Sebastopol prop stylist Alysia Andriola has an enviable job, telling stories with objects and working alongside photographers to create eye-catching displays for products from peanut butter to protein bars.
Andriola found her path years ago, while visiting her brother, also a stylist, in New York City. She found herself assisting on a photo shoot and jumped in to choose a platter and linens for a setup with a Thanksgiving turkey.
The client? Gourmet magazine. Andriola’s work was chosen for the cover of their Thanksgiving issue — the prop stylist equivalent of stumbling onto the field during the Super Bowl to score a winning touchdown.
Andriola describes her signature style as fluid, intuitive — and sometimes a little messy. “I’m drawn to textures and shapes. I like to evoke the unseen, too,” she says. She’s quick to point out that behind every aspirational image is a team of artists and hours of preparation. “In my work you carve out this little beautiful moment and it’s really not that big — everywhere else, it’s chaos and confusion. It’s lights and stands, boxes and bins and trash — and our coffees,” she says, laughing.
The Sebastopol home she shares with her teenage son mirrors this contrast. It’s filled with the ceramics she collects, along with her son’s music equipment and boxes of finds in various stages of packing and unpacking for shoots.
Juxtaposition is her muse: witness an oil-stained drip pan, found on the side of the road and now a go-to backdrop for product shoots. Or a scratched sheet of scrap metal with a reflective quality that she explains will photograph beautifully. Creating beautiful moments in an imperfect world — that’s definitely worth aspiring to.
Artist Orin Carpenter at his art studio in Novato, Calif., on Sunday, March 14, 2021. (Beth Schlanker/ The Press Democrat)
As Orin Carpenter tells it, his art career began at age 5, with painting on walls. He and his mother had just returned from the library, and he needed to paint. “This was one of those days where I ran out of paper. I was like, ‘You know what? I gotta get this out.’” Seeing the white wall, he couldn’t resist.
Carpenter’s interests have led him from his native Memphis to the Bay Area, from graphic design into a career as an artist and educator. Today, he’s a whirl of activity: teaching art at Marin Catholic, completing a doctorate in educational technology, leading workshops on art and racial justice, and, of course, making art in his studio.
Recently, he’s been immersed in two series: “Quarantine State of Mind,” abstract paintings navigating this past year, and “In Danger Species,” mixed-media meditations on the experience of living while Black in America. Carpenter had been marinating on the ideas behind the latter for some time. Then last year, when Ahmaud Arbery was killed in Georgia, “I said, ‘You know what? I can’t sit on this anymore. I have to create.’ It was more for me to express and have an outlet from the anger, you know? George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, the countless others. That gave the energy for that series.”
Artist Orin Carpenter at his art studio in Novato, Calif., on Sunday, March 14, 2021. (Beth Schlanker / The Press Democrat)
Carpenter has just been named an artist in residence at MarinMOCA, where he’ll have a solo exhibit this December, and shows his work at the Artize Gallery in Palm Springs. Carpenter has been sheltering-in-place — and teaching high school art remotely — from Petaluma, where he lives with his wife Mickele, son Kaleb, daughter Kyndall, and the family’s two rescue cats, Lando and Phasma.
Here’s how artist Orin Carpenter spends a day. (This is from a Sonoma Magazine series “A day with …” in which we follow local people doing interesting work in Sonoma County).
4:30 a.m. I’m an early riser. I usually wake up anywhere from 4 to 5. Once I get up, being a Christian, I pray and read devotion and kind of start the day.
6:00 a.m. Sometimes I start working here, with my sketches. Then I have to get out of the space, and being outside is a refresher for me.
A variety of brushes inside artist Orin Carpenter’s art studio in Novato. (Beth Schlanker / The Press Democrat)
7:00 a.m. Early on a weekend morning, when it’s quiet, I’ll wander around downtown Petaluma, kind of meditate, sketch there. I’ll go to Starbucks, get a white chocolate mocha, and maybe a chocolate croissant. (I mean, might as well overdo it with the chocolate!) Then I visit Brian’s Comics. And I don’t care how old you are — you feel like a kid when you walk in the place. I love going there; chatting with Brian about movies, books, writing; and then, of course, buying comic books. It just revives that energy — it reminds me of being a little boy going into the library.
