Pair Wine With Wildflowers Along These Sonoma County Routes

By Linda Murphy
Mustard, Dry Creek Valley. (photo by John Burgess/The Press Democrat)

It happens in February and March — a Technicolor burst of blossoms, with bright yellow mustard and daffodils complimented by vibrant green carpets between vineyard rows and along Sonoma County roadsides. An especially early “bud break” this year — when vines sprout buds that will eventually become grapes — has added an additional stroke of color as vineyards awaken from winter dormancy.

Although much of this art gallery occurs naturally, savvy farmers also add their own plants, called cover crops, to their vineyards as a means of growing healthier vines. Clovers, grasses, bell beans, peas, oats, wild carrot, barley and triticale help improve soil structure and water-holding capacity, increase organic matter and plant nutrients, protect soils from erosion and provide habitats for the beneficial bugs that devour the bad ones.

These crops, and the more iconic, calendar-worthy mustard, are typically tilled or mowed in early to late spring, which means now is the time to see the seasonal splendor.

“I do love to see the vibrant yellow fields of mustard,” said Anne Moller-Racke, proprietor/viticulturist for Blue Farm Wines in Sonoma’s Carneros region. But, she said, mustard, bell beans and vetch grow too high for her Anne Katherina Vineyard. “My site gets cold, so I like to plant something of smaller stature, so that I have better air flow, which helps with frost control. The cover crop I plant in the fall is called vineyard mix, clovers and grasses.”

You don’t have to be a wine lover to appreciate the stunning spring show, but it’s good to know there are winery tasting rooms along some of the most gawk-worthy drives. These three routes offer eye-catching spring colors and plenty of refreshment stations — tasting rooms — to make a tour even more enjoyable.

Dry Creek Valley loop

Dry Creek Valley, the land of old-vine zinfandel, cabernet sauvignon, Rhone-style reds and grassy sauvignon blancs, has more than 9,000 acres of vineyards. One particular driving route covers all the bases: spring flowers, a leisurely pace and unpretentious wineries.

From Highway 101 in northern Healdsburg, exit west onto Dry Creek Road. Take Dry Creek Road northwest to Yoakim Bridge Road, turn left there and then head south on West Dry Creek Road. The loop ends at Westside Road, a couple of miles west of the Healdsburg city limits and with easy access back to Highway 101.

The drive is a gold mine of mustard glory, with patches of sweet alyssum, buttercups and poppies adding contrast. The former Timber Crest Farms (4791 Dry Creek Road) is a great first stop, where Amphora, Kokomo, Papapietro Perry and Peterson wineries have their tasting rooms and winemaking facilities. Also on the site is The Pour House, a tasting room featuring the wines of Goldschmidt Vineyards and Optima Winery.

At Dry Creek Peach & Produce (2179 Yoakim Bridge), the farmstand is closed until summer, yet the orchard-fruit blossoms and mustard on the property are photo-worthy. From there, turn south onto West Dry Creek Road to Martorana Family Winery (5956 West Dry Creek Road). The certified organically farmed vineyards surround the driveway that leads to the tasting area (for now) outside the cave. Martorana’s wines — among them chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, cabernet sauvignon, merlot, petite sirah and zinfandel — come from the estate vineyards, farmed without the use of pesticides or chemicals.

Quivira Vineyards (4900 West Dry Creek Road), a few miles south of Martorana on West Dry Creek Road, is of similar farming mind, taking things a step deeper with biodynamic viticultural practices. Winemaker Hugh Chappelle is a master of sauvignon blanc, zinfandel and Rhone-style wines, and the estate vibrates with life: organic vegetable gardens, chickens, a 140-year-old fig tree for preserves and olive trees for the production of oil.

Amphora Wines, 707-431-7767, amphorawines.com

Kokomo Winery, 707-433-0200, kokomowines.com

Martorana Family Winery, 707-433-1909, martoranafamilywinery.com

Papapietro Perry Winery, 707-433-0422, papapietro-perry.com

Peterson Winery, 707-431-7568, petersonwinery.com

Quivira Vineyards, 707-431-8333, quivirawine.com

The Pour House, 707-433-0100, thepourhouse707.com

Olivet Road, Russian River Valley

For a promenade of pinot noir producers, drive no farther than Olivet Road in western Santa Rosa. A dozen wineries are strewn along the road, between Guerneville and River roads. While pinot noir and chardonnay are the primary grape varieties grown, cabernet, syrah and zinfandel also shine, the last of which is made from some of the oldest vines in the county. The contrast of canary-yellow mustard and the dark, knotty vine trunks and limbs is striking. Many of the wineries belong to the Olivet District association, and its website (olivetroad.com) profiles the region, commonly referred to as the Santa Rosa Plains.

