Saturday, March 26, 2011

Long Shadow's Wine Dinner at Waterfront Seafood Grill

Ken, Diane, Cathi, Paul
Last night Ken and I attended the Long Shadow's Wine Dinner at Waterfront Seafood Grill with Diane and Paul Birkeland.  Long-time friend and Long Shadow's Owner, Allen Shoup, was there along with Long Shadow's Winemaker, Gilles Nicault.  It is always fun to sit with Paul during a wine dinner because he is so knowledgeable about wine and had collected and/or tasted all of the wines that were poured.
Ken and Gilles





The Waterfront Seafood Grill team presented a fantastic dining experience led by General Manager Siv Mennen, Sommelier Kristin Young and Chef Peter LevineKristin had just found out yesterday that she has been selected as Sommelier of the Year in our area which is quite an honor in the wine world!

Lolita, Big Red, and Julie
We dined with Jim and Karen and met new friend Julie Ralph who warned us about her friends attending, "Big Red" and Lolita," also known as Gregg Cliggott and Amy StevensJulie was afraid they would be disruptive during the dinner, but I enjoyed meeting them and they were truly the models of decorum!

Gilles and Allen were very complimentary of the great job that Chef Peter had done in pairing food courses with their featured wines.  My favorite course was the handmade pappardelle with braised ostail ragu and red cow parmesan which was paired with Saggi 2007.  My favorite wines of the evening were the Pirouette 2006, Feather Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 and the Poet's Leap Riesling Batrytis 2008 dessert wine.  The menu included the following pairings:

Duck Foie Gras Au Torchon
toasted brioche, kumquat jam, very old balsamic vinegar
Poet's Leap Riesling 2009

Preserved Black Mission Figs
tamarind broth, black pepper, butter
Chester Kidder 2005

Il Mio Pappardelle Fatte a Mano
ragu di coda di bue brasato, con parmigiano reggiano delle vacche rosse
Saggi 2007

Roasted Tenderloin of Certified Angus Beef
porcini and bone marrow crust, parsley mashed potatoes, three day demi glace
Pirouette 2006
Feather Cabernet Sauvignon 2006

Panna Cotta de Formaggio
roasted pineapple, honey and thyme compote, marcona almond tuille
Poet's Leap Riesling Batrytis 2008
Chef Peter Levine
Sommelier of the Year, Kristin Young
and General Manager Siv Mennen



Thursday, March 24, 2011

Chillin' Out in the Sun

Ken, Toni, Trudi enjoying margaritas!


Last week, Ken and I were guests of friends Toni & Rod Hoffman, at their beautiful luxury condominium in Puerto Vallarta.  Our mutual friends, Trudi & Dave Syferd, were also guests of the Hoffmans while we were there.
The view from the condominium is spectacular and we were entertained with frequent whale and dolphin sightings, magical sunsets and boat and people watching. I was the designated margarita bartender and I became quite proficient at getting just the right amount of Cointreau, tequila and mixer in the blender.


View of pools from deck

Toni, Dave & Trudi chillin'
This is the most relaxing and low-key vacation that I can ever remember.  We did eat out a couple of times and went to the grocery store, but other than one walk on the beach, we spent our time sitting either in the Hoffman living room operating our respective electronic gadgets playing individual games or by the pool where we read.  When I filled out my customs declaration form upon our return, I had to enter a big ZERO for the goods we had purchased and were bringing back from our trip.

Dave and I were addicted to Words with Friends which we actually played against one another, while Toni and Trudi each played their own individual Freecell Solitaire and Russian Roulette solitaire-style electronic games.  Rod attended to homeowner business on his computer and Ken was glued to CNN watching news updates on Libya.

Ken, Toni, Rod at No Way Jose!
Trudi, Dave, Cathi at No Way Jose!
On our final evening, we went to a Mexican cuisine restaurant primarily frequented by locals called "No Way, Jose!" where we finished the evening with Bananas Foster prepared tableside and were entertained by the restaurant owner who got up on stage with the featured 5 piece mariachi band and serenaded the guests.
Trudi & Dave
Toni enjoying the sunshine
Can't wait for another opportunity to visit Toni & Rod in Puerto Vallarta again!!!  (Hint!  Hint!)



