Joe Rueter, chef with the Green Grocer, serves a porchetta during Windsor’s Farmers Market on the Town Green, June 14, 2012.
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The Gastronomist, Sebastopol, 6681 Sebastopol Ave., Sebastopol, 707-837-8113 or greengrocerdirect.com.
Joe Rueter, chef with the Green Grocer, serves a porchetta during Windsor’s Farmers Market on the Town Green, June 14, 2012.
Can’t we all just get along? Vegans, vegetarians, omnivores, locavores, lacto-ovovores, the gluten-intolerant and spice avoidant?
Food doesn’t have to be a battle ground. In fact, forward-thinking chefs know that co-mingling creative vegan, gf, allergy-sensitive and vegetarian fare on their omnivorous menus is more than just pandering — it’s smart business in an evolving food culture.
(Don’t believe it? Check out New York Times author Mark Bittman’s VB6, which encourages plant-based eating before 6 p.m. and, well, pretty much every restaurant offering something gluten-free).
Windsor farmer and chef Joe Rueter is putting that bold idea into practice with his new venture, The Gastronomist in Sebastopol.
Here, duck tacos, grass-fed beef, lamb and, yes, foie gras get cozy with vegan, squash fries, lentil salad, pumpkin gnocchi and a raw chocolate terrine Wednesday through Saturday evening from 5-11p.m.Housed in the Gravenstein Station railroad car that formerly housed Starlight Wine Bar, Rueter’s fiercely sustainable and local dishes have always been a BiteClub favorite (his heirloom tomato B.L.T. is a top 10).
But sprouted living salads, kefir, organic wine and sprouted grains from a guy who routinely grills up hundredsof pounds of bacon at his weekly farm market stands? Yup. Rueter keeps a separate griddle and cooking boards for vegan foods and cook the meat outside under a market tent (mmm, the smell of sizzling bacon). Anyone with allergies will be accommodated by using the phrase “No-Touchey…” followed by the allergy. Yup, seriously.
“I am not serving anything that has spent weeks in a walk-in, and has been on a truck all day coming from no produce company,” said the never-shy-to-speak-his-mind Rueter in a text message.“Darn nutrient-depleted tasteless vegetables not happening at this restaurant, period. No frozen meat or fish, nada. We’ve got an established local food system built from the markets we participate in weekly,” he added.
Rueter will offer breakfast and lunch from 9a.m. to 5p.m. daily at the train car with craft beer and organic wines, along with a simplified menu of salads, duck tacos, B.L.T. and burgers.
The Gastronomist, Sebastopol, 6681 Sebastopol Ave., Sebastopol, 707-837-8113 or greengrocerdirect.com.
Laura Hagar Rush enjoys one of her signature aperitifs outside the old Denman Creamery at Sonoma Aperitif in Penngrove. (Photos by Connor Jay / PathosPhoto)
For Laura Hagar Rush, Qu’est-ce Que C’est is the name she gave her Sonoma Aperitif brand beverages in response to U.S. regulations that prevent her from calling them aperitifs.
One of the region’s newest delicacies, Hagar’s ethereal blends of wine and vodka infused with fruits, herbs and flowers are aromatic and refreshing, meant to be sipped before a meal to whet the appetite and awaken the senses. But the federal definition of an aperitif allows only the addition of herbs and spices to wine and spirits, not fruit. When Hager learned this, she came up with Qu’est-ce Que C’est (kes-kuh-say) as a fanciful name for her beverages.
Hagar produces her elixirs at her new winery, Sonoma Aperitif, in Penngrove, in the former tasting room of Eagle Ridge Winery on the old Denman Creamery property. Her inspiration came in a singular moment in Berkeley, where a friend was making aperitifs in a garage and offered her some.
“When I tasted one made with bergamot,” she said, “I thought, ‘Why have I never tasted this before? Why doesn’t this exist?’”
Hagar, a graphic artist and writer, set out to create it, first by immersing herself in the story of aperitifs and then experimenting with batch after batch in her own garage in Forestville.
