You can shop small and local and still spend just a little. Thanks to the curation efforts of Sonoma shopkeepers, you can find small gifts that are big on style. Here are 15 unique gift ideas, all under $35. Click through the above gallery for details.
There are so many wonderful things made, grown or cultivated in Sonoma. So giving the gift of Sonoma is always a wonderful way to go, whether the person on your list is across the country or across the street. Here are just a few favorites finds that are just so Sonoma. Click through the above gallery for details.
Continue reading “Best Holiday Gift Ideas from Sonoma County Businesses”
If you’re planning on holiday shopping but prefer to stay out of stores altogether, there are still ways to shop small in Sonoma. Here are just some spots with great online shopping, whether the person on your list loves food, style, nostalgia or fitness. Click through the above gallery for details.
A well-crafted soup says a lot about the temperament, creativity and patience of a chef. In fact, learning to make a basic stock is one of the first (and most important) things a chef learns. Fail that, and you fail in the kitchen.
Deceptively simple, making soup is about time, seasoning and ingredients. No matter what the cuisine, every good restaurant has a massive pot of stock bubbling away on a back burner. Skimmed and simmered for up to 24 hours, it’s a literal melting pot for roasted bones and vegetable trimmings that comprise the foundation of a hearty, flavorful, steaming bowl of soup.
As the weather cools, now’s the time we really start looking for a warm cup of minestrone, posole, French onion or beef barley. Here are some favorites…
Have a soup you’d like to see added to our list? Send a picture and a description to us.
Now that the Great British Baking Show has broken all of our hearts, there’s something so much sweeter to love: “Candy Land.”
The Food Network show hosted by actress Kristin Chenoweth features a life-size, edible version of the much-loved children’s board game including a peppermint forest, chocolate mountain, lollipop woods and a licorice swamp. Thousands of pounds of candy, chocolate ganache, fresh cookies and other goodies were a dreamy larder for the contestants. According to the Food Network website, the contestants must forage for ingredients to use in their sugar masterpieces they then present to the judges.
Local pastry chef and chocolatier Robert Nieto of Jackson Family Wines and Fleur Sauvage Chocolate has helped his team sail through the first two rounds as they created a chocolate bridge (complete with gumdrop troll) and a fantasy chocolate blimp with cocoa nib race cars.
Before the show began taping in Long Beach last August, Nieto had to quarantine for a week in a hotel, where he made the cocoa nib molds — just for fun — because, well, that’s what he does.
“With the chocolate, I was just in my element,” he said.
Nieto, who has competed internationally with the US Pastry Team, joined four other bakers to make up Team Pink on the six-episode series, which premiered Nov. 15. None knew each other before the contest.
“You just show up on set and it’s go time,” he said, acknowledging that the first challenge was the hardest as they figured out where each of them fit in. His other teammates are primarily cake bakers, while Nieto has a strong background in chocolate and sugar modeling.
Nieto can’t say what happens on the next “Candy Land” episode, but he will confess that he gets a chance to be team leader (at some point) and watchers are in for a sweet treat.
If you’re dying to taste one of Nieto’s gourmet chocolates, he’ll be at the Healdsburg Farmers’ Market and Windsor Farmers Market through December. Or try his incredible desserts as part of the Jackson Family Wines’ wine pairings at Kendall-Jackson Wine Estate & Gardens.
Marla Bakery: One of Santa Rosa’s best-kept bakery secrets is popping up each Saturday throughout the month of December at Miracle Plum (208 Davis St., Santa Rosa, miracleplum.com) in Santa Rosa. Superstars of the SF bakery scene, Joe Wolf and Amy Brown, have moved to Sonoma County with their kids and are now bringing us their famous English muffins, bagels, pastries and bread starting Dec. 5 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. You will want to get in on that breakfast action. They’ll also be doing pre-order pickups at their new Windsor bakery on Sundays for those in the know. Stay up to speed at marlabakery.com.
From late November through December, nearly 20 million jelly doughnuts, known as sufganiyot, are devoured in Israel as one of Hanukkah’s traditional treats. As their popularity has grown, so has the range of fillings, from the traditional raspberry and cherry jam to the more unusual rose petal jelly. Israeli versions include nutmeg in the dough and a final dusting of powdered sugar.
Why doughnuts for Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights? The holiday celebrates the miracle of the oil, specifically lamp oil that should have lasted for only one night somehow lasting for eight. Doughnuts, like the more familiar latkes, are fried in, yes, oil.
