Inspired by his family’s Peruvian culinary traditions, restaurateur Juan Gutierrez will be opening Quinua Cocina Peruana in February. The menus include a lineup of land and sea dishes from tart ceviche and whole roasted fish to lomo saltado (beef and onions with soy sauce), braised lamb shank, andAji de Gallina (chicken breast in a cream sauce with eggs and olives). What’s piqued our interest, however, is a Parijuela, described as an “aphrodisiacal soup from the sea” with crabs, mixed seafood, Pisco, red peppers and tomatoes.
The restaurant is located at the former Sea Thai Bistro space (500 Petaluma Blvd.South, Petaluma, quinuacocinaperuana.com).
Chef Francisco Acosta will man the kitchen. Details on opening soon.
Ready for some fun? Here are all the exciting events happening in or around Sonoma County this week. Over the weekend, enjoy some delicious crab at one of the many crab feeds happening around the county. On Saturday, support young musicians at a benefit concert starring teen bands in Sebastopol. And the Arlene Francis Center presents a festival of music featuring female leads. All this and more is in our list of things to do.
Saturday, Jan. 23 Boys & Girls Club Crab Feed: This Saturday, stuff yourself silly with a delicious crab dinner at the Brooks Road Club in Windsor. The event starts at 5:30 p.m., and proceeds from the $70 tickets benefit the Boys & Girls Club of Central Sonoma County. Find out all the details at bgccsc.org/crab.
Saturday, Jan. 23 The Edge of Winter: The Arlene Francis Center is hosting an all-female front person showcase this Saturday, featuring 5 bands with female leads. The event goes from 7-11 p.m. and will not only include live music, but aerial fabrics, as well. Admission to this all-ages show is $10. Find out more at arlenefranciscenter.org.
Saturday, Jan. 23 Teen Town Youth in Music Benefit Concert: This Saturday, check out what the talented youth in our community are doing at an all-ages benefit concert to support the Teen Town Open-Mic Nights. From 3-10 p.m. at the Sebastopol Community Center, enjoy live performances by young artists and bands, and more. Admission is $10 for adults, $7 for youth 7-18, and free for kids 6 and under. Find out all the details at www.teentowntalent.com.
Sunday, Jan. 24 Winter Moms & Babies Clothing Swap: Unload your stash of unused clothes and accessories, trading them in for some new-to-you duds at this Sunday’s clothing swap geared at young families. This seasonal event is accepting and trading good quality items that include newborn-3T clothing, women’s clothing, small toys, books and more. The trading goes from 1-3 p.m. at the Santa Rosa Birth Center. For more details, visit facebook.com/swapitsonomacounty.
Other upcoming events:
Friday, Jan. 22
Marc-Andre Hamlin: Canadian pianist and composer. 7:30 p.m. Weill Hall, Green Music Center. $35 & up. gmc.sonoma.edu, 866-955-6040.
‘A Steady Rain’: Opens Friday; closes Feb. 6. Left Edge Theatre, Carston Cabaret, Wells Fargo Center. $30-$40. 546-3600, wellsfargocenterarts.org.
‘Astrological Oddities’: New Santa Rosa Junior College Planetarium show opens at 8 p.m. and runs weekends through Feb. 21. No shows Feb. 6-7. $5-$8. 527-4465, santarosa.edu/planetarium.
Ridgway: Bay Area hip-hop & reggae group tops five-band roster. 8 p.m. Phoenix Theater, Petaluma. $8. 762-3565, thephoenixtheater.com.
Yugi Boi: 18 year-old beat prodigy and Bay Area native. Charles the First & Gabriel Francisco open. 9 p.m. HopMonk Tavern, Sebastopol. $8. 829-7300, hopmonk.com
Saturday, Jan. 23
Latin Jazz: Eddie Palmieri Latin Jazz Band, Pete Escovedo Latin Jazz Orchestra. 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Weill Hall, Green Music Center. $40-$70. gmc.sonoma.edu. 866-965-6040.
‘Arrows into Infinity’: Documentary on jazz saxophonist Charles Lloyd. 8 p.m. Saturday. SHED Grange, Healdsburg. $12. healdsburgshed.com.
Sonoma County Philharmonic: Conducted by Norman Gambona, with feature trombonist Bruce Chrisp. 7:30 p.m. Saturday.; 2 p.m. Sunday. Santa Rosa High School auditorium. $10-$15; 18 & under free. socophil.org.
Sunday, Jan. 24
‘Peter and the Wolf’: Santa Rosa Symphony performs Prokofiev’s classic, acted out onstage by the Platypus Theatre. 3 p.m. Sunday. Weill Hall, Green Music Center. $12-$127. gmc.sonoma.edu, 866-955-6040.
Charles Lloyd & Bill Frisell: Live jazz saxophone and guitar concert. First stop in a new tour. 6:30 p.m. Sunday. SHED Grange, Healdsburg. $75. healdsburgshed.com.
Wood Brothers: Brothers Chris and Oliver Wood, plus Jano Rix, play the blues and more. Liz Vice opens at 8:30 p.m. Sunday. Mystic Theatre, Petaluma. $26-$31. 765-2121, mystictheatre.com.
‘Hick in the Hood’: One-man play written and performed by San Francisco film & TV actor Michael Sommers. 3 p.m. Sunday.. Occidental Center for the Arts. $15. 874-9392, occidentalcenterthearts.org.
