If you’re looking to head down a shopping road less traveled, there are super Sonoma-esque finds to explore at the antique mall at Sonoma Industrial Park.
With a holiday sale on Saturday, Nov. 26, featuring music by Jon Williams, an El Brinquito food truck and prizes, now is a particularly good time to discover (or rediscover) this hidden treasure of vintage stores.
The Sonoma shopping destination may be a little heavy on the “hidden”— tucked away on Eighth Street East, it’s a ways off the Sonoma Plaza — but it’s very heavy on the “treasure.” In addition to reclaimed, vintage and antique finds at the mall’s five female-owned businesses, there are crafts, tailoring, repair and upholstery services, and even a kitchen consignment store with a selection of food offerings by an award-winning chef.
Within the stores that inhabit 10,000 square feet of warehouse space are different vendors offering their signature curations of items, resulting in a wonderfully eclectic selection.
Reclaimed Antiques’ inventory ranges from a little Spode creamer to midcentury modern curiosities to antique furniture pieces. There’s a collection of locally made items, from lotions to Leatherhead Coffee (owned by a local fire battalion chief) to olive oil infused with natural ingredients to create inspired flavors: butter, chipotle, scallion, blood orange.
Reclaimed Antique’s next-door consignment furniture store has an on-site upholsterer for pieces in need of a little restoration.
In Warehouse 19678, the mall’s first store which opened in 2010, there are decorative vintage finds—from baskets to artwork to artifacts—but also newly-made crafts. Photographer and chicken farmer Tania Soderman of Sonoma Chicks has a pretty display of art photography cards and holiday crafts, like decorated quail eggs in tiny glitter-coated boxes. Exquisite handbags are made by Merryl L. Latini of LML Designs. Latini uses high-end velvets and silks fabrics, and ornaments the purse closures with semi-precious stones or fashionable buttons from her own collection.
Warehouse 428 Kitchen sells vintage kitchen finds, but also offers a weekly menu by store owner and chef Robyn Schultz, who just won second place in the soup category at the World Cooking Competition held in Dallas. Also in stock are Schultz’s grab-and-go lasagnas, flatbreads and soups, including her winning carrot-ginger soup. For the competition, Schultz topped the dish with a lump crab wonton and a sweet potato chip.
Emily’s Cottage Home offers a variety of design vibes through various sections, like “vintage modern” and “cottage;” there are even salvaged metal creations in the yard. The store offers tailoring services and makes their own oilcloth tote bags that are perfectly bright, cheery and water resistant for your haul of farm-fresh produce.
Click through the above gallery for a peek at a few highlights from the antique mall at Sonoma Industrial Park.
The Shop Small Saturday event will be held 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 26 at the Sonoma Industrial Park, 19680 Eight St. E., Sonoma. Participating stores are Reclaimed Antiques Mall & Estate Sales, Reclaimed Furniture, SonomaReclaimed.com, Warehouse 19624, 428 Kitchen, warehouse428kitchen.com, Emily’s Cottage Home Decor, CottageHomeDecor.net
Belfare is famous for its fried chicken sandwich. (Courtesy of Belfare)
The farm-market fried chicken wunderkinds at Belfare Sonoma have opened their first brick-and-mortar shop in south Petaluma.
Make the trip because, in addition to the piled-high classic fried chicken sandwich ($15) filled with dill pickles, Cajun cabbage and spicy sesame mayo on a Parker House bun, owner Erik Lowe has frequent additions to the limited menu, including crazy-good Furikake Fingerlings ($7). Cravable crispy potato fingers are dusted with nori and sesame seeds with Lowe’s Asian-style sesame mayo for dipping.
You’ll also find a Breakfast Sandwich ($10), Market Veggie Pickle Plate ($12) loaded with tart pickled vegetables and their signature chile crunch sauce and a selection of by-the-glass or bottled wines that pair with fried chicken (a tasty brut Champagne or French colombard). Grab some of their extra-spicy habanero hot sauce for the road. Open for lunch from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The Belfare team will continue stints at the Petaluma East Side Farmer’s Market on Tuesdays and a mobile kitchen appearance at Flatbed Farm in Glen Ellen from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Dec. 10. 1410 S. McDowell Blvd., Suite D, Petaluma, 707-774-6029, belfaresonoma.com
If you’re after the ultimate Croque Monsieur, consider it found. The newly opened Maison Porcella in Windsor (at the former Chloe’s Catering) is primarily a storefront (for now), with chef Marc-Henri Jean-Baptiste’s luxurious pates, sausages and Parisian-style ham. If you’re willing to wait a minute (and enjoy a glass of wine or two), you can get a piping hot Croque that makes all other Croques seem pitiful.
