Free Museums and Activities for Families Affected by the Kincade Fire

By Karen Kizer

The presence of wildfires and resulting evacuations can take a toll on everyone in a household. Just as adults yearn for a sense of normalcy and routines, children need to get back to the important business of playing. Providing some welcome distraction, a number of local museums and activity centers are offering free admission to evacuees and those affected by the fire. Click through the gallery for more details. Remember to bring proof of address.

How to Help Kincade Fire Victims and Evacuees: Volunteer and Donate

By Sonoma Magazine Staff
Red Cross volunteer Barbara Wood gives a hug to a Kincade fire evacuee who seemed in distress at the Red Cross Shelter at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds on Sunday, October 27, 2019. (John Burgess/The Press Democrat)

Latest update: Nov. 5, 2019, 3:00 p.m. 

If you would like to help those affected by the Kincade fire, mandatory evacuations and PG&E power shutoffs, here’s how you can volunteer and make donations. Please note that needs will change in the days and weeks to come. Please check back for updates.

Do you know of a volunteer opportunity or fundraising initiative not listed here? Send an email to sofia.englund@pressdemocrat.com.

DONATIONS & VOLUNTEERING

The Redwood Empire Food Bank (REFB)

The Redwood Empire Food Bank has deployed its emergency response program, Station 3990. These distributions are open to anyone in need of food. Find food distribution sites here.

Donate food: The Redwood Empire Food Bank is currently accepting food donations at their main facility at 3990 Brickway Blvd in Santa Rosa. They also have donation sites throughout Sonoma County, listed here.

Guidelines for food donations: No glass. No perishable items. No open items. No homemade items.

Most needed items include:
• Tuna and Canned Meat
• Peanut Butter
• Canned Soups, Stews, and Chili
• Rice and Dry Beans
• Cereal
• Canned Fruits and Vegetables
• High Protein Granola Bars
• Trail Mix or Nuts

To volunteer with the REFB — includes helping out in the kitchen and with food distribution — sign up for a shift here.

Make a financial donation here.

Sonoma Family Meal

Founded by SMI dining editor Heather Irwin, Sonoma Family Meal has served more than 200,000 meals to fire survivors since 2017. The nonprofit is also an emergency disaster response kitchen and is now serving Kincade fire victims and evacuees.

Make a financial donation here.

World Central Kitchen (WCK)

The World Central Kitchen’s “Chef Relief Team” provides meals to those in need in disaster areas. WCK will continue to provide meals to first responders, and expect to remain in Sonoma County through early next week. More information here.

Those interested in volunteering should register on wck.org. (Click on the link at the top of the homepage to sign up for a shift.)

Center for Volunteer & Nonprofit Leadership (CVNL) and The Volunteer Center of Sonoma County (VCSC)

The Center for Volunteer & Nonprofit Leadership (CVNL) and The Volunteer Center of Sonoma County (VCSC) coordinate volunteer efforts during a disaster.

To volunteer during this disaster and for long-term recovery efforts, register online at cvnl.org/volunteer-marin. Once registered, individuals will be deployed or contacted directly if and when they are needed for this disaster and for future events.

To make a financial donation, visit cvnl.org/donate (under “additional information,” make sure to select “disaster-related work”). Donations will be distributed directly to local charities supporting evacuees in Sonoma, Marin, and Napa counties. Gift cards can also be delivered to CVNL + VCSC office locations. The organizations kindly ask that people refrain from donating goods/items to their Emergency Volunteer Centers at this time.

Find more information about CVNL + VCSC wildfire relief work here.

Petaluma Peoples Services Center

Petaluma Peoples Services Center is a collection of human services programs. The nonprofit is now serving Kincade fire victims.  

Those interested in making a donation serving Kincade fire victims can do this online at petalumapeople.org/donate and the organization will make “targeted purchases.”

You can also bring a check made out to the Petaluma People Services Center or items from this list to Kenilworth Teen Center, 150 Fairgrounds Drive, Petaluma. 

Those wanting to volunteer with the Petaluma Peoples Services Center can fill out an online application here: tinyurl.com/PPSC-volunteer.

