Page 225 – Sonoma Magazine

Behind the Scenes of Guy Fieri’s ‘Hospital Week’ Thank You Tour

May 2020

By Heather Irwin

Celebrity chef Guy Fiieri takes a selfie with Santa Rosa CHP commander Aristotle Wolfe, who picked up bags of to go lunches for his office at Memorial Hospital in Santa Rosa. Fieri brought family, friends and his 48-foot Guy’s Smokehouse Stagecoach mobile kitchen to feed first responders and hospital workers lunch on Wednesday. (photo by John Burgess/The Press Democrat).

Outside Memorial Hospital last week, hospital workers lined up in the parking lot, standing on red Xs spaced 6 feet apart, for a glimpse of Guy Fieri.

The Food Network chef, game show host and Hollywood Walk-of-Famer was busily signing 300 boxed meals for staff, with another 300 to go for the night shift.

For hours on Wednesday, he stood under an awning as it rained off and on, his hand clenched around a black Sharpie, writing a quick “Great Work” or “Thank you!” while posing for a photo with anyone who wanted one. His hand was cramping up, but he wasn’t complaining. I asked.

Behind him the culinary team, including me, our faces covered with superhero-themed masks, cranked out hundreds of hot meals for the hastily-organized event. The menu included more than a thousand pounds of pulled pork, Caesar salad, vegetable penne pasta and focaccia served to medical staff from Fieri’s $300,000, 48-foot mobile kitchen.

It was no small task: 600 boxed meals were signed and handed out at Memorial on Wednesday, plus 700 meals at Sutter hospital Tuesday and 800 boxed were meals planned for Kaiser on Thursday.

“This was a little bigger than we thought,” Fieri said Wednesday. Already he had run out of the 1,500 superhero T-shirts made for the hospital staff, but he promised to bring more next week.

With the three-day “Hospital Week” thank-you tour he came up with just 10 days earlier, Fieri said he simply wanted to feed some Santa Rosa hospital workers who put themselves on the front lines, along with EMTs, firefighters, police and other first responders also risking their safety. You know, just an intimate little soiree feeding 2,000.

I was part of the culinary crew, working alongside Fieri, his family (including eldest son Hunter working the line), several of his closest friends, his Knuckle Sandwich culinary team and local chefs John Stewart (Zazu, Black Pig Meats), Duskie Estes (Zazu, Farm to Pantry) and Domenica Catelli (Catelli’s).

(Irwin helped arrange the event but was not paid to do so. Fieri covered the costs of the event. Irwin is the dining editor at Sonoma Media Investments and founder and CEO of Sonoma Family Meal, which pays local restaurants to cook for people in need.)

Spoiler alert: Fieri is pretty much exactly what you see on TV, times 100. Dressed in a camo chef’s jacket with a knife sheathed on his hip, he was in constant motion, signing boxes, calling back to the kitchen for vegetarian orders, checking on staff boiling penne in a tent behind the rig.

The rig itself was pure Fieri, natch. Covered in a green and gray camo pattern, it was over the top of the top, with a 30-gallon tilt-skillet, reach-in freezer and refrigerator, multiple high-capacity burners, a smoker, broiler, two fryers, a custom sound system and several flat-screen televisions. It has to be pulled by a semi. The galley kitchen made for tight quarters, so a second outdoor kitchen was used to boil pasta and prep.

But it’s Guy who people wanted to see. Near the end of the day, Fieri elbow-bumped a fire chief asking for a picture with his truck. Picture taken, he headed back to the line.

“Thanks brother. Thanks for everything you do,” he said, handing a meal to a firefighter. Most were quietly wide-eyed at seeing a celebrity up close, actually handing them a meal. He never rushed anyone through the line, didn’t have media or handlers present and seemed genuinely grateful to be serving his community.

His mother, Penny Ferry, stood nearby. “He has such a big heart,” she said. Fieri’s friends working the event said the same, having known him for years, long before he became famous.

Though Guy doesn’t seem fazed by the bad rap he sometimes gets in the media, his friends and family are pained by the nastiness.

The vitriol, said Stewart, is part of being a household name and brand rather than being seen as a person. “America hates a winner. They love tearing people down,” he said.

Meanwhile, Fieri just kept dishing up meals and offering thanks.

“Really appreciate what you’re doing” he said as women in scrubs giggled and asked for yet another picture.

“Here, take a meal, sister.”

These Local Food Trucks Are Serving Up Cheap Eats via Pickup and Delivery

May 2020

By Sofia Englund

Tips Tri Tip truck at The Block in Petaluma. (Heather Irwin)

Anyone who’s in the business of feeding hungry crowds is facing some serious challenges right now. Restaurant dining rooms are closed. Grocery stores are working hard to keep shelves stocked. And food trucks, while considered essential businesses, are seeing empty streets, canceled events, vacant business districts, and closed taprooms and wineries. Some have already been forced to shut down operations while others are rolling into an uncertain future.