Monday, Jan. 25
‘It’s Football, Charlie Brown’: Original ‘Peanuts’ comic strips on display daily except Tuesday. Ends July 25. Schulz Museum, Santa Rosa. $5-$10; children 3 and under free. 579-4452, schulzmuseum.org.
Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra: 8 p.m. Wednesday. Wells Fargo Center for the Arts, Santa Rosa. $29-$49. 546-3600, wellsfargocenterarts.org.
Thursday, Jan. 28
‘Between Nature & Technology’: Exhibit features animation, sound, sculpture & photography by Courtney Eagan & David Sullivan. Wendesday through Sunday until March 6. Sonoma Valley Museum of Art, Sonoma. $5; 12 and under free. 939-7862, svma.org.
Friday, Jan. 29
Trio Celeste: Chamber music. 7:30 p.m. Jan. 29. Newman Auditorium, Santa Rosa Junior College. $15-$26. 415-392-4400, cityboxoffice.com.
‘Brighton Beach Memoirs’: Raven Players production of Neil Simon’s comedy opens at 8 p.m. Jan. 29. Closes Feb. 14. Raven Theater, Healdsburg. $10-$25. 433-6335, raventheater.org.
Tommy Thomsen: Western swing musician holds his own public birthday party. 8:30 p.m. Jan. 29. Rossi’s 1906, Sonoma. $10. 343-0044, rossis1906.com.
Saturday, Jan. 30
Sebastopol Guitar Festival: Concerts, talks, demos, displays. Noon-10 p.m. Jan. 30. Sebastopol Community Cultural Center. $28-$45. 823-1511, seb.org.
Mendocino Wine & Crab Festival: No crab yet this season, but the fest goes on, with lots of clams, mussels and shrimp. Cioppino dinner seatings at 4:30, 6 & 8 p.m. Jan. 29 at Pentecost Hall in Fort Bragg. $15-$40. Fest continues noon-3 p.m. Jan. 30 at Big White Tent, Main & Spruce, Fort Bragg. $85. mendocinocoastclinics.org/crab_wine.php.
‘Scottish Folk’: Alan Reid & Rob van Sante. 8 p.m. Jan. 30. Occidental Center for the Arts, Occidental. $20. 874-9392, occidentalcenterforthearts.com
Beso Negro: Gypsy Swing, plus Junk Parlor, DJ Malarkey. 8 p.m. Jan. 30. HopMonk Tavern, Sebastopol. $12-$15. 829-7300, hopmonk.com.
Feast of the Olive: 19 chefs, five courses and three menus. 6-10 p.m. Jan. 30. Ramekinds , Sonoma. $175. 996-1090, olivefestival.com.
Sunday, Jan. 31
Jubilee Klezmer Ensemble: Traditional Jewish and Israeli dance music quartet with a touch of jazz. 3-5 p.m. Jan. 31. Occidental Center for the Arts, Occidental. $10-$12; 12 & under free. 874-9392, occidentalcenterforthearts.com.
Ratebeer Best Beer Festival: 40 brewers from around the world pour their best. Kaiser Air Inc. near Sonoma County Airport, Santa Rosa. 2-6 p.m. Jan. 31. $75. Ticket sales end Jan. 25. ratebeerbest.com.
David Cross: ‘Todd Margaret’ TV series star. 7:30 p.m. Jan. 31. Wells Fargo Center. $35. 546-3600, wellsfargocenterarts.org.
Robert Huw Morgan: Stanford University’s official organist. 3 p.m. Jan. 31. Schroeder Hall, Green Music Center. $30. gmc.sonoma.edu, 866-955-6040.
A model of the USS Constitution is among the vintage items for sale at Farmer’s Wife Barntique in Cotati. (Alvin Jornada / The Press Democrat)
One of the best kept secrets among antiquers and treasure hunters can be found in a drafty barn between Cotati and Sebastopol.
One weekend a month the barn door swings open to reveal a whole new set of surprises for the crowds of seekers who line up by the dozens to be among the first to surge inside.
Fine inlaid cabinets, upholstered chairs, antique lithographs, bone china from France, lamps, tableware….almost anything you could dream up for a home, and a few you wouldn’t imagine.
It’s called the Farmer’s Wife Barntique, a trove of vintage finds for the home and collectors, offered at prices low enough to excite bargain hunters and antique dealers while raising money for Petaluma’s homeless animals.
“You’ll never know what you might find at our barn sales. It’s never the same sale twice,” said Lesley Papola, the cheerful spark plug behind the unique pop-up sale that materializes only on the first weekend of the month, Friday through Sunday.
Sonoma County is full of antique stores, and on any given weekend there are many estate sales from which to choose. But what sets the Barntique apart, regulars say, is the quality of everything in the “shop” and the way Papola and a tiny but mighty crew of volunteers arrange everything in the rustic space, with its wobbly wood floors and corrugated metal walls.
Furniture is arranged in vignettes that never stay the same. Every month, mixed in with the remainders of the last sale is a fresh array of donated antiques and collectibles. Everything has been completely rearranged to create a whole new experience, even for Barntique regulars.
“The trick for me is to never allow the barn to look the same twice. We will literally take a piece and move it onto a different wall. We’ll move all of the art. Nothing stays where it is save for a few anchors,” said Papola, who learned the art of staging working nine years for Pottery Barn.
