KUNDE FAMILY ESTATE & COMPONERE FINE CATERING ANNOUNCE JOINT VENTURE ESTATE HERB & VEGETABLE GARDEN
Chef Ethan Mantle’s Kunde Family Estate Garden Opens for “Green” Events and “Locavore” Experiences
(Kenwood, CA August 18th, 2009)–Kunde Family Estate has announced the opening of its new estate herb and vegetable garden. Developed by Chef Ethan Mantle of Componere Fine Catering, the garden is a classic example of a new movement for companies to share resources: the Kunde family provides land to Componere in return for use of the gardens for private events and a share of the produce. And Componere has a ready source of a diverse range of herbs, heirloom and hard-to-find vegetables for on-site and other catering uses. Componere follows natural farming methods and does not use pesticides, herbicides or chemical fertilizers, only compost and Sonoma Valley soil.
“Our urban location didn’t offer enough room for a large garden,” said Chef Mantle. “When catering at Kunde Family Estate, we saw the land we needed. We presented the idea of planting gardens on the estate, and we got an immediate green light from the family based on our mutual belief that ‘what grows together goes together’ in terroir driven wines and food.”
Mantle is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in New York. His dream of farming his own garden was inspired during his time at the French Laundry. “We can pick a perfectly sun-ripened tomato, with no concern about it being too ripe for the rigors of shipping or storing, and have it at our Emeryville kitchen in an hour, still warm from the sun.”
“This project is very exciting because it complements our sustainable winegrowing and hospitality efforts,” said fourth generation winegrower, Marcia Kunde. “Now we have access to one of the finest Bay Area caterers for events featuring menus created with food grown right here at the winery and paired with our 100% estate grown wines. We’ve created a locavore’s dream!”
In addition to Kunde Family Estate’s nationally distributed wines, the family produces small-lot, site specific blends and single block “Destination Series” wines available only through its tasting room and website. Paired with Componere Fine Catering, these wines, and the estate’s unique combination of venues make for one-of-a-kind experiences for event planners and visitors who care about the finest culinary experiences and sustainable living.
