They say a picture is worth a thousand words. So I turn to images to tell a story that needs to be told. The story of the Sonoma County fires is not just one of devastation, it is also one of compassion, camaraderie, resourcefulness and resilience; of a community that came together in the face of adversity. And that is a story worth remembering.
In the past, I have worked with and written about people affected by human tragedy around the world. In the days following the fearsome morning of October 9, as wildfires raged across Sonoma County, I tried to fall back on that experience.
But this time, the catastrophe was not happening in a distant country. This time, it was happening at home. I could see the fires on the horizon, I could smell the smoke. I could hear sirens at night, and helicopters hovering overhead. I could feel the dread. This was my country, my city; whole neighborhoods damaged and destroyed; friends displaced; neighbors dead; parents and children without a roof over their heads. This was a catastrophe previously unmet.
Words elude me, and in their place, I’m left with images: the sombre faces of the firefighters in Alvin Jornada’s portraits; the dreadful yet hauntingly beautiful flames in Kent Porter’s photos; the remains of cherished objects sensitively captured by Beth Schlanker, the intimate scenes of sheltered people and animals, side by side, in John Burgess’s shots, the contrast between dark and light in Christopher Chung’s photographs — images of evacuees returning to the ruins of what was once their home, thankful citizens displaying signs of gratitude for firefighters who fought so hard to stop the firestorm.
These snapshots in time — the emotions and moments distilled in each photograph, reinforce my sense of the fragility of life. But they also remind me of our shared humanity; of what is precious in life. When the fires are out and the smoke has blown away, this is another part of the story that I will never forget.
Chloe’s French Caf sandwich maker Anahi Cardona finishes an order, Thursday March 9, 2017 in Santa Rosa. (Kent Porter / The Press Democrat) 2017
A collective groan of “Mon Dieu” has been heard round the county as French cafe, Chloe’s, has shuttered. The decade-old restaurant housed in a medical building on Airway Drive in Santa Rosa, served up some of the best Gallic treats in the county, from authentic boeuf bourguignon and jambon sandwiches to Alain Pisan’s unrivaled French pastries, using family recipes handed down through generations.
Renee Pisan next to the vintage Chloe, a French catering truck that belonged to the family for years, last May. North Bay Business Journal
The October wildfires did significant damage to the cafe, including burning the owners’ precious catering truck, Chloe, which was imported from France and a family heirloom. The fires also ripped through neighboring areas including the Applebees and K Mart just blocks away.
The owners will continue to pursue their catering business out of their Windsor kitchen.
“We have thrived over the past 10 years due to your loyalty and support, and you have been such wonderful clientele,” said the goodbye note on the Chloe’s website.
More information about their catering at chloesco.com.
When living in Sonoma County, you’re pretty much expected to be thirsty for (knowledge of) all things wine – even if you’re just in your twenties. But college parties aren’t exactly filled with local Pinots. Sure, you might pick up a bottle of wine for a Netflix night with friends but, being on a budget, you’ll go for cheap rather than refined. As soon as you graduate, however, something seems to change. While you’re (unfortunately) still on a budget, you now want to venture out into the unexplored wine country world – gone are the days of keg stands and beer pong! But fancy wines and tasting rooms can be intimidating. To help you get a taste of the best of Sonoma wine country and develop a more sophisticated palate, we’ve found some of the best wineries and wine bars for young wine lovers with virgin taste buds. Click through the gallery above for all the details, and a few tips from the pros.
While the holiday imagery of snow is well behind us, and our minds might already be on the warmer season to come, it’s not too late to buy jackets and sweaters to keep you warm and Sonoma-stylish into the next season. Click through the above gallery for details.
Bottles of Williams Selyem wines line a display rack in the tasting room, near Healdsburg. (Christopher Chung/ The Press Democrat)
Welcome to the world of acquiring — or not — Sonoma’s most coveted wines. They’re not in grocery stores, and fine-wine retailers who get their hands on such bottles hold them for loyal customers. The majority of Sonoma’s superstars are sold via mailing lists, wine clubs, to high-end restaurants, and at auction. Accordingly, they aren’t among our Top 100 Wines, because nothing frustrates consumers more than to read about wines they want and then find them unavailable.
