jim said, “No one then knew what we were drinking and making, and now they couldn’t afford it.” Jim was Winemaker of the Year in 2001 by Food and Wine magazine. Germany’s leading wine magazine named him Winemaker of the World in 2004, and he was inducted into James Beard’s Who’s Who of Food and Beverage in America in 2007.

Then it was time for a four-course dinner in the adjoining garden. Lorraine Lim Catering’s tenderloin of beef melted in your mouth. All courses were accompanied by Au Bon Climat wines. Board chair Jim Wolfe reminded us that this event was all for the 59 residents of Hillside House. He thanked the Assistance League, their neighbor, for all their help throughout the years. 

The theme was “Opening Doors to Tomorrow”, referring to the new community plan. The project will transform the 24-acre property in Veronica Canyon into an integrated, mixed-abilities neighborhood including 10 new state-of-the-art adaptive homes for residents, as well as private homes for purchase.

Norris Goss presented John Tilson with the 2018 Person of Purpose award. He has been a longtime supporter of Hillside House residents and is a renown wine expert. The live auction was a gourmet dinner at his home for six. His wine cellar is 3,500 square feet and it’s filled with 27,000 bottles. It’s hard to imagine. John is the founder and managing editor of The Underground Wineletter, which is used for information by wine aficionados around the world. Although Tilson is an investment manager, wine is his passion. Don Becker was also honored for 50 years of valuable service as a board member.

Lisa Wilcox spoke to the group about what it was like to have a child at Hillside House, the difficulties of having a special-needs child and how grateful she was for Hillside’s support.

This tasteful and tasty fete was the work of a committee: Cynthy Ardell, Wendi Hunter, Nancy Werner, Susan Chapman, Marlene Riemer, Lisa Wilsox, Norris Goss, Pam Flynt Tambo, and Jim Wolfe.