But there may be some light at the end of the tunnel: Gov. Gavin Newsom recently allowed an exception to California’s stay-at-home orders to permit food trucks to operate at highway rest stops. Some food trucks are now serving hospitals and there’s also an effort underway in San Francisco to push for legislation that would make it easier for restaurants to open food trucks during the pandemic.

To help support Sonoma County food trucks, we’ve rounded up a few favorites that remain open, serving customers via pickup and delivery. Click through the above gallery for details. And send us an email if we missed one of your favorites!

Heather Irwin and Grace Yarrow contributed to this article.

These Local Chefs Are Offering Free Online Cooking Classes

May 2020

By Dana Rebmann

Many of our favorite dishes from Sonoma County restaurants are available for curbside pickup and delivery as we shelter at home. Ordering takeout remains a great excuse to eat well while supporting local businesses, but chances are you’ve still been spending more time in the kitchen. If you’re looking for ways to up your cooking game and get some meal-planning inspiration, a number of Wine Country chefs are offering free virtual classes. Click through the above gallery for some inspiration.

Three Good Bets for Takeout, Including Jackson’s Bar and Oven

May 2020

By Heather Irwin

Pulled chicken salad, maitake mushroooms, boeuf bourguignon from Barndiva in Healdsburg. (Heather Irwin / Sonoma Magazine)

As my daughter and I took our first bite of a juicy, perfectly medium-rare burger from Jackson’s Bar & Oven, we both stopped and stared at each other, then slowly began chewing. She broke the silence after looking at the takeout boxes sprawled between us — truffle fries, a wood fired margarita pizza, a glistening Caesar salad — and looking back at me sheepishly.

“I don’t mean to be mean, but I forgot food could taste this good,” she says. My culinary ego bruised, I conceded she was completely and totally right.

For many of us, eating has become more of a chore than a pleasure as restaurant dining rooms remain dark and anything other than fast food takeout is still something of a novelty.

Chefs are still learning, too, how to operate with takeout and delivery the only options. Buns and fries get soggy in transit. Even the most perfect of plating goes awry in a plastic takeout box. Charming small plates in a restaurant seem anemic and sad when they’re swimming in an oversized deli container.

Most of us have forgotten how good food can taste. How transformative mashed potatoes whipped with housemade creme fraiche and cultured butter can be after weeks of ramen from a cardboard cup. Oh, how we’ve forgotten.

Over the last week, I ordered takeout food from three restaurants — Jackson’s Bar and Oven in Santa Rosa, Sushi Kosho in Sebastopol and Barndiva in Healdsburg. None have done big takeout business in the past, instead relying on their well-known eateries to draw in customers looking for well-plated dishes, hospitality, good service and their unique points of view.

After photographing and eating each meal, I spoke to each chef about how they’ve arrived at their “new” normal, which seems to shift daily. Here are their stories.

Jackson’s Bar and Oven

The meal: Wood-fired margarita pizza, truffle fries, “The Burger,” Caesar salad, Jackson’s margarita

The sitch: The restaurant constructed a plexiglass “shield” in front of the bar area and offers most of their menu, including cocktails, to go with almost no contact with staff. Open 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. Ordering is by telephone only, at 707-545-6900, with menus online at jacksonsbarandoven.com. 135 Fourth St., Santa Rosa.

The reality: Jackson’s reopened last week after weeks of being closed. Chef/owner Josh Silvers says he was only able to reopen after qualifying for the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program. It’s a complicated and fraught forgivable loan program that covers up to eight weeks of payroll costs. Silvers brought back 15 of his 40 staff. He calls the program a “lifeline from a super-rickety boat” because there’s only so much work to be done with takeout-only ordering.

Silvers says response has been up and down, one day going gangbusters and the next not so much. That much fluidity is challenging after years of steady growth and a recent expansion. “The phone rings and we’re like, ‘Yay! An order!’” he says.

The hope is that the state will ease shelter-in-place orders and allow restaurants to reopen with well-spaced seating. The unique layout of Jackson’s allows for multiple seating areas, and Silvers says he’s crossing his fingers they’ll get the green light in early June.

“I don’t know if people will come, but I know they’re sick of (staying home),” he says.

