Oaxacan-style Molotes from Lucha Sabina food truck in Roseland. (Courtesy of Lucha Sabina)
Here are the latest news from Sonoma County’s dining scene.
The Nectary on the Move
The Nectary, those power juicers ready to rev up your morning, have moved from their location at The Barlow in Sebastopol to 7300 Healdsburg Ave. in Sebastopol.
If you’ve never been, it’s a fascinating trip down the rabbit hole of superfoods, teas, medicinal mushrooms (of the non-psychoactive type), nut milks, raw food and drinks that will put your morning green smoothie to shame.
A new favorite: Into the Wild Blue Yonder smoothie bowl is as pretty to look at as it is to eat, stockpiled with fruit, chia seeds, cashew mylk and ginger and colored with Blue Majik spirulina.
Open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, 707-829-2697, thenectary.net. Also at 312 Center St., Healdsburg, 707-473-0677.
Mitote Food Park Opens
The long-awaited Mitote Food Park in Roseland has officially opened, now featuring beer, wine and Mexican-inspired cocktails along with food trucks including Lucha Sabina and Maria Machetes. One note: The Charro Negro seafood food truck that’s a Mitote standby is on hiatus as Chef Rodrigo Mendoza prepares to open Goldfinch in Sebastopol.
A ribbon-cutting celebration with sample bites from food trucks will take place 4-6 p.m. July 14. 665 Sebastopol Road, Santa Rosa. Facebook.com/mitotefoodpark
Caldo de Chamorro de Borrego with mushroom from Lucha Sabina in Roseland’s Mitote Food Park. (Courtesy of Lucha Sabina)Tacos with mole at Maria Machetes in Roseland’s Mitote Food Park. (Heather Irwin/Sonoma Magazine)
Goldfinch Replaces K&L Bistro
Goldfinch is replacing K & L Bistro, which closed in May. Owners of The Livery, a forthcoming event, coworking space and food hall, purchased the longtime bistro and hope to open the restaurant this fall. According to Chef Rodrigo Mendoza, the menu will focus on plant-based ingredients with meat as a “condiment.” Stay tuned for more details.
Howard Station Cafe in Occidental has officially hit middle age! A favorite brunch spot on the way to the coast, the family-owned restaurant serves up egg-cellent omelets, buttermilk pancakes and Smash burgers. Plus, the patio is Fido-friendly and they have a secret dog menu.
Open from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday through Wednesday (closed Thursday). 3611 Bohemian Highway, Occidental, 707-874-2838, howardstationcafe.com
(From front) The original Eggs Benedict, the Howard’s Egg Sandwich, the Howard’s Club sandwich, freshly squeezed orange juice and a cappuccino at the Howard Station Cafe in Occidental. (Beth Schlanker/Sonoma Magazine)The Belgian waffle with strawberries and cream, the original Eggs Benedict, freshly squeezed orange juice and a cappuccino at the Howard Station Cafe. (Beth Schlanker/Sonoma Magazine)
Zee’s Diner to Reopen as Brothers Cafe
The former Zee’s Diner is slated to reopen later this summer in west Santa Rosa as a breakfast-to-dinner diner. Javier and Jorge Borges, formerly of Hole in the Wall Cafe in Sebastopol, are opening their own restaurant at the oft-changing space. More details as the space gets closer to opening.
Hectic at work and nonstop at home? It’s time to pencil in a weekend with your besties. These four Sonoma hotels have everything you need for a girls getaway. Pair your stay with winery visits, farm-to-fork cuisine, serene spas and serious shopping and your ladies retreat will be one for the books. Click through the above gallery for details.
A vegan sheet pan pizza called “Korean BBQ Pulled Shrooms” has shredded trumpet mushrooms, slow cooked Korean barbecue sauce, red onion and chilies, at Magdelena’s Savories & Sweets, in Petaluma, Calif., on Saturday, February 19, 2022. (Photo by Darryl Bush / For The Press Democrat)
Let’s just get this out of the way up front: I am not a vegan. I’ve often thought that if some medical condition suddenly rendered me lactose intolerant, cheese is what I would miss the most. I mean, how could I ever enjoy pizza again without the creamy goodness of dairy mozzarella?
