This time of year is a conundrum. We have one muddy shoe in the rainy season, while the other is tap dancing under sun-kissed skies. We don’t dare leave our jackets in the hall closet … or do we? Our palates are just as confused but, in the end, can’t resist the urge to chase the wilds of spring whites. Here are five picks that include chardonnay, gewürztraminer, riesling and sauvignon blanc.
The Splurge:
Scribe, 2013 Carneros Chardonnay, 12.5% alcohol, $38. This is a yin yang chardonnay at its best. On one hand, it’s austere with crisp mineral notes and lean fruit. On the other, it’s rich, with lush texture and lingering finish. Things are often a contradiction in terms. This chardonnay proves it beautifully. It’s knockout.
$25 and Under White Wonders:
Clif Family, 2014 Dry Gewürztraminer, 13.9%, $25. What a melding of flavors. It all begins with aromas of honeysuckle, then moves on to peach, grapefruit and spice on the palate. Crisp finish. Just lovely.
Castello di Amorosa, 2014 Ferrington Vineyard, Anderson Valley Gewurztraminer, 14.5 percent, $25. This gewürztraminer is vibrant, with great minerality. Layered with notes of grapefruit, lemon zest and herbs. Refreshingly dry.
Kung Fu Girl, 2014 Evergreen, Columbia Valley, Washington Riesling, 12 percent, $12.
This wine has an incredible range. Aromas and flavors of bright apricot, mango and mineral. Crisp acidity. Nice length. It’s a steal.
Angeline, 2014 Russian River Valley Sauvignon Blanc, 13.8 percent alcohol, $15. This sauvignon blanc is racy; it has crisp acidity and tangy fruit, aromas and flavors of lime, mango and kiwi. It’s balanced, bright, lively and clean. This sauvignon blanc is striking, a smart buy, particularly at this price point.
Sonoma’s Tri Tip Trolley at BottleRock Napa Valley in 2014.
Music festival band lineups? Meh. We’re waiting for the chef lineups to be announced, Napa’s 2016 BottleRock team has finally served up details on the food rock stars waiting to feed us this summer. The annual music festival in Napa is a coming together of food, wine, art and of course, music.
The mostly-Napa lineup mixes up high-end, Michelin-starred spots like Redd, Morimoto, Oenotri, and La Toque (a long time attendee) with regional food trucks (Tips Tri-Tip, Drewski’s, Me So Hungry), casual eateries (Eight Noodle Shop, Bouchon Bakery, Bounty Hunter) and walk-up coffee and ice cream stands. In all, there are nearly 50 restaurants announced, and typically a few more get added as the May 27-29, 2016 event gets closer.
Me So Hungry food truck at BottleRock Napa Valley in 2014.
We’ve been every year, and the food just keeps getting more impressive. A few we’re especially excited about this year
– Wanna-E: A Mandalay-style food truck featuring the region’s mash-up cuisine of Chinese, Indian and Thai
– Estate Events by Meadowood: We’re not sure what this will actually turn out to be, but with the name Meadowood, it has to be good!
– Goose and Gander: Mostly because we haven’t been to this St. Helena restaurant yet, and we’re dying to try their food.
– Napa Palisades Saloon: We’re fans of this recent addition to the Valley, and hope they’ll be serving up some of their terrific pub grub.
– Kollar Chocolates: Amazing chocolatier from Napa
– Bacon, Bacon: Because yeah, bacon. This pork-centric food truck is a festival staple.
– The Middle Feast: Middle eastern food truck with a few surprising twists
We’re preparing to start warming up our tastebuds now. More details and tickets online at bottlerocknapavalley.com.
Slicing beef brisket at the Cochon Volant BBQ Smoke House in Sonoma. (John Burgess / The Press Democrat)
The metal flying pig sculpture soaring atop the roof of Cochon Volant BBQ Smokehouse in Sonoma promises pork, as does the name Cochon, which is French for “pig.” And certainly that succulent meat is a hallmark of this friendly little eatery from chef-owner Rob Larman.
