Page 417 – Sonoma Magazine

80 Gold Medal Wines, 8 Wine Country Chefs… and You’re Invited

May 2016

By Sofia Englund

The judges of the fourth annual Press Democrat North Coast Wine Challenge have sipped their way through more than 1,050 wines in a quest to uncover the best wines grown on the North Coast. On Sunday May 15th, it is your turn to taste the winning wines.

Now in its fourth year, The North Coast Wine Challenge continues to grow in prestige and popularity as it judges and showcases the finest wines produced and bottled within California’s North Coast AVA, which includes Sonoma, Napa, Mendocino and Lake counties, as well as parts of Marin and Solano counties.

On Sunday, visitors to the North Coast Wine Event at Sonoma Mountain Village (SOMO) in Rohnert Park will get a chance to taste the wines that achieved both a Gold Medal status and 90+ points in the competition. The winning wines, presented by taste profile, will be complemented by gourmet bites prepared by notable local chefs such as Armando G. Navarro of El Dorado Kitchen, Mark Stark of Stark Reality Restaurants, Liza Hinman of The Spinster Sisters and Thomas Schmidt of John Ash & Co.

Event Information
When Sunday, May 15, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Where Sonoma Mountain Village, 1100 Valley House Drive, Rohnert Park
For tickets and more information, visit northcoastwineevent.com

The Best Yoga Studios in Sonoma County: From Aerial to Yin Yoga

May 2016

By Janet Balicki

Yoga has been alive and thriving in Sonoma County since the 1960s, when the first communes appeared along the western fringes of the county. But interpretations of traditional yoga and riffs off the principal themes have been growing and evolving ever since. Today, North Coasters can practice a variety of types, from more familiar Hatha to new styles such as Acro or Aerial. Below we have listed yoga styles currently taught in Sonoma County, including studios we have visited.

Hatha Yoga
Hatha translates to sun (ha) and moon (tha) and refers to the skillful placement of the body in poses (or asanas) to bring balance between strength and flexibility. A set of static Hatha yoga poses is performed in a slow sequence that, due to its pace and attention to alignment, is great for beginners.

Many Hatha teachers now incorporate flowing postures such as the Sun Salutation sequence into their classes, but at a much slower pace.

Local Studio
Shane Davis at Yoga One, 110 Kentucky St. in Petaluma or 589 Mendocino Ave., Santa Rosa

Iyengar
This form of yoga was developed by B.K.S. Iyengar, regarded as of the great yogis of all time. It is an interpretation of classical Hatha, with sequences of static postures held at length. The emphasis is on precise correct alignment, using props — blankets, bolsters, blocks and straps — to allow each practitioner to find a personal understanding of the pose.

The teacher may focus on such details as how to position your foot or even how to fold your blankets. The discipline brings great awareness to the body and can be therapeutic.

Local Studios
Clare Venet at Solstice Yoga, 2450 West Third St., Santa Rosa
Tony Briggs at Wellness by Design, 224a Weller St.Petaluma
Westside Yoga, 7385 Healdsburg Ave., Sebastopol

Viniyoga
Viniyoga is a gentler practice in the lineage of T.K.V. Desikachar, popularized in the U.S. by Gary and Mirka Kraftsow. It emphasizes the creation of a personalized practice to meet your unique needs, focusing on function over form. It is a slower version of Hatha yoga with attention on breath, bandhas, sound, chanting and meditation.

Local Studio
Mirka Kraftsow at Westside Yoga, 7385 Healdsburg Ave., Sebastopol

Bikram Yoga
This is a sweaty sequence of 26 Hatha yoga postures performed in a room heated to more than 104 degrees. Bikram Yoga can be performed by anyone, with a beginning series that is super accessible. Founder Bikram Choudhury cured a knee injury with this heated, therapeutic practice. Asanas are performed in a static fashion, with practitioners striking a pose, holding it and then doing it once more.

Muscles and connective tissue are more pliable, so you will be have greater flexibility. The heat also can release toxins and causes the heart works harder to pump oxygenated blood to your muscles. Not recommended for those with heart disease.

Local Studio
Bikram Yoga Santa Rosa, 522 Wilson St., Santa Rosa
Bikram Yoga Sonoma, 721 W Napa St, Sonoma
Bikram Yoga Petaluma, 1484 Petaluma Blvd N, Petaluma

Ashtanga
Ashtanga yoga was made popular by K. Pattabhi Jois, who arranged Hatha asanas into specific sequences that worked to heat the body. It incorporates lots of Sun Salutations, standing and seated sequences into a fast-flowing choreographed practice. The same poses are performed in the same order every time, with students advancing to intermediate levels only after mastering the primary series.

Ashtanga is the mother of all Vinyasa and Power yoga styles, but differs in that it is built around the traditional sequence. It is a serious physical workout that requires strength and flexibility.