Click through the gallery above for eight such Sonoma wines. If you want them, check restaurant wine lists (and prepare to pay three times the suggested retail price), join winery mailing lists such as Peter Michael’s, and cozy up to friends with wine-list benefits. And know this: These wines are fantastic, yet so are many others of equal quality from Sonoma. Readily available wines might not have the cachet of these “great eight,” yet they deliver as much pleasure, if not more, and at a more affordable price.
Josh Feldman and Britton Watkins never imagined they’d end up in a 1930s cabin in a woodsy setting along Mark West Creek. The couple, who work from home as independent filmmakers and creative consultants, thought perhaps they’d build something modern, maybe along the Russian River. But the authenticity of the vintage cabin captured their hearts.
“When we first came to look at the place, we both said to each other within five minutes, ‘This place would be perfect with some kind of glassed-in living room looking over the creek,’” recalls Feldman. “I default to a very modern aesthetic, and we were looking at all sorts of different homes, so we were open to the idea. It’s a very simple design, so it’s modern in its own way, not heavily ornamented, not fancy.”
They entrusted Sonoma architect and friend Amy Alper with bringing their vision for the glass addition to life, while staying true to the earnest simplicity of the existing structure. “We explained to Amy that when everything’s done, we want it to look like it’s been there from the beginning,” says Watkins. The cabin has roots in the local community; the grandchildren of the family who built it still live in the neighborhood and have become good friends of the current inhabitants. Last winter, they even stopped by to make sure the house was safe after a huge Douglas fir came down in a storm.
Alper’s architectural design preserves the cabin’s vintage details while adhering to a stringent set of design regulations that limit disturbance of the creekside environment. “From the living room, you can feel engaged with nature and at the same time feel protected,” says Alper. She explains that the living room’s reclaimed beams echo the surrounding redwoods and Douglas firs, while smooth white walls contrast with rustic exterior shingles and the streamlined fireplace is a counterpoint to the rushing creek.
Even among the trappings of day-to-day business — laptops, conference calls — Feldman and Watkins’ cabin is a sanctuary for the couple and their friends. Watkins likes to work outside at the picnic table under the trees whenever possible, and their young godchildren visit to wade and collect rocks in the creek. “It’s very calming. People come here and they end up napping on the sofa. But that’s what the cabin is for — it’s for whatever you need,” says Watkins. The home even serves as inspiration for Feldman and Watkins’ work as filmmakers. (Their latest documentary, “Conlanging: The Art of Crafting Tongues,” premiered last July.) “It’s become so much more than a getaway,” says Alper. “In and of itself, the cabin has been a creative muse.”
When winter rains arrive, the couple cocoon in the living room by the fireplace and cook comfort food in the cheery yellow kitchen. “After a deep storm, the creek is raging. When you’re standing in the living room, it looks like you’re almost in the creek. You can hear these huge boulders banging against each other,” says Watkins. Plants and wildlife, too, are part of the picture: ferns grow lush, a natural moss garden is nourished by water that seeps from the side of the hill, and salmon returned to the creek last winter after an eightyear absence. Deer, ducks and wild turkeys are common, and once, Watkins saw a bobcat sharpening its claws on a tree just outside the living room window.
Watkins and Feldman often travel for their films, and earlier in Watkins’ career, he lived in Japan for eight years. But the couple are always happy to come back to their cabin, which they’ve worked so hard to make their own. Japanese design inspired many details, including the clean-lined bathrooms, tansu-style cabinetry under the stairs and the overall feeling of being immersed in the forest. The details harmonize with the cabin’s vintage shell.