The vegan pizzas of my imagination were always lackluster affairs, smeared with tomato sauce and halfheartedly dotted with sad, naked mushrooms longing for the comfort of a mozzarella blanket. Then I began seeing some truly intriguing vegan options on restaurant menus all over Sonoma County, and my skepticism turned to curiosity. Could these plant-based pizzas actually satisfy my cravings?
Hell yes, as it turns out. Known for their creativity and devotion to fresh, local ingredients, Sonoma County chefs are tossing and topping specialty vegan pies that everyone can love. The secret, pizzaiolos say, is in choosing ingredients with intention and finding the right balance of tastes and textures.
“My philosophy with all of the food that I make is that it’s packed with flavor and that there’s consideration for sweet, fat and acid,” says Greta Canton, owner of Magdelena’s Savories & Sweets in Petaluma. “When you experience it, you won’t miss anything.”
Rather than opting for widely available vegan cheeses and meats, Canton seeks out small producers that offer more interesting options. “I like vegan cheese, but it can have a strong flavor that can be overpowering,” she says. To ensure balance, she chooses milder-tasting cheeses that won’t steal the show.
Rob Larman, chef-owner at il Fuoco in Sonoma, likes to complement the neutral profile of local Miyoko’s mozzarella with bold toppings. “I try to punch up the flavors with roasted vegetables,” he says, “like Romanesco with Calabrian chili.”
While approaches may vary, the results are surprisingly—at least to this omnivore—delightful. Read on to learn about five of our favorite vegan pizza destinations across the county.
Il Fuoco, Sonoma
Chef-owner Rob Larman converted his Cochon Volant barbecue restaurant to a wood-fired pizza joint in 2021. Along with traditional Italian-style pies, il Fuoco features a rotating vegan special that varies by season. The current offering is a powerhouse combination of Miyoko’s mozzarella, caramelized onions, broccolini, roasted Romanesco and Calabrian chili—all perched on a bubbly Neapolitan crust. This fall, look for a vegan pumpkin pizza with roasted onion and fennel.
(Note: Magdelena’s permanently closed in 2023, though it now offers catering.) Opened in early 2022 on Petaluma’s east side, this vegan and vegetarian café has wowed patrons with its satisfying sheet pan pizzas. Owner Greta Canton, a vegetarian for more than 30 years, knows just how to strike the right balance of flavors and textures for mind-blowing results. We love the Buffalo Cauliflower Blue for its chunky veggies and creamy ranch and blue cheese sauce. The Black Sheep Greek is a meaty-tasting medley of vegan lamb, housemade feta, roasted red pepper and calamata olives.
Rosso has been cooking up some of Sonoma County’s best Neapolitan-style pizzas since 2007, so it’s no surprise that the pizzeria makes an exceptional plant-based pie. The Vegan Veggie starts with a base of Rosso’s chewy, wood-fired crust, housemade tomato sauce and shaved garlic, then takes the experience to the next level with vegan mozzarella, kale-pistachio pistou, roasted Roma tomatoes, fried fingerling potatoes and spring onions.
Newly opened in downtown Forestville, Sonoma Pizza Company has already gained a following for its blistered-crust, Neapolitan pizzas. The restaurant offers vegan options for all of its signature pizzas, featuring Miyoko’s mozzarella, Happy Little Plants pepperoni and Beyond Meat sausage. Try the bright and savory Broccolini & Lemon pizza studded with wood-fired broccolini, charred Meyer lemon confit, spring onion, slow cooked garlic confit and Espelette pepper.
Wild Goat founder Nancy De Lorenzo recently sold the popular downtown café to Risibisi longtime general manager Jacob Gamba, but thankfully, the concept and menu will remain the same. That’s great news for fans of The Pearl, the menu’s staple vegan pie. A longtime vegan, De Lorenzo lovingly developed this thin-crust, wood-fired pizza to suit her own discerning tastes, combining tomato sauce, mozzarella, sausage, fennel pollen, mushrooms, caramelized red pearl onions, pepperoncini and basil. The key to its success is fennel pollen, which makes the vegan sausage taste like the real deal.
