Greet West Bellevue recently partnered with several local businesses to host a fantastic event benefiting Bellevue LifeSpring. Founded in 1911 by a group of Hunts Point women who wanted to give back and support their neighbors, this amazing nonprofit has been fostering stability and self-sufficiency for Bellevue’s children and their families ever since. “To this day, we have membership Circles organized within different neighborhoods or shared communities within Bellevue, which comprise some of our most ardent supporters. They work tirelessly to help support our mission to provide food, clothing, education, and emergency assistance to children in need and their families by supporting our fundraising and volunteer events,” says Kris Howard, Director of Events and Volunteers for the organization. “We work closely with the Bellevue School District to help provide stability to students in need so they can concentrate in the classroom and focus on their education. We want to help break the cycle of poverty.”

Currently the need is higher than ever, with over 4,324 students experiencing food or housing insecurity in Bellevue, and over 700 Bellevue students experiencing some form of homelessness. We can help by educating others on this need, volunteering, or providing personal or corporate financial donations. “Our annual Step Up to the Plate luncheon will be April 29th of next year,” Kris adds. “It brings together all facets of the community from our Circle members to our donors and investors to our corporate partners to our other nonprofit partners, of which there are many. It provides a great snapshot of what the current need is and how the community can come together to make an impact in supporting Bellevue kids.” For more information, go to: bellevuelifespring.org.

Our generous hosts for this event were Jackson and Gretchen Rohrbaugh, owners of Fruit Wine Co.(fruitwineco.com), which was born out of two companies—Crunchy Red Fruit and Seattle Wine Company. As Jackson explains, “Seattle Wine Company was a wine shop run for 20 years by Karen and Nabil Absi. When they retired last year, we merged their company with mine, Crunchy Red Fruit, to become an all-encompassing wine company that includes a wine club, spacious events venue, and full-service wine shop.” While not a winery, Fruit Wine Co. boasts several private labels created from hand selected barrels that Jackson, one of only 280 Master Sommelier’s in the world, has tasted and chosen exclusively for his customers. He focuses on pure, honest, quality wines made by small family wineries all over the world. Gretchen handles the company’s social media and chef/creator partnerships, as they host chef popups at their event venue and pair their wines with each chef’s creations. “For most of our wine club releases we have a chef or food creator featured as well, which is a value-add for our members,” Jackson points out.

Located at 1950 130th Avenue NE in Bellevue, the company’s 2000-square-foot Fruit Events space has a great vibe and a large garage door that can remain open for breezy, summer events or can be closed in the winter. Their tavern license allows them to pour wines by the glass, have winemakers in for classes and tastings, and host all sorts of other soirees, including the one we just enjoyed! As Jackson says, “We love giving back to the community in any way we can, so hosting events like these are great.”

Our guests all paid $50/person (100% of which went to Bellevue LifeSpring) to enjoy olive oil and wine tastings from Sant’ Angelus paired with fresh handmade pastas from NOOD Pasta. Bryan and Amy Williams founded Sant’ Angelus in January of 2021 as a legacy for their daughters, Sophia, and Scarlett. After their respective legal careers, as well as 20 years owning a software company, they wanted to do something focused on family, and this was the perfect fit. “We had attended the wedding of a very good friend in Italy and, afterward, rented a house in the Umbria region,” Bryan explains. “We fell in love with a town there called Todi and ended up buying a 90-acre property complete with a villa, vineyard, and olive tree grove, where we now produce estate wines and extra virgin olive oils.” Today they spend two to three months of the year in Italy and the remainder at their Bellevue home.

We enjoyed tastings of their three estate wines—Sophia (a white wine crafted from 100% Grechetto); Canonica (a blend of Grechetto and Chardonnay); and Scarlett (a Merlot with a small amount of Sangiovese)—all of which were delicious, and they will soon release a second Merlot and a Sparkling Grechetto. We also indulged in tastings of their olive oil and were equally impressed. To highlight their recent collaboration with Orogami, an Italian jeweler that has been producing gorgeous, handcrafted jewelry for generations, they had some exclusive pieces on hand for guests to peruse. For the holidays they will offer “The Bubbles Collection”—gift boxes containing Orogami jewelry pieces and Sant’ Angelus Sparkling Grechetto. You can purchase any of their exclusive, Italian-made products by visiting: santangelus.com.

And finally, no event is complete without fantastic food, which Leah Jaffe, owner of NOOD Pasta, was more than happy to provide. Leah started her business about a week into the pandemic back in 2020. She had lost her job in the restaurant industry with the shutdowns and didn’t want to rely on unemployment to survive. “The restaurant I had been working at was where I learned how to make all the handmade pasta, so I bought a little pasta machine and set out on this big pasta adventure,” she says. “I met some cool people during that time as everyone was stuck at home and wanted to support local businesses. Being from the Seattle area, I also had a big community here that helped get the word out.”

Leah offers fresh, handmade pasta, Sephardic pastries, and private catering. As far as the pastries go, she explains. “There are two different types of Jewish people—Ashkenazim (Germanics) and Sephardim (Hispanics). My family is Sephardim, so I make delicious Sephardic specialties,” she says. “I learned how to make them from my mom, who learned from her mom, who learned from her grandma, who emigrated all the way here from Turkey.” You can go to her website (noodpasta.com) to order pasta or Sephardic pastries or inquire about booking an event. Special orders are always welcomed, so if there is something you don't see, reach out and Leah will try her best to fulfill your request. For her catering, everything on the menu is made from scratch and while fresh pasta is always a party favorite, she also incorporates bright, bold flavors from her Mediterranean roots.

For our event, guests were wowed by Leah’s pasta salad dish which featured three different pasta shapes in one delicious meal, coupled with homemade focaccia and confit garlic butter. Guests could also purchase her "take-and-make" pastas to enjoy in their own homes. The food paired perfectly with the three Sant’ Angelus wines, and the lovely venue and lively guests made the evening perfect!

Thanks to all who participated in supporting Bellevue LifeSpring.