Page 250 – Sonoma Magazine

Local Breweries, Wineries, Restaurants and Stores Raise Funds for Kincade Fire Survivors, First Responders

November 2019

By Shana Bull

Natalie and Vinnie Cilurzo, of Russian River Brewing at their brew pub in Santa Rosa with Sonoma Pride beer they are brewing to help fire victims

In the wake of the Kincade fire, Sonoma County is banding together to show gratitude to first responders and support those affected by the fire. In the past few weeks, we have written about ways you can help Kincade fire victims by volunteering and making donations and how you can support local businesses — farmers, restaurants, wineries, and stores — that lost income during power shutoffs and mandatory evacuations. Now, several local businesses are organizing fundraising initiatives to show their support. Click through the gallery for some of these initiatives. Do you know of more fundraisers? Send us an email.

Taste of Tea: A Secret Healdsburg Tea House

November 2019

By biteclub

Bento Box with chicken Katsu at Taste of Tea in Healdsburg. Heather Irwin/PD — Bento Box with chicken Katsu from Taste of Tea in Healdsburg. (Heather Irwin/Sonoma Magazine)

For three years, I haven’t quite known what to do with Healdsburg’s Taste of Tea. A combination restaurant, tea house, spa and retail location on North Street between a winery tasting room and the Raven Theater, it kind of defied explanation.

Mochi at Taste of Tea in Healdsburg. Courtesy photo.

First off you don’t (as I mistakenly thought), eat tea sandwiches while getting a green tea foot soak. As much as that sounds amazing, it’s not a thing. You can, however, drink a tea and sake cocktail while eating an authentic bento box in the cafe. You can drink tea while getting a foot soak in the spa room. You can simply eat from their expanded menu — from miso soup and wakame salads to pork ramen, curry noodles and donburi — and schedule a one-hour tea exploration session with a tea docent afterward.

Basically, the combinations are endless. Just make sure to get a foot soak in there somewhere.

Skewers at Taste of Tea in Healdsburg. Courtesy photo.

The reason Taste of Tea has come back on my radar is the authentic Japanese comfort food created by owner and executive chef Nozomu (Nez) Tokugawa. The Classic Bento ($18) includes meticulously prepared offerings of pickled sea vegetables, miso soup, small bites of sashimi and chicken katsu, all served in a lacquered bento box that looks and feels like a small gift rather than a simple lunch. Specials like the katsu changeup, but teriyaki beef and chicken as well as fried tofu are always on the menu.

One of Nez’s signatures is Miso Ramen ($14) made with vegan kombu broth — a traditional ramen base. Topped with bbq pork, a shoyu-marinated egg, bamboo shoots, and nori, it’s a bowl of warmth and deeply satisfying flavor. Noodle and rice bowls include yakitori, donburi, and sweet Japanese curry. Though not always available, ochazuke (a grilled rice ball served with green tea and pickled plum) is a simple Japanese rustic soup that uses tea in place of broth, worth checking out. For dessert, ginger rice pudding with candied ginger and fruit ($5) is a sweet way to finish, perfect with your last sips of tea.

With one of the most extensive loose leaf tea menus in the region — there are at least 80 — prepare to spend some time perusing the choices. Tea flights ($15) include three 8-ounce pots if you can’t quite decide or want to taste with a friend. Japanese Matcha is served straight ($5), or can be jazzed up with vanilla syrup, coconut milk or even turned into a sort of Bloody Mary mixed with tomato juice, cilantro sugar and celery ($7).

Beer and sake are available, but we were especially excited about the Marteani drinks ($7), alcohol-free cocktails that blend flavored teas with mint, cranberry, mango and other ingredients for a refreshing alternative.

Overall: Taste of Tea isn’t your typical teahouse, but a one-stop relaxation spot to fill up and wind down.

Taste of Tea, 109 North St., Healdsburg, 707-431-1995, thetasteoftea.com. Open Friday through Tuesday from11a.m. to 8p.m., Monday and Tuesday to 6p.m., closed Wednesday and Thursday.

Memorial for Evelyn Cheatham: Laughter, Tears and a Huge Crowd

November 2019

By Heather Irwin

Former WOW Students at Evelyn Cheatham’s memorial at Catelli’s in Geyserville. Heather Irwin/PD

A brave hummingbird flitted among hundreds of well-wishers, friends, family and chefs who gathered to honor Worth Our Weight founder and chef Evelyn Cheatham on Friday.

