Sonoma County’s Best (Heated) Outdoor Dining Spots for Winter

By Heather Irwin
Valette: Healsburg’s luxe off-square restaurant has created a lively and toasty tented area for diners. 344 Center St, Healdsburg, 707-473-0946. Photo: Dustin Valette.

Before the recent shutdown, Sonoma County restaurants had prepared for outdoor dining through the winter with space heaters, tents and a whole host of other toasty ideas for keeping diners warm. Now that outdoor dining is open again, it’s time to revisit our top picks. Click through the above gallery for details. We’ll continue to update this list with more restaurants throughout the season. Your fave spot not included? Email us with a picture!

Note: Make sure to dress appropriately, because there’s only so much restaurateurs can do with COVID restrictions. We suggest investing in a stadium seat, warm jacket (or a heated vest), some hand-warmers and wool socks. Adventure time!

Stress-Baking 2.0: How to Make Excellent Pies According to Local Experts

By Karen Kizer

Who would have thought that a pandemic would give rise to so much stress-baking? After the first shelter-in-place orders were issued in early 2020, many managed the stress and isolation by making loaf upon loaf of sourdough bread. Now, as we continue to stay at home, it’s time to take our culinary coping to the next level.

We asked Petaluma Pie Company co-owner Lina Hoshino for baking tips, and she suggested we try “mindful baking,” which, in Hoshino’s words, means baking with locally sourced seasonal ingredients to support the local economy while ensuring a gentler impact on the environment. In Sonoma County, baking mindfully is easy: you can get locavore right down to the crust.

Lina Hoshino and Angelo Sacerdote are the owners of the Petaluma Pie Company in Petaluma, California on Thursday, January 5, 2012. (BETH SCHLANKER/ The Press Democrat)
Lina Hoshino and Angelo Sacerdote are the owners of the Petaluma Pie Company in Petaluma. (Beth Schlanker / The Press Democrat)

Here are a few tips from Lina Hoshino and her life and business partner, Angelo Sacerdote, on how to mindfully bake mouthwatering pies. As Hoshino puts it, “Why not bake with the intention to change the world, one slice at a time?”

Use in-season, local ingredients

For the best flavor and a reduced carbon footprint, Hoshino and Sacerdote believe in baking with in-season ingredients grown close to home. They advise that you choose “produce that didn’t travel thousands of miles to get to you.” Your local farmers market is always a good place to start your baking projects. Right now, citrus fruits are in season.

Hoshino and Sacerdote like to source their ingredients locally right down to the crust. Being “very Petaluma” about things, they purchase organic whole wheat flour for their pies from Central Milling, just a few miles from their pie shop. They get their butter, cheese and eggs down the road, too: organic European butter from Strauss Family Creamery; Estero Gold cheese from Valley Ford Creamery; organic cheddar from Springhill Creamery; and eggs from free-range chickens at Coastal Hill Ranch.

They also source ingredients from just outside Sonoma County: beef from Stemple Hill Ranch and pork from Devil’s Gulch Ranch, both located in Marin County; mushrooms—for their mushroom and goat gouda pie—come from Solano Mushroom, run by Sunny and Sam in Vacaville.

Grow your own ingredients 

Hoshino and Sacerdote maintain that “best” doesn’t have to mean “expensive.” You can find excellent ingredients in your own backyard (figurative or literal). And don’t forget neighbors and friends, who might happily unload a haul from their fruit trees.

Hoshino and Sacerdote grow their own Satsuma mandarin, Oroblanco grapefruit, Algerian mandarins, Kumquat, Meyer lemon, Japanese Yuzu, Filipino Calamansi, and Bearss lime trees. Fruit trees can be grown in smaller yards, too — some dwarfs, like Meyer lemon, can even thrive in a large container. Choose varieties that do well in your region. Fortunately, Sonoma County’s grow-friendly climate gives us plenty of options.

“Play” with ingredients and swap savory for sweet

Your favorite lemon meringue pie recipe can be made with different citruses. “If you use oranges or mandarins, you can wind up with a creamsicle flavored pie, especially if you top it with whipped cream,” says Hoshino.