DeLoach Vineyards: DeLoach produces a dizzying array of wines, from large-volume, attractively priced regional blends of chardonnay and pinot noir to small-lot single-vineyard bottles and even tinier vineyard-block selections. The zinfandels can be exceptional, and don’t miss the sparkling wines made in the Champagne style, with a second fermentation occurring in the bottle. The 20-acre DeLoach estate is farmed using organic and biodynamic practices, including site-specific cover crops, to keep the soils and vines healthy and thriving. Founders Cecil and Christine DeLoach sold the property to Frenchman Jean-Charles Boisset in 2003. Since then, the Burgundy native has combined estate-grown grapes and those purchased from other farmers to create a line of wines that offers something for everyone.

1791 Olivet Road, Santa Rosa, 707-755-3300, deloachvineyards.com

Hook & Ladder Vineyard & Winery: The DeLoaches San Francisco firefighter Cecil De Loach and his wife, Christine, purchased the Barbieri Ranch and its vineyards in the Olivet District in 1970. After selling their DeLoach Vineyards to Jean-Charles Boisset in 2003, they moved their winery operations to the Barbieri site (planted in 1905) and named it Hook & Ladder. Their grandson, Jason DeLoach, is the winemaker. A benefit to visiting Hook & Ladder is that Jason produces merlot, cabernet sauvignon and red blends from the family’s Chalk Hill vineyard, Los Amigos. In the tasting room, they join pinot noir, old-vine zinfandel and chardonnay as options to try and buy. The firefighting theme (Cecil DeLoach was a San Francisco firefighter) is particularly poignant, honoring those who have battled wildfires in recent years.

2134 Olivet Road, Santa Rosa, 707-526-2255, hookandladderwinery.com

Pellegrini-Olivet Lane: Alexia Pellegrini is the fourth generation of her family to manage this vineyard and winery. Its Olivet Lane Chardonnay has been, for years, one of the finest from Sonoma, and the grapes also are sold to such producers as Gary Farrell Winery & Vineyards and Ramey Wine Cellars. Pellegrini produces pinot noirs from some of the oldest existing pinot vines in Russian River Valley. In 1973, Alexia’s family purchased a 70-acre apple and plum orchard on Olivet Road and converted it to vineyards in 1975. Her father, Bob Pellegrini, was the winemaker and face of the brand — named for the olive trees that lined the lane to the winery — until turning over operations to Alexia in 2017. Also produced are a rosé of pinot noir and vineyard-designated pinots from the Hallberg and Toboni vineyards.

4055 W. Olivet Road, Santa Rosa, 707-545-8680, pellegrinisonoma.com

Kenwood-Glen Ellen corridor

Kunde Family Winery, Ledson Winery & Vineyards and BR Cohn wineries are known for the fields of mustard that bloom around their wineries and throughout their vineyards. A drive through the Kenwood-Glen Ellen corridor of Highway 12 allows for March flashes of vast mustard fields and colorful cover crops near other wineries and in pastures, fallow plots and along the roadside.

Tastings at Kunde, Ledson and BR Cohn offer deep menus of wines to try, including sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, barbera, cabernet sauvignon, merlot, Rhone varietals and zinfandel, with an occasional splash of pinot noir. Here are three other wineries to consider visiting; be sure to take a Sunday-drive attitude on Highway 12, which can be a slow go. Take in the view, and the vino, too.

Chateau St. Jean: The marvelous Margo Van Staaveren has made wine at Chateau St. Jean since 1980, working her way from laboratory technician to winemaker and general manager. Vineyard-designated and Reserve wines have long been Chateau St. Jean’s raison d’être, yet the range is broad and includes regional and appellational blends. Cinq Cepage is Van Staaveren’s flagship, produced from the five classic Bordeaux red grapes (cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, merlot, malbec and petit verdot). Chardonnay, sauvignon blanc and pinot noir are also staples. The large lawn in front of the chateau makes for easy physical distancing for visitors, and there are options for cheese and charcuterie plates.

8555 Sonoma Hwy, Kenwood, 707-257-5784, chateaust.jean.com

Imagery Estate Winery: Winery founder Joe Benziger turned over winemaking to his daughter, Jamie Benziger, in 2017, and she’s charged with continuing to produce arguably the most interesting lineup of wines in Sonoma. Little-known varieties such as lagrein, teroldego and aleatico are bottling alongside tempranillos, malbecs and tannats. There is a muscat canelli and the rare (for Sonoma) riesling, as well as the more traditional wines such as sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, zinfandel, petite sirah and red blends. All the bottles are dressed with eye-catching labels commissioned by artists. When indoor tastings are allowed to return, visitors will see many of the paintings and drawings that have become Imagery labels. Come for the mustard, stay for the excellent wines and sense of adventure.