Sunday, March 13, 2011

Seattle Dances 2011!


Ken Hatch & Elisabeth Bodal

What a difference a year makes!  Last night Ken and I attended the Second Annual Plymouth Housing Group fundraiser, Seattle Dances.  It was a first-class, well-managed fundraiser that raised over $410,000 which included sponsorships, ticket sales, an auction, cyber votes for dancers, a raise the paddle segment and peoples' choice votes for dancers.  Last year at this time, I was concerned about all of these details since I was one of the featured dancers (see last year's blog post HERE), but this year it was so stress-free to attend and just enjoy the party and admire the great job done by all the featured dancers! 


Ken Hatch & Gerg Lill

Patti Payne once again did a masterful job as the emcee.  Hallie Kuperman and The Century Ballroom once again partnered on the production of this extraordinary event.  Last year's Cyber-Choice winner Michelle Barnett and I, as the Peoples' Choice winner, were invited back to announce the winners this year.  Colette Courtion, last year's Artistic Choice winner, was back to announce the new Artistic Choice winner and to reprise her role as Lady GaGa.


Carol & Buster Brown

The dancers were all truly amazing and I was so impressed with their level of competence and performance skills! I personally thought Stacy Lill and Marcelo Garces were incredible with all their featured lifts, flips and drops.  My other favorites included Dean Jones, Chad McKay and Leigh Canlis, who all danced with skill and "attitude".  But honestly, every single dancer was a standout and can be very proud of the performance he or she brought to the audience! 

Each dancer had a cheering squad of friends and family complete with props such as feather boas, lighted wands, oversize posters, pom poms, cow bells, etc.  Greg Lill supplied copious amounts of DeLille Cellars wine for our table which was appreciated by all attending. 

Jay & Sharon Ballantine
Following the competition, Michelle announced the Cyber-Choice winner was Doug Ito who danced with Lera Thompson, I announced the Peoples' Choice winner was Stacy Lill who danced with Marcelo Garces and Colette announced the Artistic Choice winner was Susan Slater Cotter.


Vladlina Fulton & Cathi Hatch



 It was such a high-energy, fun event that I thoroughly enjoyed attending as a spectator this year!  Congratulations to all the participants and all the winners!
Ken Hatch & Sheila Otter
The 2011 Seattle Dancer Dancers

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Featured Wine Professional Member: Mike Conway of Latah Creek Wine Cellars

The Conway Family:  Ellena, Natalie and Mike
At our ZINO Life Investment Forum last week at the beautiful Pan Pacific Hotel, during the Awards Reception, we featured ZINO Society Wine Professional Member, Latah Creek Wine Cellars pouring a selection of their current releases. I particularly liked the Monarch Red Blend.  I asked Mike Conway, the Winemaker/Owner to answer a few questions about Latah Creek Wine Cellars that I would like to share with you here:


