Does the back-to-school frenzy give you the summer’s-over blues? We’re here to remind you there’s still at least a month of warm days left in Sonoma, all perfect for fun and memory-making. Here are a few ideas to keep you enjoying those summer days to the very last – click through the above gallery for details.
Whether your team is major league, AAA or junior varsity, there’s a lot of opportunity to have fun at the ballpark. Here are a few Sonoma-based items that will help you make the most of your game-going day – click through the above gallery for details.
A blow for Healdsburg as Chef Perry Hoffman of SHED says au revoir to Sonoma County at the end of August.
Hoffman, who earned a 2018 Bib Gourmand for his stellar work at the cafe and previously earned a Michelin star for Domaine Chandon’s Etoile restaurant, plans to spend some well-deserved off time in France with his family before returning to his Boonville roots in early 2019.
Taking over in the interim is longtime chef de cuisine Bryan Oliver, who will assume the position of acting executive chef while SHED searches for a new culinary director. Oliver worked with Hoffman during his time at Etoile.
“He and I have cooked side by side for years; he speaks the same language, and through look and taste, he knows where to take a dish,” said Hoffman. “We have shared so many high points together since he started with me at the beginning of his career at Etoile. I know SHED will be in good hands.”
It’s a bittersweet goodbye. Hoffman’s humble sensibility and brilliant use of of-the-moment, intensely local produce was a defining factor in the ongoing success of SHED. After several false starts with other chefs, Hoffman brought stability and focus to the “urban grange” in 2015. It’s frankly hard to imagine the spot without him.
But its also a perfect time for Hoffman to return to his well-known foodie family – which includes grandmother Sally Schmitt, co-founder of the French Laundry in Yountville and Philo Apple Farm in Boonville. The farm has been a longtime culinary mecca Sally ran with her husband Don, who died in early 2018. Much of the work of the farm has been allocated to other family members, and the ever-expanding Schmitt-Bates-Hoffman clan are also owners of the Boonville Hotel, Farmhouse Mercantile and other businesses in the funky hamlet. We’re doubting Hoffman will wait for work options.
Hopefully, the next exec chef of SHED will take a page from Hoffman’s playbook, which earned him ongoing accolades from the Press Democrat as well as the San Francisco Chronicle, four Good Food Awards for SHED products last year.
SHED co-owner Cindy Daniel stated, “We are deeply grateful for Perry’s many contributions to our culinary program over the last three years. Under his leadership, the cafe has grown by leaps and bounds since opening five years ago, and we have a strong and dedicated team that has helped take everything to the next level.”
“Doug and I look forward to seeing what’s next for Perry in his collaboration with his family, and we wish him all the best,” said Daniel.
So do we all.
ON A PRIVATE ESTATE somewhere in the Alexander Valley, I’ve appointed myself Chief Cherry Tomato Tester. “This one’s good,” I’m telling Dani Wilcox, Program Director for Farm to Pantry, a nonprofit food gleaning program that collects 60,000 pounds of produce each year. Still warm from the sun, the golden fruit bursts open with the slightest pressure, releasing sweet, sour juice that’s better than any candy and exactly nothing like a grocery tomato.
With Wilcox and Gwen Garloff, program assistant for the Healdsburg-based program, today’s gleaning targets include Truett-Hurst’s winery garden and a private residence to collect tomatoes of all stripes — from the tiny Sungolds and massive Oxhearts to Romas, Brandywines and wee red Teardrops. In the mix are also early apples, a few stray squashes, the last of some hot peppers and just a handful of leftover strawberries that will go to a nonprofit meal assistance program.
Gleaning is a fancy word for gathering the leftovers of a harvest, bit by bit. It’s an ancient practice to collect every bit of food, but has made a comeback in recent years as the cost of nutritious, fresh, organic produce has skyrocketed and food waste has hit an all-time high.
Since 2008, Farm to Pantry has collected more than 170 tons of produce that is distributed weekly to 23 local organizations that provide food to low-income and in-need residents. Founded by Melita Love, the grassroots organization uses volunteers to collect surplus produce throughout the year.
It’s an arduous process, but intensely rewarding as our small team gently treads through impeccably maintained rows of vegetables and fruits that have continued to produce, and produce, and produce throughout the long summer. Though Wilcox and Garloff collect throughout the winter and summer with volunteers and school children, the peak season of harvest is clearly getting close. Though clearly we’re not the first to have come through picking produce, tomatoes hang heavy on the vine, eager for harvest.
Sometimes it isn’t quite clear if something is ripe enough, which is where I’m eager to volunteer. A green apple, not so ripe. A few green tomatoes, not at all ripe. But finding those perfect specimens right from the vine at their red carpet moment? There’s nothing in the world like it. A few smushed and broken veggies get thrown to the goats who are eagerly standing by to test whatever fruit we don’t need.