Have you watched “The Bear” on Hulu? If you’re in any way associated with or interested in the restaurant world, the answer is probably a resounding, Yes Chef! The FX drama about a young cook, his dysfunctional family and a deteriorating restaurant is an emotional roller coaster of addiction, psychosis, screaming and Hail Mary saves.
In other words, pretty much #restaurantlife.
The Bear on Hulu. Courtesy FX
The eight-episode series tells the story of fine-dining chef Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto (played by Jeremy Allen White) who returns to Chicago to run his family’s lowbrow deli and sandwich shop after the death of his brother. A James Beard Award winner fresh from stints at some of the world’s best restaurants — The French Laundry, NOMA and Eleven Madison Avenue, Carmy suddenly finds himself slinging greasy beef subs next to a cast of flawed but lovable characters.
Real-life chef Matty Matheson plays Fak, a foul-mouthed handyman and aspiring chef. Liza Colon Zayas is the scheming but under-appreciated Tina; Ebon Moss Bachrach (Richie) creates unnecessary drama at every turn; and Ayo Edebiri (Sydney) gives a winning performance as a struggling young sous chef with more talent than the entire kitchen staff combined.
The series is an unflinching look at the unsexy, unappreciated work of running a mom-and-pop restaurant that will cure anyone of their food service fantasies. But it’s also a window into the passion that makes chefs and restaurateurs persist, despite having to deal with shady purveyors, angry customers and staff quitting mid-service.
Viewers will also pick up kitchen terms like “behind,” “hands,” “all day,” and “brigade,” and learn what a walk-in and speed racks are, and why the title “Chef” is essential. Knife skills are impressive, with whole onions brunoise cut in seconds, and there’s a heaping helping of back-biting, bloody fingers and equal-opportunity humiliation.
Overall, “The Bear” is a poignant portrayal of restaurant life, where kitchen hierarchies, the challenges of being a woman in food service, addiction, drug abuse and the chaos of life behind the counter are served up hot.
All episodes of The Bear (Season One) now streaming on Hulu.
Bacon Cheeseburger, Dirty Fries with Al Pastor and “Corn” Dog with elote at Buns Only food truck. (Heather Irwin/Sonoma Magazine)
Lila Mathia runs a tight ship, or in her case, a 25-foot food truck. Her mobile business, Lila’s Streetside Eats, is currently parked, as it often is, in front of Parliament Brewing Company in Rohnert Park. She has less than one hour to finish baking her hand pies, warm the pulled pork for nachos, and make sure the hot pastrami Reuben dip is nice and gooey. Hungry beer drinkers are already knocking on the truck window asking when the food will be ready.
“We open at one o’clock,” she says brightly but firmly, closing the window and getting back to work.
Inside the gleaming stainless steel galley kitchen, Mathia and her son, Jake, do a graceful dance as they each attend their post in preparation for the onslaught. The generator whirs into action, ovens are turned on, and pilot lights lit. It’s meltingly hot, and there’s always the potential things could, well, quite literally blow up if something goes wrong.
All that, and an impatient line is already forming outside. Welcome to food truck life. The faint of heart need not apply.
Guests enjoy live music and food options from several trucks on Saturday nights at The Block. (Beth Schlanker/The Press Democrat)
Sharing the summertime vibe at The Block in Petaluma. (Beth Schlanker/The Press Democrat)
Mathia is part of a new wave of mobile food businesses buoyed by the pandemic. Their social distancing friendly format and comforting, calories-be-damned menus were welcome respite from long days at home over the past two years. And now that many are out exploring the world again, their flexible, mobile offerings are even more in demand.
“It’s been a great symbiotic relationship for all of us,” says Adam Bosch, Parliament’s co-owner. A rotating lineup of trucks, including Lila’s Streetside Eats, Tacos San Juan, and War Pigs BBQ, set up outside his small brewery. “We sell more beer because there’s food. They sell more food because there is beer,” Bosch says. “We didn’t want just the same food trucks, but a rotating lineup on different days so customers could try different types of food.”
