Thank you to this year’s SWCS Fundraiser Presenting Sponsor ~ Verde Cocina!

Noe & Ana Garnica, longtime SWCS parents and owners of Verde Cocina, have generously donated the use of their Sylvan Highlands restaurant for our upcoming annual fundraiser on Sunday, March 19, 2017 from 5-8 pm. In addition to furnishing the venue, Verde Cocina will also provide us with a delicious, farm-to-fork dinner, refreshing drinks and a tasty dessert!

Without Verde Cocina’s donation, a portion of our fundraising would go towards the cost of venue rental and catering. Also, their donation allows us to make ticket prices lower this year!  This means that almost all your ticket cost and donations on fundraiser night will go directly to our kids and school!

Here’s a little more about Verde Cocina and the Garnica family. Thank you to Ana for taking the time out to answer a few questions.

How many years have you been a parent at SWCS?

This is our 9th year at SWCS.  Our eldest son, Braven, started here in the first grade and graduated last year.  We now have Lucas in 5th grade and Gigi in 2nd — so we’ll be here for a while yet!

What do you like best about SWCS?

Engagement — small class sizes, place-based learning and exceptionally caring teachers and staff are turning out thoughtful, engaged citizens who, I know now from experience, are well prepared for high school, and beyond.

You have a long history of helping SWCS starting with providing food for one of our very first auctions in 2011 as well as for student-led conferences and staff appreciation week. Tell us more.

 Well, as a small business owner, it’s sometimes difficult to find the time to contribute to the school in classrooms or other volunteer capacity.  We just see this as our way of giving back to our amazing school and its people, who give our kids so much (in exchange for so little!).

Why are you providing such a generous donation to SWCS?

Because we can!  We’re just thrilled to be able to do so.

Could you give us a description of some of the delicious food that will be served at the fundraiser?

Due to the emphasis on locally-sourced ingredients, Ana can’t provide us with an exact menu at this time. But Ana says…

We are proud of the relationships we’ve developed with local farmers and that we are able to make their ingredients available in our dishes.  Vegans, vegetarians, carnivores, Paleo and gluten free are always happy at Verde Cocina, and the SWCS Auction menu is no exception.