Local Studios
Ann Austin at Yoga Studio Ganesha, 138 Weeks Way, Sebastopol
John Smith at Westside Yoga offers Mysore and led Ashtanga

Vinyasa
Vinyasa yoga is a branch off the Ashtanga yoga tree and is probably the most popular style practiced in America today. “Vi” means sequence and “nyasa” means conscious placement. The practice links movement and breath to intention; the word is generally the shorthand for any style of flow yoga.

Poses are linked together by one main sequence: chaturanga to upward-facing dog to downward-facing dog. Expect a lot of Sun Salutations and a faster pace than Hatha. Variations abound, including Ashtanga, Jivamukti, Power yoga and Prana flow.

Local Studios
Many studios teach it. Try a class at:
Thrive, 6914 Sebastopol Ave., Sebastopol
Yoga on Center, 401 Center St # C, Healdsburg
The Dhyana Center, 186 N. Main St., Sebastopol
Soul Yoga, 2801 Yulupa Ave., Santa Rosa

Power Yoga, Baptiste Style
Power yoga is a vigorous from of Vinyasa yoga developed by Baron Baptiste. It is a hot, sweaty workout, quick paced and usually practiced in a room heated to about 90 degrees. As in Bikram, the heat allows greater flexibility and helps detoxify the body. Unlike Bikram, the poses flow from one to another. It is best to study other forms of yoga before trying this one. Wet your feet by trying an intro class.

Local Studio
Three Dog Yoga, 1617 Terrace Way, Santa Rosa

Kundalini Yoga
This style of yoga was brought to the states in the late ‘60s by Yogi Bhajan. It’s quiet and meditative, using gentle movement, dynamic breathing techniques, meditation and chanting to awaken one’s awareness of the energetic body. It leans heavily on the Tantric yoga philosophy of the six chakras that run along the spinal column and one that sits at the crown of your head.

Exercises focus on the ascension of Kundalini energy, conceptualized as a serpent rising from the base of your spine to the crown of your head. Serious practitioners wear white to block out negative influence, and expand “auric radiance” by wearing turbans. You may spend most of your class time on the ground with closed eyes. Although all yoga is a moving meditation, this one really feels like it.

Local Studio
Parmatma Simone at Yoga One, 589 Mendocino Ave, Santa Rosa

AcroYoga
It’s a combination of yoga, acrobatics, dance and, in some interpretations, Thai massage, usually performed with the practitioner playing one of three roles. The base is a person who lies on the ground to support another person with using their legs and arms. The flyer is elevated off the ground and uses gravity, abdominal strength and flexibility to hold a number of dramatic poses. The spotter watches the primary players and ensures that the flyer returns to the ground safely and the base lifts safely.

In addition to the physical and mental health benefits, AcroYoga teaches practitioners to clearly communicate at they counterbalance. Although teachers assert that anyone can practice Acro, it requires a base level of strength and flexibility and is often taught as a partner class workshop.

Local Teacher
João Paulo Pereira offers classes periodically throughout Sonoma County. Contact him at thatyogaguy.com for upcoming classes.

Aerial Yoga
Aerial Yoga is a playful form that combines aerial acrobatics with traditional yoga asanas that uses gravity to deepen stretches and support inversions. It is performed with the help of silk hammocks that can ease compression in the joints and spine. Because wrapping your arms in the silks requires you to use different muscles than those used in traditional yoga, expect a nice bit of muscle soreness.

The practice is pure childlike fun, but spinning in a silk hammock may not be for everyone, especially those with a tendency toward motion sickness.

Local Studios
Yoga Paradise, 8911 Lakewood Drive, Windsor
Soul Yoga and Wellness, 2801 Yulupa Ave., Santa Rosa
Dhyana Center, 186 N. Main St., Sebastopol

Restorative
The focus of Restorative Yoga is on restoring a state of balance by calming the body and mind. A typical class may include just five or six poses held at length, all of which are supported by a block, pillow or blanket. Through the stillness and a tiny bit of guided meditation, you are taught to relax and unwind, the perfect complement to a week of vigorous asana practice or anytime you are in need of rest.

Local Studio
Devorah Blum and Cheryl Thomas at Yoga Studio Ganesha, 138 Weeks Way Sebastopol
Yoga on Center, 401 Center St # C, Healdsburg

Yin
Yin is a slow and passive series of seated and supine poses designed by Paulie Zink. Asanas are held for 3 to 5 minutes to allow the student to sink in and access the deeper layers of muscle, connective tissue and fascia. It is meditative and inward focusing. A variation Yin/ Yang yoga brings together passive inward focusing Yin poses and some of the more energizing Yang poses.