If the art piece from Glen Ellen talent Bryan Tedrick looks familiar, that’s no surprise, since Larman got his Cochon start with his food truck of the same name after owning Rob’s Rib Shack and La Poste bistro in Sonoma more than a decade ago. A smaller version of the sculpture did, and still does, decorate the top of his mobile fire-breathing trailer, which is now parked in the back of the restaurant on Highway 12 at the edge of Boyes Hot Springs.
For the past seven years, Cochon Volant BBQ has been a catering operation and an adjunct to the upscale Rob Larman Private Chef business. But this pig has powerful wings, and now Larman says Cochon has totally eclipsed Private Chef. That could be because of the pulled pork shoulder, which is moist and boasts satisfying chew and generous portions in its plain, slightly crusty bun ($10, including one side). It’s a very good sandwich, especially drenched in Carolina sauce, a thick, whole mustard seed and coarse ground coriander recipe the chef created just last year to please spicier taste buds without blasting us with burn. The sauce doesn’t sport the vinegar kick of a traditional recipe, which is why Larman calls it “Sonoma style,” but it’s certainly delicious.
Locals will remember Cochon’s stucco, metal-roof capped building as the former Hot Box Grill, but all vestiges of that fine dining enterprise are gone now, except for some elegant interior wood trim. We order at the counter, then park ourselves at polished wood tables with bright red stackable chairs, sipping crisp lemonade kissed with lavender ($3.50) and grooving to the piped-in blues music.
This is a fun touch, too. You’ll see pink butcher paper as your tray and plate liners, and if you look into the open kitchen, you’ll see the same pink stuff. That’s because Larman wraps meats in the paper after cooking, since it allows the barbecue to breath while preserving moisture until it’s sliced to order.
When the food arrives, the meat is smoky (but not too smoky, thank you), nuanced with almond wood and marbled with the fuchsia ring that smoke imparts. It’s quality protein, too, particularly the beef short ribs ($26 a pound; all meats available by the ounce) and 14-hour brisket ($22). They aren’t identified on the menu, but my counter server told me they are Creekstone Farms prime Black Angus cuts from Kansas, or Painted Hills grass-fed from Oregon.
The meat was a bit dry in parts on one visit, but perfect on another, and both times full flavored. The ribs are particularly nicely done, with a great crusty edge and beefiness that sings under splashes of the signature Sonoma sauce that’s slightly sweet, medium spicy from pasilla negro chiles, and a touch smoky from chipotles. Just plan ahead: These beauties are served on weekends only.
You can get the baby back pork ribs ($18) anytime, and they’re fine if fatty; the acids in the Sonoma sauce help here. Salty chicken breast ($17) is ordinary, but I’m happy with the catfish sandwich, a big fillet fried in orange-colored achiote batter to a crispy crust, served on a pillowy bun smoothed with chunky remoulade, shredded iceberg and sides of sweet-tangy pickles and pickled onion ($12).
Anyone who remembers Rob’s Rib Shack will recognize sides of “killer” fries ($4) and terrific mashed potatoes ($3) spiked with plenty of garlic. Spice fans will appreciate the fries, as the skinny spud sticks are showered in such a kitchen cabinet full of seasonings that there’s really just potato texture, not taste. Golden crusted skillet corn bread ($3) is more my speed, clean and cake-y, rich with butter and perfect for sopping up sauce.
Barbecue goes with beer, and four local brews are on tap, including Sonoma Springs Uncle Jack’s Kolsch, and HenHouse Saison of Petaluma (all $6 pint). In a nod to vintner neighbors, there’s wine, too, like Buena Vista Carneros Chardonnay ($7/$28), though I quickly caught on to the zero corkage fee and lugged in my own bottle the second time around.
For the little hiccups here and there, it’s impossible to not really like this little ‘cue joint.
Larman himself is usually behind the counter and is so hands-on that one recent week he was out of town, so simply shuttered the restaurant.
His wife, Lizzy Larman, works here, too, and is dangerous with her addictive homemade cookies. They’re pricey at $5 each but are huge, and the chocolate chip model could nearly be a crunchy-capped cake, overloaded with chips melting into gooey goodness.