Fruit aperitifs have a history that goes back centuries in Western Europe, where they have long been made throughout the French countryside and in Spain and Italy. Their ancestors include fruit ratafias, vins maison and vins de grand-mére, delicate drinks typically made at home with family recipes passed down through generations. In recent times, French feminists, eager to shine a light on the creativity of their female predecessors, have generated new interest.
With history and those few tastes in Berkeley to guide her, Hagar realized that it was essential for her to find the right wine to infuse. “A wine needs to be lively and have plenty of acid,” she explained, adding that Sauvignon Blanc, the classic choice, and Pinot Grigio both work. Chardonnay doesn’t, as infused flavors turn flat when mixed with Sonoma’s signature white wine.
While classic aperitifs such as Campari (very bitter and best with soda or in cocktails), Lillet (white and red blends of wine and fruit liqueurs) and licorice-flavored Pernod are produced to exacting (and secret) recipes to have consistent aromas and flavors, Hagar’s aperitifs are seasonal, relying on whatever is fresh at any given time of year.
The Grapefruit Qu’est-ce Que C’est, for example, is light on the palate, a little bit bitter, a little bit sweet and a whole lot refreshing. More substantial is the Vin de Noix, made from green walnuts, vanilla, nutmeg and other spices infused into Syrah wine.
For fruit, she gleans from farmers markets, friends’ trees and those of strangers. Unharvested fruit signaled to her that some rare varieties (she used yuzu, a hard-to-find citrus, from a tree in Sunnyvale for her first batch) might be hers for the picking.
Now Hagar’s citrus comes primarily from a test orchard established 20 years ago in Forestville by UC Davis. After more than a dozen varieties of citrus were planted to see what might grow this far north, the trees were given just minimal care, with no special protection during freezing temperatures. The only variety to truly thrive is the Japanese tangerine, but some of the other trees, though struggling, still produce delicious fruit and the farmer invites neighbors to pick whatever they can use.
Hagar keeps her eyes and ears open, watching for trees laden with fruit and listening to recommendations from friends. Last fall, she found black figs and an unidentified variety of pear in Penngrove, not far from her winery. Before long, it was one of her newest creations, a beguiling drink with the perfume of fig in the aroma, a hint of pear on the first sip, and a rich fig flavor throughout. Adding sparkling wine, a traditional way of enjoying these aperitifs, makes an irresistible cocktail.
The aging room at Sonoma Aperitif is filled with dozens of 5-gallon carboys, glass jugs filled with wine and sliced or crushed fruit. Some will sit for two or three weeks, others longer, before they are siphoned off, cold-stabilized overnight, and in some cases, strained through cheesecloth, bottled and labeled by hand with Hagar’s beautiful drawings.
Sonoma Aperitif was bonded in the spring of 2014 and made its first sale, of Grapefruit Qu’est-ce Que C’est, in mid-November, after the long approval process that led to the unusual moniker. The goal is to produce about 600 cases a year.
The Grapefruit aperitif is available year-round, with a second signature release each season. Small-batch bottlings are produced when Hagar is inspired by found fruit.
And she is at work on additional products. Aperitif jams, made from a blend of macerated fruit from the infusions and fresh fruit, await legal approval. Soon there will be shrubs (blends of macerated fruit and vinegar), and Hagar is experimenting with making her own vinegar to create these refreshing, nonalcoholic beverages.
The best chefs are often the ones you don’t hear much about. They’re the ones who spend more time practicing how to make the perfect 63-degree egg than fluffing their own feathers. Not that they don’t get accolades such as Michelin stars, sold-out dinners and kudos from foodies who adore them, because they do. They just don’t brag about it.
So it’s time to shine the spotlight on six of Sonoma’s most show-stopping toques who toil away behind the scenes rather than out in front.
Chef Jesse Mallgren at Madrona Manor Restaurant in Healdsburg.
