Aaron Rosewater, co-owner of Levin & Company, organizes the shelves at his bookstore in Healdsburg on Tuesday, August 21, 2018. (Beth Schlanker/ The Press Democrat)
The shelter-in-place orders due to Covid-19 have drastically changed how we spend our free time. Many of our favorite pastimes — spending time at the beach, in restaurants and cafes — have suddenly vanished. One activity that remains, however, and that even seems to have increased in popularity during the pandemic is reading. Perhaps because it helps us relax and allows us to escape the current crisis, at least for a moment.
But with bookstore browsing and next-day delivery no longer available to us, we need to find alternate ways to access books. While firing up the e-reader or downloading titles onto the computer or smartphone is one option, many of us might want to take a break from screens. Thanks to Sonoma County’s stalwart booksellers, we can still get our hands on paperbacks and hardcovers: several are now offering curbside pickup and delivery during limited hours. Click through the above gallery for details.
Barnes and Noble in Santa Rosa is closed. You can order online for delivery. Are you a local bookseller offering curbside pickup or delivery? Send us an email and we will add you to the list.
Before the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, few of us had heard of Zoom. These days, everyone seems to be using the video conferencing platform. When Grandma finally joined in on the calls, you may have thought you’d seen it all. But you were wrong.
Two Sonoma County residents, Amos and Johnny, have recently been turning virtual heads by making guest appearances on Zoom, showing call participants how to live your best life — as a sheep and a goat.
Amos and Johnny reside at Charlie’s Acres in Sonoma, a nonprofit animal sanctuary that is home to 140 rescued farm animals. Charlie’s Acres is one of more than 30 farm animal sanctuaries across the country that is now offering farm video calls through a program called Goat 2 Meeting, created and operated by Half Moon Bay nonprofit Sweet Farm.
Launched only a month ago, demand for this special service is already through the roof — from animal rights clubs to birthday parties to Fortune 100 companies, everyone wants to join in on the fun.
“You wouldn’t believe the diversity of people asking for us to call in,” said Nate Salpeter, co-founder and executive director of Sweet Farm.
Courtesy of Charlie’s Acres
For a $65 donation, you can book a 20-minute virtual private tour for up to six people. Corporate meeting cameos and virtual tours for unlimited guests run from $100 to $750. Virtual field trips for public schools are free.
With the cancellation of in-person tours, Charlie’s Acres and other animal sanctuaries have lost a key source of revenue. Thanks to proceeds from Goat 2 Meeting, Charlie’s Acres founder, Tracy Vogt, has been able to bring a furloughed employee back to work.
“We’re absolutely booked well into May, which is amazing,” said Vogt.
So far, Charlie’s Acres has participated in video calls with a variety of organizations and companies, from schools and nurses associations to online dating services, insurance companies and law firms. A live television morning show is on next week’s schedule.
“We’ve done several (calls) with people working really hard on some aspect of Covid-19 relief and they seem to be extremely grateful for a smile during this time,” said Vogt.
When interested groups sign up online, they can request a certain animal and farm sanctuaries will do their best to accommodate wishlists. But regardless of what kind of animal eventually joins the call, they all seem to be naturals when it comes to eliciting smiles.
Sarah Hernholm, founder and president of Whatever It Takes (WIT), a program that teaches entrepreneurial and leadership skills to middle and high school students, recently booked a Goat 2 Meeting for her students, which took them on a virtual trip to Charlie’s Acres animal sanctuary.
“I had such a hard time keeping the surprise and I only had to hold it for two days,” said Hernholm, who’s been working hard to inject some lightness and humor into an otherwise somber situation for her students.
Before the Go 2 Meeting, the WIT book club had just finished reading The Alchemist, a novel by Brazilian author Paulo Coelho, which follows the journey of an Andalusian shepherd boy. So you can imagine their surprise, and delight, when they discovered Amos the sheep on the call.
“When I first saw the sheep on camera I was so surprised, I really didn’t expect an animal,” said Rosie Alchalel, a WIT student from San Diego. “Never in a million years would I have thought I would be on a Zoom call with a sheep!” added Lila Chitayat, also from San Diego.
