An authentic farmhouse on the edge of city limits in West Petaluma is currently listed for sale. The circa-1907 dwelling sits on a 5-acre property, which also includes a second home, a barn cottage, a long barn and an entertainment gazebo. The compound is listed for $3,500,000.
The main two-bedroom, two-bathroom home at 1375 Gossage Ave. offers the best of old and new with a tastefully remodeled kitchen and bathrooms, plus solar panels. Retained original design elements include fir floors, built-ins and paneling. The property’s long barn has old-growth siding.
The home’s open floor plan with lots of windows makes the dwelling airy and spacious. Wraparound porches provide a picturesque surround and offer an opportunity to take in the open-space landscape.
Theresa Hughes in her workspace and clothing retail shop Saint November in Santa Rosa’s SOFA district. (Erik Castro/for Sonoma Magazine)
The name of designer Theresa Hughes’ clothing line, Saint November, clues guests into her simple, handmade ethos, in which every pattern has been drawn by hand and every stitch is carefully considered.
“I grew up in a Catholic family, and the saints were iconic. Those stories and images really stuck with me, the beauty of the physical space of the church,” she explains. And November? “I always feel like November is a little overlooked…. It’s really peaceful, and I love to be outside.”
“If there is anything that seems sacred, it’s that experience with the natural world, so I made my own saint. Saint November.”
Located in Santa Rosa’s artsy SoFA District neighborhood, down the block from Spinster Sisters restaurant and the Café Frida Gallery, Saint November is both a small clothing store and Hughes’ design studio, where locals can shop, meet the designer, and get a window into how her pieces were made.
Everything Theresa Hughes makes is rough-hewn, artisanal, meant to be worn for years and years—the practical made beautiful. (Erik Castro/for Sonoma Magazine)Designer Theresa Hughes arranges pieces of a pattern onto a bolt of imported fabric in her Santa Rosa workshop. (Erik Castro/for Sonoma Magazine)
Exquisite, small-batch clothing that lasts
Hughes creates exquisite, small-batch, utilitarian tops and bottoms, mostly for women but also for men. She seeks out earthy, natural colors like blue, brown, and taupe, and works primarily in hemp, linen, and cotton. Her unisex chore jacket, for example, comes in a jaunty railroad stripe and was inspired by vintage gleaning coats worn by farmers and working folk in Europe and the U.S. in the late 1800s.
“It’s oversize and rugged to withstand repetitive wear and washing,” she says. “I get a lot of inspiration from old workwear. I am really inspired by utility, things that are beautiful because of their function. There is beauty to be found in things that work well.”
Everything she makes is rough-hewn, artisanal, meant to be worn for years and years—the practical made beautiful. “I want my customers to feel they are buying something they can wear for many seasons, and that it is a worthwhile investment.”
The ‘Johanna’ shirt for women, for example, is made from Japanese cotton and has loose, three-quarter sleeves and a neck button opening that was inspired by a photo of a woman working the docks in 19th-century Ireland. Other pieces include rugged, striped work pants and a simple navy linen slip dress.
Theresa Hughes’s unisex chore jacket was inspired by vintage gleaning coats worn by farmers and working folk in Europe and the U.S. in the late 1800s. (Erik Castro/for Sonoma Magazine)Spring pieces for sale at the studio. (Erik Castro/for Sonoma Magazine)
A throwback to an earlier time
Hughes’s small Santa Rosa atelier is a throwback to an earlier time—a place where the old and the analog are celebrated. She furnished the space with flea market finds and freebies, repurposing a table from home for a display of shirts and a metal doctor’s cabinet for jewelry from other local designers she admires. Branches cut from a tree in her backyard spill from a tall vase in the shop window, and beautiful trays and containers hold useful bits and bobs. Saint November jackets and tops for sale are hung on neat, Swedish-style wooden racks.
The back half of the space is her creative zone, where she cuts out pieces on a wide worktable and sews on a vintage Japanese industrial sewing machine. The wall is lined with bolts of fabric sourced from Japan and India. Cardboard patterns and white muslin sample pieces hang on a handcrafted metal pole, and scissors stand at the ready on a magnetic rack more commonly used for chef’s knives. All in all, the effect is part studio, part chic boutique, with a beautifully rendered but down-to-earth feel.
Hughes’ studio is set up with industrial machines, many from Japan. “It’s production sewing, just on a very small scale,” she explains. (Erik Castro/for Sonoma Magazine)She uses cotton and cotton-polyester threads for strength, sourced from a specialty supply house in North Carolina. (Erik Castro/for Sonoma Magazine)
From large brands to custom projects
A native of Ohio, Hughes had a rural upbringing, all family farms and split rail fences. As a child, she dug clay to make dolls, fashioning tiny outfits out of paper towels. She learned to sew in her early 20s while studying fashion design and pattern making in San Francisco.