The Jewish Community Free Clinic

The Jewish Community Free Clinic in Santa Rosa offers completely free medical and mental health services. There are no eligibility requirements. Visit the clinic’s website for more information about services.

To volunteer at the Jewish Community Free Clinic, download and complete an application form. The clinic utilizes volunteers for medical receptionists, medical providers, nurses, interpreters, therapists, social service support, and acupuncturists. They also have special project volunteers and research internships.

To make a financial donation to the clinic, you can donate online, join a giving tree, sponsor an event or send a check to Jewish Community Free Clinic 50 Montgomery Drive, Santa Rosa, CA 95404.

COTS

COTS welcomes evacuees to visit their Mary Isaak Center (900 Hopper Street, Petaluma) for showers, laundry, meals and phone charging. All services are free. More information here.

The nonprofit is currently seeking the following donations for fire evacuees:

• Towels and wash cloths
• Shampoo, body wash
• Bedding/sleeping bags
• Laundry detergent
• Toilet paper
• N95 masks

Volunteer: Regular COTS volunteers are encouraged to help coordinate laundry and showers. Get in touch with the front desk: 707-765-6530 x120.

FINANCIAL DONATIONS

Community Foundation of Sonoma County

The Community Foundation of Sonoma County’s ongoing Resilience Fund continues to accept donations to support the mid- and long-term recovery needs of individuals and families, with particular focus on helping individuals impacted by the fires, healing the long-term effects of trauma, and addressing housing solutions within the county. Make a donation here.

Latino Community Foundation

The Latino Community Foundation has reactivated its NorCal Wildfire Relief Fund in response to the Kincade fire. The fund supports nonprofits that include Corazon Healdsburg and Nuestra Comunidad, which are providing essential sheltering and supportive services to Latino immigrants and farmworkers impacted by the fire. Make a donation here.

Rebuild NorthBay Foundation

Rebuild NorthBay Foundation (RNBF) is committed to the long-term rebuilding of Sonoma, Napa, Lake and Mendocino counties in the wake of wildfires. The foundation was founded by Darius Anderson, CEO of Kenwood Investments and managing partner in Sonoma Media Investments, which owns Sonoma Magazine. According to the RNBF, all donations to Kincade fire survivors and evacuees will go directly toward fire relief without any administration fee taken out by the foundation. Make a donation here. (Put “KINCADE” in the memo.)

Russian River Alliance

The nonprofit Russian River Alliance is seeking donations to help fund small emergency cash grants to help cover lost wages and evacuation costs for people who live and work in the area between Forestville and Cazadero, including Occidental, and earn $15 an hour or less.

Organizer Jennifer Wertz notes that workers were displaced just as rents were coming due on the first of the month and residents who lost power already were facing unexpected grocery bills. Grants of up to $300 may be available beginning Monday, November 4, to qualified applicants, who must work at least 20 hours a week.

The effort is part of an ongoing workforce fund started as a homeless prevention effort that morphed to accommodate recovery needs in the wake of the February 2019 floods.
Donations may be made online at russianriveralliance.org/Donate.html.

The Red Cross

To make a financial donation to victims of the Kincade fire, visit redcross.org, call 1-800-733-2767, or text REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation. You can also send a check to American Red Cross, 5297 Aero Dr, Santa Rosa, CA 95403. The check should be made out to “American Red Cross” with “Kincade fire” noted on the check.

Find more information about The Red Cross’s wildfire response here and here.

The Salvation Army

The Salvation Army is serving three meals a day at five evacuation centers in Napa, San Rafael and Petaluma. 100 percent of donations will go toward Kincade fire relief efforts as the Salvation Army feeds and cares for evacuees and first responders. Make a donation here.

UndocuFund

The UndocuFund for Fire Relief in Sonoma County, managed by Graton Day Labor Center, North Bay Organizing Project, and North Bay Jobs with Justice, is currently raising funds to assist the victims of the Kincade fire. This fund is providing direct funding to undocumented immigrants and their families in Sonoma County to help with fire-related expenses. Make a donation here. Find more information about how to support undocumented victims of the Kincade fire here. 