“As someone who is on week six on quarantine, it brought me so much joy to see nature and wildlife through the lens of my computer,” said Sarina Chitkara, from New York City, who also found it inspiring to learn about how Tracy’s nonprofit is pivoting to accommodate to the ever-changing circumstances of Covid-19.
Along with providing a much-needed break from the seriousness of the pandemic, the farm video calls and tours teach participants about the farm animals. While the animals tend to not hold still for very long, the multi-talented educators at Charlie’s Acres have developed a knack for keeping that Zoom square on point, catching those must-see, smile-inducing moments, like when muddy pigs decide the perfect time to shake it off — including on the educator — during a live call.
Baby boomers will likely remember the white-uniformed milkman leaving a crate of milk bottles on the back porch or perhaps the Helms Bakery truck driving through California neighborhoods, drawing families outside to buy breads and pastries from the driver.
With tasting room and restaurant shutdowns stalling Sonoma wineries in their sales efforts, some are now doing good old-fashioned doorstep deliveries and curbside pick-ups to keep the flow of vino going to sheltered-at-home consumers. These are slow ways to move wines — low-tech, time-intensive and certainly not efficient. Yet the personal touch, from a safe 6-foot distance, seems to be resonating with deliverers and recipients alike.
Zina Bower, partner with winemaker Nikolai Stez at Woodenhead Vintners near Forestville, oversees marketing, the tasting room and the wine club. “It’s been tough without our tasting room,” she said. “We’re a boutique producer, making about 3,000 cases of wine a year. We’re mostly direct-to-consumer, tasting room and wine club (sales), and our shipper (in Windsor) is backed up in getting orders out.”
So she arranges for curbside pickups at the tasting room and makes free deliveries of Woodenhead’s pinot noirs, zinfandels, sparklers and other wines to the hunkered-down, typically within a 15-mile radius of Santa Rosa.
“I love it and people love it,” Bower said.
Brian Gearinger is one of the customers enjoying the new in-person service. The Santa Rosa trial attorney, a Woodenhead wine club member, ordered a case of wine and was thrilled when Bower delivered it to his driveway.
“We’ve known Zina for more than 10 years and have taken out-of-town visitors to Woodenhead,” Gearinger said. “It was great that she came to our house.”
Gearinger and his family bought the house after losing their Fountaingrove home in the 2017 Tubbs fire. The new home came with a 1-acre vineyard planted to zinfandel, so when Bower, a zin fanatic, dropped off the wine, she got something too, a tour of the vineyard from Gearinger, at a safe 6-foot distance.
Here are five Sonoma wineries making deliveries and friends along the way. Normally, state law prohibits wineries from providing free delivery and shipping as part of the sale of alcohol. But during the coronavirus crisis, the state is allowing complimentary delivery of wine, although this regulatory relief can be rescinded at any time. Order up now.
Anne Moller-Racke and Hannah Gropman of Blue Farm Wines. (Brinkley Capriola)
Blue Farm Wines
Proprietor Anne Moller-Racke and her daughter, Hannah Gropman, sell their remarkable pinot noirs and chardonnays to wine club members and during private visits in the Blue Farm Pump House, an intimate tasting room on Anne’s seven-acre ranch in Sonoma Carneros. Some wines are available in shops and restaurants, yet direct-to-consumer sales is their No. 1 path.
Moller-Racke, an accomplished viticulturist responsible for plantings decades ago for Buena Vista Winery, is now making personal deliveries of her Blue Farm wines in Sonoma Valley and as far away as Marin County.
“Hannah makes the connections and does the scheduling, and one of us drops off the wines on the porch,” she said. “We are finding some new customers, making new connections, while also supplying local businesses. Our wine club shipment went out before the shutdowns. We also sent wine to our employees, so we can virtually taste together, bond and stay connected. The spirits of the 2017 fires keeps our community alive.”
Those buying Blue Farm wines online also can pick up their orders in the Pump House, sans the customary table settings. “Waves are exchanged, 6 feet away or more,” Moller-Racke said about onsite pickups. “We’re social human beings. We miss contact most of all, so a wave is appreciated.”
