Page 59 – Sonoma Magazine

Locals Honor a Santa Rosa Juneteenth Tradition with Community and Soul Food

May 2024

By Jennifer Graue

A potluck holiday menu with all kinds of deliciousness: crispy fried chicken, bright salads, and mac and cheese, prepared by Smackin’ Soul Food, a Santa Rosa caterer and food pop-up run by Santa Rosa Junior College student Mahkaila McGowan-Gans and her mother Nancy Gans. (Eileen Roche)

In the 1950’s, on a 10-acre ranch in southwest Santa Rosa, Marteal “Mother” Perry hosted Sonoma County’s first Juneteenth celebration. The tradition continued for 70 years, carried on by her children and grandchildren, hosting a large picnic for extended family and friends.

A few miles away and a few years later, Harold Rogers was part of a group of college students who held a protest to prevent a proposed street from dividing what is now Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park in Santa Rosa. The students prevailed, and their protest evolved into an annual gathering that became Sonoma County’s official Martin Luther King-Juneteenth festival, now in its 54th year.

Also known as Freedom Day, Juneteenth commemorates the day in June of 1865 when Union troops arrived in Texas to finally share the news that the enslaved people of Texas had been freed — some two years earlier — by the Emancipation Proclamation. The federal holiday is a day to learn and to center the Black experience — and it’s one that our entire community can gather around.

“I would like for everyone to celebrate it, for people to come together at parks, and in backyards, or at an event or a parade,” says Nancy Rogers, Harold’s wife and longtime organizer of the official Sonoma County Juneteenth gathering.

Food, says Nancy Rogers, is a common thread in every Juneteenth celebration, and food is always a way to bring people from many cultures together. Nancy and Harold have run a catering business, Rohnert Park’s Red Rose Catering, for decades. “We as Black people, food is our thing. It’s part of who we are,” says Rogers.

Mahkaila McGowan-Gans has been attending Juneteenth celebrations her whole life. The 21-year-old Santa Rosa Junior College nursing student, along with her mother, Nancy Gans, runs Smackin’ Soul Food, a weekly pop-up at the Santa Rosa Veterans Memorial Building. Dishes like fried chicken, mac and cheese, and cornbread always make an appearance when they cater Juneteenth events.

Mahkaila McGowan-Gans at Juneteenth celebration — Student and soul food chef Mahkaila McGowan-Gans with her family’s spicy mac and cheese. (Eileen Roche)

The color red is a symbol of joy and resilience that figures prominently in Juneteenth food traditions. From the mahogany sauce basted on ribs or tri-tip to ruby-fleshed watermelon, or summer’s first juicy tomatoes, there are many options to weave red throughout a Juneteenth meal. Red drinks are popular — including tea made with hibiscus flowers, which are indigenous to western Africa, red soda, and fruit punch. The nostalgia of Big Red, a soft drink similar to cream soda, speaks to Gans, who grew up in Texas where it originated.

For dessert, Nancy Rogers says the Juneteenth celebration at Martin Luther King Jr. Park features plenty of soul food classics made by members of a local church, including sweet potato pie, red velvet cake, and peach cobbler, a dish Nancy often makes for family gatherings when she’s not busy running the Juneteenth Festival. “The crust helps make the pie,” says Rogers, whose buttery crust envelops the peaches she cooks with brown sugar and spice.

From start to finish, the Juneteenth meal is made and enjoyed with the memories of those who came before never far from mind. Rogers begins each of her Juneteenth events with a moment to receive the blessings of ancestors, often bestowing the honor of leading the libations on one of the elder members of her community in attendance that day.

McGowan-Gans says she hopes for a day when every American has a fuller understanding of our newest national holiday. “I want it to be a moment we take to acknowledge how far we have come.”

And while it may be food that brings people to the table, Nancy Rogers points out that we’re called there to celebrate wrongs made right and recognize there is room for forward progress. “Everyone can get together and say this is something we should always know that happened…We can’t ever forget, and we don’t ever want to go back there.”

