broadened). Louis Martini was the chairman, and put together a team including Harlan and Herb Schmidt of Mondavi, as well as wives Molly Chappellet, in charge of visuals, Lila Jaeger, Martha May and Margrit Biever Mondavi. Robin Lail was charged with pulling it together. It took two years to organize the first auction in 1981, and they learned a lot. The first auction included a dinner Friday night for about 500, then the auction the next day. Lail recalls that after the dinner, she realized that she didn’t have anyone to rearrange the chairs for theater seating for the auction, so called people, including Harlan, in the middle of the night. “We were arranging chairs at 5 a.m.,” recalls Harlan. One thing every attendee recalls was the heat that year. The temperature soared under the tents at Meadowood, sending corks popping on some of the silent auction wines and bursting the balloons fashioned as grape clusters—a key element of Molly Chappellet’s decor. The wine barrels were out in the lawn, not in a cave. “It was 110 degrees,” notes Lail. “The wines were less than delicious. I was hoping to build a market for futures, but that wasn’t a very good start.” At that time, the water treatment plant was where today’s reception is, and the resort suffered a brownout. “Horrible odors greeted the guess,” she recalls. She also forgot about water for the tables, so filled pitchers from a tap on the golf course nearby, not realizing that the course was watered with recycled water. Fortunately, the tap she picked dispensed potable water. Michael Broadbent was the seated auctioneer. A very formal man, he wore a coat and tie—but had his bare feet in a tub of water behind the drape. The event raised $140,000, a large sum at the time, and everyone got behind it. Harlan soon started improvements on the Meadowood property, starting the conversion from a country club to a resort in 1981. It also became the headquarters of the Napa Valley Vintners Association for many years. A new clubhouse was built in 1984, though it burned in May, just before the auction that year. Over time, more was added until the resort became the impressive destination it is today. In 1987, it became one of the state’s first members of Relais & Chateaux. Just as the resort has changed, so has the auction. Harlan says, “The auction has evolved, but it’s been very positive. It’s helped the world know about Napa Valley, and it’s contributed a great deal to the community through the charitable donations.” The auction has raised more than $110 million for local charities. One impact Harlan hadn’t anticipated, however, was bringing the local community together: “A lot of people who weren’t in the wine business got involved.” And that has continued, with more than 500 volunteers helping with today’s efforts. A chef’s perspective It’s difficult to imagine the impact of a flood of guests descending on the kitchens at Meadowood, much less that of visiting chefs, a group famous for their tempers and volatility. Alejandro Ayala takes it in stride. The estate chef for the resort, Ayala joined the team in 1986, and his first auction was in 1987. They’ve got it down pretty well by now. Ironically, things are easier than they used to be: The auction once had 2,000 guests, not today’s 500, and the resort had to serve them both Friday nights, and Saturday. Now, it’s only Saturday. And the visiting chefs? Ayala meets with them a few months before the auction to go over menus. Sometimes they even prepare the food for Ayala’s crew to taste. They also send him the recipes and a list of what to order. “Sometimes they select hard-to-find ingredients,” he admits. Some chefs bring help; last year, Emeril Lagasse brought two people. Still, it’s a challenge for the thirty members of the kitchen crew, and the kitchen starts prepping about a week in advance. They do get volunteers to help with tasks like peeling vegetables and plating dishes, but Ayala admits, “It’s hard to manage volunteers.” Some have been helping for fifteen years, however, and know the score. The volunteers get their own meal, too, and they can also eat what’s left over after everyone is served. And are the chefs difficult? Ayala just smiles. He’s seen it all in twenty-six years. Violinist Charles Yang takes the stage at last year's Live Auction. (Photo by Jason Tinacci) Photo by Jason Tinacci MAy / june 2 0 1 3 21
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