Quinua Cocina Peruana, a new Peruvian restaurant in Petaluma has opened.
We went for a quick scouting trip this week to check out the menu (slightly unfair after being served a home-cooked Peruvian meal by local chef-instructor Olenka Orjeda this week) but ended up being very impressed.
Though Olenka’s warning of “no red peppers on real Peruvian ceviche” rang in my mind (there were red peppers on the ceviche), the mixed seafood ceviche at Quinua was a nice balance of pucker and brine with mussels, shrimp, white fish and squid.
Quinua Cocina Peruana has opened in Petaluma.
We’ll be heading back with Olenka in tow soon, but meanwhile, the restaurant is open for lunch and dinner Tuesday-Thursday from 11:30a.m. to 3p.m. and 5-9p.m., on Friday and Saturday, dinner runs until 10p.m., and on Sat/Sun, the restaurant stays open all day, starting at 11:30a.m..
Tomatina italian restaurant has opened in Santa Rosa’s Montgomery Village
A new casual Italian restaurant, Tomatina, has opened in Santa Rosa’s Montgomery Village after months of remodeling. The location is at the former Sea Thai Bistro(which has moved just around the block, still in Montgomery Village)
Former Tra Vigne chef Rogelio Jacinto (who worked with famed Napa chef Michael Chiarello) is behind the chain of eight Bay Area restaurants.
Tomatina italian restaurant has opened in Santa Rosa’s Montgomery Village
Daily specials and an approachable menu make it family-friendly, though this is far from a pizzeria. Dishes include homemade meatballs and arancini (fried risotto balls filled with cheese), orecchiette carbonara, fettuccine alfredo, salmon piadine (a salad atop a pizza crust), as well as gourmet pizzas and “classic” dishes like spaghetti and chicken parmesan.
2323 Sonoma Ave, Santa Rosa, tomatina.com. Open for dinner, 5-10p.m., lunch service begins March 9.
A collection of gloves from a century ago. Fran Fleet, ‘The Glove Lady,’ has been repairing baseball gloves out of her tiny Cotati shop for over 40 years. (JOHN BURGESS / The Press Democrat)
The smell of leather and wood fills the room, which is not exactly an atmospheric miracle, considering the room is 10 feet by 10 feet with a 10-foot ceiling. Abner Doubleday would approve, for this is what baseball smelled like and looked like 150 years ago. Intimate, basic, without frill, without pretense. Such is the description of the room and also the woman sitting behind the 1910 Singer sewing machine.
Fran Fleet, 74, sat back in her chair and admired her eclectic kingdom. Seventy-five baseball gloves, 11 baseballs and seven softballs hang from three walls, with another 35 gloves stacked in front of the Singer. The 10-foot cube shrinks even further after seeing five catcher’s mitts, three speed bags for boxers, two baseball bats, a leather football helmet, a dusty golf bag with a rusted sand wedge from God-knows-how-long-ago, hanging next to a flattened basketball with the same age characteristic.
Noah’s Athletic Arc just made a house call. This ain’t Dick’s Sporting Goods, folks. Looks so quirky, so eccentric, so outside the box that Fleet felt committed to a response.
Thrusting her arms to the side, parallel to the ground, Fleet threw out a big smile and said with flavor, “I am what I am!” This was just the tip of her quirky iceberg.
So of course there’s a rusted door to a wood-burning stove on the wall. Five doorknobs somehow fit with another piece of rust, an old apple peeler from Graton. This is Fran’s place, the “Sandalady,” it says on her website, when 40 years ago she stopped repairing sandals.
“Birkenstocks came to be popular,” she said. “I told people just go buy another Birkenstock.”
Being a “craftsy person,” Fleet — among the first graduating class of Montgomery High School — needed a challenging outlet for those itchy fingers. Voilà, it was baseball gloves and mitts. So respected she became and so well known for her work, Fleet has been sent gloves from all 50 states and from as far away as Australia. Those 35 gloves on the shelf in front of her, that’s a month’s worth of work.