Memaw’s Mississippi Fried Chicken

Serves 4-6, easily doubled

This recipe was handed down to Nancy Gans via her grandmother’s cookbook. She recommends going all out with the spices, as it makes a big difference in flavor.

1 (3-pound) whole bone-in chicken, cut into 10 pieces

1 tbsp. kosher salt

5-6 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tsp. hot sauce (more to taste)

1 tbsp. Creole seasoning

1 quart buttermilk

1 cup all-purpose flour ¼ cup cornstarch

1 tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground black pepper

1 tsp. white pepper

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. onion powder

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

2 tsp. dried herbs (thyme, rosemary, basil, oregano)

5 cups vegetable oil, for frying

Place chicken pieces in a large bowl. Season liberally with salt, garlic, hot sauce and Creole seasoning. Pour the butter milk over, then transfer the entire mixture to a gallon-sized zipper lock freezer bag. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours and as much as overnight.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, paprika, salt, black and white pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, and dried herbs.

Remove the marinated chicken from the buttermilk brine and pour the buttermilk brine into a bowl.

Dredge each piece of chicken in the seasoned flour mixture, shaking off any excess, then dip in the remaining buttermilk brine. Dredge chicken again in the seasoned flour mixture, shaking off the excess. Let the battered chicken rest for 10-15 minutes while the oil heats.

Heat oil in a deep fryer or a cast-iron skillet to 375 degrees.

Using tongs, carefully lower the chicken into the hot oil, working in batches so the skillet doesn’t get overcrowded. Fry until golden brown, turning every few minutes. The chicken is done when it’s no longer pink inside and the juices run clear when pierced, about 10-12 minutes for wings, 12-16 minutes for legs and thighs, and 20-25 minutes for breasts, depending on their size.

Drain on a paper towel-lined platter, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Repeat with remaining chicken pieces and allow to rest for at least 10 minutes before serving.

mac and cheese — Mahkaila McGowan-Gans’ rich and creamy macaroni and cheese for the Juneteenth table. (Eileen Roche)

Smackin’ Macaroni and Cheese

Serves 4-6

Mahkaila McGowan-Gans’ rich and creamy macaroni and cheese has a secret mix of seasonings she hopes someday to package and sell. We’ve included some alternate seasonings for a kicked-up version similar to hers—feel free to play around with flavors that suit your tastes.

12 oz. dry elbow macaroni

1 tsp. chicken base or bouillon (optional)

¼ cup butter

¼ cup flour

1 ½ cup half-and-half

1 cup heavy whipping cream

½ tsp. dry mustard powder

½ tsp. sweet paprika

½ tsp. chipotle powder

½ tsp. garlic powder

¼ tsp. thyme

1 tsp. salt

½ tsp. black pepper

Pinch of cayenne

3 cups sharp cheddar cheese, divided

2 cups Colby Jack cheese

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add chicken base or bouillon, if using. Add macaroni and cook until al dente. Drain and run under cold water.

Melt butter over medium heat in a large saucepan. Whisk in flour and let cook 2 minutes while stirring. Add mustard powder, paprika, chipotle powder, garlic powder, thyme, salt, pepper and cayenne, and whisk to combine. Add half-and-half and heavy whipping cream. Cook over medium heat while whisking until thickened, approximately 2 to 3 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in 2 cups of cheddar cheese, plus the Colby Jack and Parmesan. Stir until melted. Add macaroni and fold in gently to combine.

Pour mixture into a greased 9-inch-by-13-inch baking dish and sprinkle the top with remaining cup of cheddar cheese.

Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until the top is golden brown. Let cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Southern Green Beans and Potatoes

Serves 4-6

4 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 pound green beans, trimmed

3 tbsp. unsalted butter

1 ½ cups chicken broth

½ pound red potatoes, quartered

salt and pepper to taste

Add bacon pieces in a large, heavy-bottom pot and sauté over medium heat until the bacon starts to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the onion and saute until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic, and saute an additional minute.

Add the trimmed green beans, chicken broth, and butter to the pot and stir. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for 5 minutes.

Add the cut red potatoes to the pot. Cover and continue cooking for 15 minutes, until the red potatoes are cooked through.

Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper. May be served hot or cold.