After graduation, she spent the next 15 years working as a professional pattern maker for large manufacturers in the Bay Area—“mall brands,” as she puts it, like CP Shades as well as smaller lines like Bryn Walker. She even did a short stint as the pattern maker for a line of underwear from motorcycle maker Harley-Davidson.
When the patternmaking work started to slow due to factory closures and a rising tech industry, Hughes freelanced, then got involved in custom sewing projects, at first primarily for brides. But a writer friend suggested that she explore clothing projects that would be worn more than once—a suggestion which echoed Hughes’ own beliefs about durability and timelessness. She branched out, creating Saint November.
As business grew, she found that online sales gave life to her old-fashioned creations and allowed her to connect with the type of customer who identifies with her small-batch ethos, which she admits can be “pretty niche.” “In a way, the internet is an equalizer. You can be seen. It allows me to have a voice.” Others find her through her SoFA District storefront. Or they recognize her work from when she used to sell at Bay Area pop-ups and craft shows.
Hughes welcomes visitors to her sunlit studio in Santa Rosa’s SoFA District, where she’s surrounded by other creative folk, including local photographers, artists, and restaurateurs. (Erik Castro/for Sonoma Magazine)
Inspired by classic, humble workwear
There are advantages to staying small and keeping that personal touch. Recently, a man came in asking for a chore coat, but the ones she had in stock had arms that were too short. “I told him to go down the street and get a cup of coffee, and I’d lengthen the sleeves.”
Hughes revels in the unique, the small, and the handmade, showcasing not only her own designs, but also jewelry and crafts from other local designers. And she is beginning to offer some specialty design and sewing classes. Fans can check for details on those on her website later this spring.
Meanwhile, she’ll continue to be inspired by the classic, humble workwear of days gone by. “Don’t you want to hear about how inspired I am by Levi’s 501s? They’ve become a cultural icon, and they’re still selling after a hundred years… It was a functional thing. A whole culture was built around it.”
“That is a lot of value to give to a simple garment. I draw a lot of inspiration from that.”
A richly designed Victorian-style home, infused with a modern freshness, is a gem of dwelling in Sonoma’s real estate inventory. The four-bedroom, four-bathroom home, plus a three-car garage and upstairs ADU, sits grandly on a corner acre of the Armstrong Estates enclave. It is listed for $5,200,000.
The home at 601 Charles Van Damme Way was designed and built in 2000 by developer Steve Ledson and recently renovated by Horizon Builders. But its highly ornamented millwork offers some convincing time travel. The structure has a handsome wraparound porch allowing for outdoor wine sipping in the quiet neighborhood.
Exquisite ornamentation in corbels, turrets, columns and double crown molding meet with natural stone finishes, like a leather quartzite on the fireplace and marble in the kitchen and bathrooms. Designer lighting fixtures throughout offer a clever and seamless modern touch. Click through the above gallery for a look inside.
Winemaker Jack Sporer of Magnolia Wine Services and Fres.Co wines, with his pup, Canela. (James Joiner/For Sonoma Magazine)
Walking through a row of organically farmed Sauvignon Blanc grapes on Denmark Street just outside the town of Sonoma, winemaker Jack Sporer pauses to study the barren earth beneath the vines.
“You can see how three to four years out, the Roundup strip still exists,” he says, kneeling down to get a closer look, as if eyeing an old scar. Between rows, a lush cover crop thrives, but little sprouts beneath the dormant vines. “You can see how long the impact of herbicide lasts.”
No matter where Sporer’s mind goes, jumping between conversations about macrobiotics, tiny bits floating around in bottles, and all things low-intervention winemaking, things usually circle back to regenerative farming in Sonoma Valley. It’s the reason Sporer, who makes the well-regarded Fres.Co lineup of natural wines, spotlights the winegrower’s name on the back of every bottle.
“The idea is to take the focus off of me and put the focus on the people who are impacting the wine the most, which is the grower,” he says. “It’s the most cliché thing, but the most true thing—wine is made in the vineyard, especially natural wine.”
Jack Sporer with French winemaker Isabel Gassier at Magnolia Wine Services in Sonoma. (James Joiner/For Sonoma Magazine)
An incubator for up-and-coming winemakers
The custom crush operation Sporer manages, Magnolia Wine Services on Eighth Street East in Sonoma, has become an incubator for up-and-coming natural winemakers and a hub for low-intervention seasoned traditionalists.
