Molti Amici is now open. Check out the review of this Healdsburg Italian restaurant by Heather Irwin.

When the funeral parade for Healdsburg’s Campo Fina restaurant marched past Jonny Barr last October, the former SingleThread general manager instantly knew he had to revive it.

Long considered part of the town’s tight-knit social scene, the casual Italian restaurant was an after-work hangout for restaurant workers, winemakers and locals.

Worried that Chef Ari Rosen’s shuttered space at 330 Healdsburg Ave. would languish like many other closed restaurants throughout Sonoma County, Barr quickly raised capital to take over the lease last December.

After some spring remodeling, he hopes to reopen in May as Molti Amici — roughly translated from Italian as “many friends.”

“When Campo closed, something clicked, and I knew I had to bring it back,’’ Barr said. “I needed to make sure the space went to a restaurateur who really cared about our community. I want to bring new life to the space, to pay respect to what was, and to embrace what can be.”

As the new owner, he plans to bring back the wood-fired pizzas, pasta and fiercely competitive games of bocce on the outdoor patio, but most importantly, the sense of kinship Rosen fostered at the restaurant.

“Campo Fina sat at the center of town, and everyone would go there for lunch and dinner,”  he said. “Every time you were there, you’d walk past three or four tables of people you knew. It would take 15 minutes to get to your table because you would get caught up in conversation.”

When Rosen closed the restaurant Oct. 1, he cited the space’s rent doubling, a labor shortage and a lack of housing for restaurant staff.

“We are aware of the challenges that our industry faces, be it high rent or lack of workforce, and we’re embracing the challenge,” Barr said.

Barr has hired his former SingleThread co-workers, Sean McGaughey and Melissa Yanc, to anchor the kitchen as co-executive chefs. The couple owns the buzzy Quail & Condor Bakery and Troubadour Bread. McGaughey also has a French dinner program several nights a week called Le Diner.

“The whole thing was a leap of faith,” Barr said.

The trio joins several other SingleThread alums who have gone on from the Michelin-starred restaurant to other culinary projects.

Barr is quick to point out that the restaurant won’t be a grab for Michelin stars. He hopes to keep the menu simple and seasonal, focusing on the community.

Barr, who is also a sommelier, will curate the wine program. The 115-seat Molti Amici will also have a full bar.

“It just means the world to me to bring the space back for so many people who cherish it. I shot for the moon,” he said.

Ethel’s Bagels, a pandemic pop-up that’s become a top purveyor of Bay Area bagels, plans to open their Petaluma bakery in mid-April after lengthy renovations.

The family-run business took over the former April Pantry space at 1000 Clegg Court last March. They plan to sell organic bagels along with a delicatessen menu including Reuben sandwiches, classic lox, breads such as New York rye, braided challah, babka, rugelach and other traditional Jewish sweets.

But what we dream of is their cream cheese schmears, like smoked lox and black garlic sherry.

If you need a bagel (or Reuben) fix sooner, Ethel’s delivers to selected locations in Sonoma and Marin counties and frequently has pops-up at local farm markets. For more details, go to ethelsbagels.com.

Downtown Santa Rosa coffeehouse Brew plans to hold a soft opening for its new Forestville location on Monday, April 3.

Located in the former Backyard restaurant spot, the new outpost, the second coffeehouse for Brew, will serve the same full food and drink menu as at the Santa Rosa store, including 18 taps with rotating selections of craft beer, cider and wine.

Alisse Cottle and Jessica Borrayo opened the humble coffeehouse, with its recognizable rainbow crosswalk and LGBTQ+ flag, in 2015, and it’s become a beacon for local artists and the queer community.

The new Brew will host rotating pop-up dinners, too. The first will be on Thursday, April 6, with Second Staff’s Rage Cage fried chicken dinner. The new location will be open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. 6566 Front St., Forestville, brewcoffeeandbeer.com. The Santa Rosa location is at 555 Healdsburg Ave., Santa Rosa.

If you’re headed to Sonoma County for a vacation (or staycation), top local hotels and resorts house Michelin-starred restaurants, casual cafes and bistros worth staying in for. Click through the above gallery for some of the very best bets for hotel restaurants in Sonoma County.

Editor’s Note: This list only includes hotel restaurants that are open to the public. Room prices may vary greatly; prices listed here are a snapshot of current rates found online.

I’ve spent months trying to find the perfect Philly cheesesteak in Sonoma County. While I haven’t found the real deal yet, there are some freaking great local takes. Here are my favorite contenders to enjoy on National Cheesesteak Day (March 24) — or any day of the year, really. If I missed one, let me know in the comments. Click through the above gallery for a tasty preview. 