  • How long has your winery been in business?  First production was in 1982 – opened our tasting room in 1983
  • How many total wine cases did you produce last year? 16,000 cases
  • What style(s) of wine do you produce?  70% off our production is light and fruity whites: Riesling, Muscat and Pinot Gris and Chardonnay. The balance is reds primarily Sangiovese and Merlot with a new Monarch Red blend and a few, small lot Monarch Series Reserve Reds.
  • What made you decide to get into the wine business?  My first experience in wine dates back to 1972. After departing the Air Force, I restarted my college studies in central California, this time majoring in Microbiology. At the same time I was able to get a night shift job at the Gallo Winery in their Microbiology lab. My job there was to monitor the bottling lines and finished products for sterility. At this time in the wine industry there was a change going on; pasteurization and preservatives were being replaced by the brand new technology of sterile microfiltration. Three years later, with degree in hand, I accepted a position at the neighboring Franzia Bros. Winery and eventually became their head Microbiologist. The experience gained over the past five years gave me the confidence and opportunity to move northward to the Parducci Winery in Mendocino County where I oversaw the installation and use of their first sterile filtration system. It was during my three years at Parducci that I actually got involved in winemaking and where I realized a future in wine was possible. In 1980 my wife and I decided to make a bold move; go even further north to an almost unknown wine region - Washington State. At that time this fledgling wine industry had only 18 wineries. The rest is history.
  • Share a funny, real life experience you have faced in the wine business.  I have this happen all the time, the last time just a few nights ago. We were at a nice restaurant in town and ordered an unknown-to-us bottle of wine from their “specials” list. The waitress brought the wine, unscrewed the top, and served me an “approval” sample. It was quite nice but I made the mistake of making a “screw top” comment. She went on for about five minutes elaborating on the benefits of screw tops: the wines age better, they are easier to open, etc., etc., etc. Not wanting to embarrass her, nothing was said about our being in the wine business. Unfortunately there was a friend of ours at the same restaurant who told her who we were. She came back to us with her shoulders shrugged, apologizing profusely for her misinformation. We have decided we should now have a “winemaker dining here” disclaimer when we first sit down at a restaurant.
  • What ratings have any of your wines received? And from which experts?  Latah Creek’s wines have received numerous awards and accolades over the years, the most prestigious being three different Latah Creek wines selected in The Wine Spectator Magazine’s TOP 100 Wines of the Year in a three year period. We have also been given recognition as producing one of the Best Rieslings in the state year after year.

The Buzz from the ZINO Life Sciences Forum

Sarah Nowakowski
(The following blog post was reposted from an Xconomy Seattle blog post yesterday morning written by Sarah Nowakowski, who is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Bioengineering at the University of Washington and works for ZINO Society part-time as an intern.)

There was a great buzz yesterday at ZINO Life: Life Sciences Investment Forum where 14 biotech and life sciences companies pitched to a room full of eager investors. Many exciting technologies were on display, including Empowering Engineering Technologies‘ ExoWalk—the 2010 ZINO Life fund recipient—as well as Cerevast Therapeutics’ ClotBust-ER. All presenters delivered energetic and compelling presentations that demonstrated the persistent enthusiasm and innovation that continues to propel the vibrant life sciences sector of Seattle.

Chris Rivera of the Washington Biotechnology and Biomedical Association reminded the attendees that the No. 1 challenge facing entrepreneurs today is access to capital. The event was a great example of how angel investment groups, such as ZINO Society, are diligently working to bring entrepreneurs and investors together. Following dealflow presentations this afternoon, Cathi Hatch, the CEO of the ZINO Society, announced four finalists were selected by investors:

1. David Hatton of Aseptica—Aseptica’s technology prevents catheter related infections.

2. Michael Hite of Impel NeuroPharma—Impel is developing a novel drug delivery device to enable central nervous system drugs to bypass the blood-brain barrier,

3. Steve Baird of S-Ray Incorporated—S-Ray owns a unique way of using ultrasound to detect cracks and cavities in teeth, without radiation.

4. Paul Hagen of VacuPractor—VacuPractor is a revolutionary device for lower back pain.

Following due diligence, one of these companies will be awarded a $25,000 investment from the combined ZINO 2011 Annual Angel Fund.

Paul Hagen (VacuPractor) was selected by the audience for Best Presentation and he and Steve Baird (S-Ray) tied for Best Investment Opportunity.

Optimism filled the conference room at the Pan Pacific Hotel as Rivera reflected on the trends in the Seattle life sciences industry, one of the top five job sectors that have demonstrated continued growth, even in the face of the recent economic climate. Alan Smith of Fenwick & West delved further into the current financial climate for biotech in Seattle by probing the panel of prominent faces in Seattle’s life sciences sector. The group included Rivera; John Bowers, senior vice president of SonoSite; Tom Clement, the chairman & founder of Pathway Medical Technologies; and David Schubert, president and chief business officer, Accelerator Corporation.

