Côtes du Coeur Gala, one of the most anticipated social events of the year, takes place April 22, 2017 at The Omni Hotel in Downtown Dallas. The annual fine wine auction and celebrity chef dinner is expecting more than 1200 of Dallas’ most generous individuals, with one mission in mind.

The lifesaving mission of the American Heart Association is to build healthier lives, free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke.

“Cardiovascular diseases claim more lives than all forms of cancer combined so this isn’t something we can ignore,” says Melissa Cameron, Executive Director of the American Heart Association, Dallas Division. “The funds raised at Côtes du Coeur go directly towards cardiovascular research and heart health educational programs both locally and nationwide.”

During its more than 25-year history, Côtes du Coeur has attracted more than 22,000 attendees and has raised more than $30 million, making it the number one fundraising gala in the nation for the American Heart Association.

The big bottle party kicked off the pre-party series on January 26th with the price of admission being a generous heart and a big bottle of wine at the home of Pam and Mark Okada. These large format bottle donations were gathered for the “big bottle alley” section of the silent auction at the Côtes du Coeur gala. Next on the calendar, was the February 19th Chef Announcement Party at the Wolf/Subzero Showroom, where Chef Chair Richard Chamberlain, one of America’s leading chefs, had the honor of introducing the team of celebrity chefs for the upcoming gala. In front of a crowd of donors and long-time supporters, the chefs announced the delectable bites they would be serving the night of Côtes du Coeur as well as their wine pairings.

So, who’s who with Côtes du Coeur?

The Event

Kelly and David Pfeil will serve as the 2017 Côtes du Coeur Gala Chairs. The Executive Leadership Team Chair is Barbara Smith, President and Chief Operating Officer of Commercial Metals Company. Tim Gallagher, Chairman of Electronic Transaction Consultants Corporation, is serving as Executive Leadership Team Vice Chair. Cindy Fox leads the way in the wine auction as Auction Chair.

The Food

Chef Chair Richard Chamberlain, from Chamberlain’s Steak & Chop House and Chamberlain’s Fish Market, leads the celebrity chefs which include: Chef Aaron Staudenmaier: Shinsei, Lovers Seafood and Market, Jim Severson: Sevy’s Grill, Dean Fearing: Fearing’s Restaurant, The Ritz-Carlton, Kevin Garvin & Anita Hirsch: Neiman Marcus, David Holben: Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steak House, John Tesar: Knife, Dan Landsberg: Dragonfly, Carl Murray: NOBU, Garth Blackburn: Sub-Zero/Wolf Showroom, Gerard Thompson: Rough Creek Lodge & Resort, Donald Chalko: Omni Dallas Hotel, Matt McCallister: Filament & FT33, Stephen Rogers: Gemma, Alex Astranti: Uchi, Angela Hernandez: Top Knot, Jody Denton and Stephen Kalil: Frito-Lay Kitchen and Chad Houser: Café Momentum.

The Wine

Steve Ellis and Howard Mudrick serve as Wine Advisory Co-Chairs with Georgia Davis, Kim Bannister and Cindy Fox leading the Auction.

This year’s Tête du Cuvée winner is Merry Edwards of Merry Edwards Winery and the event will also feature wines from B Cellars, Barnett Vineyards, Beaulieu Vineyards, Beringer Vineyards, Château Minuty, Checkerboard Vineyards, Clos du Val, Domaine Paul Blanck, Egelhoff Wines, Ehlers Estate, Etude House, Hall and WALT Wines, Herb Lamb Vineyards, J. Bookwalter Winery, JUSTIN Vineyards & Winery, Loring Wine Company, Macauley Vineyards, Modus Operandi Cellars, Montagu Wines/ Silver Ghost, Mullan Road Cellars, Ramey Wine Cellars, Red Mare Wines, Schweiger Vineyards, Sequoia Grove, Stewart Cellars, Torii Mor, Trujillo Wines, Turnbull Wine Cellars and W&J Graham.

For a full list of the leadership team, chefs and wineries or for more information on the event and how to purchase tickets, please visit www.DallasWineAuction.com/tickets.

About Côtes du Coeur

The Côtes du Coeur event series is a premiere fundraising campaign hosted annually in Dallas, Texas to benefit the American Heart Association (AHA). Sponsored by the Dallas Division of the AHA, the event series leads up to an annual fine wine auction and celebrity chef dinner. This culminating black-tie gala event is the largest of its kind, making it the number one fundraising gala in the nation for the American Heart Association. Proceeds from Côtes du Coeur go directly to the AHA for cardiovascular research and heart health educational programs both locally and nationwide. During its 25-year history, Côtes du Coeur has attracted more than 22,000 attendees and has raised more than $30 million.

About the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association

The American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association are devoted to saving people from heart disease and stroke – the two leading causes of death in the world. We team with millions of volunteers to fund innovative research, fight for stronger public health policies, and provide lifesaving tools and information to prevent and treat these diseases. To learn more or to get involved, call 214.441.4200, visit heart.org/dallas or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.