“Someone will come in and say they need a glove repaired by the afternoon,” Fleet said. “I’ll ask if they have a backup. They’ll ask why. I’ll say, ‘Well, when you get your car repaired, do you get a rental?’ ”
That they get what they pay for, Fleet is also firm about that, too. Savvy at business and aware that discretion is sometimes necessary, Fleet has to keep her tongue in check when common sense is dramatically abused.
“Someone wanted to break in his glove,” Fleet said, “and so he drove a forklift over it.”
That the glove became shredded wheat, Fleet was tempted to give last rites to what was once a ball repository.
“People have put gloves in water to soften them up,” Fleet said. “Why? They have soaked them in motor oil. Huh? I tell people to wear a batting glove or a golf glove, then put on their baseball glove. Helps with odor and makes the glove last longer.
“Here, stick your snoot in here!”
She presented a glove to me for sniffing. I declined.
“Does it smell like dirty underwear?” I asked.
“Not MY dirty underwear!” Fleet said with feigned indignation.
There was a pause. This is code for Fleet preparing to deliver a one-liner.
“I’m sure glad I don’t repair bicycle seats!” she roared.
Fleet doesn’t suffer fools or prolonged periods of silence. By herself for 6-7 hours a day, Fleet needs to keep her brain moving along with those fingers. So she listens to audio books, as many as 10 a month. She is quick with humor as well as honesty, and the combination has served her well. It makes an impression. You don’t meet Fran Fleet and think you’ve seen someone like this before.
A point that will be illustrated by the man who walked into her shop Tuesday.
“Hey, thanks so much, Fran; here’s 20 bucks,” said Greg Smith of Santa Rosa.
Fleet was bewildered. She didn’t know the face.
“You have to be around me for a couple years before I know your name,” she said later. “Now, a glove, a glove I never forget.”
So, please, unknown man, identify yourself.
“You worked on my glove two years ago and you charged me $15,” said Smith, who runs a powder coating shop in Rohnert Park. “I didn’t pay you then and it’s been bugging the crap out of me ever since. So here’s 20 bucks. There, I feel good already.”
Fleet accepted the bill. That’s the loyalty she inspires. You don’t stiff the Sandalady. Around Cotati it’s considered more disgusting than spitting on the sidewalk. So disrespectful. At Friar Tucks, the bar next door, they call her ”The Legend.” To verify that compliment, all one needs to do is take another look at her three walls — a much closer look.
“This is what I’m most proud of,” said Fleet, who has sponsored youth baseball teams for the past 40 years.
Beginning in 2011, players who have had their gloves repaired by Fleet are asked to sign their name on a wall. Joey Gomes, Brandon Paulson, Will Krout, Chad Fillinger, all local legends, have signed. Cole Tomei, who played on Petaluma’s Little League team that finished third at the Little League World Series a few years back, has signed.
How many signatures are on the wall? Too many to count. Hundreds. Thousands. Who knows? Who has the time to count?
“Don’t count them,” Fleet said. “You don’t need to.”
“But I want to,” I said, pretending.
“I don’t care if you care,” Fleet said.
Normally, such a direct, uncompromising comment would curl the toes. Somehow, and this is weird, I grant you, it felt that Fleet was being polite.
“So you live in Cotati?”
“You don’t need to know.”
“I see you have another bucket of balls back there. I want to count them to know how many you have in your shop.”
“No, you don’t.”
“What’s in that cardboard box there?” I said, pointing to a shipment.
“Gloves.”
“Can I open them to count?”
“Nope. Not necessary.”
I never asked why. Didn’t need to. Already had all my answers. Turns out I wasn’t there for the gloves. I was in there for Fran Fleet.
To contact Bob Padecky email him at bobpadecky@gmail.com.
Sonoma Cheese Factory celebrated 85 years in business on Wednesday, Feb. 17, with members of the founding Viviani family present. New decals decorate the windows, saying Sonoma Cheese Factory was started in 1931.