The dynamic discussion reflected on the difficulty to get funded and the need to ‘de-risk’ investment opportunities by demonstrating more than proof of concept to investors, in addition to the importance of maintaining realistic expectations for the timeline for return on investment following investment in life sciences companies. This pragmatic advice was, however, secondary to the panels’ confidence in the community. They reiterated that Seattle is a hotbed for innovation, cool technologies, and fantastic ideas. In reference to comparing Seattle’s innovative life sciences sector to the nation and worldwide communities, Schubert emphatically stated that, “Seattle is at the top of ANY pyramid you want to put it on.”

Sarah Nowakowski is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Bioengineering at the University of Washington.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Featured Wine Professional Member: Jay DeWitt of Dumas Stations Winery

At our recent ZINO Society February Roundtable Investment Meeting, our featured winery was ZINO Society Wine Professional Member, Dumas Station Winery. Co-Owner, Jay DeWitt, was on hand to pour a selection of his current releases. I asked him a few questions about Dumas Station Winery that I would like to share with you here:


What is your position in the company? Jay DeWitt, Co-owner with Doug Harvey, winemaker and vineyard manager. I also do the dishes.

How long has your winery been in business? Our first vintage was 2003

How many total wine cases did you produce last year? 1,000 cases

What style(s) of wine do you produce? We are focused on Bordeaux, but also have made a little Syrah from time to time

What made you decide to get into the wine business? I have been involved with wine grape production for 20 years as a consultant and grower. But more importantly, I love great Cabernet Sauvignons, as does Doug. We made garage wine together prior to getting into this business.

What ratings have any of your wines received? And from which experts? Our wines have been very well received by the critics, the long list can be found on our website, http://www.dumasstation.com/. We are most pleased with the 93 point rating for our 2006 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon from The Wine Advocate; and 94 points from Wine Enthusiast for our 2006 Minnick Hills Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon.

Please list your current year wine labels.
2007 Minnick Hills Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
2007 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
2007 Estate Merlot
2008 Cow Catcher Red

Where can consumers purchase your wine? Several options including from our website, Pete’s in Bellevue, Esquin, Compass, West Seattle Wine Shop, and several restaurants.

What is the biggest challenge you face? The Weather. We are vineyard oriented and our farming practices are science-based and very precise. Adjusting practices to fit each year’s weather is always the toughest part. This is also the most rewarding part of the business for me personally.

What is your favorite wine to drink other than your own? I am an explorer when it comes to wine, and my item of interest changes 3 or 4 times per year. Currently I am in pursuit of big, soft, over-oaked (by today’s standards) Chardonnays. Any recommendations?

Monday, March 7, 2011

A Toast to Robin!

Kristie Lanum, Sarah Nowakowski, Cathi Hatch,
Robin Moore, Mary Holmes
As the ZINO Team all scurries around handling the last minute details for ZINO Life Investment Forum tomorrow afternoon, we took a few moments to toast our outgoing Marketing and Events Director, Robin Moore and thank her for her positive attitude, team spirit and just down-to-earth, get-it-done mentality.  Robin has worked with ZINO Society for the past year and a half and will be sorely missed as she takes a great new marketing position with Jones Lang LaSalle.  Good luck, Robin!  We look forward to a celebration lunch with you AFTER ZINO Life!

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Dragon's Breath Noodles

Chef Tony Wu and Guest Chef Brendan O'Farrell
Last night, Ken and I were invited to join Brendan O'Farrell and his wife, Ani, at O'Asian Restaurant in Seattle for a special dinner featuring five of Iron Chef Tony Wu’s Signature Dishes and Brendan’s Cuisine Chinois, French Indochinese Fusion Specialties.
The colaborating chefs cooked up a storm!  The small plate courses included a spicy chicken salad, seafood bisque, seared scallops, Kobe beef in a rice noodle nest, white fish with sweet & sour sauce, giant prawn on a crisp rice cake, lamb shoulder served on an onion pancake and finally a rich chocolate mousse.  See the full menu listed at the end of this blog posting.


Preparing Dragon's Breath Noodles

Dragon's Breath Noodles

A highlight of the evening was when O'Asian Top Iron Chef Tony Wu prepared the thinnest hand-pulled noodles I have ever seen called Dragon's Breath noodles, just by stretching a ball of dough and separating it with his fingers into thinner and thinner strands as he kept adding more flour and twirled it from side to side and overhead.  See a video of him making these noodles HERE!

