Although it’s not officially summer, I find myself staring out the window, dreaming of being outdoors (with beverage in hand). These items instantly give me that summer time vibe. Bottoms up!
Stealthy Sipper For those who crave a stealthy sip of an adult beverage this summer, pick up the Sunscreen flask for discreet imbibing. Cute and clever, this sunscreen bottle also makes a fun gift for the over 21 crowd. Just don’t smuggle it into a Giants game. $13.99, Sunscreen Flask
Sonoma Rosé Iced Tea In Sonoma, even our iced tea is made from grapes and can be paired with food. Republic of Tea’s Sonoma Rosé Iced tea is crafted from Sonoma Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc wine grape skins, strawberries and red apples. Not too sweet, this iced tea pairs well with cheeses, grilled meats and veggies. I gave this to my Mother-in-law in Arizona and she LOVES it! $8.49, Republic of Tea Sonoma Rosé Iced Tea
Be S’well Stay hydrated on the road this summer with these reusable bottles from S’well. Large enough to hold ice cubes yet small enough to fit in a car cup holder, they’re available in fun finishes and colors. Made of the highest-grade stainless steel, the bottles keep beverages cold for 12 hours. $25-$45, Tamarind, The Barlow, 180 Morris St., No. 170, Sebastopol, 707-861-9513, shoptamarind.com
My name is Amy and I’m a recovering shoe addict. When my “sole sister” Tenaya and I worked downtown, we’d walk to the Santa Rosa Plaza and have “shoes for lunch”. You know…using your lunch break for something other than eating!?
Then with smiles on our faces and shoe boxes tucked under our desks, we’d power through emails as we quaffed down salads. This was retail therapy in action. A break from the craziness of a demanding job for a temporary jolt of instant gratification.
So you can imagine my delight when I discovered Sole Desire gathered a ton of shoes from their retail locations and opened Sole Desire Rack in Historic Railroad Square in Santa Rosa. Occupying the space that formerly housed Sonoma Outfitters, this is a huge store filled with aisles of shoes. Think wall to wall shoes as far as the eye can see. Umm…can, we say shoe heaven??
Being surrounded by over 10,000 pairs of women’s shoes at discounted prices, can make a girl giddy. Where to begin? Along the back wall are the “Lucky Sizes”—a collection of shoes with deep discounts up to 70% off. Carrying brands known for stylish comfort like Clarks, Dansko, Jambu, and Uggs; the rest of the space is filled with a variety of styles including heels, ballet flats, and lots of sandals, just in time for summer.
Most of the inventory is priced at a discount, with some exceptions on accessories and leather goods, like perfectly distressed leather purses from Hobo International. I adore Hobo. Their purses and wallets are designed by women who understand I need a lots of options for cards, cash, change, phone, lipstick, lip gloss—you know, the necessities.
Leather accessories from Hobo International and others, including these glasses cases for $27.95
With sandal season upon us, I chose a turquoise leather pair from Cob Hill for 30% off. I turned 40 this year and my days of trekking around in 4 inch platforms are over. Thanks to the variety of brands and styles Sole Desire Rack carries, I can find chic shoes I can run a marathon in.
Sole Desire Rack, 145 Third Street, Santa Rosa. Open Monday-Saturday, 10-6, Sunday, 10-5. http://www.soledesire.com
On sale for $89.90, this shoe from Fidji was originally $194.95. At Sole Desire Rack, you save $105.05!
A line of people snaked around the booth of chefs Daniel Kedan and Marianna Gardenhire’s pop-up tent as the couple, who own Backyard Restaurant in Forestville, scrambled to fry enough chicken for the waiting crowd.
“I’m just trying not to boil in here,” said Gardenhire, who moved between assembling the tiny sandwiches and putting rosettes of whipped cream on tiny cups of chocolate caramel budino (a rich chocolate pudding). “But we always have a great time, and it’s a beautiful day,” Gardenhire laughed, as she kept the line moving and the chocolate and fried chicken flowing.
