Zazu Kitchen and Farm Duskie Estes embraces Tomas Guzman, part of the maintenance crew of The Barlow, Thursday, April 18, 2019 in Sebastopol. (Kent Porter)
After a boom in downtown restaurants in Santa Rosa, 2019 saw a horrifying six closures (and counting) in 2019.
And the numbers will likely grow. Throughout the county, some restaurateurs say they’re teetering, hoping to get through the busy Christmas season but unsure if they’ll be able to keep the doors open past January. Rents continue to rise (shockingly), permitting and construction have stalled out many and owners say the workforce has shrunk so drastically they often can’t find help.
Click through the gallery to see some of the restaurants we sadly had to say goodbye to in 2019.
MAYBE IT’S COLD OUTSIDE. And if it is, you can warm the palate, heart and soul with red wines produced from vineyards 50 years and older, whose grapes are transformed into wines that are exotically rich and spicy and also offer a hint of history with each sip.
Ancient vines are rooted throughout California, with an excellent concentration of them in Sonoma Valley. Many tasting rooms in the Valley of the Moon offer at least one bottling made from elderly grapevines, although these five are rather gaga over vinous geriatric gems.
There is no formal definition of an “old” vine, though many winemakers say 50 years is the minimum age. Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Carignane, Alicante Bouschet and other grapes planted in California vineyards in the late 1880s, and which survived Prohibition, remain viable today, though in decreasing acreage as more profitable grape varieties are taking over. The time to drink the old-timers is now.
Tom Mackey, a dean of old-vine winemaking in Sonoma Valley, was the founding winemaker at St. Francis in 1971 and retired from there in 2011. Mackey, Ravenswood Winery founder Joel Peterson (he started the brand with Reed Foster in 1976) and other Sonoma growers and winemakers are driven by a deep appreciation for the intensity of wines – mostly reds – produced from ancient vines, and a desire to keep venerable vines in the ground as long as possible.
The time to drink the old-timers is now.
“Walking these vineyards, one can’t deny the sense of history and continuity,” Mackey said. “These vines are not as much a commodity as a family member. Vintages are remembered as much as (by) what occurred that year with the relatives as with the weather, harvest date and crop size.
“Like all agriculture, there must be a profit or, at least, expenses must be met. As a vineyard ages, the yield diminishes and the vines themselves become more fragile. A tractor nudge can knock them over. They are not immortal and eventually will need replacement. But while they are here, they represent a bit of permanence in an all-too-transitory world. Winemakers come and go, yet the vineyards remain.”
To that end, the Historic Vineyard Society was founded in 2009 by David Gates of Ridge Vineyards, Mike Officer of Carlisle Vineyards, Tegan Passalacqua of Turley Wine Cellars, Morgan Twain-Peterson (Joel Peterson’s son) of Bedrock Wine Co. and others. It maintains a registry of heritage California vineyards – all of which were planted no later than 1960 – in an effort to ensure senior vines are appreciated and preserved. At a time when farmers might be tempted to replace them, the society campaigns for the preservation of old vineyards in similar fashion to historic homes and buildings being saved for posterity.
Tasting rooms come and go, too. Ravenswood Winery, one of the most passionate, modern-day producers of wines from ancient vines, had its Sonoma visitor center closed in May 2019 by property owner Constellation Brands. Ravenswood continues to bottle wines from old plantings, though no tasting opportunities are available now.
Here are five Sonoma Valley wineries that offer not just one but several wines made from vines planted long, long ago.
Morgan Twain Peterson is the owner of Bedrock Wine Company. Photograph taken in Bedrock Vineyards, near Glen Ellen. (Christopher Chung)
Bedrock Wine Co.
Since its founding in 2007, Bedrock has become one of the most ardent embracers of old-vine plantings and wines produced by them. Co-founder and winemaker Morgan Twain-Peterson was raised on old-vine Zins by his father, Ravenswood’s Joel Peterson.