Tom Vella and Celso Viviani used to make cheese together, with Vella’s brother Joseph, at Sonoma Mission Creamery on the southeast corner of First Street East and Spain Street across from Mission San Francisco Solano.
In 1931 a group of local dairymen asked Tom Vella to form his own cheese company, according to the Vella Cheese Co. website. They did just that in the current Vella Cheese stone building. As production grew, he moved it back to the Sonoma Mission Creamery site in 1951, returning again in 1969 to the stone building on Second Street.
Somewhere in there, Celso Viviani and Tom Vella split and Viviani began the Sonoma Cheese Factory, designed by Pero D. Canali and built in 1945. The building remains a period piece of architecture that stands out among the neighboring classic historic adobes.
Locals and visitors used to love to watch the cheesemaking through a window toward the back of the original store. After an alleged listeria scare, cheese production was moved elsewhere and that operation was purchased by another company.
Pete Viviani, with son David Viviani, took over eventually, and now Dave’s sisters operate the store, while the cheese is made elsewhere.
Another company owns the rights to the names Sonoma Creamery, Sonoma Jack, and Mr. Cheetos. Sonoma Cheese Factory could not supply an official history by press time, so I will keep you posted. 2 Spain Street, Sonoma. RSVP to rachel@sonomacheesefactory.com or 933-0470.
Personal stylist Malia Anderson has one message for her clients: you’re awesome just the way you are. And the more awesome you feel the more awesome you will look.
Anderson professionally dresses people. The owner of “Style by Malia,” she helps people find their own personal styles. The 38-year-old image expert helps her clients look their best by “auditing” their closets for what to keep and what to toss and going shopping with them for outfits and accessories that will make them look like a billion bucks at work or play.
She works out of a studio near downtown Santa Rosa, a lively space with pink velvet chairs, a wall of polka dots and lots of Kate Spade accessories. Her high-powered clients include Fourth District Supervisor James Gore and his wife Elizabeth, a Dell executive in charge of entrepreneurial efforts in the U.S. and globally.
Anderson grew up in the rough Bayview-Hunter’s Point neighborhood of San Francisco and earned a certificate in fashion consulting and merchandising from San Francisco City College.
She gives back by serving on the board of the North Bay Black Chamber of Commerce and Legal Aid of Sonoma County, which provides legal services to low-income families and children dealing with issues such as domestic violence and eviction.
She has also served on the board of Soroptimist International of Santa Rosa and The Youth Professionals Network and founded the North Bay Women’s Professional Network.
A plus-sized woman who has learned to love her curves, she also makes herself available as a speaker, talking to women about achieving a positive body image and inspiring minority youth to follow their dreams.
Q: What is the most important quality of a good stylist?
Malia Anderson stylist and founder of Style by Malia at her studio in Santa Rosa. (Alvin Jornada / The Press Democrat)
Listening to what my clients are saying about the challenges they have getting dressed and interpreting that back into real situations. For instance, I have clients who are nurses. Their everyday wardrobe is a uniform. When I go shopping with them I don’t need to buy them work clothing. They live in a uniform all day. They’re having trouble getting dressed outside the uniform. I make sure people get clothes that work for their lifestyle as a whole and not just bits and pieces.
Q: What job best prepared you most for being a stylist?
Working as a plus-size model. There were local shows in San Francisco and the East Bay I would hear about, and I would go and ask if they needed a plus-size model. They would often say they didn’t have a place, but they said they would let me in after I told them I would create my own wardrobe for the show. That was an important part of making my love of fashion and style very solid.
Q: What’s your oddest job and what did you learn from it?
I was a trucking company dispatcher for a number of years right out of high school. I learned how to read a map and back up an 18-wheeler. But because it was a small company and the owner was in the office every day, it really drove in the idea that I would like working for a small company or being an entrepreneur. I like clients knowing who I am and what I’m about. It also helped me in the most random way. When I plan my day, I plan it so I’m going in one direction and not going all over the place. It’s one of those things you learn as a dispatcher.
Q: Who was your most significant mentor?