But most of the attendees of Sunday’s North Coast Wine Challenge tasting event at Sonoma Mountain Village weren’t in as much of a panic. Holding full wine glasses and plates of food from the dozens of chefs and wineries serving at the event, the afternoon was more about sipping and strolling in the spring sunshine.
The event, hosted by The Press Democrat, featured eight of the county’s top toques and 80 wines given gold medals by a panel of judges at the recent North Coast Wine Challenge. Now in its fourth year, the event attracted more than 1500 attendees, according to organizers.
“My husband and I look forward to this event every year,” said Kim Norts of Santa Rosa, who sipped a glass of cabernet sauvignon with her husband, Dennis Vozaitis. “It represents Sonoma County at its finest.”
The most-awarded winery at the event, Westwood Winery, also had a long line of oenophiles eager for a taste of its 2014 Annadel Gap Vineyard Clone 37 Estate Pinot Noir, which judges gave 99 out of 100 points possible.
“I’m very humbled by this award, and having a great time introducing this wine to everyone,” said winemaker Ben Cane.
The walk-around tasting experience also included several panels discussing the restaurants, food producers and great everyday wines of Wine Country.
“This is the most exquisite day ever. We are drinking the world’s great wines and eating great food among the redwoods right here in Rohnert Park,” said food and restaurant consultant Clark Wolf. “What more could you ask for?”
Browse the photos below for a sweet recap of the event… Photography by Will Bucquoy.
Laura McArthur (left) and Jodi Shubin (right) enjoying a glass of the Westwood Estates Best of Show.
Deviled Eggs by Chef Liza Hinman of The Spinster Sisters in Santa Rosa.
Guest enjoying Chardonnay from Compovida “Arneis.”
Salmon Rittling prepared by Executive Chef Armando Navarro of Eldorado Hotel & Restaurant in Sonoma
Jeff Wandel and his wife Sandi of Santa Rosa being served a glass of Wonderment Wines Pinot Noir.
Macaroni and meatballs prepared by Chef John Franchetti
Compovida “Arneis” served at the North Coast Wine Tasting Event.
Hanna Sauvignon Blanc poured into a glass at the North Coast Wine Challenge at the Sonoma Mountain Village Event Center in Rohnert Park.
Outside Lands, the San Francisco food, wine, beer and oh-yeah-music festival, has announced its 2016 eats and drinks lineup to gleeful gastronauts once again.
In total 80 restaurants, 40 wineries and 28 breweries will participate, along with a dedicated culinary stage, throughout the August 5-7, 2016 drink, eat, dance, nap, repeat weekend in Golden Gate Park.
Navajo fry bread at Outside Lands 2015 (heather irwin)
Now in its ninth year, culinary stakes are raised each year as restaurateurs vie for festival-goers appetites. Ranging from simple to sophisticated, food fare includes everything from pork belly burgers and corn dogs to crab rolls, gourmet hot chocolate, Raclette cheese, ramen and Indonesian fried noodles.
It’s a mostly-fried, calorie-dense and/or sugared-up swath of eats (not surprisingly) to keep the hoards nourished while walking miles and miles and miles between venues throughout the weekend. We actually wore out a pair of shoes wandering through Chocolands, Cheeselands, Beerlands, Winelands, and the Gastromagic stage (where Big Freddia booty bounced into town while throwing beignets the last two years).
The lineup for Outside Lands food, wine and beer vendors for 2016
Here’s what we’re looking forward to for 2016, as August approaches. BTW: If you haven’t got tickets yet, the bad news is that the event is sold out. The good news is that we’ll be there noshing our way through the event once again, saving you the calories, parking hassles and frozen toes (SF is freezing in August), if that’s any consolation.
New This Year: Outside Clams
Woodhouse Fish Co. will curate a “comprehensive crustacean experience” including raw and BBQ oysters, lobster rolls and clam chowder next to Wine Lands. I want the Outside Clams T-shirt, already.
More than 80 restaurants represent in “Taste of the Bay Area”, the gourmet food lineup spread throughout the event.
