Louis Maldonado is the Executive Chef at Spoonbar in Healdsburg. (BETH SCHLANKER/ The Press Democrat)
While other kids were reading comic books or graphic novels, Louis Maldonado was busy thumbing through his mother’s cookbooks.
“My mom had the ‘Better Homes and Gardens’ cookbooks and I would always read those,” he says. “I just liked looking at all the pictures of food.”
The research paid off. After studying at the California Culinary Academy, Maldonado, now 32, landed his first kitchen gig at One Market restaurant in San Francisco. He quickly scaled the Bay Area culinary ladder, cooking at the French Laundry, Aziza, Café Majestic and Cortez, which earned a Michelin star.
Now, as the executive chef at Spoonbar and Pizzando in Healdsburg, Maldonado’s mission is for diners to walk away and say, “It was almost too flavorful for me to eat,” he says.
The country knows him as the comeback kid on Bravo’s “Top Chef” reality TV show. He was the one who wouldn’t go away, winning a record eight “Last Chance Kitchen” elimination challenges. But at home he’s just Dad, a karate black belt, ultramarathoner and surprisingly, not the guy who cooks at family gatherings anymore.
THEN: Raised in Antioch and Pittsburg, Calif.; moved to Ukiah at age 17.
NOW: Healdsburg, with his wife, Sarah, and 5-year-old son, Benjamin
MUSIC ON THE WAY TO WORK: House, techno or Kanye West, basically “something loud and fast that has some bass in it.”
AFTER WORK: Otis Redding
MOST EXPENSIVE BLADE: $2,000 Suisun sushi knife
FAVORITE HEALDSBURG HANGOUT: Bergamot Alley
GO-TO DISH AT HOME: Tacos or quesadillas
SPOONBAR DISH OF WHICH HE’S MOST PROUD: Rice porridge finished with ground prawn and served with a miso puree
KITCHEN CATASTROPHE: “One Thanksgiving, I lit the turkey on fire. I basically coated it in butter and then I was going to slow-roast it and cook it in the barbecue. But the drip pan fell over and ignited the entire barbecue. Now, it’s not even spoken of; nobody even asks if I’ll cook.”
HOW LIFE WOULD BE DIFFERENT IF HE’D WON “TOP CHEF”: “Aside from the money, I don’t think I would have changed that much. I just had a conversation with (finalists) Nick (Elmi) and Nina (Compton) and I’m just as busy as they are; actually, I think I’m doing more than they are right now.”
Jay Shafer’s Tiny House in Graton. (photography by Chris Hardy)
Ella Jenkins wakes up nearly every morning in a 120-square-foot Cypress 18 Tumbleweed Tiny House that she built herself on the Sonoma Coast.
“It feels amazing, absolutely delightful,” she said of the space she shares with her boyfriend and their dog, a 55-pound mutt they rescued a few months ago. “I’ve always loved small spaces, and in a tiny house everything is so close. I burn fewer dinners and I don’t lose things.”
But what about clothes and shoes? Do you have to eschew fashion to live in such a small space?
“I was the kind of person who would buy something and then not wear it,” she said. “Now I have none of the guilt of buying too much. I only have things I need and love.”
She has three pairs of shoes: two pairs of boots for daily wear and one pair of high-heeled boots.
The 23-year-old harpist paid for her house by busking (playing in public spaces) in Scotland. Her harp is the first thing she sees when she walks into her little home, with a view of the ocean beyond it. She still busks for tips, though cautiously, because many local ordinances prohibit it.
Her coastal house fully paid for, Jenkins works just two weekends a month, conducting workshops for Tumbleweed Tiny House Co. The rest of her time is spent knitting, making jewelry, drawing, painting and playing music. Time — the way you spend it and the way you think of it — shifts when you don’t have a monthly mortgage or rent payment.
Jay Shafer in front of the wee domicile.
Jay Shafer, the visionary who founded Tumbleweed Tiny House in Sebastopol the late 1990s, explained that a tiny house isn’t so much small as it is essential.
“It is simply a well-designed home, with all of the unnecessary parts edited out,” he said. “Everything is boiled down to its essence.”
For Shafer, that essence is a convergence of necessity and beauty. As the scale of a structure shrinks, he said, the significance of everything is magnified. The alignment of each element, even the smallest of details, must serve the overall vision and purpose, which is to create a home that is every bit as wonderful, comfortable and nourishing, if not more so, than a much larger house.
But there’s something else, too: a touch, perhaps, of magic, a reflection of Shafer’s passion for meaning.
“I was working on a house that had 145 square feet of space,” he offered by way of explanation. Local building codes required a minimum of 150 square feet, yet to add 5 square feet to his design would destroy its overall economy and alchemy. He solved the problem by putting the house on wheels, as building codes apply to structures, not vehicles.
Over the years, Shafer has honed his design skills in unusual ways. He’s stood in public bathroom stalls, pondering the feasibility of installing a functional kitchen in such a small space. To perfect sleeping lofts in his houses, he’s spent time sitting under tables to assess the feel of the headroom.
He also thinks a lot about downsizing, about what items and objects people need, what they think they need and what is hardest to give up. Shafer lives in a 125-square-foot house in Graton; in front of the little abode is a 500-square-foot structure he calls the bunk house, where he, his wife and their two young sons sleep.
