Gary’s Garden Center and the Oconee Cellar are proud to announce the inaugural Taste of the Holidays Wine & Food Tasting event to be held Friday, Nov. 5 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Gary’s Garden Center.  All proceeds from the event will benefit Saint Joseph’s East Georgia hospital.    

The tasting will feature wonderful cuisine from local restaurants which will be expertly paired with 75 wines from the Oconee Cellar and elegantly presented in the spacious greenhouse of the Garden Center.  In addition, patrons will be able to enjoy live music provided by the J. Mob Jazz Band and participate in a door prize raffle during the event.  

Some of the participating restaurants are:  Filet’s, the Ritz Carlton, Yesterday Café, Cindy Lutini’s, Cuscowilla, Da Corrado’s, Grand Oaks, Troutdale’s, Hallie Jane’s, Spill the Beans, and Tequila Express.  Some of the participating wineries are:  J. Lohr, Perrier Jouet, Windsor Sonoma, Chimney Rock, Girard, Dancing Coyote, Las Rocas, Ghost Pines, Louis Martini, Bridlewood, Wente, Mercer, Paul Hobbs, Sandeman, Twenty Bench, Cain, and Cartlidge & Browne.       

“We are gathering as a community during the holiday season to raise money for new equipment needed today in our existing hospital and as we continue to look forward to a future filled with much promise,” said John Hoffner, Saint Joseph’s East Georgia Board Member and Chair of the Development Council, “We are delighted with the broad participation of so many fine local restaurants and renown wineries to help make Taste of the Holidays so special, and are grateful to all our donors and sponsors for their generous support in helping to make possible the dream of bringing higher-quality health care to the many communities of our beautiful Lake Oconee area.”  

Tickets for the event are $35 per person and must be purchased in advance by calling (706) 454-2043 or (706) 453-0420, on-site at Gary’s and the Oconee Cellar, or by visiting the website at www.saintjosephseast.org/winetasting.