My grandma and my mom. My grandma was an entrepreneur. She still runs her own business, a day care center. She is an inspiration because she always made it work. She taught me about family. She taught me about a work ethic. She always made it look easy even though we knew she worked hard. She raised seven children of her own and six grandchildren.
Q: You were raised by your grandmother but say you also admire your mother?
My mom growing up was addicted to drugs. But she’s been clean and sober for 14 years, and she is one of my best friends. She’s a home health care worker. Even when she battled her addiction, she worked hard and strove to do everything she could for herself. She never asks for anything to be given to her, and she’s instilled in me the belief that anything worth having is worth working for.
Q: What’s the one most satisfying thing about your work?
When my clients get a promotion or get into a new relationship or their company grows, I feel good knowing I took something off their plate. They didn’t have to worry about getting dressed, and they could concentrate on doing a good job. That inspires me to keep going.
Q: Your idea of the biggest wardrobe disaster?
Bad foundation. Bad bras. They need to be tossed after two years. Bad underwear. It’s going to make your clothing look bad. Men wear underwear that bunches or they don’t wear the right T-shirt to match their collar. Every one of my clients has to have their foundation garments audited.
Q: What’s the Golden Rule of dressing right?
Style is personal. You want to feel amazing. If you feel amazing, you look amazing. Your body is not flawed. There’s nothing wrong with our bodies. We just have to learn to dress them. When people start to accept themselves and accept their bodies the way they are, they thrive.
Q: What fashion disaster makes you cringe?
Pajama pants outside. I don’t think pajama pants belong outside your home. Also, women who wear fitness wear all the time. You should be able to dress for everything that happens in your life. When you’re only wearing fitness gear, you miss some part of your life. There are plenty of other comfortable clothes in the world.
Q: What do men do that makes you cringe?
Pleated pants. They’re the worst. I hate them. They make you look puffy. I generally put most men in flat fronted pants.
Q: What’s your favorite go-to outfit?
Wrap dresses. I wear a lot of them because they’re really comfortable. And because it’s a dress, I only have to put on one thing. I don’t have to make an outfit. I also like they way they fit my body. They accentuate all the right parts I want to show and camouflage the parts I don’t want to show without looking oversized or frumpy.
Q: What’s the craziest thing in your closet?
My 10 sequined skirts. They are all very different. I attend a lot of events. They all serve a purpose. They’re different lengths and different shapes. I wear a lot of sequins out to dinner with my husband or for a night out with the girls. When I get dressed up, I go for a lot more sparkle and shimmer than anything else.
Q: Give us a peek inside your purse?
A Kate Spade wallet, Kate Spade aviator sunglasses, a notebook, a planner, Jo Malone Mimosa & Cardamom Cologne, Altoids, backup phone charger, Splenda, a Tiffany’s pen, 14 lipsticks and a week’s worth of receipts.
Q: Did you ever hate how you look?
Most of my life. For most of my growing up years I thought I was too tall, too dark. I thought I was an ugly kid. I felt that way my entire life and then one day I went, “Wait a minute. Who told me this thing that I just let hang out in my personality?” I just stopped hating my body. There are things I can change, but to me, my biggest flaw all my life was being tall. That was something I couldn’t change. I got over it and learned to embrace it and love it.
Q: What led you to finally love your body?
It happened about a year ago. I saw a picture of myself that I just love and realized that is how other people see me. So why do I stand in front of the mirror and tear that girl down?
Q: What do you tell other women struggling with body image problems?
There is no ideal body. Even the women you look at online or in magazines or on television don’t actually look that way. And they all have their own personal body image issues. You can’t compare your body to somebody else’s.
Q: On your website you post pictures of yourself in your bikini. What’s your secret to rocking a swimsuit?
Malia Anderson stylist and founder of Style by Malia at her studio in Santa Rosa. (Alvin Jornada / The Press Democrat)
It’s getting over the feeling that everybody is looking at me. Most people aren’t paying attention to me at all. If I love the way I look and my husband loves the way I look and I feel comfortable, what does it matter? I love swimming and I love the water and I’m not going to not wear a swimsuit. That’s how I have a good time on vacation. I could either hide in my room or put on my swimsuit and go out in the world and participate.
