Camins 2 Dreams, Tara Gomez

Camins 2 Dreams and I, Tara Gomez are a signee of the WINE Pledge.  Although we did not have hired workers in 2022, we did work towards diversity, inclusion, justice, and belonging in the wine industry.  Following is my summary of what we did in 2022.

Over the last couple of years, we’ve been strong advocates of mentorship.  Tara was an advisor for the first ever James Beard Foundation Legacy Network Program which advances equitable leadership in the culinary industry from historically under-resourced communities, prioritizing the BIPOC community for this first cohort.  She continues to be active in the network program, and volunteers her time with the advisees and whenever she’s called upon to participate within the James Beard Foundation network. 

Along with the James Beard Foundation Legacy Network Program, Tara is a mentor for the Roots Fund which is a nonprofit organization focused on securing a pathway for the BIPOC wine community.  She actively meets with her mentee to discuss not only goals and learning from personal experiences, but cultivating the self-confidence and self-esteem through fostering a welcoming environment where they feel safe and she (Tara) can actively listen.  Although her yearly mentorship has ended, she still continues meeting with her mentee once a month.  On top of these two programs, both Tara and Mireia keep their doors open for others in the wine industry to reach out with support.  

Our tasting room was also created as a safe space for all genders to come and enjoy a glass of wine while focusing on the LGBTQIA+ community and the BIPOC community. We feel as being a part of these two communities, we wanted to foster building community while giving others a sense of belonging and inclusivity.  We have outdoor signage that is welcoming to these communities and we actively promote this within the community, with all that enters, feel a sense of belonging and safe to be themselves.

As a business since inception, we have also been donating our time to other non-profits in helping to raise money for the under-represented communities.  We are very active with participating in raising funds for the migrant agricultural workers, whether it’s helping them with health insurance, giving them monetary assistance, or donating gifts for migrant families during the Holiday season.  Vino de Sueños and the Santa Barbara Vintners Foundation are just a few that we participate in donating to.