Jeffrey Mayo built his business on the direct-to-consumer model, selling every bottle of his Sonoma Valley wines through two tasting rooms and a robust wine club. It was a business envied by many, because it eliminated the middle man — the distributor/wholesaler — and allowed him to sell wines on his own terms.
Now, Mayo’s tasting rooms in Glen Ellen and Kenwood are closed and he’s hitting the road, masked and sanitized, to deliver his bubblies, chardonnays, zinfandels and cabernet sauvignons to North Coast customers.
“I’ve been doing this for 30 years,” Mayo said, “and sales have always been 100% direct. It’s (the shutdowns) been a big financial hit. But my deliveries get me out of the house, I don’t mind driving and they serve people that remember the experience.”
Mayo said he makes eight to 10 deliveries a day, ranging from Sonoma to Sacramento to Oakland. “One guy was practically in tears when I made a delivery and put up a sign that thanked me for it,” Mayo said. “Others have left signs reading, ‘put wine here.’ The response has been phenomenal. People really appreciate the service.”
Proprietor and winemaker Tony Moll became well known in Sonoma Valley long before he filled his first barrel. A fourth-generation Sonoman and sports standout at Sonoma Valley High and the University of Nevada, he went on to play in the NFL for the Green Bay Packers, Baltimore Ravens and San Diego Chargers. As a 6-foot-5, 320-pound offensive lineman, he blocked for quarterbacks Brett Favre, Joe Flacco and Philip Rivers. Now he delivers wine on the Sonoma Valley block.
“If you don’t want to leave your home, we will come to you,” he said. “It’s nice just seeing happy people when we put our wine in their hands, be it local delivery, curbside pickup at the tasting room on Saturdays or shipped (for $3). I’m in the business to make people happy, so I like to make sure that happens.”
Most NFL offensive linemen claim they aren’t fat, they’re just well-muscled with plenty of padding. Two of his Packers teammates, Daryn Colledge and Jason Spitz, are the other Fat Guys founders. While they’re in the background now, the brand name is based on the girth of the threesome during their playing days. They produce rosé, chardonnay, pinot noir and cabernet sauvignon from renowned vineyards in Sonoma and Napa Valley. Military members, first responders and school teachers receive a 50% discount on wines once they join the wine club.
Jess Vallery, who directs this Geyserville winery’s marketing and direct-to-consumer programs, hit on an idea during the coronavirus clamp-down: to not only offer curbside pickups and delivery, but also to surprise some with unexpected wines, in a non-contact manner.
“It’s like the doorbell ditch, ring and run,” she said.
Vallery chooses two wine club members once or twice a week to receive two bottles each and makes the delivery. Her first two recipients were in San Francisco, and she and husband Tim Vallery packed the wines and their Aussie dog into their vehicle and headed to the city. One stop was at a condo complex, and as the tenant came down to the lobby to retrieve the wine, the Valleys watched the reaction from outside.
“The wife looked at the logo box and card, saw me and screamed. She was so happy,” Jess said. “Lots of air hugs from six feet apart.”
Jess Vallery and longtime Trione tasting room employee Reed Ackerman make the regular, non-gift deliveries, a service offered free to people living or working along the 101 corridor between Cloverdale and Petaluma (shipments are $5). Anyone can purchase the wines — sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, pinot noir and the red Henry’s Blend are the most popular — and have them arrive on their porch.
Pickup days are popular too, she said.
“We’re a small team and can work remotely and talk to our customers,” she said. “People are bored, they miss the winery. The drive-through pickups keep us connected, and the surprise gift deliveries are a fun way to share positive information about the winery and our people.”
Nikolai Stez and Zina Bower sell the vast majority of their wines in their tasting room near Forestville and to club members. Their pinot noirs, zinfandels and sparkling wines are solid, and they also offer out-of-the-ordinary varietals such as a charbono from Mendocino County and a racy, sophisticated Halfshell White Wes Cameron Ranch Russian River Valley French Colombard, which dismisses the notion that the grape, when grown in California, is destined for inexpensive jug wines.
A selection of paella and tapas at Gerard’s Paella Y Tapas in downtown Santa Rosa. (Chris Hardy)
I’ve been doing a whole lot of armchair traveling lately.