Not quite two years ago, Shafer sold Tumbleweed to a partner, Steve Weissmann. Their design aesthetics were diverging, he said, and he was focusing on new designs and projects.
Tumbleweed Tiny House president Steve Weissmann in a 131-square-foot Tumbleweed in Sonoma that is available as a vacation rental (top), and the rental’s bathroom (bottom).
During Shafer’s time at Tumbleweed, the company developed plans for several styles of tiny houses and sold them to do-it-yourselfers. He built a few houses, but mostly worked with those who wanted to construct their own. Many started blogs about the process and it didn’t take long before “Tumbleweed” became the generic term for tiny houses throughout the country.
“We seem to be the Kleenex of the tiny-house movement,” said Debby Richman, marketing director for Tumbleweed, referring to the use of the best-known manufacturer’s brand name for all facial tissues.
Weissmann moved the company’s offices to Sonoma, not far from the town plaza, and began to expand the business, especially its construction side. An Amish family in Colorado Springs, Colo., now manufactures the homes. In the first year after the sale, Tumbleweed delivered more than two dozen little houses and this year expects to move 100. It also sells plans and holds seminars nationwide.
An in-house architect, Meg Stephens, has added new designs to the original Tumbleweeds and lives in one in Sonoma that she and her husband built last winter. The company has incorporated a number of requests into its design options and codified many of them, such as stairs instead of a ladder to get to the sleeping loft and dormers in the loft itself to make it more spacious without altering the home’s overall footprint.
As Tumbleweed has expanded, it has attracted a huge array of people looking for something other than a primary residence, though there is plenty of interest in living in tiny houses, too. Individuals are attracted to the mobility of the homes, their small ecological footprint and the freedom of not having a mortgage. At the same time, traditional homeowners are interested in tiny houses as vacation homes, guest houses, caregiver homes, home offices, art studios and backyard hideaways for youngsters.
The Tumbleweed rental’s kitchen.
Not far from the company’s office is a 131-square-foot Tumbleweed that can be rented for the night by vacationers and prospective tiny-house buyers. For those who want a Tumbleweed of their own, base prices range from $57,000 for 18-foot models to $66,000 for 24-foot models.
Today, nearly all tiny houses are constructed on wheels, with permanent trailer hitches. Tumbleweed houses have a small air conditioning and heating unit attached above the trailer hitch which, when it is not connected to a vehicle, can hold a propane tank.
Shafer, whose new company is Four Lights, builds all of his new designs on wheels, too.
One of the benefits of wheels instead of cement foundations is that the structures are classified as recreational vehicles, which provides a range of benefits, from financing and insurance to zoning. Although some communities restrict how long an RV can remain parked at a specific location, cities are reconsidering such restrictions. In Sonoma, for example, it is now legal to have a tiny house on wheels year-round if a caregiver lives in it.
Tiny houses aren’t just mobile, they’re durable and efficient.
Tumbleweed makes its houses to last a minimum of 50 years. They need power and water, of course, and there are several options. A tiny house can tap into the grid with electrical, water and sewer or septic hookups, or can be entirely self-contained, using propane, a composting toilet, water tank and, in a long-term location, solar panels adjacent to the house.
All the essentials are close at hand in the compact kitchen of Jay Shafer’s tiny Graton home.
Shafer’s new company features six designs for tiny houses. He’s expanded to offer ready-made houses and hopes manufacturing will begin sometime this year, by a company in New Hampshire. He’s not yet established the final price of his manufactured Four Lights houses; materials estimates for do-it-yourselfers range from $8,450 to $30,400 and include heaters, appliances and other components.
Shafer has also developed plans for a village of tiny houses called the Napoleon Complex, which he jokingly refers to as co-housing for the anti-social, though really, he’s simply focused on perfectly designed private spaces combined with an opportunity to share certain necessities.
“You can share resources like washers, dryers and lawn mowers,” he said, adding that this is not traditional co-housing. “There will be no community meetings,” he emphasized.
Although Shafer envisions 16 to 22 tiny houses per acre, he likely will begin with a community of eight to 16 houses, for a total of 20 residents. People will own their own houses and the little plots of land they sit on, and share the expense of the common area.
Plenty of windows offer fresh air and light for Shafer’s tidy office nook.
Tiny houses have broken through to the mainstream. One sees them in the Deep South, where they began to appear after Hurricane Katrina, though they tend to be most popular where high housing prices intersect with innovative thinking.
There are movements in Portland, Ore., and Boston, with requests for seminars coming from all over the country. Yet Sonoma remains the nexus of the little-house movement.
“Tiny-house proselytizers tend to be from Sonoma County,” Tumbleweed’s Richman said, calling its residents thought leaders and early adopters.
For them, living in a small space is living large.
MFK Fisher (PD File). The Art of Eating will be held at the Bouverie Preserve May 18
MFK Fisher (PD File). The Art of Eating will be held at the Bouverie Preserve May 18
Bouverie Preserve’s Art of Eating Picnic: Inspired by the life of culinary author M.F.K. Fisher, this annual picnic presented by the Audubon Canyon Ranch invites guests to the limited-access Glen Ellen Reserve for a day of eating, drinking and exploring. Benefitting the Ranch’s Nature Education Programs for schoolchildren, the Art of Eating event runs from 12:30pm to 4:30p.m. on Sunday, May 18 with chefs from Brown Sugar Kitchen, Rivoli Restaurant and Taste Catering providing the meals. Tickets are $150 per person. Info at egret.org/art_of_eating .