Today, Twain-Peterson, a Master of Wine, bottles several ancient-vine wines for Bedrock, many of them poured at the Sonoma tasting room. The company purchased the 152-acre Madrone Ranch vineyard near Glen Ellen in 2005 and renamed it Bedrock Vineyard, and it serves as not only as a wine-grape source but also a repository for some 26 varieties, many of them planted a century ago. Planted in 1854 by Gen. William “Tecumseh” Sherman and Gen. “Fightin” Joe Hooker, the vineyard passed through several owners, among them the Hearsts, Parduccis and Domenicis, before falling to Bedrock.
So many of its small-lot wines hail from old vines from throughout California, yet two locals stand out: The Bedrock Heritage Red Wine Sonoma Valley ($46), a mélange of two dozen grape types; and the Compagni Portis Vineyard White Wine Sonoma Valley ($30), an exotic mix of Gewurztraminer, Trousseau Gris, Riesling, Burger and other increasingly rare varieties. Wines from historic Pagani Ranch and Old Hill Ranch in Sonoma Valley are also among the jewels from Bedrock.
Gen. Joseph Hooker House, 414 First Street East, Sonoma, 707-343-1478, bedrockwineco.com. (appointment only)
Cline Cellars
Fred and Nancy Cline’s winery might be in Sonoma, yet it gives visitors an opportunity to taste old-vine wines from Oakley in Contra Costa County, where as a kid, Fred helped his grandfather, Valeriano Jacuzzi (of hot tub fame), grow grapes.
Fred founded Cline Cellars in Oakley in 1986, specializing in old-vine Zinfandel, Mourvedre and other Rhone Valley grapes. He married Nancy Cline in 1986 and relocated the winery to Sonoma, yet continues to make bold, richly flavored reds from Oakley, in addition to Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Viognier and other varietals.
Ask for the Big Break Vineyard Zinfandel Contra Costa County ($37), made from vines planted more than 80 years ago, and the Ancient Vines Carignane Contra Costa County ($23), made from vines planted in the early 1900s through the 1940s.
There is more than just jaw-dropping, French Normandy-style castle architecture to lure visitors to the winery Steve Ledson built on Highway 12 near Kenwood in the early 1990s. A variety of experiences are offered, as one would expect in such a grand space, including tours, multiple tasting spaces for nearly every varietal common in California and a marketplace offering sandwiches, gourmet condiments and gifts.
Yet Ledson, a native Sonoman, would most want guests to appreciate his commitment to bottling wines made from old vines. The Ledson Estate Ancient Vine Zinfandel Sonoma Valley ($68), for example, comes from grapes planted in 1887. Estate Old Vine Syrah ($46) and Estate Old Vine Barbera ($54) are both from Sonoma Valley. And Ledson’s Ciapusci Estate Old Vine Zinfandel Sonoma Valley ($36) was planted to clones taken from a 154-year-old vineyard on Mendocino Ridge in Mendocino County.
Tom Mackey retired in 2011 as the founding winemaker at this eastern Santa Rosa winery, having acquired grapes from multiple, old-vine sites over his 31 years at St. Francis. He also mentored Katie Madigan in the wiles of and ways to produce old-vine reds (Chris Louton is co-winemaker, focusing on Bordeaux varieties).
Madigan’s Old Vines Zinfandel Sonoma County ($22) is a blend of Zinfandel and Petite Syrah grapes from vines aged 50 to 100 years and is a flagship bottling at a great price. The Tres Viejos Old Vines Zinfandel Sonoma County ($48), from vineyards 70 years old and more in the Alexander, Russian River and Sonoma valleys, is small in case production yet well worth asking for at the visitor center. It won the “Best of the Best” award at the 2019 North Coast Wine Challenge.
For a taste of an old-school, old-vine “mixed blacks” blend, don’t miss the Eletto Heritage Vines Red Wine Sonoma County ($52), a field blend of Alicante Bouschet, Petite Sirah, Carignane and Zinfandel.