It seems like forever ago that Italian piazzas were filled with cafe-goers and Tokyo ramen bars were bustling with late-night revelers. So long ago that one could even imagine stopping at an ocean-view beach shack for fish tacos and an ice cold beer.
We’re all hungry to get out and experience flavors outside our own spice cupboards. Twelve-year-old curry powder just doesn’t have the same punch as a tandoor-cooked meats rubbed with fresh garam masala. Sushi, no matter how you slice it, is just fish and rice without the gentle touch of a itamae (or a sushi chef). Pillsbury will never invent the perfect butter-lacquered croissant.
That’s why it’s time to venture forth, food adventurers. Restaurants throughout the county are upending their business models to provide a dining experience at home that, while not exactly the same, can transport our tastebuds to far-away places.
We’ve picked 15 favorites for this article, but you can see many more tasty choices to feed your sense of culinary adventure online at sonomamag.com.
Italian
Whether it’s spaghetti and meatballs, a nice carbonara, fresh salumi or a thinly-layered lasagna, Sonoma County is true to its Italian roots. We especially love a long-simmered sugo with braised meat or wood-fired pizzas.
Campo Fina, Healdsburg: Go for Nonna’s tomato-braised chicken, honey-roasted carrots and arancini (saffron risotto balls stuffed with cheese and tomatoes). A kids make-at-home pizza kit keeps the little ones busy while you open a bottle of chianti. Extra goodies include housemade marinara, flour, yeast and the Campo Survival Kit, with a quart of sanitizer, a roll of toilet paper and a book of matches. Order online for curbside pickup at campofina.com/order. 330 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg.
Salumeria Ovello, Sonoma: This off-the-beaten-path little mercato is run by a former Michelin-starred chef in Sonoma. Their take-out charcuterie board is a signature, but don’t miss their sweets and premade sauces and dips including Piedmontese Giardiniera, chicken liver pate with port gelatin, chocolate budino and slices of fresh focaccia. Order online for curbside pickup at ovello.square.site. 248 W. Napa St., Sonoma.
Mexican
This hearty, family-friendly takeout cuisine is always a favorite, but maybe mix up your usual taqueria run with these spots.
Guiso Latin Fusion, Healdsburg: Wednesday through Friday, this tiny Healdsburg restaurant does creative takes on pupusas, fish tacos and a family pack of chicken, prawn and linguica paella. Menu online at guisolatinfusion.com. Phone orders only, 707-431-1302, 117 North St., Healdsburg.
El Fogon Taqueria, Rohnert Park: Real deal regional Mexican food at taqueria prices. We’re obsessed with their huitlacoche quesadillas, a tortilla with a “corn mushrooms,” a delicacy rarely found locally. Don’t miss the weekend barbacoa and birria tacos. Phone orders or through doordash.elfogontaqueria.com, 6650 Commerce Blvd., Rohnert Park, 707-585-1623
French
Where can you get frog legs, boeuf bourguignon or duck a l’orange? We know.
La Gare French Restaurant, Santa Rosa: Full menu of all the classic dishes (including escargot) and their famous Beef Wellington. VIP curbside pickup nightly 5-8 p.m., and you can take a bottle of house wine home for $20. Every order receives complimentary chocolate mousse. Phone orders only, 707- 528-4355, accepted starting at 2 p.m. 208 Wilson St., menu at lagarerestaurant.com.
Walter Hansel Wine Bistro, Santa Rosa: Slightly abbreviated menu includes Chicken Cordon Bleu, rich boeuf Bourguignon, steak au poivre and Valrhona chocolate mousse. Curbside pickup and delivery within five miles of the restaurant. Menu online at walterhanselwinebistro.com; phone orders only, 707-546-6462. 3535 Guerneville Road, Santa Rosa.
Chinese, Japanese and Southeast Asian
Sushi is one of the most wished-for foods on our quarantine list. It’s been hard to find, but the good stuff is back. Perennial faves like Thai and Chinese are getting easier to grab as well.