While farmers markets and breweries have always been welcoming spots to pull up to, the trucks have also been welcomed at several new food parks in the county, like the Mitote Food Park in Roseland, the Bacchus Landing tasting room collective in Healdsburg, and The Block in Petaluma. There are also burgeoning markets like The Yard in Petaluma and Santa Rosa’s SoCo After Hours. Businesses like Lila’s Streetside Eats are now booked for months in advance with a rotating lineup of requests. “We’ve already got weddings in 2023,” said Mathias, who launched her truck in 2019.
Adobo fries prepared at Adobos ’N More’s famous adobo fries. (Beth Schlanker/The Press Democrat)
Prepping orders on a busy night at Adobos ’N More. (Beth Schlanker/The Press Democrat)
Trucks and tents are a more economically attainable pathway to a brick and mortar for many food entrepreneurs. Pop-up tents like JES Plant-Based, a vegan food business, are the first step.
“I’ve always dreamed of my food truck or brick and mortar for my vegan comfort food. It allows folks without means for a restaurant to put themselves out there and bring their business to people,” says Jes Lyons as she dishes up smoked mushroom sliders with pickled onions and cashew cream on soft buns. Her business is less than a year old, but a combination of social media posts and vegan fans looking for an alternative to meaty tacos and burgers is growing her audience.
Throughout the county, a new generation of Mexican food truck owners follows in the footsteps of traditional taco trucks by making Instagram-worthy dishes with fresh, authentic ingredients that appeal to a broadening audience of eaters.
The Mitote Food Park primarily hosts Hispanic business owners and helped launch Charro Negro in 2020. Run by Rodrigo Mendoza, a former Willi’s Seafood chef, the truck serves ocean-to-table dishes like aguachiles (a juicy ceviche made with raw shrimp marinated in lime), fish tacos and fried seafood.
“It’s what you would eat on the beaches of Mexico,” Mendoza explains. The concept is for “barrio” food that connects the Roseland neighborhood to the Pacific Ocean. Long lines form in front of the truck on hot days, with the bright, clean flavors of Charro Negro’s seafood dishes offering a cool respite under the communal Mitote tent.
Laura Mederos, with the Charro Negro food truck, holds up their Aguachile de Camarón, left, and Ceviche de Camarón in the Roseland area of Santa Rosa. (Christopher Chung/The Press Democrat)
This summer, rising prices for gas and raw ingredients, are squeezing owners’ financial margins. “It’s ridiculous. Not only meat costs, but things like mayonnaise and butter. As the cost of food rises, I get disappointed because I want to serve decent food with a cold beer. But I can tailor my menu,” says Lila Mathia. Desserts can be lower in cost to make—and they’re often top sellers, like Mathia’s brown butter chocolate cookie ice cream sandwiches.
Though the work is hardly easy, with three to four days of prep work in a commercial kitchen before spending hot, steamy days inside a truck serving food and long ago almost blowing herself up after accidentally leaving a propane tank on, Mathia says she wouldn’t trade it for the world.
“I wanted to go after a dream,” Mathia says. “It was really challenging, but I love it. I get to be a mad scientist with the food and make people happy.”
Find the Food Trucks
The best way by far to track Sonoma’s mobile food truck scene is on Instagram. The new @socofoodtrucks page offers daily updates in one spot.
The Everything-You-Need-to-Know Rundown of Sonoma’s Food Truck Scene
Adobos N’ More: Filipino food you won’t soon forget. Lumpia, adobo fries, bacon-wrapped crab, adobowl with pulled chicken or pork, rice, and lumpia. adobos-n-more. square.site.