For Chef Duskie Estes, who spoke at the memorial, the darting, eager little bird that seemed unafraid of the crowd was a clear sign that her friend and mentor Evelyn was nearby. Others of us saw Evelyn’s presence in a flower, a honeybee or in the eyes of nearly a dozen of her former students.

There were sobs and sniffles at the gathering, but more memorable were the laughs at her larger-than-life personality, the sweet remembrances, and the unanimous agreement that she was one in a million.

Her life wasn’t easy, but she made a difference to everyone she touched. We honor her by carrying on that legacy, and by making a difference to people in our own lives. I think she would have liked that…and I know she would have liked the dessert table piled high with sweets in her honor.

Rest in peace, Evelyn. Fly among the birds and bees and in the hearts of us all.

+++
A little thanks from Domenica Catelli to all those who helped…
– Bella Rosa
– Preston, Paradise Ridge, Jackson Family Wines, Balleto
– Antoinette Sepulveda for flowers and arrangements
– Friends and family helped set up Thursday
– Alumni, led by Michale Rudolph, helped cook, break down and make the celebration happen

A Heroic Cake for Kincade Fire First Responders

November 2019

By Heather Irwin

Details of a Kincade Fire first responders’ cake created by Costeaux Bakery’s Karah Williams, Nerissa Sutton, Silva Nunez and Dioselena Madrano in Healdsburg. Heather Irwin/PD

How do you thank a league of firefighters, police and EMTs for saving your town? If you’re Will Seppi from Costeaux Bakery in Healdsburg, you make a really big cake — a three-layer monster of a dessert that includes hand-painted scenes of heroic firefights, fondant crests for each department and loads of buttercream frosting.

Or more accurately, you get your best pastry chefs to do it.

Karah Williams (head pastry chef), Nerissa Sutton (creative designer), Silva Nunez and Dioselena Madrano (pastry chefs) spent nearly 12 hours (starting at 4 a.m.) putting special touches on a celebratory cake served at Friday’s Welcome Home celebration. For many in the small town, it was the first time in weeks that imminent threats of fire, power and gas outages and evacuation orders have all been lifted. The icing on the, ahem, cake: The Kincade Fire is 100 percent contained.

Check out the photos of the cake in the works. Dream about how good it tasted.

After the Fire: How to Support Sonoma County Farmers, Restaurants, Wineries and Stores

November 2019

By Sofia Englund

Wine tasting at Grand Cru Custom Crush in Windsor. (Beth Schlanker/The Press Democrat)

Two weeks after the Kincade fire sparked in northern Sonoma County, local businesses are taking to social media to welcome visitors back to the area. After week-long closures due to power shutoffs and mandatory evacuation orders, they are eager to let the public know that Sonoma County is open for business. And understandably so: in a region where much of the local economy relies on tourism, the effects of natural disasters like the Kincade fire — now fully contained — can linger and negatively impact businesses for weeks, months, even years to come.

This is the second time in two years that fires have burned in Sonoma County during the bustling harvest season — in October 2017, the Tubbs, Nuns and Pocket fires raged for three weeks. Last year, smoke from the Camp fire in Butte County blanketed the area in November and, in February of this year, floods damaged businesses and homes in Guerneville and Sebastopol.

Fortunately, the local community remains resilient. Just as in October 2017 and in February of this year, the outpouring of support and generosity is again prevalent. Sonoma County will recover from this recent blow and while it does, we will continue to celebrate this beautiful place we’re proud to call home. If you’d like to show local businesses a little extra love in the weeks and months to come, we’ve rounded up a few ideas — click on the hyperlinks for details.

Shop Local

Week-long closures due to power shutoffs and evacuation orders have delivered a blow to local retailers, especially small independently owned stores already struggling to compete with national chains and online megastores. Many businesses have lost critical sales during the normally busy harvest season as threats of fire have kept customers away.

To support Sonoma County stores, consider shopping local this holiday season: For every $100 spent at one of these businesses, $68 stays in the community, according to the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies. Meanwhile, spending $100 at a big-box store contributes only $32 to the local economy, while the rise of online shopping continues to disrupt traditional retail. Visit our shopping page for inspiration, and sign up to our Retail Therapy newsletter.

Support Sonoma County Farmers

Closed farmers markets, evacuations and lost refrigeration due to power outages have devastated small family farms throughout the region over the last two weeks. Many count on weekly markets as a significant source of revenue and thousands of pounds of perfect produce have been reduced to compost.