“In the winter, nothing is cozier than a hearty savory pie. If you can make it into a stew, you can make it into a pie,” advises Hoshino. At Petaluma Pie Company, she makes savory pies out of dishes you may not expect, like cheeseburger, Chicken Tinga and Jamaican beef.

Make pie crust in the food processor

Making your own pie crust is easy, and it’s quicker than a visit to the grocery store. A food processor makes the process magically fast. With just a few ingredients and minutes of mixing and pulsing, you’ll have pie dough ready for your rolling pin (after chilling for a while in the fridge).

Simplify a double crust pie by making pie “cookies”

Rather than fitting the top crust on your pie, you can make decorative cookies and use these as topping. Cut out pieces of extra dough and bake them for 10 minutes. Set them aside and then place them on top of your finished pie for beauty and taste.

Use the whole fruit by baking a Shaker Lemon Pie

Inspired by the classic Shaker Lemon Pie, Petaluma Pie’s Company’s citrus pie uses two whole lemons, macerated in sugar and baked in custard. You can swap out lemon for another thin-skinned citrus like mandarins.

Shaker Inspired Citrus Pie (9 inch pie dish)
Filling
  • 2 medium size tart citrus fruits with thinner skins, such as Meyer lemon, lime or mandarins.
  • 1 cup sugar
  • pinch of salt
  • 4 eggs
Crust (use your favorite recipe, store-bought dough, or this)
  • 1.25 cup flour
  • 1/2 cup butter (cut into 3/4 inch blocks)
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup cold water
Instructions:
Filling:
  1. Slice whole citruses as thin as you can, including the skin. You can use a knife but a mandolin works especially well.
  2. Mix sugar and salt.
  3. Add sugar and salt mixture to sliced citruses. Let macerate for 1 hour to soften the skin. Remove citrus seeds with a spoon.
  4. Beat 4 eggs with a fork in a bowl. Add to the citrus mixture.
Crust:
  1. Mix sugar, salt and flour.
  2. Add sugar, salt and flour mixture and butter to food processor with a cutting blade. (You can also use a mixer with a paddle attachment or mix by hand.)
  3. Pulse for a few times until butter is distributed but not entirely blended.
  4. Add cold water little by little until the dough is still crumbling but starts to form a ball. Do not over-mix.
  5. Take out the dough. Refrigerate in a container with a lid for 1 hour.
  6. Roll out half of the dough and line a 9 inch pie dish with it.
  7. Pour the filling into the prepared pie shell.
  8. If you have leftover dough, make decorative ‘cookies’ with cookie cutter. Bake them for 10 min. Set aside. Use them later to decorate the top of the pie.
  9. Bake for 40 min at 375° or until filling is cooked and crust is golden.

Bernie Sanders Meme Pops Up All Over Sonoma County

By Grace Yarrow

A bundled up Bernie Sanders has turned into a meme following the U.S. senator’s appearance at Wednesday’s presidential inauguration. Huddled in a chair and dressed in a thick gray coat from Vermont-based brand Burton and homemade patterned mittens, Sanders looked comfortably snug in the D.C. cold — and the internet loved the look. (The Burton jacket is now sold out – but the company posted on Twitter how to “steal the look”)

“I was just sitting there, trying to keep warm, trying to pay attention to what was going on,” explained the Vermont senator when asked about his reaction to the meme on Late Night.

The much-meme’d mittens, given to Sanders by Jen Ellis, a second-grade teacher in Vermont, have an interesting story. Ellis made the mittens from an old wool sweater and sent them to Sanders after he lost the bid for the Democratic nomination in 2016. She told The Washington Post that she felt honored the senator wore them at the inauguration. “There were people at the inauguration wearing clothing from world-famous designers. Then there was Bernie, wearing my mittens,” she said.

Sonoma County businesses are now joining in on the fun by photoshopping the practically-dressed Sanders into all kinds of scenes and posting these on social media. Click through the above gallery for a few favorites.

If you’d like to make your own version of the Bernie meme, this website edits the senator into any address. You can now also order a sweatshirt with the meme from Sanders’ website. 100% of the proceeds will go toward Meals on Wheels Vermont.

