Sonoma, Napa, Mendocino Hotels Offer ‘Schoolcations’ As Remote Learning Continues

By Dana Rebmann

The coronavirus has impacted all of our lives, albeit in different ways. For parents of school-age children, the pandemic has presented a variety of challenges as adults and kids adapt to remote learning. A number of hotels in Sonoma, Napa and Mendocino are now offering so-called “schoolcation” packages, with organized P.E. classes, tutoring, advice on field trips and more. With hotel occupancy rates running lower than usual due to the pandemic, staycations for families may also be more affordable than in the past. Click through the gallery above for “schoolcation” options in Wine Country.

‘The Different Skin Tones Are My Inspiration:’ Local Artists Respond to Black Lives Matter Movement

By Matt Brown and Nashelly Chavez

Petaluma and Sebastopol recently debuted large-scale public art projects, joining dozens of other communities that have commissioned similar works in response to a national dialogue on racial equity.

In Petaluma, 16 artists worked together to paint a 250-foot Black Lives Matter mural on the street in front of the library. Each letter portrays a different theme, from a stylized representation of African mud cloth to a portrait of civil rights hero John Lewis.

Artist Kristi Quint was motivated to participate because of her 6-year-old son, who is Black. Her design features a child’s smiling face with tan, brown, and black beams radiating outward in a sunburst shape. “The different skin tones are my inspiration,” Quint said. “I wanted to represent the mixed families in Petaluma and the important conversations we are having in our house, our schools, our community.”

Sebastopol’s mural is painted across a walkway in the town plaza in yellow block letters surrounded by multicolored handprints. At the installation in July, a socially-distanced line stretched across the plaza as locals waited to dip their hand in paint and leave their mark.

Dezi Kai, a senior at Analy High School and one of the project’s organizers, says the mural is of special significance in Sebastopol, where few Black residents live. “A lot of us kind of feel not seen in our community and in our schools,” said Kai, who is Black. “This was a way to say, ’Hey, we’re here.’”

‘It’s Bringing You Back to What’s Important:’ Locals Share Experience of Planting Victory Gardens

By Megan McCrea
Brenda O’Neill, from the Sonoma Ecology Center leadership circle, places seed packets into the victory garden starter kit at the Sonoma Garden Park, on Seventh Street East, on Thursday, April 23. The kits, in recognition of the Ecology Center’s 30th anniversary, will include live plants and seeds, will be distributed on the Plaza on Saturday, April 25, from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. (Robbi Pengelly/Index-Tribune).

Call it hive mind. Back in spring, as the weather warmed and the news turned dire, a century-old idea resurfaced everywhere: the victory garden.

The Sonoma Victory Garden Club sprung up on Facebook, and garden sales and giveaways cropped up as resilient Sonomans got out their spades and started digging. The Petaluma People Services Center — partnering with Heritage Salvage — sold victory garden box kits to raise money for Meals on Wheels and Petaluma Bounty Farm.

The Sonoma Ecology Center, meanwhile, elected to start their 30th-anniversary celebrations by giving away 300 victory-garden starter packs on Sonoma Plaza.

Sonoma Magazine’s digital editor, Sofia Englund, planted a modern-day victory garden this spring. Learn more here. 

https://www.facebook.com/NorCalPublicMedia/posts/3482539218464947

For some, the victory garden was their first foray into planting. Karen Nau of Petaluma, a teacher, grew up on a chicken ranch turned family farm. “But living in the suburbs for the last 34 years, I didn’t ever have a garden,” she says. “I never had to; I could just go to the farm.”

Nau was avoiding stores when she planted, which meant getting creative with resources. Needing a trellis for her cucumber vines, she went digging in her garage and found the toddler bed her grandchildren once used. “I took the springs out, and now the cucumber vines are growing up it!”

Maggie Bedord of Sonoma hadn’t traditionally been the household gardener. “We’ve had [a garden] for six, seven years,” she says, “but my husband has always done it. This year, I wanted to do it.” Now she’s harvesting squash to sautée with garlic, and is particularly proud of her sunflower. “Before I got it in the ground, it got real leggy — I didn’t know if it was gonna make it. But now it’s standing straight and tall!”

Others have used this as a chance to expand their existing gardens. Radio host Cat Smith and real estate agent Kevin Brown of Sonoma are self-described “growing nuts,” with a yard full of cucumbers, strawberries, blueberries, sunflowers, melons, pumpkins, gourds, and now — thanks to the Ecology Center’s giveaway — snap peas. “That one tiny starter is an enormous bush now!” says Brown. The peas are so delicious, they never make it inside. “It’s just right from the vine, right into the mouth.”

