How to Do Wine and Chocolate the Sonoma Way on Valentine’s Day

By Linda Murphy

Red wine with chocolate for Valentine’s Day: What could go wrong? A lot, actually.

Gifting wine and chocolate to a treasured one is impressively generous and traditionally romantic. But drinking a Sonoma dry red wine with high-quality dark chocolate can take all the helium out of the heart-shaped balloon attached to the basket. The natural bitterness and tannins in each can create a clash of titans in the mouth. So best to share, not pair, cabernet sauvignon and chocolate.

“People like wine, and people like chocolate, thinking that they go together,” said Ron Washam, who retired after working 19 years as sommelier at Pacific Dining Car, one of Los Angeles’ finest restaurants until it closed in 2020. Now a wine educator at Rodney Strong Vineyards in Healdsburg, Washam is blunt about his disdain for pairing chocolate with the dry red wines produced in California.

“The typical advice is to make sure the wine is as sweet as the chocolate, and that’s fine,” he explained. “But you still have to deal with the bitterness in both.”

Washam says that sweet, fortified red wines, such as port (he mentions Rodney Strong’s True Gentleman’s Port), can work well with a 70% dark chocolate. The bitterness in the chocolate offsets the sweetness of the port; mature ports, at least 10 years of age, typically have a nutty, dried-fruit character that complements dark chocolate with similar flavors.

“But for red table wines, the pairing with chocolate seems forced,” he said. “Pairings are supposed to make the food taste more interesting and the wine taste better. It’s better to enjoy the chocolate, and enjoy the wine separately.”

Of course, the best matches of wine and food are the ones you like. There are no rules for pairing, just suggestions and opinions. Yet when it comes to Valentine’s Day and our infatuation with wine and chocolate on that holiday, consider the advice of Washam and others who want you to experience peak moments of enjoying both: Try them separately.

Here are a few more suggestions.

A port maker’s perspective: Bill and Caryn Reading, Sonoma Portworks, Petaluma

Twenty-five years ago, Bill Reading realized that while his port-style red wines complemented chocolate, they weren’t drop-dead perfect with the finest-quality cacao dark chocolate. So the Sonoma Portworks’ founder/winemaker infused one of his local ports with natural chocolate flavoring and voilà, DECO was created. It’s an 18% alcohol, spirit-fortified dessert wine ($17 for 375 ml) with a subtle yet distinguishable dark chocolate note that accents the blueberry, black cherry and espresso notes of the wine and ties it to chocolate.

Purists will object, but fans of chocolate-flavored wines such as DECO are legion. Just ask the tasting room managers at Trentadue Winery in Geyserville and Ferrari-Carano Vineyards and Winery in Healdsburg, who sell impressive amounts of dessert wines with chocolaty notes gained from flavor infusions. Trentadue’s Chocolate Amore Port ($20) is made from merlot grapes fortified with neutral grape spirits and finished with chocolate flavoring. Ferrari-Carano’s Baci ($25) is a late-harvest zinfandel with dark-chocolate essence added before bottling.

Sonoma Portworks Petite Sirah Port with Coco Tutti truffles. (Amy McElroy)
Sonoma Portworks Petite Sirah port with Coco Tutti truffles. (Amy McElroy)

Sonoma Portworks’ wide range of port-style wines (plus sherry and grappa) offer something for everyone with a sweet tooth and a desire to match wine with dessert. ARIS ($18), for example, is a blend of zinfandel, grenache and alicante bouchet grown in Southern California’s Temecula Valley, where warm days during the growing season produce ultra-ripe grapes that take well to a supplemental addition of distilled spirits. The resulting alcohol is 18%, with more than 7% residual sugar.

Sonoma Portworks, 613 Second St., Petaluma, 707-769-5203, portworks.com

Ferrari-Carano Vineyards and Winery, 8761 Dry Creek Road, Healdsburg, 707-433-6700, ferrani-carano.com

Trentadue Winery, 19170 Geyserville Ave., Geyserville, 707-433-3104, trentadue.com

A restaurateur perspective: Sondra Bernstein, the girl & the fig in Sonoma; the fig cafe in Glen Ellen

Sondra Bernstein, owner of two of Sonoma Valley’s finest restaurants, each with heavy leanings toward serving wines made from Rhone Valley grapes, confessed that red wine with chocolate is not her favorite pairing.

“We always have a chocolate dessert on the menu because a lot of people really want that with their meal,” she said. “But pairing chocolate with wine is difficult. I prefer to serve Banyuls, a fortified grenache (from the Roussillon region of France) that has a lot of sweetness, and we always have a bottle at the restaurants. For a locally made wine with chocolate, I like Loxton Cellars Sonoma Valley Port ($30), a fortified syrah. For big, fruity wines, I’m tempted to add some fruit to a chocolate dessert to bridge the flavors with the wine.”