This is the annual food and wine event that pretty-much sums up what it is to live in Sonoma County. Held at the Summerfield Waldorf School’s breathtaking biodynamic farm, top Bay Area chefs and vintners come together (many of whom are alums or have children at the school), to feast and toast under the stars. Among the feast-makers: Traci Des Jardins of Jarndiniere, Jon Stewart and Duskie Estates of Zazu restaurant and farm, Nick Peyton of HBG (and formerly of Cyrus), Lowell Sheldon of Peter Lowell’s and the schools’ own chef, Mat Petersen. Vintners pouring include Claypool Cellars, Coturri, Davis Family Vineyards, Littorai, Truett Hurst, Roederer, Small Vines Wines, Porter Bass and Martinelli Winery. Saturday, May 17, 3:30pm to 10:30pm, $90 per person, benefitting the school’s scholarship program. Tickets at farmtofeast.org.
Rendez Vous Bistro in Santa Rosa will become Flip A Crepe this summer. File photo
Rendez Vous Bistro in Santa Rosa will become Flip A Crepe this summer. File photo
The owners of Rendez Vous Bistro in downtown Santa Rosa (as well as Flipside Burgers, Flipside Steakhouse and Sports Bar, Lakeside Grill) are planning a “fresh market concept” in the former Rendez Vous Bistro in Courthouse, which judging by the name, Flip A Crepe, will include, uh, crepes?
Reps are talking yet, but it’s slated to open this summer, along with Flipside Brewhosue in Rohnert Park, which was formerly Latitude Island Grill.
Meanwhile, Lakeside Grill, the outdoor restaurant that opened last year in Spring Lake Park, will open with a limited menu on Saturdays and Sundays from May 17 through Memorial Day, then offer weekend breakfast and brunch, daily lunch and dinner, and a happy hour starting at 2p.m. all summer long. Hours are 10:30 AM until the park closes at sunset.
Pork Ramen at Shige Sushi in Cotati. photo heather irwin.
Pork Ramen at Shige Sushi in Cotati. photo heather irwin.
Ever since Doug Keane shuttered Shiso, the Northbay has suffered an appalling lack of decent ramen.
There is, of course, Hana Japanese (101 Golf Course Dr., Rohnert Park). But we’re talking casual, slurp at the table, take a doggy bag home kind of street ramen.
Alas, we’ve finally found it: Pork style.
Shige Sushi in Cotati is the absolute real deal. The tiny Japanese kitchen simmers pork bone, chicken and dashi stock over several days, concentrating the flavors into a cloudy, deeply pork-flavored broth. Slices of pork, a soft-boiled egg, strips of mushroom and green onions and chewy ramen noodles, served piping hot (with a dash or two of tobiko) make this a sinus-cleansing, soul-warming meal. Ramen isn’t available every day, so call ahead to make sure they’ve got it.
If not, you’re still covered. Shige’s sushi, sashimi and homestyle dishes (like karaage, or Japanese fried chicken) easily stand up to Rohnert Park’s Hana Japanese, Hiro in Petaluma and Bennett Valley’s Yao Kiku (Sam’s authentic dishes—which are often off menu—have made BiteClub’s head swim in the past).
8235 Old Redwood Hwy, Cotati, 795-9753. Open Tuesday through Friday, closed Monday
The long-shuttered Last Day Saloon may come back to life, albeit in a new guise, in 2015.
BiteClub has gotten word that a local family of restaurateurs are hoping to rehab the historic building on Fifth St. in Santa Rosa’s historic Railroad Square. With a working name of Monsoon, the concept is an “upscale Indian/fusion restaurant and performance venue”.
Just don’t call it a nightclub.
The developers say they’ll have an outdoor patio, long bar in the music and performance space along with wine-pairing and “approachable” Indian cuisine in the restaurant area.
The plan goes to the City May 7 , 2014 and BiteClub will have more details in the coming weeks.
Hotel Chauvet has graced the village of Glen Ellen for more than 100 years and is once again so grand that its guests pay a handsome sum to experience its historic luxury. Joshua Chauvet, who established this and other businesses in the bustling burg of yore, would be proud that his 1906-vintage hotel has dodged the wrecking ball.
Today this National Register of Historic Places landmark, now called The Chauvet, is a six-condominium vacation rental venue housed within the mostly original exterior. Each 2,000-square-foot, three-bedroom, two-bath condo whispers of its past with exposed brick walls and repurposed tie-rod plates covering old flue vents. The kitchens shimmer with stainless steel and granite, while gas fireplaces warm the living rooms, each furnished with a contemporary flair. An inviting pool long enough for lap swimming has been added amid a gorgeous lounge-chair-laced garden.
Frequented by weekend escapists, wine tasters and wedding parties, The Chauvet, which once had a top-floor ballroom and ground-level tavern frequented by famed author Jack London, has returned to life, attracting people from places as diverse as San Francisco, Florida and France. Marketed mainly online, its charms entice those looking for the modern pop of orange armchairs nestled in a stately edifice that’s welcomed generations of visitors.