Local Studios
Brian Miller at Yoga One, 589 Mendocino Ave., Santa Rosa
Hannah Gart at Riverbed Yoga, 14014 Armstrong Woods Rd, Guerneville

Kirpalu Yoga
Kirpalu is a yoga Ashram in Stockbridge, Mass., that practices an offshoot of Hatha yoga that focuses on meditative movement. Joan Hawley McClain at Riverbed Yoga in Guernville offers a class that combines Kirpalu with chanting, Reiki and Yoga Nidra (a guided meditation practice performed lying down that incorporates sound healing.

Local Studio
Riverbed Yoga, 14014 Armstrong Woods Rd, Guerneville

Veda Vinyasa
Veda Vinyasa is a breath centered practice with a blend of dynamic and static movements for strength and flexibility. Veda Yoga also incorporates elements of Ayurveda, the eastern medical practice for seasonal balance and health.

Local Studios
Deacon Carpenter at Yoga One, Santa Rosa, 589 Mendocino Ave, Santa Rosa
Dhyana Center, 186 N. Main St., Sebastopol

Forrest Yoga
This Vinyasa yoga is performed in a heated room with long sequences and lots of abdominal core work. It was developed by yogini Ana Forrest, a victim of abuse, as a means of using asana to cleanse the emotional and mental blocks that dictate and limit our lives. Classes are extremely empowering, a great work out and often are recommended for people with scoliosis.

Local Studios
Molly Vogel and Kelliann Reginato at Vibe Yoga, 3895 Princeton Drive, Santa Rosa
Yoga Paradise, 8911 Lakewood Drive, Windsor

Hip Hop Yoga
Vinyasa Flow classes also can be choreographed to a nontraditional hip hop soundtrack. Look for it at Vibe Yoga, 3895 Princeton Drive, Santa Rosa

Kona Flow
Kona Flow is a little bit workout, a little bit Hatha and a little Vinyasa. This energetic, fun, nontraditional yoga class begins with a series of warm-up exercises that move through the body, allowing you to see which areas are tight, flexible, strong or weak. Following the warm up comes a series of static yoga poses held at length, some of which are unexpected variations of traditional poses.

Local Studio
Kona Waha Santana at Vibe Yoga, 3895 Princeton Drive, Santa Rosa

Yum Yum Yoga
This playful but challenging Vinyasa class is taught by Bekka Adair, a student of yoga pioneer Ganga White. Sequences include some Southeast Asian dance/martial arts moves and the infrequently performed Moon salutations. Adair designs her flow around whomever shows up, so it is suitable for all levels. Plan to do lots of upper body and abdomen work to prepare you for arm balances and inversions, and leave the room feeling like a warrior ready to take on the world.

Local Studio
Bekka Adair at Sirens Studio, 234 Hutchins Ave., Sebastopol

Off The Grid Food Truck Fleet Heads to Santa Rosa

May 2016

By Heather Irwin

Circle the wagons, the food trucks are coming!

SF’s wildly-popular Off the Grid street food round up — a conglomeration of food trucks, food tents, drink vendors and live music — is coming to Santa Rosa’s Coddingtown Mall beginning Sunday, May 22 and every Sunday thereafter from 11a.m. to 3p.m.

After successful OTG expansions throughout the Bay Area, the network of mobile food purveyors heads northward to Sonoma County, where we’ll have (at least to begin with) a rotating lineup of at least nine food trucks including Sonoma County’s own Pinup Girl Coffee, Q Craft BBQ, Caribbean Spices Haitian and Caribbean Cuisine and several others yet to be announced. You can see a full list of OTG trucks, carts and vendors in the Bay Area here.

Having been to events in Fort Mason, Marin and the Presidio, they’re fun, family-friendly get-togethers with great food and great music enclosed in a temporary square made by the parked food trucks. OTG operates more than 45 weekly public markets throughout the Bay Area, with the idea of bringing communities together through shared food experiences.

Bring some cash and a sense of adventure, as tables, napkins, forks and seats can sometimes be hard to come by. But that’s the fun of being off the grid, right?

Off the Grid joins the forthcoming Petaluma Block (another food truck and beer garden concept coming in August) in creating open spaces for food trucks and other mobile food vendors in Sonoma County. It’s welcome news after several years of struggles by local food trucks to find a foothold in Sonoma County after vocal brick and mortar restaurants and permitting issues created serious roadblocks for these entrepreneurial ventures.

Off the Grid Food Trucks in Santa Rosa: Sunday afternoons, beginning May 22, 2016 from 11a.m. to 3p.m. at the corner of Guerneville Road and Cleveland Avenue in Santa Rosa.

More details coming soon, as the lineup of vendors is finalized. #santarosafoodtruck

Seaside Metal Serves Superb Seafood in Guerneville

May 2016

By Carey Sweet

Craving a chowder? Seaside Metal serves up superb seafood. (Alvin Jornada / The Press Democrat)

To be technical, Seaside Metal debuted in Guerneville in March 2014. Yet in my mind, the luxury-minded seafood salon has been a real restaurant only since this past winter. That’s because the business, a much smaller sister to San Francisco’s Bar Crudo, opened for a while, then closed briefly, then opened for a stretch, then … you get the idea.