RAISING THE BAR: Jesse Mallgren, Madrona Manor
It’s an odd matchup: a chef on the cutting edge of modern cuisine operating inside a quaint, Victorian country inn. “Stylish, high-end cuisine in a cozy, Old World setting,” is how he describes it. Since 1999, 44-year-old Jesse Mallgren has been quietly elevating Sonoma cuisine, one can of liquid nitrogen at a time.
But don’t expect a showman in the kitchen. Mallgren is quiet and disciplined, having served in the kitchens of esteemed chefs Jeremiah Tower and Gary Danko, and lets his Twitter account (@madronachef) do most of his talking. With an inspiring kitchen garden, relationships with some of the region’s best meat and cheese purveyors, and free rein to run Madrona Manor’s culinary program exactly as he wants, Mallgren has a dream job he takes very seriously. For years, he’s been chasing a second Michelin star, which seems nearly in his reach.
Ultra-seasonal tasting menus include tiny, tweezer-placed bits of protein, garden vegetables and herbs, and French-inspired sauces (scallop crudo with lovage and edible flowers; pork jowl confit with apples, lentils and chicory), and liquid-nitrogen ice cream made at the table.
Executive Chef Shane McAnelly at Chalkboard Restaurant in Healdsburg.
MAKING A NAME OF HIS OWN: Shane McAnelly, Chalkboard
Many in Healdsburg cringed a bit when William Foley opened Chalkboard in the space that previously housed the beloved, two-Michelin-star restaurant Cyrus. Chef and owner Douglas Keane had vacated Cyrus on rather astringent terms with Foley, the building’s owner, so when chef Shane McAnelly took over the very same kitchen for the opening of Chalkboard in May 2013, it was, and to some degree still is, hard not to make comparisons.
But McAnelly rose immediately above the fracas, winning over locals and visitors with his approachable yet sophisticated menus. Dishes such as warm pretzels with Cheddar cheese sauce, pork-belly biscuits and precious shots of pea soup grace the menu, along with housemade pastas (squid ink, cocoa carbonara) and hearty meat dishes including fried chicken and lamb tacos (with pickled kohlrabi, just to keep it classy).
Using the epic gardens of Chalk Hill Estate (also owned by Foley) gives a just-picked quality to McAnelly’s dishes, and a stellar wine and beer list adds to the “everyone hangs out here” vibe. He briefly tried his hand at a higher-brow tasting menu in the hotel’s library. Though fleeting (running two entirely different menus proved a challenge), it polished McAnelly’s chef cred, with perfectly plated, of-the-moment bites paired with unusual wines and beers. He’s a chef of many colors, for sure.
Chef/Owner Darren McRonald at The Pullman Kitchen in Santa Rosa’s Railroad Square.
FILLING BIG SHOES: Darren McRonald, The Pullman Kitchen
Like Chalkboard’s McAnelly, Darren McRonald took over a restaurant space with a storied history and a loyal following, Josh Silvers’ Syrah Bistro (and later Petite Syrah) in Santa Rosa. It’s not an easy act to follow, especially since Silvers’ legacy moved across the street to his Jackson’s Bar and Oven.
But McRonald quietly opened the revamped space in summer 2014 with a menu that speaks to both comfort and luxury. The roast chicken is a standout, with crispy skin and juicy, tender meat (both light and dark), serving the bird with a light pan sauce and two dreamy spinach Parmesan pancakes. He’s done stints at Le Cirque in New York City, Chez Panisse in Berkeley and Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen in St. Helena, as well as being a managing partner at the former West County Grill in Sebastopol. It’s easy to taste those echoes in his cooking: bavette steak; Jonathan Waxman’s brick chicken; seasonal California produce a la Chez Panisse; Cindy Pawlycn’s knack for comfort classics.
A quiet presence, McRonald doesn’t showboat, instead letting his cooking speak for him.
The Pullman Kitchen, 205 Fifth St., Santa Rosa, 707-545-4300, Santa Rosa, thepullmankitchensr.com
Chef/owner Ari Weiswasser at Glen Ellen Star in Glen Ellen.