10:00 a.m. I come home, start looking at notes. Right now, I’m working on concepts for some landscapes. I travel a lot with my family, and one of our favorite spots is Italy. I want to revisit Menaggio, because I just love the feel there. It’s funny, because I actually called it “home.” There’s something about it that’s comforting. So, I think of words that kind of go with “home” and Menaggio, start thinking about the color palettes there. I take photos and look at the color schemes and things that were there, and see if I connect with those, and, if so, are those the pieces and colors I want to put in my piece? Then I start playing with the values of those colors, kind of mapping out that series.
1:30 p.m. Because I’m painting, I create lunch here, to take a break and come back and paint. My wife and I joke about Italy. We do our rocket lettuce salad with Gorgonzola cheese and balsamic dressing and glaze, with candied pecans.
The multimedia piece titled “Sick and Tired” by artist Orin Carpenter at his art studio in Novato. (Beth Schlanker / The Press Democrat)
2:30 p.m. I have another virtual workshop coming up, where we actually use art as a vehicle to have these uncomfortable conversations, dealing with racial injustice. I like to be overprepared, so I make sure all the technical aspects are done, do a test run, and think about trouble spots, how to maneuver through that.
6:00 p.m. The family, we love trying restaurants. I think that’s the beauty of Northern California — you can find great places. La Rosa in Santa Rosa is our top one (500 Fourth St., 707-523-3663). Their carne asada is good, the risotto relleno is good, and the tequila shrimp is one of my favorites. I’ll get something and Mickele will get something, and we’ll try things out.
8:30 p.m. At night, it’s kind of doing a checklist: making sure I had a good stopping point for the creative work I’m doing, seeing if there are other materials I need — making sure I have all the elements, so when I continue to work on it, it doesn’t interrupt the flow. Emails go out for school and my PhD work. Kind of shutting everything down, making sure everything has been taken care of before I can go to sleep.
To see more of Petaluma artist Otis Carpenter’s recent work, visit orincarpenter.com
Roasted garlic ranch burger at Americana Restaurant in Santa Rosa’s Railroad Square. (Kelsey Joy Photography)
When Americana opened last March, it was a dream come true for Samantha and Ryan Ramey. The owners of Estero Cafe in Valley Ford had saved for years with the hopes of bringing their field-to-fork diner fare to Santa Rosa.
So it seemed like kismet when the former Pullman Cafe space on Fifth Street in Railroad Square became available. The storied location once housed Josh Silvers’ Syrah restaurant, an incubator for many top kitchen talents in the North Bay. The Rameys leaped just in time for a pandemic to turn everything upside down.
Over the last year, they tried just about everything to keep their new restaurant open. Ultimately, though, they put Americana into hibernation and turned their focus to Estero.
Now they’re ready for another go.
With Americana still in startup mode, the menu is evolving. It’s an ode to classic American comfort food. Think ’50s favorites like burgers, milkshakes, fried chicken and onion rings with a side of the best pie you’ve ever had, but sustainably sourced from local farms and ranchers.
Think holy grail French fries cooked in beef tallow. Yes, just like the original McDonald’s fries that really did taste good. The fat is bought from Stemple Creek (as is the beef for the burgers) and rendered in house. It’s not a simple process, but the results are undeniable.
The couple recently built a walk-up takeout area to make dining from Americana even easier, with the full menu plus some extra baked goodies.
They’ve been open just a few weeks, and Samantha said the menu isn’t exactly what they’d planned originally. They’ve simplified a bit as they ramp up — there are no breakfasts (Estero’s signature) yet. Samantha said she hopes to include more plated entrees in the future.
But even in its infancy, Americana is the kind of uncomplicated, from-the-heart food that’s a panacea for the culinary doldrums and mental fatigue we’re all ready to put behind us.