Operating times seesawed as chef Mike Selvera and his partner/twin brother Tim Selvera tackled the challenges of running a second business 75 miles from their main restaurant. Add in Guerneville’s river town calendar of pretty much shutting for the winter season, and the hiccups were understandable.

Now, settling into a meal at the shoebox size bistro still seems somewhat like a dream. I’m eating splendid, thick slabs of toast smeared in buttery avocado, a creamy raft of uni, dots of yuzu tobiko and lime ($14). And I’m in Guerneville, the small town that used to be known for its live cabaret performances each weekend at Main Street Station pizzeria and piano bar.

Yet over the past few years, Guerneville has grown up. So here, on the same stretch of Main Street as Boon Eat and Drink, Big Bottom Market and El Barrio tequila, mescal and bourbon bar, the Selvera team is plying us with arrays of oysters displayed in a chipped ice raw bar at the front end of the open, diner-style kitchen.

On a recent evening, I sampled among pink peppercorn mignonette-drizzled Fat Bastards from Washington ($3), mild Beausoleils from New Brunswick ($3.50) and briny Point Reyes Miyagi ($3.25), all prettily arranged on ice with seaweed fronds.

Then, for an extra taste bud boost, I tried some mussels marinated in herbs and jalapeño ($1.50), more herb and flower blossom than jalapeño, for pleasing, earthy chew.

With a dozen seats at the bar, a half dozen tables along the wall and two window seats, the space is simple and clean, trimmed in white subway tile, beat-up industrial lighting that looks like it was yanked off a crab boat, and just a bit of art on the walls. All the better to focus on the food, which is beautifully plated for bright colored ingredients and architectural style.

Menus morph with the seasons. On one visit, a tidy pad of meaty cobia sat atop a swath of avocado mousse, brightened with thin slices of white peach, a drizzle of lemon oil and tiny curls of basil ($14). Scallop ceviche swam in coconut milk, interlaced with black radish, cantaloupe cubes and a touch of chile ($11). And arctic char, a menu favorite that seems to show up year-round, always shines, the four generous tiles of orange-pink fish dolloped with horseradish crème fraiche, lime green wasabi tobiko and fairy-tiny wisps of dill ($14).

It’s the simplest things that make this seafood so brilliant: a sprinkle of rosemary salt and lemon oil over butterfish tataki, plus soothing accents of fava puree, spring peas and radish for a bit of crunch ($15); or the unexpected banyuls vin and slivered almonds adding sweet notes and texture to a crab salad silky with burrata, beets and a peppery bite of arugula ($19).

No sauces are needed here, not when octopus chunks and tentacles are braised so tender, then framed with tart-sweet Castelvetrano olives, soft cippolini onions, crisp-edged fingerling potatoes and a bit of yogurt ($24).

Seaside is famous for its chowder ($9 cup, $18 bowl), and for good reason. There are no clams. Instead, it’s stocked with squid, mussels, shrimp and fish plus plenty of cream-based stock spiked with onions, celery, white wine sweet mussel stock, garlic and a bit of hot sauce. The result is a thin base but chunky eating with big pieces of seafood, potato and Nueske’s applewood smoked bacon.

If the lobster soup also is on the menu, get that as well. It wasn’t there on an April visit, but I’ve enjoyed it enough times before, the bowl brimming with thick udon-style noodles, rock shrimp, beans, summer squash, radish shoots, basil and chile flakes in lobster broth ($15). It soothes the soul.

Desserts ($8) don’t always fit the mood. The profiteroles are ordinary, stuffed with crème brulee ice cream in chocolate sauce, though the strawberry shortcake delivers a more west county inventive recipe with ricotta mousse, thyme caramel and Meyer lemon curd.

There’s a surreal quality to discovering that a place this upscale offers happy hour, too. But it does, from 5 to 6 p.m. nightly, when you can get dishes like the arctic char for $10, Totten Inlet Washington oysters for $1, and $4 wine and beer specials.

Someone pinch me.

Photography Erik Castro

Relish the Farmers Market Season in Sonoma County

May 2016

By Michele Anna Jordan

As the season of hot days, warm nights and leisure approaches, much of Sonoma life moves outdoors, to the temporary commons that are evening street fairs.

From Sonoma to Sebastopol and Petaluma to Cloverdale, every late-spring-through-summer week provides opportunities for basking in the late afternoon sun, grooving to live music and nibbling food from local vendors. Kids tumble on lawns, race zucchini cars and exhaust themselves in jumpy castles. Adults go for tacos and pulled pork sandwiches, washing them down with beer or wine before settling in for an evening concert.

SONOMA Valley of the Moon Certified Farmers Market Tuesdays, 5:30 p.m.-dusk May 3-Oct. 25 Sonoma Plaza 707-694-3611, vomcfm.com (Photogrpahy by Christopher Chung) — SONOMA: Valley of the Moon Certified Farmers Market, Tuesdays, 5:30 p.m.-dusk May 3-Oct. 25, Sonoma Plaza.