Sushi Kosho, Sebastopol: The best sushi spot in Sonoma County has finally reopened for takeout. Try their excellent nigiri, salmon tartar tacos, rolls, Wagyu short ribs, karaage fried chicken, banh mi or poke bowls. Pickup Wednesday through Sunday. Order online at sushikoshotogo.com, 707-827-6373, 6750 McKinley Ave., Sebastopol.
Hana Japanese, Rohnert Park: Abbreviated menu with most of your favorites including nigiri and chirashi, but deluxe platters with multiple rolls or bento box dinners are crowd-pleasers. Phone orders only, 707-586-0270, facebook.com/hana-japanese-restaurant for menu. 101 Golf Course Drive, Rohnert Park.
SEA Thai Bistro & Bar, Santa Rosa: Pad Thai, larb salad and pineapple fried rice, how we’ve missed you! Plus, tasty cocktails to go. Order online for curbside pickup at facebook.com/SeaThaiBistro. 2350 Midway Drive, Santa Rosa, 707-528-8333
Jam’s Joy Bungalow, Sebastopol: Another of my favorite “missed” foods is jok, a comforting rice porridge with a six-minute egg, crispy shallots and spicy fermented bean paste. Owner Jamilah Nixon has a tiny storefront in the heart of Sebastopol, but she’s always got giant flavors in her righteous Southeast Asian cuisine. Phone orders only, 707-843-9001. 150 Weeks Way, Sebastopol, facebook.com/jamsjoybungalow
Kirin, Santa Rosa: I’ve tried many Chinese restaurants, and Kirin never fails me. All the usual suspects like sweet and sour pork, pineapple prawns, General’s chicken and fried rice. Menu online at kirinsr.com. Phone orders only, 707-525-1957. 2700 Yulupa Ave., Santa Rosa
And more…
Bollywood, Santa Rosa: Modern Indian cuisine. Crispy cauliflower, tikka masala, charred corn, naan and pork belly vindaloo are outstanding. Doordash for online ordering and delivery. 535 4th St., Santa Rosa.
Gerard’s Paella, Santa Rosa: Chef Gerard Nebesky has opened his spot again and is serving up daily doses of paella. Online ordering at gerardspaella.square.site, curbside pickup or delivery. 701 Fourth St., gerardspaella.com.
Brot, Guerneville: There are just a few German specialties available for pickup, but they’re the best: fresh pretzel with butter, currywurst with fries, pork schnitzel and mushroom spatzle. Curbside pickup; menu online at brotguerneville.com. Phone orders only, 707-604-6102. Open Wednesday through Sunday, 16218 Main St., Guerneville.
Pearl, Petaluma: Simple mezze, sandwiches and the lamb burger with tzatziki available “for now,” take-and-bake meals of shakshuka, cassoulet and Persian meatballs to make at home later. Menu online at pearlpetaluma.com; phone orders only, 707-559-5187.
An egg vending machine stored at Wise Acre Farm, is said to be the first in the United States. (Christopher Chung/ The Press Democrat)
If you’re hoping to make an omelette but your favorite grocery store is running low on supplies, local farms are offering some egg-stra convenient pickup options.
In Windsor, for example, a vending machine at Wise Acre Farms has become a popular place to get fresh eggs while maintaining social distancing.
“It’s nice, because it’s sanitary,” said Tiffany Holbrook, owner of Wise Acre Farms. “I actually did have someone tell me that they’re never going to buy grocery store eggs after she watched a woman touch every single egg and then put it back onto the shelf,” she added, laughing.
An egg vending machine at Wise Acre Farm in Windsor. (Christopher Chung)
Customers have been excited to use the refrigerated vending machine, which has been around since 2016.
“This farm is such a positive thing in the community, and people see that,” said Holbrook. “The business is owned by myself and my husband, and we’re all about keeping money in the local economy.”
The Wise Acre Farms vending machine, located at 631 Arata Lane in Windsor, is restocked every day at 8 p.m. with freshly washed eggs that were laid that day. Motorists can pull up to the machine and use their credit card or cash to have it automatically dispense a carton of a dozen eggs.
Other local farms that are offering pickup or delivery of eggs include Sonoma Chicks in Sonoma and Angerer Family Farms in Geyserville.