Per Haugland & Ani O'Farrell
We enjoyed seeing friends and meeting new friends at the dinner.  I was especially pleased to see Patrick Kane, a ZINOpreneur alumnae, who after several years of hard work has been successful in recently opening his upscale pawn business, bux4goldPer & Mimi Haugland were there along with O'Farrell neighbor, John Wherry and Betty Chen, new O'Asian restaurant manager as well as owners, Janet & Walter
White Fish with Sweet & Sour





10 Course Dinner Prepared by
Iron Chef Tony Wu and Guest Chef Brendan O’Farrell

  • Chef Wu’s Bam Bam Chicken Salad ~ Shredded Chicken, Peppers, Celery and Cashews
  • Saigon Sesame Crab Cakes ~ Fresh Dungeness Crab, Shallots, Peppers and Chinese Herbs, served with spicy Red Mango Cilantro Garnish
  • Imperial Peking Duck ~ Slow Roasted, basted with Special Sauce and served with, flower buns
  • Singapore Seafood Bisque ~ Lobster, Cream and Celeriac Bisque
  • Phoenix Rising Jumbo Prawn ~ Served on a bed of fragrant rice noodles
  • South China Sea Scallops ~ Fresh Sea Scallops, seared in peanut and sesame oil, served on a bed of julienne lettuce, celery and carrot, with soya white wine cream sauce
  • Kobe Beef Cubes in a Bird’s Nest ~ Chef Wu’s special stir-fry with a Northern Chinese sauce
  • Slow Braised Lamb Shoulder ~ Braised Lamb Shoulder in Asian Green peppercorn Sauce atop onion pancake
  • Yin and Yang Mousse Medley ~ Chocolate and Tropical Fruit Mouse

ZINO Life just two days away!

The ZINO Society team has been working very hard over the past few weeks to put together our upcoming ZINO Life Investment Forum which will occur this coming Tuesday, March 8th at the Pan Pacific Hotel in Seattle.  I want to recognize them with a big THANK YOU for all their efforts to produce what I know will be a fascinating and productive angel investment forum!

Kristie Lanum, our Chief Dealflow Officer, has done a masterful job of recruiting, screening, scheduling coaching and preparing 13 ZINOpreneurs to share 7 minute pitches describing their companies during the afternoon event plus a traction update from our ZZIF 2007 Fund Winner, Healionics.  Please see the full list of presenting entrepreneurs at the end of this blog posting.

Mary Holmes, our Chief Marketing Officer, has put together a fascinating, expert panel including John Bowers of SonoSite, Tom Clement of Pathway Medical Technologies, Chris Rivera of WBBA,  Dave Schubert of Accelerator Corporation, and Alan Smith of Fenwick & West who will share their perspectives on the life sciences business sector and also ask the selected ZINO Life 2011 Fund Finalists follow-up Due Diligence LIVE! questions at the end of the afternoon.

ZINO Life attendees will choose the "best investment opportunity" and the "best presenter" ZINO Zenith Awards which will be awarded at the end of the business session.  The ZINO Annual Angel Investment Forums Fund investors will select four "best investment opportunity" finalists whom the investors will enter into due diligence following the forum.

Robin Moore, Events and Marketing Director, has handled hundreds of details including all the communication to attendees, reservations and event organization. If you are interested in attending, you can click HERE to make reservations.

Here is the full list of ZINO Life 2011 ZINOpreneur presenting companies:


Aspetica, Inc. / David Hatton
Aseptica's technology prevents catheter related infections. We save tens of thousands of lives and hundreds of millions of dollars every year.

Cerevast Therapeutics, Inc. / Kendall SteverCerevast Therapeutics, Inc. is a medical technology company focused on the development of SonoLysis for the treatment of acute ischemic stroke.

Del Mar Pharmaceuticals / Jeffrey Bacha
Del Mar is developing proven drug candidates that have previously demonstrated human clinical activity in orphan and large-market cancer indications.