Take Tuesdays, for example. The Valley of the Moon Certified Farmers Market kicks off its festival run on May 3 on the Sonoma Plaza, with Oak Hill Farm, Paul’s Produce and The Patch among the local produce sellers. Food stands dish out delectable treats, from grilled oysters and crepes to meatballs and barbecued tri-tip. Entertainment features musicians from throughout the Bay Area, and there are tons of activities or kids.

HEALDSBURG Tuesdays in the Plaza 6-8 p.m. May 31-Aug. 30 Healdsburg Plaza, 707-431-3317, ci.healdsburg.ca.us/335/Summerconcert- series — HEALDSBURG: Tuesdays in the Plaza, 6-8 p.m. May 31-Aug. 30, Healdsburg Plaza.

Healdsburg’s Tuesdays in the Plaza — so popular that locals arrive in the afternoon to stake their place with blankets and lawn chairs — centers on live music under the restored gazebo. Food purveyors lank the gazebo, though many attendees bring their own feasts, complete with tablecloths, dinnerware and wine stemware. Spontaneous play erupts or kids.

PETALUMA Wednesday Evening Market, 4:30-8 p.m. June 1-Aug. 31, 140 Second St., Petaluma, 707-762-0344, visitpetaluma.com — PETALUMA: Wednesday Evening Market, 4:30-8 p.m. June 1-Aug. 31, 140 Second St., Petaluma.

Wednesday’s child may be full of woe, yet the day brings two energetic downtown markets: the Wednesday Evening Market in Petaluma and the Wednesday Night Market in Santa Rosa.

In Petaluma, follow your nose to the Theatre District market, where Twin Dogs Farm roasts fragrant fresh peppers. There are some 15 produce vendors, but it’s the food trucks — Cousin’s Maine Lobster, Trader Jim’s Pineapple Floats and TIPS Tri-Trip among them — that entice locals, many heading to the movies. Kids love the jumpy house, pony rides, a crafts booth and ace painting. There’s live music, too.

SANTA ROSA Wednesday Night Market 5-8:30 p.m. May 4-Aug. 17, Downtown Santa Rosa 707-524-2123, wednesdaynightmarket.org — SANTA ROSA: Wednesday Night Market, 5-8:30 p.m. May 4-Aug. 17, Downtown Santa Rosa.

Santa Rosa’s Wednesday Night Market, in its 28th year, also has something or everyone. Stages host live music, and booths oer everything from pet adoptions to news about local nonprofits and political organizations. Vendors sell fresh produce and lowers, tacos, sushi, pasta, ice cream and more, plus there’s even a wine garden.

“The Wednesday Night Market makes great family memories,” said Santa Rosa nurse Julieta Leal Weiss, echoing a sentiment shared by many who attend these weekly festivals.

“It brings back times of carrying my son in his Baby Bjorn, dancing to live music, eating Thai food and turkey on a stick, and running into long-lost friends. Now that my son is a senior in high school and my daughter a junior, they attend the market with their friends.

The Barlow Street Fair, (Alvin Jornada / The Press Democrat) — SEBASTOPOL: The Barlow Street Fair, 6780 Depot St, Sebastopol.

The Barlow in Sebastopol hosts a fair that attracts more than 500 visitors each week. Barlow tenants, including winery tasting rooms, stay open or the evening, and entertainment includes musicians, jugglers and stilt walkers. A kids’ area, food and beverage, plus art and crafts vendors complete the event.

CLOVERDALE: Friday Night Live at the Plaza, Downtown Cloverdale, from June 3 through September 2, 2016.(John Burgess / The Press Democrat) — CLOVERDALE: Friday Night Live at the Plaza, from 6 p.m., June 3 – Sept. 2, Downtown Cloverdale.

Fridays belong to Cloverdale, when Friday Night Live takes over downtown with a farmers market, activities or kids, music, and restaurants such as Piacere and World Famous Hamburger & Pasta Ranch selling food and drink.

Off The Grid Food Truck Fleet Heads to Santa Rosa

May 2016

By biteclub

Off the Grid comes to Santa Rosa with food trucks, food tents and other mobile gourmet food purveyors (courtesy photo)

Circle the wagons, the food trucks are coming!

SF’s wildly-popular Off the Grid street food round up — a conglomeration of food trucks, food tents, drink vendors and live music — is coming to Santa Rosa’s Coddingtown Mall beginning Sunday, May 22 and every Sunday thereafter from 11a.m. to 3p.m.

After successful OTG expansions throughout the Bay Area, the network of mobile food purveyors heads northward to Sonoma County, where we’ll have (at least to begin with) a rotating lineup of at least nine food trucks including Sonoma County’s own Q Craft BBQ, Caribbean Spices Haitian and Caribbean Cuisine and several others yet to be announced. You can see a full list of OTG trucks, carts and vendors in the Bay Area here.

