CCF Harmony and Bliss

The Chinese Culture Foundation of San Francisco held their annual Harmony and Bliss: An Evening of Chinese Foods and Western Wines with tea, of course event at the Empress of China restaurant in Chinatown.

It was extra special to attend the event dressed up in our fashion best. My parents held their wedding banquet at the Empress of China! The experience made me think back to my parents’ wedding. Of course, I wasn’t there, but I have seen the photos!

The evening started off with hor d’oeuvres and a silent auction. The showcase event as a wine auction held during the dinner. As the Empress of China staff served guests a nine course meal (on individual plates no less), CCF staff and volunteers auctioned off a veritable treasure chest of wines. I’m not much of a wine connoisseur, but they also sounded pretty good to me! I had to get in the act during one of the auctions—ala Roger Moore in Octopussy—raising my hand and bidding up the price to $150 for a bottle (it sold for well over $300).

I finally was able to meet in person with some of the CCF staff with whom Rae and I have been working, including Emily Avera and Celia Chang. We have been redesigning the Chinese Culture Center’s website the past month, and we’re preparing to launch the new site in a few weeks.