DEFINING SONOMA CUISINE: Ari Weiswasser, Glen Ellen Star
A few weeks before opening their jewel box of a restaurant, Ari Weiswasser and his wife, Erinn Benziger-Weiswasser, held a preview party featuring several of their wood-fire-oven dishes. Relatively unknown in Sonoma, despite his stints at the French Laundry in Yountville and Daniel in New York, Weiswasser’s wine-braised short ribs with mustard flowers, gnocchi with orange-blossom honey, and grilled escarole salad wowed the crowd.
Word got out fast. At opening, the wait for a table at Glen Ellen Star could be excruciating, and more than two years later, reservations are still necessary. Weiswasser’s secret? A cuisine that defines Sonoma with a menu focused on the wood-fire oven, backyard-picked produce from Benziger Family Winery’s biodynamic plots just up the hill, sustainably raised local meats, and a jeans and T-shirt vibe that makes the signature vanilla-maple-bourbon ice cream seem like the only rational dessert choice.
Glen Ellen Star, 13648 Arnold Drive, Glen Ellen, 707-343-1384, glenellenstar.com
Chefs and co-owners Matthew Williams, left, and Moishe Hahn-Schuman at Ramen Gaijin in Sebastopol.
POPPING UP: Matthew Williams and Moishe Hahn-Schuman, Ramen Gaijin
Who knew Sonoma was so starved for authentic Japanese ramen? The Ramen Boys.
What began as a weekly pop-up inside Woodfour Brewing Co. at The Barlow center in Sebastopol has turned into a semi-regular dining experience that continues to draw crowds in Ramen Gaijin’s new home down the street, in the former Forchetta space.
Dedicated to the principles of this ancient noodle dish, Matthew Williams and Moishe Hahn-Schuman make nearly everything by hand, from the pork-infused miso soup to toasted rye noodles, brined soft-boiled eggs, locally sourced pork belly and mushrooms. Serving up bowl after steaming bowl, they know that sometimes less is so much more.
With spring looming on the calendar, this is an ideal time to segue from bigger, denser red wines to whites, rosés and lighter reds, though depending on the weather, there are still plenty of excuses to indulge in the heavier stuff, too. The occasions vary in importance, from the frivolity of St. Patrick’s Day (a good time to also consider tippling a whiskey) to Earth Day, a fine kickoff to the planting season and stocking up on earthy Pinot Noir.
PINOT NOIR FOR ST. PATRICK’S DAY
If you like: Siduri 2012 Van der Kamp Vineyard Sonoma Mountain Pinot Noir ($48)
From the wilds of Sonoma Mountain, as green in springtime as an Irish meadow, the Van der Kamp Vineyard produces a compellingly intense wine. This Pinot is a mix of black tea and spicy pomegranate wrapped in smooth, velvety tannins, with excellent structure and length.
Then try: Fritz 2012 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir ($30)
Oaky and full-bodied, this quick-footed welterweight Pinot Noir provides big-boned layers of spice and herb around a core of dense blackberry and black cherry. Like March, it comes in like a lion and out like a lamb.
RED BLENDS FOR DAYLIGHT SAVINGS
If you like: Francis Ford Coppola 2012 Sonoma County Director’s Cut Cinema ($39)
As day blurs into night, enjoy this blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel with touches of Petite Sirah and Syrah that’s aged in a combination of French and American oak. Soft in cola spice, with medium acidity and medium weight, it’ll help you through the transition from wintry foods to lighter fare.
Then try: Gundlach-Bundschu 2012 Sonoma County Mountain Cuvée ($20)
Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot find companionship in this approachably smoky, leathery mix of black and red fruit that’ll please many palates and pocketbooks. On the finish, expect bittersweet coffee and chocolate, accents worth pairing with a roast or grilled, red-sauced pizza.
VIOGNIER FOR EASTER BRUNCH
If you like: Thumbprint Cellars 2013 J & B Schmidt Vineyard Dry Creek Valley Viognier ($36)
Enjoyed before or after the Ramos gin fizzes, this fragrant Viognier will complement the wide range of eggy foods on the table. It offers jasmine and beeswax aromas and a full-bodied frame of fleshy apricot, peach and honeydew melon — other pairing considerations.