Having been to events in Fort Mason, Marin and the Presidio, they’re fun, family-friendly get-togethers with great food and great music enclosed in a temporary square made by the parked food trucks. OTG operates more than 45 weekly public markets throughout the Bay Area, with the idea of bringing communities together through shared food experiences.

Bring some cash and a sense of adventure, as tables, napkins, forks and seats can sometimes be hard to come by. But that’s the fun of being off the grid, right?

Off the Grid joins the forthcoming Petaluma Block (another food truck and beer garden concept coming in August) in creating open spaces for food trucks and other mobile food vendors in Sonoma County. It’s welcome news after several years of struggles by local food trucks to find a foothold in Sonoma County after vocal brick and mortar restaurants and permitting issues created serious roadblocks for these entrepreneurial ventures.

More details coming soon, as the lineup of vendors is finalized.

Off the Grid Food Trucks in Santa Rosa: Sunday afternoons, beginning May 22, 2016 from 11a.m. to 3p.m. at the corner of Guerneville Road and Cleveland Avenue in Santa Rosa.

#santarosafoodtruck

Curious about Sonoma County’s current lineup of mobile food purveyors vending at farm markets and elsewhere? Here’s a (mostly complete) list…
Tuck Box Indian
Trader Jim’s
Guy and His Grill
El Roy’s
Croques and Toques
Fork
Tri Tip Trolley (now with two trolleys)
Got Balls
Drifter Pizza Company
Drumbs and Crumbs
Red Horse Pizza
Ultra Crepes
Palooza Gastropub
Foodie Farmhouse
Cochon Volant
Gerard’s Paella
Coming Soon
Fig Rig

Retired
Street Eatz
Awful Falafel
Seed On The Go

Trucks I’ve Heard About, But Can’t Confirm
Eatin Street

Napa Trucks
Cousins Maine Lobster

Your Guide to Sonoma Style: Summertime Finds

May 2016

By Amy Schaus

Whether it’s outdoor entertaining, a graduation celebration or finding the perfect gift, locals and visitors can always find something special when they shop in Sonoma. With warmer temperatures and clear skies, these finds from Amy Schaus are sure to bring sunny smiles.

Search the Skies

Grab these aviator sunglasses and step out in style. With 100 percent UVA/UVB protection, they shield eyes from damage and look summertime chic. Featuring two-tone rims, these Acoma glasses by Brighton are a great mixed-metal look, perfect for the bohemian Sonoma gal.

$115, The Classic Duck, Montgomery Village, 2400 Sonoma Ave., Santa Rosa, 707-575-0755, theclassicduck.com

Balloon for a Room

Look to the summer skies in Sonoma and you’re bound to spot a hot-air balloon. Capture that magic year-round with this artistic rendition for the home. Designed to hang from the ceiling, these sculptures are available in two sizes and in colors of red, blue, green, yellow and rainbow. They make a big impact when grouped in multiples.

$45-$85, The Candlestick, 38 W. Spain St., Sonoma, 707-933-0700, thecandlestick.com

Not a Flock of Seagulls

Created by Finnish designer Oiva Toikka, these glass birds are treasured by art collectors throughout the world. Individually mouth-blown, these iittala birds have taken flight with many who eagerly anticipate the release of a new design each year.

$326-$655, The Passdoor, The Barlow, 6780 McKinley St., No. 150, Sebastopol, 707-634-0015, thepassdoor.net

Best Night Ever

Share the magic of live performance with a gift certificate to one of Transcendence Theatre Co.’s award-winning “Broadway Under The Stars” concerts this summer. Featuring accomplished Broadway and Hollywood performers in the majestic open-air winery ruins at Glen Ellen’s Jack London State Historic Park, the 2016 season runs from June 17 to Sept. 11.

$274 VIP Experience gift certificate (two VIP tickets), $45 general admission, 877-424-1414, bestnightever.org

Fired Up

Summer in Sonoma is the perfect time for alfresco dining. Impress guests by firing up the Alfa Forno Ciao wood-fire pizza oven. This compact, easy-to-use oven will get you cooking in minutes. The Italian beauty can also cook roasts and bake bread and cake.

$1,699, Outdora, 128 W. Napa St., Sonoma, 707-833-5300, outdora.com

Form Plus Function

Inspired by the patterns found in Mexican Talavera pottery, these bowls are stylish and practical. Made of melamine composed of 30 percent bamboo fiber, this four-piece set is durable and shatterproof — a bonus for outdoor entertaining.

$59.95, Williams-Sonoma, 605 Broadway, Sonoma, 707-939-8974, williams-sonoma.com

Quench the Thirst

The Yeti Tundra 45 is a heavy-duty cooler that is nearly indestructible. It holds 26 beverage cans and 35 pounds of ice, and its easy portability means it can be taken to the river, coast or campground. Attach it to a truck bed and your drinks will remain cold and secure wherever you go.