It’s the first sale of the year, and Papola is bundled up in a heavy jacket, boots, scarf, gloves and knit cap. You’d think she was about to head up to the ski slopes. But this is the necessary uniform for a winter weekend in the drafty barn, where it’s all about the bargains and not the amenities. The cold doesn’t damper the enthusiasm of browsers. In one corner a man tests out an Australian didgeridoo, which sounds like a foghorn.
“Lesley has a tremendous eye not only for what to put into the space but how to display it to help us see what’s there,” said Robert Clink, a lighting designer, antique dealer and interior designer. “It’s an ideal situation. We get to see things in their best light and they’re great products. She doesn’t waste our time with a bunch of junk.” Clink and his wife, Michelle Bevilacqua, regularly shop the Farmer’s Wife Barntique for unusual furnishings and accessories for their Mill Valley shop, Revelation.
“It’s like eye candy. She makes it easy to pick and choose what we want, and we love the cause. While we may not have the income to give $400 or $500 to animal rescue,” he added, “when we invest in a product we get to support something we believe in while also doing something for ourselves.”
Clink’s most unusual find, and the oddest donation so far to the Barntique, was an ornate Indian elephant saddle that Papola playfully marketed as a “Marin Dog Bed.”
“We had a mohair cushion made for it. It’s a great conversation piece in the shop,” said Clink. Last week he scored a set of dining chairs made in North Carolina, the capital for fine American furniture making.
Papola started out selling fall crafts seasonally in a barn at a Petaluma pumpkin patch, but after three years the owner sold the property. She wound up volunteering to do something similar as an income source for the Harvest Christian School in Petaluma, in 2012 setting up in a barn on Skillman Lane. Two years ago she decided to go solo, setting up a legal nonprofit with the mission of raising money for the animal shelter where she got her own dog.
Papola said she wanted to support the organization because she believes it’s serving as a model for other shelters.
“They have a 97 percent placement rate, which is off the charts,” she said. ‘I’m choosing to reward excellent behavior and keep that going so that it can expand and grow.”
Her headquarters is a barn on Highway 116. She relies strictly on donations, primarily estates. She works with an estate liquidator who passes along entire estates or what is left after an estate sale, for clients who benefit from the charitable donation tax write-off. In some cases that can be a greater financial benefit than selling pieces for a fraction of their value.
Papola, who takes a small salary, sifts through the large truckloads of donations when they’re dropped off and creams off only the good stuff. Everything else is donated to other charities like Alphabet Soup, a thrift shop that supports the Petaluma Educational Foundation. Her right hand woman is longtime friend Danielle Couch, who manages the software support desk for a shipping company by day and on weekends volunteers at The Barntique.
“She curates everything. It’s so well edited,” said Dahnja Schiro, a regular who, on this cold January day, is going through a huge collection of antique lithographs beautifully framed, trying to decide which ones to buy for a rock bottom price of $25 each. “You don’t have to rummage through stuff. The quality and prices are shocking.”
With more than 20 years of retail experience, Papola keeps her prices reasonable to keep the merchandise moving and to make room for the new arrivals.
While she has a good working knowledge of antiques, she doesn’t claim to be an expert and doesn’t invest the time to deeply examine each piece. So she prices accordingly, leaving it to buyers to decide if an item is worth her price. She has frequent 50 percent off sales when she has an abundance of something, but she stands firm on pricing with those who try to horse trade on the first day and refuses to sell anything outside her prescribed hours to be fair to all her customers.
It takes her a full week each month to set up the sale, moving and carefully arranging pieces to show off everything to its best advantage. When the doors open, the two-room barn is packed.
“This is not for the faint of heart. This is back-breaking work, but we love it,” she said.
Papola promotes heavily through social media and tries to persuade her customers to share the word on the notion that, while it may bring in more customers — hence competition — it will also lead to more and better donations..
Shoppers are advised to dress warmly, and to bring a truck and a friend if they’re planning to buy furniture.
“We’re very bare bones,” Papola said. “We pay a minimum rent here. I don’t have heat. I don’t have hot running water. I don’t have garbage service, Internet or phones. We’re trying to do this on a shoestring so we can give as much to the shelter as humanly possible.”
You can reach Staff Writer Meg McConahey at meg.mcconahey@pressdemocrat.com or 521-5204. On Twitter @megmcconahey.
My irritation reached a tipping point the other night when I watched four people pull out their cell phones to read the menus inside a ridiculously dark restaurant. Not only that, but the seats put a huge dent in my dining partner’s lower back, the bread was extra and the only soft drinks they had were bitter Italian sodas that came with a smirk. Throughout the meal, I just felt unhappy, and I probably won’t be back even though the food was wonderful.
Conversely, I recently had the magical experience of a Toto toiletat a Japanese restaurant. Suffice to say it refreshed me in multiple ways, and made my dining experience a joy. I will go back, perhaps just to use the toilet.
Having gone to hundreds of local restaurants, I’ve experienced the good, the bad and the really awful, and realized that when it comes to making customers happy, there are a handful of niceties that can make even mediocre food seem luxurious, and conversely, ruin a wonderful meal.
I’ve broken them down into my own Ten Commandments of Restaurant Service:
I. There Shall Be Light: I’m all for romantic lighting in restaurants, but using a flickering candle the size of a quarter to read my menu is infuriating. Not to mention dangerous, because I’ve set several on fire using this method. Restaurants seem to be getting darker and darker at night, making it not only difficult to see my menu, but nearly impossible to see the food itself. Tea lights are not “lighting”, and my dining partners will appreciate a few more lumens in order to avoid the temporary blindness of my cellphone flash in their eyes.
