More than 240 guests gathered at Big Canyon Country Club in Newport Beach on September 25 for the 19th annual Keep the Promise Wine Tasting Benefit at Big Canyon Country Club in Newport Beach.
As one of Orange County’s premier wine tasting benefits, the evening grossed over $400,000 for The Wooden Floor. Over the past 19 years, the benefit has cumulatively grossed more than $4.8 million to support The Wooden Floor’s goal of inspiring and transforming the lives of young people in our community, through the power of dance and access to higher education.
Wonderful wine was uncorked—make that more than 200 bottles of 12 of the world’s top wines, all considered outstanding with a minimum rating of 97 points.
This rare and extraordinary tasting experience including the 2019 Cirq Pinot Noir Russian River Valley (100 pts.), the 2020 Domaine de Chevalier Rouge Pessac-Leognan (99 pts.), 2019 Leeuwin Estate Chardonnay Art Series (98 pts.), and 2020 Paul Lato Chardonnay Le Souvenir Sierra Madre (98 pts).
Guests sampled small plates of Saffron Arancini, Lobster Lumpia Calamansi and Chili Aioli, Lamb Meatball Spoons with Mint Yogurt, Vegetable Spring Rolls with Sweet Chili Sauce, Jumbo Lump Crab Cake, Mini Beef Wellington, and Chicken Potstickers with Ponzu.
As guests made their way through the benefit, more stations were filled with stunning global fare created by Executive Chef Craig Strong with the guidance of Master Sommelier Steven Poe to complement the wine selections.
The tantalizing dishes including a cheese and charcuterie station filled with a selection of Italian meats, cheeses, crackers, and peppers; a raw bar and poke bar with Alaskan Snow Crab Claws and Jumbo Shrimp Cocktails; a carving station of Roasted Prime Beef Tenderloin and Whole Roasted Salmon; and a risotto station including a rich Mushroom and Onion Risotto and Braised Short Rib Risotto prepared in a warmed wheel of Parmesan.
Designed by The Fashionable Event’s Stephanie Jernigan, guests enjoyed an elegant Italian summer twist to a rustic Tuscan-inspired setting. The space was filled with florals designed by Meri Wagner Florals, who used stunningly crisp blooms centered on vibrantly colored roses accented with Blue Delphinium, olive branches, rosemary, roses, mint, antique hydrangea, and chamomile in chic white ceramic vessels atop wooden wine barrels plus blue glass bud vases with ranunculus and mums lending fall accents throughout the room.
The wine tasting competition winner Nancy Eng correctly identified 10 of the 12 wines, receiving a selection of featured wines as a reward for her efforts. Other items included Opportunity Drawings for two red wine magnums; two white wine magnums; an RH Gallery Gift Card and Wine Package and other items. Silent Auction items included an Anaheim Ducks Package and a Burberry package including the Burberry Snip bag and Italian crafted Burberry cat-eye sunglasses.
The Wooden Floor’s many accomplishments, poised students, and distinguished Alumni were the focal point of the night. The highlight of the evening came from The Wooden Floor’s student speaker Emma Velazquez from the Class of 2026 when she shared how The Wooden Floor helps her work towards her dream of becoming a neonatal nurse and positively impacts her future.
She remarked, “The Wooden Floor has the ability to make you feel unstoppable, like nothing in the world can reach you. Dance has been such a huge part of my life, it has helped me grow in confidence, perseverance, discipline, and maturity — lessons that go far beyond my time at The Wooden Floor.”
Remarks were also made by The Wooden Floor’s Board Chair Jehan Jayakumar who shared the positive ripple effect that The Wooden Floor creates in the community and CEO of The Wooden Floor Dawn S. Reese, who stated: “Young people like Emma is what Keep the Promise is all about. The promise we make to students who begin their 10-year journeys with us, as early as third grade through high school, which is to ensure they have all the resources they need to reach their fullest potential both in school and in life.”
Sponsors for the 2025 Keep the Promise event included Premier Sponsors The Beall Family Foundation and Janice & John Markley; Platinum Medal Sponsor the Hughes Family and Richard LeBrun; Gold Medal Sponsors Theresa & Johnaton Allen; Wendy & Michael Arciero (Anaheim Ducks & OCVIBE); The Frome Family Foundation; Carole & Rich Lee; Nicholas Pardon; Judith Posnikoff; Nancy & Geoffery Stack; Nancy & Arn Youngman; US Bank Private Wealth Management.
Founded in 1983, The Wooden Floor is one of the foremost creative youth development nonprofit organizations in the country. The organization inspires and transforms the lives of young people through the power of dance and access to higher education. Every student who graduate from The Wooden Floor enrolls in higher education. Visit www.TheWoodenFloor.org.
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