Q: What celebrity would you love to give a makeover?
All the Kardashians. There’s a way to be sexy without showing everything. So many people look at those types of TV shows and think that’s how people really live, and it’s not. I speak to a lot of high school kids, and they (the Kardashians) set a bad example as to what you’re supposed to go outside looking like.
Q: Where do you shop?
Everywhere. From Target to Neiman Marcus. I love shopping. The place I spend the most money? Sephora and Macy’s.
Q: What’s on your E-Reader?
“Sebring” by Kirstin Ashley, “Enshrine” by Chelle Bliss, “Friction” by Sawyer Bennett and Lauren Blakeley’s “Sweet Sinful Nights.” She’s a Marin County author.
Q: What music is on your iPhone?
Everything from country music to old R&B to funk. I listen to a lot of everything. My favorite song is Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers “Islands in the Stream.” Kenny was my first celebrity crush. This weekend I was listening to a lot of Barry White. I love the music my mom and grandma love. Growing up, the house was always filled with music. It’s how I calm my mind and relax.
Q: What’s your best advice for other women seeking a career in business?
I try to show all women that you can run a company doing something most would find a hobby or leisure activity. If you really focus in on what your dream is and what you want the outcome to be, you can achieve it. I try and make sure people see that I come from a place where dreams are not always easy to see, but if you hold on to them and just try, anything is possible.
You can reach Staff Writer Meg McConahey at meg.mcconahey@pressdemocrat.com or 521-5204. On Twitter @megmcconahey.
Stephanie Holmes, left, Emmett Hanlon and Judy Holmes walk along a trail in Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve, in Guerneville, on Tuesday, August 13, 2013. (Christopher Chung/ The Press Democrat)
From left: Corinne and Dan Kenner of Forestville brought friends Amber Lavaud and Joshua Foster on a hike past the Icicle Tree in Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve on Tuesday. The tree once held numerous “icicle” burls, like the one at right, but poachers stole many others that adorned the tree over the years. (Photo by John Burgess/The Press Democrat)
Wintertime visitors to Armstrong Redwoods State Reserve in Guerneville are as likely to spot colorful galoshes as hiking boots as they trek along the family-friendly trails that wind among the towering redwoods within this majestic state park.
Although several moderate and strenuous trails can challenge more advanced hikers within the 805-acre reserve, families with toddlers in tow can easily master the mostly flat and level Pioneer Trail, with short strolls leading to points of interest along the connecting Discovery Trail and Icicle Tree Trail.A massive ring of redwood trees, the Burbank Circle, is located where the three trails intersect.With filtered sunlight dabbling the shady forest floor, the grove is serene and introspective, an ideal destination as the promise of the new year unfolds.Alice Connor, 2, enjoys the view of the redwoods while riding on her father Michan’s shoulders on a hike with her mother, Heather, at Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve, in Guerneville, on Tuesday, August 13, 2013. (Christopher Chung/ The Press Democrat)
Interpretive signs along the self-guided, disability-accessible trails share the history and highlights of the grove. Dogs, horses and bikes are not permitted along these trails.
Depending which pathways are taken, the Pioneer Trail can cover from 1 to 1.7 miles (ADA accessible), with the longer option extending to the picnic area, a popular spot with grills, tables and restrooms, gigantic trees and seasonal creeks offering a picturesque backdrop to a quick bite or leisurely lunch.
The trails are just a short walk from the park entrance and the nearby visitor center. Marked by moss-covered wooden railings, the trails are wide enough to accommodate the many visitors whose heads often crane to study the towering trees overhead.
Stately coast redwoods – formally Sequoia sempervirens – inspire awe from visitors of all ages, treasures from the primeval redwood forest that once covered much of the area before logging began in the 19th century.