Sushi Kosho

The meal: Japanese eggplant with sweet miso glaze and walnuts, sesame chicken donburi, “Combination Set” of sashimi, rolls and sushi, miso soup

The sitch: This breezy space in the Barlow has a large table blocking the entrance where pickup orders are placed. Online menu and ordering at sushikoshotogo.com. Pickup 1-8 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. 6750 McKinley St., Sebastopol

The reality: This is the fourth time chef-owner Jake Rand has reopened his restaurant in 18 months. He says he’s a persistent optimist. “I approach every day as if it’s just going to get better. I’d just be paralyzed sitting at home,” he says. Some days have been great, some days have been a setback, but Rand feels he’s making progress with his takeout program that includes fresh sushi and sashimi (which I think is the best in the county), along with approachable poke and donburi bowls, small plates of heart-breakingly good grilled vegetables and sake to go.

Rand says the hardest part of to-go orders for a sushi chef is not interacting with customers. “It’s contrary to what we do as chefs. You react to the order, you read the customer, you interact with the guest. Some people want it all at once, some want to take their time,” he says. The other challenge is working against fixed time limits for orders.

“We don’t make anything in advance, there’s no batch-making sushi,” he says. So if 20 people order for a 6:30 p.m. pickup, they’re scrambling. “When 20 people are waiting for food all at once, that’s a harder beast to handle,” he says.

Barndiva

The meal: Boeuf Bourguignon, shiro-dashi glazed maitake mushrooms, pulled chicken salad, Flirt cocktail

The sitch: Menus change frequently, all items a la carte. Menu and ordering online at shop.barndiva.com or by phone at 707-431-0100. Open noon to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. Delivery option in Healdsburg and Geyserville or no-contact pickup (bags set up at table inside doorway). 231 Center St., Healdsburg.

The reality: New chef Jordan Rosas was in the kitchen of Barndiva for exactly two weeks before the county locked down. Having received two Michelin stars at his former Beverly Hills restaurant, Somni, he wasn’t exactly ready to start putting his carefully-crafted dishes into a to-go box.

“The food I like to do, when you put a plastic lid on it, it just disintegrates. I had to really think differently about people and putting a smile on their faces. So we are doing comfort food that’s approachable and carries out well. I put a lot of care into it, and I hope that’s what you’re tasting. So far, we’ve gotten good feedback,” he says.

Barndiva General Manager Lukka Feldman (who is doubling as a delivery driver) is looking for ways he can convey the restaurant’s focus on hospitality in a new way. He’s found a fan base of San Franciscans he’s delivering to in the city for Mother’s Day and is looking for new ways to bring the restaurant to a wider community.

Feldman says the closure of restaurant dining rooms may have a small silver lining in allowing management to examine how they can work on wage disparity between servers and kitchen staff. “The heart of the business is the kitchen. People always talk about working out this disparity, but no one looks at it. We’re trying to rethink how we can make it more fair,” he says.

The Whole Pie in Santa Rosa to Close Permanently

May 2020

By Heather Irwin

Trish Davis doesn’t rely on machines when making her crusts. Each morning she rolls out the dough by hand at The Whole Pie in Santa Rosa. (John Burgess/The Press Democrat)

Trishia Davis has always turned to baking when life got tough. Pies, she said, make bad days better for everyone.

After the 2017 opening of The Whole Pie, a cheery Santa Rosa bakery with a focus on pies, she found salvation in butter, cream, chocolate and whipped cream as fires, power outages and evacuations repeatedly disrupted her business. The pandemic, however, pushed her bakeshop far beyond anything a sweet treat could overcome. On Saturday she’ll officially turn in her rolling pin and permanently close her 3-year-old bakery.

“Since the beginning, we’ve faced one disaster after another and you’ve faced them with us, holding our hands, and eating our pies. Now it’s time to choose a new dream,” Davis said Monday on social media, inviting longtime customers to liquidate her remaining inventory on Friday and Saturday. She joins Bistro 29 and Whisper Sisters in Petaluma, who have also closed their doors in recent weeks.

It was a decision she pondered for several weeks after suspending operations when shelter-in-place orders were announced. As the weeks rolled on, Davis and co-owner Julia Freis came to the decision that it made more sense not to reopen.

“We asked ourselves if we wanted to slowly bleed to death until fire season closes us or go out while we still feel a little alive,” said Davis. After years of struggling after each successive disaster, working long days and nights, and taking little compensation, she said in some ways the closure is a relief.

Since the beginning, keeping the small shop going had been an ongoing struggle despite plenty of positive feedback and seasonal surges around holidays.

“We have a great reputation. People love our pies, but we have to get them to show up regularly. When I ask people to come buy pies they do, and that has kept us going … but we’ve been treading water trying to find the right formula,” she said.

