Among our key objectives at The James Beard Foundation is education. In addition to promoting chefs, restaurants, winemakers, and other food and beverage professionals, we also aim to educate people on a wide variety of related topics through our events, publications, and scholarship program. For the last five years, one of the partners in our educational enological endeavors has been Schramsberg Vineyards and WineCellars, makers of fine California sparkling wine, and sponsors of a series of dinners around the country that benefit a scholar-ship program at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone, in Napa Valley.

This year, the series begins in Seattle and then stops here at the Beard House for a dinner by Todd Humphries of the Wine Spectator Greystone Restaurant. A graduate of the CIA (the original in Hyde Park, New York), Humphries was part of the creative team at Barry Wine's legendary Quilted Giraffe. From there he went to work for Gray Kunz, first at The Peninsula Hotel, and later at Lespinasse. In 1993 Humphries moved to California to work with Jan Birnbaum at San Francisco's Campton Place Hotel. When Birnbaum left to open his own restaurant in wine country, Humphries became executive chef of the hotel. He left Campton Place early this year to take charge of the restaurant at Greystone. Humphries's new position is a dream come true for a chef who has always emphasized fresh local produce, clean traditional preparations, and wine-friendly cooking.

Jamie Davies, and her late husband, Jack, were winemaking pioneers when they decided to produce traditional méthode champenoise sparkling wines in the Napa Valley more than 30 years ago. Today, Schramsberg wines consistently rate among the best sparklers in the country (some would say the world). And their support of wine education programs like this one demonstrates their visionary dedication to the industry.

The Schramsberg series leaves New York for Washington, Denver, and New Orleans (see details at right). But for some of us, it's much easier to stay in New York and wait for the good food and fine wine to come to us.