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.
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.
Chefs have become the secret weapon at Sonoma wineries trying to woo your tastebuds, not simply with a bite of bread or a dull plate of cheese and crackers, but with Michelin star-worthy dishes.
In Sonoma County, more and more wineries are offering these intimate white tablecloth experiences that feel more like dining and less like swigging a glass of wine at a crowded bar.St. Francis Winery was named “Best Restaurant in America” not once, but twice by OpenTable.com readers because of its luxurious food and wine pairing experience, although it is far from alone in creating memorable Wine Country meals.
Somewhere between art and science, these winery chefs are making it their mission to create love connections from glass to plate. More than merely trotting out whites with chicken and reds with meat, these are carefully-designed matches that complement (or sometimes contrast) the fruit, acid and tannins of everything from Gewurztraminer to Petit Sirah.
So skip the water crackers and spit buckets and gear up for multi-course lineups of scallops with fire-roasted cauliflower, a Spanish tapas plate of garlic prawns, or smoked salmon bruschetta with Meyer lemons and micro greens created precisely for the wine they’re paired with. Now that’s a tasting we can get behind.
This isn’t, however, just for the one-percenters. Many are surprisingly affordable (and even a steal) for this kind of uptown activity, especially if you’re a wine club member (they’re trying to get you to buy wine, after all). Whether you walk away with a case or just a tasty experience, keep in mind that these usually aren’t full meals, but small one or two bite tastes, so you won’t walk away stuffed, but you will walk away satisfied.
Here are some of our top picks.
Three Sticks at the Adobe, Chef Armando Navarro of El Dorado Kitchen: This is one of those “only in Wine Country” experiences that includes a cult winemaker, a 170-year old adobe re-imagined by one of the West Coast’s hottest designers, and luxurious bites from a chef with a swoon-worthy resume. Three Sticks Winery, lead by former Williams Selyem winemaker Bob Cabral hosts reservation-only tasting in the historic Vallejo-Castaneda Adobe in Sonoma with seasonal dishes from nearby El Dorado Kitchen including scallops with fire-roasted cauliflower (chardonnay), roasted beets with horseradish fennel (pinot noir) and beef short ribs with peas and leeks (pinot noir). $85 small bites pairing, $200 private luncheon, offered Monday through Saturday for groups of two to eight by reservation only. 143 West Spain St., Sonoma, threestickswines.com 996-3328.
Mayo Family Winery Reserve Tasting Room features a 7-course wine pairing adventure perfect for Valentines. (Heather Irwin)
Mayo Family Winery Reserve Room, Chef Sam Frumkin: Discussing the theory of wine pairing can be about as interesting as a root canal. So let’s not. Instead, let’s talk about a saucy little chicken tostada. Its rich mole sauce comes from an old family recipe with a laundry list of ingredients that include earthy chiles, dark spices and a hint of chocolate. Cue salivation. You gotta wash it down with something, so why not a bold and brassy Petite Sirah? Sip. Bite. Sip. If the two come together in harmony, it’s cha-cha time for your tastebuds. If not, well, you’re still gonna be eating and drinking, so it’s not all bad.
For Frumkin, however, making that mole really showcase a particular wine isn’t an accident, but a quest. The mole, he said, took dozens of tries to get just right for the wine. I couldn’t be too overpowering, nor too subtle, but had to be just right. So, when Frumkin serves up this little bite, along with several others, including a pierogi with chardonnay, short ribs and corn bread with old vine zinfandel and mango panna cotta with off-dry gewurztraminer. The menu changes up seasonally, but Frumkin’s enthusiasm and creativity are a constant. $40, appointments strongly recommended at mayofamilywinery.com/reserve-room. 9200 Sonoma Hwy., Kenwood, 833-5504.
Lynmar Estate, Chef David Frakes: This veteran chef (Gary Danko, Applewood Inn, Beringer Winery) has a pretty simple theory about great pairings: Salt, sugar and acid. Rather than trying to mimic the flavors of the wine to food, he adapts the food—more salt, more sugar, more acid—to really make the wine pop. “It should be exactly what the winemaker intended in the bottle,” he said. That, and practice. “I have 30 years of practicing this,” he said, “and my batting average is pretty good.”
Lynmar currently has a bar menu that includes popcorn with white truffle oil, gourmet cheese plate, charcuterie selection and summer picnic pairings with estate vegetable salad, fruits and wraps. For the last several months, Frakes has been working toward a more elaborate food and wine experience launching in April. Working with the winery gardens, the dishes will be based on the week’s harvest and will last several hours. “It’s about elevating our food to match our wines,” he said. Bar menu available daily, $5-$30. 3909 Frei Road, Sebastopol, 829-3374, lynmarestate.com.