Whole Pie owner Trisha Davis has a freezer full of pies she needs to sell as she begins the process of closing her business for good due to, in no small part, the coronavirus, Wednesday, May 6, 2020 in Santa Rosa. (Kent Porter / The Press Democrat) 2020 — Whole Pie owner Trishia Davis has a freezer full of pies she needs to sell as she begins the process of closing her business for good. (Kent Porter)

Davis isn’t putting all the blame on the pandemic for the closure. An outspoken advocate for the difficult plight of small businesses like hers, Davis said it’s time for a food revolution, rather than simply paying lip service to issues like fair wages and supporting local businesses. Low wages, few benefits and tiny profit margins in the restaurant business — paired with consumers clamoring for high-quality food at bargain-basement prices — have created an almost impossible trajectory for success.

“We, as a community, talk an awful lot about supporting and shopping local and being community and how that means everything, and then we don’t do it. We buy things without looking at where they come from. We’re lining up at Costco for our three-pack minimum of meat while the 4-H kids are raising meat locally and need to sell it to go to college,” Davis said.

“We’ve become a society that believes we can have everything we want at the exact moment we want it, to our doorstep with every modification we want at 5 cents cheaper than it was yesterday,” she said.

At its peak, Whole Pie employed 11 people. Davis laid off seven workers, in addition to herself and her business partner.

On Friday, the shop will begin its final sale, offering up the remainder of its take-and-bake pies, cookies, “piecicles” and pantry items like organic flour, sugar, tapioca and other baking ingredients. The sale will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday and Saturday or until the inventory is exhausted. Customers can stop by the bakery, located at 2792 Fourth St. in Santa Rosa, as long as they are wearing masks and comply with social distancing.

Davis said she doesn’t have any immediate plans after closing the shop, but is looking forward to a day or two off. She’s unsure that the restaurant industry, however, holds much security for her future.

“Maybe I’m gonna flip hamburgers, I just really don’t know right now,” she said. “Every one of us who open a restaurant door know that it will close at some point. “I just hoped it wouldn’t be this painful.”

All Stark’s Restaurants to Reopen Friday

May 2020

By Heather Irwin

Beet salad and fish and chips from Willi’s in Healdsburg Food shots for Cheap Eats section Chris Hardy

Praise the lord and pass the cheese curds, because all of the Stark’s restaurants are reopening for takeout starting Friday, May 8. Menus and hours are limited, but to get smokey poke at Bird and the Bottle and pulled duck on polenta at Willi’s Wine Bar? Suddenly it seems like life is getting a little more normal.

Here’s what you need to know…

Ordering: Menus, ordering and payment only through starkrestaurants.com. Menus will be updated each Wednesday for the following week.

Willi’s Wine Bar: Ahi tuna tartare, curried crab tacos, brick chicken thighs, Moroccan roasted lamb and Tunisian roasted carrots and more. No beverages are available currently. Pickup available Fri-Sun 3 to 7 p.m.

Bird and the Bottle: Smokey poke, fried half chicken, little gem salad, smoked beets, grilled skirt steak, craft mac and cheese with fried cheese curds. Cocktails like Pancho’s Pride, Macho Pisco and Easy Rider, plus bottles of wine and beer available. Pickup available Fri-Sun 3 to 7 p.m.

Bravas: Fried chicken or paella for two, tomahawk beef rib chop for two. Wine, sangria and cocktails to go. Pickup available Fri-Sun 3 to 7 p.m.

Stark’s Steak and Seafood: Cook ’em yourself steaks (don’t worry, Chef Mark has a great video how-to) plus sides like creamed spinach, creme fraiche mashed taters, truffle mac and cheese. Signature cocktails, wine and beer. Pickup available Fri-Sun 3 to 7 p.m.

Willi’s Seafood: Clam chowder, peel and eat shrimp, lobster roll, curried crab salad roll, wine and beer, cocktails for 4. Pickup available Fri-Sun 3 to 7 p.m.

Monti’s: Tomato soup, burrata, mushroom pizza, Monti’s Cristo, oak roasted half chicken, honey glazed spareribs. Cocktails, beer, wine and cider. Pickup available Fri-Sun 3 to 7 p.m.

Grossman’s: NEW! Chinese chicken salad, chicken schnitzel, corned beef Reuben, pattymelt. “Family Meal” of Roast chicken with potatoes and salad or lamb kebabs. A la carte fresh baked bread, corned beef and pastrami. Bagels, natch with schmears and smoked salmon (we love the Brown Bag Brunch Kits). Bloody Mary, Mimosa and Bellini kits plus cocktails, beer and wine.