14335 Sonoma Hwy, Glen Ellen, 877-550-4278, imagerywinery.com

Mayo Family Winery Reserve Room: President Jeff Mayo and his team produce and pour some 20 different single-vineyard wines from Sonoma Valley grapes. There are two tasting rooms, one in Glen Ellen and the Reserve Room in Kenwood. The focus of the latter is in pairing Mayo wines to specific foods, typically seven courses of small bites. A visit here eliminates the need for lunch, and there are myriad wine styles served. Don’t miss the brut sparkling wines and the boldly flavored red Reserve bottlings.

9200 Sonoma Hwy, Kenwood, 707-833-5504, mayofamilywinery.com

Also:

BR Cohn Winery, 15000 Sonoma Hwy, Glen Ellen, 707-938-4064, brcohn.com

Kunde Family Winery, 9828 Sonoma Hwy, Kenwood, 707-833-5505, kunde.com

Ledson Winery & Vineyards, 7335 Hwy 12, Kenwood, 707-537-3810, ledson.com

Big Stars Headed to Sonoma for Film Fest’s 25th Anniversary

By Michael Shapiro

Celebrating its 25th anniversary, the Sonoma International Film Festival once again has a full slate of live screenings and culinary events.

The Sonoma International Film Festival, known for screening independent and international films that are hard to find elsewhere, is celebrating its 25th anniversary with a bang starting Wednesday, March 23.

For the first time since 2019, the festival has a full slate of live screenings, appearances by A-list actors, culinary events and post-film parties featuring live dance bands such as Afrolicious.

“For our 25th anniversary, we’re trying to step it up and make it as spectacular as we can,” said Kevin McNeely, the festival’s artistic director.

More than 120 films, including 79 premiers and shorts, will screen March 23 to 27. See our list of don’t miss films here.

What distinguishes the festival, he said, is that it goes beyond film to celebrate food, wine and music.

Most programs wrap up between 8 and 9 p.m. so festival-goers can enjoy a late dinner or the evening parties.

And the theaters, such as the Sebastiani, are top shelf.

“The screens are big, the sound is big,” McNeely said. “We make sure when these filmmakers come that their films look great on the screen.”

The festival features films, such as Kestrin Pantera’s “Pretty Problems,” that are smart, fun, accessible and in many cases set in the North Bay. And it avoids inscrutable art pieces that confound viewers, McNeely said.

“We don’t want people coming out of films scratching their heads.”

Held at eight venues within walking distance of Sonoma Plaza, the festival scored the new Sandra Bullock film, “The Lost City,” for opening night on Wednesday, March 23.

Bullock stars as a reclusive romance author who gets kidnapped while researching an exotic locale. Channing Tatum plays a book-cover model who seeks to rescue the missing writer.

“The Lost City” also stars Daniel Radcliffe of “Harry Potter” fame. Directors Aaron Nee and Adam Nee (they’re brothers) will be on hand to speak about the film.

McNeely is thrilled that actor Jacqueline Bisset will attend the March 25 screening of “Loren & Rose,” a story of deepening connection between a promising young filmmaker and a legendary actress looking to revive her career.

Bisset will receive the festival’s Cinematic Excellence Award in recognition of her body of work, which has included “Bullitt” and “Day for Night.”

“Loren & Rose” takes place during a three-course meal as the conversation leaps from the love of art to making sense of grief.

“If you liked ‘My Dinner With Andre,’ you’re going to love this film,” McNeely said. “The interchange between Jacqueline Bisset and this young kid is fantastic and really gives her a platform to show what a wonderfully gifted actress she is.”

All filmmakers are offered lodging and invited to stay for the entire festival so they can watch their colleagues’ films and connect with festival attendees, he said.

These touchs speak to what makes the festival so beloved by filmmakers, actors and those who attend: Gratitude and community infuse every event.

Even well-known actors such as Karen Allen (“Animal House,” “Raiders of the Lost Ark”), whose 2019 film “Colewell” screened at the festival, mingle with the public and are highly approachable.

Allen, who also has worked as a director, will speak to Sonoma Valley High School film students at a screening of their films at the Sebastiani Theatre, at 9 a. m. on Wednesday, March 23.