Exceptional Croissants, French Bread and Pastries Coming to Santa Rosa With New Bakery

By Heather Irwin
Chocolatines — chocolate croissants — from Sarmentine bakery in Santa Rosa. (Courtesy of Sarmentine)

Editor’s note: Sarmentine Bakery has now opened at 52 Mission Circle, Suite 112, Santa Rosa. More information and opening hours here. 

Eating croissants in America can be about as horrifying as ordering a hamburger in France — something is usually lost in the translation, especially if you’re used to the real thing.

Cottage baker and French expat Alexandra Zandvliet wants to change that, using American ingredients to replicate the very specific, buttery, shattered-crust laminated pastries of her homeland for delivery right to your door. Expanding to French baguettes, fig bread, Viennoise baguettes (a softer loaf), rye, orange-peel brioche, canneles and other complex pastries, her small-but-growing baking business Sarmentine is gaining traction one loaf at a time.

And sometimes they’re even still warm.

A former midwife, Zandvliet started baking as a hobby when she moved to California and struggled to find the kinds of bread she loved back home. American flour is often far more glutenous than European, giving breads a fluffier texture, like cake. American butter is often lower in fat and in general, there are fewer bakers willing to spend the time and buy more expensive ingredients to get a more European crumb.

Zandvliet continued her hobby, mostly by trial and error. She had no formal training until she went to a small town near Bordeaux and trained in the art of bread and making pastry.

“I wanted to make sure my technique and knowledge was good,” she said, in a thick French accent. “Because when you bake for yourself, it’s not like a business. Where I trained was a very typical Bordeaux bakery, in spirit.”

With her newfound knowledge, Zandvliet returned to Santa Rosa with her husband and three daughters and continue to hone her skills. She got a “cottage” license to legally bake bread in her home kitchen to sell.

Testing her recipes on friends and neighbors and using Central Milling flour, natural fermentation processes and Straus European-style butter, she’s creating some of the best, most French-tasting breads and pastries we’ve had locally. Though we’re still huge fans of French bakers Pascaline, Gougette and Les Pascals, Zandvliet’s croissants are truly exceptional. Mon dieu, I said it.

Now with a solid following of word-of-mouth clients, Zandvliet is hoping to open her own bakery in Santa Rosa at the former Muffin Street Baking Co. at the Mission Plaza shopping center.

“We’ve been working on this for years, and with the pandemic it’s been challenging,” she said. Zandvliet is hoping to raise $20,000 to get her bakery open.

The name Sarmentine? It’s a sesame baguette that’s one of her favorites.

Want to help with their crowdfunding? Go to kickstarter.com and search for Sarmentine. Details on ordering at sarmentine-usa.com.

Local Happenings in the Natural World in January and February

By Nate Seltenrich
Elephant seals arrive on the beach at A–o Nuevo State Park in December for the mating and pupping season. Males can reach sixteen feet and weigh up to 2 1/2 tons.

The natural world has work to do in January and February. But it can go unheralded by those of us who take the black bear’s view of winter: a time to hunker down in stasis. In any case these months represent — and hopefully deliver — the depths of winter, when creeks and aquifers fill, and plants and animals recharge for spring’s explosion. Click through the above gallery for details.

There’s Never Been a Better Time to Join a Sonoma Distillery Club

By Dana Rebmann

We do it in the wine world, why not spirits, too? Nearly all of Sonoma County’s distilleries offer club memberships that come with a variety of perks, such as discounts and first access to limited production bottles. And, with the pandemic making in-store shopping a little more difficult, home delivery seems like a compelling way to keep you in good spirits while supporting local, family-owned businesses. From mystery boxes and cocktail kits to seasonal spirits and drinks that make you feel like you’re on the beach, local distilleries are delivering their very best right to your doorstep. Click through the gallery above for some of the best distillery clubs in Wine Country.

Local Artist to Exhibit Three Dimensional Works in ‘Covid-Safe’ Art Show

By Matt Villano

Art exhibits are one of the many things that have been put on hold during the pandemic. But Napa Valley artist William Callnan III is determined to cheer up the public by exhibiting his quirky and colorful mixed media pieces. This Saturday, a “Covid-safe” solo show of his works opens at CAMi Art + Wine in downtown Calistoga. (To keep visitors safe and maintain proper social distancing, reservations are required via the CAMi website.)