A 1950s-era picture of the cabin still hangs in the kitchen to remind Feldman and Watkins of their home’s evolution over the years. “That’s part of the texture of the house, to have different things from different people added at different times,” says Watkins. For these two designers, their home couldn’t have evolved in any other way.
The famous promise of “a chicken in every pot” first uttered by Henry IV of France and echoed by Herbert Hoover in his 1928 campaign for president, may need a slight update for the new millennium.
These days, it’s a chicken in every pie that grabs our attention, as the rainy weather continues to batter us with chilly winds and the uncertain future whips up our appetite for finding comfort inside a flaky crust.
“Pie makes a good day better and a bad day better,” said Trishia Davis, co-owner of The Whole Pie in Santa Rosa. “It makes any day better.”
Davis, who lives in Sebastopol, was running a farmers market stand called CutieCakes Bake Shop when her old friend, Santa Rosa attorney Julia Freis, called her and suggested they go into business together.
“We wanted to do something with the cottage food industry,” Davis said. “I had pie on the brain for a long time. It was the first thing I learned how to bake.”
Under the motto “Sharing Optional,” The Whole Pie offers both savory and sweet pies in three sizes — hand pie, single size and family size — but nothing by the slice. Pie flavors change randomly and seasonally.
“Whole pies travel well, although let’s be honest, that’s not the reason,” the website states. “Simply put, some of us don’t like to share.”
Trish Davis doesn’t rely on machines when making her crusts. Each morning she rolls out the dough by hand at The Whole Pie in Santa Rosa. (John Burgess)
Located near the corner of Fourth Street and Farmers Lane, the sunny, yellow pie shop welcomes lunch and dinner customers, as well as folks looking to take home a slice of happiness. It’s become a regular pit stop for cyclists who have just finished a big ride in Annadel State Park as well as busy folks on their way home from work.
“When it is raining, everybody wants a pot pie,” said Freis, who serves as the business manager and evening counter person. “And then they may buy a sweet pie as well.”
When you enter the pie shop, chances are you’ll see Davis elbow deep in a bucket of flour, mixing up a big batch of crust in her open kitchen. While pie crust can often intimidate home cooks, Davis urges folks not to overthink it.
“People get nervous about it,” she said. “Somewhere in there, somebody went for perfect. Chocolate and cakes are about perfect. Pie is about happy … Our mantra is pie is not meant to be perfect, it’s meant to be eaten.”
That said, Davis has a few rules of thumb for her pie crust. She starts by mixing the dry ingredients first, then adds in the butter by hand, being careful not to incorporate the butter completely. You want to create a very loose, shaggy mixture, then throw it into the fridge overnight.
A selection of hand pies and an individual pie from The Whole Pie in Santa Rosa. (John Burgess/The Press Democrat)
“Most people mix it into a dough ball. By then, there’s way more gluten than you’re ever going to need,” she advised. “Have a drink. Have a conversation. Stop staring at it.”
After it rests overnight, Davis then brings the dough together. She rolls out the dough, liberally adding more flour to it, then flips it over and rolls it out some more.
While most of her savory and sweet pies share the same dough recipe, Davis will get creative with the crust for the sweet pies, making a graham cracker crust for the California Lime Pie, for example, or a coconut macaroon crust for the Coconut Cream pie.
As for the savory fillings, the sky is the limit, with everything from meatloaf to mushrooms fair game. In fact, the word “pie” is believed to have come from the magpie, the bird known for collecting a variety of things.
“I spend a lot of time looking at things and seeing if they can be pie,” she said. “We had a mac and cheese pie when we opened.”
One of the shop’s pies, dubbed Mr. Crunchy, was inspired by the fancy, ham-and-cheese sandwich sold in the cafés of France.
“Mr. Crunchy is based on the idea of the croque-monsieur,” she said. “It’s prosciutto and Emmentaler cheese in a Dijon bechamel.”
The pie shop also offers a chicken pot pie called the SongBird, with a cognac velouté sauce; a steak-and-arugula pie known as the LumberJack; and a braised short-rib pie called the LoneWolf that is topped with mashed potatoes, like a classic shepherd’s pie.