Meanwhile, the victory garden at Glen Ellen’s Dunbar Elementary School rose from the ashes. The school’s beloved garden, which had been growing strong for over two decades, was ravaged by the 2017 fires. When the pandemic hit in March, classes ended abruptly, before anyone had planted. “Seeing the empty beds, with Covid, it was like, ‘we gotta get something out there,’” says school librarian Tracy Salcedo. She picked up a kit from the Ecology Center giveaway, then she and eight other parents and teachers got to work. They hope students will be able to continue the harvest when they return to in-person classes.

Says Salcedo: “It’s just bringing you back to what’s important, right? Food and being outside and feeding your family and feeding whoever you can.”

Windsor Spirit-Maker Creates Gold-Medal Gin While Battling Cancer

By Carey Sweet

Tara Jasper has plenty to toast these days, and not just the success of her fast-rising Windsor distillery, Sipsong Spirits. Jasper’s Indira Gin took home a Double Gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition this past March, and she recently launched a specialty spring gin and a new zero-proof botanical gin tea. But, most importantly, the mother of three is also beating breast cancer.

Jasper, 42, was diagnosed in June 2019, while still finessing the recipes for her spring gin and botanical gin tea. She made final adjustments just days before starting chemotherapy. “I wanted to finish just in case my sense of taste never returned, since chemo kills your taste buds,” she says.

She named her flagship gin for Indira Gandhi, the former Indian prime minister. “She always stood up to corruption and used her position of power for the good of her people,” says Jasper. “I consider it an honor to be able to name my gin after a strong woman I admire so much.”

These days, Jasper is looking forward to the future and an end to the coronavirus, so she can reach out to new customers.

And Jasper is helping other women by spreading a message about early detection of breast cancer through screenings and preventive care. “It’s been very hard,” she admits. “I am working 24/7, but because I love what I do so much, it doesn’t feel like work. It feels like a life well lived.”

sipsongspirits.com

Top Restaurants for Patio Dining in Sonoma Valley

By Sonoma Magazine Staff
The Depot Hotel patio in Sonoma. (Courtesy of the Depot Hotel)

Make the most of sunny and clear days with some al fresco dining. We’ve put together a list of our favorite outdoor dining spots in Sonoma Valley that will give you the best of both worlds with beautiful patios and great food. Click through the above gallery for photos. Did we miss one of your favorites? Let us know in the comments.

Grace Yarrow contributed to this article. 

Black Bear Diner: Open daily for outdoor dining with everything from sweet cream pancakes to a Bigfoot chicken fried steak. Find the menu and place your order online. 201 W. Napa St. #34, Sonoma, blackbeardiner.com.

Cafe La Haye: Sidewalk seating with changing weekly menus. Email info@cafelahaye.com or call 935-5994. 140 E Napa St, Sonoma, 707-935-5994, cafelahaye.com.

Cochon Volant: Slow-cooked BBQ meats, sandwiches and more. See menu here. 18350 Sonoma Hwy, Sonoma, 707-509-5480, cochonvolantbbq.com.

Della Santina’s: Patio dining open for authentic Northern Italian cuisine, with pastas, breads, soups and fish referred to as “Tuscan Soul Food.” 133 E Napa St, Sonoma, 707-935-0576, dellasantinas.com.

Depot Hotel Restaurant: Hotel garden is open for outdoor dining. Serving pizzas, pastas, soups and salads. 241 1st St W, Sonoma, 707-938-2980, depotsonoma.com.

El Dorado Kitchen: Located in El Dorado hotel, serving California cuisine for take-out which can be enjoyed inside or elsewhere. 405 First St West, Sonoma, 707-996-3030, eldoradosonoma.com/kitchen.

HopMonk Tavern: Beer gardens open with special live music events, complete with shareable wings, fries and a rotation of draft beers. 691 Broadway, Sonoma, 707-935-9100, hopmonk.com/order-sonoma.

Jack London Lodge: Newly revamped, this historic space has a lively outdoor saloon and casual bar menu. 13740 Arnold Dr., Glen Ellen, 707-938-8510, jacklondonlodge.com.

La Casa Restaurant: Garden patio dining in its El Paseo courtyard. Serving traditional Mexican food — and, of course, fresh margaritas. 121 E Spain St, Sonoma, 707-996-3406, lacasarestaurants.com.

LaSalette Restaurant: Now open for patio dining with a number of Portuguese specialties for lunch and dinner. 452 First St East, Sonoma, 707-938-1927, lasaletterestaurant.com.

Layla at MacArthur Place: Al fresco dining with farm-fresh ingredients and seasonal menus. Reservations recommended. 29 E. MacArthur St., Sonoma, 707-938-2929, macarturhplace.com.