Tomato-Watermelon Salad for Juneteenth — This refreshing tomato-watermelon salad tastes great with fried chicken — and adds a necessary pop of red to the Juneteenth table. (Eileen Roche)

Tomato-Watermelon Salad with Quick-Pickled Onions

Serves 12

This refreshing salad tastes great with fried chicken—and adds a necessary pop of red to the Juneteenth table.

½ small red onion, julienned

1 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. sugar

½ cup vinegar (we used a mix of apple cider and red wine vinegar)

2 pints red cherry tomatoes, halved

1 small seedless watermelon, cut into 1-inch cubes

Fresh basil, torn, for garnish

First, make the pickled onions (this step can be done a day ahead, or 1-2 hours before serving). Julienne the onion and place into a widemouth, heatproof jar with a lid. Combine the salt, sugar, and vinegar in a small saucepan, add 1/4 cup water, and heat over medium, stirring to dissolve the sugar and salt. As soon as the mixture starts to boil, remove from heat.

Pour the liquid over the onions in the jar, pressing down with a spoon to immerse the onions in the brine. Allow the mixture to cool, then cover and place in the refrigerator for at least one hour, and up to one day.

To serve, combine the cherry tomatoes and watermelon in a large bowl. Add the pickled onions. Pour the brine from the jar onto the salad and toss to combine. Garnish with torn basil leaves and serve immediately.

Nancy Rogers Juneteenth — Nancy Rogers serves her peach cobbler — made with a buttery crust that envelops the peaches she cooks with brown sugar and spice — at the 53rd annual Martin Luther King Jr.-Juneteenth Festival in Santa Rosa in June of 2023. (Eileen Roche)

Nancy Rogers’ Famous Peach Cobbler

Serves 12

Nancy’s advice for the filling? Sample and make sure it tastes good to you. Add a bit more lemon juice if you like it tart, or more cinnamon. Nancy’s husband Harold loves the sweetness.

For the dough

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. salt

16 tbsp. chilled butter, plus 1 tbsp. melted butter for brushing crust

6-7 tbsp. ice water

1-2 tbsp. cinnamon sugar, for dusting (see note)

For the filling

1 #10 can peaches in heavy syrup (106 ounces), or three 29-ounce cans

2 tbsp. butter

1 cup sugar

½ cup brown sugar

½ tsp. salt

1 ½ tsp. cinnamon

½ tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3 tbsp. cornstarch

3 tbsp. water lemon juice (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a mixing bowl, combine flour and salt. Cut 2 sticks (16 tablespoons) of butter into small cubes, and using your fingers or a pastry blender, rub or cut the butter into the flour until it’s the size of small peas.

Sprinkle ice water, a tablespoon or so at a time, over the mixture, and toss the mixture with a fork. Using your hands, gently bring the mixture together in a ball.

It should hold together without being dry or crumbly.

If dry, add more water, a tablespoon at a time, until it holds together. Divide the dough into 2 equal balls and refrigerate.

In a large saucepan, combine peaches, butter, sugars, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla over medium heat.

In a small bowl, add cornstarch and water to make a slurry. Stir into the peach mixture and continue cooking until mixture thickens and cooks down some, about 20 minutes.

Remove from heat. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding more spice if desired or a squeeze of lemon juice.

Remove 1 ball of dough from the refrigerator and place on a lightly floured work surface. Shape into a 1-inch-thick rectangle. Using a rolling pin, roll out into a rectangle to cover just the bottom of a 9-inch-by-13-inch baking dish. Place dough in baking dish, prick with a fork a few times and bake for 5 minutes, just until the crust starts to crisp a bit.

Remove the second ball of dough from the refrigerator, form into a 1-inch-thick rectangle and roll out to 9 inches by 13 inches.

Using a slotted spoon, layer the peaches evenly over the pre-baked crust, leaving behind some of the thickened liquid, otherwise the cobbler will be too soupy (see note two). Top peaches with the top crust, and prick with a fork a few times to allow steam to escape while cooking.