Then try: Anaba 2012 Landa Vineyard Sonoma Valley Viognier ($28)
A consistently solid and pretty wine from a single vineyard, this Viognier dances in highlights of wet stone and apricot, swirling fancifully on the tongue in acidity. Its lack of flash is more than made up for by its sophistication and subtlety, and it finishes forcefully in spice.
RHONE-STYLE REDS FOR EARTH DAY
If you like: Palmeri 2011 Sonoma County Dark & Brooding Wine ($54)
Mountain-grown grapes from the Dry Creek and Alexander valleys contribute to this dark, dense wine that fits its name. It’s brooding, indeed, with blackberry, currant and gamy meat character and firm tannins that soften on the finish. Sublime seasonings of toasted oak, black pepper, dark chocolate and vanilla bean creep slowly onto the palate.
Then try: Preston of Dry Creek 2012 Dry Creek Valley L. Preston Red ($36)
A complex blend of Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre, Carignane and Cinsault, the wine has refreshing acidity and layers of wild raspberry and licorice flavors. Not overly oaked, it’s instead on the floral, velvety side. It has plenty of structure to match with food, or sip it on its own.
Janet Tonkin walks along Santa Rosa Creek in Hood Mountain Regional Park, near Santa Rosa. (Photo by Christopher Chung)
So many choices, so little time. To best select among Sonoma’s possibilities, we posed a question to those in the know:
If you had just one place to take a first-time visitor to Sonoma, where would you go?
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Ernesto and Diana Crespo walk through the Sonoma Court Shops, which include numerous tasting rooms, in Sonoma. (Photo by Christopher Chung)
The manager of Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport, Jon Stout, recommends the downtown Sonoma Plaza. “If you have limited time, you can really get a great feel for Sonoma County in four hours there,” he says. “You’ve got shopping, good restaurants, you’ve got an opportunity to do some wine tasting and you can walk to everything.” There’s also Mission San Francisco Solano, built in 1823. “I did a class trip there when I was in grade school and I must have had a good docent, because since then, it’s just been fascinating to me.”
Ari Castaneda, 8, and his dad, Paul, hike towards an overnight campground where they will be spending the night at Hood Mountain Regional Park in Kenwood. (Photo by Beth Schlanker)
Deborah Large, community events manager and naturalist at Jack London State Park in Glen Ellen, is a self-proclaimed wildflower fanatic. Her favorite place to send those of like mind is Hood Mountain Regional Park and Open Space Preserve in Santa Rosa. “The park has rugged terrain that makes for a great hike with fantastic views,” she says. “Plus, it has a long season of growing wildflowers,” early spring through fall. “Last November, the trails were lush with mushrooms and new growth, and I was very excited by the earthstar mushrooms, which I’d never seen before.”
Patrick Schieglich leads a tour of the wine caves at Benziger Family Winery. (Photo by Scott Manchester)
For Colby Smith, founder of the hospitality-focused Concierge Alliance Napa Valley & Sonoma, Benziger Family Winery in Glen Ellen suits both the outdoor enthusiast and the wine lover. “Benziger shows the big picture,” she says. “The biodynamic winery has beautiful gardens that attract the good insects, and it also has sheep, cattle and birds, all of which support the ecosystem.” A ride on the winery tram offers beautiful views of the vineyards and gardens, and the tasting room awaits after the tour. “It’s a true agricultural experience, and a wonderful way to enjoy ‘going rural,’” Smith says.
Bruschetta all’Aglio, Pomodoro e Basilico is served at Baci Cafe & Wine Bar in Healdsburg. (Photo by Conner Jay)
Cathi and Steve Fowler, innkeepers at the Honor Mansion in Healdsburg, dine often at Baci Cafe & Wine Bar and recommend it to guests as a dinner destination that will please even the pickiest of eaters. The Healdsburg restaurant “embraces what Sonoma has to offer in terms of vegetables and it buys local,” Cathi says. House-made pasta and sauce choices include gluten-free, vegan and vegetarian options. Those with food intolerances (Steve has celiac disease and eats gluten-free) are happily accommodated. “I’m trying to keep my husband safe, so that made going out to restaurants next to impossible,” Cathi says. “Baci keeps him safe, and the food is fantastic.”