II. Thy Music Shall Not Make Ears Bleed: get that you’re really into Death Metal right now, but please don’t make me listen to it while I’m eating. I seriously long for the old days of elevator music when I’m in Chipotle having my ears accosted and I have to scream at the person next to me to pass the Tapatio. I totally get that you need to turn over the tables quickly, but making my ears bleed isn’t going to make me eat any faster. They make ambient music for a reason.
III. Thou Shall Not Judge: There’s a whole theory that ugly people, single women and families get seated at the back of the restaurant, while groups of attractive people are seated in the front. Look around next time you’re at a nice restaurant and tell me it isn’t true. So when I’m in an empty restaurant, dining alone, and I get seated next to the restrooms, its hard not to feel a little uncomfortable. I’m more likely to bring my friends and family to a place where I was treated politely, rather than stuffed in the back room. Just keep that in mind.
IV. Save Not Thy Dirty Menus, Make Them Readable: Recycling is terrific, but I really don’t want to see a bunch of greasy fingerprints on my menu from the last guy who used it. Not. Appetizing. I can also tell how long a restaurant will last based on their menu design. If the owner has spent the time and energy to not only use a readable font, but organize the dishes into sections that make sense and run spell check, chances are they’ve done the legwork on the food, too. A janky menu spells disaster from the start. Keep it simple, and use a simple, readable font in type readable by people over the age of 40. If I have to haul out my readers and a flashlight, I’m already irritated.
V. Speak Not Menu Falsities: The first sign of a bad waiter is when they say everything is good on the menu. Everything is NOT good on the menu and I’m guessing the waiter is a pretty good person to get the inside scoop from. If I’m asking for your opinion, chances are I’d actually like to know what you’d eat here, and if there’s something I should really try. Chances are you’ll even get me to order the special of the day if you explain it nicely and tell me how delicious it is. No need to lie, just give me a little heads up, and I’ll probably give you a nicer tip. Conversely, if I don’t ask for your opinion, feel free to keep it to yourself.
VI. Thy Bread Shall Be Free: I’m glad your bread is homemade and artisan and all that. Please bring me some, because I’m hungry. Plus, it will keep my blood sugar high enough not to start crying when you forget to put in my appetizer order.
VII. Thou Shalt Not Ignore Me: Okay hostess lady, I get that you’re busy, but just a nod and a smile to let me know I exist. It calms my existential angst.
VIII. Thy Seats Shall Be Comfortable: Restaurant seating should not do the following: Bruise my lower back, wobble, take two people to move, require moving several pillows, feel like a church pew, make my posterior feel enormous, or leave indents on my rear end. When I need a shoehorn to get into your elfin-sized chairs, they’re too small. When I have to sit on my feet to reach the table (and I’m tall), they’re out of proportion. Function is far more important than form when you’re sitting for an hour or more. There is a special circle in hell for restaurateurs who force us to sit in torturous seats.
IX. Thou Shalt Bear Witness to Clean Bathrooms:A pretty, nice-smelling bathroom is such a joy. I’m not saying you have to have one of those Japanese numbers with a heated seat and dryer (although there’s one that made my night at Hana Japanese, 101 Golf Course Dr., Rohnert Park). Just a few extra rolls of TP, a clean floor, some nice hand soap and a place to hang my purse. I’m eating here, and making me gag at your restaurant cleanliness doesn’t inspire confidence.
X. Thy Drinks Should Be Plentiful: For the most part, I drink water and diet soda with my meals rather than alcohol. Mostly because am working and I need a boost of caffeine rather than getting drunk. But there seems to be a new snobbiness about colas, which I hate, because its ironic. No, I don’t want some silly sugary artisan cola with cane sugar that costs $5 and has no caffeine. You’re also not my mom, and I don’t need a lecture on the evils of diet soda, of which I prefer Diet Pepsi. I am totally serious about this, andI recently had a wonderful waiter offer to go to the grocery next door and buy me a can because she thought the restaurant policy was silly. She got a 35% tip for that.
If there’s a crystal ball for the year’s upcoming food trends its the annual winter Fancy Food Show held in San Francisco in mid-January. Eager start-ups go shoulder to shoulder with international conglomerates to get the attention of food buyers who will stock their products in the coming year.
The biggest buzz are at two ends of the food spectrum: Plants and meat. We’re seeing healthy, plant-based superfoods in everything as the public embraces a more veg-friendly lifestyle. Conversely, the popularity of the Paleo diet has brought a new wave of conscious meats (grass-fed, sustainable, artisan) to the forefront with jerky as its poster child.
Here are a few more of the coming trends for 2016 and what you’ll be seeing on store shelves in the coming months:
Chiridos, cricket flour chips from Bitty Foods at the Fancy Food Show 2016
Bugs In Your Food: Yup, get ready for crickets and meal worms on your plate. But before you yuck out, know that there’s a method to this madness. Easy to raise, sustainable and insanely high in protein, futurists are looking to insects as an alternative to the very unsustainable practices of factory-farmed meat. Cricket steaks? No (duh, they’d be way too small). But ground cricket flour is finding its way into things likeChirp Chipsand Chiridos (tortilla-style chips), along with more novel things like salted-chocolate crickets from SF’s Don Bugito.