Made with beef, beer, onions, beef stock, rosemary, salt and pepper, the LoneWolf is one of the easier pies to reproduce in a home kitchen.
“It’s a long, slow braise, then I shred it and take out the sinew,” Davis said. “I put mashed potatoes on top, or aged cheddar on the hand pie.”
Of course, the simpler the dish, the more important it is to use high-quality ingredients.
“Pie is deceptively simple,” Davis said. “But in its simplicity, there is much complication.”
At The Whole Pie, Davis uses organic flour from Giusto’s in Petaluma and California Dairies’ butter. She sources seasonal fruit and vegetables, locally whenever possible. Right now she is using apples, as apple pie is the American standard, a perennially popular flavor during the long, winter months.
But if you’re counting calories, you probably shouldn’t think about pie too much. A little pie goes a long way.
“The people afraid of butter and gluten don’t walk in the door,” she said. “It’s all real food. It’s not coming in already made. Is it indulgent? Yes. But is it still good for you? … Sure.”
Although she doesn’t feel the need to eat pie very often, Davis often finds herself taste-testing her new pie flavors, just to make sure they’re OK.
“I’m still head over heels about the coconut cream pie,” she said. “I want to fall face down into it.”
The following recipes are from Trishia Davis, co-owner of The Whole Pie in Santa Rosa.
The LoneWolf, a savory pie made with beer-braised beef ribs, onions, beef stock and rosemary from The Whole Pie in Santa Rosa. (John Burgess)
LoneWolf
Makes one 9-inch pie
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 1/2 pounds boneless beef short rib, cut into 1-inch strips
1 tablespoon cooking oil
2 large yellow onions, chopped into 1-inch pieces
3 garlic cloves, minced
12 ounces good quality beef stock
10 ounces Moonlight Brewing Wee Nibble (or a flavorful beer that isn’t too hoppy)
1 5-inch sprig of fresh rosemary
1-2 cups mashed potatoes
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, mix salt and pepper into flour. Dredge short ribs in flour mixture, coating well. In an 8-quart Dutch oven, heat oil and saute onions until soft, add garlic and saute another minute or so. Add beef, browning lightly on all sides. Add beef stock, beer and rosemary. Drop a lid on it and toss the whole thing into the oven for 3 1/2 hours. Remove from oven and let cool. Once cool, remove any unwanted fat and shred the now-tender beef. Spoon into prepared pie crust, top with mashed potatoes and bake on a sheet pan in a 400 degree oven for 45 minutes.
Pie Crust
Makes one 9-inch pie crust
12 ounces all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt
7 1/2 ounces unsalted butter, cold, in 1/4-inch chunks
4 ounces cold water
In a big bowl, stir together dry ingredients. Add butter, separating the pieces and tossing in the flour. Beginning with a pie-slice section of your bowl, begin smearing each piece of butter between your thumb and index finger, almost in a snapping motion. Remove all thoughts of perfection from your mind, and do not aim for uniformity. Be careless, work quickly, using your hands and not your eyes. Turn your bowl as you complete each section and keep “smooshing” until you’ve made it full circle. Filter through the bowl with your open fingers, smashing any large chunks of butter you feel.
Make a trough down the center of your bowl and pour in half of the water. Scooping under the dough, toss it lightly a few times, like a salad. Add the rest of the water and toss just a bit more. Pour this shaggy mess into a ziptop baggie, squeeze out the air and toss into the fridge overnight. No need to make a disk. I know, I know, it doesn’t LOOK like pie crust, but trust me, it will become pie crust.
The following day, dump the baggie out on a countertop and let it come closer to room temperature. Pull it together, using the heel of your hand to smash it into a disk. You can fold it a couple of times if needed. Lift it, lightly flour your counter surface, replace it, flour the top of the disk and roll it out. I like to roll a few times, flour and flip. If it isn’t behaving, gather it up, and start again. Because you didn’t overwork it yesterday, it can take a little abuse today.