Robindira Unsworth stands outside her shop in Petaluma. (Photo by Beth Schlanker)
Stepping into Robindira Unsworth’s eponymous Petaluma boutique is like taking a journey to India and the Middle East. She offers an exotic collection of boho-chic jewelry that incorporates a mix of metals, textures and semiprecious gemstones, inspired by her mother’s East Indian background.
Unsworth, whose first name is pronounced roh-BIN-drah, gets inspiration from her travels to the Middle East and Morocco, and a childhood spent in her mother’s clothing design studio. Less exotic destinations also play a role.
“When my husband and I moved to Petaluma from San Francisco, I was amazed that within five minutes, we could be driving amongst cows and vineyards and olive groves,” she said. “If I take the time to get out into the world, new designs always come my way.”
Unsworth brings her visions to life in her Petaluma studio, a curtained-off area at the back of the store. Some pieces are cast in India and completed in Petaluma, while all of the beaded jewelry is made in her studio, from start to finish. A triple-strand necklace, for example, has labradorite, moss aquamarine and zircon stones in varying shades of blue, on a sterling-silver chain accented with 22-karat gold vermeil.
She describes her jewelry line as “relaxed and luxurious,” and conducive to layering. “I design three to four different collections every year and the pieces work really well together,” she said. “Pieces from five years ago are still totally relevant; it’s not like anything goes out of style.”
Seared Sonoma Foie Gras at Petite Syrah. (photo by Christopher Chung)
Foie gras is back on menus and California chefs celebrate. Animal rights groups howl.
In a Jan. 7 ruling that caught both sides by surprise, a U.S. District Court judge in Los Angeles lifted the statewide ban on the sale of artificially fattened duck or goose liver, aka foie gras. Chefs scurried to add the rich, buttery liver lobes to their menus, pan-searing them or turning them into torchons and terrines. Animal protection groups, including the Humane Society and Farm Sanctuary, immediately called on California Attorney General Kamala Harris to appeal the decision and she did, on Feb. 4.
Animal welfare advocates convinced California voters in 2004 that the force-feeding of ducks and geese for the purpose of engorging their livers for foie gras production was cruel. The law, which took effect in 2012, prohibited only the sale of foie gras and not the serving of it. So some local chefs “gifted” foie gras to diners, absorbing the typical cost of $65 to $100 a pound or passing it on to other dishes.
“(Foie gras) is a great product,” said Jesse Mallgren, chef at Healdsburg’s Madrona Manor. “I don’t think the ban was fully thought out.” Said chef Steve Litke of Forestville’s Farmhouse Inn: “A lot of our customers really miss it.” Ken Frank, chef at La Toque in Napa: “Choice has returned to California menus.”
However, Judge Stephen Wilson’s Jan. 7 reversal of state law had nothing to do with treatment of ducks: He ruled only that the ban interfered with the federal Poultry Products Inspection Act of 1957.
During the appeal, foie gras can still be sold in California. But this food fight isn’t over yet.
With names such as The Hatchet, The Anvil and The Pitchfork, the infusion of bourbon and red wine in some batches, and a rock band drummer as brand ambassador, one would expect the hard ciders from Sonoma Cider to be gutsier than most. And they are.
The Healdsburg producer’s ciders are bold enough to be alternatives to beer, and as crisp and complex as white wine, though at just 6 percent alcohol content. The current bottlings — Hatchet (apple), Pitchfork (apple infused with pear) and Anvil (apple with bourbon essence) — are made from organically grown fruit and designed to win over those who think cider is for wimps.
“Ciders typically don’t have a lot of complexity,” co-founder and cider master David Cordtz said, “particularly the ones made by the big brewing companies. We’re trying to change that.”