After three hours in the August sun, it’s time to call it a day. We’ve gathered more than 100 pounds of produce that’s more perfect than anything you could buy at a store, and that would have otherwise gone to waste. With itchy arms, tingly fingers (we did pick a few Scotch bonnet peppers) and stray leaves in our hair, it’s been a good glean.
Wilcox and Garloff will begin again next week (they glean Tuesday through Thursday) responding to calls from some of the world’s most exclusive wineries, estates, farms and wherever else they’re invited to pick, pluck and collect, all for the benefit of those who need it most.
If you’re interested in volunteering or learning more about Farm to Pantry, go to farmtopantry.org for details
My family was recently rocked by a scandalous and shocking test result that will forever change our lives — our DNA turns out to be 52 percent Scandinavian. We are not blonde, we have no particular affinity toward meatballs and only occasionally shop at Ikea. The signs were always there, though — my mother’s dallying with pickled herring in the 1970s, the fact that as children, my brother and I could do a spot-on imitation of the Swedish Chef from the Muppets and a suspicion that lingonberry runs in our blood.
Turns out more of us with English heritage (up to 12 percent, according to Ancestry.com) can trace our lineage to the glacial lakes, forest and fjords than we expected. Blame the marauding Vikings — or don’t — but at least now you can experience a bit of Motherland cuisine right here in Sonoma County, no matter where your DNA says you’re from.
Stockhome Restaurant is a collaboration between husband and wife team Roberth and Andrea Sundell, who own the upscale Swedish restaurant Plaj in San Francisco. After living in Petaluma for years with their kids, the couple decided to open a walk-up cafe featuring unfussy family favorites closer to home. Open just two weeks, the restaurant has become a neighborhood hub, mixing Turkish and Mediterranean street food found in the larger cities of Sweden with homey classics like Swedish meatballs, pickled herring and Swedish pancakes on the menu — all of it with a few nods to California as well. Consider it the United Nations of local dining.
Fun fact: Though kabobs, schwarma and kofta seem a world away from the smoked salmon and rye bread usually associated with Scandinavian cuisine, Sweden actually has a long history of assimilation of Middle Eastern foods. Less than a month ago, the world was shocked to find out that the recipe for Swedish meatballs was actually brought from Turkey to Sweden by the exiled King Charles XII in the early 18th century, according to the country’s national Twitter account. But who’s cornered the market on the Swedish meatball? Ikea, the Swedish furniture company that sells more than 2 million per day, according to its website? Take that, Turkey.
The interior is the bright, classic Swedish minimalist look you’d expect, with cornflower blue paint outside welcoming you into a large open room with clean lines, long group tables and vintage Josef Frank floral wallpaper — something most Swedes immediately recognize from their childhoods, according to my co-worker and dining partner, Sofia, who, with my other co-worker, Annika, are both Stockholm natives.
Wherever you’re from and wherever you’re going, there’s one thing we can all agree on, and that’s tasty food. Combining the flavors and presentation of a fine dining experience in a casual environment, the Sundells have nailed a need that’s long existed in Sonoma County — where grownups and kids can both enjoy a solid meal with flavors both familiar and exotic. The bonus: The Swedish tradition of lördagsgodis, wherein kids are allowed candy only on Saturday, but can then indulge in as much as they want, is alive and well here, with tempting jars filled with Plopp! chocolates, gummy fish and (be warned) spicy salted licorice candy that only a Swede could love.
Best Bets
How did the food stack up with the Swedes? Both Annika and Sofia said the food was pretty spot on. I think I noticed a few little tears in their stoic Nordic eyes when we ate the pickled herring, but they’d never admit it. I’ve noted their favorites.
Street Food
Korv Kiosk (hot dog stand) Tunnbrod Rulle ($9): This is serious post-drinking food, because no sober person would put a smoked German sausage, mashed potatoes, ketchup, mustard, iceberg lettuce and tomatoes inside a rolled Swedish flatbread. But somehow it’s delicious no matter what your inebriation status. Swedes approve.
Lamb and Beef Kebab Plate ($14): Thin slices of juicy lamb and beef are topped with a light tomato sauce and a side of garlic yogurt. “A lot of our Swedish friends tasted this to make sure it was right,” said Roberth. Served with fries or saffron rice, it’s a hearty portion of tender meat far better than your usual gyro fare. Swedes approved.
Small Plates
Celery Root Gratin with Wrangeback Cheese ($8): This dish is all about the sharp, herby raw cow’s milk cheese that’s melty in some spots and nicely crisped and caramelized in others. Thin slices of celery root are merely a transmission system for the cheese, butter and milk that make this so intensely addictive.