Super Herbs and Flowers: Turmeric was the buzzword of 2015, and it continues to be a popular superfood added to teas and other tinctures like Pok Pok’s Turmeric soda and Numi Turmeric Tea. Other super herbs that have been used for millenia for everything from hangovers to constipation include Republic of Tea’s Milk Thistle or Reishi Mushroom teas, along with a matcha-charcoal detox tea. Hibiscus is also getting its moment in teas and sodas.
Super-Snacking: Snacks are casting off their bad raps as empty calories loaded with fat and salt to become between-meal health-boosters. We’re seeing lots of snacks with a healthy dose of antioxidants, or more familiar snack items getting a makeover with less sugar (or alternative sweetners), and boosts of vegetables or fruits. CabernayZyn cabernet grape raisins pack a crunchy resveratrol kick, while Love Beets Beet Bars get their sweetness from beets and Barney Butter vanilla bean and espresso almond butter is a tasty alternative to peanut butter.
Almost A Meal: One of the biggest trends at the show were mix-ins, spices and “almost meals” to make dinner a snap. We saw booth after booth of bagged and powdered sauces with bold Mexican, Japanese, Thai and Indian flavors that simply need a protein to be complete. Just Cook “Close to Curry” spices,
Korean: We’ve seen lots of Korean influences over the last few years, as Thai wanes, and the pungent flavors of Southeast Asia get more popular. Move over sriracha, because the new heat is Gochujang, a spicy, fermented Korean condiment. We saw it in a number of snack foods, including Say! Cruch Roasted seaweed snacks with gochujang. Also remaining popular is fermented kimchi and seaweed snacks.
Fermented Rice Koji from Aedan SF
Authentic Japanese: One of the least-known styles of food to Americans is Japanese. With lots of fermented, strongly-flavored ingredients and seafood, for 2016 Japanese cuisine is hot, hot, hot. Miso is getting the most love, but not the dried stuff in soup packets. True fermented misos are making their way into everything from dressings and soups to marinades, and one of our favorite isAedan SF, with their artisan line of fermented rices (koji), aged country miso, Shio Koji (an umami-flavor blaster) and 358 Sagohachi Pickling Sauce. Also at the show were Koji Rice Milk drinks and other miso-marinades.
Turkey Bak kwa from Little Red Dot, a Malaysian-style jerky.
Meat, Meat and More Meat: Paleos rejoice, because meat isn’t going anywhere. What’s different about the meats we’re seeing in 2016, however, is how the animals are raised, careful processing and more healthful ways of eating animal protein. Bone broth is still fringy, but gaining popularity for its health properties. We’re seeing commercially available pork and duck lard, along with beef tallow (EPIC Foods) that have been a restaurant kitchen staple for years; jerkies from here to eternity and even “healthy” fried pork skins that are no-carb and only 100 calories (Pork Clouds). Our favorite, however was Little Red Dot Bakkwa (a southeast Asian-style grilled jerky) in flavors like beef chipotle, turkey-fish sauce, lemongrass ginger beef and pork-soy sauce.
Grassfed Grows Up: People continually praise the wonders of grassfed beef, but honestly, it can be hit or miss flavor-wise. As demand grows, sustainable beef is coming into its own, along with grassfed milks used in yogurt, ice cream and milk-drinks (like lassis).
Alt.milk: Alternative dairy sources continue to be a growing market, expanding to macadamia nut milk, coconut milk, lots of almond milks, and a new quinoa milk.
Vegan Toona
Vegan: Plant-based foods are the hottest trend for 2016, as health concerns as well as sustainability and animal welfare take center stage. One of the most interesting we saw at the show was from a local, Sophie’s Kitchenin Sebastopol with their “vegan seafood”. Using elephant yam root (konjac) that’s been a popular Asian ingredient for many years, they’ve created vegan “toona”, “crab cakes”, scallops and even shrimp. We were also fascinated by Dardimans Dried Fruit Lollipops made with beet sugar.
Chocolate: There’s always a huge showing for chocolate, in every form at the show because, well, who doesn’t love chocolate. The biggest trend of the last few years are mix-ins with everything from bacon to mushrooms. Bacon and chocolate continue to be popular, along with more subtle flavors from Chuao’s new “Lovely” brand of chocolate that features flavors like blueberry lavender, raspberry rose and coconut hibiscus (plus it donates money from the bars to Girls, Inc.)
Book cover for “Bright Dead Things.” (Photo courtesy of Ada Limón)
Photo courtesy of Jude Domski Photography.
Ada Limón, who grew up in Sonoma and Glen Ellen, uses poetry to tell her life story, impressions, emotions and creative thoughts.
Her fourth book of poems, “Bright Dead Things” (Milkweed Editions, $16), made her a finalist for the prestigious 2015 National Book Award. And while she lost to fellow Californian Robin Coste Lewis in the poetry category at the November ceremony in New York City, Limón shined with a reading of her writings the night before.
Limón grew up in the shadow of Sonoma Mountain, and while she now spends much of her time in Lexington, Ky., the years she spent in Sonoma Valley echo in her work. She returns to Sonoma often because the valley still owns her, she said.
Book cover for “Bright Dead Things.” (Photo courtesy of Ada Limón)
“I grew up across from the Calabazas Creek in Glen Ellen and spent many days down in the creek, playing with the dog and hiding out,” Limón said. “I didn’t know I was going to be a writer, but I did always write. Growing up in the late 1970s in Glen Ellen and Sonoma did influence my choice.”