The rebirth of The Chauvet is a saga of financial challenges, permit hurdles and a collapsed roof that nearly doomed the project. Yet the outcome is heritage preserved and a building that is now bliss.
“The building ultimately has its own spirit and it speaks for itself,” said Christine Hansson, the manager and a principal owner. “It is still here because it wanted to be. It really is a special place and we are just the caretakers.”
Hansson and her husband, Hans, along with project architect Larry Paul and other investors, purchased the boarded-up property on Arnold Drive in 1996 as an investment. “We were supposed to be in and out in two years and we’re still here,” she said, noting that the current owners are herself, Hans, and the project’s general contractor, Mike Allen. “We could have given up the ghost, but we didn’t.”
They acquired the abandoned property from George Siebert, who had operated George’s Three Nations restaurant, bar and arcade at the site from 1971 until 1987, when the eclectic spot that offered 42 beers on tap closed for good. The structure, begun before the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and completed in 1907, became a hazardous eyesore.
“The county wanted to tear it down,” Hansson said. She and her team bought the building with a plan of turning it into condos and immediately selling them. “It was always our intention to save it.”
After many months in the planning and permit process, they were given permission to renovate, only to discover they could not secure financing. “Construction costs were escalating faster than property values at the time,” Hansson said. “Everybody was afraid of it. It was unreinforced masonry and all the seismic requirements were kicking in.”
Dreams dashed, the investors launched a new scheme to return The Chauvet to its true roots, as a hotel. They purchased the adjoining property to the south, which was originally part of the Hotel Chauvet site, and drew renderings that added two additional wings, resulting in a blueprint for 45 rooms.
“The county didn’t say no to a hotel. They were looking at it in a positive light. They didn’t slam the door on us,” Hansson said. But many Glen Ellen residents were not on board, concerned about the size of the hotel, parking and traffic. “I understood where they were coming from and I didn’t have the stomach for a fight,” she explained. “With community opposition, it makes it tough.”
While the partners needed a large number of rooms for the project to make financial sense, they also didn’t want to change the character of Glen Ellen. In 2004, eight years after they purchased the building they revisited the condo plan, found financing, paid off the original investors and renewed the building permits for the current six-unit venue.
Two weeks before construction began, an old beam broke and the entire roof caved onto the third floor, pushing out the south wall. Arnold Drive was closed in front of the building for four days. “I was outside on the street listening to people say, ‘They should take it down,’” Hansson recalled. Still, she knew that somehow it would survive. A stabilization team shored it up and removed the debris. Once the weight was removed, the bowed wall shifted back inward, making it possible to repair it and save the building from demolition.
Hansson made it her mission to salvage as much as possible, and with help from her two sons, hand-washed 3,000 bricks that ultimately went back into The Chauvet along with the tie rods and some fir beams that had fallen.
The condos were completed in 2007, just as the real estate downturn began. Priced at $1.1 to $1.3 million, they didn’t draw any buyers. Hansson and her husband purchased unit 2B to jump-start interest, an idea that failed. They then tried to sell the condos at auction, which was canceled when registered buyers failed to show.
Christine Hansson
The vacation rentals began in summer 2008. The Chauvet finally opened its doors to guests again, calling itself “Sonoma Wine Country’s Most Unique Lodging Experience.” The Chauvet is now a hot spot with a high occupancy rate, commanding $645 a night for a three-night minimum and $3,850 a week.
For Hansson, who learned along the way that she shares a birthday, July 20, with Joshua Chauvet, the building is now part of her soul. She loves catering to her guests, adorning the rooms with fresh flowers, local wine, chocolates and homemade cookies. She encourages them to use the Glen Ellen Village Market across the street and shares tips for visiting nearby restaurants and wineries.
Two of the condos are now back on the market, but Hansson, who splits her time between a home in San Francisco and The Chauvet, said she will never sell 2B. “There’s too much of me in this building. I’m attached.”
Without her, The Chauvet would not be historic. It would be history.
Tucker Taylor Director of Culinary Gardens and vegetable garden at Kendall-Jackson vineyard. (photo by
Chris Hardy)
Christian Dake was barely in elementary school when he asked his parents if they could start growing food and edible flowers.
“We started planting basil and tomatoes, and my first flower was a green zinnia,” said the St. Helena native. “We had three-quarters of an acre in front of the house, and I had an honor farmstand.”
More recently, the 32-year-old gardener grew tomatoes with “Tomato Guy” Brad Gates of Napa’s Wild Boar Farms, raised 2,000 heirloom squash and melons for Gere Gettle of Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds of Petaluma, and started working with seed savers around the globe to preserve and produce heirloom seed.
So when the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone came knocking on his garden gate last spring, looking for a culinary gardener for its new Farm-to-Table Cooking program, Dake jumped in with both boots.
“We’re training these chefs to work closely with a garden or create their own garden,” Dake said. “If they can see what’s possible here, they know it’s possible for them.”
The farm-to-table students care for the garden and harvest the fruits of their labor under the guidance of Larry Forgione, a legendary chef who pioneered seasonal, local American cooking in the 1980s.
With Forgione’s help, they also create a prix-fixe, five-course menu they serve on weekends at The Conservatory, a pop-up restaurant on the St. Helena campus.
“If you don’t start with great ingredients, you’re not going to have great food,” Forgione said, summing up his farm-to-fork philosophy.
Although the Napa Valley was originally planted to grain, nut and fruit trees, most of those food crops disappeared long ago in favor of wine grapes.
Culinary Institute of America Farm Manager Christian Dake picks an aji limo pepper at the CIA farm at Charles Krug Winery. (Alvin Jornada / The Press Democrat)
For Dake, who has a botany degree from Humboldt State University, growing grapes was not an option. Instead, he always dreamed of creating the most beautiful garden in Napa Valley. With the 6-plus acres provided by Charles Krug Winery across from the CIA campus, that dream has become a reality.
The production garden, which supplies the restaurants and the teaching kitchen on campus, doubles as a demonstration garden for Charles Krug Winery. It’s also a model of sustainability throughout the valley.
“I hope a lot of vineyards will do this as well,” Dake said. “Napa Valley is a wonderful place to grow a wide range of crops, especially fall-ripening crops like tomatoes.”
Dake came onboard in April 2013 and hit the ground running. Luckily, he already had seedlings started in a Calistoga greenhouse.
“I had all the plants ready to go,” he said. “The first year was a whirlwind.”
After clearing the soil of rocks and cement, Dake and the students amended it with compost and set about growing zinnias and calendulas, heirloom tomatoes and cucumbers, eggplant and New Zealand spinach.
He also created an experimental garden planted with aromatic herbs such as lemon verbena, subtropical fruits like lemon guava, and extreme chile peppers including the Diablo Grande from Oaxaca, Mexico.
“Peppers are my big thing: chocolate habaneros, aji amarillo and aji limo,” he said. “The students make a lot of hot sauce.”
But tomatoes also tug at his heart, especially heirlooms such as the Amos Coli paste tomato and the Blue Beauty tomato developed by Gates.
“The blues take a longer time to ripen,” he said. “But they have a thick skin and they keep well.”
This season at the garden, Dake has built a plastic greenhouse with retractable roof panels that will allow the students to grow crops year-round. He also is excited about the garden’s new fields of grain, having planted 3 acres to Sonora and Blue Tinge Ethiopian wheats.
“We’re going to thresh it and grind it at the Bale Grist Mill, to be used in breads and pasta,” Dake said. “The Sonoran wheat has high gluten, but it’s more digestible, and it makes incredible pastries.”
Tucker Taylor holds violas, edible flowers, in his hands at Kendall-Jackson vineyard. (photo by Chris Hardy)
Along with a flock of Silver Spangled Hamburg chickens, the garden also welcomed four Red Wattle sows.
The chickens will fertilize the garden, and the pigs will eat excess from the farm and campus. Like people, the animals are smart. They know a sweet, vine-ripened tomato when they taste one.
“It’s hilarious to see the pigs eating,” Dake said.
K-J gardener grows into new role A straw-hatted Tucker Taylor surveys the tidy rows of winter vegetables growing at the Kendall-Jackson Wine Estate and Gardens, then moves into the warm, slanting rays of late afternoon.
It’s obvious that the shy, laconic farmer is more comfortable in the sun than the spotlight. Still, he relishes his role as ambassador for the Santa Rosa-based winery, which has unusually deep roots in the soil.
“My focus is to educate our guests, and hopefully inspire our guests, to expand their own gardens or just become aware of the local food movement,” the estate’s culinary gardener said. “The beauty of Sonoma is how diverse it is agriculturally.”
Taylor worked at organic farms across the country before spending five years as culinary gardener for The French Laundry restaurant in Yountville.
“I’ve always had an intimate relationship with chefs,” he said. “That’s the exciting part, entertaining their ideas and needs and bringing my own experience to the table.”
Justin Wangler, executive chef at Kendall-Jackson, describes Taylor as incredibly detail-oriented with a deep knowledge of gardening and food.
“The quality of the stuff he grows is ridiculous,” said Wangler, who showcases the pristine produce in food-and-wine pairings at the winery and at Partake eatery in Healdsburg. “He’s very sincere about his vegetables and food, and about the people in his relationships.”
Tomatoes, fresh squash, mozzarella and squash blossoms are served at the Kendall-Jackson Wine Center. (photo by Conner Jay)
Since he was hired in April 2013, Taylor, 43, has been busy upgrading the 3-acre vegetable garden, launching a redesign that promises to yield more produce and pleasure.
After amending the soil, Taylor rotated crops, eliminated pathways, widened the beds and introduced an intensive style of gardening that requires hand tools rather than tractors.
“It gave the garden more balance, created more sun and a nice pathway,” Taylor said. “Intensive gardening increases the productivity. … There is less weed pressure, less evaporation.”
The central pathway through the garden, which will be lined with golden decomposed granite, will serve as a gathering spot for alfresco dinners.
“The trees will be lit up, and a long table down the center of the garden will sit 600 people,” Taylor said. “We have a lifestyle and a wine and food culture here.”
This year, Wangler said, the winery plans to offer garden tours that include harvesting with Taylor, a cooking class and a meal. Produce from the estate is served at local restaurants such as the Farmhouse Inn in Forestville. A new wine and food club in the works will allow guests to take vegetables home, along with recipes from Wangler.
In addition to the winery garden, Taylor is redesigning the 8-acre farm at the Jackson family estate in Alexander Valley. After that, the sky’s the limit, as he turns his artistic eye to the company’s other estates in Oregon, France, Italy, Australia and Chile.
Zachary Stoller prepares tomatoes to be used in a tomato-cucumber green salad with gooseberry vinagrette at the Culinary Institue of America’s The Conservatory at Greystone, in St. Helena. (photo by Alvin Jornada)
It’s an impressive trajectory for a Southern boy from Jacksonville, Fla., who first sank his hands into the dirt in his family’s summer garden.
Taylor got a degree in business administration at the University of Florida but decided that working in a bank was not for him. So he went back to school for another degree in environmental horticulture.
After graduating in 1998, he started an organic farm outside of Portland, Ore., then managed an organic farm in Athens, Ga., for six years, where he fine-tuned the art of growing for chefs.
Borrowing ideas from mentors such as farmer, author and educator Eliot Coleman of Maine, Taylor is building three plastic greenhouses, known as hoop houses, for year-round harvesting at the Kendall-Jackson gardens.
“We can do an early crop of tomatoes, growing them vertically up strings,” he said. “Same with seedless cucumbers, peppers and eggplants.”
For the past two years, Taylor has shared his intimate views of gardens with 40,000 followers by posting daily photos on Instagram, a feat that has made him “Instafamous.”
Although reluctant at first, his success at social media has allowed Taylor to connect with chefs and farmers around the world he never would have met otherwise.
“I didn’t get into gardening for my love of communication,” he said. “But a picture speaks a thousand words.”
It’s not officially summer until June 21, but wineries go into summertime mode in May, opening their patios, holding special events and firing up the grill. Virginie Boone recommends these wineries for May-June; they’re open to the public, typically from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Contact individual tasting rooms to confirm.
B Cellars, 400 Silverado Trail, Calistoga, 877-229-9939, bcellars.com. Book ahead for special tasting experiences at this expansive winery with its welcoming patio off the Silverado Trail. Single-vineyard tastings and a production tour and tasting are particularly popular; the winery has its own chef to showcase its red blends, Syrah, Sangiovese and Petite Sirah with food.
B.R. Cohn Winery & Olive Oil Co., 15000 Sonoma Highway, Glen Ellen, 800-330-4064, brcohn.com. Surrounded by olive trees and meandering gardens, B.R. Cohn is a peaceful place to enjoy a sunny day, taste Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon and other varietals, and sample the estate’s olive oils and vinegars. The lovely grounds are ideally suited for picnics and afternoon naps, and double as a stage from time to time for classic cars and founder Bruce Cohn’s life in rock and roll.
Buena Vista Winery, 18000 Old Winery Road, Sonoma, 800-926-1266, buenavistawinery.com. Historic Buena Vista has refashioned its wine caves into a glittery romantic spot for barrel tasting and touring, and a section of the cave can be reserved for private, by-appointment tastes of library wines and barrel samples. Don’t miss the Champagne Cellars (kid-friendly and there is no charge) where the winery’s history can be further explored.
Charles Krug-Peter Mondavi Sr. Family Vineyards, 2800 Main St., St. Helena, 707-967-2200, charleskrug.com. Where Peter and Robert Mondavi got their winemaking start, Charles Krug is an impressive blend of old and new, with its historic Redwood Cellar now ready for tastings of crisp Sauvignon Blanc and elegant Cabernet Sauvignon. Enjoy a slew of tasting options and tours, or take a bottle and ponder life with it on the Great Lawn.
Chateau Montelena, 1429 Tubbs Lane, Calistoga, 707-942-5105, chateaumontelena.com. A wonderful place to picnic, with a Chinese garden, lake and views of Mount St. Helena, Chateau Montelena remains a Napa Valley stalwart, the Chardonnay winner of the famous Paris Tasting of 1976, which put California wines on the map. Elegant Chardonnays, Cabernet Sauvignons and Zinfandels are consistently good. Special tastings and tours abound.
Chateau St. Jean, 8555 Sonoma Highway, Kenwood, 707-833-4134, chateaustjean.com. With a sprawling picture-perfect lawn and bocce courts, this venerable winery’s gorgeous location is perfect for the 40th-anniversary celebration of Cinq Cepages, Chateau St. Jean’s proprietary Bordeaux-style red blend. The tasting room also carries a selection of picnic goodies.
DRNK Winery, 3637 Frei Road, Sebastopol, 707-889-1000, drnkwines.com. Contact the winery to set up a tasting and tour with winemaker Ryan Kunde, who crafts small-lot Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from grapes grown throughout the Russian River Valley, as well as a delightful Pinot Gris “orange wine” from Sonoma Mountain. The winery overlooks the Laguna de Santa Rosa.
Duckhorn Vineyards, 1000 Lodi Lane, St. Helena, 888-354-8885, duckhorn.com. Still a premier name in Napa Valley Merlot, Duckhorn also makes lovely Sauvignon Blanc: the right wine to enjoy at tableside with charcuterie and a fine view of the winery’s gardens.
Frank Family Vineyards, 1091 Larkmead Lane, Calistoga, 800-574-9463, frankfamilyvineyards.com. Frank Family is a popular Napa Valley stop because of its gardens, picnic spots and reasonable tasting fees. A tasting of four wines, which might include a bubbly, Cabernet Sauvignon and age-worthy Petite Sirah, is $20. It also inhabit a historic site, the former home of Larkmead Winery, the third-oldest in the valley.
Freemark Abbey, 3022 St. Helena Highway, St. Helena, 800-963-9698, ext. 3721, freemarkabbey.com. Established in 1886, Freemark Abbey is a peaceful place to enjoy a traditional tasting of a wide range of its wines, or a one-hour Cabernet Comparison Tasting ($30) that demonstrates the range of vineyard sites sourced for the wines.
Gundlach Bundschu, 2000 Denmark St., Sonoma, 707-938-5277, gunbun.com. This 1860s winery, still family-run, offers a courtyard tasting menu in good weather, with flights of five current-release wines, and the option to indulge in five library Cabernet Sauvignons. A board of local cheeses, hummus and almonds might accompany the wines. Vineyard excursions start in May.
Hartford Family Winery, 8075 Martinelli Road, Forestville, 707-887-8030, hartfordwines.com. Tucked away in the woods, Hartford is a consistent high-quality producer of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and old-vine Zinfandel, sourcing grapes from the Green Valley sub-appellation of the Russian River Valley, and from other cool locales such as Anderson Valley. Seated in-depth tastings, including some with food pairings, can be arranged by appointment.
J Vineyards & Winery, 11447 Old Redwood Highway, Healdsburg, 707-431-5400, jwine.com. A glass of bubbly is always a good thing, and this is a well-appointed spot at which to have it, as well as taste J’s Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays. Also don’t miss having a sip of Pinot Gris, among its most popular, springtime-perfect wines. The J Bubble Room pairs wines with exquisite, locally sourced dishes.
Jordan Vineyard & Winery, 1474 Alexander Valley Road, Healdsburg, 800-654-1213, jordanwinery.com. By appointment, Jordan welcomes visitors for walking tours through its beautiful compound, which includes the estate gardens from which executive chef Todd Knoll sources a cornucopia of produce for winery meals. Tours and seated tastings are available Monday through Saturday throughout the year, and on Sundays from mid-April through early fall. Jordan also makes an exquisite estate extra-virgin olive oil.
Landmark Wine, 101 Adobe Canyon Road, Kenwood, 707-833-0053, landmarkwine.com. In the shadow of Sugarloaf Ridge State Park, Landmark makes Chardonnay (including the famous Overlook bottling) and Pinot Noir, and is increasingly becoming known for its Rhone-inspired reds, including Syrah and Grenache. In addition to its tasting room, the winery offers picnic spots and bocce courts.
Merry Edwards Winery, 2959 Gravenstein Highway N., Sebastopol, 707-823-7466, merryedwards.com. Winemaker Merry Edwards is a pioneer in Russian River Valley Pinot Noir, excelling at coaxing rich berry flavor and voluptuous texture from the grapes. She also produces some of the best Sauvignon Blanc in the state, and has recently added Chardonnay to her lineup. Don’t miss the opportunity to discover her skill and view some of the estate vineyards surrounding the winery.
Navarro Vineyards, 5601 Highway 128, Philo, 800-537-9463, navarrowine.com. The wide selection of crisp white wines and bright, mellow reds is worth the drive to Philo, where Navarro’s homey picnic grounds inspire taking one’s time. Plenty of picnic goodies are stocked in the tasting room, including winery principal Sarah Cahn Bennett’s fine farmstead goat cheeses made down the road at Pennyroyal Farms. Tours of the vineyard happen twice a day, by appointment; picnics are encouraged.
Odette Estate, 5998 Silverado Trail, Napa, 707-224-7533, odetteestate.com. Owned by the PlumpJack Winery guys (Gordon Getty, Gavin Newsom and John Conover), Odette is in Napa Valley’s Stags Leap District and on the path to becoming LEED-certified. With 18,000 square feet of caves, some of the first modern versions dug in Napa Valley, Odette makes for an intriguing visit, with great Cabernet Sauvignon-based wines on offer.
Portalupi Wine, 107 North St., Healdsburg, 707-395-0960, portalupiwine.com. Located in downtown Healdsburg, this is a fine stop before or after lunch or just before dinner, and an easy walk from many hotels. Portalupi focuses on Italian-heritage wines, from Vermentino to Barbera to Vaso di Marina, a jug wine sold in a reusable milk bottle.
Pride Mountain Vineyards, 4026 Spring Mountain Road, St. Helena, 707-963-4949, pridewines.com. Straddling Napa and Sonoma counties, Pride makes fiercely age-worthy Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Syrah and Sangiovese. This time of year, its Viognier shines, a deliciously bright taste of spring. Make an appointment for a tour and tasting, offered daily (except Tuesdays) at 10 a.m., or take on the Summit Experience ($75), with time spent in the winery caves.
Ram’s Gate, 28700 Arnold Drive, Sonoma, 707-721-8700, ramsgatewinery.com. Ram’s Gate was designed for lingering, with a host of spacious sitting areas. Then there’s the food, prepared to order by the on-staff chef for seated, guided tastings. Order a picnic lunch to take into the vineyard or out by the pond. The wines alone are a reason to stay, a collection of single-vineyard Pinot Noirs, Syrahs, Chardonnays and even a brut bubbly.
Ridge Vineyards / Lytton Springs, 650 Lytton Springs Road, Healdsburg, 707-433-7721, ridgewine.com. Revered, Ridge is a worthy stop no matter the time of year for its structured Zinfandels and Cabernet Sauvignons, but its location on a Dry Creek Valley side road is also a pretty way to travel. The tasting room is open daily, but reserve ahead for a Century Tour and Library Tasting, which might include an older vintage of Monte Bello Cabernet Sauvignon, Ridge’s most famous wine.
Andrew Pleva of Dublin at Rodney Strong Vineyards. (photo by Mark Aranoff)
Rodney Strong Vineyards, 11455 Old Redwood Highway, Healdsburg, 800-678-4763, rodneystrong.com. For a comprehensive taste of Sonoma County and expansive vineyard views, visit Rodney Strong, which offers an estate wine tasting daily as well as the option to try single-vineyard and reserve wines. From its staunch Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignons to Davis Bynum Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays, there’s a lot to like. Picnickers are also welcome on the winery’s lawn or vineyard terrace, with food items available for purchase inside.
Schramsberg Vineyards, 1400 Schramsberg Road, Calistoga, 800-877-3623, schramsberg.com. Among the first in California to specialize in sparkling wine, Schramsberg occupies hallowed, historic ground and is home to the oldest hillside vineyards in Napa Valley and some of the first excavated aging caves. Take a tour by appointment, and don’t miss the Mirabelle Brut Rosé and other gorgeous sparklers before moving on to taste the J. Davies Estate Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir.
St. Francis Winery & Vineyards, 100 N. Pythian Road, Santa Rosa, 707-538-9463, stfranciswinery.com. Named the No. 1 restaurant in America by Open Table, St. Francis does indeed offer a gourmet food and wine experience worth having, as well as a monthly interactive experience in its tasting room called Sonoma Tastemakers, whereby the best bites from Sonoma County producers and purveyors are paired with St. Francis wines. Past months have featured cheese, savory and sweet jams, and pie.
Stony Hill, 3331 St. Helena Highway N., St. Helena, 707-963-2636, stonyhillvineyard.com. A historic Napa Valley winery celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, Stony Hill makes incredibly elegant white wines, as well as Cabernet Sauvignon. Family-owned, it has recently begun a series of family-style cooking classes for parties of four, by appointment only, offering a chance to cook, enjoy wines and take a tour of the winery. Open by appointment for tours and tastings Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Tamber Bey Vineyards, 1251 Tubbs Lane, Calistoga, 707-942-2100, tamberbey.com. Newly opened, Tamber Bey is located within the grounds of Sundance Ranch, a 22-acre equestrian facility with horses galore and a tasting room fit into a former barn clubhouse. Taste and hang with the horses at the same time. Open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., by appointment, for tours and tastings of Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.
Twomey Cellars, 3000 Westside Road, Healdsburg, 800-505-4850, twomey.com. Owned by the same family that’s behind Silver Oak Cellars, Twomey specializes in Pinot Noir with two tasting locations, one in Calistoga and this tasting room outside Healdsburg, the former site of Roshambo winery. Along with the beautiful views of Mount St. Helena and beyond, visitors can enjoy a tasting of current-release wines or take a tour, by appointment. House-cured salumi and cheese boards can be ordered ahead of time.
Ty Caton Vineyards, 8910 Sonoma Highway, Kenwood, 707-938-3224, tycaton.com. Winemaker Ty Caton works with a variety of vineyard sites throughout Sonoma County, blending grapes from many of them into his flagship red wine, TyTanium. He’s also got a crisp Riesling and Rosé of Syrah that are just right for a sunny afternoon.
Vigilance Winery, 13888 Point Lakeview Road, Lower Lake, 707-994-9656, vigilancewinery.com. Sustainably farmed by longtime vineyard manager Clay Shannon and his team of grass-fed sheep, Vigilance offers gorgeous vistas of Clear Lake and Mount Konocti and access to the Anderson Marsh sanctuary. A day at Vigilance isn’t complete this time of year without a glass or two of Sauvignon Blanc.
Viszlay Vineyards, 851 Limerick Lane, Healdsburg, 707-481-1514, viszlayvineyards.com. New to Russian River Valley is this producer of fine Pinot Noir. Visits by appointment can be made (daily from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.) to taste, enjoy a cheese and wine pairing, or take a group pasta-making class. Viszlay also makes a dry, estate-grown Prosecco-style bubbly, Brut Cuvee, perfect for sipping in late spring through summer.
VJB Vineyards & Cellars, 60 Shaw Ave., Kenwood, 707-833-2300, vjbcellars.com. In an Italian-inspired, courtyard-centered villa in the heart of Sonoma Valley, VJB serves steamy coffee and pastries in the morning, panini, pasta and pizza during the day, and samples of its Italian-inspired wines. The winery also stocks co-proprietor Maria Belmonte’s line of sauces, pestos and tapenades, and houses a shop for gelato and specialty chocolates.
