Wine, Food & Fun at Fundraising Event to Benefit Michael Bryan

We often take our legs and feet for granted...until a prosthesis-clad Peachtree Road Race runner bounds past, giving us at least 5K to mull over how much they've endured and persevered. Since being diagnosed with stage 3 pleomorphic sarcoma cancer in 2012, Michael Bryan has persevered through chemo, radiation, surgery, months of rehabilitation, the removal of his left leg at the hip, the addition of a prosthetic leg in its stead plus more rehab and therapy. Medical expenses have piled up beyond insurance allowances for Michael and wife Lelia, who had opened Vino Venue three weeks before the diagnosis. Vino Venue/The Atlanta Wine School, Flavors magazine and Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles magazine are collaborating to help out by hosting a Friends of Michael Bryan FUNdraising benefit, and The Giving Kitchen is providing a matching grant. Block out the hours of 3-6 p.m. on Sunday, February 8 to hang out at Vino Venue in the Georgetown Shopping Center located off I-285 at Chamblee-Dunwoody Road. Top chefs collaborate in the wine school's kitchen, and guests will savor a contrast of sushi and Brazilian "low 'n slow" charcoal-grilled meats along with fine wines and craft beers. A silent auction, raffle and bottle pull play out over the course of the afternoon. Buy tickets online, $75 per person.

Gerry Klaskala Taking his Talents to Naples Winter Wine Festival and Benefit

Gerry Klaskala, executive chef and owner of Aria, is taking his talents to Naples, Fla. during the Naples Winter Wine Festival, January 24-26, 2014. On Friday, January 24, Klaskala and other celebrity chefs from across the nation will take over the kitchens and dining rooms of Naples Children & Education Foundation (NCEF) trustees - and the homeowners won't mind a bit. The chefs will prepare signature dishes and be joined by vintners with fine wines to create an intimate, one-of-a-kind wining and dining experience for guests. All this preparation and hard work will aid the NCEF's primary annual fundraising event. Themed "Celebrate the Journey," the festival boasts other events including "Meet the Kids Day Tour & Luncheon," wine tastings, gourmet meals and an auction offering wines, dining and travel experiences and one-of-a-kind treasures. The NCEF supports programs that improve the physical, emotional and educational lives of underprivileged and at-risk children in Collier County, Fla.