This grand ham and cheese sandwich ($15) includes creamy béchamel sauce, Gruyere cheese, homemade pain de mie (a slightly sweet French bread loaf) and thin slices of Jean-Baptiste’s award-winning ham. They’re available for warming at home if you’re in a rush, along with the Potato Tourte ($15), with creamy russet potatoes wrapped in puff pastry.
The choices change frequently, but Spicy Pate with pork and chicken gets a flavor bump with Piment’ville pepper. Creamy Chicken Liver Mousse is perfect with a baguette from Marla Bakery.
Marc-Henri’s wife, Maud, runs the front of the house, where there is a growing selection of French and Sonoma County wines by the glass or bottle. She’s also curated several tables of local crafts and pantry goodies, including cheese from Ramini Mozzarella and Valley Ford, teas from Tea and Trumpets and spices.
The couple will open in early December for wine and charcuterie pairings at their cozy bistro tables and bar. The tastings are by reservation only at maisonporcella.com. The storefront is open for Croque Monsieurs and charcuterie from 9 to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. 8499 Old Redwood Highway, Suite 114, Windsor, 707-955-5611.
As the holidays approach, we tend to focus on making our homes more beautiful and cozy. So why not infuse your gifting with some stylish designs this year? We suggest these fresh finds from Sonoma stores — some are locally made and all will brighten wintery interiors. Click through the above gallery for details.
Grilled cheese with birria on Texas Toast is a menu option at Galvan’s Eatery in Santa Rosa. (Heather Irwin / Sonoma Magazine)
New restaurants, new dishes, and best bets for holiday dining. Here’s the latest from the Sonoma County dining scene. Click through the above gallery for must-try dishes and a peek inside the restaurants.
Cyrus, Geyserville
Billi Bi has been called the most luxurious dish in the world. The velvety mussel soup is one of the most delicious things on the nearly 20-course tasting menu at Cyrus restaurant.
Deceptively simple, chef Douglas Keane’s Billi Bi uses the broth of steamed mussels and a heavy dose of cream, butter, and white wine to create a deep, satisfying soup that’s far more than the sum of its parts.
I can only hope, for your sake, it remains on the tasting menu.
Billi Bi Soup with Fennel on the opening menu at Cyrus restaurant in Geyserville. (Heather Irwin / Sonoma Magazine)
The restaurant opened in a former prune-packing plant outside Geyserville in September, 10 years after the original Cyrus in Healdsburg closed. In many ways, this new Cyrus holds to the original vision of Keane and business partner Nick Peyton—a mix of opulent, painstakingly created European and Japanese small bites. It doesn’t get a lot more pinkiesup than this $295 prix fixe meal, though compared to other highend restaurants in Wine Country, Cyrus is a relative deal.
The multi-course experience rolls out in three stages, with just 12 guests per seating and three seatings a night. Diners are welcomed into the Bubbles Lounge with canapés and champagne or seasonal cocktails. The second stage is at a darkened counter in the kitchen, where each place setting is lit with a single spotlight.
Then it’s off to the main dining room for seven more dishes, all served on bespoke ceramic dinnerware. The four-hour experience ends with a trip through a hidden door to the Chocolate Room, where a curtain of melted chocolate perfumes the air and boxes of bonbons levitate. Keane’s ingredient-driven menus change seasonally, but dishes like red wine risotto with Parmesan froth and white truffle (from the original Cyrus menu), duck with hoisin and turnips, and beef with maitake mushrooms and umeshu (plum liqueur) consommé are timeless. Raw seafood dishes served at the table in the chef kitchen include a raw oyster with ginger-shiso-dashi gelée, and kanpachi with passion fruit.
Since 2012, the playing field of high-end restaurants in Sonoma County has expanded, and Cyrus is no longer the only Michelinworthy dining destination. But with chef Keane and his team at the helm, doing their alchemy and creating culinary magic, Cyrus is certain to reach a star once again… or two…or three.
There’s no question who is in charge at Saucy Mama’s Jook Joint. Inside the bustling barbecue spot, owner Yvette Bidegain flits from table to table, with a giant smile and infectious giggle. Here, everyone is “honey,” as Bidegain fusses over customers, leaving a warm sense of hospitality in her wake.
Even on a Sunday, the joint has the Saturday-night feel of a lively rural roadhouse, with waitstaff bringing out plate after plate of ribs, cornbread waffles, and the evening’s special shrimp and grits as fast as the kitchen can keep up.