St. Francis Winery off Highway 12 in the Sonoma Valley at Pythian Road. (Courtesy photo)
Wellington Cellars
Founder Peter Wellington sold his property to the Belmonte family in 2014, and the new-ish owners – Henry Belmonte and his parents, Vittorio and Maria Belmonte of VJB Cellars – have made several upgrades to the Wellington property since their acquisition, among them a new winery and tasting space and replanting of some of the vineyards.
One thing has not changed: Wellington’s devotion to old-vine zinfandel. There are three, estate Sonoma Valley bottlings, and the 2016s have just been released. Named for the year in which the vines were planted, the Wellington Estate 1882 Zinfandel Sonoma Valley ($44), Estate 1912 Zinfandel Sonoma Valley ($42) and Estate 1924 Zinfandel Sonoma Valley ($39) are remarkable for their complexity.
During the holiday season, seeking out the delightful decorations at wineries can be part of the fun. Introducing family and friends to your favorite tasting rooms is also a time-honored tradition in Sonoma County. Click through the gallery for a few favorite wine destinations for holiday cheer and unique gift-giving opportunities.
Featured Winery — Anaba Wines
The winds that sweep over the Carneros region are called anabatic winds, so the Sweazey family chose Anaba as the name for its winery when it was founded here in 2006.
John Thomas Sweazey is proprietor, running the winery together with his son, John Michael Sweazey. Winemakers Ross Cobb and Katy Wilson coax rich flavors from their grapes, most notably Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, from locations that include the fog-kissed slopes of Wildcat Mountain Vineyard in the Carneros. Anaba is known for its Rhône varietals such as Viognier and Grenache and also produces white and red blends, Syrah, and a port.
Fun fact: In 2009, Anaba was the first Northern California winery to install a wind turbine for electricity. The single turbine generates enough power to run most operations throughout the winery property, including an electric car-charging station. For many years, tastings at Anaba took place in the 120-year-old Sweazey farmhouse.
Now, the family has unveiled the inviting new Vintners House, an elegant structure that offers views over estate vineyards and distant hills. The farmhouse remains part of Anaba’s hospitality center, but tastings now take place in the new facility.
The “Vintners House” seated tasting is a flight of five wines ($25), offered inside or outside in the garden courtyard, weather permitting. The premier tasting is a six-wine seated flight of single-vineyard wines, along with food bites ($35, reservations recommended). Two “Grand Cru” tastings are also offered, with flights of all-white or all-red, small-lot wines paired with light snacks ($55 to $65, reservations required).
60 Bonneau Road, Sonoma, 707-996-4188, anabawines.com. Open daily 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Like many of us, Sonoma County native Jenny Harrow can get overwhelmed by the demands of the season. When that happens, she recommends a nice, long bath.
This is no ordinary soaking, more an immersion in nature rather than water. Harrow is a local expert in shinrin-yoku, the Japanese practice of “forest bathing,” in which the stressed-out seek relief from an anxious world by heading to the outdoors.
Shinrin-yoku combines elements of Shinto and Buddhist teachings to promote intense awareness of natural surroundings in its practitioners. A growing body of scientific research shows time in nature can relieve a variety of modern-day ailments, from depression and anxiety to high blood pressure and cognitive decline.
Harrow said Sonoma County’s cooler, rainy months are a great time to discover forest bathing.
“We don’t have to be outside only when it’s sunny or nice,” she said. “I’ve led excursions in the rain.” In the winter season, Occidental’s Grove of Old Trees is a favorite spot: last December, she led a winter solstice forest bathing event in the grove that brought together nearly two dozen enthusiasts.
Jenny Harrow leads forest bathing expeditions at local vineyards and parks.