8 Things Local Wine Lovers Miss Right Now

May 2020

By Linda Murphy

Visitors enjoy a glass of Champagne at Korbel Winery in Guerneville, the oldest continually operating sparkling wine house in North America, established in 1882. That history gives Korbel the legal right to use the term “California Champagne” on its labels, even though the wines are not from Champagne, France. (John Burgess/The Press Democrat)

Although some coronavirus-spurred restrictions are being relaxed, Sonoma County’s winery tasting rooms remain closed, hospitality events and festivals are on hold and restaurant dining is limited to takeout and delivery. Wine lovers yearn for the old days — as in two months ago — when the bottles we wanted were easy and quick to get (well, maybe not Kosta Browne Pinot Noir or Peter Michael Les Pavots Bordeaux-style red blend), in myriad ways.

We don’t call this Wine Country for nothing.

In lieu of physically selling wine in their tasting rooms, producers have become adept at offering virtual wine tastings, porch deliveries and curbside pickups. Eateries sell bottles from their cellars along with take-home meals. Yet the social aspect has largely been missing: the conviviality of hanging with friends and making new ones over glasses of wine, not only at dinner tables, but at picnics at the coast, in wine bars, at our downtown celebrations with music and food trucks and at events where hundreds, if not thousands, of wines are available to taste for the cost of a ticket.

With spring-fever restlessness obvious, here are eight things fans of Sonoma County wines can’t wait to have again.

Tasting rooms at wineries

There is something magical about driving Sonoma’s country roads on a sunny spring day, surrounded by lush, leafy vineyards in the process of setting fruit for the year’s harvest. Downtown tasting rooms serve a noble purpose, but for me, there’s nothing like pulling into a winery driveway off a back road, inhaling the heady aromas of native fermentations that have been going since October and being greeted by the winery dog or human that sets the tone for an experience that’s as much about the people and place as it is about the wines. From a cordial greeting to a friendly farewell, visiting Sonoma County wineries is just plain cool.

Sunset thirst-slaking

It’s such a Sonoma thing, to enjoy dreamy, purple and pink sunsets along with a glass of wine and a knosh in hand. It’s a perfect end to what might have been a not-so-perfect day at work or with the kids. Paradise Ridge Winery in northern Santa Rosa does it right with its Wines & Sunsets Wednesdays, typically running May through October, at which Dan Barwick’s wines are poured alongside dishes prepared by a rotating group of gourmet food trucks (among them Sondra Bernstein’s Fig Rig, TIPS Tri Tip Trolley and Zazu Black Piglet), accompanied by live music. The 2020 calendar for Wines & Sunsets has been disrupted, of course, but proprietor Sonia Byck-Barwick hopes part of the schedule can be revived.

Paradise Ridge, as most locals know, was destroyed by the 2017 Tubbs fire. The Byck family rebuilt, then reopened the sculpture-studded estate last December, only to close again with shelter-in-place orders. “We were just getting back into the swing of things when the (order) was put in place, so naturally, it is not easy to be closed again,” Byck-Barwick said, noting the winery continues to sell its wines online for shipping or delivery.

“A bright spot is that we kept our gates open so neighbors can continue to visit Marijke’s Grove, our outdoor sculpture garden, while social distancing, of course. We feel it is a lovely reprieve from the stress many people are feeling.”

Weekly community concerts

We do it in Cloverdale, Healdsburg, Petaluma, Santa Rosa, Sonoma, Windsor and elsewhere: gather one night a week, from May through Labor Day, to listen to live music, order bites from food trucks, shop from local farmers and, of course, drink wine. Community commingling is a salve for the soul, particularly in a time like this, and it’s best shared with great wine and food. Tuesdays in the Plaza (Healdsburg), Summer Nights on the Green Concerts (Windsor), Sonoma Tuesday Night Market (Sonoma), Cloverdale Friday Night Live and Santa Rosa Wednesday Night Market are among the seasonal events on hold for now, yet all hope to resume when it’s safe to be out and about in crowds. Did I mention there’s always wine?

Shopping at, not from, wine shops

Local retail wine stores without food-service licenses were forced to close in March. Many offered online purchasing and shipping, but for people like me, that wasn’t a substitute for perusing aisles and reading the back labels on bottles and “shelf talker” notes on the wines from the producer, retailer or wine critic. Grocery stores including Oliver’s Market, Safeway and Raley’s continue to offer a nice range of wines. Shops with food including Willibees Wines & Spirits and BevMo do the same. Yet I’ve missed the in-person shopping experience, from mom and pop shops to Santa Rosa’s warehouse-sized Bottle Barn. Reopening will do us all good.