Her chocolate and salted fig caramel trifle is a keen match for the Loxton port. “Portlandia” fans will understand: Just put a fig on it to make a better match.

the girl & the fig, 110 W. Spain St., Sonoma, 707-938-3634, thegirlandthefig.com

the fig cafe, 3690 Arnold Drive, Glen Ellen, 707-938-2130, thefigcafe.com

Loxton Cellars, 11466 Dunbar Road, Glen Ellen, 707-935-7221, loxtonwines.com

A winemaker perspective: Kathleen Inman, Inman Family Wines, Santa Rosa

“I love chocolate, but I’m not a big fan of chocolate with wine,” said Kathleen Inman, owner and winemaker at her Russian River Valley winery. “Chocolate accentuates the tannins in red wine and has fats that coat the palate, changing the wine’s texture and astringency. I want people to taste my wine for the wine; then they can taste the wine with chocolate and see for themselves. They’re often surprised at the difference.”

One particular chocolate, however, works splendidly with Inman’s OGV Estate Pinot Noir ($73), she said. It’s made by Jeff and Susan Mall of Volo Chocolate in Windsor. “Their Volo dark milk chocolate bar with dried figs (and almonds and hazelnuts) mirrors the earthy character of OGV,” Inman explained. “In tastings I do, guests taste a trio of wines, then taste them with the Volo bar. The caramelized sweetness of the fig seems to be a nice pairing with the chocolate, which also has sea salt and cinnamon.”

Inman Family Wines, 3900 Piner Road, Santa Rosa, 707-293-9576, inmanfamilywines.com

A chocolate maker’s perspective: Jeff and Susan Mall, Volo Chocolate, Windsor

Jeff and Susan Mall, who owned Zin restaurant in Healdsburg for a decade before decamping to Mexico to develop culinary programs, became interested in Mexican cacao beans and the chocolate made from them. They returned to Sonoma County in 2016 and founded Volo, using their chefs’ minds to include sea salt, cinnamon, New Mexico chiles, candied orange peel, olive oil and other nontraditional ingredients that add savoriness and flavor balance to their bars.

“A pinch of sea salt pulls out the other flavors and lowers the sugar content and bitterness of chocolate,” Jeff Mall said. “Wineries seem to like the result.”

The Malls have found regular customers in several local wine producers. Inman Family, Medlock Ames, Papapietro Perry and others sell Volo bars (about $8 each) in their tasting rooms, tuck them into wine club shipments and use them in virtual tastings. Volo flavors include Deep Dark, Chocolate Orange, Dark Cream Caramel Crunch and Dark Cream Mexicali, made with chiles and dried cherries.

“Even though we owned a restaurant named Zin and were known for the zinfandels on our wine list, we’ve found the varietal doesn’t pair well with our chocolate,” Jeff said. “Pinot noir and cabernet sauvignon seem to be the most successful reds with dark chocolate.”

Chocolate creations, including a life-size chocolate wine bottle, from Fleur Sauvage in Windsor. (Chris Hardy/Sonoma Magazine)
Chocolate creations from Fleur Savage in Windsor. (Chris Hardy / Sonoma Magazine)

The Malls make chocolate; other Sonoma confectioners purchase chocolate, such as Vahlrona from France, and create truffles and bonbons from it, adding their own flavors and artistic touches.

One of the newest and most sophisticated chocolatiers in Sonoma County is Fleur Sauvage Chocolates. Owners Robert and Tara Nieto add ganaches and other fillings that, depending on the ingredients, can turn tannic dark chocolate into a more wine-friendly mate. Fleur Sauvage also sells a goof-proof Valentine’s Day gift: a full-size chocolate wine bottle filled with truffles ($60). Save the actual wine for another date.

Volo Chocolate, 707-536-6764, volochocolate.com. Purchase online and at Oliver’s Markets in Santa Rosa, Cotati and Windsor; Miracle Plum in Santa Rosa and Big John’s Market and Russian River Tea Co. in Healdsburg.

Fleur Sauvage Chocolates, 707-235-8679, fleursauvagechocolates.com. Purchase online and look for Fleur Sauvage at farmers markets.

Straight Out of The Jar: Sonoma Chefs Are Cooking Up Addictive Pantry Items

By Dana Rebmann

There’s no denying it — we eat well in Wine Country. Whether dining outdoors or picking up take out, our local restaurants have continued to wow us during the pandemic. Even on those days when we’re trying to make magic happen in our own kitchens, we can turn to some of our favorite local chefs for inspiration — and a little help.

Chefs like Sondra Bernstein, Duskie Estes and Liza Hinman are busy creating pantry items such as olive oil, barbecue sauce, jams and salted fig caramel that help us all look good in the kitchen. Click through the above gallery for details. And remember: Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. These days, every home cook deserves some extra love.

12 Heart-Shaped Valentine’s Gifts from Sonoma Stores

By Karen Kizer

Sonoma County is full of heart-shaped finds — jewelry, fine art pieces, chocolates, decorations and more that make for great gifts for someone special, or a special treat just for you. Get them for Valentine’s Day or just any day of the week. We could all use a little extra love right now. Click through the above gallery for details.