Brush dough with 1 tablespoon of melted butter and sprinkle generously with cinnamon sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes, until deep golden-brown and bubbly. If the crust starts to get too brown, cover with aluminum foil to finish baking.

Note: To make cinnamon sugar, combine ¼ cup of white sugar with 1 tablespoon of cinnamon.

Note two: After spooning the peaches into the cobbler, you should have about 2 cups of syrup left behind. If you like, refrigerate the syrup in an airtight container for up to a week to stir into yogurt or oatmeal, or spoon over ice cream.

Santa Rosa Artist Teaches Mindfulness Through Watercolor Botanicals

May 2024

By Abigail Peterson

Hannah Day Santa Rosa — Artist Hannah Day at her South of A Street studio in Santa Rosa where she paints portraits of fruits, vegetables and plants with watercolors March 21, 2024. (Chad Surmick / The Press Democrat)

In a sunny painting studio in Santa Rosa’s SOFA District, artist Hannah Day is at work on a fictional landscape of purple cabbages, kale, radishes, and artichokes. Nasturtium leaves climb the edges of the page, their tendrils winding among the vegetables. It’s a gorgeous fantasy garden, an extravagant collage of treats Beatrix Potter might have dreamed up for Peter Rabbit to nibble on after hopping over Mr. McGregor’s fence.

Day grew up in rural Two Rock Valley outside Petaluma, and the natural elements have always been a part of her creativity. “My brothers and I weren’t allowed to be inside during the day. We were always outside, building forts in the eucalyptus or running around,” says Day.

Rural landscapes and plein air painting were early artistic inspirations, along with anything that allowed her to disappear into layers of meticulous, meditative process. One recent installation involved cutting 1,000 paper outlines of trees and pinning them across a gallery wall to create a delicate, black-and-white forest.

“It’s so satisfying to see something grow into what you wanted it to be,” she says.

Day, who spent three years in Hawaii while earning a master’s degree in printmaking, returned home to her Sonoma County roots in 2017. She’d always loved painting fruits and vegetables, and during the pandemic, she found herself playing around with produce again. Last year, she exhibited a collection of her fruit and vegetable watercolors at Café Frida Gallery, where she found the portraits unlocked deeper emotions around themes of nourishment and abundance.

“There’s a lot of the human experience that there aren’t words for,” she says. She’s currently working on a series that combines watercolor botanicals with self portraits in pencil.

Though she has worked in prints, etching, and large-scale murals, the accessibility—and challenges— of working in watercolor hold great appeal. Watercolor paints have a delicacy and luminosity that fit with botanical subjects like tomatoes or nasturtium flowers. She begins by laying down a subtle wash of translucent color, like a bright yellow for a lemon, and then adds details, like seeds or pith or kernels of juice, slowly building up the character of the subject in layers.

“With watercolor, you have to be so measured; you have to think 10 steps ahead,” she explains. Painting over a misstep isn’t an option, as it would be with more opaque materials. “You have to constantly slow down and think about what your next step is.”

For one so attuned to a deliberate, step-by-step process, it’s not a surprise that Day has become a teacher as well as a fine artist. In 2022, she partnered with artist Joseph Salinas to create a large mural celebrating Indigenous Pomo history and culture at Elsie Allen High School—in the process, coaching dozens of students in painting technique.

Day’s father is also a teacher, and she says his way of modeling a process has rubbed off on her to a large degree, allowing teaching to become almost second nature. She stresses to her students the importance of getting started, putting brush to paper without worrying too much about the final outcome, and just enjoying the moment.

“Art has been such an integral part of me just being a human—not everyone has that outlet for reflection and self-expression,” Day says. “Teaching that has become the most rewarding thing ever.”

Seeing others connect with the benefits of making art continues to drive Day. Simple subjects, like the ruffled edge of a leaf of kale or the red bulb of a radish, belie a deeper value held in the steps of creation, says Day. “It’s grounding—the joy of just observing something and trying to do it justice.”

Want to learn how?

Artist Hannah Day teaches art classes in addition to exhibiting her work and taking commissions. She has worked with students of all ages at the Sonoma Community Center in Sonoma, Chimera Art Space in Sebastopol, and Artstart in Santa Rosa. In May and June, she will hold a series of watercolor classes that focus on fruits and vegetables at Petaluma’s Slough City Studios.

