Laura Sunday, Chili Empress

It's very fitting that Laura Sunday is Cinnabar's Volunteer of the Month for the month for May.  Every first weekend of May brings the Great Petaluma Chili Cook-off, Salsa and Beer Tasting, and Laura is the Chili Empress and creator of this fabulous, fun event.

Laura moved to Petaluma 10 years ago from the East Coast, with two children interested in the performing arts.  When the Sunday family discovered Cinnabar Theater, they decided to make Petaluma their home, choosing it over several other North Bay cities.  The long-time Sunday-Cinnabar connection was born!

Shortly thereafter, Laura created a fundraising group to support the Youth Program at Cinnabar, calling it the Cinnabar Theater Parent Guild.  A number of Cinnabar families joined the group, putting on theater parties, special concerts, creating a wall of tiles made by kids, and ultimately coming up with the idea for the Chili Cook-off.  This is the 6th year of the Cook-off, and it has become a major Petaluma event, with over 1,000 people every year tasting and enjoying themselves.

Laura and her husband Michael own a corporate placement business in Petaluma.  Laura also serves as Vice President for the Cinnabar Board of Directors.  A little-known fact about Laura is that she loves to roller dance and goes almost every Sunday to skate away the afternoon with the roller divas and divos in Golden Gate Park.