The students, enrolled in the media arts program, produce films that reveal what’s on their minds and what’s important to them, McNeely said.

“The place is standing room only, and they get to see their films on the big silver screen at the Sebastiani Theatre,” he said, noting that the screening is open to the public.

Many of the students go to top film programs at USC, UCLA and other universities. Some have started their own production company; they have a film at the festival this year called “Sonomawood,” which focuses on the Sonoma film festival.

As for Allen, who grew up rural Illinois, film was “a very exotic faraway world.” As a child, she didn’t imagine she’d be an actor, she said.

But movies have provided her with “an incredible life, working with extraordinary people and traveling to places I might never have visited.”

She appreciates the opportunity to share with students that you don’t have to be an actor or director to have a career in film. There are cinematographers, film editors, production designers, sound editors, set decorators and many other jobs.

“My favorite question ever was when a little girl raised her hand in the middle of the theater. She said, ‘My question is, how did you act with the music playing so loud?’”

As in many fields, Allen said, you have to “start at the bottom and work your way up.”

Allen has an affection for Sonoma County that began some 40 years ago when she starred in “Shoot the Moon” with Diane Keaton and Albert Finney.

“Even though I was in Sonoma only for maybe three weeks when we shot ‘Shoot the Moon,’ it had a profound impact on me,” Allen said. “I just loved it.”

Looking back on the festival’s history, McNeely recalled that 25 years ago, “a group of us wanted to have a good excuse to have a big party on Saturday night and show a lot of mediocre films.”

Today, the festival gets more than 800 submissions from filmmakers in 30-plus countries, attracts top actors and directors and screens superb films, many which don’t get distribution or shown on Netflix.

“Unless you go to the film festival,” McNeely said, “you’ll never have a chance to see them.”

Michael Shapiro’s writes about music and film for The Press Democrat and other publications. Reach him through michaelshapiro.net.

Fabulous Food Events at This Year’s Sonoma Film Fest

By Heather Irwin
Chef Duskie Estes puts the final touches on a Liberty Duck appetizer with star anise, bing cherry on a sesame rice cake at the North Coast Food and Wine Festival at Sonoma Mountain Village in Rohnert Park. (John Burgess / The Press Democrat)

This year, there’s plenty of delicious dining fun at the Sonoma International Film Festival (March 23-27), including an all-star dinner with legendary French chef Jacques Pépin on Thursday, March 24 (sorry, it’s already sold out) and treats from TV personality and local chef Duskie Estes (of Zazu and Black Piglet), now the executive director for the nonprofit Farm to Pantry.

During the dinner event, noted chefs will prepare a five-course meal to accompany a series of movie shorts, and Pépin will be honored with the first Sonoma International Film Festival Culinary Excellence Award, which includes a $10,000 donation to the Jacques Pépin Foundation.

On Thursday and again on March 26, Estes will discuss Farm to Pantry, a gleaning powerhouse that harvests unwanted local farm produce to benefit underserved communities. She’ll talk before the screening of “The Kitchenistas” at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 24, and 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 26.

KITCHENISTAS TRAILER SHORT – 2MIN – FEB 2021 from Mary Ann Beyster on Vimeo.

“The Kitchenistas” documents a Latina-led movement in southern California to improve their community’s health and well-being. Program graduates, called “kitchenistas,” are mentoring and developing a sisterhood to bring high-quality food and cooking to their homes, schools and neighborhoods.

Attendees at that screening also will be treated to Estes’ Black Pig gourmet bacon popcorn, and her Black Pig Meat Company food truck will be parked outside the Cogir Hospitality Tent.

Also as part of the film festival, chef and cookbook author Joanne Weir will host a “Plates & Places” lunch at 11 a.m. Friday, March 25 (special ticket and RSVP required). Weir will share some TV segments from her PBS show of the places she’s traveled to.

The festival worked with Sonoma vintner and filmmaker Robert Kamen, of “Karate Kid” fame, to make a collection of four commemorative plates featuring the festival’s 25th anniversary logo, along with quotes from some of Kamen’s best-loved movie lines like “Wax on, wax off.” The plates, which cost $100 each or $350 for four, can be purchased without attending the festival.

More information and tickets at sonomafilmfest.org.

Emily Charrier of the Sonoma Index-Tribune contributed to this story.

New Cocktail Bar Coming to Sebastopol

By Heather Irwin

The former Ruin Bar on Sebastopol’s South Main Street is expected to reopen early this summer as a craft cocktail spot called Third Pig, according to owners Alex and Katie Bowman.