Harrow’s journey to becoming a certified forest therapy guide began after she was nearly killed in a 2014 scooter crash in Texas. While her body healed, she decided to move back to Sonoma County and enroll in courses in the healing arts. Harrow now leads regular forest bathing excursions, including in Crane Canyon Regional Park and Sugarloaf Ridge State Park, as well as on vineyard lands in conjunction with Red Car Wine Co. and others. Harrow’s popular winery events are “an approachable way for people to practice mindfulness,” she says.
Forest bathing requires no special equipment, and there’s no need even for a forest, as long as there is some semblance of nature along the path. The destination is not the point. “It’s just slowing down and being present, and noticing when you do those things, the whole universe opens up to you,” Harrow said.
Sondra Bernstein is celebrating the 20th anniversary of her Sonoma restaurant The Girl & the Fig this summer. (Christopher Chung/ The Press Democrat)
The holidays are coming! Leave the crowded parking lots behind and enjoy the spirit of the season at some of Sonoma County’s best cideries, creameries, and farms during Holidays Along the Farm Trails (weekends through January 1).
Festive holiday activities along the farm trails range from wreath making workshops and cider tastings to goat milking demonstrations and tea making. With so many fun options to choose from, it’s hard to know where to begin. We asked some of our favorite local chefs to share their top stops at this year’s Holidays Along the Farm Trails. Click through the gallery for details and check out chef Duskie Estes’s Farm Trails recipes.
Farm Trails Recipes
Chef Duskie Estes often heads into the kitchen with her Farm Trails purchases, cooking up delicious meals with her husband and business partner, chef John Stewart. Here are some of their favorite Farm Trails recipes.
Goat Milk Panna Cotta
For dessert, serve with a red wine syrup and a nibble of shortbread.
4 cups goat milk
1/3 cup sugar
1 vanilla bean, scraped
1 lemon, zested
1 pinch of dried lavender
1 tablespoon powdered, unflavored gelatin
In a small sauce pan on medium-high heat, warm 3 cups of the goat’s milk with the sugar vanilla bean, lemon zest, and lavender. In a bowl, whisk the goat milk into the gelatin to melt. Add the remaining cup of goat’s milk. Pour through a strainer into small glass jars and refrigerate until set, about four to six hours. Serve with red wine syrup or fruit and a cookie.
John Stewart and Duskie Estes cooking with their daughter Brydie Stewart at their home in Forestville. (Erik Castro)
Ribollita with Olio Nuovo… Tuscan Bread and Bean Soup
This is the perfect soup to showcase Olio Nuovo, which becomes available around November. In Tuscany, the Italians won’t even consider finishing with olive oil by summer, they’d rather wait for the new oil. This soup is intended to be a use for the kitchen’s leftovers. We love it so much that when we moved to Sonoma, John’s first goal was to grow everything for this soup himself – even the olives!
2 cups heirloom beans
2 bay leaves
4 cloves peeled garlic, divided
2 stalks celery
2 carrots, peeled
1 onion, peeled
1 leek, white part only
Quality extra virgin olive oil, copious amounts
1/2 savoy cabbage, cut into chiffonade
1 bunch lacinato kale, stemmed and cut into chiffonade
6 cups water
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 loaf day old rustic bread, crust removed
Cover the beans with water and soak overnight. Cook the beans with the bay leaves and two of the garlic cloves until soft, about one hour. Strain, reserving one cup of the liquid to add to the soup. Process the remaining two cloves of garlic with the celery, carrot, onion, and leek until very fine, but not wet (still with tiny pieces of the vegetables, not a puree). Sauté the vegetables in about 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil on medium-low heat until fragrant and slightly browned, about 10 minutes. Add the beans and their cooking water, cabbage, chard, and water. Let simmer approximately an hour. Season to taste with salt and pepper.Crumble the stale bread into chunks and place a handful of the bread in each bowl. Ladle soup over and let sit a few minutes for bread to soften and broth to be absorbed. Finish each bowl with extra virgin olive oil and freshly ground black pepper.