Saucy Mama’s puts the soul in soul food by fusing the deeply Southern flavors of Bidegain’s family’s Louisiana heritage with her own California culinary twists. A Sonoma County native, Bidegain inherited the barbecue legacy of her father, Leroy Richardson of Richardson’s Ribs.
Raised in Mississippi, not far from New Orleans, Richardson arrived in Northern California in the early 1950s, hoping for a new life and armed with an arsenal of family recipes.
The restaurant business, however, is a second act for Bidegain. The 62-yearold spent most of her adult life working for Caltrans; she recently retired after 36 years on the job. With her four children grown, she needed a new project.
“After the kids grew up, I had a void in my life,” she said. “I had all this extra time when I retired. I said, there has to be something out there that no one else is doing.” Soul food was her answer.
She found an audience ravenous for her unparalleled fried catfish (honestly, the best I’ve ever had); smoked beef ribs; chicken skin cracklings; and best-in-class sides like three-cheese macaroni, collard greens and blackeyed peas. The shrimp and grits special is a jumble of poached shrimp, onions, and garlic atop a bed of creamy, golden cornmeal cheesier than a prom photo.
There are generations of heart and soul in every bite.
Omar Galvan’s dream isn’t to own a taco truck. The 28-year-old food entrepreneur wants a fleet of quesabirria-laden mobile kitchens operating daily at breweries throughout the county. Now, as of this fall, he is one red truck closer to that dream.
Galvan and his brother, Ivan, 24, own Galvan’s Eatery, a shiny red mobile kitchen that has become a familiar sight at Shady Oak, Old Caz, Cooperage and HenHouse breweries. Known for their crispy shrimp tacos, birria grilled cheese sandwiches, loaded carne asada fries and meaty quesabirria, the brothers, both first-generation immigrants, have developed a fiercely loyal following.
Galvan’s “Crispy Pancho” surf and turf. (Heather Irwin / The Press Democrat)
Omar launched the business in October 2020, as pandemic regulations requiring businesses that served alcohol to offer sit-down, dine-in meals created new opportunities for food trucks in Sonoma County. Many local breweries turned to food trucks to fulfill the mandate to serve food. “It just snowballed. People had to try new food at breweries,” says Omar. “It’s all become very harmonious, and families are (at breweries) now.”
Near-constant social media communication has been a boon to their business. Their Instagram account (@galvanseatery) has nearly 9,000 followers and lists upcoming locations, pictures of their customers, and mouthwatering photos of tacos sizzling on the griddle.
With their first food truck booked out at breweries months in advance, the brothers recently used some of their profits to expand, purchasing a replica truck for Ivan to manage. Omar says he envisions the day when he and Ivan will own a large taproom with beers from all the breweries they’ve worked with and food trailers slinging birria and tacos from one end of the county to the other.
“We were destined for this,” he says.
For locations and information, call 707-836-5087 or check Instagram @Galvanseatery.
Marla Bakery at Miracle Plum, Santa Rosa
Like peanut butter meeting chocolate, two of Sonoma County’s yummiest businesses are joining forces on a delicious collaboration.
Miracle Plum, a natural wine bar and market in Santa Rosa’s Railroad Square, has paired up with Marla Bakery to sell the bakery’s excellent coffee and pastries, breakfast and lunch fare, and baked goods for online ordering and in-store pickup.
Terrific bagels from the Marla Bakery pop-up at Santa Rosa’s Miracle Plum. (Beth Schlanker / The Press Democrat)
“We might even do a bagel day on Sunday,” says Joe Wolf, who owns the bakery with his wife, Amy Brown.
Marla’s current production bakery is housed in a Windsor industrial park, so they have little visibility for would-be walk-in customers, according to Wolf, which makes Miracle Plum’s downtown location attractive. Meanwhile, the Miracle Plum team will continue to offer events, CSA pickups, tastings, and seasonal cooking classes in addition to selling pantry staples and natural wines.
This is the perfect Bodega getaway, tucked off the beaten path. It’s a definite upgrade from coastal crab shacks, with a great selection of wines by the glass and an impressive kitchen. Meaty crab cakes arrived in a sizzling mini cast-iron skillet with a nickel-size dollop of creamy aioli. Crispy-edged and full of crab, these were a winner. We also loved the giant bowl of mussels with slices of bread for dipping. The clam flatbread was studded with roasted garlic and bacon, with a light cream sauce atop a cracker-crisp crust.
1412 Bay Flat Rd., Bodega Bay. 707-875-9875, gourmetaubay.com
Vegan and Al Pastor Tacos at Sonoma Eats restaurant in Sonoma. (Heather Irwin / The Press Democrat)
Efrain Balmes of Sonoma Eats in Boyes Hot Springs makes the best Oaxacan food in Sonoma County, using the best ingredients at the best price and infused with the most heart and soul.