The couple, who own Bowman Cellars in Graton, took over the lease after the closure of Ruin Bar, a pandemic casualty. The narrow, windowless space snuggled between Bank of the West and nearby Sebastopol Sunshine Cafe had long been a dive bar before Ruin owner Mathew Carson spiffed things up in late 2018, but since its closure in March 2020 it has sat empty.

Details are still a bit sketchy, but the Bowmans plan to make the cocktail bar a more lively space with greenery and modern decor that features the exposed brick.

Alex and Katie Bowman opened Bowman Cellars tasting room in 2018, a hip, millennial-friendly space with approachable but well-made wines. Both have roots in the community: Katie’s grandparents are the founders of Andy’s Produce Market in Sebastopol, and Alex’s family owns Bowman Electric.

116 S. Main St., Sebastopol, instagram.com/thirdpigbar. Stay tuned for more details.

Single Thread Restaurant to Host Dinners at Silver Oak Cellars

By Heather Irwin
Silver Oak winery in Healdsburg. (Courtesy photo)

Single Thread Restaurant & Farm will offer a limited series of dinners at Silver Oak Alexander Valley winery after last month’s fire, which has temporarily shuttered the Healdsburg restaurant.

All bookings at Single Thread’s restaurant have been canceled until the restaurant reopens. The dinners at Silver Oak will begin Friday and include a seven-course wine and food pairing with panoramic views of the Alexander Valley. Silver Oak, Twomey and other collector wines will be featured. Tickets cost $725 per person. Information at exploretock.com/silveroakwineryalexandervalley

In the meantime, owners Kyle and Katina Connaughton’s other project, Little Saint, is expected to open in late April. The plant-based restaurant and café is located inside the 10,000-square-foot space that previously housed SHED. (Curious foodies can sample a mezze plate prepared by the team behind Little Saint at Marine Layer Wines in Healdsburg. Read more here.)

Kyle and Katina Connaughton of SingleThread in Healdsburg. (Eva Kolenko / Courtesy of SingleThread)
Kyle and Katina Connaughton of Single Thread in Healdsburg. (Eva Kolenko)

Chef de Cuisine Bryan Oliver is reprising his role in the kitchen, and Rusty Rastello, whose team recently won the Wine Spectator Grand Award at Single Thread, will be executive wine director. Akeel Shah, Single Thread’s service director, will be the general manager. Read more here.

On March 31, the Connaughtons will welcome Junghyun “JP” and Ellia Park of the two-Michelin starred Atomix for a night of culinary collaboration. The two couples will craft a 10-course tasting menu reflecting both restaurants’ Asian-influenced cuisines and service styles. Read more here.

8 Favorite Specialty Nurseries in Sonoma County

By Abigail Peterson
A view inside the Corpse Flower (Amorphophallus titanum) an odiferous, seldom blooming plant in full display at California Carnivores in Sebastopol. (John Burgess/The Press Democrat)

Itching to get your hands in the dirt? These plant experts have your back.

Roses For All: Cottage Gardens of Petaluma

This gorgeous destination nursery is known for hundreds of different roses. They start ramping up for spring planting as early as January, and the most popular varieties—pale pink climber Cécile Brunner, classic Iceberg, old-fashioned Sally Holmes— can sell out quickly. If you love vines and twining plants, check out the selection of clematis as well.

3995 Emerald Dr., Petaluma. 707-781-9365, cottagegardensofpet.com

Backyard Wine: Grapevines Galore

Want to try your hand at grapegrowing on a small, backyard scale? Grapevines Galore is the public arm of industry source Grey Creek Viticultural Services, located in the heart of Dry Creek Valley. The nursery sells beautifully healthy, ready-to-plant varieties of both winegrapes and yummy table grapes like Flame and Perlette. Grapevine-specific planting advice, too—mid-March through April is ideal for this area.

4791 Dry Creek Rd., Healdsburg. grapevinesgalore.com

Japanese Maple Experts: Momiji Nursery

Owner Mike Umehara comes by his expertise in Japanese horticulture honestly: His father was the longtime curator at the Japanese Garden in San Mateo. Umehara established the nursery over 30 years ago, focusing solely on rare Japanese maples. These trees’ lacy leaves and delicate forms make them versatile players in wine country gardens, and their spectacular fall colors echo the change in the vineyards. This is a sweet, family-run spot, and well worth the time to seek out.

2765 Stony Point Rd., Santa Rosa. 707-528-2917, momijinursery.com

Healthy Veggie Starts: MIX Garden

When April rolls around and you start to think you’ve missed your window for starting from seed with some of the more exotic, difficult-to-find varieties of tomatoes, eggplants, and melons, Healdsburg’s Mick Kopetsky can help you out. He and his team will have ordered the seeds months ago and raised healthy 4-inch plants in their specialty greenhouses, all perfectly in time to start your summer food garden.