United Way of the Wine Country

United Way has opened the Kincade Fire Emergency Relief & Recovery Fund to help in the relief and recovery efforts post fire. Make a donation here.

Animal Shelters

Several North Bay animal shelters are accepting donations for pets displaced by the Kincade fire. The Humane Society of Sonoma County and Sonoma County Animal Services closed due to mandatory evacuation orders and remain closed due to the power shutoff — check their websites for more information.

To make a monetary donation or to volunteer, visit the animal shelter’s website:

Humane Society of Sonoma County
Sonoma County Animal Services
Sonoma Community Animal Response Team
The Marin Humane Society

Some of the shelters are also looking for supplies — more information and Amazon wish lists are available on their websites.

Report found pets or search for lost ones through the County of Sonoma database. To locate a lost pet, you can also consult this Facebook page.

Do you know of any additional ways to support fire victims? Let us know in the comments. 

Information about fire relief funds provided by Northern California Grantmakers, ncg.org.

Sonoma Magazine Wins 2019 Eppy Award for Best Digital Magazine

By Sonoma Magazine Staff

Sonoma Magazine was honored Friday with an Eppy Award for Best Digital Magazine with under 1 million unique monthly visitors.

The annual awards, presented by Editor & Publisher, recognize excellence in online journalism, digital storytelling and design. Other 2019 Eppy Award winners this year include The Boston Globe for Best Daily Newspaper Website, CNN for Best Online News Website and ESPN for Best Mobile App. This is Sonoma Magazine’s first Eppy.

Since its founding in 2013, Sonoma Magazine has provided an insider’s guide to Sonoma Wine Country. Its digital presence has grown dramatically in the past three years to keep its ever-expanding audience on the pulse of local restaurants, wineries, arts, entertainment, culture and style.

Content created exclusively for sonomamag.com combines vivid photography and informative articles to provide useful guides to the stars and hidden gems of the area. Longtime favorite dining blog BiteClub, penned by dining editor Heather Irwin, has also found a new home on Sonoma Magazine’s recently redesigned website.

“It’s an honor to be awarded an Eppy,” said Sonoma Magazine’s Digital Editor Sofia Englund. “Thanks to the efforts of our small but dedicated team, sonomamag.com has become the little lifestyle website that could. And when you’re lucky enough to live and work in Sonoma County, there’s never a shortage of great stories to tell.”

This is the 24th year that Editor & Publisher—whose roots extend to the founding of its predecessor, The Journalist, in 1884—has awarded its prestigious Eppy Awards. The magazine covers the North American newspaper industry. This year, 300 entries were submitted in over 30 different competing categories.

Displaced Chefs Feed Hundreds of Kincade Fire Evacuees

By Heather Irwin
Domenica Catelli hugs Osvaldo Jimenez of Moustache Baked Goods at the Healdsburg evacuation center. Heather Irwin/PD

The sound of parsley being chopped — a staccato of knives against a cutting board— rings in stereo as volunteer chefs prepare to add it to a simmer pot of marinara sauce. Dinner will be served at the evacuation center in an hour, and parsley is key to Domenica Catelli’s famous sauce.

Huddled in the kitchen of the Healdsburg Senior Center, a small squad of chefs from around Sonoma County works in sync, with few words, to prepare dinner for 200. On the menu is a simple spaghetti and marinara with garlic bread and salad. This isn’t commodity food from cans, but homemade tomato sauce, local butter, freshly chopped herbs and a mix of peppery greens with a light vinaigrette heading to Sonoma County’s northernmost evacuation center during the Kincade fire

Food, like wine, shapes the character of Sonoma County. We are farmers and we are foodies who appreciate water buffalo cheese and bespoke Asian herb gardens. It is in our DNA.