The Western Burger featuring onion rings, cheddar cheese, applewood bacon, and barbecue sauce at the new Carmen’s Burger Bar location at 619 4th St in Santa Rosa on Wednesday, August 21, 2019. (BETH SCHLANKER/ The Press Democrat)
Restaurants and bakeries are still popping up throughout the county, and for that we’re grateful. We’ve gathered some of our favorite new(ish) spots, along with yet-to-open restaurants on the horizon.
There was a time when kids and Wine Country visits was not a great combo. Wine-loving parents planning a getaway had to cut a deal with Grandma and Grandpa and leave junior at home.
In recent years, however, Wine Country has become increasingly family friendly. There’s a growing number of kid-friendly wineries and restaurants (beyond burger and pizza chains) and local hotels are making sure that everyone in the family (even dogs) are happy and content. In fact, some hotels are such a paradise for kids you might find it hard to get them to leave.
Click through the above gallery for Sonoma County properties where it’s great to be a kid. (Or a kid at heart.)
Did we miss one of your favorites? Let us know in the comments!
Persimmon and arugula salad at K&L Bistro in Sebastopol. (Heather Irwin / Sonoma Magazine)
Almost exactly 13 years ago, I wrote about Sebastopol’s K&L Bistro receiving its first Michelin star.
At the time, it was somewhat shocking for a neighborhood bistro to achieve the same kind of standing as Chez Panisse, Gary Danko, Bouchon, Dry Creek Kitchen and Farmhouse Inn. It was the year Healdsburg’s Cyrus won two stars and The French Laundry was the lone three-star winner in the Bay Area. For K&L owners Karen and Lucas Martin, the honor was a double-edged sword.
K&L Bistro owner Karen Martin makes an almond cake with fresh pluots in Sebastopol. Photo: BETH SCHLANKER/ The Press Democrat
“We never had aspirations for that. We were just cooking and doing what we loved. We just wanted to be this little bistro,” Lucas said. “I mean, at one point we had a crib in here,” said the father of two. “We just wanted to enjoy what we did.”
The international recognition can bring a different kind of diner, Lucas said, with lofty expectations nearly impossible to meet. Known as “The Michelin Curse,” it also can drive chefs to madness — even suicide — trying to keep it.
“I won’t lie; I was a bit disappointed when we lost it (in 2009), but you can’t hone your existence on what other people want. It’s a slippery slope,” he said.
For all of us, that perspective has been a lucky break.
Butternut squash ravioli at K&L Bistro in Sebastopol. Heather Irwin/PD
Since then, the restaurant has thrived, doubling in size in 2014 and recently changing up its Parisian character for a more diverse and contemporary menu that includes their son’s ode to In-N-Out’s Animal-Style French fries. In 2019, it’s not only every bit as good as I remembered but actually better in just about every way.
Karen Martin heads the kitchen, and the frites are still every bit as thin and crispy, the service as impeccable, the onion soup as cheesy, soccer games always on in the bar and the wine list as impressive (DuMOL was recently added) as before.
The restaurant is also one of the few places where I think the prices are worth every penny. K&L isn’t cheap, but I’m betting you won’t walk away disappointed. Or hungry. After several cringe-worthy meals at local restaurants at the same price point, K&L was like settling into a warm bubble bath — comforting, decadent and worth savoring each delicious moment.
If you’re on a budget, the bar menu includes some favorite starters under $10 like the Ichiban Ramen, Pork Belly Bao, Buffalo Cauliflower or a Bucket of French Fries with garlic aioli. You will not be able to eat enough of the garlic aioli. Or the fries. Or the French Onion Soup.
Persimmon and arugula salad at K&L Bistro in Sebastopol. Heather Irwin/PD
K&L Bistro has class without pretension, a sense of fun without being ridiculous and excellence without the affectation of needing to prove itself to Michelin’s “famously anonymous” reviewers. Maybe that’s how you beat the curse — by caring more about good food than good reviews.