Over the last few decades, sufganiyot have grown in popularity in the United States, including in Sonoma County. If you have a neighborhood doughnut shop, ask if they offer them during the holidays. If not, you’ll find delicious versions of the traditional recipe at these spots.
1200 Fourth St., Santa Rosa 707-595-1932
308 Wilson St., Santa Rosa 707-595-7707
1617 Fourth St., San Rafael 415-450-1866
Forget about that sad sprig of mistletoe hanging all by its lonely self. For a more appropriately Sonoma-style spin on the holiday tradition, find a spot underneath the mistletoe along one of our many woodland trails. Mistletoe grows widely in our deciduous valley oaks, and it’s easily recognized this time of year, when the leaves have fallen and the delicate shapes of the oaks’ branchwork are revealed. Though it represents a sweet custom, in reality the parasitic mistletoe can damage the health of our oaks; large infestations harm trees by sapping water and nutrients. But nonetheless, the time spent hiking outdoors to spot the bright-green, lacy garnishes will bring calm and good health to your season.
Spot mistletoe in the oak woodlands at these local parks.
Eldridge Trail to Fern Lake. Begin at the end of Orchard Road on the campus of the Sonoma Developmental Center.
Foothill Regional Park. 1351 Arata Lane.
Santa Rosa Taylor Mountain Regional Park and Open Space Preserve. 2080 Kawana Terrace or 3820 Petaluma Hill Rd.
Sebastopol’s Barlow center is having its close-up moment. After some stunning lows over the years — namely, the 2018 flood that left shops and restaurants literally underwater — the sprawling outdoor marketplace is suddenly a poster child for outdoor entertainment in the pandemic age.
Restaurants are bustling, as are taprooms, tasting rooms, and stores, as those in need of a little vitamin D with their craft brew gather, socially distanced, for a much-needed outing.
The newest entrant is Blue Ridge Kitchen, a Southern(ish) restaurant that was designed to be a sort of something-for-everyone spot similar to Napa’s Rutherford Grill or the iconic Buckeye Roadhouse. With plenty of fast-casual and cocktail-cool dining concepts in the Barlow, Blue Ridge is the approachable anchor restaurant missing since the departure of zazu farm + restaurant in 2018.
Not that fellow Barlow restaurants, including Sushi Kosho, The Farmer’s Wife, Barrio, Acre Pizza, and Fern Bar don’t have their own brisk followings. It’s just that Blue Ridge is where you take your mom for a two-mimosa brunch with fried chicken and waffles so good she’ll forgive you for the belly button ring in 1997.
Like a good SpongeBob episode, Blue Ridge Kitchen transcends its intended audience. Chef Matt D’Ambrosi (Spoonbar, Harmon Guest House, Pizzando) is keen to throw a few curveballs with deconstructed plating (Mississippi mud pie), culinary winks such as Asian pear coulis with the tuna tartare and an anise-y fennel-pollen ricotta in his tomato salad, and surprises like saffron béchamel and caviar classing up the Croque Madame.
Sure, there are moments when things like sumac powder or endless microgreens seem overly fussy. But chefs live for accessorizing their dishes. We think Coco Chanel summed it up best, however, when she decreed that a well-dressed plate should always have one thing removed before leaving the kitchen. Or something like that.
Don’t miss the Croque Madame, $25, which is the Liberace of sandwiches. Its jeweled capelets of griddled brioche sit in a dainty puddle of golden saffron bechamel. Up top is a jaunty chapeau of sunny-side-up eggs and sequins of caviar. Peering inside, you’ll find a symphony of fontina, country ham, and freaking lobster. You can’t look away from that.
Also especially special is the Fried Chicken and Waffles, $19, petite thyme and rosemary waffles that keep their structure, with two manageable pieces of perfectly fried chicken. Bigger isn’t always better. Bits of bacon and smoked syrup bring the whole thing together. I approve this dish.
What we’ll return for: It’s pretty impossible to get through the menu in even three or four visits, but we’re looking forward to trying the Roasted Cauliflower Steak; Matt’s Smash Burger; a dino-sized Tomahawk steak; and the Chef’s Raw Platter, a fresh seafood tower.
Blue Ridge Kitchen. Open daily from 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. (until 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday). 6770 McKinley St., Suite 150, Sebastopol, 707-222-5040, brkitchen.com
Filled with meat, vegetables, and cheese and wrapped in corn husks or banana leaves, these ancient corn masa cakes are the original fast food. But Sonoma County radio host and businessman Neil Pacheco wants to elevate this ubiquitous street fare into something far grander. Pairing the salsas and long-simmered homemade moles of his Oaxacan ancestors with a handful of California cuisine-inspired ingredients like extra virgin olive oil, finishing salt, edible flowers, and microgreens, Pacheco has created Tamales Oaxaqueños, a newcomer to Roseland’s Mitote Food Park.