Michel-Schlumberger, Chef John Langhals: The sit-down tasting at this Dry Creek winery has been around for years, but new chef John Langhals, is looking to take it to the next level. His current menu includes curried cauliflower soup with cardamom cream (paired with chardonnay), a beef slider with mushrooms, cheddar and “secret sauce” (with syrah) and caramelized Brussels sprouts with bacon, blue cheese and sage brown butter (with cab). It’s one of the most beautiful spots in Sonoma to spend a few hours, which is saying a lot. The seasonal menu changes monthly, so expect dishes perfectly timed with what’s available. $55, five courses, from 11am to 3p.m. Thursday through Monday, on the hour. Reservations required, 4155 Wine Creek Road, Healdsburg, 433-7427, michelschlumberger.com.
Jordan Winery, Chef Todd Knoll: Food doesn’t take a back seat to wine at this fun-loving yet elegant winery. Chef Knoll has free reign over an extensive estate garden and wines that allow for some creative exploration. Before he hits the kitchen, Knoll illustrates each dish by hand, with his many drawings overflowing from a sketchbook. Chardonnay might be paired with crab and canelli bean salad with citrus vinaigrette and caviar, while a heartier cabernet is served with veal, farro and black truffle vinaigrette. Tastings can include tours of the garden and estate, and range from $40 to $120. Reservations required, 1474 Alexander Valley Road, Healdsburg, 431-5250, jordanwinery.com.
Grilled Snake River Bavette Steak with Honey Lavender Carrots, Spinich Puree, Onion Powder, Onion-Butter Foam paired with St. Francis 2012 Red Wine, Rockpile Red, Sonoma County. Photo: Heather Irwin.
St. Francis Winery, Chef Bryan Jones: You can’t talk about food and wine pairings without mentioning St. Francis, which was named “The Best Restaurant in America” by OpenTable.com in 2013 and 2015 for a reason. It’s a stellar sit-down experience that’s still one of the best values at $68 per person. The current menu includes a pan-seared day boat scallop with sunchokes and lemon puree, cocoa tortelli with heirloom beans, braised short ribs with chestnut spatzle and chocolate marquise with blue cheese panna cotta. The wines ain’t bad either. Seatings Thursday through Monday, reservations required. 100 Pythian Road, Santa Rosa, 538-9463, stfranciswinery.com.
J Vineyard and Winery’s Bubble Room, Chef Erik Johnson: Food loves bubbles, especially when it comes to desserts and cheeses. Chef Erik Johnson has free-reign over some of Sonoma County’s best bubbles and pinot noirs to find just the right seasonal dishes to bring out their best qualities. We love his love-themed menu that includes oysters, black trumpet mushroom tagliolini with uni, capon and black truffle roulade with champagne Hollandaise and two sweet courses (natch) including a brie profiterole with huckleberry and candy cap mushroom creme brulee. Seatings Thursday through Sunday at 11, 12, 2 and 3pm. Reservations strong suggested, $95, 11447 Old Redwood Highway, Healdsburg, 431-5430, jwine.com.
Missing one of your favorites? Check out more great chef-driving wine and food pairings at Sonoma County wineries online at biteclubeats.com/wine-pairing.
Flipside Burgers and Wings is dead. Long live Bibi’s Burger Bar!
The downtown Santa Rosa burger spot formerly owned by restaurateur Nino Rabbaa was purchased by Sonu Chandi, of Stout Brothers in late 2015 and as of Feb. 21, 2016 served its last burger. Until March 2, when it re-opens as Bibi’s Burger Bar (630 Third St., Santa Rosa).
Here’s why we’re especially excited: Top local chefs Ben Davies (Petite Syrah, Spoonbar, Mirepoix) and Bruce Frieseke (Applewood, Bella Vineyards) are behind the opening menu, which means (hopefully) we’re in for the chef-driven burger experience downtown has long needed. Long. Needed.
Frieske is also the opening chef for Chandi’s other new soon-to-launch downtown restaurant venture, Craft 535 Kitchen + Bar in the former Caffe Portofino on Fourth St.
The burger restaurant lcoation, next to Third Street Aleworks, has always been a night-time hotspot, if for no other reason than its proximity to downtown entertainment and full bar. If the food could live up to the prime real estate, there’s little doubt it will be a knock-out.
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.