Curry Up Now
New to Taste of the Bay Area
Belcampo Meat Co.: Butcher shop/cafe in SF and Larkspur offers up humanely-raised meats including burger with pickled goat horn chiles and hot dogs. Bini’s Kitchen: Turkey momo’s, Nepalese veggie dumplings Fine and Rare: Crab rolls, BLT’s, Old Bay Kettle Chips a newish SF breakfast and lunch spot. Itani Ramen: Vegetarian ramen, pork gyoza Koja Kitchen: Chicken and veggie tacos, kamikaze fries Rove Kitchen: Fried chicken skin sammies * The Farmer’s Wife: Gravenstein apple and wildflower honey melts (SONOMA COUNTY LOCAL)
The Japanese Pantry: Former Nojo owner Greg Dunmore brings Japanese ingredients and food traditions to the US. Trestle: TBA
Beerlands at Outside Lands 2015 (heather irwin)
New Trucks and Carts
Homestead Cookies: Savory sweet chocolate chip cookies and milk Il Morso: S’mores, coffee bars Mozzeria: Margherita, salumi pizzas
Beast and Hare
The Vets
More than 90% of food vendors return to Outside Lands each year, usually bumping up their game in a friendly competition with other chefs and restaurants. Here are the Outside Lands gourmet grub veterans:
4505 Meats: Best damn cheeseburgers, spicy chimichurri fries, chicharrones Alicia’s Tamales Los Mayas: Pork, chicken, dulce tamales, elote, flan, arroz con leche Azalinas: Malaysian chicken curry nachos Bacon Bacon: California BBQ bacon burritos, Porky Fries, chocolate covered bacon Beast and the Hare: Loaded baked potatoes Big Chef Tom’s Belly Burgers: Pork belly burgers, natch Candybar Dessert Lounge: Churro ice cream sandiwches with chocolate drizzle Charles Chocolates: Frozen hot chocolate, fudge brownies Curry Up Now: Chicken tikka bowls and burritos, sexy fries with chicken or paneer tikka masala Del Popolo: Margherita pizzas Delessio Market and Bakery: Cochinita pibil pork sandwiches, Brazilian french toast. Earthy Delights: Italian chicken sandwiches, crispy chicken ranch wraps El Huarache Loco: Huraches, gorditas Endless Summer Sweets: Corn dogs and funnel cakes Epic Cookies: Gluten free cookies, chocolate krackle, snickerdoodles, milk Escape from New York Pizza: Pizza by the slice Four Barrel Coffee: Cold brew coffee Freshroll Vietnamese Rolls and Bowls: Grilled chicken Vietnamese sandwiches, Vietnamese iced coffee Glaze Teriyaki: Salmon, steak, chicken teriyaki, spicy wings Guittard Chocolate Co.: Melted chocolate bars Humphry Slocombe Ice Cream: Secret Breakfast Ice cream, Bourbon coke floats Il Cane Rosso: Fried egg sandwiches Kara’s Cupcakes: Cupcakes, Sea Salt Chocolate cookies, raspberry lemonade with white chocolate drizzle. La Urbana: Chorizo bacon dogs Little Skillet: Fried chicken and waffles, red velvet cupcakes, fresh watermelon Living Greens Juice: Fresh cracked coconuts, living lemonade Long Meadow Ranch: Charcuterie and cheese, Raclette with fresh bread. Loving Cup: Vanilla bean rice pudding, cookies, coffee
Spicy tater tots at Outside Lands in 2015 (heather irwin)
Lucca Foods: BBQ pulled pork, Rice Krispy treats Merigan Sub Shop: Mozzarella sticks and Italian ices Namu Street Food: Korean Fried Chicken Nombe: Ramenburgers, Sushi Burritos Pacific Catch: Hawaiian Ahi Poke, Fish & Chips, Sweet Potato Fries Pica Pica Arepa Kitchen: Arepas, Yuca Fries, Sweet Plantains Precita Park Cafe: Bacon Egg and Cheese Fries, Nitro Coffee Proposition Chicken: Fried Chicken Sandwiches with Spicy Slaw Rich Table: Porcini Doughnuts with Raclette Cheese Rosamunde Sausage Grill: Grilled Beer Sausage Sandwiches, Brats, Poutine Sababa: Falafel Sandwiches and Plates Sabores Del Sur: Empanadas, Alfajores, Aguas Frescas Sataysfied: Chicken Satays, Mie Tek Tek (Indonesian Fried Noodles) Southpaw BBQ & Southern Cooking: Brisket Sandwiches, Pulled Jackfruit Sandwiches Spicy Pie: Giant Pizza Slices, Cookie Pie Split Pea Seduction: Country Style Split Pea Soup, Shakable Stone Fruit Salads, Puerto Rican Pork Sandwiches Stones Throw: Meatball Sandwiches Straw: Donut Cheeseburgers, Sweet Potato Tots Sugar & Spun: Cotton Candy Bouquets Suite Foods Waffles: Belgian Waffles Stuffed with Whipped Cream Tacolicious: Shot-and-a-Beer Braised Chicken Tacos The American Grilled Cheese Kitchen: Classic Grilled Cheeses, Smokey Tomato Soup
Bacon sampler at Outside Lands 2015 (heather irwin)
The Little Chihuahua: Fried Plantain and Black Bean Burritos The Monk’s Kettle: Pretzel Knots with Beer Cheese Sauce The Pizza Place: Vegan Personal Pizzas The Up & Under Pub and Grill: Gourmet Waffle Fries Three Babes Bakeshop: Peach Cobblers Three Twins Ice Cream: Assorted Organic Ice Creams, Wafer Ice Cream Sandwiches Wise Sons Jewish Deli: Bagels and Shmear, Chocolate Babka
Food Truck Vets
Rocko’s Ice Cream Tacos: Ice Cream Tacos, Frozen Bananas
Senor Sisig: Pork, Chicken & Tofu Sisig with Steamed Rice
Seoul on Wheels: Kimchee Fried Rice Plates, Korritos
Sprogs: Fresh Fruit & Veggie Dippers, Fresh Fruit Sippers
The Chairman: Steamed and Baked Baos, Bao Chips
Those Fabulous Frickle Brothers: Fabulous Frickles, Fried Green Tomatoes
Beerlands at Outside Lands 2015 (heather irwin)
Beerlands Lineup 21st Amendment Brewery Ace Cider Almanac Beer Co. Anchor Brewing Company Bear Republic Brewing Company Calicraft Brewing Co. Drake’s Brewing Faction Brewing Fort Point Harmonic (new) Headlands Brewing High Water Brewing Iron Springs Brewery Local Brewing Lost Coast Brewery Mad River Magnolia Brewery Mendocino Brewing Napa Smith North Coast Brewing Pine Street Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. Social Kitchen Speakeasy Ales & Lagers Strongbow Hard Ciders
Winelands Lineup Alysian Wines (new) AP Vin August West Baker Lane (new) Banshee Bluxome Street Winery Bonterra (new) Broc Cellars Ca’ Momi (new) Cannonball Wine Company Chateau Montelena Claypool Cellars CrossBarn by Paul Hobbs Fount (new) Georges Duboeuf (new) Ghost Pines Hobo Wine Co. Idell Family Vineyard Idlewild / Ryme / Leo Steen Long Meadow Ranch Marietta Cellars Menage a Trois Niven Family (new) Pellegrini Wine Company Preston Farm and Winery Prisoner Wine Company Raymond (new) Red Car Ridge Vineyards Roth (new) SakéOne Scharffenberger Cellars Scribe Tank Garage Winery (new) Thomas George Estates (new) Tropical “Tiki” Wine Bar (new) Tin Barn Turley Wine Cellars Union Wine Co. Wind Gap
We’re not usually ones to brag about schwanky dinners we’ve crashed, but a recent winemaker dinner at Chef Dustin Valette’s Healdsburg restaurant, Valette, featured one of the most expensive cuts of meat we’ve ever laid eyes on.
A few pounds of the top-grade Japanese Kobe beef Valette served in small slices to the attendees cost about as much as a round-trip ticket to Tokyo and caused a few tears when pictures of the perfectly marbled meat appeared on Instagram. Now, if you’re not familiar with Kobe, it’s highly sought-after beef from Wagyu cattle raised exclusively in Hyogo Prefecture sometimes fed on Japanese beer and massaged for hours with sake. We have no idea if the cow we were eating lived the good life, but let’s just say it wasn’t missing any meals.