Pacheco teamed with longtime tamale-maker Maria Castillo of Tamales Magos to produce the tamales and make his dream a reality. Don’t miss the tamales de puerco en mole Oaxaqueño negro (pork tamales in Oaxacan black mole), featuring a mix of cinnamon, citrus, and chocolate. This long-simmered sauce tastes like Christmas morning.
Open 4-10 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. 655 Sebastopol Road, Santa Rosa, in the Mitote Food Park
Mary’s Pizza Shack: The new crispy chicken sandwich ($10.95) is as good as I’d dared to hope. A toasty brioche bun, not-too-thick fried chicken patty, chili mayo, Parmesan cheese, and pickled onion with cabbage and arugula slaw pairs perfectly with my third glass of Chardonnay. My go-to however, is their chicken parmigiana ($14.75) with tart tomato sauce, melted provolone, and creamy fettuccine Alfredo. I eat it while hiding in the garage from my family. Ten locations throughout Sonoma. maryspizzashack.com
Taqueria California: My kids discovered this spot on Doordash and we’ve never looked back. The crispy carnitas and al pastor tacos were still shockingly good even after they sweated it out in a delivery driver’s car. In fact, these are the tastiest carnitas I’ve had in a very, very long time. Leftovers were perfect while we watched a bloodred sunset and chunks of ash falling from the sky. 750 Stony Point Road, Santa Rosa, 707-595-3363.
Zoftig Eatery: Is falafel a vegetable? I’ve decided it is. This breakfast/lunch spot near Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital is doing a brisk business satisfying stresseating hospital workers and my family. You can go either way here, with a kindahealthy falafel wrap (hummus, cucumber raita, pickled onions, veggies, tahini dressing, sparkles of hope) or the K-Town buttermilk-fried chicken sandwich with gochujang barbecue sauce, sesame aioli, jalapeño, and lime. A perfect handheld lunch for those days when you’re walking in circles questioning reality. 57 Montgomery Drive, Santa Rosa, 707-521-9554, zoftigeatery.com
Haku Sushi: Wacky sushi rolls with names like Thunder Down Under and Funny Feeling Down There. Hours of parental giggling ensue as your teenage children roll their eyes in disgust after hearing your phone order. Win! 518 Seventh St., Santa Rosa, 707-541-6359.
Castaneda’s: The family “Super Snack Pack” comes with six crispy tacos, four burrito halves, tater tot nachos, and grilled shrimp ($40). Order one for them, then sneak another into your bedroom and lock the door, yelling, “No one home!” when anyone knocks. Also an ideal reward for crabby husbands who’ve been stuck “homeschooling” the children all day. 8465 Old Redwood Highway, Windsor, 707-838-8820.
What’s a playwright to do when theater groups say they can’t produce your plays because they can’t find Native American actors for the Native American roles you’ve written? For writer Larissa FastHorse, the answer was easy.
She penned “The Thanksgiving Play” — a play about a play of the first Thanksgiving, in which all the characters are … white.
What could possibly be awkward about that? As it turns out, all 90 minutes of it. And American theater audiences are eating it up.
In one of the most performed plays of the year, FastHorse — a member of the Sicangu Lakota Nation and a 2020 MacArthur Foundation “genius grant” winner — lampoons “performative white wokeness” via her story of four white theater artists devising a school play to honor Indigenous people. The progressive characters’ careful-not-to-offend sensibilities leads their fictional group to omit Native American characters from their play altogether. Hilarity and horror ensue, all told through language of great white guilt and more than a dash of discomfort.
Santa Rosa’s acclaimed Left Edge Theatre company is producing the play live via Zoom just in time for the holiday — yes, the very same one with the turkey, stuffing, and problematic history.
“The play’s conceit is very funny and clever, but also subversive,” says Left Edge Theatre Artistic Director Argo Thompson. That’s a good match for a troupe whose mission is to produce new, lesser-known works that are both “left and edgy.”
The show was picked last fall for Left Edge’s current season by the company’s own audience. In an innovative tactic to engage with their patrons, the Left Edge team presents a showcase of scenes from 10 plays as possibilities for the upcoming season, and the audience votes on a lineup of five to produce at full length. “
Glen Ellen resident and local theater critic Jeanie K. Smith is switching up her typical role to direct “The Thanksgiving Play.” Smith has been interested in FastHorse’s work since she reviewed a production of her play “Cow Pie Bingo” in 2018.