Stephanie Holmes, left, Emmett Hanlon and Judy Holmes walk along a trail in Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve, in Guerneville, on Tuesday, August 13, 2013. (Christopher Chung/ The Press Democrat)
Tanbark oak, California bay laurel and big-leaf maple also dot the reserve, with the forest floor sporting lichens, mosses, sorrel, mushrooms and wildflowers like fairy bells and redwood orchids at various times throughout the year.
The Parson Jones Tree is the first point of interest greeting visitors, just a short stroll from the park entrance. It towers some 310-feet high, the tallest tree in the grove.
It’s among the magnificent trees protected when Col. James Armstrong, a lumberman and Union officer in the Civil War, held the land for a natural park and botanical garden in the 1870s.
A plaque at the Colonel Armstrong Tree named in his honor details his vision to save part of the forest and the campaign his family pursued to protect the land following his death. Purchased for $80,000 by the county in 1917, the state took over the grove in 1934 and opened it for public enjoyment two years later.
Armstrong’s namesake tree is the oldest in the grove, estimated at more than 1,400 years. With a diameter of more than 14 feet, it’s also the largest tree in mass within the reserve. Other redwoods towering nearby seem diminutive in comparison.
An adjacent bench allows visitors to bask in the scenery and ponder the significance of the aged tree and the grove of first-growth coast redwoods.
The tree is located where the Discovery and Icicle Tree trails meet, a half-mile walk from the park entrance.
Both trails connect to the main Pioneer Trial, where two wooden footbridges crossing Fife Creek and a stream near the picnic grounds were bringing particular joy to a family of four school-age children bundled for the cold weather on a recent day and racing repeatedly across the bridges.
Trail map for Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve. (Courtesy of California Department of Parks and Recreation)
Russian River Brewing Company’s Vinnie Cilurzo, with wife Natalie, is a semifinalist for Outstanding Wine, Spirits or Beer Professional in the James Beard Foundation Awards.
Two Sonoma County men were among semifinalists announced Wednesday for the James Beard Foundation’s 2016 restaurant and chef awards. Russian River Brewing Co.’s Vinnie Cilurzo of Santa Rosa and Littorai Wines’ Ted Lemon of Sebastopol were among the 20 making the cut for Outstanding Wine, Spirits or Beer Professional.
About two dozen Bay Area restaurants and chefs were among the restaurant and chef semifinalists, with seven from the North Bay.
The final nominees in the 21 award categories for restaurants and chefs, as well as the nominations for Book, Journalism, Broadcast Media and Restaurant Design awards, will be announced March 14 in San Francisco.
Christopher Kostow, executive chef of The Restaurant at Meadowood in St. Helena, was named a semifinalist for Outstanding Chef, given to working chefs in America whose career has set a national industry standard.
Once again, Napa Valley and Monterey chef Cindy Pawlcyn was named a semifinalist for Outstanding Restaurateur, given to working restaurateurs who set high national standards in operations and entrepreneurship.
Press in St. Helena, owned by Leslie Rudd, was a semifinalist for Outstanding Wine Program.
Along with Cilurzo and Lemon, Miljenko Grigich of Grgich Hills Estate in Rutherford and Steve Matthiasson of Matthiasson Wines in Napa were named semifinalists for Outstanding Wine, Spirits for Beer Professional.
Three San Francisco eateries were semifinalists for Outstanding Restaurant: Acquarello, Foreign Cinema and Restaurant Gary Danko. San Francisco restaurauteur Michael Mina was a semifinalist for Outstanding Restaurateur.
For Best Chef: West, seven Bay Area chefs were named as semifinalists: Matthew Accarrino of SPQR, Dominique Creen of Atelier Creen, Mourad Lahlou of Mourad, Corey Lee of Benu, Melissa Perello of Octavia and Joshua Skenes of Saison, all of San Francisco. James Syhabout of Commis in Oakland also was a semifinalist.
The James Beard Awards Gala will take place May 2 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, when the restaurant, chef and restaurant design awards will be announced. The James Beard Foundation Book, Broadcast and Journalism awards will be announced from New York City on April 26.
For a complete list of semifinalists, go to jamesbeard.org/awards.