Cordtz, also a winemaker, works with his son, Robert, to embellish the typical cider recipe of fermented apple juice. Robert is experimenting with infusions of rosemary and rhubarb, and has produced a Zinfandel-tinged cider that will be released soon.
For now, Anvil is the most distinctive cider they make, smoky and with a hint of vanilla from the bourbon. It’s sippin’ cider. Hatchet is a balanced mix of tart and sweet apple flavors and is also a versatile base for spring and summer cocktails.
There are plans for a taproom, and The Killers drummer, Ronnie Vannucci Jr., who lives nearby, touts the ciders at home and on the road. He’s such a fan that one of the Sonoma Cider tanks bears his name.
Maple Basil Ciderita
Courtesy Sonoma Cider
5 basil leaves 1 ounce silver tequila ½ ounce fresh lime juice ½ ounce maple syrup 5 ounces Sonoma Cider The Hatchet (apple) basil sprigs for garnish
In a pint glass, add the basil leaves, tequila, lime juice, maple syrup and cider, and press the ingredients with a muddler until the basil leaves are bruised, releasing their oils. Fill the glass with ice and garnish with the basil sprigs.
G’s General Store in Sonoma is the magnum opus of Virginia Hayes. The store is a nod to the general stores of Hayes’ youth with a nod to whimsy. ( Photos by Charlie Gesell)
The bag of gummies in G’s General Store aren’t bears, but rather caterpillars. The charming raffia dollhouse from Madagascar moonlights as a storage bin for toys. Pillows call out advice: “Be Nice or Leave”; “Make Yourself Proud.”
And who knew felt could be so spectacular and stylish, used for everything from folding shopping baskets to trivets shaped like leaves? This is most definitely not your granny’s general store — more like Marimekko meets grownup toy emporium.
G’s General Store in Sonoma is the magnum opus of Virginia Hayes, aka Gigi. A former buyer for the likes of Smith & Hawken and Williams-Sonoma, Hayes traveled the world to source products, knowing one day she would have her own store. She fell in love with Sonoma and a lovely 1800s former mercantile building on the Plaza, and opened her shop there in November 2014.
While G’s is a nod to the general stores of her youth, Hayes has created a decidedly modern, edited take on one-stop shopping, where functionality dances a two-step with whimsy. The shop is organized by rooms of the house, with all the themes starting with the letter “G,” as in Glamour, Gourmet Galley, Goodies, Greet and Gather.
“I was inspired by the shops in Sweden and Denmark,” Hayes said. “They were clean, organized, bright and happy places to shop.”
Home brewer Greg Rasmussen won the 2014 Samuel Adams Longshot American Homebrew Contest. (BETH SCHLANKER/ The Press Democrat)
When Greg Rasmussen joined the Forestville Fire Protection District 28 years ago, he was slapped with a nickname that will soon be on bottles of beer sold across the country.
“Raspy,” now 46 and a Forestville fire captain, was one of three 2015 winners in the Samuel Adams American Homebrew Contest. His Robust Porter, an English-style dark ale with malty, chocolate richness and a refreshing finish, joins the two other winners, a dunkelweiss and a rauchbier, in the Samuel Adams LongShot six-pack (two bottles of each beer) to be sold in the U.S. beginning in April. The Boston Beer Co., parent of the Samuel Adams brand, learned of Rasmussen’s firehouse moniker and renamed his beer Raspy’s Robust Porter.
“Some of the guys had trouble pronouncing Rasmussen, so I became Raspy,” he said. “They’re going to give me such a hard time about this.”
After the porter was chosen from more than 1,000 entries, Rasmussen gave the recipe to Sam Adams, which brewed, bottled and packaged the ale and will ship it to stores. The national exposure, plus more than 150 medals won in 17 years of homebrewing, could motivate a guy to go pro.
“Yes, I’ve thought about that,” Rasmussen said. “I retire from the department in four years and will need to keep busy.” It won’t happen tomorrow, he said, “but maybe the day after tomorrow.”