$349.99, Garrett Ace Hardware, 1340 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg, 707-433-5593; 10540 Old Redwood Highway, Windsor, 707-433-6590, garretthardware.com

Rancho Gordo Beans

Located in Napa, Rancho Gordo grows and sources a vast variety of heirloom beans. Farmed in small batches, these beans have distinctive flavors not found in grocery store legumes. “Supper at Rancho Gordo” features more than 50 recipes, including an Italian white bean tuna salad. Want to cook at home? You can order beans online directly from Rancho Gordo or check the website for local purveyors.

Cookbook, $24.95. Most heirloom beans are $5.95 a pound at ranchogordo.com

Dynamic Duo

These sweet critter charms make a lovely gift for any mother-daughter duo. Designed by Oakland artist Mark Poulin, the sterling-silver necklace sets are available in squirrels, foxes, whales, owls and whimsical combinations such as angel dogs and rocket cats.

$65, B Street Mercantile, 316 B. St., Petaluma, 707-766-6800, bstreetmercantile.com, markpoulin.com

Cuff ’Em

Cufflinks are making a comeback. For the dapper dude and fashionista gal, these links instantly take attire up a notch. Available in a variety of fun styles inspired by pop culture, sports teams and politics, they are conversation starters to say the least. Tie bars are also available in similar designs.

$34-$125, Rete California, 114 Matheson St., Healdsburg, 707-431-4200, retecalifornia.com

Summertime LBD

With cross-back straps and a sleek V-neck, this fit and flare dress in stretch ponte knit is guaranteed to flatter figures of any size. Available all year in black, the seasonal kelly green shade will pop at garden parties and summer events. Made in the U.S., the A-line skirt has pockets, a welcome bonus.

$119, Mad Mod Shop, The Barlow, 6780 McKinley St., No. 140, Sebastopol, 707-329-6113, madmodshop.com

What’s on Tap?

Have fun crafting your own flavorful concoctions at home with the Mason Tap Kit from Brooklyn, N.Y., design studio W & P. With three glass Mason jars and a stainless-steel pour spout, the kit provides everything you need to make your own infused oils, spirits and waters.

$35, B Street Mercantile, 316 B. St., Petaluma, 707-766-6800, bstreetmercantile.com

A Scrap Metal Saga: The Automotive Machinist Who Became an Artist

May 2016

By Amy Schaus

4/1/2012: T4: PC: Metal artist James Selby welds a new light bar on top of his tow truck in his Santa Rosa studio.

When do used auto parts become art? When they’re in the hands of James Selby.

Selby spent 35 years as an automotive machinist before turning artist, opening a studio in Santa Rosa to create sculptures from scrap metal. At 50, his fascination with old metal gears and parts led him to take a beginning welding course at Santa Rosa Junior College, where he discovered how to use his love of art and metal through sculpture.

Using a piece of soapstone, Selby begins by sketching an idea onto his “chalkboard,” a 4-by-8-foot metal table. He then lays coils, gears and other metal scraps onto the design and welds them into whimsical pieces that resemble people and animals. Ninety-nine percent of his metal is donated by friends and strangers.

In 2002, he first took his works to the Windsor Certified Farmers Market, selling everything in two weeks. He went on to a juried fine-arts show, winning first place. Now 63, Selby is a full-time artist, welding more than 50 sculptures a year and selling them or $150 to $3,500. Many pieces are donated to local nonprofits.

Selby’s public sculptures can be seen in Windsor at the Community Development office and at Fire Station No. 1, and in Santa Rosa at the Woodenhead Vintners tasting room, Worth Our Weight culinary program and Steele Lane Elementary School.

Selby Scrap Metal Design is open by appointment. Selby also offers metal-design workshops there, where participants design their own sculpture and leave with a finished piece ($250 or a half day, $500 or a full day).

“I hope my work inspires others to be creative,” he said. “My greatest joy comes from my workshops, where participants discover the artist in themselves.”

47 Foley St., Santa Rosa, 707-484-1598, selbydesign.com.

James Selby. (Photography by John Burgess)

Sonoma Magazine Wins Prestigious Maggie Awards

May 2016

By Sonoma Magazine Staff

Sonoma Magazine won two top awards on Friday, May 6 at the Annual Maggie Awards Banquet, the most prestigious publishing event in the West.

Competing with print and digital magazines from 24 states, Sonoma Magazine was awarded a Maggie for “best regional and state magazine. ” The winning issue, Welcome to Beer Country, included a 30-page showcase of the people and places behind Sonoma County’s booming craft beer business.