Best Bets
Corn Dogs, $8.50: Dogs first, corn second. The crispy batter shell is a delight, but the snappy, beefy, salty hot dogs from Stemple Creek are outstanding. Served with house ranch or mustard sauce.
Blue Cheese/Mushroom/Bacon Burger, $21: This is a mouthful of a burger, piled with roasted trumpet mushrooms, fresh lettuce, bacon, homemade aioli and onions on a Village Bakery bun. Our only qualm is that the grass-fed beef could be cooked a little more rare to really get that juiciness we love.
Fried Chicken Sandwich, $19: Juicy, juicy, juicy breast of fried chicken with a light fry. It has more chicken than breading, and coleslaw gives it a second layer of crunch.
Cobb Salad, $18: The fresh ingredients set this salad apart. Butter lettuce with farm-fresh egg, bacon and blue cheese with housemade ranch. Instead of a ribbon for participation, this salad gets a gold medal.
Done For You Salad, $15: You pick the ingredients, and they make it. Think salad bar without the sticky tongs and sneeze guard.
Homemade Hostess Cake: It’s not a Ho-Ho; it’s an oh-my-goodness chocolate experience for one. Pastry chef Jenny Malicki doesn’t overload this devilish dessert with too much sugar, and she lets the chocolate on chocolate speak for itself.
Pies: Crusts always seem to be a waste of calories and the fillings far too sweet for my taste. Malicki’s strawberry-rhubarb pie is the exception. Buttery dough is cooked to a crisp crust with layer upon layer of flakes. Tart rhubarb and fresh in-season strawberries make this the best pie around. Whole pies are $40, daily hand pies are $7.
American Tacos: These weren’t officially on the menu yet. They are a nostalgic tribute to Midwestern moms, with the soft crunch of fried flour tortillas and hamburger, lettuce, sour cream and tomatoes for the win.
Milkshakes, $8: A creamy vanilla shake is a wonder. Made with Straus ice cream, these aren’t full of stabilizer and artificial flavors and gums, but actual milk and vanilla beans. Taste the difference. Try a float with Revive Kombucha root beer for a special treat.
Americana, 205 Fifth St., Santa Rosa, 707-755-1548, americanasr.com. Online ordering available. Hours are currently 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday.
BBQ burger at Sonoma Burger, a pop-up at Gravenstein Grill in Sebastopol. Photo: Sonoma Burger.
Last winter, Gravenstein Grill in Sebastopol hosted a burger takeout pop-up that began gaining traction in January. We heard buzz about the team looking for a permanent spot to expand the burger program, named Sonoma Burger, now confirmed to be at 173 Pleasant Hill Ave. (the former location for Giovanni’s Deli).
Slated to open July 1, the menu will feature Gravenstein Grill’s pimento burger, a barbecue burger with blue cheese and crispy onion strings, chicken and turkey burgers and a tempeh burger with miso-honey glaze, along with griddled hot dogs, salads, chili cheese fries, popcorn chicken and freshly baked cookies. Stay tuned.
More dining news
Challenges for restaurants: Yes, we are all so excited to eat out again! Restaurants love having us back, too. But at the same time, there’s an insane hiring shortage happening. Many servers and cooks have gone back to school, switched careers, left the area or are still getting by on unemployment. Restaurants are even closing on Fridays and Saturdays because they don’t have enough staff to cook the food. Hiring bonuses of $400 or more are barely making a dent in filling the need for people willing to work the restaurant industry.
Sure, it’s time for a reckoning on wages in the hospitality industry, but diners are averse to paying more for their food, so it’s a moot point, for now. In the meantime, have patience when going out to eat — your server might be just plain overwhelmed.
Soft Serve Spectacular: I’ve been working on a story about the food scene in Occidental for Sonoma Magazine, but here’s a sneak peek at something I fell a little in love with last weekend: Straus Soft Serve with plum shrub at Altamont General Store. Tart and sweet and a little savory, it’s a miracle. 3703 Main St., Occidental, 707-874-6053.