Best Bets: Required eating
Butternut Squash Ravioli, $23.50: I rarely rave about pasta. It’s pasta. I don’t often order it anymore, because either the pasta is doughy, the butter has separated, the filling is far too sweet or the whole thing is just a sad mess. This, however, will be vying for one of my favorite dishes of 2019. First off, it’s rounds of delicate pasta stuffed with sweet butternut squash. Then brown butter. Then golden chanterelle mushrooms that are worth the price of the dish alone. With just a hint of lemon, it’s got the flavors sorted perfectly with just enough fat, acid, salt and sweet to make me weep a little with each bite. Look away! I’m crying here.
Chicken Picatta, $25.50: Their best seller and an homage to Bistro Ralph’s legendary Chicken Paillard. Lucas said he didn’t put the dish on the menu until after the Healdsburg restaurant shuttered and his friend Ralph retired the dish. “He’s such a great guy,” Lucas said.
You may notice a theme here with my love of a good brown butter sauce. Here, a thin (but not too thin) breast of pounded chicken gets a light, crispy coating, topped with creamy brown butter, lemon and caper sauce. Instead of Ralph’s fries, it comes with a side of garlicky kale salad so you can pretend you’re being virtuous.
Fried Brussels Sprouts, $8: Another dish that I tend to avoid because too many chefs think they’ve nailed it by serving up raw-on-the-inside, burnt-on-the-outside sprouts. Yielding on the inside, crispy on the outside, with the leaves slightly opened is how they’re best done. Add some Calabrian chili and garlic aioli, and these are simply addictive.
Chicken Picatta at K&L Bistro in Sebastopol. Heather Irwin/PD
French Onion Soup Gratinée, $12: My vegetarian friend loves this so much that she refuses to ask what’s in the stock. Sorry, but it’s made with veal stock and pig’s feet (yes, that’s what makes it so good). The dark, rich stock is imbued with soft onions and sherry vinegar, topped with a ridiculous amount of melted Gruyère.
Fried Tater Tots Animal Style, $7: Here’s where the menu has a little fun, riffing on In-N-Out’s not-so-secret-menu favorite of piling a jumble of special sauce, grilled onions and melted cheese over their fries. At K&L, it gets an upgrade with crispy tater tots to hold up the whole mess with commendable gravitas. “It’s my 15-year-old’s creation,” Lucas said.
Mac & Cheese Gratinée, $13.50: Um, yes. Please. More. All the creamy Béchamel, made with Swiss and Gruyère cheese. “We don’t break the sauce,” Lucas said of the secret to his cheesy success. For that, I’m eternally grateful.
Also Delish: Buffalo Cauliflower, $7: I wouldn’t get these unless there was a vegetarian at the table, but they’re a great compromise if you’re a wing fan. Lightly fried in tempura, with buffalo sauce and blue cheese. They could be a little more yielding, but they’re not shabby.
Mussels Marinière, $21.50: One of K&L’s signature dishes. Lots of mussels, lots of fries. The sauce is tasty but doesn’t have the boozy kick I usually like. Good for sharing.
Creme brulee at K&L Bistro in Sebastopol. Heather Irwin/PD
Persimmon & Arugula Salad, $12.50: Prettiest salad ever. Simple, classy, amazing. We also loved the more filling Smoked Trout Salad that’s a take on Niçoise, filled with smoked trout, dill crème fraiche, potatoes, pickled onions and capers ($14.50).
Meyer Ranch Burger, $16: A truly excellent burger, with excellent meat. It’s enhanced with add-ons like a fried egg, onions, Gruyère and mushrooms, which are $2, to really make the whole thing hit the high notes.
If you go: Lunch is a lovely time to sit and sip wine with some friends in downtown Sebastopol, and the menu is almost identical to dinner. Weekend brunch is newish, offering up quiche, a mushroom omelets, Benedict Florentine, huevos rancheros, and a lovely Bloody Mary. Happy hour daily from 3 to 6 p.m. and a late happy hour from 9:30 to 11 p.m. with a full bar. On-tap wines are a great way to go, but the wine list is stellar as well (in fact, winemakers are frequent guests). The restaurant is popular with locals, so reservations are a good idea.