It’s “a mixing ground and a proving ground—all in one,” Sporer explains. His clients include several big names in biodynamic and regenerative farming in the valley, including Phil Coturri. On this morning, David Rothschild, who sells Chardonnay grapes to Sporer and makes his own wine under the Las Vivas label, is loading up tanks of olive oil. A little later, clients Lauren Cadwallader and Crista Coccia of Dos Piedras make a pit stop to see how their Sauvignon Blanc and Zinfandel rosé are coming along in barrel.
With his three-legged rescue dog, Canela, in tow, Sporer moves from barrel to barrel, thieving tastes of a fresh ’23 Merlot and a ’22 Merlot from Bedrock Vineyard that he picked right before the big heatwave that September, before sampling the juice of a 2023 Loureiro from Lost Slough Vineyard near Lodi. It’s a varietal typically used to make Vinho Verde, but he’ll conjure an orange wine out of it, to be distributed in kegs and sold by the glass.
A board on the wall nearby is marked with tallies or “beer fines” for those who screw up on the job (i.e. accidentally opening a valve or dropping a glass). It’s all in jest, but fines must be paid, for the fridge must always be stocked with beer. On Fridays, Sporer often throws communal lunches, sometimes with blind tastings. Right now, the biggest issue is a shortage of space for barrels. With 24 clients, Magnolia was scheduled to bring in 200 tons last year—but after an unexpectedly large harvest, the team ended up working with more than 250 tons.
Sporer’s custom crush is home base for many of the area’s top natural winemakers. (James Joiner/For Sonoma Magazine)
A growing natural wine brand
Every time Sporer walks into the barrel room, he passes under an abandoned farmstand sign mounted on the wall that reads “Strawberries Picked Fresh” in large, hand-stenciled letters. It’s the inspiration for his growing brand, Fres.Co (originally christened “Fresh Wine Company” before being abbreviated) and for the design of several of his wine labels.
If Magnolia is Sporer’s bread and butter, Fres.Co is his passion. “The original idea was ‘fresh wine’—to take wine and think about it the way you think about food or veggies or produce,” he says. “I’m not going to make a claim that natural wine is healthier for anyone, but I do think that having macrobiotic life still existing in the bottle and not snuffing that out—to me, it’s more interesting and more dynamic,” he says, drawing parallels to raw cheese, kombucha, and probiotic foods.
When he talks about natural wine, he often follows it up with “whatever that means,” making it clear he’s not “a zero-zero zealot.” He’s not averse to adding small amounts of sulfur, for example, to avoid vinegary flavors brought on by high volatile acidity.
“I’m not super-fussed with labels,” he says. “The wines are all unfiltered, with low sulfur, organic yeast, and organic grapes. It’s that simple.”
Tasting blends with colleagues in Sonoma. (James Joiner/For Sonoma Magazine)
Deep Sonoma roots
Sporer grew up mainly in San Francisco’s Sunset District, where he learned Mandarin and Cantonese at a Chinese immersion school, but he always knew he had farming in his blood. His grandmother, Anne Teller, put Sonoma Valley produce on the map in the 1970s at Glen Ellen’s Oak Hill Farm. His mother is still a part owner of Oak Hill, which is now run by Jack’s cousins. And his uncle, winemaker Will Bucklin, dry-farms sought-after field blends at neighboring Bucklin Old Hill Ranch.
At the age of 12, after a long day helping bottle his uncle’s wines, Sporer swore he would never go into the wine business. Instead, he fled to the East Coast, majoring in biology at Providence College in Rhode Island. But after spending a summer tagging rodents as part of a field study in Montana, he found himself back in Sonoma Valley for the 2012 harvest.
Connecting with the blend of manual labor and scientific method, he set out to work harvests around the world—in Australia, New Zealand, France, and Chile, before returning home to jobs at Chappellet and Williams Selyem.
But what really shaped his philosophy on regenerative agriculture was the viticulture program at Santa Rosa Junior College, where he loved getting his hands dirty at Shone Farm. That’s where he dove deeper into biodynamics, and also where he met fiancée Saskia Tingey, a viticulturist at Hamel Family Wines. Their upcoming April wedding at Oak Hill Farm will be officiated by the teacher of their SRJC organic viticulture class.
“I’m lucky to have someone to talk about all these ideas with,” he says.
Fire Fuego, a Sauvignon Blanc with a name inspired by a sign on his family’s Sonoma Valley farm, is Sporer’s signature offering. (James Joiner/For Sonoma Magazine)
Staying calm during the crush
Beyond his passion for making natty wines and his dream of converting every farm in Sonoma Valley to organic, Sporer’s greatest attribute might be staying calm during the madness that comes with crush every year.