Grilled Stone Fruits ($9): Impossibly simple, perfectly seasonal nectarines get the lightest of grills, tossed with chewy barley and tart pomegranate molasses.
Shrimp Skagen ($12): The traditional Swedish shrimp salad on toast gets a California twist, made with bits of brioche toast, avocado, olive oil and chili. A refreshing small plate you won’t really want to share. Swedes approve.
Larger Dishes
Plank Steak ($24): Literally a steak on a wooden plank. It arrives with an aggressive-looking upright knife stabbed into the center of the steak. Swedes are impressed and say this is very Old School childhood memory kind of food. Served with piped “Duchess” potatoes, asparagus, grilled tomato and Bearnaise sauce — a classic French tarragon cream sauce that’s a bit of a rarity anymore, but such a perfect pairing with steak.
Wienerschnitzel ($24): Most Americans make this with pounded pork — and its nothing like the velvety texture of veal, used in this version. If you’re looking for the most authentic version of this luxury dish, you’ve found it. Tiny roasted potatoes with English peas, capers and loads of butter may be one of the best sides I’ve had in recent memory.
Mashed Potato Bowl ($18): Every Swede has a secret meatball recipe, and Roberth is no exception. His grandmother’s recipe is rich with clove and spices, with tender meat atop fluffy mashed potatoes and a delicate brown gravy. Of course there are lingonberries and pickled cucumbers. A pork cheek and mushroom or salmon version is also available, but really, come on, meatballs! Swedes were split on this one.
Swedish Pancakes ($7): I know my Swedish pancakes, because I’ve been making them on Sunday mornings for the past 15 years. Mine are sweeter, these are eggier, both are way better than French crepes by a long shot. With a scoop of vanilla whipped cream and berries, they’re indulgent, though I love mine with just lemon, butter and powdered sugar — a suggested variance? Swede approved.
Overall: A great family-friendly cafe with something for everyone. The kids’ menu will satisfy the young ones, while a nice beer and wine list (and excellent food) make the grown-ups happy. No matter where you’re from, you’re an honorary Swede at Stockhome.
Details: 220 Western Ave., Petaluma, 707-981-8511, stockhomerestaurant.com. Open Wednesday through Sunday from 11a.m. to 9p.m.
If you’re looking to restyle your end-of-summer return to work or school, here are some stunners. Nothing restyles your look quicker than a new bag. Meet the work of local handbag makers, all right here in Sonoma County.
What a debt of gratitude we owe our sweet pets! Our sometime lap cats and our unfailingly loyal dogs, who follow us to every corner of the house, can certainly make us feel very special.
You can put your dollars to work at these Sonoma stores and events that support the well-being of our furry friends, many of whom aren’t lucky enough to have humans to follow around and be fed by—click through the above gallery for details.
Already nostalgic for BottleRock Napa Valley or the Huichica Music Festival? It turns out the Stewards of the Coast and Redwoods — yes, you read that right — have a cure for your Wine Country music festival blues.
In fact, their antidote might be even better.
The nonprofit in charge of caring for some of Sonoma County’s most beloved outdoor treasures — think Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve, Austin Creek State Recreation Area and Sonoma Coast State Park — is partnering with the Save the Redwoods League and Bay Area event producer Noise Pop to bring iconic ’90s indie rockers Built to Spill to Sonoma County for the most perfectly indie rock performance your five senses have ever experienced.
The show, set for Sept. 16 (doors at 5 p.m.), will take place at dusk in the historic WPA-built Armstrong Redwoods Forest Theater just north of Guerneville. The outdoor venue features log benches surrounded by a thick canopy of redwood trees, including the Parson Jones tree, which measures in as the tallest in the grove at more than 310 feet, and the Colonel Armstrong Tree, estimated to be more than 1,400 years old.
Tickets range in price from $40-75. Grab yours before they’re gone here.
Have Spotify? Check out music by Built to Spill here.
We love any excuse to escape to the coast — from Marin to Mendocino — and, of course, Sonoma! Whether it is to reward ourselves with a local beer after a long day of hiking or biking, or toast to a special occasion as the sun sets, a cocktail with a coastal view never gets old. Click through the gallery above to discover our favorite coastal bars.
Sure, the North Bay has plenty of lovely patios, but how about an amazing view and great food to boot? Not quite as easy. We’ve culled through our favorites and created a carefully curated list of spots where you can dole out some serious cheddar (that’s seriously worth it) or just bundle up with a plate of tacos by the bay. In Wine Country, you don’t necessarily have to spend a mint for a million dollar view. Click through the gallery for all the details.
