New in Sonoma County since last spring are two food and drink centers – one in Sebastopol, the other in Healdsburg – offering delicious one-stop intrigue for locals and visitors alike. Haven’t been to either yet? Here’s a visual feast of what you’ve been missing.
The Barlow
![Zazu Kitchen and Farm owner Duskie Estes, right, with chef Doug Richey at the new restaurant location at The Barlow in Sebastopol. (photo by Christopher Chung)](https://www.sonomamag.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/barlow-300x202.jpg)
Sebastopol, the town best known for its once-bountiful apple orchards, is now ground zero for food-and-wine purveyors, with the launch of the ambitious Barlow Center on 12 acres and just a stone’s throw from downtown.
(See even more pictures in our gallery)
The center has been welcoming tenants to its 18 buildings in spring, creating a new “maker hood” where Highway 12 meets Morris Street.
Barlow developer Barney Aldridge created the food-and-wine center to provide a deeper connection between consumers and some of their favorite products, from beer and wine to ice cream and bacon. The current mix of 30-some businesses also includes a clothing boutique and bookstore, two art galleries and a yoga-Pilates-dance studio.
The half-dozen original buildings of the former apple cannery underwent major renovations and structural upgrades; the rest of the complex was constructed from the ground up in a hip, industrial style with high ceilings and lots of metal and glass.
– Guayaki Yerba Mate – Fair Trade beverage company that sources the herbal energy-boosting drink yerba mate (with the “strength of coffee, health benefits of tea and euphoria of chocolate”) from South America
– Kosta Browne Winery – among the most sought-after producers of Sonoma County Pinot Noir and Chardonnay
– Spirits Works Distillery – a microdistillery producing its own gin and whiskey from organic grain
– Taylor Maid Farms – for the coffee and tea-obsessed, this roaster offers tours, barista training classes, community-driven events and an espresso bar
– Village Bakery – a longtime Sonoma County favorite for pastries and sandwiches
– Woodfour Brewing Company – bistro and brewery with an ever-changing menu of beers on tap
– Zazu Kitchen + Farm – where chefs Duskie Estes and John Stewart create whimsical food and their own line of bacon and salumi
Healdsburg Shed
![Cups and saucers at The Shed cafe and store (photo by Chris Hardy)](https://www.sonomamag.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Shed196-300x207.jpg)
Healdsburg’s Shed, which opened in spring, provides farmers and foodies with everything they need to live the Sonoma lifestyle: a market and cafe, a kitchen and garden shop, and a grange-hall-like gathering space.
Cindy Daniel, who owns the Shed with her husband, Doug Lipton, said the pair grew the concept over some 15 years. Their goal? To create a lively venue inspired by good farming, good cooking and good eating, to celebrate the land and the people who grow things.
– Cafe – serving fresh, vegetable-driven cuisine for breakfast and lunch with a less-is-more philosophy, from waffles and pizza to meze plates, to be enjoyed indoors or on one of the outdoor decks
– Fermentation bar – the place to sip wine and beer on tap, plus locally made kefir and kombucha
– Front patio – where picnic tables provide a casual spot for friends to share a meal with wine.
– Garden shop – to the rear of Shed, stocked with pitchforks and organic seeds, reminiscent of a well-thumbed Smith & Hawken catalog
– Market and take-out larder – stocked with smoked fish and foods in various stages of preparation, along with produce from local farmers
![The cooking store at The Shed cafe and store (photo by Chris Hardy)](https://www.sonomamag.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Shed182-300x207.jpg)
– Modern grange space – upstairs, designed for the community to gather for workshops, films and concerts, and dinners on the last Sunday of every month
– Retail kitchen store – stocked with everything from clay pots to fresh spices, evoking the meticulous retailing sensibility of Williams-Sonoma
– Wooden mill – imported from Austria, it grinds locally grown grains for artisan breads and polentas