119 South Main St., Sebastopol, 707-823-6614, klbistro.com.
Lox and cream cheese sesame bagel at The Bagel Mill in Petaluma. (Heather Irwin/Sonoma Magazine)
I am one of those tedious ex-New Yorkers who moan about how terrible the bagels are in California. We also gripe a lot about crummy pastrami and your ridiculous little pizzas.
But mostly, it’s the bagels, people. They’re like puffy dinner rolls. It’s meshugga.
The Bagel Mill in Petaluma is the first local baker to even get close to perfection, both boiling and baking these ancient carbo-loaders into chewy, snappy rings of goodness—but with a Sonoma twist: farm-to-table sourdough whole-grain bagels.
Everything bagels at the Bagel Mill in Petaluma. Facebook.
Owner Glenda Dougherty is a Sebastopol native who made it big in the NYC culinary world (so she knows a thing or two about bagels). Using flour she mills onsite and a sourdough starter she manages fastidiously, Bagel Mill bagels are seriously delish, easier to digest and have a light tang of sourdough. The whole wheat is lighter than you’d expect but brings a little more heft. Daily flavors include plain, poppy seed, sesame, onion, garlic, everything, cinnamon raisin, marble rye and whole wheat.
Because you can’t have a bagel without a schmear, there are a few special flavors like scallion or kimchi that uses Golden State Pickle Works ferments. Other toppings like classic lox are tops, along with the smoked trout salad, egg salad or the Pastrami Reuben.
Everything bagels at the Bagel Mill in Petaluma. Facebook.
On weekends, Dougherty has specials that have included the much-loved bialy (please make it a daily), Asiago and salt (sodium be damned!)
We’re fans, even if these bagels have been California-ized. We think you will be, too.
212 Western Ave, Petaluma, 707-981-8010. Open Wednesday through Sunday from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., closed Monday and Tuesday, thebagelmill.com.
Ho Ho Holy Drag Queens! RuPaul’s sassiest sister is coming to town. Glamazon Tammie Brown, well-known for her spats with Mama Ru during some of the early seasons of RuPaul’s Drag Race, brings her Holiday Sparkle Tour to Santa Rosa on December 11.
Celebrating her 20th drag-iversary this year, Brown will be sashaying into the Lounge at the Flamingo Resort with Portland drag queen Clare Apparently, star of the YouTube series Camp Wannakiki.
Brown, a fixture on Southern California’s drag scene before she appeared on RuPaul’s Drag Race, has gained a following for her wit and offbeat personality. She’s queen Katya Zamolodchikova’s all-time favorite Drag Racer and, in a recent interview, Trixie Mattel said her dream cast for a new All-Stars season would be, “Twelve Tammie Browns.”
Tammie Brown. (Photo courtesy of Justin Buckles Productions)
Clare Apparently, known for her camp and sometimes surreal sense of humor, will host the holiday show at the Flamingo. We caught up with Clare to talk about the upcoming show, her drag queen career, common misconceptions about drag, and what it’s like being a transgender man doing femme drag.
How long have you been doing drag? Who is Clare Apparently?
I began doing drag as Clare in June of 2016. It was actually the same night as the Pulse nightclub shooting (in Orlando), which makes for a bittersweet anniversary but also serves as a good reminder that the community is the most important part of doing drag.
Clare Apparently is a campy theatre queen who is unapologetically queer. I like to have fun, tell stories, and be silly in drag, while exploring themes of identity, expression, and who we would be if we didn’t experience shame and pressures to conform from the mainstream society.
You were just on Camp WannakikiSeason 2! For folks who don’t know about the show, how do you describe it?
I like to describe Camp Wannakiki as a parody of RuPaul’s Drag Race. It follows the same format of competition and elimination but features campy drag performers at a summer camp. We did all the same summer camp activities the girl scouts do, except as adults done-up in full drag. It’s really a hoot–very irreverent and ridiculous, and with a whole lot of heart.