Bayou on the Bay: Chef Bradley Wildridge is all about Cajun fusion food, with beignets, curry jambalaya, crawfish meat pies, and Muffuletta sandwiches. Instagram: @bayou.onthebay
Mac and cheese with smoked mushrooms at Bayou on the Bay. (Heather Irwin/Sonoma Magazine)
Black Piglet: Former Zazu owners John Stewart and Duskie Estes serve up amazing BLTs, salumi, salads, and Rodeo Jax, their famous bacon caramel popcorn. facebook.com/zazublackpiglet
Buns Only: Jose Cazares’ food truck is a marriage of burgers, hot dogs, and tacos. Perfectly cooked bacon cheeseburgers are among the most satisfying we’ve come across and “dirty fries” with sweet al pastor pork, guacamole, and more. Instagram: @bunsonlysr
Camachos Southern Style BBQ: Big bold, smoky goodness is their motto, and their tender meats are cooked low and slow for 12 hours or more. Ribs are a favorite. facebook.com/CamachosSouthernStyleBBQ
Chad Soup Shack: Outstanding soups, but Chef Chad also does short rib and crab sandwiches and whatever’s fresh at the market. facebook.com/Chadssoupshack/
El Charro Negro: Home of the best ocean-to-table tacos and tostadas in Sonoma County. Hands down. No question. Aguachiles, a juicy ceviche made with raw shrimp marinated in lime, are a specialty. Instagram: @charronegrofood
El Roy’s: This family-run Mexican restaurant empire has some of the best Mexican food. They’re usually stationed across the street from the Elenita truck in Roseland or Petaluma. elroysxpressmex.com
Galvan’s Eatery: Birria tacos are finger-licking good. Instagram: @galvanseatery
Holy Chile Mole: This new food truck mixes Romani dishes with tacos and straight-up tasty American faves. Don’t miss the “Gypsy” street dog with bacon, chile mole, and magic mayo, plus pulled brisket fries and short ribs. holychilemole.com
Indian Village Eats: A Flamin’ Hot Cheetos burger with macaroni and cheese stuffed inside is just one of the items on the sort of Indian, sort of Mexican menu. Instagram: @indianvillageeats
Jam’s Joy Bungalow: Southeast Asian-inspired food from talented chef Jamilah Nixon-Mathis. Curries, satay, banh mi, and other fabulous creations. Instagram: @jamsjoybungalow
Jes Plant-Based: From sweets to savory “pulled” mushroom sandwiches and mac and “cheez,” you won’t miss a thing in the meatless, dairy-less deliciousness. jes-plantbased.com
Lila’s Streetside Eats Eclectic: Eclectic pub grub featuring salads, chili, and savory beer rolls. Plus desserts to die for. Instagram: @lilasstreetsideeats
Lucha Sabina: Oaxacan street food focusing on mushrooms and incredible tlayuda (Mexican pizza) alongside more traditional fare. Instagram: @luchasabina
Streetside Asian Grill: The best of two worlds: teriyaki chicken bowls and shrimp spring rolls, plus Philly cheesesteaks and garlic wings. Instagram: @streetsideasiangrill
Sushi Shobu: It was a revelation the first time we had a sushi burrito. Run by a former sushi chef, it’s a sustainable, ocean-friendly model of Japanese cuisine. You’ll find his sushi burritos, housemade miso soup and other freshly made items. Instagram: @shoubufoodtruck
War Pigs BBQ: Not just great BBQ, but competition level BBQ. The sausages rock. Instagram: @warpigsbbq
An Instagram post by Shamar Cotton counting down the days to the Everett & Jones opening at the Graton Resort & Casino in Rohnert Park. (Shamar Cotton / Instagram)
The grill is seasoned, the ribs are smoked and the sauce is flowing at the new Everett & Jones Bar-B-Q, which opened Friday at Graton Resort & Casino in Rohnert Park.
This is the first North Bay location for the nearly 50-year-old barbecue dynasty widely considered part of the “holy trinity” of Oakland’s celebrated African American barbecue culture, along with Flint’s and Jenkins’ Original Bar-B-Que.
“I just want to continue to make my mom and aunties proud,” said Shamar Cotton, the grandson of founder Dorothy Everett and manager of the casino restaurant.
Everett opened the first Everett & Jones restaurant in 1973 with just $700 to her name. The former domestic worker and single mother of nine children put her family to work as cooks, dishwashers and servers, and built a following through word-of-mouth. At one point, there were six Everett & Jones Bar-B-Q restaurants throughout the Bay Area.
The Graton location is one of four remaining Everett & Jones restaurants, including two in Oakland and one in Berkeley, and lines still snake out the doors for the popular barbecue spot.
