Leonardo DiCaprio’s charity gala on September 15th in Sonoma will be a combination of glamorous guests, a gourmet (and sustainable!) menu and good works — and PEOPLE has an exclusive look at the night!
DiCaprio, who is currently filming Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon A Time in Hollywood, is celebrating the 20th anniversary of his foundation. The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation is dedicated to protecting the Earth, including conservation of oceans and wildlife and fighting climate change.
The gala, held at Jackson Park in Sonoma County, will be hosted by DiCaprio and Laurene Powell Jobs, philanthropist and widow of Steve Jobs. The night will include a special performance from Chris Martin of Coldplay and an auction by Sotheby’s. The auction catalog available for bidding includes artworks by Wayne Thiebaud, Richard Prince and David Hockney, all selected by DiCaprio’s art advisor, Lisa Schiff.
The menu will include a three-course dinner and dessert. DiCaprio requested a sustainable menu, which was created by Chef Kyle Connaughton from SingleThread Farms.
The menu’s first course, “Summer in Sonoma”, consists of various vegetables with a creamy tofu sauce and seafood, all from local food suppliers. The vegetable selection includes heirloom melon and goma dare (a Japanese sesame sauce) broccolini, followed by seafood including pickled oysters and smoked scallops.
The second course features heirloom tomatoes with homemade tofu and pickled wasabi leaves, followed by the entrée course of roasted turbot with heirloom squash and Sonoma mushrooms. For dessert, guests will dine on sesame semifreddo, an Italian treat made with heavy cream and sesame seeds. The wine selection, put together by Jackson Family Wines in Sonoma, features a Sauvignon Blanc (pictured below), a Pinot Noir and a Chardonnay all from California vineyards.
The star-studded event will be attended by celebrities including Tobey Maguire, Edward Norton and Mark Ruffalo.
DiCaprio has always been outspoken about climate change. In his acceptance speech after winning an Academy Award for Best Actor in 2016 he said, “Climate change is real. It is happening right now, it is the most urgent threat facing our entire species.”
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