“Mexican food is so easy. I don’t know how people mess it up,” Balmes said. “We didn’t have a refrigerator when I grew up, so you cooked and ate fresh food.”
That means canned food is not welcome in his kitchen. Much of the fresh produce at the restaurant comes from nearby Flatbed Farms, where his girlfriend, Haley Cutri, is a longtime manager. Cutri also works at the restaurant with Balmes.
I could end the story there, but Balmes, 36, has a vineyard-clipper-to-restaurant-owner tale with just as much passion as his food.
He arrived in Sonoma County in 2007 with nothing but a dream and a drive to make something of himself. Though it’s a worn archetype, it exemplifies the hopes of many in the Agua Caliente community, where he’s built a thriving restaurant.
By working in vineyards, grocery stores and restaurants in Sonoma — often with two jobs at a time — he saved up to buy a $29,000 mobile home shared with multiple roommates. In 2017, he sold the home for three times its original price and used the proceeds to purchase a food truck he parked at the Barking Dog Roasters.
Haley Cutri and Efrain Balmes at Sonoma Eats restaurant in Sonoma. (Heather Irwin / The Press Democrat)Posole at Sonoma Eats restaurant in Sonoma. (Heather Irwin / The Press Democrat)
The longtime coffee business at the corner of Highway 12 and Boyes Boulevard is a morning beacon that brings together the mostly Latino population of Agua Caliente with visitors at the tony Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn, Sonoma locals and passers-by on the busy thoroughfare.
“I always wished I could have a restaurant here. Back then, I would just dream of it,” Balmes said. “This place was always in my head. I knew it would be great because it is the best location in Hot Springs.”
In 2020, Balmes leapt at an opportunity to open a brick-and-mortar restaurant just three blocks south of Barking Dog and sold his food truck to fund the move. Through the pandemic, the strong following for his takeout food kept the nascent restaurant afloat, though the new restaurant’s tiny kitchen and lack of parking proved problematic.
Kismet intervened when Barking Dog owner Peter Hodgon decided to move his operation closer to downtown Sonoma in July 2022 and rented the Agua Caliente space to Sonoma Eats.
“I feel so lucky that everywhere I go, people help me. I know people with good hearts,” Balmes said.
Potato Tacos at Sonoma Eats restaurant in Sonoma. (Heather Irwin / The Press Democrat)Vegan and Al Pastor Tacos at Sonoma Eats restaurant in Sonoma. (Heather Irwin / The Press Democrat)
After a long build out and remodel, Sonoma Eats reopened in September, and still shares a portion of the space with Barking Dog.
“This is what I was hoping for. I used to sit here in the roastery without a car or phone, and now I have a restaurant. After all that, I’m not afraid of anything,” Balmes said.
Best Bets
Mole Enchilada, $16: This is what you’re here for. Mole can be divisive, with its intense flavors — chocolate, roasted chiles, nuts and potent herbs — mixed into an almost black sauce and sometimes coming from a can rather than slowly cooked over several days. Done right, however, there’s no denying the magic of mole’s ancient roots. Here, humble chicken or mushroom enchiladas are transformed into one of the best dishes we’ve had all year.
Pumpkin Seed Dip, $12: Roasted pepitas are blended with lime, orange juice, tomatoes and spices for a vegan dip that’s mild and creamy and impossible to put down.
Shrimp Tacos (2), $12: Plump shrimp are marinated in citrus, then served with a light aioli studded with juicy tomatoes. This dish is restrained rather than over-seasoned and drowning in toppings to mask cheap ingredients. The beautifully sweet shrimp, creamy aioli and soft corn tortillas speak for themselves.
Shrimp tacos at Sonoma Eats restaurant in Sonoma. (Heather Irwin / The Press Democrat)
Potato Tacos (4), $13: We almost ignored this dish because the name doesn’t do it justice. Small chunks of potato are tightly rolled inside corn tortillas and fried into flautas (“little flutes”), then covered with cotija, crema and avocado slices. The crispy exterior and fluffy bites of potato are excellent alternatives to meat-filled tacos (and can be vegan without the cheese and crema).
Baja Fish Tacos (2), $14: The secret ingredient is … catfish. The mild flavor of this white fish beats the pants off more traditional cod. A chipotle aioli drizzle lends a sweet heat to these overly generous tacos of beer-battered fish.
Wet Supreme Burrito, $16: Enough for a small family or a single teenage boy, this gargantuan burrito is stuffed with meat (we recommend the house-marinated al pastor), cheese, beans, rice and all the fixings. Topped with either mole or Salsa Suiza, a tomatillo-cheese sauce.