Sonoma Chicks is selling chicken, quail and even duck eggs. Pickup is available at the Sonoma Chicks property in downtown Sonoma, and delivery is offered within three miles of Sonoma Plaza. Contact Sonoma Chicks on Instagram, by texting 415-307-4410 or by visiting their website. Read more about Sonoma Chicks in this article.
Angerer Family Farms in Geyserville is known for its truffles, but also has a flock of chickens. They are offering eggs through an “online farm stand” set up by Dragonfly Floral. Orders can be placed online and delivery is scheduled for a different part of the county each day of the week. Contact Dragonfly Floral’s farm stand at 707-433-3739 or visit their website.
Duskie Estes delivers greens from Farm to Pantry for Pizzando Restaurant, where they will be made into free meals. Photo: Bel Montania
The Queen of Pork is now the Queen of Glean. Popular local chef and Food Network regular Duskie Estes has swapped her knife and chef’s whites for a long-poled fruit picker and mud boots as the new executive director of Farm to Pantry.
Best known for her pork-centric restaurant, Zazu, and television appearances on “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives”, “Guy’s Grocery Games” and “Next Iron Chef”, Estes says she jumped at the chance to lead the nonprofit’s efforts to get thousands of pounds of fresh produce into the hands of locals.
Greens from Farm to Pantry delivered to Pizzando Restaurant for meals donated to families. Photo: Bel Montania
Using a method called “gleaning” (a fancy word for collecting), Farm to Pantry volunteers harvest the unloved fruits of ornamental plantings, rampant tomato patches, prodigious plum trees and farm fields with a few straggling potatoes — with owners’ permission of course. Since 2008, the Healdsburg agency has donated more than 237 tons of produce from the fields, farms and backyards of Sonoma County.
During shelter-in-place orders, that mission has expanded to entire lemon orchards and over-produced vegetables that farmers would otherwise simply till over due to lack of workers. With food pantries overtaxed, it’s a win-win.
“Witnessing both the urgent need for food with unemployment numbers hitting those we saw in 1940 and farmers in a harvesting and distribution ‘pickle,’ I see the Farm to Pantry nonprofit model as a remarkable answer to arrest food waste,” said Estes, of the growing non-profit.
It’s a natural fit for the longtime advocate for small farmers, sustainable agriculture and combating food insecurity. But now, instead of cooking that food, she’s picking it.
“Today we went to pick orange trees. We got 20 boxes that were about 30 pounds each at just two private residences,” said Estes, in her first official week as director. Since then, she’s been an almost daily presence on the front lines of her agency’s food recovery efforts as she settles into the role.
“It drives me crazy to know there are oranges, greens and other produce being abandoned out there when there are hungry mouths to feed,” she said.
It’s estimated that in the U.S., an average 40 percent of all food is wasted, mostly going into landfills.
“There are crops with rotting produce due to lack of farm staff to harvest them and lack of buyers for harvested food; perishable foods are being outright discarded because they are not picked in time or go unsold before its expiration date. All this is occurring at a time when there is a massive increase in American citizens needing food assistance. Food banks and pantries are running out of food, unable to keep up with the spike in demand,” said Estes.
Estes spent many years in the non-profit world before becoming a Sonoma County food-lebrity. In the early 1990s, she launched a chef-run culinary program for low-income families that taught basic skills for cooking on a budget. Continuing that program in Seattle, she met celebrated chef Tom Douglas and began working at restaurants including Palace Kitchen, while continuing her non-profit work. She also ran the kitchen at Glide Memorial Church, making up to 3,000 meals a day for the San Francisco shelter.
Zazu Restaurant and Farm closed in 2019 after flooding destroyed their restaurant. Estes and her husband John Stewart continue to operate the Black Piglet food truck and Black Pig Meat Company. In 2011, Duskie and John were named the King and Queen of Pork at a national chef cook-off.
Mark and Terri Stark doing curbside delivery at Grossman’s in Santa Rosa. Photo: Ryn Longmaid.
Dahlings…it’s time to quit your kvetching and get your tuchus down to Grossman’s Deli for some bagels and schmear already.