Sean Perry, owner of Sean of the Bread, bakes a different style of bread each day in his Kenwood home bakery. (Photo by John Burgess/The Press Democrat)
It’s tough to keep a great chef down. As restaurants rode the wave of the pandemic, many talented food professionals found their careers taking unplanned turns. Yet rather than throw in the kitchen towel, some creative types turned to opening cottage enterprises, renting large commercial kitchens — or even securing permits for their home kitchens — to create new businesses.
The scale remains small for now, but given the allure of these one-of-a-kind artisan operations, not to mention the local support they’ve received, the sky’s the limit. “This isn’t how I normally launch things,” laughs chef Jennifer McMurry of her new Friday night supper club in Sonoma Valley. “Normally I have to know where I’m going with something before I leap.” But sometimes, not knowing can be delicious.
T & K Mixology, Sonoma
Home-based happy hour became quite a thing this past year, and thanks to craft bartenders Kenneth De Alba, 38, and Tony Leyva, 32, we can rival the region’s best mixologists. The duo introduced their artisanal cocktail mixer company in March 2020, after they lost their full-time jobs at Sonoma’s El Dorado Kitchen due to Covid.
“With bars being shut down, there was an obvious gap in the home market for craft cocktails,” says De Alba. “We looked at store-bought mixers and realized they didn’t taste fresh, and that we could make our own to taste as perfect as something we would serve at the bar.”
The Mint to Be cocktail mix from T&K Mixology in Sonoma. (Courtesy of T&K Mixology)
The result is a heavenly, all-natural quaff made in tiny batches of less than three cases per week in flavors like blood-orange margarita and strawberry.
Glittering like liquid jewels in their hand-labeled canning jars, the colorful mixes are exquisite enough to drink on their own, but T& K includes recipes for expert drinks like a Spicy Mezçal Margarita rimmed with chile salt.
“I’ve always described creating cocktails as cooking, combining fresh ingredients and flavors,” De Alba says. “We try to support local farmers, like using fruit from Watmaugh Strawberries in Sonoma, and organic California citrus. It brings us great joy to work with local businesses, and see how we’ve all come together and helped each other through these difficult times.” To order, search Facebook for T& K Mixology, find them on Instagram @tnkmixology, or email tnkmixology@gmail.com.
Sean of the Bread, Kenwood
For his new home-based business, professional baker Sean Perry managed to come up with the cleverest name we’ve heard in a long time, a riff on popular zombie movie titles of the early 2000s. Perry left his retail bakery job in San Francisco to move to the town of Kenwood last November and immediately sold several starters to neighborhood customers sheltering in place. Soon, orders were pouring in for his own fresh-baked sourdough bread, ancient grain loaves, English muffins, and bagels.
“The science of bread is fascinating, and I love explaining it to people,” Perry explains. “Grain’s ability to develop gluten and trap the wonderful gases produced by fermentation is what makes it a magical gift to humankind.”
Sean Perry, owner of Sean of the Bread, bakes a different style of bread each day in his Kenwood home bakery. (John Burgess/The Press Democrat)
Inspired by the tradition of small towns and villages having a local baker, Perry delivers his art within a three-mile radius of Kenwood or will meet customers in town for pick-ups.
It’s worth a drive for the all-natural, golden crusted breads lovingly mixed and shaped by hand, then baked loaf by loaf.
“I wake up around 4 a.m. every day,” he says. “This allows me to ensure that a product will never be rushed, and I can adhere to the bread’s schedule as opposed to trying to force the bread to adhere to mine.” To order, email seanofthebreadkenwood@gmail.com or visit seanofthebreadkenwood.com.
Ta’ Bueno, Sonoma
Surely, a superb cure for pandemic stress has to be gooey, cheese-laden enchiladas bathed in rich sauce, or steamy tamales plumped with lots of toothsome pork cloaked in fruity-smoky guajillo chile sauce. Happiness surely comes in complex, chocolatey chicken mole, sopes made with homemade masa, and creamy arroz con leche.