Callnan’s upcoming exhibit will introduce art lovers to an inimitable style, which utilizes everyday objects, like toys, in the artist’s creations of fantastical three dimensional oil paintings. The Napa Valley artist wants art viewers to not only “feel like a kid again” but also get a “sense of wow”. He envisions that patrons of the exhibit will become “moving viewers” as they discover his three dimensional pieces from constantly changing, multiple perspectives.

The show at CAMi Art + Wine will comprise 12 pieces, including two of Callnan’s most recent works. “Social Distance,” depicts a forest scene with Pee-Wee’s Playhouse-style furniture; “Keep Swimming,” depicts a phantasmagoric sundial: giant rubber duck in center; soft baby toys forming its circumference.

Callnan likes the idea of viewers interacting with his art.

“One of the things that always struck me with painting is that you create this portal, but I think (the viewers) are always going to be able to make better portals,” he said. “How amazing would it be if you could go up to the Mona Lisa and change her smile?”

CAMi owner Laurie Shelton, also an artist, likewise enjoys the interactive element of Callnan’s art.

“Will’s work is colorful and different and explosive and exciting — the show will be the perfect way to kick off the new year and let go of 2020,” she said. “People need art right now, they need food for their souls.”

Callnan, a native of Vermont, does all his 3-D painting in his garage—what could be a more fitting place to paint for an artist who utilizes discarded objects for artistic repurpose. In addition to creating mixed-media paintings, he operates NBC pottery with his wife Nikki Ballere Callnan.

Working out of an expansive studio on their back lot, the Callnans create custom ceramics for luxury restaurants and resorts in Wine Country and beyond. These projects have included plates and bowls for chefs Christopher Kostow and Thomas Keller and ceramic products for the new Montage luxury resort in Healdsburg. Before the pandemic, the couple also taught ceramic classes at Nimbus Arts in St. Helena.

Incessantly hard at his artistic work, Callnan was particularly prolific during last year’s LNU Complex Fire. With his family safely evacuated, he opted to stay behind with local artist friends to paint in their barn studio. When Callnan returned to his garage from his friend’s barn over a week later, he carried with him half a dozen haunting paintings depicting the lightning and the flames. (None of Callnan’s fire paintings will be featured in the CAMi show — Shelton had requested that the pieces exhibited this time be “happy” and steer away from the traumas of 2020.)

Shelton notes that she has taken every precaution to make the CAMi art show as Covid-safe as possible. Guests must register in advance via Tock, a ticketing system platform, for a 30-minute window. No more than seven guests are allowed inside the tasting room at any given time. Face masks are required and, to allow proper air circulation, the windows to the tasting room will be open and an air purifier installed.

Under the conditions of the current public health order in Napa County, CAMi is not allowed to pour wine to guests. But visitors to the art show will be able to purchase wine in the tasting room, as well as snacks, to bring home with them.

As of now, the exhibit is scheduled to end Tuesday, February 9, but Shelton said she may keep Callnan’s work on the walls through Valentine’s Day. Callnan and Shelton will be available most days to engage with visitors and answer questions, and Callnan says he is open to extending the exhibition.

“I’m just happy people get to see my art,” he said. “It’s certainly something you remember.”

Petaluma Indie-Rock Standouts Trebuchet Release Third Album With Help From Their Friends

By Estefany Gonzalez
(L to R) Lauren Haile, Paul Haile, Navid Manoochehr and Eliott Whitehurst of Trebuchet. The North Bay four-piece started the writing process for its latest album “It’s Fine, I’m Fine,” in late 2017 at Greenhouse Recording in Petaluma, which was founded by Paul Haile and guitarist Navid Manoochehri. (Estefany Gonzalez)

“Even once we get past this, how long will it take for those of us who like to hug people hello or goodbye to feel comfortable hugging?” asks Trebuchet guitarist Eliott Whitehurst.

It’s a fair question. Last year was a challenging one on many fronts, including big life changes for the members of the Petaluma band. Drummer Paul Haile and keyboardist Lauren Haile, the married couple in the group, became parents. Lauren Haile experienced unexplained hearing loss, which has caused her to adapt to different ways of performing. And live music came to a halt across Sonoma County as the coronavirus closed venues. All of this meant a longer- than-expected break before the recent release of the band’s third album, “It’s fine, I’m fine.”