Limón follows in the footsteps of other Sonoma writers, among them Jack London, Maya Angelou and, for a short period of time, Hunter S. Thompson. Many of her poems are set in Sonoma or Glen Ellen. “What it Looks Like to Us and the Words We Use” moves from Kentucky to Sonoma Valley Regional Park; the “Long Ride” is primarily about the 40-acre horse ranch in Sonoma where her mother was the manager.
“To be honest,” she said, “I was totally shocked” to be a finalist for the poetry prize. “I was in the kitchen making breakfast and was reading the list off my phone right after it came out. It’s a huge honor, and what an amazing list to be a part of. This is a group of poets I deeply admire.”
The first signs of an approaching storm are subtle. The breezes change from the northwest to the southwest, causing the surface waters of the Pacific Ocean to appear to flow south to north. The horizon is clear and sharp. These are the hours of changes to come.
The day before a major fall or winter storm can be a perfect time to see the elusive green flash at sunset. Watching the sunset is a coast tradition. Watch for the moment the sun sinks below the horizon. If the conditions are perfect, you may see an emerald glow enveloping the top of the departing sun, a photographable mirage caused by refraction bending the light of the setting sun.
It doesn’t flash across the horizon. It’s as if someone on the other end of the sunset held a flashlight glowing green. Don’t blink. It’s over in a flash.
Fun Fact: Legend says it’s good luck to see a green flash.
Winter brings the most storms. As one nears, waves pick up the story. Big swells stretch out as far as you can see. When waves hit rocky bluffs, water is hurled into the air. Enormous breakers crash on sandy beaches, and a salty mist can be seen floating over Highway 1.
A storm is coming, a big one.
Meteorology has come a long way, predicting storms with great accuracy. Various weather apps, including a great one from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, give updated storm alerts, and many coast residents have weather stations with a barometer. A falling barometer will alert you to batten down the hatches. On Monday, in advance of a wild winter storm, the barometer looked like a steep descending staircase.
If a storm comes from the north, as they did in December, the leading edge can be seen. Clouds build and darken, and the wind begins to pick up in intensity. Outdoor barbecues have been blown off decks, and potted plants have been moved by the force of the wind. It’s dangerous to walk in a forest at this time because of falling tree limbs.
If the storms are El Niño-driven, like the three that hit this week, they come in directly from the Pacific and envelop the coast. They are warmer and have more rain. The storms slam into the unprotected coast, and it’s quite exhilarating and sometimes terrifying.
To experience a storm outdoors, as John Muir might have, finding a safe place is your number one priority. Margaret Lindgren, owner of Sea Ranch-based Unbeaten Path Tours, suggests Salt Point State Park as the best viewing spot. “There are many rocky overlooks that are safe,” she said. “The bluff edges anywhere are too dangerous now after the heavy rains. Stick to solid, rocky outcroppings.”
Lindgren says the Gerstle Cove entrance at Salt Point SP has many such safe outlooks.
A little further north, in Mendocino County, the top of the Point Arena Lighthouse would be an exhilarating place to experience a storm. It’s also a prime spot for whale watching and bird watching.
To photograph the majestic storm waves, coastal photographer Craig Tooley advises, “The best time to photograph is either early in the morning or late afternoon, because the light is more dramatic.”
Perhaps you’d rather experience the storm from inside a local inn or restaurant. One excellent place to watch a storm is from a front row table at the Black Point Grill at The Sea Ranch Lodge. It’s also a great place to see gray whales, currently migrating southward. Timber Cove Inn is another perfect spot, but it is closed for remodeling until April. Both places have hiking trails to explore once the weather clears.
After a storm, the coast is often blessed with a rainbow day. Once the showers have cleared away, it’s time to see what prizes Mother Nature might have tossed up on the beach. Prizes to look for on beaches include abalone shells, with their striking iridescent interiors. Most common finds are plastic bottles, chunks of foam and fishing lines, but more unusual and unlikely items wash up on the Sonoma Coast.
The current off the Sonoma Coast, the California Current, also brings items from Asia. An intact Japanese Ushio light bulb. A plastic clothes basket with barnacles growing over the Asian characters on its sides. A towel with Japanese writing and a drawing that survived its long journey here, deemed by NOAA to be possible tsunami debris.
You also might find a large, green glass Japanese fishing ball caught in the rocks. These fishing floats have broken loose from fishing nets in Japan in years past. They go up around the Aleutian Islands and Alaska, and down the West Coast. If you are very lucky, one of these balls will wash up on a beach intact and you will have a treasure from the other side of the world.
Mel Smith, of Point Arena, is a lifelong beachcomber, and he has amassed the collection of a lifetime: 35 assorted glass floats. He says, “If you go out and look at the residue of humanity, it’s amazing what you can find.”
Smith advises picking up garbage and looking at every little thing. He looks in nooks and crannies, under and behind driftwood. On one remote, small cove off Mendocino County, he found five glass balls.
After a big storm, waterfalls have been replenished and are wondrous to see. It’s a short walk to see the waterfall at The Sea Ranch Stengel Beach public access trail. Often a rainbow appears, reflected off the falling water. The Salal Trail boasts a spectacular series of cascades. The trail head of this Sea Ranch public access trail is found just past the pay station at Gualala Point Regional Park. Park on the left and look for the sign.
