The Golden Gate Salmon Association (GGSA) hosted its 4th Annual Sonoma Dinner Thursday evening, November 9 at the Cornerstone Event Center.  The sold-out dinner honored Sonoma Valley dairy and wine farmers the Mulas Family who have been using recycled water for decades on their dairy farm and fields and led local firefighting efforts during the devastating wine country fires in October.

The evening brought in over $60,000 in proceeds generated from ticket sales and a lively auction and will be split evenly between GGSA’s salmon restoration efforts and fire relief.  The fire funds will be split with the Schell-Vista Fire Dept. and the rest to help locals with immediate fire related needs through the Native Sons Parlor 111.

John McManus, executive director of GGSA said, “As we continue to work to restore California’s salmon runs, GGSA greatly appreciates those taking the lead in using recycled water. When dairy farmers and grape growers demonstrate the great results they get with this water, it gives us hope for the future.  It enables restoration of salmon habitat. It was a great pleasure to honor the Mulas family and get to know them a little better.  Sonoma is lucky to have them.”

Local celebrity chefs Carlo Cavallo of B & V Whiskey Bar and Grille, Adolfo Veronese of Aventine, Kyle Kuklewski of Ramekins, and Ed Metcalf of Sisho, all prepared fresh caught wild salmon in four different unique and special ways for the assembled.

The night also featured wines donated by Valerie’s Vineyard, Dane Cellars, La Chertosa, and Winery Sixteen 600, and beers from HopMonk and Gordon Biersch. Auction donations included a Mendocino Getaway; overnights at Squaw Valley and Caples Lake Resort, a night on the town at the "rock palace" the Fillmore,  and a stay at the Kabuki Hotel; a fishing day on the  legendary Salty Lady; at home cheese school from Mathew Gill and chef dinner from Fine and Rare’s Ted Wilson; rare wine magnums; a Wing and Barrel shooting package; golf at Sonoma Golf Club and dinner at Aventine; a winter boot camp at Ramekins Cooking School; autographed Steph Curry jersey and complete set of warrior bobble-heads and a Three Sticks wine package with El Dorado Kitchen plus a spirited fund-a-need.

Cornerstone is a wine country marketplace featuring a collection of world-class shopping, boutique wineries, tasting rooms, artisanal foods, art-inspired gardens, live music, and is home to Sunset's Gardens + Outdoor Test Kitchen. Located at the gateway of Sonoma and Napa County in California's beautiful Wine Country, Cornerstone is a place to shop, sip, eat, play and explore.

The Golden Gate Salmon Association is a coalition of salmon advocates that includes commercial and recreational salmon fisherman, businesses, restaurants, a native tribe, environmentalists, elected officials, families and communities that rely on salmon. GGSA’s mission is to protect and restore California’s largest salmon producing habitat comprised of the Central Valley river’s that feed the Bay-Delta ecosystem and the communities that rely on salmon as a long-term, sustainable, commercial, recreational and cultural resource.

Currently, California’s salmon industry is valued at $1.4 billion in economic activity annually in a regular season, and about half that much in economic activity and jobs again in Oregon. The industry employs tens of thousands of people from Santa Barbara to northern Oregon. This is a huge economic bloc made up of commercial fishermen, recreational fishermen (fresh and salt water), fish processors, marinas, coastal communities, equipment manufacturers, the hotel and food industry, tribes, and the salmon fishing industry at large.