To support your local farmers and ranchers, think about making warm butternut squash soup, braised greens, and French onion soup from local farmers produce or cook up a hearty meat stew with beef from local ranchers. Many farmers also have lots of salad greens to sell quickly — so eat healthily, while helping the farmers. Even better, join a CSA, which will help farms throughout the season.

Year-round farmers markets include Petaluma East Side Farmers Market, Santa Rosa Farmers Market, Sebastopol Farmers Market, Sonoma Valley Certified Farmer’s Market. Cloverdale Community Market & Exchange and Windsor Certified Farmer’s Market are open until mid-December. — Heather Irwin

Eat at Sonoma County Restaurants

The Kincade fire has been a triple whammy for local restaurants, who lost power, lost customers and continue to struggle with lackluster tourism. Most restaurants store hundreds of pounds of food in large “walk-in” refrigerators — from meat and dairy to prepared stock, vegetables and fruit.

The Sonoma County Tourism Bureau estimates that each power outage costs restaurateurs $4,700, something they can’t easily afford repeatedly. Restaurant workers lose salary, producers lose restaurant business, and it takes months or years to recoup (if at all) when profit margins average 5 percent.

We’ve been glad to see some restaurants packed in the last few days, but they’ll continue to need local support through the quiet winter season. How to help: Book a holiday party, take a friend out, schedule a date night or just head out by yourself for a glass of wine and an appetizer. You could also eat your way through this list of 50 dishes locals can’t live without.

Prefer to dine at home? Eat your way through this list of iconic Sonoma County foods. From Liberty Farms duck to Dungeness crab, olive oil to local peaches — you’ve got work to do for a good cause. Find more dining inspiration on BiteClub. — Heather Irwin

Visit Sonoma County Wineries and Buy Local Wines

Out of the more than 400 wineries in Sonoma County, only one winery — Soda Rock Winery in Healdsburg — was destroyed by the Kincade fire. Now that the fire is fully contained, power has been restored and evacuation orders lifted, most wineries and tasting rooms have resumed normal opening hours.

If you’re planning a visit to Sonoma wine country in the coming weeks and months, you will have plenty to look forward to: in addition to serving award-winning wines, many of the local wineries are hosting holiday events.

Support Alexander Valley wineries, which were especially impacted by the fire and give a little extra love to small wine producers. New to Sonoma County? Here are a few great wineries for first-time visitors.

Discover Healdsburg, Geyserville and Windsor

The Kincade fire came alarmingly close to Healdsburg, Geyserville and Windsor. It burned 77,758 acres in the surrounding area and destroyed 374 buildings, including 174 homes, but thanks to the valiant efforts of firefighters from across the United States, California and Sonoma County, devastation on the scale following the October 2017 fires was averted.

As the fire is now fully contained, the three towns — each with its own particular charm — are welcoming visitors again.

Healdsburg, with its picturesque plaza surrounded by award-winning wineries and restaurants, makes for an idyllic introduction to wine country. The tiny town of Geyserville, with top notch restaurants, tasting rooms and vintage shops, is a hidden gem. And Windsor is home to Russian River Brewing Company‘s new state-of-the-art facility and the Grand Cru custom crush, featuring over fifteen independent winemakers.

Stay in Sonoma County

Escaping the Midwest winter with a trip to Wine Country? Looking for a quick weekend getaway from San Francisco? Or maybe you’re just a Petaluman in search of a fun staycation in your own backyard? Rest your head at local hotels, inns and B&Bs, after shopping, drinking and eating your way through Sonoma County. These hotels offer a little extra for those on a budget. There are family-friendly options, too, and properties suited for those who are looking for an eco-friendly vacation.

Donate money

If you’d like to support fire recovery efforts in Sonoma County by making a financial donation, there are a number of organizations to consider: The Community Foundation of Sonoma County’s Resilience Fund continues to accept donations to support the mid- and long-term recovery needs of individuals and families; The Latino Community Foundation’s NorCal Wildfire Relief Fund supports nonprofits that provide essential sheltering and supportive services to Latino immigrants and farmworkers affected by the fire; The UndocuFund for Fire Relief in Sonoma County provides direct funding to undocumented immigrants and their families in Sonoma County to help with fire-related expenses.

Find more ways to donate money here.