An annual pass to Sonoma County Regional Parks gives you entry to all the Sea Ranch public trails and Gualala Point.
Another waterfall to discover is northward at the Point Arena-Stornetta Lands. You can park on Lighthouse Road, on the left before the entrance to the lighthouse. Walk south until you come to a stream, carefully ford the stream, walk a little further and look back. A gorgeous waterfall will be your reward, with the lighthouse in the distance.
Seasonal creeks are running free to the Pacific Ocean, as are our rivers. The Gualala River opened in December for the first time in months. Steelhead, trapped in luxury over the summer and fall, were sent on the next part of their journey as they were swept out to the ocean.
Experiencing a storm and its aftermath on the Sonoma Coast is sure to create a lifelong memory of nature’s power and immense beauty.
Jeanne A. Jackson is the author of “Mendonoma Sightings Throughout the Year,” a month-by-month look at nature on the Sonoma/Mendocino coasts. She writes a weekly nature column in the Independent Coast Observer in Gualala. Jackson regularly posts nature photos of the coast on her website, mendonomasightings.com.
A new luxury hotel has opened on ocean bluffs about 9 miles north of Fort Bragg, brimming with eye candy for naturalists and lovers of unusual architecture and décor. It also promises solitude, with just six guest rooms and the owner’s vacation home on the 2,000-acre parcel.
Located in the footprint of a long-gone lumber town, the Inn at Newport Ranch includes a three-bedroom hotel building (rooms start at $300 a night); Barb’s Room, across the parking lot from the main inn (starts at $250); the Redwood House, with three apartment-sized suites that range from $500-$775 a night; and Sea Drum, the owner’s four-bedroom house, which rents for $750-$1,200 a night.
Guests of the custom-built inn can enjoy vast views of rugged coastline and ocean, picturesque pastures where cattle graze and dense forestland, visible from throughout the buildings, porches, patios and hot tubs. They also can wander along more than 20 miles of trails on foot, all-terrain vehicles or horseback. Horses are available from the nearby Ricochet Ridge Ranch.
Those tempted to stay indoors can soak in the inn’s inspiring design and furnishings, which meld old-style craftsmanship, high-tech industrial design, antiques and found materials.
Many visitors do just that, said Creighton Smith, half of the husband-wife team who manage the hotel, which opened in September but remains a work in progress.
“It’s a lot of cool little details. And a lot of cool big details,” Creighton said.
Coastal ranch
The outside of the cedar-shrouded main hotel structure — described online as “coastal ranch” style — at first glance resembles a cross between a high-end ski lodge and a farmhouse. But unusual details soon come into focus, such as the small metal-framed windows, one of many industrial touches that appear throughout the complex.
Others include light fixtures and heavy, barn-style sliding doors. The flooring varies from room to room. The main living room includes 30-inch old-growth redwood planks, some milled from logs left behind from the property’s mill days, and the events room has a turquoise-stained concrete floor inlaid with redwood burl.
Some of the furnishings defy categorization, like a massive hallway chandelier made largely from farm equipment found on the former ranch property.
Many of the door handles also are unique, including ones made from animal bones and a set comprised of ice-skating blades that belonged to the inn’s founder, Will Jackson, when he was a child, according to co-innkeeper Cindi Smith. He is now 87.
Jackson, a retired Wall Street investment manager whose primary home is in Vermont, began purchasing property in Mendocino County in 1986 after spotting an ad in the Wall Street Journal for an 850-acre cattle ranch with a bed and breakfast, the Orca Inn.
The following year, he purchased a vacation home on adjacent property, now called the Sea Drum.
Over time, he added more than another 1,000 adjacent acres to his holdings.
New inn planning
Jackson and his family began planning a new inn on the ranch nearly 15 years ago. They hired renowned Vermont-based architects Dave Sellers and Jim Sanford, known for their unusual designs and for incorporating nature into their buildings, and Los Angles-based design consultant Robin Cannell Baker, who also utilizes nature in her work.
Twenty-four redwood trees hold up the Redwood House, which opened in early December, stretching upwards from the lower level to the roof and bringing a magical, forested atmosphere to the three suites, each of which includes a kitchen, living room and deck with a hot tub and outdoor grill.
Tree trunks also are incorporated into the design of the main hotel building, with hallway and staircase walls paneled in thick, 5-foot-wide redwood slabs.
Some of the building’s counters also are made from redwood slabs, and one of its bathroom sinks is mounted inside an upright tree trunk.
The décor also includes whimsical touches such as a pair of cowboy chaps on the wall of the ranch house’s recreation room.
Jackson hired artists and artisans to construct the furnishings, many of them from Fort Bragg, and he chose Fort Bragg contractor Brent Anderson to head the construction team.
“We did as much as we could locally,” Creighton Smith said.
The property has a long, rich history.
Yuki tribes inhabited the area before lumber barons discovered the north coast’s mammoth redwood trees, according to a history of the coast.
Town vanished
Loggers arrived in the 1850s and built a series of mills along the coast, including one where the inn now stands.
The town of Newport grew up around the mill, then vanished when the trees within easy harvesting range were depleted. Lumber operations moved to Fort Bragg, which had a more easily navigable port, according to a history of the period.
It then became a ranch and later a bed and breakfast, which Jackson operated until about 1990, Smith said. About 150 head of cattle still graze the rangeland under a lease agreement with an area rancher.