Taste of Sonoma

This day-long gorge-athon of wine and food, held in early September each year, draws locals and visitors from around the country for its embarrassing richness of gustatory pleasures. Wineries, restaurants and caterers converge for “Taste,” and you might not be hungry or thirsty for a couple days after. The annual event, conducted by Sonoma County Vintners and initially scheduled this year for Sept. 5 at the Kendall-Jackson Wine Estate and Gardens in Santa Rosa, was canceled because of prohibitions on large events amid the coronavirus pandemic. The event is a treasure, a showcase for Sonoma’s most talented winemakers and chefs. Stay tuned for the 2021 date of this marvel of an event. 855-939-7666, tasteofsonoma.com

Passport to Dry Creek Valley

At this grandaddy-of-them-all wine event that began in 1990, each “passport” purchased gives the holder access to what has grown to 40-plus wineries pouring their finest, accompanied by gourmet food and live entertainment over two days in April. There was a time when postmarks on mailed ticket requests — and later, FedEx overnight arrivals — determined who received a passport and who did not. Passport 2020 was canceled, so mark your calendar for April 24-25 for the 2021 event. Other Sonoma County AVA marketing groups have created similar events, among them the Sonoma Valley Vintners & Growers’ Signature Sonoma event, postponed until May 13-16, 2021. drycreekvalley.org/events/passport-dry-creek-valley, sonomavalleywine.com/signature-sonoma-valley

Wine Road Barrel Tasting

This two-weekend, February-March event is a marvel, drawing crowds since 1978 to taste and purchase Alexander, Dry Creek and Russian River valley wines that aren’t yet ready to drink. Out of the barrel, many of these mostly red wines are raw, tannic and mouth-puckering. By the time they are bottled, a year or two later, they’ve rounded out, become complete and are fine values for those smart enough to buy them, at discounted prices, when the wines are still in barrel. The second weekend of this event was canceled this year; those booked for the second weekend look forward to the 2021 event, set for March 5-7. wineroad.com

Enjoying wine in restaurants

Diners have benefited from the ability to order takeout from their favorite restaurants, though these businesses have struggled mightily to stay in the black and keep their staffs employed during the shutdowns. Wine, beer and liquor sales traditionally offset skyrocketing food costs in the restaurant industry, and without table service, eateries have experienced a double-whammy financial blow because they can’t hand-sell wine. I’ve missed the services of sommeliers and servers who point me to interesting wines, those that complement the dishes I’ve ordered, and tell a short story about a producer that convinces me to try the wine. Also missed: wine by the glass. Restaurants have been allowed to sell full, sealed bottles of wine as part of their takeout/delivery efforts. But what if I want just one glass and don’t want to invest in a bottle? Reopening of restaurants will solve that problem.

These Local Distilleries Are Keeping Hand Sanitizer Flowing

May 2020

By Dana Rebmann

From supermarkets to drug stores and big-box chains, hand sanitizer can be hard to find these days; it’s just one of many items in short supply as a result of the coronavirus crisis. To help meet spikes in demand, local distilleries have pivoted from making spirits to producing hand sanitizer. And many aren’t just providing a service for consumers, they’re helping to ensure the safety of those on the frontline. Click through the gallery above to see where you can buy locally produced hand sanitizer.

Know of any other local distilleries producing hand sanitizer to keep going and help the community? Let us know in the comment section below.

Virtual Mother’s Day: Treat Mom to a Unique Experience With the Help of These Local Wineries

May 2020

By Jess Lander

Sparkling wines at Gloria Ferrer Caves and Vineyards in Sonoma. (Courtesy of Gloria Ferrer Caves and Vineyards)

Mother’s Day will look a bit different this year. We’re not able to treat our mothers and wives to a decadent brunch at their favorite restaurant or take them out for a day of pampering and wine tasting, but we can still create a memorable experience at home and these Sonoma and Napa wineries are here to help.

Throughout the weekend, local wineries will be hosting live broadcasts on social media and Zoom. Some will help you prep for the big day with a cooking class or Mother’s Day tips, while others provide a fun and unique way to celebrate virtually.

Click through the above gallery for photos of some virtual experiences. Note that these wineries may be offering local delivery or free pick-up of the wines featured in these virtual experiences (inquire within).

Mother’s Day Prep

Round Pond, Rutherford: Treat mom to a wine country-style breakfast when you tune in for Round Pond’s Mother’s Day Brunch Virtual Cooking Class. Streaming live on Round Pond’s Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube pages on Friday at 4 p.m., winery chef Jamie Prouten will demonstrate how to prepare a delicious menu of his signature rolled omelet, smoked salmon and avocado toast, and steak and eggs hash with garden herb chimichurri (each with a suggested wine pairing). Full recipes will be posted on the event page beforehand and the broadcast will be available permanently on Round Pond’s Facebook page and YouTube channel for those who miss it live.

Hall Wines, St. Helena: Also on Friday at 4 p.m., vintner Kathryn Hall will be joined by special guest Joy Bauer, TODAY Show health and nutrition expert, for a “SiP Virtual Happy Hour” on Facebook Live. The two will engage in a timely discussion on how to celebrate Mother’s Day while apart and taste through the 2016 Craig’s Cabernet Sauvignon and 2014 Bergfeld Cabernet Sauvignon. Purchase a virtual happy hour wine kit to sip in on the fun.