DNA Guide, Inc. / Bill KimmerlyDNA Guide develops software to navigate the personal genome for use by pathologists, genetic counselors, health care professionals, and patients.

Emergent Detection / Eric Fogel
Emergent Detection’s BodyKey helps people lose weight more effectively by providing personalized, daily feedback about their body through a simple biochemical test.

Empowering Engineering Technologies / Brian Glaister EETech's ExoWalk products help people with wheelchairs walk their way to better qualities of life.

FiatLux Imaging, Inc. / Max Lyon FiatLux provides a secure online service for the transport, viewing, sharing and storage of, medical images by medical professionals and patients.

GenQual Corp. / Jonathan Mirich
GenQual designs molecular diagnostics to facilitate early disease detection, diagnosis, and treatment approaches.

Impel NeuroPharma / Michael Hite
Impel is developing a novel drug delivery device to enable central nervous system drugs to bypass the blood-brain barrier.

Network Immunology Inc. / George Hoffman
Network Immunology has made discoveries expected to significantly advance the fields of both vaccination and organ transplantation.

Sinuwave Technologies Corp. / Jim BalcomSinuwave is adapting an already proven, high gross margin, disposable drug-device combination technology for the treatment of chronic sinusitis (CS).

S-Ray Incorporated / Steve Baird S-Ray owns a unique way of using ultrasound to detect cracks and cavities in teeth, without radiation.

VacuPractor / Paul Hagen VacuPractor is a revolutionary new treatment device for lower back pain. It is patented and registered with the FDA.











 

Friday, March 4, 2011

MIT Forum - Meet the Angels!

Villette Nolon, Cathi Hatch, Greg Huey
Last night I was one of the panelists representing ZINO Society as one of the seven local angel groups showcased at MIT Enterprise Forum Northwest also including Greg Huey of Alliance of Angels, Nathan McDonald of Keiretsu Forum, Byron McCann of NW Energy Angels, Stephen Handley of Puget Sound Venture Club, Villette Nolon of Seraph Capital Forum and Tom Kadavy of WINGSRebecca Lovell, Executive Director of NWEN, did a masterful job of moderating the panel

Though there were a few entrepreneurs from other business genres, the room was filled primarily with technology entrepreneurs since the MIT Enterprise Forum is dedicated to the advancement of technology commercialization.  The entrepreneurs had a chance to hear a bit about each of the angel groups and about their primary focus(es).  Of the many specific questions posed by the attendees, the primary answer each time was, "It depends.", since each company is so individual.  It is impossible to follow a "rule of thumb" for establishing valuation, though some very good advice was given to avoid going over that $1 million valuation number for brand-new startups.

Rebecca Lovell at podium, Byron McCann, Steve Handley,
Nathan McDonald, Tom Kadavy, Villette Nolon,
Cathi Hatch and Greg Huey
There were questions about what percentage of a company should be the equity opportunity for angels and the response following, "It depends" was that angels are generally looking to own around 30-33% of a company with their funding.  Other important advice given to entrepreneurs was how important it is to communicate with their investors once they do receive funding; both the good and the bad things that always occur in starting up a business.  Byron encouraged the entrepreneurs to believe in themselves and not see themselves as "delusional" as they are passionately pursuing their dream and Steve advised that they be relentless in honing their story and continue to communicate it to their stockholders, their employees, potential investors, potential customers and the world at large.

My advice to entrepreneurs was to use the expert coaching that ZINO Society provides as part of our ZINOpreneur membership benefits and assume that they will need to pitch at multiple angel groups before they receive all the funding that they need to make their company successful.  It is in the best interest of the angel investors and the entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs to get that funding   I believe that collaboration and sharing of information and dealflow between the angel groups is of great value because together we can all make the entrepreneur and angel investing landscape a vibrant one for the future health of new businesses in our region while helping entrepreneurs achieve their dreams and providing the best possible investment opportunity dealflow to investors in our community.
Cathi Hatch, Byron McCann, Steve Handley

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