A NEW PARTNERSHIP

We are thrilled to announce that Plant the Vine is now partnering with Culinary Arts Kids Eat (C.A.K.E.), an educational and life-skills nonprofit that teaches regenerative farming, culinary skills and entrepreneurship as part of its Healthy Lifestyles Enrichment program. Plant the Vine will add workshops in viticulture and local history.

WHY LOCAL HISTORY?

Angelinos of all backgrounds are surprised when they hear that L.A. was once the center of California winemaking. That's because this part of our city's story is rarely told. Philosopher George Santayana once said, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." For some of us, repeating the past isn't so bad. But for others, especially marginalized populations, not knowing local history tends to perpetuate the very systems of exclusion that create marginalization.

WHY THE GRAPE?

The grape has long been at the center of Los Angeles history, from the local native grape to the Spanish winemaking grape to the 19th century, spontaneous hybrid of the two. Using this unique chronological sequence of grapes, which was uncovered by grape geneticists from UC Davis examining L.A.'s oldest living vines, students come to understand the biology and evolution of the grapes, as well as the history and evolution of the city.

CALL TO ACTION

While we plant vineyards in communities throughout Los Angeles, we've always envisioned a larger vineyard that could be visited by all Angelinos. To that end, we've been working with the Los Angeles State Historic Park, which is centrally located and easily accessible by Metro Rail and Bus. In addition, the Park itself is a site rich in history, starting well before the arrival of the Spanish.

For these reasons, the L.A. State Historic Park, situated in the heart of the city, is an ideal site for the vineyard, which we call an Interpretive Grape Garden to emphasize its educational purpose. This Grape Garden will be large enough for visitors to walk through during the vines' yearly dormancy, and will feature the three grapes that make up L.A.'s unique chronology.

And while we realize this takes time, we do hope to get the Interpretive Grape Garden established in time for the Olympics in 2028. So not only our next generation, but visitors from around the world can see Los Angeles in a fuller, truer, light.

Please give generously so we can make the Interpretive Grape Garden in the Los Angeles State Historic Park a reality.

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