It’s only been a couple of months since the show aired, but what has your drag career been like since?
My career has been insane since the show aired! My main hometown gig, Portland Drag Queen Brunch, has been selling out every weekend and we have lots of plans for expansion in 2020. Plus, I’ve been traveling a lot more! Since Camp Wannakiki, I’ve performed in New York City, Los Angeles, Austin, and just last weekend I was in Anchorage.
Being out as a transgender man doing femme drag, you represent one way in which the drag scene is much broader than what some folks have seen on TV. Can you talk a little bit about misconceptions people have about drag?
I never ever see anyone discussing trans men who are drag queens. We — as in collective society — have this stereotype of trans women as hyper-feminine and trans men as hyper-masculine, so we never consider them playing with gender in a way that is typically associated with their birth-assigned gender.
Before Camp Wannakiki, I experienced people saying, to my face, things like, “Who’s ever heard of a trans male drag queen?” and “A trans man would never be a queen because that would cause so much gender dysphoria.” While part of me just laughs at what a dismal misunderstanding of gender dysphoria those comments represent, another part of me realized that my invisibility was only adding to the issue and that’s why I auditioned for the show and told the producers this was the story I wanted to tell.
Drag is a lot of things to a lot of people, but one common denominator is playing with gender in a way that we’re not allowed to, or are at least encouraged not to, by society. There is a large part of my drag–and, if I may be so bold as to make the assertion, a lot of people’s drag–that is rooted in exploring and healing gender-based traumas. We lighten this difficult emotional journey with comedy and irreverence to remind ourselves of joy and to more easily connect with others across our differences.
You’ve been able to reach a bigger audience having been on Camp Wannakiki. What’s it like interacting with fans—particularly trans fans?
One of my absolute favorite parts of Camp Wannakiki is that it’s so positive and kind-hearted–quite a contrast to many other reality television shows these days that feed off conflicts and drama. This quality has attracted the most beautiful fan-base. People really connect with us campers on meaningful levels–our personal identities and stories we shared on the show as well as the art we showcased.
Since airing, I have received so many beautiful messages from other trans people at all stages of life and transition. I feel very fortunate to be entrusted with so many people’s stories. One thing I’m really looking forward to during the Holiday Sparkle Tour is having the opportunity to meet some of these beautiful people in person.
Clare Apparently and Tammie Brown at DragCon NYC. Photo courtesy of Clare Apparently.
Tammie and Clare feel like really compatible and complementary characters. What’s it like to work together?
First of all, thank you! It feels like quite a compliment to be seen as a complementary character with Tammie. I find it very easy to work with Tammie and I hope she feels the same! We’re both very relaxed, low-drama performers who love to do what we do. I never have to worry or stress about how a show is going to go, because I know that every member of the team, including our musician Michael and our producer Justin, is talented, professional, and dedicated to putting on a well-oiled entertaining show.
It’s awesome to see you and Tammie taking this tour to a lot of smaller cities. Is there a different energy when you bring a show to places like Chico, Anchorage, etc?
Obviously, I live in a decent-sized city and love a lot of things about it, but there’s something really special about LGBTQ communities in smaller cities that I don’t get to experience at home. When the general population is smaller, there are fewer gay people and fewer trans people, so family-like ties and feelings of taking care of each other can really flourish. I love visiting and performing in these communities because they feel more intimate and community-centered. I feel like I really get an opportunity to experience the community and the town rather than just performing a show and then running off to the next city.
What can guests expect from Tammie Brown’s 2019 Holiday Sparkle Tour?
I have a few silly holiday numbers to showcase. We’ll feature some local drag talent and play some games with the audience. Tammie will sing a selection of numbers from her new album, Shubert, along with some holiday favorites. We’ll end the evening with a Meet & Greet with Tammie for everyone who purchases a VIP ticket.