It’s Erik Mejia to the rescue, who debuted his Ta’ Bueno (“It’s Good”) Mexican food in August 2020 after a heady career at restaurants such as the three-Michelin-starred Restaurant at Meadowood in St. Helena, which was lost last September in the Glass Fire.
Based on home delivery, Mejia’s concept is run out of a donut shop in Sonoma and showcases family dishes treasured through generations. “We had to call our grandmothers in for this, taking old recipes from our relatives from distinct parts of Mexico,” he says. That includes using real lard in the tamale masa, because, as Mejia, notes, “We are trying to keep Mexican food as authentic as possible. It is very hard to find a substitution for lard that keeps the full flavor, texture, and smoothness of a tamale.”
That said, he has introduced a best-selling vegan tamale that’s sumptuous, too — “because the world and its people are changing.” To order, visit facebook.com/tabuenosonoma, Instagram @tabuenosonoma, email tabuenosonoma@gmail.com or call 707-408-3138.
Kraffty Kitchen, Kenwood
Cookie dough is delightful enough, but when it’s healthy, it’s an extra-special pleasure. Kraffty Kitchen chef-owner Audrey Krafft’s treats are free of sugar, gluten, dairy, and eggs — and are ready to bake, freeze, or simply enjoy raw.
“Growing up, I would make a batch almost every week, occasionally baking cookies but 99% of the time just making it for the delicious dough,” she says. “I was obsessed.”
The fitness coach and personal trainer launched her company in March 2020, when shelter-in-place allowed her to focus on her paleo, vegan, and keto-friendly recipes. Because Krafft is sensitive to most added sugars, she uses zero-calorie monk fruit extract; she also uses a custom combination of almond and cassava flour. Her other secret weapons? Organic vegan butter from Miyoko’s Creamery in Petaluma, and natural vanilla and almond extracts from Sonoma Syrup Co.
“It took me almost a year to get the right consistency, texture and flavor,” she says. “And really, what’s better than eating someone else’s cooking in your jammies in the comfort of your home?” Available at Glen Ellen Market in Glen Ellen or Baker & Cook in Sonoma, or order online at krafftykitchen.com.
Viola Supper Club, Sonoma
Last fall, Jennifer McMurry, formerly of Viola Pastry Boutique and The Pharmacy, realized she had an opportunity to create restaurant-quality meals for longtime customers. Now, every Monday, she creates a new menu, then cooks multi-course, heat-and-eat meals, delivered on Friday. More than catering, it’s become a club, with local members who join on Instagram, then often celebrate their meals together via social media.
One of Viola Supper Club’s hearty dinner salads, with sprouts, chickpeas, and fresh avocado. (Courtesy of Viola Supper Club)
“I created this model directly due to the pandemic,” McMurry says. “I started small, working with former customers who knew me and my food. I really wanted to create something that felt special. It is very personal – I work with every guest individually.”
McMurry named the club for her grandmother, Viola, and follows her rule of showcasing fresh, organic, seasonal ingredients. “We buy local as much as we possibly can,” she says. “I shop at the farmers market every week to determine the menu. We also grow a lot of our own produce, and use local organic eggs and Straus dairy products.”
The menus are marvelous. One recent week, the meal began with chanterelle sformato with Pecorino Romano cheese and organic cauliflower, and ended with cardamom panna cotta and homemade salted caramels. “I’m grateful to have created something new during a pretty rough time,” she says. “It feels amazing every Friday when we get to deliver the food to people, and have a moment to see their excitement.” Join via Instagram @chefjennifermcmurry.
Kaitlin Loewenthal has a nightly ritual with her three oldest children. Every evening, they each sit down on a plush velvet chair and, with a cup of tea in hand, they read for an hour from one of the many books on the shelves in the “reading room.”
Loewenthal, who owns and operates the boutique Hello Penngrove, designed this room in her custom home to facilitate this treasured time of day.
