About Silver Linings

Founded in 1997, Silver Linings first worked to raise money for cystic fibrosis (CF) research and environmental research, partnering with the Monterey Bay Aquarium and Cystic Fibrosis Research, Inc., where Michael was on the Research Advisory Committee, reading scientific grant applications and funding research projects. Ultimately, this research and that of the CFF and others led to new, life-changing drugs for people with CF.

Soon, Silver Linings expanded to support a number of projects as well as other non-profits, schools, hospitals, and other organizations in the interest of helping children and our environment. Some of our beneficiaries are listed below.

In addition to our community projects, our fund-raising projects include producing a number of concerts including Carlos Santana, Buster Williams, Kenny Barron, Robert Silverman, and other rock, jazz, and classical musicians. All of these concerts were recorded and 100% of proceeds from sales went to support our efforts.

Advisory Board

Dr. Harold McGee is a world-renowned authority on the science of food and cooking. Named one of the 100 most influential people by Time Magazine, McGee earned his PhD in English from Yale and his undergraduate degree in science and literature at Caltech. He has written two prize-winning books, On Food and Cooking and The Curious Cook, as well as many articles and reviews. He was also named food writer of the year by Bon Appétit magazine.

J. Kenji López-Alt is an American chef and food writer. His first book, The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science, became a critical and commercial success, charting on the New York Times Bestseller list and winning the 2016 James Beard Foundation Award for the best General Cooking cookbook. The cookbook expanded on López-Alt’s “The Food Lab” column on the Serious Eats blog. López-Alt is known for using the scientific method in his cooking to improve popular American recipes and to explain the science of cooking.López-Alt started Wursthall in 2017, a beer hall style restaurant in San Mateo, California, and maintains a popular YouTube channel in which he demonstrates various recipes and cooking techniques.

Michael Silver‘s background includes culinary arts (cooking, baking, and as a food safety instructor), math, music, art, computer science, technology, telecommunications, molecular biology, motorsports, teaching, language, scuba diving, and emergency medicine. He has certifications as an EMT, DMT, electrician, an FCC license, in food and alcohol, and he is an honorary Air Force Captain. His volunteer work includes teaching for the American Red Cross, emergency medicine for the Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber, volunteering for the SPCA, teaching high-performance driving, and doing molecular biology research at Stanford University. He has served on Boards for both Cystic Fibrosis Research, Inc. and the Motorsport Safety Foundation. Michael’s professional career includes work for Apple, NASA, Google, and other companies. His own company, Audio High, Inc., has been in business for 25 years. For a full bio, click here.

Dr. David Estroff is an expert in pediatric medicine and pediatric nutrition. He graduated from the Hahnemann University School of Medicine in 1976. Now retired, he worked in Tacoma, WA and three other locations and specialized in Internal Medicine. Dr. Estroff is affiliated with Madigan Army Medical Center. His experience also includes work at Madigan Army Medical Center and at United States Army Health Center Grafenwoehr in Germany. Prior to that, he practiced at MultiCare Medical Center in Tacoma, Washington. He has also been involved in research and residency programs.