Donate time

There are over 1,500 nonprofits in Sonoma County — many are volunteer operated. If you’re able to donate your time — a little or a lot — this can have a tremendous impact. The best place to start is the Volunteer Center of Sonoma County, which places thousands of volunteers with their “right match” nonprofits annually.

The Redwood Empire Food Bank, the “largest hunger-relief organization serving north coastal California from Sonoma County to the Oregon border,” deployed its emergency response program, Station 3990, during the Kincade fire. To volunteer at the food bank — includes helping out in the kitchen and with food distribution — sign up for a shift here.

Find more ways to volunteer here.

Charlie Palmer’s Guide to the Best of Healdsburg

November 2019

By Dana Rebmann

Healdsburg, with its picturesque plaza surrounded by award-winning wineries and restaurants, makes for an idyllic introduction to wine country. But with so many great places to choose from, it can be hard to decide where to go. Not to worry, we’re here to guide you — or rather, acclaimed chef Charlie Palmer is. Click through the gallery to discover how to spend 24 hours in Healdsburg, just like the great chef. And don’t miss nearby Geyserville, Cloverdale and Windsor.

Shop Local: 8 Healdsburg Stores to Visit Right Now

November 2019

By Karen Kizer

The area surrounding the historic Healdsburg plaza is home to some of the area’s finest wineries and restaurants. In between nibbling and sipping on award-winning food and wine, make some time to shop the many downtown boutiques — offering fashion, jewelry, home decor, art and design on par with local culinary delights. Browse the above gallery for just a few of the many stores worth a trip to Healdsburg. For more shopping in Healdsburg, click here. And don’t forget to check out nearby Geyserville and Windsor.

Local Retailers Affected by Kincade Fire and Power Shutoffs: ‘We Need Your Support’

November 2019

By Karen Kizer

10/28/2012: T2: PC: Susan Graf straightens up merchandise in her shop Susan Graf Limited in Healdsburg, California on Tuesday, October 23, 2012. (BETH SCHLANKER/ The Press Democrat)

It’s Sunday Nov. 3 in downtown Healdsburg, one of Sonoma County’s premier food, wine and retail destinations.

Just days earlier, the wind-whipped Kincade fire was spreading fear and disruption in this area as it threatened the town itself as well as the surrounding landscape, causing mass-evacuations and extended power outages. But on this sunny Sunday afternoon, there’s no sign of disaster: not a burned building or scorched patch of land in sight — you can’t even smell the smoke. If it wasn’t for the news van parked on a quiet block and a large piece of paper and a couple of sharpies on a sidewalk — an opportunity to scrawl thank you notes to first responders — you would never guess what had just transpired here. Still, the usually busy shopping and sipping district around the downtown plaza is desolate. Aside from a few bar goers and shopkeepers seated inside their stores, hoping to win back customers after a week of being closed, Healdsburg is eerily empty.

Susan Graf, of Susan Graf Limited, has enjoyed 22 years of retail success in her Healdsburg store, but says her business is now in its third year of losing critical sales during the typically bustling harvest season. The 2017 fires, last year’s Camp fire, and now the Kincade fire have kept away wine buyers, who normally would shop her European clothing lines. Graf—whose design credits include a successful partnership with a German designer to create exclusive and popular “techno pants”—says small businesses like hers “don’t have the deep pockets” to withstand these kinds of losses.

Grace and Oliver Estrada of Scout West County and Yarrow Goods. (Photo: Michelle Pattee Photography) — Grace and Oliver Estrada of Scout West County. (Photo: Michelle Pattee Photography)

A few doors down from Susan Graf Limited, at Copperfield’s Books, bookseller Mary Lou Smith thanks shoppers for their purchases and shares a hopeful story: a San Francisco couple and their two young children came in and purchased over $200 worth of books. “We don’t normally purchase hardcover books, but we wanted to support you,” Smith recounts the couple saying.

Grace and Oliver Estrada of Scout West County, located just north of the Healdsburg plaza, have seen a downturn in sales for the second time in just a few months. The past week’s closure due to mandatory evacuation orders was preceded by the February floods, which damaged numerous stores in Guerneville and Sebastopol’s The Barlow, where the couple’s second store is located. While the flooding didn’t damage their Sebastopol store, the way it did neighboring businesses such as Tamarind and Adele Stoll, it nevertheless made business dwindle to a trickle as shoppers avoided the area weeks and months thereafter.

