Pouring it Forward

“This town is amazing,” said Grassini Family Vineyards CEO Katie Grassini, looking around a tasting room filled with supporters raising their glasses for the Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation.

The gathering at Grassini’s El Paseo tasting room brought together TBCF Director Brittany Wazny, Development Director Julia George, events director Kirsten Stuart and friends of the organization during September’s Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.

Also raising a glass were Charmaine and Tom Rogers of Montecito, dedicated supporters of the foundation, who will be honored with the Heart of Gold Award at TBCF’s Golden Gala on September 19.

This year marks the 15th anniversary of Grassini Gives Back, the family winery’s charitable program, one that began rather modestly. Katie’s parents, Larry and Sharon Grassini, are Montecito residents and longtime community supporters, and passed that on to their daughters.

“We were down at the other end of El Paseo in this tiny little space. Nobody knew who we were, it was 14 years ago,” Katie recalled. Her sister suggested, “Why don’t we do something? We have this beautiful, gorgeous tasting room. Let’s do something, give back to the community.”

Their first effort raised barely more than $1,000 for a local nonprofit. “We thought, ‘this is amazing,’” Grassini said. What began as a one-day event steadily grew. “Now it’s all year long.”

Today, Grassini Gives Back has raised more than $965,000 for local nonprofits and is poised to cross the $1 million mark. For 2026, the winery set a $50,000 goal for Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation – and Grassini said they are already close.

“People are motivated to help,” she said. “Now you can feel good about it too, while you’re enjoying your wine.”

TBCF provides financial, emotional and educational support to families facing pediatric cancer throughout Santa Barbara, Ventura and San Luis Obispo counties.

“They’re doing so much for this part of the community that is already going through so much,” she said. “They’re phenomenal.”

During September’s Golden Thursdays, 50 percent of wine-by-the-glass sales and $10 from every bottle sold benefit TBCF.

A golden ribbon, a generous pour – and a million-dollar milestone within reach.

Sightings

Gwyneth Paltrow stirred up a little summer controversy in the Hamptons over a reported dinner for OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, but over the weekend she skipped down to Del Mar to celebrate the grand opening of Goop Kitchen’s first-ever dine-in restaurant, a chic 92-seat flagship at One Paseo…

Julia Louis-Dreyfus offered a peek behind the curtain at Seinfeld this weekend, while hanging out with Benny Blanco, Lil Dicky (Dave Burd) and Kristin Batalucco on their Friends Keep Secrets podcast. Julia revealed there was “tons” of friction on Seinfeld. “It’s hard to do anything really well,” she explained. “You’re going to butt heads.” Though she remembered the set often felt like friends just hanging out…

Meanwhile, Orlando Bloom made a splashy arrival at the Venice Film Festival by water taxi, premiering Werner Herzog’s Bucking Fastard with Kate Mara, Rooney Mara and Domhnall Gleeson before receiving the Filming Italy International Award at the Hotel Excelsior, with fellow honoree Irina Shayk. Bloom had already been enjoying his Italian summer at Andrea Bocelli’s exclusive Alpemare Beach Club in Forte dei Marmi, known as “the Hamptons” of Italy…

And Montecito’s own Kendall Jenner made her Venice bow in a bit of fashion kismet, stepping out for the premiere of Martin McDonagh’s Wild Horse Nine in an archival Giorgio Armani column gown from the 1995 collection, the year she was born, glittering with gold floral beading and a crystal-studded scoop neckline…

From Richard and Friends to all of you…Pip! Pip!