Les Pascals Patisserie et Boulangerie: Open for dine-in with fresh breads, pastries and mini sandwiches. 3798 Arnold Dr., Glen Ellen, lespascalspatisserie.com.

Mary’s Pizza Shack: Patio dining with pizza, pasta and other family dishes. 8 West Spain St., Sonoma, 707-938-8300, maryspizzashack.com.

Murphy’s Irish Pub: Indoor and patio seating. Signature dishes include leg of lamb, summer salad and beer-battered fish and chips. Come on Wednesdays for trivia night. 464 1st St E, Sonoma, 707-935-0660, sonomapub.com.

Palooza: Patio dining with burgers, wood-fired pizza and more. 8910 Sonoma Hwy, Kenwood, 707-833-4000, paloozafresh.com/kenwood-menus.

Picazo Cafe & Deli: Patio open for sandwiches, salads, and brunch. (Don’t forget your bottomless mimosa!) 9100 Arnold Dr, Sonoma, 707-931-4377, picazocafe.com.

Reel and Brand: Approachable dining with one of Sonoma’s best outdoor patios. Frequent live music shows and happy hour. 401 Grove St., Sonoma, 707-938-7204, reelandbrand.net.

Salt & Stone: Now open for patio dining for brunch, lunch, dinner and, of course, happy hour. 9900 Sonoma Hwy, Kenwood, 707-833-6326, saltstonekenwood.com.

TIPS Roadside: Dinner and brunch reservations available for outdoor dining. 8445 Sonoma Hwy, Kenwood, tipsroadside.com.

Yeti Restaurant: Enjoy Nepalese cuisine at this unique and authentic restaurant. 14301 Arnold Dr, Glen Ellen, 707-996-9930, yeticuisine.com.

Listen to the BiteClub Podcast

By Heather Irwin
Heirloom tomato salad with compressed cucumber, opal basil, browkaw avocado and toasted seeds at Bricoleur Vineyards. (Heather Irwin / Sonoma Magazine)

Want to hear about all of BiteClub’s tasty adventures? In our new Biteclub Podcast, Chief Fork Heather Irwin takes you on some delicious adventures around Sonoma County as she interviews local chefs, hits up her favorite food trucks, makes your mouth water with her “Best Dish This Week”, and recommends new and exciting eateries you’ll want to check out.

Hear it here first. And remember — keep your forks close and your adventures tasty!

Tired of Working From Home? Work at a Wine Country Hotel Instead

By Matt Villano
The Altwork station is available for people who pay to work by day at the Harmon Guest House in Healdsburg. (Photo courtesy of Harmon Guest Hotel)

Many workers have had to embrace a working from home routine since the start of the coronavirus pandemic and, as they’ve done so, they’ve discovered its pros and cons. Casual workwear, less commuting and more flexibility are some of the perks but, on the downside, there’s the feeling that the boundary between work and home life becomes increasingly blurred. For parents, working from home can pose another set of challenges as many children are now at home, instead of at day care or in school.

So what’s a worker to do if they’re getting tired of the at-home scene? In Wine Country, they can book a hotel suite.

Tapping into a national trend, a handful of Sonoma and Napa county overnight accommodations are now offering packages and promotions designed to give locals and visitors an incentive to focus on work in different surroundings. Guest rooms can be booked for daytime hours, often without the requirement of an overnight stay.

“Sometimes you need a change of scenery to get creative juices running. Sometimes you just need peace and quiet,” said Brooke Ross, director of sales and marketing at the Hotel Trio in Healdsburg, one of the local properties offering work-from-hotel deals.

The Trio is renting its meeting room for full ($200) and half ($125) days. The hotel also is offering special room rates starting at $185 per night, so guests can stay for multiple nights to get their jobs done and, during their stay, receive room service from a robot named Rosé.

Elsewhere in Healdsburg, the Harmon Guest House recently rolled out a similar offer, but it comes with a futuristic twist: a Sonoma-made workstation dubbed Altwork. The adjustable desk comes equipped with a 32-inch screen and special seating that allows guests to sit, stand — even lie down — while doing their work or making video calls.

Harmon only has one Altwork, so advance reservations are necessary. As part of this deal, guests at the Harmon Guest House can book a suite (rates start at $425 per night) and reserve the Altwork station for an additional $200. Day use of a suite with the Altwork station is also available for a flat fee of $300; with this offer, guests can use the setup for a maximum of 12 hours. They also get in-room snacks, free parking and free Wi-Fi.