1531 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg. 707-433-4327, mixgarden.com

Not Just For Pros: Sonoma Valley Wholesale Nursery

This is the professionals’ secret source for well-adapted, organically-grown shrubs and trees in Sonoma Valley, and, despite the name, the nursery is open to the general public. You can get wonderful advice on choosing plants here—owner Paul Martinez is a passionate plantsman—but this selfservice spot works well if you know what you’re looking for and simply want the best quality plants you can find.

19655 Arnold Dr., Sonoma. 707-732-8019, sonomavalleynursery.com

Irrigation and Tools: Harmony Farm Supply & Nursery

This organic nursery stocks native grasses, drought-tolerant plants, and veggie starts—but what they’re best known for is their practical, hands-on advice to keep your garden healthy and productive. They have decades of experience helping customers install their own drought-friendly drip irrigation systems (with their help, it’s doable!), and they sell all kinds of soil amendments, tools, and organic pest controls.

3244 Gravenstein Hwy. North, Sebastopol. 707-823-9125, harmonyfarm.com

Hidden Wonder: California Carnivores

Ask almost any ten-year-old what their favorite plant is, and you’ll likely hear, “Venus flytrap.” And California Carnivores has hundreds of them, along with sundews, butterworts, and both hardy and tropical pitcher plants— the latter kept warm in a special humidity-controlled room. Founder Peter D’Amato wrote the book on these exotic gems: his best seller “The Savage Garden” is considered the bible for hobby growers.

Online sales only for now. californiacarnivores.com

Love Olive Oil: The Olive Tree Nursery

Whether you’re looking for a single mature tree to anchor a planting or advice on a backyard grove to make your own olive oil, these experts are a go-to. The nursery propagates its own trees from cuttings, focusing on European varieties for either blending into oil or curing for eating—Frantoio and Leccino from Italy, Arbequina and Manzanillo from Spain. They also stock olive tree bonsai, carefully pruned into shape and nestled into hollowed-out stones.

By appointment, 908 Rockwell Rd., Cloverdale. geyservilleolive.com

Sonoma County’s Latest Pop-Up Serves Epic Cajun Dishes

By Heather Irwin
Curry gumbo from Bayou on the Bay. (Heather Irwin/Sonoma Magazine)

Waking up to the aroma of frying beignets at his grandmother’s house in Louisiana is one of Chef Bradley Wildridge’s earliest memories. Cajun through and through, he has jambalaya in his blood and roux in his soul.

“Yoo-hoo!” was his grandma’s call for him to get out of bed and make a beeline for the kitchen, where the warm, yeasty puffs waited.

Now Wildridge and his wife Mandy make the same beignets each Sunday at the Sebastopol Farmers’ Market under a small tent emblazoned with the name of his fledgling food business, Bayou on the Bay. Other dishes include curry jambalaya, crawfish meat pies and Muffuletta sandwiches, plus other rotating menu items listed on their chalkboards.

It’s been less than a year since Wildridge got serious about his dream of French-Cajun fusion and offered his first pop-up menu at Shady Oak Barrel House in Santa Rosa in late November.

“I just asked some friends one night after beers,” Wildridge said of how his plans to start Bayou on the Bay came to be.

Gumbo and muffuletta sandwich at Bayou on the Bay. Heather Irwin, Press Democrat.com.
Gumbo and muffaletta sandwich at Bayou on the Bay. (Heather Irwin/Sonoma Magazine)
Chef Bradley at Bayou on the Bay. (Heather Irwin/Sonoma Magazine)
Chef Bradley at Bayou on the Bay. (Heather Irwin/Sonoma Magazine)

A former cook at Dry Creek Kitchen and vegan catering chef, he gained traction with his idea after posting a GoFundMe page to test the waters. He soon found an investor and kitchen space at Old Possum Brewing Co., which has been fostering another pop-up, Austin’s Southern Smoke BBQ (at Old Possum on Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays).

Now Wildridge’s venture is one of the many emerging pandemic food pop-ups fueled by invitations to serve food at breweries like Old Possum Brewing, Old Caz, Henhouse and Parliament. It’s a win-win as young, food-savvy beer drinkers come both for the brews and for the rotating food trucks and tents — from sushi and Asian cheesesteaks to samosas, gumbo and barbecue — ushering in a new food culture in Sonoma County.