Chefs Katie Falese of KJ Wine Estates and Heather Ames of Sonoma Family Meal prepare garlic bread at the Healdsburg Senior Center on Thursday evening. Heather Irwin/PD
Chefs Katie Falese of KJ Wine Estates and Heather Ames of Sonoma Family Meal prepare garlic bread at the Healdsburg Senior Center on Thursday evening. Heather Irwin/PD

In moments of crisis, which have been in abundance over the last few years, we feed each other with arugula and tri-tip rather than canned ham and tater tots. In the days after the Tubbs fire devastated Santa Rosa in 2017 it was chef-prepared meals from Guy Fieri to top local chefs like Zazu’s John Stewart and Duskie Estes, three-Michelin starred Kyle and Katina Connaughton, John Franchetti, Miriam Donaldson, SF Chefs and hundreds of others that made more than calories — they made disaster cuisine.

At the Healdsburg shelter, which is a beehive of aid workers, news cameras, politicians and dazed evacuees, tables are piled with food. The smell of warm garlic bread wafts from a tiny community kitchen, the owners of Moustache Baked Goods, Osvaldo Jimenez and Christian Sullberg have laid out artisan cupcakes. A grain salad from three-Michelin star restaurant Single Thread has been prepared and throughout the day today, evacuees will have macaroni and cheese from celebrity chef Douglas Keane’s Healdsburg Bar and Grill, bread from Costeaux Bakery and meat from Pete Seghesio’s Journeyman Meats.

A line of hungry evacuees fills their plates, looking bewildered and tired. Most have no idea that the food they’re eating has come from top restaurants, highly trained chefs and local gardens. It doesn’t matter. These are chefs doing what chefs do: They feed people.

Ironically, some of these chefs have been displaced too. Domenica Catelli’s restaurant in Geyserville is in the evacuation zone, and while she’s making marinara, she’s also worried about her own family and the losses to her business that has come from two power outages. She has a worried bride whose wedding she’s supposed to cater this weekend, possibly without power.

The Sonoma County Tourism Bureau estimates that restaurants lose roughly $4,700 each time the power is cut as refrigeration goes down and food has to be thrown away. Most chefs are thriftier than that and cook up what they can and donate it. It doesn’t mitigate the financial loss, which is something few mom and pop restaurants can bear.

The food will continue to arrive wherever it’s needed, for as long as it’s needed from an army of Sonoma County chefs making amazing food for those who need it most.

Sonoma County Chefs Respond to Kincade Fire

By Heather Irwin
Dani Wilcox helps to prepare food at Valette. Heather irwin/PD

If Chef Dustin Valette looks a bit relaxed while making sandwiches for 60, it’s only because he’s lived with a first responder his whole life. The Healdsburg restaurateur snapped into action early this morning, coordinating food relief efforts for evacuees before 10 a.m. — just about the time his dad, Bob Valette, was “wheels up” on a tanker jet headed out of Sonoma County airport to fight the Kincade Fire that is still uncontained near Geyserville.

Chef Dustin Valette of Valette Restaurant in Healdsburg delivering food to the Healdsburg Community Center. Heather Irwin/PD
Chef Dustin Valette of Valette Restaurant in Healdsburg delivering food to the Healdsburg Community Center. Heather Irwin/PD

Though this fire pales in comparison to the Tubbs and Camp Fires — at least at this point — it’s a scary reminder of our new reality. With power out to thousands, news came in the middle of the night that a fire had sparked in northern Sonoma County. At this moment, it is an estimated 10,000 acres.

Valette is working with Chef Kyle Connaughton of Single Thread (which will be closed tonight, Oct, 24), Catelli’s Domenica Catelli (also closed tonight), and helpers from the community (Costeaux provided the bread) to feed the approximately 60 people at the Healdsburg Community Center taking refuge from the fires. They plan to serve about 200 tonight.

As he packed up his car with sandwiches–made with long loaves of fresh French bread, heirloom tomatoes from his own garden, meat and cheese from his restaurant kitchen — he realized the irony of such fancy sandwiches in an emergency. But that’s what he does, and that’s what he knows. And food, after all, is love. And a good sandwich takes just as long to make as a bad one.

It’s still unknown what will happen in the coming days…but restaurateurs are ready. The local food community, including Valette and many others, offered thousands of man hours, kitchens, food, and support activated during the 2017 fires.