Streetside Asian Grill: This Asian-fusion food truck may seem an unlikely place to find the best cheesesteak in Sonoma County (and the closest thing to the Philly version around). The secret to their success is keeping it simple with crispy bits of steak, grilled onions, bell pepper, white American cheese and mayo on an Amoroso Baking Co. roll (from Philly). The cheesesteak isn’t always on the menu; keep an eye on their Instagram page for details and locations: instagram.com/streetsideasiangrill.  

Canevari’s Italian Cheesesteak: Available on Fridays only, this is the Italian Stallion of cheesesteaks — big and beefy with a nice gooey center. Pick up some fresh cannoli while you’re there. 695 Lewis Road, Santa Rosa, 707-545-6941, canevarisdeli.com.

Flavor Burger’s Philly Sandwich: Flavor Burger’s Philly Sandwich features chicken or beef with Jack cheese, grilled peppers and onions on a French roll. It’s a little more Cali than Philly, but tasty nonetheless. 6560 Hembree Lane, Suite 178, Windsor, 707-836-4096, flavorburgercafe.com.

Ike’s Hollywould’s SF Cheesesteak: The Hollywould’s SF Cheesesteak comes with steak, mushrooms, Provolone cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and Ike’s signature dirty sauce (garlic aioli). Prepare to be stuffed silly — Ike’s is always a belly buster. 1780 Mendocino Ave., Santa Rosa, 707-293-9814, ikessandwich.com.

Charleys’ Steak Philly: Charleys’ Steak Philly is a solid order with provolone instead of American cheese. Plus, you can get it delivered. Order online at charleys.com and get $2 off during National Cheesesteak Month. 1071 Santa Rosa Plaza, Suite 2104, 707-545-7596, charleys.com 

The Cheese Steak Shop: The Cheese Steak Shop’s sando comes with all the right ingredients: sweet peppers, provolone and steak on a toasty Amoroso bun. 401 Kenilworth Drive, Petaluma, 707-763-4900, cheesesteakshop.com 

It’s heartbreaking to announce that chef Chris Ball’s Cotati restaurant, Down to Earth Cafe, closed on March 19.

The cafe opened in 2017, offering spot-on takes on comfort food, including short rib poutine, crispy fish and chips, shells and cheese with bacon and buttery butterscotch pudding. The former fine-dining chef opened a second location in Windsor during the COVID-19 pandemic, but it never gained traction.

Like other local restaurateurs who struggled through the pandemic, Ball held out hope that a return to in-person dining would revive the restaurant industry. He said ongoing labor struggles and a sharp increase in food prices ultimately forced his hand.

“Now is the time to go,” Ball said. “Bittersweet for sure, but I don’t think the situation for restaurants like us will get better as time goes on. We care too much about what we make and aren’t big enough or in the right location for it to continue to work with the extreme increases in food, labor and overhead expenses.”

Greg Brummet may not be a familiar name in Sonoma County, but chances are locals have seen his hand-painted pipe-smoking fish sign and mobile fish “hut.”

For 40 years, Brummet has operated Samnzar Smoke Shack, a one-man smoked fish operation, along the roadside in west Sonoma County. Each weekend, he pulls his covered pickup into a small turnout along Bodega Highway, among the old apple orchards. From this humble location, he sells salmon to longtime customers and curious passersby.

Since the pandemic, though, he’s struggled to keep going, he said. Recently, a friend set up a GoFundMe page to help pay the rent at the location where Brummet fillets, smokes and packages his salmon — increasingly expensive salmon.

“At $9 a pound, I got myself into debt. I’m recovering, but I need anything to keep it afloat. I don’t need a six-pack of beer. This money will go for something related to the business,” he said.

At 79 years old, Brummet doesn’t mince words.

“COVID knocked the hell out of things. After two years of that, I’m bouncing back a little bit, and it’s warmed me up to see people being together again,” he said.

Like many who came to Sonoma County in the early 1970s, when it was primarily a sleepy agricultural community, Brummet loved the simple lifestyle and characters who made the west county their home. For decades, he took classes at Santa Rosa Junior College and sold his smoked fish along the Russian River and on Highway one near Goat Rock.

“I just got drawn here, and it was great. At the time, I paid $17 for my fishing license. Now everything costs so much to live here,” he said.

Brummet hopes the GoFundMe for his Samnzar Smoke Shack will help him pay back money he borrowed to keep the business afloat for a little longer.

“After 40 years on the road, it’s wearing thin. But I want to keep doing it until my body gives out. But I’m gonna go down smiling and being generous,” he said.

To contribute to Brummet’s fundraiser, go to bit.ly/3YpZigL.