Why we mention this bit of luxury isn’t to brag (okay, maybe a humble brag). But it’s also reaffirm that every once in a while it’s worth experiencing food that isn’t just sustenance, but sublime — even if its just a perfect peach at the market or a warm croissant from the bakery.
That is what eating is truly about.
More photos from the dinner (because I know you want to see ’em)
Spring peas and lobster at a winemaker dinner at Valette restaurant in Healdsburg. (Heather Irwin / The Press Democrat)Quail and red polenta at a winemaker dinner at Valette restaurant in Healdsburg. (Heather Irwin / The Press Democrat)
Foie gras and red pepper gelee at a winemaker dinner at Valette restaurant in Healdsburg. (Heather Irwin / The Press Democrat)Dark chocolate dessert at a winemaker dinner at Valette restaurant in Healdsburg. (Heather Irwin / The Press Democrat)
Pacheco’s Roasted Corn at Santa Rosa’s Wednesday Night Market (Heather Irwin/Bite Club Eats)
We lost that loving feeling for Santa Rosa’s Wednesday Night Market for a couple years after what felt like a lot of same old same old from the food vendors. It’s time for a makeup to that breakup…
Pacheco’s Roasted Corn at Santa Rosa’s Wednesday Night Market (Heather Irwin/Bite Club Eats)
The market opened a couple weeks ago for the season, and we’re excited to see some new faces, and even more excited to find a reason to eat our way through the nearly 50 food stalls and trucks. A quick first pass turned up some awesome finds: Anello Family Crab and Seafood are serving salmon and crab from their boat; Haute Gypsy with arepas, cubanos and a pork belly BLT, Gerard’s Paella and Adobos n’More who are serving authentic Filipino chicken adobo, lumpia and rice.
Though they’re not new to the market, S’Wine Country BBQ killed it with their Pig Pen ($8), a gut-busting sausage topped with pulled pork, mango cole slaw and fried onions. Their beans are better than my mom’s (sorry mom) with sweet and heat, and the mango jalapeno slaw is also a stunner. We waited patiently in the mile-long line for Pacheco’s Roasted Corn, slathered with mayo, cojeta cheese and chili powder. If you haven’t tried this Mexican street food, make a bee line, because you’re going to become a fan.
Biteclub’s ready for a second date, Wednesday night…
The Wednesday Night Market runs each Wednesday evening from 5-8:30p.m. through Aug. 17, wednesdaynightmarket.org.
This is a perfect piece of roasted corn with all the toppings from a recent trip to SF’s Gott’s Roadside (Heather Irwin/Bite Club Eats)
The masala chai tea steaming fragrantly between my palms tastes nothing like the chai tea that Oprah and about a million other Americans have come to know as a milky, sweet, spiced black tea more like a pumpkin latte than what southeast Asians know as “masala” chai, or spiced tea.
That’s the problem with so many ethnic foods we think we love (or hate). The true flavors and inspirations often get lost in translation.
On this uncharacteristically rainy day at Delhi Belly Indian Bistro in Sonoma, the hot, milky masala smells of cardamom, cinnamon and clove but wakes up the tastebuds with a one-two punch of black pepper and ginger. It’s barely sweet and as comforting as a mother’s embrace.
Scallops at Dehli Belly Indian Restaurant in Sonoma. (Heather Irwin/The Press Democrat)
Just off the Sonoma Square, Delhi Belly is one of only a handful of Indian restaurants in Sonoma County, and easily one of the best. Focused heavily on Northern Indian cuisine, the menu has a familiar lineup of dishes that range from palak paneer to daal and naan, along with tandoori and tikka masala for traditionalists.
But the real buzz is about the less-familiar dishes: Roti and paratha (wheat breads), Hariyali Mali Kofta (a cheese dumpling with spinach and veggies in tomato sauce), kale pokoda (chickpea fritters also known as pakora), and the elusive butter chicken. Often confused with tikka masala, butter chicken is an actual Indian dish (usually from Delhi) with a little more spice, a little less cream and a lot more butter. I like to think of it as tikka masala’s classier cousin.