“‘Cow Pie Bingo’ was so quirky, sweet, funny, and smart,” says Smith. “When I read ‘The Thanksgiving Play,’ I thought, ‘This is brilliant — insanely good.’” Smith has always had a taste for theater that pushes the envelope. She wrote a doctoral dissertation on feminist performance art of the ’70s and ’80s, which she describes as “so fabulously different and political, intriguing and weird.” She has also worked in and enjoyed another form of courageous theater: being a drama teacher for middle schoolers.
Consistent through her roles — from scholar to teacher to critic — is her belief that good theater is “its own consciousness-raising event” and “has the power to create better human beings.”
And while “The Thanksgiving Play” has gotten some criticism for the lack of solutions it presents, Smith rejects the idea, believing the problem-solving falls on the viewer.
“The play is just the beginning,” she says, referencing a FastHorse interview. It’s in the new perspectives and conversations that happen after the show where the “messy” work of meaningful change happens.
Larissa FastHorse’s The Thanksgiving Play from Left Edge Theatre, streaming live November 6-15 and on demand November 16-29. Tickets $10-$30. 707-546-3600 or leftedgetheatre.com/tickets.
Winemaker Jesse Katz has an impressive resume, capped by the opening of a beautiful new facility where he can show off his skills. Plenty of outdoor and indoor spaces allow for intimate tasting experiences to enjoy Katz’s portfolio of fine wines, such as Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chenin Blanc, and a Bordeaux-style red blend of Malbec and Merlot.
Katz has experience working at Petrus in Bordeaux, and also in Argentina. Closer to home, he had a hand in the production of Screaming Eagle wines in Napa Valley and at Lancaster Estate in Sonoma County.
He sources his fruit for the Aperture label, which was under development for 11 years, from approximately 140 acres of vineyards in Sonoma County, including 32 planted acres on the estate site.
The new 4,000-square-foot tasting room, which opened earlier this year, takes advantage of natural light and has a gallery-inspired atmosphere.
A collection of photographs taken around the world by Katz’s father, renowned photographer Andy Katz, surround visitors. The outdoor terrace overlooks the estate vineyards, facing west toward the Russian River, and the indoor spaces include vineyard views through floor-to-ceiling windows.
“We are delighted to show guests and friends a transportive hospitality experience,” explains Jesse. “This new space is stunning — it’s the Aperture story in building form.”
At press time, Aperture was offering two tasting experiences: the Soil Series tasting ($50) featuring Bordeaux-inspired blends, and the Site Series ($75) showcasing the vineyards of Alexander Valley, with wines produced from single-vineyard locations.
12291 Old Redwood Highway, Healdsburg, 707-200-7891, aperture-cellars.com. By appointment only; reservations available online.
Dutcher Crossing has a long legacy of making exceptional wines, and under the ownership of proprietor Debra Mathy and the winemaking expertise of Nick Briggs, the winery has expanded production from five wines to more than 30. Seated tastings by appointment ($35) last about 90 minutes. “We’re planning special varietal or vintage weekends for the holiday months, where we present a different wine flight from the regular tasting that focuses on one varietal or one vintage, and even a barrel tasting opportunity,” says manager Miranda Hagedorn.
8533 Dry Creek Road, Geyserville, 707-431-2700, dutchercrossingwinery.com
Eric Flanagan planted his first vineyard almost 20 years ago in Bennett Valley, which yielded 150 cases of Cabernet Sauvignon. He later added Syrah to the label, then Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Flanagan sources his grapes from vineyards he owns around the region, including Platt Ranch in Bodega and Gap’s View in the Petaluma Gap AVA. The label also bottles a Viognier made from Bennett Valley AVA fruit, and a Merlot. The by-appointment-only tasting experience ($40) is available three times per day and lasts 60 to 90 minutes.
435 W. Dry Creek Road, Healdsburg, 707-723-8800, flanaganwines.com
James and Rosalind Manoogian developed a fascination with great wine when James was a restaurateur in San Francisco. The couple found a 30-acre parcel in Sonoma County in 1997, and their grapegrowing and winemaking adventure was underway. Rosalind Manoogian reports that their tasting room has been “very busy” since reopening. “A few days ago we had more reservations than we’ve ever had. Our visitor numbers are basically the same as last year at this time.”