Distance is a tough adjustment for a group so driven by their community. Over the years, Trebuchet has performed at countless local gigs and recorded with well-known North Bay musicians, including the Santa Rosa Young People’s Chamber Orchestra. They’ve played at notable festivals like BottleRock in Napa and Noise Pop Music and Arts Festival in San Francisco, and in 2019 they won Creative Sonoma’s “Next Level Grant,’ partially funded by the National Endowment for the Arts and intended to help local musicians advance in their careers.

“It’s fine, I’m fine,” is a perfect example of the community spirit that powers the band. A look at the album credits shows at least a dozen names of other Sonoma creatives who contributed to the project. “We had friends that recorded strings, friends that recorded brass—even with the artwork, it was all friends who contributed,” Whitehurst says.

“It was really cool, almost a community effort to get it done,” guitarist Navid Manoochehri adds.

The four bandmates met while studying music at Sonoma State University in the early 2000s. Playing together as students was a way to create a type of music their instructors could not teach. Thoughtful lyrics laced with graceful piano notes, power-packed drums, and intricate guitar riffs are hallmarks. At times a little melancholy, the music is always heartfelt and cathartic. “Sometimes I look back and think, this is so much emotion-wise, how dense the music is,” says Paul Haile. “It has a lot of weight.”

True to form, the record has a contemplative feel. This includes the title track, in which Whitehurst reflects on his dismay over the direction of the world and his decision not to have a child. “Anyone who’s at childbearing age or over a certain age has thought of all of the things in that song,” Lauren Haile says.

“SFCA” tackles the rising cost of living and the difficulty of making ends meet in the Bay Area. And “23” addresses the 2017 wildfires. Whitehurst explains he needed to take time to mentally process the devastation of the fires before he sat down to write. “It wasn’t super on-thenose about how horrific the fires were, but this was a huge thing that affected everyone around us,” he says.

Lauren Haile explains that while the music was recorded before the coronavirus pandemic, it resonates with this moment: “I know very few people who are navigating the world right now without an additional personal tragedy, whether it’s someone in your family or you yourself. Everyone’s feeling extraordinary stress on top of the global stress. We just need each other.”

Trebuchet recorded the album at a studio in Petaluma founded by two members of the band. They waited a while to release it but eventually realized there might never be an ideal time. “It was just like, ‘let’s just get this record out there,’ ” says Lauren Haile. “The album is called ‘It’s fine, I’m fine,’ and it feels more appropriate now than ever.”

A Jungle of Indoor Plants and Plenty of Natural Light Updates Designer’s Petaluma Cottage

By Kier Holmes
Designer Lindsay Wallstrum balances neutral-colored furnishings with loads of texture and bursts of green. (Rebecca Gosselin / Sonoma Magazine)

Lindsay Wallstrum isn’t your typical plant enthusiast. As the owner of a small company that focuses on designing with houseplants, she is on a mission to bring more life into people’s homes in the form of thoughtfully chosen interior greenery. That mission is brought to life in the verdant Petaluma cottage she shares with her husband, Kyle, and their two dogs, Zeus and Lolo. With smart DIY projects and an impressive posse of plants, the couple has transformed the home into a cozy space that offers the couple a literal breath of fresh air.

Lindsay initially began collecting plants when she wanted to beautify her space and was having trouble finding art she liked. “I have an extremely hard time choosing art and found that plants served as art pieces on many a blank wall,” she says. When friends and family visited — oohing and aahing over her plants, telling her how much of a green thumb they didn’t have — she realized that what came naturally to her didn’t come as easily to others. In 2018, Lindsay started her plant design company, Leaf + Lolo, while keeping a day job in merchandising and marketing for a sportswear company. Just last year, as requests rolled in, she made the leap to working with plants full time.

Lindsay finds tending plants rewarding and therapeutic. The proof is found in every nook and cranny now inhabited by her colossal plant collection, 125 strong and counting. “I love the beauty, peace, and serenity they bring to a space. Caring for plants has taught me patience and how to slow down. It’s allowed me to truly be in the moment and witness another form of life and growth.”