The menu makes it immediately clear that Delhi Belly isn’t your usual hodgepodge of Nepalese, Northern and Southern Indian curries and overcooked momo. Instead it is a chef-driven menu that’s heavy on authentic spices the use of a hand-tiled tandoori clay oven that cooks at 800-plus degrees.
Raj Singh and Bhupender Singh, co-owners of Dehli Belly Indian Restaurant in Sonoma. (Heather Irwin/The Press Democrat).
Chef Bhupender Singh looks far younger than a man with his experience at some of India’s top-rated restaurants and well-received eateries throughout California (Avatar, Ambrosia, Saffron). But it was his childhood friendship with co-owner Raj Singh in New Delhi that brought him to Sonoma County.
Missing the endless family feasts, street foods and flavors of home, the two decided that Delhi Belly would be about authentic dishes with modern twists that often nod to a sense of place in Northern California. That means dishes using local ingredients like kale, avocado, salmon and goat cheese in traditional dishes like kale pakora ($5), avocado chaat with layers of pomegranate, yogurt and tamarind chutney ($7) or lamb kebabs stuffed with goat cheese ($9). Cumin scallops with cilantro, lime and roasted peppers ($10) have just a hint of the musky spice, brightened with citrus and perfectly cooked.
Lamb Shank at Dehli Belly Indian Restaurant in Sonoma. (Heather Irwin/The Press Democrat)
Singh’s food isn’t about heat, but about flavor. One of the most impressive dishes is a slow-cooked lamb shank in hand-pounded spices ($18) that falls off the bone into an angry-looking red sauce, surprisingly delicate and deeply complex.
Tikka masala ($14) is a house specialty that’s hard to resist, but it gets the respect it deserves. The tender tandoori chicken and tomato sauce is miles beyond the usual tomato-soup style sauce we’ve had in other Indian restaurants.
Delhi Belly is far better than its name, which the owners meant to evoke the goodness of Delhi’s food but might evoke something else in world travelers. That’s too bad, because our bellies are now very much in love with the luxurious cuisine of this northern Indian metropolis.
Instead, think of Delhi Belly Indian Bistro as a well-deserved departure from ho-hum Indian food and a dive into the rich, fragrant, exotic flavors of a distant land. Without anything lost in translation.
Vegetable Samosa ($6): Crispy pastry triangles hold a mix of potatoes, spices and peas atop a bed of tamarind and mint sauce.
Tandoori Mixed Grill ($27): We rarely recommend tandoori because too often the meat is drier than Death Valley. Delhi Belly gets it right with tender chicken, rosemary lamb, salmon with mint and basil seekh kabab (minced meat). Heaven on a plate.
Butter Cilantro Naan ($3): Natch. What else are you going to soak up all that goodness with?
If you could pick anyone in Sonoma County to join you for dinner, who would it be?
In our article series “Sonoma People: Who’s Your Dream Dinner Guest?” we ask well known locals to name three Sonomans they would like to have at their table…
The Hostess
Ameila Morán Ceja has had a trailblazing career, going from vineyard worker to president of Ceja Vineyards Estate in Sonoma Carneros. She relocated to California from Jalisco, Mexico, in 1967, joining her father by working in Napa Valley vineyards.
As a farmworker, she learned firsthand how difficult the life is, and has pushed to improve the working and living conditions of those who toil in the fields today. In February, Ceja was given the Delores Huerta Award by the Farmworker Justice organization, for helping the group successfully advocate for new Environmental Protection Agency Worker Protection Standards on pesticides, to which agricultural workers are often exposed. In 2005, the California Legislature recognized Ceja as “Woman of the Year” for “breaking the glass ceiling in a very competitive business” as the first female Mexican-American winery president.
“Without farmworkers, there would not be a wine industry nor food on our table, and they must be protected and treated with dignity and respect,” said the energetic Ceja, who runs the business with other family members, including her husband, Pedro, and kids Dalia and Ariel. Yet she also finds time to prepare authentic Mexican dishes and pair them with wine, for those who doubt the two can be complementary (and they can).