Gloria Ferrer, Sonoma: It doesn’t get much better than mimosas in bed. Gloria Ferrer will go live on Instagram on Saturday at 11 a.m. to share tips and tricks on pairing sparkling wines with various juices and fruits. The four unique mimosa recipes can be viewed here.

Start the Celebration Early

Frank Family Vineyards, Calistoga: Why not celebrate Mom all weekend long? Kick things off early on Saturday at 2 p.m. for a special Women in Wine Virtual Tasting. Frank Family Vineyards proprietor Leslie Frank, Assistant Winemaker Corey Garner, Tasting Room manager Zahava Kraicer, and Marketing Manager Marisa McCann will discuss the wines they love to drink with their moms, plus provide an inside look at winemaking practices and four wine styles. Registration is free, but a diverse tasting package of four wines can be purchased here to accompany the experience.

JCB Collection, Healdsburg & Yountville: Vintner Jean-Charles Boisset is dedicating his Facebook Live Happy Hour on Saturday at 4 p.m. to moms. Titled “Mother’s Day ‘Bijoux,’” Boisset will be joined by his wife and mother of two Gina Gallo for a discussion and tasting of JCB No 13 Crémant de Bourgogne Rosé and JCB No 3 Pinot Noir, available for purchase here. Tune into JCB’s live Happy Hours on Facebook here.

Mother’s Day

Ehlers Estate, St. Helena: Namaste & Rosé with Ehlers. The winery is hosting two hourlong Yoga sessions on Mother’s Day, complete with a tasting of their 2019 Sylviane Rosé post-savasana. Online registration is free for either 6 a.m. or 9 a.m. On Thursday, May 7 at 4 p.m., you can also join an intimate (limited to 20 people) Mom’s Happy Hour with winemaker Laura Díaz Muñoz, a virtual conversation on all things wine and motherhood.

Darling Wines, Sonoma: Another Yoga option, Darling Wines will lead mom through a 60-minute Mother’s Day Yoga session at 9:30 a.m. over Zoom, followed by a 15-minute chardonnay tasting with Darling Wines winemaker Tom Darling. To participate, purchase a two-pack of 2018 Darling Sonoma Coast Chardonnay (must be ordered by May 3; inquire about local pick-up options). Mom can drink one on her special day and save the other for later.

Benovia Winery, Santa Rosa: Sign mom up for a virtual “Mom, You’re the Best,” Mother’s Day tasting with Benovia Winery at 2 p.m. The educational Zoom tasting features four wines—the 2015 Blanc de Noir Sparkling Wine, 2019 Rose’ of Pinot Noir, 2018 Martaella Estate Chardonnay, and 2017 Estate Martaella Pinot Noir—and will make her feel like she’s (almost) right in the tasting room. Register for the tasting here and wines can be purchased online.

This Flowers tasting kit, complete with a virtual tasting, is the perfect gift. (Courtesy photo)

Flowers Vineyards & Winery, Healdsburg: If Mom’s can’t Zoom on Sunday, gift her the Flowers virtual tasting kit ($165). It includes one bottle of the 2017 Camp Meeting Ridge Chardonnay, one bottle of the 2017 Sea View Ridge Pinot Noir, plus a private, 30-minute virtual with a Flowers team member, to be scheduled at a later date. You can feel good about your purchase too, for Flowers will donate 15 percent of every bottle purchased in May to Every Mother Counts.

J Vineyards & Winery, Healdsburg: As part of his Sunday Supper series on Instagram Live, winery chef Carl Shelton will lead a live cooking class at 3 p.m. featuring a Middle Eastern-influenced lamb dish paired with the launch of the J Noir Collection Edition No 2, an exclusive winemaker’s blend of coastal vineyard sites. If mom loves lamb, this is a fun way to make her a memorable dinner.

Burger With a Side of Toilet Paper? These Sonoma County Restaurants Are Now Selling Groceries

May 2020

By Heather Irwin

Sonoma County restaurateurs are getting creative by offering up everything from toilet paper to tapenade with their takeout. Some are partnering with local meat and produce companies, while others are whipping up freshly-made goodies like pie crusts, jam and hot sauce to get your cooking creativity going. Here are some of our favorites.

(Let us know if we forgot someone!)

Americana, Santa Rosa: Keep your immunity up with Sedition Brews elderberry syrup and homemade sauerkraut, your spirits up with freshly-baked milk bread and cinnamon rolls and your tastebuds entertained with bergamot and lemon marmalade, take-and-bake lasagna and local, pasture-raised eggs by the dozen. (Sister restaurant Estero Cafe in Valley Ford offers CSA boxes of fresh salad and produce as well). Order online at squareup.com/store/americana. 205 Fifth St., Santa Rosa.

