July 31, 2002     Los Gatos, California Since 1881 Photograph by Kristopher Gainey Jondel Goldsmith (second from left), director of special events for Spago in Palo Alto, helps replace a tray during a recent event at Montalvo. Gourmet meals complement performances at Montalvo By Suzanne Cristallo This year, dining on the terrace during Montalvo's Garden Theatre performances in Saratoga should provide an element of awe both for star-watchers and culinary groupies. The month of August has 10 artists and groups performing. For the star-watchers, the topper is Diana Ross on Aug. 14, entertaining for the Montalvo Service Group's annual gala fundraiser. For culinary fans, dinner on the terrace before each performance will be catered by Spago Palo Alto, under the direction of executive chef Aram Mardigian—a protege of owner Wolfgang Puck. Ross' performance is already a sell-out, earning $300 a head for guests who will indulge in cocktails, an auction and dinner beforehand. But there's still a chance to catch dinner and a performance by artists who conjure colorful memories of our lives from decades ago. In the 1960s, rhythm and blues was new, and the pioneers of that sound were the Isley Brothers. On July 31, they will let go with an R&B review complete with dancers of doo-wop, rock, funk and pop numbers. The proper dinner accompaniment will be Chef Mardigian's all-American fare of roasted rosemary and garlic chicken, mashed potatoes, summer vegetables, cornbread and strawberry shortcake. That same decade in and around Berkeley found students with more on their minds than doo-wop and rock, and Joan Baez expressed their unrest and protest in sweet, clear tones. She's back on Aug. 23 to sing her haunting ballads, augmented by Italian fare of caprese salad, pasta pomodoro, salmon picatta, chicken cacciatore and pastries. For those guests who can remember the early 1950s in San Francisco, it shouldn't be hard to summon a scene of an after-hours lounge thick with cigarette smoke stirred by heads nodding to the "cool, West Coast" sounds of Dave Brubeck. In '51, he had just added Paul Desmond to the group, expanding his trio to a quartet. Today that quartet, which now includes two of Brubeck's sons—Dan and Chris—will be serving up "cool jazz" on Aug. 16. Spago will serve Italian fare on that night, too, featuring salmon alla puttanesca, a piquant sauce that purportedly lures men by its scent. Montalvo is dedicated to presenting literary, performing and visual arts. It also supports practicing artists in a variety of media by providing a residency program. That program is temporarily suspended while 10 new architect-designed residences are completed—hopefully by the fall of 2003. Meanwhile, Montalvo continues to carry out the wishes of its original owner, the late Sen. James Phelan, who, when he died in 1930, willed what he called his "Athens of the West" to the people of California. His intent was the development of art, literature, music and architecture by promising students. The culinary arts seem a proper addition. Spago's chef, Mardigian, has worked with Wolfgang Puck since 1995, when he came to Hollywood from his hometown of Albany, N.Y., fresh out of culinary school. It had been his intent to work for the acclaimed chef who had cooked for Maxim's in Paris and Hotel de Paris in Monaco. He was hired immediately and worked at Spago Hollywood, then Spago Chicago. Soon he opened Trattorio del Lupo at Mandalay Bay and Postrio at the Venetian Casino in Las Vegas. Besides several accounts, including Stanford University and the San Jose Museum of Art, Spago now is catering Montalvo and Hakone Gardens in Saratoga. Montalvo Garden Theatre and Dining on the Terrace is at 15400 Montalvo Road, Saratoga. For information, call 408.961.5823.