Circe Sher, partner of Piazza Hospitality, which owns Harmon Guest House, said hotel staff sanitizes the Altwork station after each use. She added that she sees the concept of hotel-rooms-as-offices catching on.

“The trend we have been seeing is guests looking at longer stays where they can come enjoy the Wine Country and continue to work during their stay,” she wrote in a recent e-mail.  “We want to provide an amazing space for that so they can be highly productive and then go and enjoy themselves.”

Thanh Nguyen booked the Harmon Guest House package and said it was a perfect escape. The entrepreneur, who splits time between Healdsburg and San Francisco, said he particularly appreciated the Altwork station, which enabled him to work in different positions than usual.

“We have standup desks in my office but this was quite nice,” he recalled. “I didn’t try the laying but I did try the sitting and standing. It was nice to have varied positions. I was able to churn through the stuff I had to do quickly.”

Other hotels are either offering or considering different options that would facilitate remote work. The Andaz Napa, which is owned by Hyatt, is offering the “Work from Hyatt” package with room and workspace options starting at $139 per night for stays of at least seven nights. In Calistoga, Solage has a deal through which hotel guests can rent out pool cabanas as offices. Other properties, such as The Sandman in Santa Rosa, said they were considering adding a similar promotion.

The notion of designating hotel rooms for day-use only is not new: Yannis Moati founded an entire company on the concept back in 2015. That company, HotelsByDay, has grown to include more than 1,500 hotels, and has seen a significant uptick in the number of inquiries for day-use bookings since the start of the pandemic.

Moati said the current situation will force hotels to reinvent themselves to stay alive, and he predicted that offering rooms for day-use only is one of the directions they will go—anything (within reason) to turn a profit.

“A hotel is a big box full of space,” he said. “We hope this is a way for hotels to monetize the fact that [space] is something everybody seems to want right now, and they’re looking for spaces they know are safe.”

New Santa Rosa Spot Serves Tamales, Street Food With Oaxacan Roots

By Heather Irwin
Chicken tamale with red mole at Tamales Oaxaquenos in Roseland. (Heather Irwin / Press Democrat)

Long before most of us are awake each morning, tamale vendors roll their steaming carts into gas stations, vacant lots or along busy streets, filling orders with dexterous hands. Predawn workers stuff them into bags or their pockets for a warm, comforting carbo-load on their way to their jobs.

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 food 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, he’s created Tamales Oaxaquenos, a newcomer to Roseland’s Mitote Food Park.

Pacheco, dressed in a crisp collared shirt and fedora, cuts a striking figure while dishing up tamales under a simple pop-up tent. The host of a weekly radio show called “What’s Cooking Sonoma County” on La Morenita FM and a board member of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Pacheco has teamed with longtime tamale-maker Maria Castillo of Tamales Magos to produce the tamales and make his dream a reality.

“These are the recipes from my grandmas and aunts in Mexico. I did research through my relatives,” said Pacheco, who was born in Texas but spent much of his youth in Oaxaca.

Rooted in ancient Mayan traditions and passed down family lines, the sauces and cooking methods are truly what set Pacheco’s tamales apart. And when we say sauces, we mean mole.

Pacheco’s wife, Graciela Cruz, spends days making each batch of mole. Moles take time to prepare and are as unique as the various families and regions they come from. And mole recipes can be a closely guarded secret. Cruz’s includes seven kinds of peppers, chocolate, cinnamon and more than a dozen other ingredients that are roasted, toasted, pounded and simmered into an indescribably magical sauce. You almost feel honored to be part of such pure tradition that’s woven into the fabric of Pacheco’s ancestry.

At the same time, standing in a parking lot, balancing a takeout box on a wine barrel as traffic roars past, brings it all back to community. This isn’t dinner at a four-star restaurant. It’s lovingly created street food that’s OK to spill on your shirt and eat with plastic utensils.

Best Bets

Tamales de puerco en mole Oaxaqueno negro (Pork tamales in Oaxacan black mole): The mix of cinnamon, citrus and chocolate in this long-simmered sauce tastes like Christmas morning. With soft, round flavor rather than the bitter petrol notes often found in premade moles, it’s a velvet comforter of a sauce and the most approachable and delicious black mole I’ve ever had. Shredded pork stands up nicely to the sauce.

Tamales de pollo en mole de epazote (Shredded chicken tamales with epazote mole): Epazote is a magical, pungent herb frequently used in Mexican cuisine. In fact, it often grows in Sonoma County as a weed and is eagerly snapped up for cooking. The flavor is typically described as “medicinal,” with notes of orange, anise, oregano and mint. In this dish, it gives the ruby-red mole a soft citrus note.