As I’ve learned personally, it’s a fine line between helping and being in the way, and aid organizers are relying on vetted food providers to assist during this time.  I went to several agencies and Red Cross stations today, and most are saying that it is “early hours” and they are watching the situation to best inform coordinated responses. 

At the Cal Fire command center at the Jockey Club near the Sonoma County Fairgrounds, their own mobile kitchen is ready to feed first responders. They are currently standing by as the situation progresses. No one was able to speak in an official capacity, but the Cal Fire mobile kitchen was on site in 2017 to feed hundreds of first responders at the Fairgrounds. 

Also ready to assist is a state-of-the-art mobile kitchen built by celebrity chef Guy Fieri after the Tubbs Fire. Having been involved in other recent fire relief efforts, he has seen the devastation up close and was instrumental in the buildout of a custom kitchen that could serve thousands. Fieri has worked closely with Chef Jose Andres and World Central Kitchen, a collaborative chef collective that works with the Red Cross to provide meals in disasters. Jose Andres, who was nominated for a Nobel Prize for his worldwide food relief efforts tweeted this morning that he was here for Sonoma County if needed.

As Valette brought the sandwiches to the community center, surrounded by smoke and crawling with reporters, he smiled as his friend Ken Rochioli of KR Catering pulled up with more trays of food. Rochioli was stopped by reporters for an interview. Valette snuck by, saying that he needed to get back to his restaurant because he had an entirely new menu to prepare at the restaurant this evening. Not to mention helping with dinner for 200 at the shelter.

“What else do I have to do?” he grins.

Sonoma Family Meal has activated for this emergency and is monitoring the situation to see where we can best help our community during this situation. Heather Irwin is the founder of Sonoma Family Meal.

25 Best Cheap Eats in Sonoma County

By Heather Irwin
Reuben Sandwich, Mac’s Deli and Cafe: It’s a splurge to eat their hearty pastrami Reuben, but with a mess of fries on the side, $8.95 seems ridiculously reasonable. Breakfast is a winner, too, for two eggs with pastrami, home fries or hash browns, and a bagel for $8.95. 630 Fourth St., Santa Rosa, 707-545-3785, visit on Facebook

I get hassled (almost daily) about how expensive restaurants can be in Sonoma County. Sometimes it’s justified, because, well, good ingredients aren’t cheap. Neither is good help or a good location. But that’s beside the point of this story — Sonoma County’s Cheap Eats! We’ve found 25 restaurants with great value and great food — mostly ones we haven’t talked about lately. Check the gallery above for the whole list.

Have a favorite we missed? Let us know in the comments…

8 Must-have Kitchen Products from Sonoma Stores

By Karen Kizer

Our kitchens seem to evoke a love/hate response. Most of us love to cook except when we have to, which is most days. But some of the right equipment can make cooking easier, more efficient and more fun. Sonoma stores are full of great buys to enhance your cooking experience. Click through the above gallery for details.

7 Sweater Weather Finds from Sonoma Stores

By Karen Kizer

Crisp mornings and pumpkin lattes call for cozy sweaters! Bring on the big knits, the sumptuous yarns and the oversized styles. Fall is in the fashion air, with a particularly 80s vibe this season, and Sonoma stores have got your back for sweater season. Click through the above gallery for details.

Get Sauced With Cotati’s Favorite Wing Man

By Heather Irwin
Wings, fries and sauces at Wing Man in Cotati. Heather Irwin/PD

Chef Joe Trez is not the man you expect to see walking out of the kitchen with a tray of chicken wings and hot sauce.

Tall and thin, wearing a tidy Wing Man apron and faded jeans, he personally delivers trays of crispy French fries covered in aioli and Parmesan cheese, ribs and delicately fried chicken wings to rustic farm tables at his new Cotati restaurant.

But it’s a chef coat that’s been his daily uniform for years, rather than an apron.

“This is my first casual place,” he says, a little shyly. An alum of Thomas Keller’s Bouchon restaurant in Yountville, his path has been one of carefully composed plates for high-end restaurants and wineries in Napa after attending culinary school.