The menu has remained constant over the years, with time-tested dishes including smoked beef links, pork ribs, barbecued brisket and chicken with the traditional sides of potato salad, baked beans, green beans and macaroni and cheese. Southern-style red velvet cake and peach cobbler round out the uncomplicated menu that stays true to the flavorful, slow-cooking methods that put them on the map.
Everett & Jones relies on the tried-and-true Southern tradition of brick-pit grilling that doesn’t always work with stringent California restaurant codes. Cotton said the Oakland and Berkeley restaurants — built decades before modern restaurant regulations — have grandfathered clauses that allow them to continue using a brick pit with wood coals. New restaurants, he said, could be subject to different rules.
“We wanted to be able to continue how we’ve been cooking for restaurants. We want to put our best foot forward,” Cotton said. Working with the resort, which is on sovereign Native American tribal land, Cotton was able to build out a double-decker steel cabinet encased in bricks that holds burning wood coals at the bottom. A large upper oven is used for cooking and smoking the meat. The entire unit sits under a large ventilation hood.
Casino visitors won’t be the first to sample Everett & Jones’ new menu. For more than a month, Cotton has been donating food to local nonprofits, including Becoming Independent, Redwood Gospel Mission, Catholic Charities and the Salvation Army, as the Everett & Jones team prepared the open-fire grill and dialed in the menu.
Serving the community has long been part of the family’s mission. Cotton’s aunt, Dorothy King, was a fervent social justice activist and advocate who provided free meals to those without and regularly hired formerly incarcerated and homeless people to work at the restaurant.
“We want to continue to donate to those who can’t come for our food (at Graton),” Cotton said.
On his Instagram page, Cotton expressed his enthusiasm for the donations saying, “21 days of donation and over 1,500 meals prepared for the month of June … a lot of man hours and a lot of preparation and I can’t wait to continue the work … we all will continue what our aunts, uncles and grandma started for us almost 50 years ago … giving back, giving opportunities and caring for others.”
Cotton worked with his mother, Mary Everett, on the Rohnert Park restaurant until her death in September 2021. He vowed to continue moving forward and announced the restaurant’s impending opening in May. Cotton’s aunt, Dorothy King, operated the second Everett & Jones location in Oakland’s Jack London Square until she died in 2021.
“Opening a restaurant at Graton Casino was a dream of my mother’s,” Cotton told The Press Democrat in May. “She won’t be around to see it, but I’m here to keep her legacy — and my entire family’s legacy — alive.”
All 12 cottages at Nick’s Cove in Marshall have been revamps and refreshed. Jerry’s cottage is pictured. (Courtesy of Kristen Loken)
Local seaside destination Nick’s Cove has received a face-lift but it’s so subtle you barely notice it. And that’s a good thing.
As you pull off Highway 1 in West Marin, the Marshall restaurant and cottages look the same: still charming and with stunning views of Tomales Bay. But on the inside, the nostalgia-laden property is sporting a new, updated look just in time for high season on the Northern California coast.
Nick’s Cove has long been a popular destination for locals and visitors looking for a coastal escape. The original owners, Nick Kojich and his family, built the waterfront cottages and restaurant in the early 1930s and sold shrimp and crab cocktails to hungry tourists. When prohibition ended in 1933, Nick (a rumored bootlegger) added alcohol to the menu.
Over the years, Nick’s Cove changed ownership several times and eventually shuttered. The recent revamp is the first major change made to the property since it reopened in 2007.
All 12 cottages at Nick’s Cove in Marshall have been revamped and refreshed. Jerry’s cottage pictured here. (Courtesy of Kristen Loken)
“Each cottage has maintained its unique charm and history,” says Wade Nakamine, General Manager at Nick’s Cove. “You can expect a brighter, refreshed color palette which compliments our beautiful coastal surroundings.”
Along with freshly painted walls and new furnishings, overnight guests will find custom throw rugs, colorful patterned throw pillows, new bedding and towels, refinished hardwood floors, wood burning fireplaces and cheerful nautical wallpaper in the cottages. In several of the cottages, views of Tomales Bay can be enjoyed from the comfort of a bed topped with a fluffy down comforter. Luxurious bathrooms come with oversized soaking tubs, heated ceramic tile floors and wallpaper decorated with sharks and ships.