Without onerous rents, expensive equipment and heart-stopping start-up costs, passion projects that once seemed impossible have become reachable for chefs and bakers. Call it the silver lining to being out of work for a traditional restaurant or catering job after years of pandemic closures and uncertainty.

On an early Saturday afternoon at The Barlow’s Seismic Brewing, Mandy Wildridge whisked a coconut and pecan caramel sauce for their Cajun Cake. The moist, dark crumbs studded with pineapple took me back to childhood granny cakes made with brown sugar, pecans and pineapple. So. Freaking. Good.

With a small fryer, chafing dishes and portable cooktops, the couple danced around their 10-by-10-foot space, turning out orders efficiently and smiling at curious passersby. Most people ended up stopping, having seen the Wildridges at other breweries. As they whipped up my order, Bradley encouraged a trip into Seismic for a beer. A new sushi rice lager (brewed with sushi rice in the grist) was a perfect pairing for the bright, bold, spicy, utterly fusion flavors of Bayou on the Bay. Ca c’est bon, y’all.

Best Bets

Wildridge is an experienced vegan chef and creates vegan and vegetarian riffs on many dishes. The menu frequently changes, with additions and subtractions. Beignets are served only on Sundays.

Smoked BBQ Mac and Cheese, $15: Smoky Joe Matos cheese is the base for creamy macaroni topped with barbecue mushrooms (possibly my new favorite food), crispy onions and jalapeños and barbecue sauce. You can add andouille sausage, chicken or bacon, but it’s pretty perfect on its own. The generous portion is enough for three people or one spectacularly hungry person.

Crawfish Deviled Egg, $7: Crawfish, if you’re not familiar, are the lobster of the Bayou and have a similar sweet and briny meat, just in an abbreviated package. At Bayou on the Bay, their little tails are sauteed in truffle butter and set atop a spicy deviled egg. Add hot sauce, green onions and sprouts (to cool it off). Cajun food isn’t three-alarm hot (at least not here), but it does have a kick that’ll make your eyes water.

Curry Jambalaya, $15: Here’s where the fusion surfaces in Wildridge’s cooking. Curry and coconut milk are added to traditional jambalaya spices (usually a mix of onion powder, garlic powder, oregano, basil, thyme, black pepper, white pepper, cayenne pepper, paprika and salt) and a Cajun “holy trinity” of onions, bell peppers and celery. Chicken and sausage stud the rich, aromatic stew, a delicious mash-up that somehow makes a ton of sense.

Gumbo Ramen, $15: Things get a little crazy with this dish. Wildridge starts with a gumbo base of roux, adds vegetables and thins the broth with veggie stock (the broth is vegan). Ramen noodles, sliced andouille sausage and chicken are added, a la carte, along with a smoked six-minute egg. The rich, dark broth is bursting with flavor in a not-quite-ramen, not-quite-gumbo way that worked so well with the light nuttiness of my sushi rice beer. Score!

Natchitoches Crawfish Meat Pies, $7: Call ’em Louisiana empanadas or just plain delicious. Sweet crawfish, veggies and jambalaya rice are stuffed into a dough pocket and fried until crispy and hot. Because we’re dippers, the “Secret Bayou Sauce,” a spicy-creamy dip that adds a proper heat, makes these hand pies doubly delicious.

Bayou on the Bay is at Old Possum Brewing Co. (357 Sutton Place, Santa Rosa, oldpossumbrewing.com) 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays and the Sebastopol Farmer’s Market on Sundays. For other times and locations, visit their Instagram @bayou.onthebay.

Popular Mexican Restaurant La Fondita Opens in Downtown Santa Rosa

By Heather Irwin
Server Marlen Flores speaks with customers at La Fondita restaurant in the Roseland neighborhood of Santa Rosa, California, on Friday, February 15, 2019. (Alvin Jornada / The Press Democrat)

La Fondita will open a new location in downtown Santa Rosa on Saturday at 630 Third St., in the space once occupied by Chandi Hospitality Group’s Mercato, which closed in 2018. The Roseland-based Mexican restaurant and food truck had announced plans to expand to the Third Street space in 2020, but halted moving forward during the pandemic.

Known for more than 20 years for her authentic, affordable Mexican cuisine, La Fondita owner Elena Maria Reyes started her food business with an old food truck she and her husband financed by selling their cars and asking her grandmother for a few thousand dollars in startup money.

That same truck — which became the unmistakable orange Delicias Elenitas mobile kitchen — remains permanently parked outside the La Fondita restaurant at 816 Sebastopol Road. Open until 3 a.m., it remains one of the most popular stops on Sebastopol Road.