Chef Joe Tresfrom Wing Man in Cotati. Facebook
Chef Joe Tresfrom Wing Man in Cotati. Facebook

The Charlotte, North Carolina, native says he veered to the humble chicken wing — a staple of lowbrow bars and fast-food joints — because he couldn’t find the kind he craved. Most wings in Sonoma County, he says, were pre-made, frozen and smothered in Frank’s Hot Sauce.

“I couldn’t find any good wing places, so I decided to start my own,” says Trez.

He’s been a familiar face for several years in the food truck scene, operating throughout Sonoma County and San Francisco.

When a former deli space became available off East Cotati Avenue, he spent months reworking it to become both a commissary kitchen for his food truck and a casual family-style restaurant with his signature wings, eight taps and a lengthy list of beers ranging from $3 PBRs to local ales, stouts, ciders and hard seltzers.

Most surprisingly, he also has an impressive (but small) hand-picked list of favorite small-producer wines including Quivira sauvignon blanc, Iron Horse Wedding Cuvee and Paul Hobbs Malbec.

“We don’t sell a lot of wine, but I figure if people don’t drink them, I will,” he says.

It’s the wings, however,  that are his bread and butter. Fried in oil, he uses local chicken for his bone-in wings. So-called boneless wings are fingers of chicken breast breaded in panko.

There are also vegan “wings” of tempura-battered cauliflower that are every bit as delish as the regular wings.

Wings, fries and sauces at Wing Man in Cotati. Heather Irwin/PD
Wings, fries and sauces at Wing Man in Cotati. Heather Irwin/PD

Sauces are truly what set Wing Man apart. Each is made in-house and served on the side so as not to get the wings too soggy (plus it’s a lot less messy).

Some are more of a dare than others, with Orange Fury topping the list of burn-your-face-off sauces. Made with Carolina Reaper peppers, the hottest pepper known, you’ll want to make sure you’ve got a stomach lined with steel before embarking too far on that journey. Double Dog Dare You is an extra-hot Buffalo sauce, and Atomic Fireball is for those who simply like a good tongue burn.

More approachable are the more-flavorful-than-fiery sauces like Spicy Green Goddess (medium heat jalapeño), or “Crazy Uncle Kim,” a Korean-style chili sauce that’s only got a hint of heat.

Inside Wing Man in Cotati. Facebook
Inside Wing Man in Cotati. Facebook

If you’re mild rather than wild, Southern Brother, a Carolina sweet mustard sauce, is especially tasty with boneless chicken wings. There’s also Tokyo Town Teriyaki with soy sauce and a hint of sweetness. Housemade ranch sauce is a lovely sunset orange, made with a touch of smoked paprika.

Don’t Miss: Don’t limit yourself to wings alone. Porky’s Revenge is a heckuva sandwich made with root-beer braised pulled pork, spicy slaw, pickles and bacon with smoky barbecue sauce ($10). Truffle Parm fries are a good way to go if you’re doing the whole fry thing. Just ask for a little extra sauce.

On Fridays, Wing Man has fall-off-the-bone ribs with just the right amount of crispy bark and tender meat inside.

Wing Man is at 101 E Cotati Ave, Cotati, 707-794-9464, wingmanfoodtruck.com. Open Tuesday through Sunday, closed Monday. Lunch and dinner Friday through Sunday. open from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday.

What I Ate This Week: A Sonoma County Food Writer’s Photo Journal

By Heather Irwin
Kamura Don, Korean-style mixed sashimi bowl Hwae-dup bap served with an assortment of fish, seaweed salad, daikon, mixed greens, served over hot brown rice with a side of cho-jang Korean sweet and spicy sauce at Kamura Sushi. 3800 Sebastopol Rd, Santa Rosa

A food writer’s job is never done, because just about every meal is a chance to explore something new.  This week, I explored a handful of spots — some just with friends or for fun, and others as scouting missions for a larger write-up. Here are a few pix to inspire you.

On this week’s list:
– Kamura Sushi
– Handline Coastal California restaurant
– City Garden Doughnuts
– Simply Vietnam Express
– Duke’s Spirited Cocktails
– Tan’s Donuts & Cambodian Food