Once you’ve rolled a nice big round, or whatever shape you ended up with, tuck it lovingly into your pie pan, trimming and crimping the edges. Place in the fridge until you’re ready to fill and bake.
Note: Save the trimmings, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar, and bake on a sheet pan for 15 minutes … ta-daa, dessert!
Chilly winter mornings and evenings aren’t always the most inviting setting for an outdoor workout. But these Sonoma finds can add comfort to an outdoor fitness routine, helping to keep motivation going until the warmer season begins. Click through the above gallery for details.
Indian pizza. Let that sink in for a minute. It’s all the things you love about Indian food—the spice, the rich sauces and tangy herbs—on a pizza crust. Think of it as a portable curry with a crispy crust, and you’ve got the newest trend in fast food: Desi pizza.
Chicago’s Pizza With A Twistwas a stumble-on kind of find, having a little too much time one evening while paging through newspaper ads. What’s the “twist”, we wondered? Even more intriguing was a confusing menu that listed “jala-pine” breadsticks (jalapeno, cheese and pineapple bread); “three idiots” pizza (three kinds of chicken on a pizza) and the pot of gold, chicken tikka masala pizza. What?
Though this Indian style treat has long been popular in England, it’s a novelty here in Wine Country, where Chicago’s Pizza With a Twist has recently landed.
The Norcal chain has 20 other outposts from Fairfield to San Jose, featuring “desi” flavors, or flavors indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. Pair it up with Italian carbohydrate prowess and you’ve got a whole new kind of ‘za-—as long as you define both cuisines loosely and in Anglo-American terms. Though we’d certainly be up for trying, say, goat korma with raita?
More approachable toppings like butter chicken, tikka masala, tandoori vegetables, lime, ginger, paneer (a fresh Indian cheese) and cilantro still make a match saucier than a Bollywood dream sequence. These star-crossed culinary cultures are no longer separated by needling gastro-purists, but joined in an over-choreographed, but nonetheless delightful and highly sequined ensemble dance in your mouth.
Sure, we may have overstated that a bit, but a tikka sauce-slathered pie is kind of a revelation, and the world is ready for some pizza disruption.
Best bets: – Chicken tikka masala: Tikka sauce (a sort of creamy tomato sauce), tikka chicken, mozzarella, mushrooms, red onion, green pepper, garlic ginger, cilantro, green chiles and jalapeño, $16.99 for a medium, 12-inch pie.
– Curry Paneer: Tiny cubes of paneer cheese with mild curry sauce, mushrooms, red onions, black olives, tomatoes, garlic, ginger, chiles and fresh cilantro. $16.99 for a medium, 12-inch pie.
– DIY: Unusual toppings like mint, lime, fresh cucumbers, butter chicken and tandoori sauce, along with thick or thin crusts make for endless combinations as weird and wonderful as your imagination.
Traditional pizzas also available, along with dine-in and delivery to selected areas. 2780 Stony Point Rd, Santa Rosa, 707-606-1000, chicagospizzatwist.com.
Simply click on the heart icon to vote for the dog you think is the cutest. Voting will be held from Dec. 5-15.
It’s time to vote for the most adorable pooch. The submissions to our annual Cutest Dog Contest are in and all that’s left to do is vote for your favorite.
The cutest dog will be chosen from among the top 10 vote earners by a panel of judges from Sonoma Magazine and our beneficiary, Pets Lifeline.
Simply click the heart icon on the picture of the dog you think is the cutest and most irresistible. You can vote for as many dogs as you like, however you can only vote for each dog once.
With close to 200 pooches to pick from it won’t be an easy decision. So take your time and throw your favorite dog a bone, or a like.
The winning dog will get:
A full-page photo in Sonoma Magazine with dog’s name and bio.
A professional Sonoma Magazine photo shoot (and you will get to keep the photos!).
The voting will remain open until Midnight, Dec. 15.