“If I create this magical space that’s dedicated to reading, we’re going to do it more and enjoy it even more,” she said of her thought behind the project.
Loewenthal and her husband, Aaron Loewenthal, a realtor, began working on the plans for their new home with architect James McCalligan in 2014. Two years later, they celebrated their first Thanksgiving in their new house.
When the couple found themselves in need of an additional source of income, they got creative: Their dream home was transformed into the vacation rental Hello Penngrove Home while the family stayed for a few days at a time in Kaitlin’s father’s nearby studio or the family vacation home at Stinson Beach.
The growing family (now six) soon perfected their packing skills — bags needed to be packed quickly and belongings put away while the house was cleaned and readied for guests; towels fluffed, local soaps and lotions put out and the fridge stocked with bubbly water.
Loewenthal discovered she enjoyed taking care of these hospitality details. Being a fan of minimalism also helped streamline the process — with few superfluous items in the home, packing the family’s belongings into lockable closets was easier than it otherwise might have been. Knowing they had to keep their belongings to a minimum to facilitate moving in and out of their home, Loewenthal continued to scrutinize every item in the household, assessing whether or not it was necessary and/or meaningful.
This less-is-more philosophy carries over to Loewenthal’s business. Hello Penngrove sells housewares, gifts and items for children, such as clothing, toys and, of course, books. The store doesn’t carry anything Loewenthal wouldn’t like to have in her own home and she often gives items a test run in the Hello Penngrove Home. She styles the products for photos, which then appear on the store’s Instagram page.
Loewenthal has adopted a holistic approach to home design. Just like the “reading room” engendered a new nightly ritual for her family, she believes that a well-designed space can change how we live. To that end, she also created a “secret garden” for her family’s home.
The Loewenthal backyard boasts a collection of trees — fig, orange, olive and lemon — that produce an impressive amount of fruits for the family and their lucky neighbors. Each child is in charge of their own raised bed — the corn was easy to grow, the watermelons proved a challenge — and they love filling their wagons with carrots, tomatoes, pumpkins and gourds.
Inside the home, a large dining table of reclaimed redwood accommodates large family gatherings and a chalkboard wall allows Loewenthal to create a seasonal mural — the bottom half is used by the kids for drawing.
The master bedroom is housed at the top level of a small tower-like structure connected to the house. The bedroom windows, high above the ground, allow for stargazing and waking up with the sun. Early rising is important for the busy mom and entrepreneur.
“I feel like I’m really trying to create spaces where we’re going to live life how we want to — I believe in decorating a space that reflects our values,” said Loewenthal.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, the family has lived at home full time but Loewenthal imagines they will rent out their Hello Penngrove Home as an Airbnb in the future.
“This was our baby,” said chefs and co-owners Daniel Kedan and Marianna Gardenhire of Backyard restaurant who are permanently closing their Forestville restaurant on June 6. (Photo: Erik Castro/for The Press Democrat)
Takeout boxes of fried chicken, biscuits and honey butter were the key to the pandemic survival of Backyard restaurant in Forestville. That, and nearly 25,000 meals they prepared each week for seniors at the West County Senior Center as part of an emergency restaurant relief program.
As they prepared to reopen their dining room, still reeling from a year of uncertainty, owners Daniel Kedan and Marianna Gardenhire realized that pre-pandemic issues still loomed large, including the need for building improvements, their lease ending and a shifting west county demographic that’s reduced the number of local families coming to their restaurant.
So, last week the couple made the final decision not to reopen, informing social media followers on Monday.
“We worked our butts off to survive COVID,” said Gardenhire. “It was so hard to pull this trigger and we really grappled with this, but it was just getting really, really tough out here in Forestville.”
The story of any closure, of course, is more nuanced than a simple goodbye. Like so many other restaurateurs struggling to restart at this point in the pandemic, they couldn’t seem to catch a break.
Rural west county’s ascension as a popular vacation rental spot has driven out full-time residents, resulting in fewer families and locals coming to their restaurant, Gardenhire said. And the iconic 77-year-old building they’d leased for nine years in Forestville was no longer meeting their needs.