After a brief closure, Grossman’s has reopened with a menu of Jewish deli favorites in Santa Rosa’s Railroad Square. The newborn restaurant’s March launch happened to coincide with Sonoma County’s shelter-in-place orders, throwing a giant wet matzoh on the grand opening.
Warm rye bread at Grossman’s Courtesy photo
But, with a bit of retooling, a simplified menu and to-go cocktails, beer and wine added to the mix, Grossman’s is taking online orders for curbside pickup Thursday through Sunday. If you’re lucky one of the Starks may even bring your delivery out! To order, go to grossmansr.com
On the menu:
– All the homemade bagels and schmear one could need for carbo-loading before your next boring Zoom call.
A pastrami sandwich on rye at Grossman’s. Terri Stark
– Pastrami and Corned Beef Sandwich kits, because your kids can make you lunch for a change.
– Pastrami-style smoked salmon for the aforementioned bagels.
– Stark’s Steakhouse Steaks: It’s almost like going out for dinner somewhere fancy, but you don’t have to wear pants. Comes with garlic herb butter to really class it up.
– Challah, rye, pastrami and corned beef: Because after you eat that first sandwich, you’re gonna want another
– Bloody Mary Kit: Includes the vodka and homemade mix. Two o’clock is the new happy hour.
As the coronavirus continues to spread in the United States, sickening more than 950,000 people and leading to death of over 53,000, there is another toll that may be less jarring but also devastating: the impact on our mental wellbeing.
Across the country, people are worried about their own health and that of loved ones, as they watch a standstill economy wreak havoc on their personal finances. Many are feeling lonely and isolated at home, and anxious and stressed about an uncertain future. According to a recent study by The Kaiser Family Foundation, nearly half of American adults say that worry and stress related to the pandemic is hurting mental health.
A new app — COVID Coach — seeks to help make things a little easier for those currently struggling with stress, anxiety and depression. The free app was developed by the same team that launched the Sonoma Rises app following the 2017 wildfires. It was released on Apple’s iTunes store in mid-April and on Google Play on Thursday. It has received federal endorsement through its association with he U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Dr. Adrienne Heinz, a Healdsburg psychologist, was part of the team of experts that created the COVID Coach and Sonoma Rises apps at the National Center for PTSD in Palo Alto.
Heinz, who collaborated with Bay Area psychologists Dr. Beth Jaworski, Dr. Katherine Taylor and Dr. Sarah Steinmetz in developing the app, said it can be used both as a standalone education and self-care tool, as well as a supplement to professional mental health care.
“Apps are not replacements for treatment, but are a great way to reach people during this age of social distancing, at any time and any place,” said Heinz. “We like to think of the app as a way to help democratize access to evidence-informed tools you’d receive in a health care setting.”
The COVID Coach app features a variety of mental health resources including mood trackers and advice on how to manage financial stress and balance parenting with other responsibilities. It also incorporates breathing techniques and mindfulness practices that can help people maintain a sense of calm and manage tension with partners and other family members.
Sarah Steinmetz, a psychologist in San Francisco and part of the team behind COVID Coach, highlighted the different ways users can utilize the app. They can mark their favorite coping tools, track mental health over time, and create a personal support network of experts.
“It can serve a wide range of people,” she said. “Right now, with so many people stuck at home, the app offers great coping exercises that satisfy a variety of need(s).”
Steinmetz added that, to her knowledge, COVID Coach is the only app that has been specifically developed to offer mental health resources to people dealing with the effects of the coronavirus.
Sonoma Rises — which served as an inspiration for COVID Coach — was created in partnership with the Healthcare Foundation of Northern Sonoma County, a nonprofit that serves local residents in a variety of capacities.
Kim Bender, the organization’s executive director, said the disaster-tested region is uniquely positioned to take a leading role in helping others cope with crisis and trauma.
“Between the fires and the floods and the power shutoffs, we’ve been through a lot and we’re used to having to adapt and take seriously communication about big-picture things,” said Bender. “Add to that the fact that we’re close to Silicon Valley and you’ve got the perfect environment to use technology for good.”
Already, more than 2,650 people have downloaded the COVID Coach app, more than double downloads for Sonoma Rises.
The new app is available to users across the country and developers hope it will be able to help hundreds of thousands of people.