Vegan Tacos (3), $11: Rather than a throwaway concession, these mushroom tacos are worthy on their own, served with avocado and salsa verde. They’re also a great addition to a la carte tacos ($3) that include carne asada, chicken, carnitas, al pastor, chorizo and nopales.
Local beer and wine, plus sangria and agua fresca: Taco Tuesday specials include five chef’s choice tacos for $11 or two tacos and a beer for $10.
Sonoma Eats, 18133 Sonoma Highway, Sonoma, at Barking Dog Roasters; 707-939-1905; sonomaeatsmex.com. Open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.
Each year, as the leaves turn yellow and red, we embark on a quest to find the best warm seasonal drinks in Sonoma County. Also known as the “Holiday Drink Smackdown,” our list includes a selection of sippers from popular local cafes. Each brings unique elements to the cup, from delicious homemade syrups to adorable latte art.
While flavor is our focus, cozy cafe ambiance and particularly good-looking drinks contributed to a higher rating.
Big River Coffee Co., Pumpkin Chocolate Chai latte, rating: 10/10
Big River Coffee’s Pumpkin Chocolate Chai latte tastes like dessert in a cup. It’s rare to find a drink that combines chocolate and pumpkin, and adding chai spices to the mix makes it even better. With the perfect combination of spiciness and sweetness, the latte consists of your milk of choice, chai concentrate and Big River’s mocha powder. It’s the perfect drink for someone in search of something a little different than coffee. $4.50-$5.25. 3345 Industrial Drive, Suite 18, Santa Rosa. For more information, visit bigrivercoffee.co.
Sweet and spicy, Big River Coffee brews a tasty pumpkin chocolate chai latte, topped with whipped cream and cinnamon. (Lonnie Hayes)
Crook’s Coffee, Maple Pecan latte, rating: 10/10
Move over pumpkin spice. Maple is the new fall flavor (at least it is for us). Crook’s Coffee’s maple pecan latte combines sweet and nutty flavors into a smooth and rich drink you don’t want to miss this season. $4.50-$6.25. 404C Mendocino Ave., Santa Rosa. For more information, visit crookscoffee.com.
Cotati Coffee Co., Brown Butter Bourbon Caramel mocha, rating: 9/10
In a little nook of Cotati, you’ll find the star mocha in town. Cotati Coffee’s Brown Butter Bourbon Caramel mocha is a seasonal drink that’s perfect for chilly weather because of its warm, round flavor profile. Made with Thanksgiving Roast Coffee, brown butter bourbon syrup, caramel syrup and Ghirardelli chocolate powder, this organic mocha goes down smooth as silk. $5-$6. 8225 Old Redwood Highway, Cotati. For more information, call 707-992-0005.
Brew Coffee and Beer House, Maple Cinnamon latte, rating: 8.5/10
Inspired by a pancake breakfast, Brew’s Maple Cinnamon latte is made with homemade maple cinnamon syrup and topped with cinnamon for extra spice. If breakfast were a latte, it would be this drink. It’s easy to enjoy, and the maple and cinnamon flavors hold their own alongside the espresso. $4.70-$6.30. 555 Healdsburg Ave., Santa Rosa. For more information, go to brewcoffeeandbeer.com.
Get toasty with Petaluma Coffee & Tea Co.’s Brown Sugar Cinnamon latte. Made with fair-trade espresso beans, this latte is cheerful and tasty. It’s simple in the best way, with a few carefully selected ingredients. The espresso’s boldness shines through to create a superb sweet sip, topped with a dainty leaf made of milk foam. $4.50. 212 Second St. Petaluma. For more information, call 707-763-2727.
The heavenly, fresh pumpkin aroma wafts from this organic Taylor Lane latte. (Lonnie Hayes)
Taylor Lane Organic Coffee, Pumpkin latte, rating: 8/10
Taylor Lane brews their Pumpkin latte using their own beans, and they clearly know what they’re doing. Their housemade organic pumpkin syrup tastes as fresh as it sounds. It’s not too sweet, but the flavor mirrors the perfect pumpkin pie. 6790 McKinley St., Suite 170, Sebastopol. $5.50-$6.75. For more information, go to taylorlane.com.
Honey Badger Coffee House, Maple Sage latte, rating: 7.5/10
Coffee with a kick. The flavor of maple pairs nicely with the herbal touch of sage, which makes this latte from Honey Badger so special. The combination is unexpected but refreshing, with the maple creating warmth and the sage coming in like a breath of fresh air. $4.50-$6.50. 101 Golf Course Drive, Suite A3, Rohnert Park. For more information, call 707-585-6185.