Cheerful wallpaper in one of the cottages at Nick’s Cove in West Marin. (Courtesy of Nick’s Cove)
The restaurant at Nick’s Cove has also been updated. The taxidermy that previously graced the restaurant’s walls is gone (some local regulars were happy to give it a new home) and new tables and chairs are in the works.
The restaurant pivoted to counter service during the pandemic and added more tables to the deck and the pier to provide ample outdoor seating. This shift has helped decrease the amount of time guests need to wait for a table at the popular restaurant. After ordering at a window, guests are given a pager or buzzer and when their food is ready, they can pick it up at a counter located opposite the bar.
“This fast casual style is welcoming to all guests, whether celebrating a birthday or anniversary, or coming in with sandy toes straight from a kayak or the beach,” says Nakamine.
Dining on the pier at Nick’s Cove in Marshall. (Courtesy of Kristen Loken)
One thing that hasn’t changed at Nick’s Cove is the menu. Executive Chef Kua Speer continues to craft longtime favorites like the Tomales Bay BBQ’D Oysters, Dungeness Mac & Cheese, and cioppino. The onsite garden, The Croft, provides greens, herbs and vegetables to the restaurant, and offers more stunning views of the bay.
Whether you are staying the night or simply stopping by for a meal, save room for S’mores. Handmade marshmallows and golden grahams are paired with gourmet chocolate and, for every S’mores kit sold, Nick’s Cove donates $5 to local nonprofit, Mentor Me Petaluma.
Rates for waterfront cottages start at $495; water view cottages at $415. There is no resort fee. Wi-Fi is reliable, but cell service is spotty at best. Select cottages are dog-friendly. 23240 Highway One, Marshall, 415-663-1033, nickscove.com.
The Museum of Sonoma County in downtown Santa Rosa makes waves this summer with the commission of a bold new show that honors the work of Black artist collectives in the Bay Area. Lucia Olubunmi Momoh, a curator and scholar currently with the Philadelphia Museum of Art, developed the show with Ashara Ekundayo, who works with the Museum of the African Diaspora and Black [Space] Residency in San Francisco.
The exhibition spotlights how working in community with other artists can amplify Black voices, expand their artistic practices and nurture their spirits. San Francisco artist Cheryl Derricotte, an emeritus member of Three Point Nine Art Collective, says creating art as part of a collective provided a sense of safety and familiarity.
“I think that it’s important as a society for us to recognize that there is work we can do in community that should be uplifted,” says Derricotte. “I think the pandemic has really elevated our need for all of us to see each other in community, as part of an ecosystem — for everyone’s well-being.”
Cheryl Derricotte, How I Crossed Over, 2021.
Derricotte contributed a piece to the exhibition that celebrates Mary Ellen Pleasant, a prominent 19th-century Black entrepreneur and abolitionist with deep ties to Sonoma Valley. Pleasant, one of the first Black millionaires, owned several businesses in San Francisco around the time of the Gold Rush, and later moved to Sonoma Valley to build the landmark house at Beltane Ranch in Glen Ellen. Pleasant was likely one of just a handful of Black women living in Sonoma Valley in the mid-to-late 19th century. In conjunction with the show, Derricotte plans to lead a museum talk and field trip to Beltane Ranch in August.
The multimedia show, including works on paper, photography, sculpture, video and more, is on view at the Museum of Sonoma County through Nov. 27. 425 Seventh St., Santa Rosa. 707-579-1500, museumsc.org
Zack Pace will return as field manager for the Sonoma Stompers in 2019, following a successful 2018 season that saw the team set a Pacific Association League record for games won. (Sonoma Stompers)
Sonoma Stompers manager Zack Pace has seen change-ups, curve balls and strikes over the past three years — both real and metaphorical. But now, after a two-year hiatus, it’s time for Pace to get back to managing the Sonoma Stompers, a summer-league team made up of collegiate players from around the country.