“Whether you’re talking about people who have the virus, people who are out of work, or people who are simply adapting to a new reality at home, we’re all struggling to some extent right now,” said Heinz.
“If this app can help people get through this difficult time; if it can make a difference in someone’s life by getting that person the resources he or she needs, that’s the most important thing.”
You can download COVID Coach for iPhones here, and for Android here. Find more mental health resources and advice in this article.
Spending time outdoors, enjoying Sonoma County’s many parks and open spaces, is just one of many things we’re missing as we continue to shelter in place to help decrease the spread of COVID-19. But there are more ways to connect with nature than heading to a park. From birds and shiny bugs in our backyard to flowers and weeds growing in the cracks of sidewalks, nature is all around us — sometimes we just need to be reminded to look more closely.
The fifth-annual City Nature Challenge (CNC), which kicks off this Fridayin nearly 250 cities around the world, is a great opportunity to explore plants and wildlife close to home. The four-day program, organized by the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, is one of the world’s largest citizen science events and encourages participants to document urban biodiversity.
Armed with just a smartphone, Sonoma County residents and people around the world can take part in the event by snapping pictures of plants, animals and insects and then uploading those images to a free app for identification. This way, they can find out what species are living in their backyard and neighborhood while also helping scientists study and protect them.
During last year’s City Nature Challenge, 292 people made more than 4500 observations in Sonoma County, documenting 960 species. This year, like with so many other events, the coronavirus pandemic has forced organizers to make changes to the program — including removing the competitive element that has been part of previous events.
“It’s all about collaboration this year because we don’t want people to break any of the regulations or rules around COVID-19 just because they want to make more observations for their cities,” said Alison Young, co-founder of the City Nature Challenge and a Sonoma County resident.
During previous events, participants have often headed to parks to make observations. This year, due to the coronavirus pandemic, explorative excursions will need to take place closer to home.
“A lot of people, when they think about nature and biodiversity, they think of Yosemite and Point Reyes, but there’s an incredible amount of biodiversity even in urban spaces, and especially here in Sonoma County,” said Young.
“Right now, people are feeling disconnected from the natural world with most of our parks, playgrounds, and beaches closed,” said Margaret Boeger, Education Director at Santa Rosa’s Pepperwood Preserve. “This is a chance for families and individuals to take a closer look at the wildlife and nature that we may overlook everyday.”
Participating in the City Nature Challenge is easy. It only takes a couple of minutes to download the free iNaturalist app. (The app was developed as part of a Master’s final project at U.C. Berkeley. Pepperwood Preserve was one of the first sites to test out this model of citizen/community science.)
After downloading the app, you can start taking photos of birds, bugs, and plants – anything that catches your attention – and upload those images for identification. Remember, the challenge is not to identify flowers and vegetables you’ve planted in your yard, but the wild plants popping up in between and the critters that have moved in.
Participants don’t have to know anything about what they see, they just need to be curious and take good photos. Using artificial intelligence or “machine learning,” the iNaturalist app scans the photos and gives suggestions based on what the objects look like, and other observations that have been noted in your area. Once the image is uploaded, crowdsourcing among experts and the iNaturalist community helps confirm or, if necessary, change the identification.
“This year, we’re really excited because this is the most “city” the City Nature Challenge has ever been,” said Young. “We’re going to have a better sense from this year of what species that are living and doing well in people’s backyards; in the urban matrix.”
“Who knows, someone may even discover a new species; it’s happened before!’ added Boeger. “By looking closely at a tree outside our window or a flower with a bee in a nearby bush, we have a chance to see that nature is everywhere, not just at a park, in a museum, or in a forest.”
The City Nature Challenge runs Friday, April 24 through Monday, April 27. Collective results will be released on Monday, May 4. Download the iNaturalist app here.
Right now many of us are either missing Mom due to shelter-in-place orders or spending an awful lot of time with Mom. Either scenario means it’s time to show her some love with a thoughtful gift. Whether you spend a little or a lot, there are so many ways to make her time at home a little more comfortable, sunny or stylish. Here are a few of our favorites, available to ship from Sonoma County stores—click through the above gallery for details.