Her classes are beginner-friendly and focus on technique and process, while connecting students to the benefits of mindfulness and creativity.

“I bring in a bunch of different produce, and as a class, we choose what we want to start with,” she says. Citrus fruits and Swiss chard are popular beginner subjects. “Chard is challenging, but it also has this really interesting movement to it,” she says.

Day narrates the method of creating a botanical portrait as students follow alongside, beginning with how to lay down an initial wash of color and then moving on to finer detail. The classes are generally three hours long, which is enough time to get into the flow of working with watercolors and complete at least one botanical portrait.

For more information on fruit and vegetable painting workshops, lessons in crafting with paper or pet portrait-painting classes, visit hannahdrawstrees.com/upcomingworkshops.

A Penngrove Chef Applies Modern Restaurant Design to Home and Teaching Spaces

May 2024

By Abigail Peterson

Sandoval home Penngrove — The Sandoval family’s busy main kitchen connects to a dining area with a custom walnut table. (Eileen Roche)

To longtime chef and culinary instructor Laci Sandoval, any great kitchen is built around a single overarching principle: Less is more.

It’s a lesson she’s applied to the two kitchens she has designed on her family’s rural Penngrove property. The first is a small demonstration and teaching kitchen located in an accessory dwelling unit Laci and her husband, Travis, built in 2017. The other is the open family kitchen they built three years later, which is suited for both weeknight meals and big holiday celebrations with their two young boys.

While the kitchens have different purposes—family life vs. teaching—they are united in their focus on streamlined, pared-back simplicity, with flexibility and efficiency as key traits. Sandoval, who trained at the Culinary Institute of America in St. Helena and worked for years as a pastry chef in top restaurants like Redd in Yountville and Camino in Oakland, applied lessons from restaurant design to her home and teaching spaces.

“I worked for so long on a line, where your whole station needs to be pivotable, and we definitely thought of that here,” she explains. “You should be able to stand on one foot and pivot to every single thing you need—find every tool, find every ingredient.”

The Sandoval family home is colorful and modern, decorated with pieces the couple made during their time as working artists. Laci and Travis met at California College of the Arts in the East Bay, where Laci studied metalsmithing and jewelry design and Travis was a glassblower and sculptor. Laci has a love of well-used things and the history those things hold, like the boys’ collection of wooden toys or the family’s everyday plates and bowls in a rainbow of colors, many of which Laci found secondhand.

The family has strong beliefs about the power of food and community—beliefs that are cemented both in the way they prepare meals together and in how they share food with others. For Laci, working with a team of chefs to help feed her community after the 2017 fires was a turning point.

“It was like watching my ethos come to life,” she explains. “No one knows what’s going on, lives are upside down, but we all know we have to eat. So let’s all get together and cook for people, let’s do this thing that feels normal, and hopefully it’ll get us through. The shared moments we have with people, the stories and connections that come about through food, are what this is about.”

Efficient design

“It’s funny, because the trend right now with kitchens is ‘more is more’—two dishwashers and two sinks and all this space. And for us, that wasn’t necessary. I was used to professional kitchens where you’d have just a small, efficient space. I didn’t want any of that extra stuff. Just simple. In a restaurant, pastry chefs in particular are always given the smallest amount of space possible—they’d put you in the coat closet if they could. And you can’t be in anyone’s way. You don’t leave your station during service because that’s wasted time, so everything you need has to fit in a tiny space—there can’t be extra bits and bobs. And that’s how we wanted this space to feel.”

Laci Sandoval class kitchen Penngrove — Laci Sandoval cooks in her teaching kitchen in Penngrove. (Eileen Roche)

Living for now

“When we were starting to renovate the house, one thing that was interesting to me was that there was always this narrative about, like, ‘Well, that choice isn’t good for resale.’ When people are designing their home, we train them to think about not living there anymore, making choices that are about someone else in the space. And part of that is fine—it’s good to keep in mind living somewhere else at some point. But if you’re designing a home, you should design it for just you, right?