‘I Flex My Change Muscles Once Again’: North Bay Retailers Adapt to Series of Challenges

By Karen Kizer
Valentina Stoll helps her mom Adelle squeegee water from her business, Adelle Stoll, in the Barlow business district in Sebastopol on Thursday. (photo by John Burgess/The Press Democrat)

Grace and Oliver Estrada opened their “dream store” in The Barlow in the summer of 2018. Scout West County, a modern take on the general store, offered a sleek selection of home decor, clothing and accessories to the North Bay. The couple — both artists — soon expanded their business, opening another storefront in Healdsburg.

Two years later, in the wake of wildfires, flood, and now, pandemic, the Estradas were forced to close their brick and mortars. They launched their own line of high-quality loungewear, Yarrow Goods, and pivoted to online sales.

“We have moments of total panic and moments of total faith,” said Grace Estrada about starting a new business during the pandemic.

The Yarrow Goods brand channels clean-lined minimalism and a muted color palette, while injecting playful elements with silk-screened designs, printed in-house. A crew neck sweatshirt, designed by Oliver, jumps with a rabbit print. A “Buenos Dias y Buenas Noches” design captures the warped sense of time presaged by the pandemic. A “winking cat” design-of-the-times ironically but positively exclaims, “Everything will be ok.”

Yarrow Goods loungewear has enjoyed early success as stay-at-home orders continue to boost the casual, comfy clothing market. The Estradas have now opened a retail space — currently, shopping is by appointment-only — and Grace’s cat print blankets, made exclusively from eco-yarn produced by a U.S.-based family business, sold out quickly. Yarrow Goods will soon release four new blanket designs featuring mushroom, floral and dog prints.

Blanket from Yarrow Goods. (Yarrow Goods)

The Estradas are thankful to have found a silver lining in troublesome times. Undaunted, they go about creating and marketing products which explore the power of “multicultural imagery and messaging.”

Oliver, born in Oaxaca, Mexico, says that, after years of keeping quiet about his heritage, he’s grown proud of his roots. “I feel free to express that side of me in my personal life and now in my creative and business endeavors.”

Oliver draws inspiration from his upbringing; from stories and imagery from his childhood years. His rabbit design, for example, is a visual interpretation of the Aztec rabbit-in-the-moon myth his mom told him as a small child.

“I feel like we now have the platform to really go with this, expand on Oliver’s roots and bring a dialogue to life through our art,” said Grace about the couple’s new business endeavor.

Fashion-wise mother-and-daughter duo pivots

Mary Delanay and her daughter Lily Luong opened Areteway, a new fashion resale boutique on Santa Rosa’s Fourth Street, in February 2020. The fashion-wise mother and daughter had previously enjoyed considerable vintage-selling success on eBay and Luong had been a fashion ambassador for Seventeen magazine. Their shop quickly garnered a following with its collection of gently-used garments and its Instagrammable decor.

Lily Luong and Mary Delaney. (Courtesy of Areteway)

With the arrival of the pandemic and shelter-in-place orders only a month later, Delanay and Luong opted to keep their business online, offering shipping and curbside pickup. They’ve also pivoted to personal styling services: customers fill out a questionnaire and pay a $20 fee, which goes toward their purchase. Delaney and Luong then handpick and photograph selections of clothes, accessories and shoes for customers to choose from remotely. The final selection is delivered; unwanted items are returned to the store. Delaney and Luong are likewise busy designing a line of up-cycled clothing, scheduled soon for launch.

Made Local Marketplace returns

When Made Local Marketplace in Santa Rosa announced its closure on June 19, 2020 — a few months shy of its 10th anniversary — the news was met with a flood of devastated responses from customers and local artisans, who had sold their wares through the downtown shop. “Some were in tears,” said store co-owner and tireless shop-local champion Kelley Rajala.

A few days later, at the eleventh hour, local realtor Willow Peterson made the decision to take over the business on Fourth Street, thus allowing it to remain open. In mid-December, Made Local Marketplace announced an upcoming move to a new retail space in Santa Rosa’s Montgomery Village shopping center; the doors at the Fourth Street address closed one final time on Christmas Eve.

While the end of an era can feel sad, the new Montgomery Village location has its perks.

“We’re loving the beautiful natural light and the free parking,” said Willow Peterson.

Meanwhile, talented, resilient and resourceful handbag maker Adelle Stoll moved her Montgomery Village studio and store to a “production-only space” and an online store. Stoll, who had previously moved her store to Santa Rosa from The Barlow following the flood in 2019, recently made a Facebook post, intoning, “I flex my change muscles once again.”

Matching felt bag and face mask from Adelle Stoll. (Courtesy of Adelle Stoll)

With pandemic restrictions and shutdowns, there have been both retail comings and goings.

We’ll all miss two Sonoma County retail stalwarts: Santa Rosa Fourth Street’s Skeeter’s Gallery has closed — the owners having announced their retirement in August after 24 years in business.
And farewell to The Barlow’s Elsie Green, a seller of fine vintage French home goods; the shop shuttered in June.

Trace and James clothing boutique opened in Windsor during the holidays while Montgomery Village welcomed independently-owned housewares and clothing store, Wild Honey Mercantile.

Sonoma County retailers continue to look for ways to navigate the daunting trifecta of flood, fire and pandemic.

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.