“If I had to deal with the (stuff) he has to deal with during harvest, I’d blow every gasket,” says Rothschild. “But he’s always so level-headed during harvest, which I’m always amazed at when you consider he’s dealing with, like, 15 feral children all at once.”
The key for Sporer is to be “relaxed but dialed-in at the same time,” he says, which can be hard when a Chardonnay gets stuck in fermentation or it feels like every client’s fruit is ready to come off the vine at the same time.
“If you’re doing it right, the most important decisions have already been made long before harvest,” he says. “It all comes back to the grapes. The grapes have to be perfect.”
Fres.Co wines and Magnolia Wine Services, 21481 Eighth St. E., Sonoma. fresh.wine
Winemaker Jack Sporer. (James Joiner/For Sonoma Magazine)
Jack Sporer’s Sonoma
Best Hike: “The Bartholomew Park loop—it’s privately owned property with public access, with a beautiful redwoods section and a place with exposed rocks where you can see the rocks that form the soil. It’s the perfect 45-minute hike you can do at the end of a workday with your dog.” 1695 Castle Rd, Sonoma. bartholomewpark.org
Favorite Restaurant: “It’s gotta be Valley Bar + Bottle. They were the first place I ever sold wine to. The XO eggs are always worth getting, and the crispy rice scallions. The roasted chicken is amazing. They have a nice mix of local and foreign wines. It’s very unpretentious. It feels like you’re having dinner in your living room with friends.” 487 First St. W., Sonoma. valleybarandbottle.com
Outstanding Farmstand: “I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the Red Barn Store at Oak Hill Farm. It’s run by my cousins Jimi Good and Melissa Bucklin. In the spring, they’ll have tons of veggies—they grow an amazing Romanesco broccoli, which is my favorite vegetable. And they have really great potatoes.” 15101 Sonoma Highway, Glen Ellen. oakhillfarm.net
Favorite Tasting Room: “The Winery Sixteen 600 tasting house is a lot of fun. And it literally was once a house, so it’s like you’re tasting in your living room. And they have cool vinyl. Those guys put on a really good party.” 589 First St. W., Sonoma. winerysixteen600.com
Top Bakery: “Baker & Cook has really elevated food, and the owners Jen and Nick are old-school Sonomans. Their savory gallettes—little hand pies—are amazing. I’m a chocolate croissant guy, and they have the best. You gotta go there.” 18812 Hwy. 12, Sonoma. bakerandcooksonoma.com
Rena Charles, among paintings by Lina Chambliss and a sculpture by Jeffie Brewer, in her Rena Charles Gallery in Healdsburg. (Christopher Chung/for Sonoma Magazine)
Sunlight pours into Healdsburg’s new Rena Charles Gallery through two sets of wall-to-wall folding glass doors, illuminating a series of large abstract canvases and colorful three-dimensional ceramic balloon sculptures that trace the wall.
“I really lucked out with this space,” says the gallery’s founder and owner, painter Rena Charles. “Or maybe this is the one that spoke to me with the vision I had in mind.”
That vision included creating a welcoming space that communicates joy and celebrates a wide range of contemporary work from both emerging and established artists.
Charles’s intimate gallery channels the creative vibe of an artist’s studio, filled with impressionistic California landscapes, black and white photographs of local landmarks, and towering ceramic beachballs rendered in grayscale. Located just north of the Healdsburg Plaza, the space personifies Charles’s exuberant, inclusive attitude.
“If people walk by and peek in, I’ll wave at them and tell people to take their time, have a look, ask me questions,” says Charles, who moved to Sonoma County ten years ago from Tampa, Florida, where she grew up.
She aims to create an atmosphere where everyone feels at home.
“I just keep in mind my experiences as an artist,” says Charles, who is Black and Asian American. “Being in art, there are not very many people that look like me, so I try to be as welcoming as I can.”
A variety of artwork on display at the entrance to Rena Charles Gallery in Healdsburg. (Christopher Chung/for Sonoma Magazine)Rena Charles next to works by artist Aaron Webb at her gallery in Healdsburg. (Christopher Chung/for Sonoma Magazine)
Charles discovered her passion for art at Atlanta’s Emory University, where she majored in art history. After working in galleries and befriending artists who inspired her, Charles began to focus on her own painting career. (The artwork of one of her mentors, Tampa-based, Peruvian-born painter Vanessa Montenegro, is on display.)