Wine tasting at the holidays means so much more than simply the chance to pick out a special bottle to go with a holiday meal. You’re catching the crew at a quieter time of year, when the rush of harvest has passed, new baby wines are resting in the cellar, and vines have gone dormant for winter. Sparklers are being poured, decorations are up, and winemakers might even have a spare moment to chat. Click through the above gallery for four Sonoma wineries to visit this holiday season.
Entire worlds open up at artist Michael Dickinson’s glassblowing studio and gallery at The Barlow in Sebastopol.
Inside the 740-square-foot space, guests step into a wonderland of glass art: delicate holiday ornaments, stunning champagne flutes, jewel-toned wine glasses—even handblown glass marbles that encase a swirl of mesmerizing colors like something out of the deepest corner of the galaxy.
Dickinson’s studio space and gallery, Dickinson Glass, is a don’t-miss at the holidays, when the artist showcases not only his own one-of-a-kind creations, but curates displays of other glass art and ornaments for the season. And when Dickinson is not creating or exhibiting art, he brings his passion for glass alive by teaching.
Artist Michael Dickinson in his glassblowing studio and gallery at The Barlow in Sebastopol. (Eileen Roche)
His studio offers regular classes in beginning glassblowing and art glass, and he rents out bench space to other aspiring artists. “I see this is the ultimate space to share a passion for glasswork,” explains Dickinson. “Being able to create, working with my hands, and the meditative aspect are all reasons I love what I do.”
Dickinson grew up in San Mateo, where his parents owned a commercial glass business. As a child, he watched his parents create custom shower doors, glass windows, and other accent pieces. Most of the work created by his parents was flat, but Dickinson became captivated by the challenges and design possibilities of three-dimensional work.
In his late teens, he took a glass-blowing class in Berkeley and quickly became hooked on the creative prospects of the material. He rented a spot at a local studio and learned as much as he could from other artists. Eventually, the artist developed his own signature patterns for his glassware, a series of delicate, wavy patterns based on mathematical graphs that open up a feeling of movement and warmth.
“It’s always been so cool to me that you can melt glass and change its form,” says Dickinson. “I’ve been lucky to be able to build a career around it.”
Artist Michael Dickinson uses a benchtop torch to work on a custom ornament. The torch’s flame reaches 4,500 degrees Fahrenheit. (Eileen Roche)A caddy on artist Michael Dickinson’s workbench holds works in progress and tubes of borosilicate glass, his primary raw material. (Eileen Roche)
Dickinson and his wife, Nicolette, first fell in love with Sonoma while visiting friends in the area. They found space in The Barlow in 2021, first opening the glass art gallery and later, Dickinson’s public studio and teaching space. The couple have turned the growing business into a family affair: Nicolette, a former preschool teacher, now helps run the gallery, and the couple often bring their daughter, Luciana, now almost a year old, to work during the day.
Visitors often catch Dickinson in the middle of production. He manipulates the hot, molten glass with special propane oxygen torches that shoot out flames at a temperature of more than 4,500 degrees Fahrenheit.
His raw materials include an array of colorful stock tubes and rods of borosilicate glass, which is harder and stronger than typical glass.
Dickinson says his favorite things to create are drinking glasses of every shape and size, from brandy snifters to champagne flutes. The unique vessels have developed quite a following with design-savvy Californians— Hollywood producer Jerry Bruckheimer recently bought a set of 80 custom glasses for his home. Dickinson says creating drinking glasses is a process that requires his full, total concentration. It’s a challenge to make each glass a uniform height, as each finished glass’s stem, foot, and vessel are made separately and then fused together by a torch. “If you’re not focused, it gets messed up, and you have to start over,” Dickinson says. “I come in here to make glasses and I’m totally zoned out of everything else when I’m working.”
Delicate handblown champagne flutes and cordial glasses sparkle for the holiday. (Eileen Roche)
The glasses are spectacular, but Dickinson’s galaxylike marbles are a creation unto themselves. He creates the marbles, which look almost like black holes, by heating clippings of gold and silver coins and trapping the smoke vapors they release as they’re heated inside multiple layers of glass. Each individual piece can take anywhere from two to eight hours to create, depending on the size.
While part of the space is a showroom for Dickinson’s own work, and, occasionally, the work of other glass artists he admires, his studio takes up over half the space.
The studio and gallery are separated by a glass wall created by his father at his parents’ glass-manufacturing space in San Mateo. The studio also has workstations that Dickinson uses for beginner glass art classes.