The Estradas, like other storeowners, have turned to Instagram to encourage people to shop local: “At a time like this…even the smallest purchase helps your local businesses recover and thrive,” they said in a recent post.

While the road to recovery may be long and complex, and there are a variety of ways in which the public can help, it’s clear that the simple act of “shopping local” can have an immediate impact on businesses in Healdsburg, Geyserville, and Windsor, as well as other local areas affected by the Kincade fire and power shutoffs. Check our shopping section for tips on places to visit.

Mountain Mike’s Pizza in Santa Rosa to Serve Free Meals to Evacuees and First Responders

November 2019

By Sonoma Magazine Staff

Diantha Okrepkie and her grandson Tillman Okrepkie, 3, look over the pizza buffet at the newly reopened Mountain Mike’s Pizza, Friday, July 5, 2019. During the 2017 Tubbs fire, the restaurant was damaged forcing the owners to close. On Friday they reopened at a new location on Cleveland Ave., one half-mile from the old location. (Kent Porter / The Press Democrat) 2019

Just four months after reopening its Santa Rosa location that closed due to damage in the 2017 Tubbs fire, Mountain Mike’s Pizza is serving free meals to Kincade fire evacuees and first responders on Nov. 1 and 2, between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m.

The Santa Rosa restaurant, located at 3125 Cleveland Ave., closed under mandatory evacuation orders earlier this week and was just authorized to reopen. It has partnered with the Redwood Credit Union to host the event, which includes an all-you-can-eat buffet.

“As our community is reliving a nightmare that’s all too recent, we want to do everything in our power to support the families that have been displaced and the brave men and women who are going above and beyond to keep us safe,” said Sonu Chandi, Mountain Mike’s Pizza area developer and president of Chandi Hospitality.

The restaurant has also donated pizzas to local fire stations, emergency centers and evacuation shelters during the Kincade fire “in hopes that food is just one less thing those affected by the fires need to worry about.”

“When rebuilding our location that was lost in the Tubbs fire, it was the support of the community that kept us going,” added Chandi.

This promotion is only valid at the Mountain Mike’s Pizza on Cleveland Ave. in Santa Rosa.

Worth Our Weight Founder Evelyn Cheatham Dies

November 2019

By Heather Irwin

Worth Our Weight Executive Director Evelyn Cheatham worked with Paradise Ridge Winery to create the “Pizza in Paradise” lunch on Saturdays. (JOHN BURGESS/The Press Democrat) staffing John Burgess

Evelyn Cheatham, who founded Santa Rosa’s Worth Our Weight culinary training program, has died. According to Chef Duskie Estes, who was a close friend of Cheatham’s, the visionary chef and non-profit director, passed Thursday night.

“Evelyn was a person who was truly good,” said Estes. “She was a role model on how to be. She always picked me up and pulled me forward.”

It’s a huge blow for the culinary community. Cheatham was a mentor both to the at-risk youth who she patiently taught cooking skills at WOW, as well as a touchstone for chefs like Estes and many others.

Chefs Duskie Estes, Evelyn Cheatham and John Ash. (Heather Irwin / The Press Democrat) — Chefs Duskie Estes, Evelyn Cheatham and John Ash. Heather Irwin/PD

“She was such an angel,” said Chef John Ash. “She was such an iconoclast, because she had her own vision, and luckily for us, it was about helping young people. She was ahead of her time.”

“She was one of our heroes. I’m just devastated,” said Josh Silvers, of Jackson’s Bar and Oven in Santa Rosa.

Silvers said he met Cheatham at a youth probation camp, where she was a chef. Even then, she was working with youth at the camp to teach them cooking skills.

“She was teaching them to be good people, not just cooks,” said Silvers. “She was teaching them to be kind and generous.”

Silvers also said that many chefs cooked dinners at WOW as fundraisers, and were eager to help whenever they got a call from her.

“Anytime she needed help, we wanted to be there,” he said.

Cheatham and I had a personal relationship as well. She loved it when I wrote about her students, and in turn, she was a mentor and inspiration. Though she could be direct, she also always had a hug and a smile. She didn’t suffer fools, but she was patient when I acted like one. In the first days of the Tubbs fire, as I ran around Franchetti’s restaurant trying to figure out how to organize chefs and feed disaster survivors, she sat quietly at the table next to me offering up help and advice on how to handle the emergency.

A little bit of Evelyn lives in so many that continue her work. We will miss her dearly.