“I’ve not met Marimar Torres but I’ve followed her career since she opened Marimar Estate Vineyards & Winery in Sebastopol in 1992. We could meet at her winery or at Ceja Vineyards Estate to enjoy a lovely meal paired with both our wines, and discuss the present and the future of the wine industry.
“Marimar comes from an elite and very traditional Spanish winemaking family, while I come from a nontraditional matriarchal farmworking Mexican family. Yet we’re both Hispanic immigrant women. We founded wineries in the two most renowned winegrowing regions in the U.S. We share a passion for food from our country of origin and we’ve succeeded in the maledominant wine industry. I have great admiration for Marimar’s tenacity in shaping her own brand, distinct from her family’s Bodegas Torres in Spain.”
Candido Morales, Board Member La Cooperativa Campesina de California
“I met Candido Morales a few years ago, when he was unit chief of the Institute for Mexicans Abroad. His mission was to connect Mexican nationals with the tools that would enable them to successfully transition to life in the U.S. He retired in 2013 and now serves on the board of directors of La Cooperativa Campesina de California.
“Candido and I are immigrants from Mexico. I was 12 years old when I arrived in Napa Valley and he was 13 when he arrived in Sonoma. Neither of us spoke English and our fathers were vineyard foremen. We’re both university educated and we care about social justice issues relating to immigrants and farmworkers. “I would enjoy sharing a meal with Candido to discuss our experiences as immigrants in our adopted country. What has changed and what remains the same?”
Merry Edwards, Founder Merry Edwards Winery
“Merry Edwards of Merry Edwards Winery in Russian River Valley and I have much in common: We like to cook and garden, and we both love Pinot Noir! Equally important, we both have experienced discrimination in the wine industry because of our gender. “Merry is a pioneer in one of the most competitive industries, winemaking. I’ve admired her journey from UC Berkeley to UC Davis to crafting some of the most iconic Pinot Noirs in Sonoma. It would be so interesting and fun to have dinner with Merry, the food prepared by both of us with ingredients from our organic gardens, and paired with our Chardonnays and Pinots.”
Some 10,000 Sunset Magazine fans experienced the very best of “Western Living” as the California lifestyle magazine hosted its 2016 Celebration Weekend at its new home in Cornerstone Sonoma.
Visitors to the event were delightfully enthralled as editors, celebrity chefs, vintners, craft beer brewers and renowned lifestyle experts went about bringing the pages of Sunset Magazine colorfully alive. While touring the new Sunset grounds, visitors enjoyed fine food and wine while being treated to a lavish preview of the magazine’s picture perfect Test Gardens (designed by Bay Area edible landscaping company Homestead Design Collective), top-of-the line Outdoor Kitchen and a brand new Airstream Village.
Celebrity chef and lifestyle blogger Ayesha Curry captivated the Celebration Weekend audience as she prepared a parsley-mint chicken, steak with chimichurri, and a citrus-infused tequila cocktail.
Culinary stars traveled from across the West (and beyond) to share their favorite recipes with an engaged Celebration Weekend audience. The weekend’s headliners were dynamic duo Ayesha Curry, author of the Little Lights of Mine blog and The Seasoned Life cookbook; and Amanda Haas, culinary director of Williams-Sonoma. Curry especially captivated the large and ebullient audience as she prepared a parsley-mint chicken, steak with chimichurri, and a citrus-infused tequila cocktail.
His birth name is Sam, though he won’t divulge his last name and wants the world to call him Fat Dog, a nickname given to him by his mother.
He doesn’t want the exact location of his home and recording studio revealed, though it’s somewhere above Sonoma Valley. Fat Dog, 68, has never married, doesn’t have kids, doesn’t own a cellphone and is fond of wearing tie-dyed T-shirts and jeans. He makes his living running Subway Guitars in Berkeley.
So hippie. So Sixties.
Photography by Jeremy Portje.