(Rebecca Gosselin / Sonoma Magazine)
(Rebecca Gosselin / Sonoma Magazine)
(Rebecca Gosselin / Sonoma Magazine)

Lindsay and her husband have made a number of upgrades to their home, including new floors and paint, stenciling the risers of her stairs, remodeling the bathroom, and stripping the beams in the dining area, all accomplished on their own as their time and energy allowed. “Before we moved in, the first thing to go was the carpet,” laughs Lindsay.

“This might sound crazy, but when choosing our floors, we brought along a tuft of dog fur, hoping to find one that helped camouflage the fur.” And they did indeed find a hardwood laminate design they could install themselves that hides the black and white fur explosions from their two dogs.

Choosing paint wasn’t quite as easy. While they appreciate vivid colors, Lindsay and Kyle both felt that brighter shades would be too energizing for their space. “I find that the serenity of neutrals and texture calms me,” explains Lindsay. So they went neutral, with a soft, light gray throughout the entire 2,100-square-foot space. “I thought I was being so strategic by painting before we laid our new floor,” she says. “But the joke was on me, because fast-forward a few years, and I craved bright, white walls.” They ended up repainting the entire house a crisp white and, despite the extra work, they loved the results.

The dining and living spaces reveal the couple’s flair for a beachy, eclectic California style — a style mixed with plenty of indoor-jungle vibes. Against the white walls, the furniture and accessories incorporate plenty of greens, of course, but also neutral tones and textures accented with soft blush colors. It’s a mix that Lindsay says directly reflects the couple’s love of the beach and its laid-back lifestyle.

Lindsay and Kyle’s most recent home project involved stripping a large beam in their dining room from painted white back to its natural wood tones.

They thought the project would take only a weekend, but as with so many things in these pandemic times, it took much longer. “We spent every free moment up on the ladder. It ended up taking a week to complete and what felt like a week to clean up all the dust. But now the wood beam really adds warmth and character to the space and draws your eye upwards.”

It’s just one more example of Lindsay’s balanced, centered approach, both to design and to life in general. If there’s a part of your home you don’t love, take small steps toward changing it.

Pro Plant Tips

Even though she’s a professional, Lindsay admits that keeping plants thriving can sometimes be a finicky proposition. Everyone loses plants sometimes, she says. “I try to use it as a learning experience.” For more information on Lindsay Wallstrom’s inteior plant business, visit leafandlolo.com.

• Avoid over-watering.This is one of the most common ways to kill a plant.

• Give your plants (and you) a self-care day. Wipe down leaves, check for pests, and spend time taking in their beauty.

• Go for trailing plants, such as philodendron and lemon-lime pothos. They look amazing on shelves or trailing along a wall. 

• Adjust water and placement based on the season. Plants will likely need less water in winter months. And they might need to be shifted to a slightly different spot based on where the sun hits during different times of year.

• Try hanging plants for a different look. Rustic, textured macrame hangers are a popular look right now and convey a beachy California feel.

Local Chefs Open Restaurant With Money Made From Investing Stimulus Checks in Tesla

By Heather Irwin
Table Culture Provisions owner/chefs Stephane Saint Louis, left, and Steven Vargas. (The Press Democrat)

One of the most exciting new restaurants in Sonoma County launched with a dream and two well-invested stimulus checks.

Chef Stéphane Saint Louis, who has worked in some of the world’s top kitchens, said he and business partner Chef Steven Vargas invested their pandemic stimulus checks into electric car company Tesla as a last resort when they realized their SBA loans simply weren’t going to be available to them during difficult restaurant times.

A $2,400 investment turned into a $17,000 windfall that’s launched not only a forthcoming mobile kitchen but a brick-and-mortar restaurant in Petaluma. You might say Tesla put them on the road to success.

Table Culture Provisions started quietly, popping up a night or two a week at Petaluma’s Wishbone restaurant and serving fried chicken. It caught my attention in early September as a word-of-mouth recommendation from a few locals. Then the menus and the hours expanded and started getting really interesting — a Haitian feast, classic French dishes like cassoulet, dry-aged steaks, trout en croute and upscale brunch dishes including an insane Monte Cristo. Mentions of brioche, homemade pomegranate raspberry jam and delicate crosscut potato chips with onion dip made it even more impossible to resist.