“We don’t know what the future holds for us. Maybe in a year we’ll do something else after the dust settles. We’re going to miss seeing those mushroom foragers walk in the front door in the fall. We’re going to miss the guests who come in week after week. For nine years we’ve fed people, but I guess it just is what it is,” Gardenhire said.
The familiar sign of Daniel Kedan and Marianna Gardenhire’s Backyard restaurant in Forestville. (Photo: Erik Castro/for The Press Democrat)
Backyard’s closure is a big blow for the restaurant community at large. Kedan and Gardenhire were at the forefront of a resurgence of true seed-to-table dining when they opened, sourcing from their own farm and small family or cooperatively owned farms nearby. Fermentation, sustainability, food justice and eliminating food waste were foundations of their food philosophy.
Kedan once made a gourmet dinner at the restaurant entirely from “garbage” — food scraps like broccoli stems, offal and other things usually meant for the compost heap. The restaurant was one of a handful to win Slow Food Sonoma County’s “Snail of Approval” for their commitment to ethically raised food. They were, and are, respected members of the local food community, and Gardenhire has been instrumental in feeding disaster survivors over the last several years.
“We’re always looking at how we can help, because at the core of what we do is feeding people. We nourish them. And when a crisis comes up, that’s what chefs do,” Gardenhire said.
While the restaurant winds down, Gardenhire is spending time making pottery and Kedan is teaching. In early July, they’ll begin cooking at Davis Family Vineyards. The restaurant employs seven full-time workers and two part-time workers. Several will be kept on for catering work, Gardenhire said.
“We’re gonna have some fun, and it will be our little home base for a while,” Gardenhire said. They also plan to serve fried chicken at the Gravenstein Apple Fair in August.
Before the restaurant closes, there’s still time to order your fried chicken dinners, house fermented kimchi, chocolate budino tarts, lamb gyros and chicken pot pies.
Backyard will host a fundraiser for El Molino High School on June 6. For more details on that and their Davis Family Vineyards schedule, go to backyardforestville.com.
As warm weather calls us outside, it’s go-time in the garden. This year, however, we’re facing a deepening drought that will likely make gardening a little more complicated even for the most dedicated green thumb. Thankfully, local gardening and farming experts have plenty of tips on how to make your garden more drought-tolerant, fire-resistant and eco-friendly.
Choose plants from places with similar climates
Sprawling green gardens might make your heart sing, but during drought years you’ll need to find plants that are adapted to dry weather. Cloverdale Nursery suggests using plants that come from areas with similar climates. To this end, they specialize in offering varieties from the Mediterranean region, South Africa and Australia.
Use mulch to save water
Edible plants typically need a lot of water to thrive. Cloverdale Nursery recommends using mulch to help retain moisture in the soil, which in turn can help reduce water use. (According to a study by the Pacific Institute, mulching can reduce water use by 20%).
When picking mulch, you should take into consideration not only its ability to retain moisture but also whether or not it is fire safe. Shredded bark mulch, for example, is highly flammable, advises UC Master Gardeners of Sonoma County. Compost or wood chip arbor is your best choice.
Low-water gardens can be lush
The drought-resistant garden doesn’t have to be all rocks and succulents. In their book “Gardening in Summer-Dry Climates,” Bay Area author Nora Harlow and landscape photographer Saxon Holt offer inspiration through photographs of Pacific coast gardens and an extensive list of water-wise plants. Native plants are often a good choice for your garden, but many plants from around the world have adapted to Pacific coast climates, said Holt in a recent panel discussion with the UC Master Gardener Program of Sonoma County.
Sonoma Master Gardeners and the Sonoma-Marin Saving Water Partnership have partnered to offer this eco-friendly garden tour: 2021gardentour.savingwaterpartnership.org
Lean in to the succulent craze
Succulents have the benefit of being both drought-resistant and aesthetically pleasing. Capitalize off those pretty graphic shapes to create an interesting, low-water landscape — you’ll find plenty of inspiration for your garden at Cornerstone Sonoma.