Third Street Aleworks, Santa Rosa: Who needs a trip to the grocery store when you can get just about everything you need (including growlers of beer and a burger) in one stop? Teaming up with local food purveyors like Golden Gate Meats, Dairy Delivery, Franco American and Andy’s Produce, Third Street Aleworks is offering affordable, local boxes of produce, chicken, beef, pork, dairy (milk, butter, yogurt, cheese) and bread for curbside pickup each week. They also have hard-to-find items like toilet paper, gloves, paper towels and Griffo spray hand sanitizer. Since starting the program in late March, owners say they’ve sold more than 4,200 boxes. You can buy a box online at thirdstreetaleworks.com. 610 Third St., Santa Rosa.

Boxes of produce for grocery boxes available for curbside pick-up at Third Street Aleworks in Santa Rosa, California on Friday, May 1, 2020. (BETH SCHLANKER/ The Press Democrat) — Boxes of produce for grocery boxes available for curbside pickup at Third Street Aleworks in Santa Rosa. (Beth Schlanker)

Three Leaves, Santa Rosa: We’re super fans of the healthy, locally-sourced meal pick-up from this community-supported kitchen. Though you’ll have to sign up to get the weekly meals, Chef Rob Hogencamp offers some of his “greatest hits” — soup, herb and lemon half chicken, grass-fed burgers, bone broth, elderberry syrup, housemade sauerkraut and fire cider to name a few — for anyone to pick up on Wednesdays and Thursdays (see hours and menu at threeleavesfoods.com/menu). 2484 W. Third St., Santa Rosa.

Pearl, Petaluma: Big, fat produce boxes with organic fruits and veggies plus add-ins from the restaurant like bread, cheese, a grain and a special marinade or sauce. One day advance notice required for pickup. Pair with their tasty smoked trout salad or spiced brisket panini. Also offering Sunday picnic baskets with bread and cheese, smoked fish, hummus and more. Closed Tuesday. Call to order, 707-559-5187. Menus are online at pearlpetaluma.com

Wishbone, Petaluma: Saturday curbside market includes a variety of tasty sides like pie dough, chicken stock, hummus, pizza dough and sauce, kimchi, granola and yogurt, house-cured bacon, jam, salad dressing and free sourdough starter. A weekly lineup of prepared dishes like fried polenta with beef ragout, chili and chicken pot pie and cocktails to go also are available. Find menus online at wishbonepetaluma.com. Text orders to 707-306-0997 for pickup from 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday at 841 Petaluma Blvd. North, Petaluma.

Diavola Pizzeria & Salumeria, Geyserville: You had me at pork butter. No, seriously. As part of their eye-popping takeout menu, Diavola offers up not only their beautiful house-cured meats and pancetta but also Tuscan Mangalitsa pork lard to spread on your pizza crust. So classy. Also breadsticks, chili oil, sausage, pasta kits, tinned fish, wine, beer and cocktails in addition to their usual menu. Order online at diavolapizzeria.com. 21021 Geyserville Ave., Geyserville.

Backyard, Forestville: Farm bags, eggs, pickles, kimchi, dry yeast and shrub elixirs are available on Friday and Saturday along with barbecue plates, fried chicken, bone broth, pot pie, braised greens and chocolate budino pie. Call 707-820-8445 between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Mondays to preorder for the following weekend. backyardforestville.com/pick-up-only-menu

Boon Eat + Drink. Guerneville: Produce boxes from Greenleaf produce include romaine lettuce, cauliflower, tomatoes, potatoes and bananas. Also available from their bodega: beer, wine, fresh eggs and toilet paper. Email info@eatatboon.com for produce boxes (available Wednesday) or orderstart.com/booneatdrink. 16248 Main St., Guerneville.

The Epicurean Connection, Sonoma: Sonoma cheesemaker and caterer Sheana Davis has a lengthy list of not-so-average kitchen staples delivered in the Valley. Nasturtium pesto, raspberry rose petal jam, curry roasted garlic hummus, mole and blackberry honey, plus dried beans, yeast, olive oil and her own Delice de la Valllee and Creme de Fromage cheeses. Weekly offerings on Facebook. Email sheanadavis@gmail.com to place an order.

KC’s American Kitchen, Windsor: In addition to their extensive restaurant menu, you can grab toilet paper, eggs, gloves, butter, beans, rice, yeast, flour, sugar and baking powder at their Windsor restaurant. Score! kcsamericankitchen.com for menu and details. 9501 DuVander Lane, Windsor.