In the new year, Dickinson hopes to broaden his schedule of classes and continue to rent out bench space to aspiring artists and others who have taken his glassblowing classes and want to grow their skills—just as he once did. He also hopes to branch out into lighting, specifically large-scale statement chandeliers and other art pieces.
He also wants to continue working on smaller art glass pieces, including those he makes each year to decorate his family’s Thanksgiving table.
Dickinson has a tradition of creating a unique wine glass for each family member and friend who gathers for the holiday, a piece that each guest can take home at the end of the meal. “What I love about glass is that there’s really no limit to what you can create,” he says.
Handblown glass ornaments from Michael Dickinson of Dickinson Glass Studio in Sebastopol’s The Barlow. (Eileen Roche)
An Ornament Extravaganza
Dickinson Glass is partnering with 2BGlass in Sacramento to host “The Ornament Extravaganza” on December 3 and 4, featuring over 2,000 handmade holiday ornaments for sale from 10 artisan glassblowers. The event will be held in The Barlow’s event space, a short walk from the main gallery.
For those who would like to try their hand at glass art of their own this holiday, Michael Dickinson is planning special classes in ornament making. In the two-hour class, guests will experiment with making glass icicles and candy canes to take home; a more in-depth fourhour class will also explore changing the dimension of the glass by blowing a glass bubble and adding color. For class dates, prices, and sign-ups, please visit the website.
Dickinson Glass at The Barlow, 6770 McKinley St., Sebastopol. Open Thurs. to Sun., noon to 5 p.m. and by appointment. dickinsonglass.com
Exploring The Barlow
Glass artist Michael Dickinson and his wife, Nicolette, love to bring their baby daughter with them as they explore the scene in The Barlow market district. Here are a few of their go-to spots:
Barrio
Dickinson and his wife love the rustic Mexican cuisine at this walk-up spot near the community market. Dickinson, who mostly eats vegetarian food, calls the veggie burritos here “absolutely phenomenal.” 6760 McKinley St., Sebastopol. 707-329-6538, barriosebastopol.com
Dos Tacos with two yellow tortillas, your choice of meat, topped with chipotle aioli, pico de gallo, arugula and micro greens from Barrio in Sebastopol’s The Barlow. (John Burgess / The Press Democrat)
Courtesy of Fern Bar.
Fern Bar
Stunningly creative cocktails and mocktails for a date night, and the most beautiful indoor hanging garden around. 6780 Depot St., Sebastopol. 707-861-9603, fernbarn.com
Crooked Goat Brewing
On Dickinson’s first-ever visit to The Barlow in 2019, he and his wife attended a dog birthday party at the local brewery—and ended up falling in love with the scene. They started exploring nearby spaces to rent, and their gallery opened the following year. 120 Morris St., Sebastopol. 707-827-3893, crookedgoatbrewing.com
Catalina Marin and Rodrigo Maturana have worked hard to create a family home their three children can love—a home that happens to be thousands of miles away from the couple’s own extended family. Catalina and Rodrigo were both raised in Chile and moved to Sonoma County nearly a decade ago for Rodrigo’s career. The home they’ve created here reflects both the history of the couple’s native country and new traditions they’ve formed within their Sonoma community.
Catalina was raised in the country’s capital, Santiago, in a family of artists and makers. She and Rodrigo met in business school, and they each built careers in marketing (Rodrigo in the wine industry, Catalina with international corporations like L’Oréal and PepsiCo). When the couple settled in Sonoma, they realized they had an opportunity to redefine the balance between their work and family lives and create a relaxed but design-forward home that connects the threads of the international life they’ve built together.
Catalina, whose eye for design was cultivated by her artist mother, envisioned the family’s home in Healdsburg with a blend of midcentury and contemporary pieces, all united by a sense of history.
“Your house has to speak your language,” she says. “A home without a story has no soul.”
Catalina Marin in her Healdsburg home. (Eileen Roche)
The couple’s own story centers on an appreciation of craft and nature: the lamp made by a local friend from a gourd grown on their farm, seashells and stones collected on Chilean beaches during trips to visit family, paintings by their oldest daughter on the walls—and now, hand-loomed pillows and blankets from Catalina’s textile business.
Growing up, Catalina spent summers camping and riding horses on the rugged coastal island of Chiloé, near Patagonia, where subsistence traditions of farming and weaving carry local families through the seasons. The island displays a wildly beautiful landscape of beaches, weathered wooden churches, brightly painted fishing cabins, and lush pastures dotted with sheep. Local artisans weave wool blankets and other textiles to earn income in the winter, when farming and fishing aren’t as fruitful.