7606 Occidental Road, Sebastopol, 707-829-2006, fogcrestvineyard.com
The Pour House is the first tasting room to spotlight Goldschmidt wines, and it’s also a collective of three family-operated wineries (the others are Optima and Lago di Merlo). Winemaker Nick Goldschmidt has a portfolio of several labels, having been in the wine business for many years and in many places, including Chile and New Zealand. Goldschmidt received two gold medals in the 2020 North Coast Wine Challenge, for Cabernet and Chardonnay. A flight of four tastes is $10.
4791 Dry Creek Road, Healdsburg, 707-433-0100, thepourhouse707.com, goldschmidtvineyards.com
Hanna may be best known for winemaker Jeff Hinchliffe’s perennially award-winning Sauvignon Blanc, but he also produces Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Malbec, and many others. The winery was founded by heart surgeon Dr. Elias Hanna and is now run by his daughter Christine Hanna. Take in the spectacular Alexander Valley scenery with tastings from $35 to $45, or visit the Russian River Valley location adjacent to the winery’s production hub, with tastings starting at $30.
9280 Highway 128, Healdsburg, 707-431-4310; and 5353 Occidental Road, Santa Rosa, 707-575-3371, hannawinery.com
Friends and winemakers Michael Sebastiani and Paul Giusto founded this label together several years ago, focusing on Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir. (They also bottle the Highwayplanted man and Carneros Highway labels.) Their flagship Bordeaux-style blend is made with equal parts Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot.
23564 Arnold Drive, Sonoma (at Cornerstone Sonoma), 707-935-8815, highway12winery.com
Joe Benziger founded Imagery Estate more than three decades ago, and today his daughter Jamie is winemaker, producing Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, and Tempranillo. More unusual Albariño and Lagrein may also be on the tasting menu ($30 for five tastes). “Guests who come for a seated tasting during the holiday months will get a bonus pour of our newly released sparkling brut rosé,” says Hilary Clair, tasting room manager. Imagery was awarded several gold medals at the 2020 North Coast Wine Challenge, including for its Malbec and its ‘Tusca Brava’ red blend.
14335 Sonoma Highway, Glen Ellen, 877-550-4278, imagerywinery.com
More than 10 varietals are bottled at this 5,000-case winery, which sits on land that has been in the Larson family since 1877. The Larsons initially raised cattle and ponies here; the first grapevines were in the 1970s. They are known for excellent Pinot Grigio, Malbec, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Tempranillo, Chardonnay, and Gewürztraminer. The family’s Pinot received a gold medal in the 2020 North Coast Wine Challenge. In a tribute to their winery dogs, they also bottle ‘Three Lab Cab’ and ‘Three Lab Chard.’
23355 Millerick Road, Sonoma, 707-938-3031, larsonfamilywinery.com
Founded in 1994, the winery owned and operated by the Mayo family produces more than 20 different single-vineyard wines every year. The tasting choices can range from sparklers and Chardonnay to Pinot Noir and Zinfandel. The main tasting room in Glen Ellen is open daily; the Reserve Room has a food-pairing focus, and reservations are required. President Jeffrey Mayo says visitors during the holiday months can expect to sip at least two new sparkling releases. “We’ll be pouring our 2012 reserve brut and the 2015 regular brut,” he explains. “Both are Chardonnay and Pinot blends, and they are delicate, fruity, and incredible.”
13101 Arnold Drive, Glen Ellen, 707-938-9401; and the Reserve Room, 9200 Sonoma Highway, Kenwood, 707-833-5504, mayofamilywinery.com
Five generations of the Seghesio family have farmed grapes and bottled fine wine over the past 125 years, a legacy that’s hard to match elsewhere in Sonoma County. They produce Zinfandel, Chardonnay, a white wine made from Vermentino grapes, and such Italian heritage varietals as Aglianico and Barbera. “Venom” is the name of their 100% Sangiovese. The classic seated tasting ($25) features a flight of current release Zinfandels and Italian varietals.
700 Grove St., Healdsburg, 707-433-3579, seghesio.com
The Wilson family made their bones at this winery, one of several they own and operate in Sonoma and Mendocino counties. They know what they’re doing: this winery picked up 18 gold medals at the 2020 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition and many more golds at the 2020 North Coast Wine Challenge. Wilson specializes in Zinfandel and also bottles Petite Sirah, Sauvignon Blanc, and Chardonnay. A signature deck tasting includes a flight of four wines served at a private table ($25, by appointment only).
1960 Dry Creek Road, Healdsburg, 707-433-4355, wilsonwinery.com