Pace is a self-described baseball purist, and that means appreciating the little things, he says. He detests changes to long-standing game traditions, such as the elimination of designated hitters and the pitch clock that hurries the pace of the game: “I’m surprised more people haven’t put up a stink about that.”
Over last few years, Pace has also been through some life-changing personal transitions. The summer of 2020, when the season was put on hold, marked only the second summer in his life when he wasn’t deeply involved with baseball. And, on the home front, he and his fiancée bought their first house and are expecting a child later in the fall.
As a player, Pace learned winning baseball as he led his Marin County team to multiple championships, then moved north to take on the Stompers, where he won manager of the year in 2018. Now, the coach distills his knowledge of the game for 19- and 20-year-old players — players whose shoes he stood in himself not too many years ago.
Walking the line with the team are manager Zack Pace and pitching coach Mike Nunez. (Photo by Robbi Pengelly/Index-Tribune)
On shifting perspectives
I’ve definitely got a lot more people to take care of. As a player, you just take care of yourself for the most part. You don’t have to worry about everybody else as much. Then, as a manager, you’ve got all kinds of different things to worry about: you’ve got off-the-field stuff, is batting practice running smoothly?
Becoming a coach
The game is great, and I wish I could play forever. I know that’s not the deal, it’s not feasible, so I do the next best thing. And I love teaching the game and watching some good-quality baseball players. I have appreciated the game more, for sure now. And I think more about the overall direction the game is going.
All-American summer
For me, baseball is what I’ve done my whole life. What do they say? ‘Sunshine, baseball, beer and hot dogs.’ It’s America’s pastime. The people around the yard are really delightful; just to be able to see the same faces and have that relationship throughout the summer. It’s seeing your lows and highs every day.
Full Bloom Flower Farm’s Hedda Brorstrom nurtures flowers from seedling to vase. Her chemical- free farming mission necessitates a hyper seasonality, and her lush, organically-styled arrangements are full of thrilling texture and rhythm.
Brorstrom grew up in west county — her 1-acre farm stands on the site of her parents’ onetime worm-bait farm. She went on to study agroecology at UC Berkeley, focusing on the politics of the slow food movement, and fell in love with flowers as an apprentice farmer in Santa Cruz.
“There’s no better way to show that you love someone,” she says. “It’s such soulful and important work to have beauty in the world.” She sees each bouquet as a snapshot of time and season: Hearty zinnias, sunflowers, marigolds and roses are the workhorses of her summer bouquets.
The limits of farming in-season only, she says, offers plenty of creative direction: “We end up using our really unique perennials like honeysuckle, clematis and hellebores.”
Here are a few more of Brorstrom’s favorites, from the flower world and beyond.
Hidden Forest Nursery has rare rhododendrons and azaleas along with a grove of ancient dawn redwoods. (Photo by Karen Kizer)A selection of breads from Nightingale Breads in Forestville. (Courtesy of Nightingale Breads)
Hinterland: Edgy novelties and an adjacent art gallery called Neon Raspberry that “questions perspectives.” 3605 Main St., Occidental, 415-314-8001, neonraspberry.com
Nightingale Breads: Wood-fired French baguettes offer “just the right amount of crispness.” 6665 Front St., Forestville, 707-887-8887, nightingalebreads.com
Full Bloom Flower Farm: Brorstrom’s farmstand has bouquets to go, plus arrangements for events and a flower CSA. 9516 Graton Road, Sebastopol, 707-591-6968, fullbloomflower.com
Occidental Arts and Ecology Center:Medicinal, edible and habitat plants and hard-to-find gallon starts. 15290 Coleman Valley Road, Occidental, 707-874-1557, nursery.oaec.org
Hidden Forest Nursery: A grove of ancient dawn redwoods and rare rhododendrons and azaleas. 3970 Azalea Lane, Sebastopol, 707-823-6832, hiddenforestnursery.com
Casino Bar and Grill: This rustic bar (not an actual casino) is the de-facto town hall in the tiny town of Bodega, with dinners from the Holly and Tali Show Monday through Thursday and chef Mark Malicki on weekends. 17000 Bodega Hwy., Bodega, 707-876-3185