Catalina’s business, TREKO Chile, imports the creations of these rural artisans, preserving traditional sheepshearing, weaving, and dyeing techniques while opening up the beauty of their craftsmanship to new eyes.
“It’s not just preserving Chilean craft, but the specific traditions of this one island,” explains Catalina. “I’ll ask one of our artists, for example, ‘How did you make this particular loop,’ and then we might create a design together with a thousand of those same loops in one pillow. It’s embracing all of that beauty that they have in a contemporary way.”
A holiday meal of homemade empanadas. (Eileen Roche)
Designer Catalina Marin, owner of a Healdsburg company that imports textiles from her native Chile, sets the table with simple, handthrown ceramics and eucalyptus branches. (Eileen Roche)
One advantage of the natural wools and dyes used in Treko designs is that they are incredibly resilient and family friendly. At the family’s Healdsburg home, these traditional textiles are lived with every day—and hold up well with all of the small (and sometimes large) messes that come along with three kids. There’s an heirloom-quality wool throw on the back of the couch and hand-loomed pillows on the beds, all done with a casual care that communicates that this is a family home.
“A house cannot be a museum,” says Catalina. “My kids know they can put their feet up on things; they can jump on the couch. It is a resilient home.”
Older daughter Renata at work on a series of abstract portraits. (Eileen Roche)A black-and-white wool throw from TREKO in the living room. (Eileen Roche)
There are also big meals around the dining table, games of soccer in the backyard (both Rodrigo and son Santiago, 11, are huge soccer fans), and getting together with the neighbors. “I feel that’s what we do in Chile,” says Catalina. “We’re always with our families, and now our friends here are our family.”
Barbecues are popular, as are empanada-making parties where the couple’s younger daughter, 9-yearold Catita, takes the lead in kneading the dough and spooning in the filling. At the New Year, Catalina makes pastel de choclo, a casserole of sweet corn, onions, ground beef, and eggs cooked in individual clay pots for each member of the family.
Catalina cultivates an appreciation for art with her children, in the way that her parents did as she was growing up. “The gift of art is everywhere,” she says, explaining how her grandfather took her hiking, pointing out tiny details in the way the leaves of a plant grew together.
The couple’s older daughter, Renata, 12, carries on the family artistic tradition, recently working on a series of beautifully expressive black-and-white portraits on brown butcher paper that Catalina had framed for the corner of the living room. Catalina keeps all three of the kids busy with open-ended art projects and outdoorsy experiences to continue to foster creativity.
“We have different pens, crayons, Legos, scissors everywhere. So it’s all your imagination—it’s like you’re creating your thing,” she says.
“Your house has to speak your language,” says designer Catalina Marin. Her home has a focus on natural materials, including a handcarved wood vase in the living room. (Eileen Roche)Son Santi and younger daughter Catita lounge in the playroom, where family artwork decorates the walls. (Eileen Roche)
Big projects, like repainting a room or hanging a piece of art or reviewing future designs for the textile business, are another way for the family to be creative together.
“It’s important that they always see us doing projects and working hard, so they know what it takes,” says Catalina.
As her business grows, Catalina says she will work to continue to find the balance between a busy family life and a creative, design-focused one. She would like to explore Indigenous designs from other regions of Chile as well as different natural materials like copper and ceramics.
“My dream would be the whole island and different regions of the country to be able to show what they do,” she says. “But we need to always keep our feet on the ground—and keep who we are at heart.”
For more information on Catalina Marin’s line of imported Chilean textiles, visit trekochile.com.
Like a local
Owner/designer Catalina Marin of the Healdsburg textile company TREKO Chile loves uncovering pieces with history as a way to layer texture and art in her own home. Not surprisingly, she’s a big vintage shopper.
Here are a few of her favorite spots:
Antique Society
This collection of 100-plus vintage vendors in an Art Deco building in Sebastopol has a wonderful bakery alongside. 2661 Gravenstein Hwy. S., Sebastopol. 707-829-1733, antiquesociety.com
Elsie Green
Catalina says she mourns the loss of the local brick-and-mortar location of this unique spot for housewares and other antiques. Fortunately, there’s still an online shop. elsiegreen.com
Gallery Lulo
Elegant, one-of-a-kind jewelry and art pieces for the home, including ceramic vases and delicate wall hangings. Beautifully curated, and every artisan featured has a story to share. 303 Center St., Healdsburg. 707-433-7533, gallerylulo.com
Urban Tree Farm
Catalina loves exploring the trees, shrubs, and plants at this destination nursery. Bonus points for the chance to ride in a golf cart through the 20 acres of displays. 3010 Fulton Rd., Fulton. 707-544-4446, urbantreefarm.com