Sonoma Magazine President Michael Zivyak receives the Maggie Awards in Los Angeles

Sonoma Magazine also took home the top award in the category of “best interview/profile story” for Up Against the Wall, Phil Barber’s gripping account of the historic Dawn Wall climb last winter by Santa Rosa resident Kevin Jorgeson and climbing partner Tommy Caldwell.

The Maggie Awards are given out by the Western Publishing Association for excellence in magazine journalism in more than 100 different categories. Over 300 leading publishing professionals were in attendance at this year’s Maggie Awards ceremony in Los Angeles, which covered work published in print and online in 2015.

Ooh La Loft: Twin Petalumans with Passion for Fashion

May 2016

By Nicole Santos

Cristina Wilson Hudin, left, and Michelle Wilson Bien twin sisters and native Petalumans founded Ooh La Loft, a Petaluma-based clothing store (Scott Mancheters / Argus-Courier Staff)

Twin Petaluma natives Cristina Wilson Hudlin and Michelle Wilson Bien are both business minded, and they’ve been scheming up new ventures together since age 8, when they created a tea shop in their parent’s barn.

After their inaugural business, Bien and Hudlin launched an eBay store in their teens, but the twin’s first real break came when they bought a coffee cart at a garage sale. At 21, they both knew they wanted to start a business, and recognized that coffee was “very lucrative and profitable,” Hudlin said.

They found a location at Sonoma State University where they trained themselves and tested drinks out on friends and relatives, working to build a customer base while attending college. The business, dubbed “Double Shot Espresso,” grew to two locations, and the sisters also worked at events such as Relay for Life and Movies in the Park.

“We would get up at 4 a.m. to open and sometimes have school until 10 p.m.,” Bien said. “Let’s just say we didn’t get much sleep. Luckily we had coffee to keep us going.”

The venture became successful enough to help them pay for their tuition, and to pave the way for the opening of the clothing store “Ooh La Loft” in 2008, which allowed the Sonoma State University graduates to meld their love of fashion and business.

“My sister and I would collect clothing from thrift stores and flea markets,” Hudlin said. “We each had a clothing rack in our bedroom and we just kept adding pieces until we had enough to open a small space.”

Bien and Hudlin were 25 when they opened the boutique in the heart of downtown Petaluma in the 400-square-foot loft of a home and garden store. In 2009, they moved to their current location, where they offered new and used clothing as well as a vast array of accessories and home décor, with a mix of beachy, bohemian and trendy options. The thriving clothing store since has expanded to a second location in Santa Rosa in 2013, and was named the best boutique in the Petaluma People’s Choice Awards the same year.

Ooh La Loft was awarded "Best Boutique" at the 2013 Petaluma People's Choice Awards in 2013. — Ooh La Loft was named “Best Boutique” at the 2013 Petaluma People’s Choice Awards.

The now 33-year-olds enjoy working together because they can throw ideas back and forth and capitalize on each other’s unique strengths. Bien runs the Petaluma location and Hudlin runs the store in Santa Rosa, however they do all the buying together. About five times a year, they travel to Los Angeles to buy clothing and also go to shows in San Francisco, New York and Las Vegas to find clothes that fit the needs of the women that shop at their stores.

“Our customer is any woman who enjoys style and wants to look fashionable and feel good about herself,” Hudlin said. “We have everything from a going out dress to a basic skinny jean.”

In keeping with the tradition of doing things together, the twin sisters had baby girls six weeks apart from each other, and since then, life has taken the two Petaluma residents in a new direction.

“It’s been an interesting change going on our buying trips with our babies,” Bien said. “We now juggle the task of being new moms as well as business women and this is a new exciting chapter.”

In addition to acting as the owners of Ooh La Loft, the twins have their hands in every aspect of their business, from website building to social media to photo shoots and styling. The sisters, who are both trained wardrobe stylists, also design some of the clothing in the stores.

Ruthie Brown checks out the clothing and accessories at Ooh La Loft that opened at Santa Rosa Plaza in March 2013. (Crista Jeremiason / The Press Democrat)

The twins want to inspire young people to follow their dreams, so they developed an internship program for high school and college students, which was launched the second year after they opened their boutique.

“We find out what the student is passionate about and we try to let them intern in that field of the business,” Bien said of the typically month-long internships. “It is a great learning opportunity for them as well as us.”

Bien and Hudlin said they love their hometown community and want to give back as much as they can. They’ve worked with high school groups including the Casa Grande High School Fashion Club, and the St. Vincent Fashion Show in addition to organizing special events and fundraisers for the community.

Bien said they’ve encountered challenges, including navigating through difficult economic years, but the twins agree that their job is extremely rewarding and they’re constantly growing, adapting and looking forward to what the future has in store.

The sisters plan to expand into a lifestyle brand, open more stores, focus on their online presence, design more clothing and “be the next Free People,” Hudlin said.

“Nothing feels better then walking through town and seeing women wearing our clothing and carrying our bags,” Bien said. “This is our dream come true. It is amazing making a living doing what we love.”