She decided to open her own gallery after her first big solo show as a painter in November 2022, in which she sold 14 of 18 paintings she exhibited. “I wanted to give a platform to local artists, regional artists, women artists and BIPOC artists… not exclusively, but just being mindful of that,” she explains.
And she knew exactly the town she wanted to be in.
“There is just this charm about Healdsburg,” she says. “It’s such a mecca here for creativity… So many local artists that have this amazing body of work. And to be able to share that—I think that’s really special.”
Bryce Humber, 9, stands at the starting line of the St. Patrick’s Day 5K on Santa Rosa Ave. near Old Courthouse Square in Santa Rosa, on Sunday, March 13, 2022. (Beth Schlanker/The Press Democrat)
If you’ve been wondering where to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day this year, you might want to put Sonoma County at the top of your list. Santa Rosa has been named the 10th best city in the United States to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, according to a report by personal finance website WalletHub.
Looking at 200 cities across the U.S., WalletHub analyzed cities based on 15 key metrics to determine the best places to celebratethe Irish holiday. Judging criteria included everything from the amount of Irish pubs and restaurants per capita to lowest prices for a three-star hotel on St. Patrick’s Day to the weather forecast.
Bryce Humber, 9, stands at the starting line of the St. Patrick’s Day 5K on Santa Rosa Ave. near Old Courthouse Square in Santa Rosa, Calif., on Sunday, March 13, 2022. (Beth Schlanker/The Press Democrat)
“The best cities for St. Patrick’s Day combine rich traditions with tasty and affordable food, safe conditions to celebrate, and good weather. Celebrating in one of these cities will increase your chances of having a memorable holiday…” said Cassandra Happe, WalletHub Analyst.
It may come as no surprise that Boston, well known for its historically large Irish-American community, was ranked the top city to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. Chicago, with its tradition of dying its river green for the festivities, came in at No. 2.
More than 31.3 million people, or six times the population of Ireland, claim to be of Irish descent in the United States. But you certainly don’t have to be Irish or have Irish ancestry to celebrate the day.
The tradition of St. Patrick’s Day parades in the North American colonies were recorded as early as the start of the 17th century, What began as a Catholic feast day, transformed over time into a secularized cultural celebration embraced by millions of Americans.
“St. Patrick’s Day is a secularized Saints Day. Before the Protestant Reformation eliminated nearly all Saints Days (of which there were dozens), early modern Europeans and Britons followed irregular patterns of work, taking time off for parades, feasts, and other rituals meant to commemorate Christian saints. Somehow or another, St. Patrick’s Day survived…” said Alexis McCrossen a professor at Southern Methodist University in a press release from WalletHub.
John Gerhardt runs toward the finish line of the St. Patrick’s Day 5K on Santa Rosa Ave. near Old Courthouse Square in Santa Rosa, Calif., on Sunday, March 13, 2022.(Beth Schlanker/The Press Democrat)
Santa Rosa events with a St. Patrick’s Day theme will be taking place at nightclub the Perch + Plow (90 Old Courthouse Square) from 10 p.m. to 1:30 a.m this weekend (March 15-17) for those 21 and over. Patrons will be able to imbibe green cocktails and dance to live music played by resident DJs. Cover charge at the door is $5 for women and $10 for men.
Traditional Celtic music, corned beef and cabbage dinners and Guinness will be served from noon to 11 p.m. as part of St. Patrick’s Day festivities hosted by Santa Rosa pub Goose & Fern (116 Fifth St.)
Those eager to get in their exercise while enjoying the holiday festivities can sign up for Fleet Feet’s annual St. Patrick’s Day 5K.The race begins at 10 a.m. at Old Courthouse Square, but get there early to see the Irish dancers performing at 9:15 a.m., which will be followed by the Little Leprechaun Loop at 9:30 a.m. Music, activities, beer or root beer, sponsor giveaways and a judged costume contest will be part of the post-race celebrations. (Register on Race Roster.)
Find the best places to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in Sonoma County here.
Nick Ronan, chef and owner of Brigitte Bistro in Petaluma looks forward to his grand opening later this month. Ronan transformed the former Wishbone with details inspired by his French heritage. Photographed on Wednesday, March 13, 2024. (CRISSY PASCUAL/ARGUS-COURIER STAFF)
Chef Nick Ronan of the forthcoming Brigitte Bistro has fallen in love with Petaluma.
As the longtime San Francisco restaurateur puts the finishing touches on the airy French cafe he’s planning to open in late March, it’s also clear he’s fallen in love with being a chef again.
Sitting inside the former Wishbone and 3 Cooks Cafe space, Ronan beams when talking about the cafe he’s named for his late mother. Over the past few months, he’s gutted the aged interior and added a small bar, chef’s counter seating, new kitchen appliances, an indoor bathroom and somehow, a baby grand piano, according to his Instagram page.
