NAMING AND DEDICATION APPLICATION
NAME OF PERSON BEING NOMINATED: Don & Sally Schmitt
NAME OF PERSON COMPLETING THIS
FORM:
Brad Raulston
ADDRESS: 6550 Yount Street Yountville
PHONE NUMBER: 707-944-8851
EMAIL: [email protected]
REQUESTED SITE FOR NAMING/INSTALLATION:
Yountville Commons Hall
IF NOMINATING A FAMILY MEMBER, WHAT IS YOUR RELATIONSHIP? N/A
Please illustrate below the reasons for your nomination. Please be as complete as possible. Attach additional pages or supportive materials if needed to clarify the nomination.
The Town is preparing for the 60th anniversary of incorporation while completing the interim uses for the former school site that will be celebrated on February 4, 2025. As a symbol of Schmitt’s contribution to the last 60 years of Yountville history, naming the multi-purpose room in their honor is a fitting tribute. Schmitt Hall at the YV Commons will become a place for the community to gather and celebrate in future decades.
The Schmitt's moved to Yountville in 1967 when Don took a job re-imagining the old Groezinger Estate Winery which opened at Vintage 1870 shopping arcade. Sally created the Vintage Cafe (Coquetta Building) and then shortly after, the Chutney Kitchen (Bottega). In 1974 the couple left the Vintage 1870 and the restaurants and moved down the street to a run-down old building historically known as the French Laundry. With the help of the entire Schmitt family, the French Laundry opened its doors in 1978 with Sally in the kitchen and Don at the front of the house. Don and Sally were both very invested in the future of Yountville. By 1976, Don had served on the Town Council for 13 years, 4 as Mayor and worked diligently to preserve Yountville's rural charm while encouraging business.
It is said that Sally was the earliest pioneer of California Cuisine, cooking farm to table and starting the Napa Valley's culinary movement. Don, alongside her in the business, also took on the great role of helping to guide the early days of Yountville as an incorporated Town with his public service.
When Don became Mayor he recruited Lawerence Halprin, renowned planner and landscape architect, to Town to rewrite the General Plan that became the blueprint for the Town’s growth. Prior to that, the plan for the Town was to grow into a municipality with a population of 30,000 people that would sprawl into what we now know as the Ag Preserve that insulates and beautifies Yountville. The Schmitt/Halprin plan envisioned the rural small-town charm that residents and visitors enjoy today.
Community-wide activities responsible for:
As described above, both Sally and Don were integral in shaping the future of Yountville.
Local clubs or organizations served:
Yountville Town Council
School attended:
N/A
Major benefit(s) to the history of Yountville?
See description above
Why are you nominating this person?
To honor Sally and Don and their contributions to Yountville.
Submit form to:
Yountville Parks and Recreation Department 6516 Washington Street Yountville, Ca 94599 or by email to [email protected]