Keep those pollinators in mind
Choosing plants that attract pollinators is good for us all. You can support biodiversity while enjoying a show of visiting animals. The Pollinator Garden at Cornerstone Sonoma was designed as a habitat for birds, bees and butterflies. Landscape manager Benjamin Godfrey and the property’s lead organic farmer Christopher “Landy” Landercasper offer informative private tours of the gardens every Friday at 1 p.m. The tours are $15 per person (max 10 person group). Fill out a request form to make a reservation. Spanish language tours are available by request on the second Friday of each month.
Save the monarchs with milkweed
Cornerstone Sonoma landscape manager Benjamin Godfrey suggests planting milkweed to help save the endangered monarch butterfly. According to the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, the monarch population has declined by 99% in coastal California since the 1990s. Monarch caterpillars eat only milkweed, so planting more of it is crucial for their survival. Keep in mind that some species of milkweed are toxic to humans and animals.
Fertilize with fava
Fertilizing without chemicals will help keep beneficial bugs and animals alive. Fava beans are nitrogen-rich and make for a great natural fertilizer. Cornerstone farmer Christopher Landercasper plants fava as a cover crop, which suppresses weeds and keeps the soil healthy.
Consider planting fava in late summer or early fall, at the end of your growing season. The beanstalks will grow tall — the beans can be harvested and the soil will be ready and nutrient-rich come spring.
Offer a water feature
Offer some water to bees, birds, lizards and more animals with a simple bird bath or fountain. In a drought, these animals are also faced with the effects of water scarcity.
Continue your fire-wise gardening education
There’s lots to consider when it comes to creating a fire-resistant garden. Stay on top of current recommendations and research with the UC Master Gardeners of Sonoma — they offer helpful guidelines here. A few takeaways:
Keep plants, wood and organic materials at least five feet from buildings, especially windows, vents, chimneys and combustible siding. Use rock or hardscaping in the zero to five-feet zone.
At five-feet out, plants are okay in small “islands,” separated by non-combustible paths to disrupt the chain of ignition.
Trim tree canopies off the ground so there’s no ladder of ignition.
Make sure trees and plants are green and healthy. Cut away wooded or dead plant material.
After being stopped in its tracks at the onset of the pandemic, the Napa Valley Wine Train is once again inviting wine (and train) enthusiasts to hop on the one-of-a-kind attraction starting Monday.
The train is a popular way to explore Napa wines and cuisine, while taking in the views of the valley’s rolling hills and vineyards. The first experience to be relaunched Monday is the fan-favorite Legacy Tour, which begins with sparkling wine, is accompanied by a four-course gourmet meal and tour of Napa Valley, and ends with a photo opportunity and exclusive tastings at local wineries.
More winery tours and even a Murder Mystery Tour will be opening in mid-June.
The Napa Valley Wine Train is reopening Monday, May 17. (Napa Valley Wine Train/Noble House Hotels & Resorts)
To give back to the community after months of pandemic struggles, the Napa Valley Wine Train has partnered with OLE Health to host a temporary vaccination clinic at their train station since mid-April. Additionally, health care workers will be offered complimentary tickets to celebrate the train’s reopening, as a way to thank them for their efforts in the fight against COVID-19.
The train’s antique rail cars became a space for dining service in 1989, but the railroad they travel on opened in 1864 as a route to take passengers from south Napa to Calistoga. The 16-car train is one of a few historic passenger trains that are still in operation in the United States. Visit winetrain.com for more information or to reserve your spot.
Fried Chicken Dinner for Two with a green salad, bean cassoulet and chicken gravy from Table Culture Provisions in Petaluma. (John Burgess/The Press Democrat)
Life moves fast, and sometimes in the rush to get to another new restaurant we forget to appreciate some of the recent openings that ranked high on our “must try” list. Click through the above gallery to see five restaurants we’re excited about this spring.