He’s a bear of a guy who likes to give hugs, and his motto is Love. Food. Wine. Passion. Life. People.
Ronan can’t wait to share dishes inspired by his boyhood vacations in Southern France, including steak tartare, boeuf Bourguignon, steak frites, onion soup and cherry clafoutis. He can’t wait to hug new friends (he’s a hugger) and pour wine again because, for a few years, the chef whose motto is “Love. Food. Wine. Passion. Life. People.” thought he’d lost all of them.
Over the last decade, Ronan headed the kitchens at several well-known restaurants in San Francisco, including Pawn Shop, Bisou and Beso. He wrote a book called “The Kissing Chef” and became a “culinary influencer.”
But things began to devolve both at the restaurants and in his personal life, which were only compounded by the pandemic.
“Things were changing, and people weren’t going out to enjoy a meal anymore. They weren’t going out to have a great life; they were just out to criticize. The sense of community wasn’t there any longer, and I got tired of it. I just didn’t have the joy of life,” he said. So, he took time off to rediscover himself in Marshall.
“I fell in love with nature, fish, vegetables and meat. I started to cook again. I fell in love with the community of Petaluma,” Ronan said. He worked as a private chef for Silicon Valley executives but faced another difficult moment when his mother, Brigitte, died in March 2023.
“I want to keep her soul alive. She was wonderful, and there’s a lot of emotion for me,” he said. Ronan is clear, however, that Brigitte Bistro isn’t a Michelin quest but a neighborhood spot to eat a nice dinner, grab brunch or have a glass of wine and some appetizers. More than 60 wines from Sonoma, Napa and France will be featured.
“This is such a joy. I have found a life here that really connects me here. I’ve found love again,” he said.
Stay tuned for more details when the restaurant opens. Brigitte Bistro is located at 841 Petaluma Blvd. N., Petaluma.
A wet winter in Wine Country is paving the way for a beautiful spring. As hillsides turn emerald green and wildflowers emerge, Napa Valley is raising a glass to the warm days ahead and serving up new experiences to celebrate new beginnings. Here are a few trending places to sip, eat and stay right now.
New places to taste wine
Orin Swift Cellars
The ribbon has been cut at the new Orin Swift Cellars tasting room in downtown St. Helena. The new space is located in a bank building that dates back to the early 1920s and hosts private tastings in the old bank vault.
Orin Swift Cellars founder and winemaker David Phinney played a hands-on role in remodeling the historic bank building into a tasting room, opting to leave its beautiful old bones exposed and decorating it with vintage furniture and fine art (some of Phinney’s photographs also hang on the walls).
Visitors to Orin Swift Cellars can choose between four tastings: Rock, Paper, Scissors and The Vault. Rock ($45) is a standing tasting by the bar, Paper ($65) is a seated tasting, Scissors ($125) is hosted in the original Orin Swift tasting room next door and features rare, limited-production wines, and The Vault ($80) takes places in the old bank vault and includes magnums or library selections.
1321 Main St., St Helena, 707-968-3342, orinswift.com
Vault wine tasting experience at Orin Swift Cellars in St. Helena. (Orin Swift Cellars)
The Gentleman Farmer Bungalow
In downtown Napa, a 1926 California craftsman has been transformed into The Gentleman Farmer Bungalow: The Studio for Gustatory Well-Being. The welcoming, homey space is dedicated to food and wine experiences, prepared by husbands and vintners Jeff Durham and Joey Wołosz.
Durham and Wołosz are the founders of small Napa winery Gentleman Farmer Wines. Visitors to their Napa bungalow will be able to sample their wines with multicourse meals inspired by the couple’s family recipes, such as roasts, rillettes and soufflés.
The six-course Gentleman Farmer’s Lunch ($250) is the signature experience, but guests can also book dinners ($450) or breakfasts ($90-$125) with a morning meditation guided by Wołosz in The Bungalow, or a 5K run with Durham along the Napa River.
Husbands and vintners Joey Wołosz and Jeff Durham at the Gentleman Farmer Bungalow in Downtown Napa. (Gentleman Farmer)
New places to eat (and drink)
Slanted Door
Famed San Francisco Vietnamese restaurant Slanted Door has opened a Napa outpost. Fans of celebrity chef Charles Phan will recognize popular dishes on the dinner menu, including green papaya salad and shaking beef. But if it’s pho you are craving, plan accordingly — it’s only available at lunch.
