Just over 20 years ago (after hanging up her cleats from a brief stint of semi-professional soccer), Katie moved to Napa Valley to pursue a career in food and wine. While managing events at a local winery, her mentor’s daughter was diagnosed with a rare disorder, Rett Syndrome. Although she had just recently moved to the wine country, Katie saw this as an opportunity to give back and make a differ
ence, while bringing together everything that inspired her. In 2004, Katie co-founded the Erika Van Giesen Foundation, alongside an annual epicurean gala, Erika’s Dream, to support it. With the monies raised, in 2006 she helped establish Katie’s Clinic at Children’s Hospital Oakland, which to this day still serves girls and their families afflicted with Rett throughout the Western United States. This fundraising gala was a way to incorporate all her passions; FOOD, WINE & PHILANTHROPY, while throwing one heck of a party and sharing her love for entertaining. In 2009 Katie helped launch Wine, Women & Shoes; A food and wine based event that would become a successful national fundraising platform. Later that year she released her first wine label Toolbox Wine Co., with a mission to craft affordable, quality driven wines that gave back. That same year at Erika’s Dream a few conversations led to Katie taking a leap of faith to make her dream a reality. With “slow and grow” global concept in mind, the last 10 years have been dedicated to building the Feast it Forward brand. She first launched Feast.Network, a digital platform seeking to entertain and inspire alongside master chefs, actors, tastemakers and musicians. After filming original content for five years, Katie opened her flagship “click & mortar” in 2018, The Studio by Feast it Forward. This highly visible live marketing venue in downtown Napa is a film studio + experiential showroom shifting fans to consumers as everything experienced is an on-camera sponsor – essentially a sandbox for brands to engage visitors with a shop-the-look virtual hub alongside a multi-winery tasting collective. Pandemic hit and Katie began to construct The Yard by Feast it Forward, her newest outdoor event and live music venue with two-story shipping containers for brand activations, instagrammable moments and stage – a year round festival-like experience. An entrepreneur (aka take no prisoners) at heart, all of Katie’s experience has led to Feast. She is also the co-founder of My Wine Society, a global wine app that hit the market in June 2018. In August 2020 received the coveted award “Top 20 Emerging Leaders in Food & Ag” while most recently receiving; “Top 30 Inspiring Women To Look Out For in 2022” from Disruptors Magazine, “The Top 10 Leaders to Follow in 2022” from Insights Success, “5 Best Women Entrepreneurs to Watch in 2022” from CIO Bulletin and “50 Fastest Growing Companies in 2022 to Watch” from Silicon Review.