Work on the inn itself is more than 90 percent completed, but its founder plans to continue to expand its uses in the future, including for educational field trips, Cindi Smith said.
Jackson — a retired partner in the investment council firm Brundage, Story and Rose — sits on the board of Shelburne Farms, a 1,400-acre working farm in Vermont that operates a nonprofit education center for sustainability.
His future plans for the Newport Ranch are in keeping with his preservationist goals, said Cindi Smith. “It’s his vision.”
You can reach Staff Writer Glenda Anderson at 462-6473 or glenda.anderson@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @MendoReporter
Dan Lehrer of Little Apple Treats makes caramels in Santa Rosa. His company is located in Sebastopol
Last week, the winners of the Good Food Awards were announced, with several producers from the North Bay. The competition honors small-scale artisans “ leading the way towards a tasty, authentic and responsible food system”, according to the organizers. This year, there were nearly 2,000 entries, with 242 taking home the awards.
One of our favorites is Little Apple Treats, awarded for their Rose and Cocoa nib caramels this year. BiteClub visited Dan and Joanne Lehrer as they wrapped their artisan caramels in a shared commercial kitchen in Santa Rosa. Using a 1906 wrapping machine they’ve affectionately named Virgil (who can be very temperamental), Dan and Joanne are part of a new food movement based on simple, honest, handmade food we can all celebrate. (Stay tuned for more on Virgil and Little Apple).
Congratulations to the 2016 Good Food Awards Winners and their food communities for leading the way towards a tasty, authentic and responsible food system. Chosen from 1,927 entrants, these 242 companies are creating vibrant, delicious, sustainable local food economies.
The North Coast may have had a bad year for crab, but you wouldn’t know it by the number of crab feeds coming down the pike. All of these elaborate events help raise money for local organizations, and many include raffles, live entertainment and more.
Saturday, Jan. 23 North Bay Italian Cultural Foundation Crab Feed. $55. 6 p.m. St. Rose Parish Hall in Santa Rosa. Visit their website here, or purchase tickets at brownpapertickets.com.
Saturday, Jan. 23 Fort Bragg Fire House Crab Feed. $75. Children under 10 free. 12-6 p.m. Fort Bragg Fire House. www.mendocino.com.
Saturday, Jan. 23 Boys & Girls Club Crab Feed. $70. 5:30 p.m. Brooks Road Club in Windsor. Find out more at bgccsc.org/crab.
Saturday, Jan. 23 Jack London Elementary School Crab Feed. $60. 21-plus event. 5 p.m. Find out more at www.jacklondon.pousd.org. Purchase tickets by clicking here.
Jan. 29 & 30 Mendocino Knights of Columbus All You Can Eat Crab Feed. $55. 7 p.m. Crown Hall in Mendocino. Find out more at kcmendo.org.
Saturday, Jan. 30 Montgomery High School Education Foundation Crab Feed. $50. 5:30 p.m. Monsignor Becker Center at St. Eugene’s Cathedral in Santa Rosa. montylink.com.
Saturday. Jan. 30 13th annual Cloverdale Lions Club Crab Feed. $45. 6 p.m. Cloverdale Citrus Fairgrounds. Find out more at www.cloverdalelionsclub.com.
Saturday, Feb. 6 27th annual Great Sonoma Crab and Wine Fest. $75. RSVP by Jan. 30. 6:30 p.m. Grace Pavilion at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds in Santa Rosa. More information at www.sonomafb.org.
Saturday, Feb. 6 55th annual Forestry Crab Feed. $65. Dinner 5-8 p.m. Event goes until 11 p.m. Holy Ghost Hall in Sebastopol. Mail checks to Forestry Crab Feed, P.O. Box 265, Fulton, CA 95439. Find out more at www.facebook.com/ForestryCrabFeed.
Saturday, Feb. 6 Crab 4 Kids, by the Active 20-30 Club of the Redwood Empire. $55. 5 p.m. Friedman Event Center in Santa Rosa. Find out more at www.redwoodempire2030.com, and purchase tickets at brownpapertickets.com.
Saturday, Feb. 6 18th annual Maria Carrillo Athletic Boosters Crab Feed. $50-$55. 5 p.m. Monsignor Becker Center at St. Eugene’s Cathedral in Santa Rosa. More information at www.mchspac.com.
Saturday, Feb. 6 SVHS Booster Crab Feed & Dance. Benefits the Sonoma Valley High School Boosters. $65-$80. 5-11 p.m. Find out more by clicking here.
Saturday, Feb. 13 Windsor Odd Fellows Crab Feed. $50. Kids 12 and under $25. VIP Valentine’s couple’s table $125. 3-5 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. Windsor Odd Fellows Hall. Purchase tickets at brownpapertickets.com. Call 478-8758 for more information.
Saturday, Feb. 13 9th annual Kenwood Firefighters Association Crab Feed. $50. 5:30-9:30 p.m. Kenwood Firehouse. Tickets available at Kenwood Fire District, Kenwood Market and Kenwood Press. For more information, visit kenwoodfire.com or call 833-2042.
Saturday, Feb. 13 10th annual Piner High Crab Feed. $50. Pick up tickets at G&G Supermarket. 5 p.m. Friedman Event Center in Santa Rosa. For more information, visit pinerhalloffame.org or call 571-7420.
Saturday, Feb. 27 5th annual Finley Crab Feed. $45. 6-9 p.m. Finley Community Center in Santa Rosa. For more information, visit srcity.org.