The new Napa restaurant is housed in an 8,000-square-foot building, which used to house the Kitchen Collective, a private cooking club that closed in 2020. “It’s stunningly beautiful modern setting of glass walls, a 220-seat dining room and a glassed-in kitchen, all anchored by an elegantly finished, tree-studded dining courtyard was expensive, to say the least,” said food critic Carey Sweet in her review in The Press Democrat.
1650 Soscol Ave., Napa. Lunch 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., happy hour 3 to 5 p.m., dinner 5 to 10 p.m. daily. 707-287-1197, slanteddoor.com/napa
Wood fired wild head on prawns, silk road spices, shallots and olive oil at Slanted Door in Napa. (Erik Castro / For The Press Democrat)
The Kitchen at Priest Ranch
Tough decisions need to be made when dining at Yountville newcomer The Kitchen at Priest Ranch. Do you opt for the KPR Smashburger paired with a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon, or the Crispy Chicken Sando with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc? We recommend you go with a friend so you can order both. Oh, and don’t forget the fried house pickles. Did we mention breakfast is served all day and there’s a rooftop dining area?
6488 Washington St., Yountville. Open 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday to Monday. thekitchenatpr.com, 707-947-4017
Crispy Chicken Sando at The Kitchen at Priest Ranch in Yountville. (The Kitchen at Priest Ranch)
New places to stay
Brannan Lofts
Calistoga founder Sam Brannan built 25 resort cottages in and around the Napa Valley town. Brannan Cottage Inn, built in 1862, has six rooms and the historic lodging books up quickly. The newly opened Brannan Lofts helps eliminate disappointment for Calistoga visitors.
The new accommodations are located above the Picayune Cellars & Mercantile on Calistoga’s main drag, Lincoln Avenue, just a stone’s throw from Brannan Cottage Inn. Brannan Lofts features five rooms, four of which have kitchenettes with induction cooktops, refrigerators, and dishwashers.
Brannan Lofts is the new sister hotel property of Calistoga’s historic Brannan Cottage Inn. (Brannan Cottage Inn)
Coming soon to Napa Valley
The Stateline Road Smokehouse pop-up at the Oxbow has ended, but the restaurant’s permanent location in Napa is on track to open its doors in June. For barbecue fans dreading the wait, chef Darryl Bell will be serving favorites at BottleRock Napa Valley at the end of May.
Stateline Road Smokehouse is preparing to open its permanent location in the Rail-Arts District of Napa. (Stateline Road Smokehouse)
After six long years of planning and construction, Signorello Estate is preparing to debut its new winery in June after the original buildings were destroyed by the 2017 Atlas Fire. The new state-of-the-art winery is built into a hillside and will reportedly operate 100% off the grid. Signorello plans to offer private, seated tastings, as well as tours of the estate using an electric golf cart; reservations will be required.
Materra Cunat Family Vineyards is nearing the completion of its new hospitality space. Along with a trio of tasting areas, the new venue will showcase the family’s vast collection of antiques, which ranges from Japanese items to classic cars. Keep an eye out for an opening date sometime in June.
Rialto Cinemas offers a selection of beer and wine and menu items such as bruschetta, paninis and other shareable dishes that can be ordered along side the usual movie fare of popcorn and candy at Rialto Cinemas in Sebastopol, California on Thursday, February 25, 2016. (Alvin Jornada / The Press Democrat)
Rialto Cinemas in Sebastopol is almost as well known for its onsite café as its eclectic, arthouse films. Now, the Sebastopol venue is taking its food-and-films concept to the next level with the “Dinner and a Movie” series.
Kicked off in February with a sold-out showing of the foodie favorite “Big Night,” the events run through October and feature a multi-course, sit-down meal before each movie. Tickets are now on sale for “Big Eden” on April 21, “The Godfather Part II” on June 9, “Diva” on Aug. 18, and “Rosemary’s Baby” on Oct. 13. All of the movies feature prominent food scenes that inspire the accompanying menus.
“It was actually sort of magical how it came about,” said Sonoma County chef and author Michele Anna Jordan, who creates the themed menus for each event. “In 2022, I heard that Francis Ford Coppola had restored ‘The Godfather’ to its original perfection. Then I saw that Rialto was going to screen it, and I thought, ‘Why don’t we do a dinner, since they have a café?’”
Excited about a potential collaboration, Jordan reached out to Rialto Cinemas owner Ky Boyd via email. “I didn’t hear from him right away, so I thought, ‘Oh god, I’m such a weirdo. He’s not going to respond,” Jordan said. “But then I got an apology message saying he’d been out of town. He thought it was a fabulous idea.”