Tamales de pollo en salsa verde (Chicken tamales in green salsa): Tart tomatillos are the base for this piquant green sauce that’s made daily. Rather than smothering the tamale in richness, salsa verde lets the rich, earthy flavor of the corn stand on its own.

Tamales de rajas con queso y epazote (Cheese tamales with epazote): This meat-free tamale has strips of chewy cheese and tomatoes inside. Topped with salsa verde (you can get whatever sauce you’d like), it’s a lighter, brighter tamale that won’t weigh you down.

La Guajolota Oaxaquena (Tamale sandwich): A carb-loaded street food that’s a staple in Mexico city, it’s literally a tamale stuffed into a soft roll and then slathered with sauce. Trying to eat one is an adventure in itself. You’ll likely need a roll of paper towels and a stain stick for your shirt, but you won’t walk away hungry.

Tamales de elote (Sweet corn tamales): For novice tamale-eaters, sweet tamales are an easy entry point. Studded with fresh pineapple and topped with crema (or not), they’re more dessert than dinner.

Tamales Oaxaquenos is open 4-10 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday at 665 Sebastopol Road, Santa Rosa, in the Mitote Food Park.

New ‘Ultra-Luxury’ Resort in Healdsburg Readying to Open

By Matt Villano
A rendering of one of the pools at Montage Healdsburg. Photo courtesy of Montage Healdsburg

A pandemic won’t impede the opening of Montage Healdsburg, a new Wine Country luxury resort. The five-star property, set to open this winter, is now accepting reservations after Dec. 19.

Tucked in the hills north of Healdsburg’s Parkland Farms neighborhood, the resort, which is still under construction, is set on 258 acres of oak woodland and vineyards. Once completed, it will feature a main lodge and 130 bungalow-style rooms and suites. Room rates are expected to start around $695 per night.

This is the first Montage property in Northern California — the luxury hotel and resort company manages five hotels in the United States (2 in California, 1 each in Utah, Hawaii, and South Carolina).

Most guest rooms at Montage Healdsburg will be approximately 650 square feet. Art work from local artists will be displayed on the walls and rooms will be stocked with snacks from local purveyors. The largest accommodation, The Guest House, will be 4,600 square feet and boast three bedrooms, a private patio, and a private hot tub.

General Manager Allen Highfield said he is “very excited” for the resort to open, and noted that it will bring “a long-awaited ultra-luxury Wine Country resort to the region.”

Highfield also mentioned the aesthetics of the property: Montage wanted to build a resort that would resonate with the surrounding landscape. The result is a design that blends with and shows off the scenic beauty of Sonoma County.

In the main lodge, guests will be able to dine at Hazel Hill, a “terroir-to-table” restaurant that overlooks a vineyard to the east. One wall of the restaurant will have windows that fold away to let the outside in. Another section of the restaurant—a private dining area—will be cantilevered out into an old oak tree.

Guests will be able to enjoy similarly spectacular views from the zero-edge pool at the 11,500-square-foot spa, which was on track to be completed before the rest of the resort. At the center of the property, there will be a wedding pavilion, in the middle of the vineyard. The idea is that brides and grooms will walk to the pavilion through the vineyards, creating an “only-in-Wine-Country” experience.

There won’t be any car traffic at the resort. Instead, guests will park vehicles near the main building and be shuttled around on golf carts.

“We see this as the kind of place you can completely disconnect—if you want to,” said Highfield.

While disconnecting from the outside world, guests at Montage Healdsburg will have ample opportunity to live the good life.

Star winemaker Jesse Katz of Aperture Estate in Healdsburg designed the hotel’s vineyard and will use grapes from the property to make estate wines only available on site (and, potentially, at other Montage properties). Katz has been consulting on the project for years, and said the opportunity to grow grapes on 14 acres in the middle of the Alexander Valley is unique.

“There aren’t a lot of projects of this size that would let me go no-holds-barred on quality and attention to detail and let me do what I want from viticulture to winemaking,” he said, noting that some blocks of vineyard are planted so densely that crews will have to pick the vines by hand, instead of with a tractor. “Montage has a great attention to detail, and it shows,” he added.

The resort also has partnered with Sonoma County Bee Company and will run an onsite apiary program for honey to serve in restaurants and wax for the spa.

At last check, Montage was running a special offer on room reservations at the Healdsburg property. Dubbed the “Spirit of Now,” guests booking this deal would enjoy a free upgrade at the time of check-in, no deposit required at booking and waived cancellation fees up to 48 hours prior to arrival. Additionally, depending on the room category booked, guests will receive up to a $200 daily resort credit for use toward dining, treatments at Spa Montage, recreational experiences throughout the property and more.