And so it went, gaining steam as Saint Louis and Vargas tempted fans with their seductive Instagram feed, @tcprovisions. Fair warning, it’s not recommended on an empty stomach.

In early January, the duo purchased Wishbone, which owners Miriam Donaldson and Josh Norwitt put up for sale in 2019. What’s so special about the sale is the through-line of unfettered creativity, obsessive locality and a passion for of-the-moment ingredients that will continue at the Petaluma space Donaldson and Norwitt so carefully cultivated. Serendipity? Maybe.

Saint Louis, 34, and Vargas, 28, met at Della Fattoria, a launchpad for many restaurant careers, then later worked together as executive and sous chefs for a few years at the Shuckery, my favorite Petaluma seafood spot. Donaldson knew Saint Louis from Della, they reconnected late last summer and, voilà, the Table Culture Provisions pop-up was born as a way to make a little extra money for the long-term goal of buying a mobile kitchen.

A New York-born world traveler, Saint Louis speaks with a hint of a French accent after having lived in Haiti for 17 years. He moved to Northern California in his late teens, attended the California Culinary Academy, then worked at restaurants in Palm Springs, Miami, Petaluma and Sonoma. He moved to France to study at the Paul Bocuse Institute, parlaying that into stints in Shanghai and Copenhagen. Vargas is a Santa Rosa Junior College culinary graduate who Saint Louis recruited to work with him at Della Fattoria.

Table Culture Provisions is open Thursday through Sunday. The menu can change daily, depending on what’s in season and available locally. Visit the restaurant’s website to see what’s offered currently.

On a recent Sunday, Saint Louis sat down to talk about fried chicken, their vision for the future and a shared passion for world cuisine.

Why did you start the Table Culture Provisions pop-ups with your “famous” fried chicken?

Saint Louis: Fried chicken for us was strategic. We believe in our product and in the care and thought of how we source things. In the pandemic, we were asking, ‘What do people really like and can do at home but don’t want to because it’s too messy?’ Really, it was us playing it safe and getting our feet wet. We knew how to put that together.

How do you decide on your menus?

Saint Louis: We literally come up with the menu the day of, once I call and see what Green String Farms or our fish seller has in the inventory. Then we really go at it and put the menus together.

What’s your culinary point of view?

Saint Louis: Happy belly, happy mind. We know how crazy the world is and how fast it changes, and we always had this mentality that we didn’t want to settle or be part of the chaos of the world. So while everything was happening (during the pandemic), we still had to feed people and Petaluma has a refined palate. We wanted to be here and do comfort food, things we like to cook and eat with (the) best ingredients in a 25- to 50-mile radius from us.

It’s just about cooking for people, having fun and having visions and dreams of where our career can take us.

You are classically trained in the French tradition, but you have a lot of experience with other cuisines of the world. Do you plan to do more international menus?

Saint Louis: I have all this experience living in other countries, from Haiti to California to France and even in Shanghai. I went to Shanghai as a manager, overseeing 40 Chinese students and teaching them to cook the fundamentals of French cuisine. The trade-in there was learning about Asian cuisine. In Copenhagen, there was a lot happening with Noma and Geranium (restaurants). I was at a small one-Michelin star restaurant, but they did fundamental Danish cuisine. Also, my wife is Polish and my partner is Mexican, so we’re navigating through so many different cultures.

Tell me about your recent Haitian fundraising dinner.

Saint Louis: My mom and auntie live here, but they have a school in Haiti. It was in shambles after (the) earthquake (in 2010). They are making their dollars here and funding the school. For the longest time I wasn’t able to financially invest and help out, but as soon as I had this platform, I thought about showing appreciation for them having my back. In December we did a Haitian dinner with all proceeds going to the school.

Overall: This tiny pop-up punches far outside its weight class with passion, creativity and classic techniques, making it one of the best and brightest openings in Sonoma County.

841 Petaluma Blvd. S., Petaluma, 707-796-3375, tcprovision.com. Currently open for takeout only, Thursday through Sunday. Brunch from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., marketplace 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., dinner from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.