That first successful “Godfather” event led to a second Rialto dinner in 2023 with “The Gleaners,” followed by the current Dinner and a Movie series. For the kickoff event last month, Jordan made 45 individual versions of timpano — the showstopping pasta “drum” showcased in “Big Night.”
Sit-down dinners are an ambitious undertaking for a small café kitchen, Jordan noted, yet it all comes together with the help of Rialto chef Noah Hoffman and the café staff. “The people who work at the Rialto are all so great,” she said. “I love working with Noah.”
Meals take place before each film in the theater’s upstairs lobby bar. “It’s the perfect place to do something like this because there are no people coming in to buy tickets for another movie,” Jordan said. “It’s just a beautiful space.”
Jordan is still working on dishes for the upcoming films, with final menus to be announced before each event. For “Big Eden,” she is currently planning a spring theme featuring grilled globe artichokes and a seasonal risotto. The menu for “The Godfather Part II” will include a pork belly porchetta served with warm potato salad.
Because a baguette with butter features largely in “The Diva,” Jordan noted, she will be serving baguettes with homemade butter. The meal will also involve a Grand Aioli — a Provencal-style spread of simply cooked vegetables and steamed seafood served with garlicky mayonnaise. Jordan said she has a surprise dessert in mind for the classic horror flick “Rosemary’s Baby,” along with a Turkish lamb course that ties into one of the movie’s early scenes.
Dinner and a Movie tickets are available online and at the Rialto Cinemas box office. Seating is limited to 40 dinner guests per event, and tickets cost $76.46 per person, including the film and gratuity. Dinner-only tickets cost $69.45, including tip. Wine and beer are available for purchase at an additional cost.
Smoked Salmon Hash with house-smoked salmon, oven dried tomatoes, green onions and hash browns, two eggs any style and lemon horseradish sauce from J & M’s Midtown Cafe, Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024, in Santa Rosa. (John Burgess / The Press Democrat)
As a symbol of renewal, fresh eggs get a lot of attention this time of year. Their sunny yolks and over-easy dispositions make them inescapable breakfast workhorses. Here are our favorite egg breakfasts. Click through the above gallery for more.
The Log Lifter
Buttermilk Biscuits and Gravy with Scrambled Eggs Baker & Cook
Originating in 19th century lumberjack camps, this gut-stuffing breakfast warms the heart and fills the belly for a long day of timbering—or couch surfing. $18.
House-cured corned beef, crisp hash browns, and melted cheese lay a tasty base for gooey poached egg yolks that slowly drizzle over the beautiful mess. Chef’s kiss. $16.
1422 Fourth St., Santa Rosa. 707-545-2233, jm-midtowncafe.com
North Bay Vegetable Hash with seasonal vegetables, hash brown, goat cheese, two eggs any style and pesto from J & M’s Midtown Cafe in Santa Rosa. (John Burgess/The Press Democrat)Lox & Latke Benedict with Caviar from Grossman’s Deli on Friday, Oct. 11, 2024, in Santa Rosa’s Railroad Square. (John Burgess / The Press Democrat)
Bling Your Benedict
Lox and Latke Benedict with Caviar Grossman’s Noshery & Bar
This bougie breakfast substitutes crisp potato latkes and luxurious lox for the usual Benedict players. A schmaltz Hollandaise and caviar pile on the posh. $32.
The Godzilla of quiches, this mighty mountain of eggs, ham, bacon, cheese, and crust at this local institution absolutely crushes the competition. $15.
Somewhere between crispy and soggy is the perfect texture of tortilla chips smothered in salsa rojo, cotija cheese, and onions, and topped with scrambled or poached eggs. Add carnitas if you’re feeling sassy. $20.
1667 Sebastopol Road, Santa Rosa. 707-527-7331, latexanita.com
Shakshuka with chickpea, fava and tomato stew at Pearl restaurant in Petaluma. (Heather Irwin/The Press Democrat)
The Mix Don’t Lie
Shakshuka Pearl
The Arabic origins of this roiling red dish mean “mixed up,” but the piquant (not hot) combination of paprika, chickpeas, tomatoes, peppers, grilled Halloumi cheese, and baked eggs is more beauty than beast. $25.
Greet the day with this easy, handheld traveler of a sando. Two overhard eggs, Estero Gold cheese, spinach, and housemade aioli on buttery toasted sourdough.
$15. 162 N. Main St., Sebastopol and 205 Fifth St., Santa Rosa. 707-827-3309, americanasr.com
Très Français
French Folded Eggs Willow Wood Market Cafe
Velvety curds of steamed egg stippled with fontina cheese and basil will leave you wondering why Americans insist on overcooking and overstuffing this breakfast classic.