10 Best Restaurants in Sonoma

By Heather Irwin
Pastis-scented steamed mussels and fries at the Girl & the Fig in Sonoma. (Beth Schlanker/The Press Democrat)

The town of Sonoma has a vibrant dining scene that often gets short shrift in comparison to the glitzier Healdsburg. The walkability of the town square, the unpretentiousness and the focus on locally-sourced ingredients makes it a required stop for Wine Country adventures. You could easily spend a weekend eating and not get to even a fraction of the great restaurants in town. Here, however, are some favorites that never let us down. Click through the gallery for details.

How a Sonoma Chicken Expert Spends Her Day

By Trina Enriquez
Tiffany Holbrook prepares to feed the chickens at Wise Acre Farm in Windsor. (Christopher Chung/The Press Democrat)

Raising backyard chickens for 15 years was the sum of Tiffany Holbrook’s experience when she and her husband, Jason, purchased Wise Acre Farm in Windsor in 2018. Since then, the couple has raised 2,000 laying hens a year to supply not only local restaurants, but also their 24/7 egg vending machine, which, during pandemic-related supply-chain disruptions, has helped keep area residents in eggs. “We operate extremely transparently,” says Holbrook. “I want people to see how healthy the chickens are and where their eggs come from.”

5 a.m. My alarm goes off, and by 5:30, I’m in my home office doing paperwork, email, social media posts. If it’s a day when I’m expecting a shipment of chicks, I get a call between 5:30 a.m. and 7 a.m. to pick them up at the post office.

7 a.m. I get my son up — he’s 13 so he’s self-sufficient — and bring him to school. Jason works full-time at Chalk Hill Estate in Healdsburg, so beforehand, he goes to the farm and takes care of the specialty-breed chickens: Frizzles, Polish, Silkies. We also have a flock of special-needs chickens: partially blind, permanent limp, digestion problems. He feeds and waters them and then goes to work.

A carton of eggs from the egg vending machine at Wise Acre Farm in Windsor. (Christopher Chung/The Press Democrat)
A carton of eggs from the egg vending machine at Wise Acre Farm in Windsor. (Christopher Chung/The Press Democrat)
An egg vending machine stored at Wise Acre Farm, is said to be the first in the United States. (Christopher Chung/ The Press Democrat)
An egg vending machine at Wise Acre Farm in Windsor. (Christopher Chung/The Press Democrat)

8:15 a.m. If I’m picking up chicks, I take them over to the farm. We inspect each one and put it in the brooder. It takes about five months for chicks to start laying, so we’re constantly raising new ones, which gives us a variety of egg sizes.

10 a.m. I bring fermented feed and dry grain to the main flock of about 1,500 laying hens on the 15-acre pasture. We have good egg production this time of year.

11 a.m. Chickens eat the grass down, so I move our four mobile coops to fresh grass around the pasture using our ’73 Chevy 350 with custom fabrication for tracks. (Our pasture gets pretty muddy.) The chickens know to run alongside the monster truck to grab the grasshoppers as I’m driving!

2 p.m. I’ll check on the chicks, sit with them, hang out for a little bit, make sure they’re OK and no one’s acting lethargic. I spend time with the animals so I can pick out when someone’s behaving oddly.

5 p.m. Evening chores start two to three hours before sunset. After my husband gets off work, we do a second round of fermented feed, collect eggs, and close the nesting boxes.

My husband is my egg washer, so he runs them under water; we’re more efficient than machines. As he’s washing, I’m prepping egg cartons. We hand-weigh each egg and distribute it by weight according to regulations. Once all the eggs are sorted, some go in the cartons, some are set aside for restaurants, some go to our vending machine.

Tiffany Holbrook receives a hug from her livestock guard dog, Phoebe, at Wise Acre Farm in Windsor on Wednesday, January 12, 2022. (Christopher Chung/The Press Democrat)
Tiffany Holbrook receives a hug from her livestock guard dog, Phoebe, at Wise Acre Farm in Windsor. (Christopher Chung/The Press Democrat)

7 p.m. I go home and start dinner. Once the chickens are all roosted and tucked in, my husband will open the boxes back up to feed the livestock guardian dogs, who keep watch for predators — skunks, possums, raccoons, bobcats, coyotes. We keep a few roosters to help guard the chickens during the day. Same with the geese, who are great with hawk alerts.

No day is the same; that’s why I love my job. And happy animals produce good food. If they aren’t happy, they aren’t laying eggs.

Try Tiffany Holbrook’s eggs at the Wise Acre Farm vending machine, 631 Arata Lane, Windsor. 707-480-1900, wiseacrewindsor.com