Yet Fat Dog lives very much in the now, his somewherein-Sonoma music studio and guitar workshop welcoming musicians to play, record and rebuild instruments with him. Some are students from Bennington College in Vermont, who earn credit while learning how to assemble guitars. Others are accomplished musicians who appreciate Fat Dog’s efforts to make guitars affordable to all, and his ability to construct instruments specific to their needs.
One of the instruments he made recently was for Joseph “Ziggy” Modeliste, drummer for New Orleans-based funk band The Meters. Modeliste needed a left-handed jazz guitar for his brother. Fat Dog took a regular jazz guitar and turned it over so the sound hole sits against the stomach, making the back of the guitar the front. Other wacky instruments he’s made include baritone lap steel slide guitars, baritone solid body resonator guitars, electric sitars and mandocellos.
It all happens in his Sonoma workshop.
Fat Dog’s interest in music started early. He grew up in Philadelphia with unionist parents who played music by activists such as Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger. His mother told him that music was his weapon, and that led him to move to Berkeley in the mid-’60s, at the height of the civil rights movement. He studied medicine at UC Berkeley to not only avoid the Vietnam War, but because he thought he’d like to become a doctor after visiting impoverished parts of Mexico.
Fat Dog didn’t finish his degree, and instead became involved in Berkeley’s music scene, working part time buying, fixing and selling guitars.
“The cultural revolution was in such full bloom, and music was the weapon,” Fat Dog said. “Being involved in the music scene was like being a gunsmith at the height of the Revolutionary War.”
He played guitar with several bands in high school but as an adult became more interested in guitar assembly and jamming with musicians. He opened Subway Guitars in 1968, but by the mid-’70s he needed a place to escape. He bought his property in Sonoma and splits his time between there and the Berkeley store.
The Sonoma studio feels like a roadhouse, a shrine of sorts to blues musician Chester Burnett (Howlin’ Wolf) — his name is etched on the room’s front door — and the sound Burnett brought to music of the 1950s and ’60s. No instrument in the space is newer than 1963, and the wooden floor gives a foot-stomping echo not found in modern studios.
“After 1971, music became so processed and artificial,” Fat Dog said. “Before then, music was spontaneous. What I’m trying to do is take it a step further by using recording equipment from the ’40s and ’50s to capture music that’s raw and has some richness to it, like that of John Lee Hooker, Otis Rush, B.B. King.”
Musicians looking for that vintage sound enter the recording space with a toddler-at-Disneyland enthusiasm, finding instruments they’ve never seen in person. Playing them, musicians can channel Burnett’s booming tone and record using wire recorders, tape recorders and 78 record-cutting machines. Nothing digital.
On the commercial side, Subway Guitars has been open for 48 years, rare for an independent music store. Stickers touting “Peace Through Equality” are attached to a wall.
“It’s not like a sterile Ikea-type of place,” Fat Dog said. “It’s more like the way guitar stores were in the ’60s and ’70s.”
He uses parts from Fender, Alembic, Modulus and others to create functional guitars for cost-conscious players.
In the 1970s, musicians from bands such as Jefferson Airplane, Creedence Clearwater Revival and Santana frequented the store. Members of Green Day hung out there. Michael Franti and Charlie Hunter worked in the shop. Paul McCartney plays one of Fat Dog’s guitars on tour.
“He has one of the best shops to find older instruments,” said the blues musician known as The Maestro. “He provides musicians with incredible instruments and makes them available at a real affordable level. He isn’t ever trying to rip the public off. He sets everyone up, creating a wonderful social situation around music.”
“Fat Dog has always stood for what he calls ‘the proletariat’ in terms of what he offers,” added Ethan Lee, who teaches music and works at Subway. “He doesn’t really care about shiny new guitars. He prefers to get something functional and make it available at a reasonable price for people. There’s massive gentrification going on in the Bay Area, but he’s continued to keep his lo-fi approach and offer entry-level and mid-range guitars to people.”
Sonoma is home to many guitar makers, yet none so storied — and private — as Fat Dog. For all of his shunning of the spotlight, his devotion to old-school musicianship and instruments looms large.
Stealthy Sipper
Sonoma Rosé Iced Tea
Be S’well
