Eat+Drink+Bid for Good

This past year I started a non-profit project to build a pre-school and elementary school in a rural village where I lived and worked Mali, West Africa as a Peace Corps volunteer. To say it's been been a crazy year, running a non-profit in my 'free' time, feels like a bit of an understatement.


But on October 3rd, the school opened and the first classes began -- with 91 first graders enrolled! It was a thrilling moment to witness and I am immensely grateful for the incredible generosity of the community of people from all aspects of my life who have come together to help make it happen.


On Sunday, November 6 from 4-6 pm, we are celebrating the opening of the school and raising further funds to install a clean water pump and establish a scholarship program.



We were fortunate to have a group of Bay Area teens come help us construct the school. They are incredible youth who participate in the buildOn afterschool program. Some of them will be at the event where you can talk to them about their experience and how a short two weeks in the village have had a significant impact on their lives.















Mali Kalanso is offering advanced online bidding on a number of auction items from our upcoming event Eat+Drink+Bid for Good, plus some items that are only available online -- like a ton of great cookbooks, some of them signed by the authors.







A few unique experiences are being offered exclusively through the auction for supporters of Mali Kalanso:

FourBarrel Coffee -- cupping, brewing workshop and roastery tour for 10 people
Mission Beach Cafe -- pie baking class with Pastry Chef Alan Carter for 4 people
Pizza Politana -- pizza-making party & wood fire cooking for up to 12 people
Poco Dolce -- holiday production tour, tasting and chocolate treats for 4 people


And yours truly will be teaching a food styling workshop for the home cook that will be held in this gorgeous space provided by Cookhouse.

I want to give a big shout out to the incredible community of fine folks who have generously donated to the event thus far: