It’s not secret I’m a huge fan of Chalkboard, which opened in the former Cyrus space in Healdsburg in may. But there’s even more to love now that they’ve expanded their service to include lunch on Friday, Saturday and Sunday beginning at 11:30am and continuing throughout the afternoon (making it a perfect spot for a leisurely late repast). The full menu is available, including the popular Dungeness crab tater tots, buttermilk fried quail and swoon-worthy Candy Bar, with brownie, caramel and nougat ice cream. 29 North St. at Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg, 707-473-8030.

A local catering company with plans for a restaurant and specialty food store have taken over the former Fresh! by Lisa Hemenway in Skyhawk Village. 

Sound familiar? It is, and it isn’t, according to Grapevine Catering co-owner Amy Ludwick, who moved her 11-year-old company into the space this week. The cavernous 7,800 square-foot property has been subdivided into several smaller spaces, including a 3,500 square-foot catering kitchen for her growing catering biz, a commissary kitchen which will be rented out to start up food purveyors, a casual restaurant space and retail store. 

“Think Oakville Grocery or Dean and Deluca,” said Ludwick.

Ludwick and husband, Christopher (who is the operation’s executive chef), relocated their business from West County due to space constrains and increasing demand from wedding and winery clients. “We’ve been growing 15 to 20 percent each year,” said Amy, noting that the existing business will help fund the new ventures.

The forthcoming restaurant, Earth’s Bounty Kitchen and Winebar is slated to open this fall-the first of their public ventures. “It’s a farm-to-table concept,” she said, focused on wood-fired dishes utilizing the existing oven and family-friendly fare. The retail store, anticipated for later in the fall, will focus on the couple’s line of Earth’s Bounty jams, sauces and nuts, along with small-batch artisan foods and other products inspired by Wine Country.

Offering commercial kitchen space for fledgling producers, however, remains close to the couple’s heart. “In the North Bay, it’s hard to find a good commissary ktichen that isn’t packed to the gills with other people,” said Ludwick. “We want to give back,” she said. Their first tenant will be Alexis Clark of True Love Cheesecakes, with plans for several more specialty producers to sign onto their lease. “We are definitely looking for small batch producers that are just getting started and need a shared kitchen to launch their new concept,” she said.

 

Cakebread Cellars co-founder Dolores Cakebread has been named a Grand Dame of Les Dames d’Escoffier, a culinary accolade that puts her the company of Julia Child, Alice Waters and Carol Brock, among other women chefs. Cakebread’s Rutherford winery has long promoted local foods, wine and food pairing, and cooking classes for both chefs and the public. Cakebread co-authored a popular cookbook featuring her own recipes in 2003.

Saturday, July 20: Grab your top hat, corset and perhaps a towel or two for the Greatest Slough on Earth, aka the Rivertown Revival in Petaluma. Hard to categorize, it’s a theatrical one-day event that includes art boat races on the Petaluma River (read hand-built contraptions of dubious water-worthiness), aerial acts, indie band performances, food, beer, wine and of course, $5 weddings. Yup. Really.

The event lasts from 11am to 8pm, and creative costuming is pretty much required. $5 entrance fee, Steamer Landing Park, 6 Copeland St., Petaluma.

The Timber Cove Inn, on the Sonoma Coast, has named Chef William Oliver as their executive chef. Perched on a cliff along Highway 1, the inn features the Alexander Restaurant and Sequoia Lounge. Oliver previously worked at Cook in St. Helena, the Farmhouse Inn and several area wineries. 21780 North Coast, Highway 1, Jenner, 707-847-3231.

So many folks have been asking about the quiet hiatus of BiteClub the last month. Here’s the deal:

Don’t worry, Biteclub isn’t dead. Just taking a quick beauty nap.

Asks one reader: “Been missing yr blog in the PD online, even b4 the ugly new format — where r u??”

Uh, working as the lead on the ugly new format. (Which obvious I don’t think is ugly!)

After nearly 8 years, it was time for a new Press Democrat. Change is hard, but I’m proud of the work we put into the site and its better functionality. For the next week or so I have to put all my efforts into making that experience as positive as possible for readers — fixing things here and there.

It’s been murder seeing friends and BiteClubbers in the real world who are missing our conversations about the food scene.  I miss them too.

So I thank you for your patience and support as I do double duty on many fronts at the paper.

I desperately miss doing what I love so much, but hope BiteClub will be all the fresher and better when I return in a few weeks.

xoxoxox,
Heather

Chef Tai Olesky of the former Mosaic restaurant in Forestville is the guest chef (one night only!) at on June 26, 2013 from 5-8pm. His special menu includes tempura fried squash blossoms, fennel pollen dusted sea scallops with white corn polenta, local wild salmon with favas and morels, butter leaf lettuce salad, cocoa-nib encrusted filet mignon and buttermilk panna cotta with stone fruit maple syrup. The menu is $75 per person and reservations are required.

Up next on the special Wednesday menu: an All-American barbecue ($25 per person) and fireworks watching on the plaza (July 4) followed by a South of the Border dinner (July  by chef Jamilah Nixon featuring family favorite taqueria recipes (a la carte, $5 and up). Details online at http://www.forchettabastoni.com/reservations/.

BiteClub’s mentioned the forthcoming farm market coming to Santa Rosa’s West End, but the neighborhood market officially kicks off this Sunday, June 23 at 10am. Months in the making, market manager Allen Thomas says they’ll have between 25-30 food and craft vendors to start, with hopes that more will join. “There is a sense of community that is really bubbling pretty intensely (in the West End), and

Idea of a farm market had been in the works for a while,” said Allen. “It’s an opportunity to have a market downtown that’s close to the people here and give farmers another marketplace,” Allen said. On the roster, Bloomfield Farms, Twin Palms, Tusque Farms, Healdsburg Farm Fresh Eggs and others, beginning at 10a.m at West Ninth St. and Donahue near the DeTurk Round Barn.