In the kitchen, for example, we were encouraged to think about more cabinetry space because of resale. And we didn’t necessarily want that. We already have a giant pump track for the boys and their bikes in our front yard, so we’ve already narrowed down the customer base, you know? Whoever might want this house someday has got other hurdles to get across before they nitpick about how many cabinets!”

Stocking the kitchen

“There’s a difference between an ingredient home and a snack home. We are an ingredient home. When the boys want a snack, it’s going to be something like salami and cucumbers. Our pantry is just one tall pullout, really simple. I don’t have to go searching for things. And I don’t have a lot of tools. I refuse to own a tool in my kitchen that doesn’t have more than one purpose, you know? Everything has to have multiple uses.”

Artists as chefs

“I feel like artistic people are innate givers. And food is also like that, right? The food world is so ephemeral. It’s like art that’s meant to be consumed immediately. No one cooks to surround themselves with food and eat it all themselves. Many cooks that I know don’t even eat their own food—they’ll prepare a meal for someone, and then have a bowl of cereal. So cooking is like this wonderful ability to bring something out of your soul that’s tangible to other people.”

Cooking with kids

“The boys do their homework and projects at the kitchen counter, and everyone’s just hanging out. They always say the kitchen is the heart of the home, and you can really see that. Both of our boys do a lot of activities after school, so dinner is usually pretty fast, and we all eat the same thing, not something separate for the kids. It’s usually a protein—we get a full cow and a half hog every year for the freezer—plus a starch and a veg.

Every once in a while, I do a ‘refrigeration liquidation,’ where I just clean out whatever is in the fridge and put it all in a pot with some pasta, and then top it off with some herbs from the garden. My husband, whose dad was from Mexico, puts hot sauce on basically everything I cook! I try not to take that too personally.”

Summer produce

“I grew up on a farm in South Dakota, and my dad is an incredible gardener. When I was a kid, we would do hundreds of cans of salsa and green beans and pickled carrots, pickled everything. I do less of that now, but I still can our tomatoes. We’ll blanch them to get the skins off, and then I put them in a big, huge pot and I’ll use my hand mixer and chop them up. So they taste really fresh, not that cooked-down taste. And we freeze a lot of stuff. Whatever’s on the fruit trees, especially plums, we just juice and freeze. Everything else out of the garden, we eat right away or put out on the free produce shelf out in front for the neighbors.”

Sandoval class kitchen Penngrove — Laci Sandoval updates the schedule of classes in her teaching kitchen in Penngrove. (Eileen Roche)

Designed to teach

“When I have a bigger project, like baking bread or a bunch of hamburger buns, that usually happens in the teaching kitchen. Almost everything in the teaching kitchen is flexible—only the sink and the stove are set in place. That’s key. Things are on casters so we can move them around, and the front doors fold into a pocket at the side so the whole front opens up. That gives us the space we need to gather.

Our classes are less about learning techniques, although that’s definitely happening, and more about acknowledging the shared threads in our lives at that moment, and these cool relationships and conversations build off that—this ritual of cooking and eating that feeds so much more than just your stomach.”

Gather together

“There’s this honor in sharing a meal with someone that’s saying, ‘I value you enough to sit at this table with you. I see you as another human being, and in this moment right now, we’re just going to do the thing that we all have in common, which is eat. We all have foods that we love, and traditions we’ve created, and they might not be the same, but I’m going to honor you as a human by sitting across from you.’”

This Upcoming Healdsburg Festival Pairs Music and Wine for an Important Cause

May 2024

By Matt Villano

Crowds listen to performers at Blood Root Ramble. (Leah-Ann Beverley)

The founders of trendsetting wine labels BloodRoot and Reeve Wines, Noah and Kelly Dorrance, will gather with music fans this June for the second annual BloodRoot Ramble.

The two-day music festival in Healdsburg on June 7 and 8 will bring together LA-based indie rockers Lord Huron, along with Andrew Bird, Cautious Clay, and others.

And it’s for an important cause: since losing their niece, Evelyn Dieckhaus, last year in a school shooting in Nashville, the couple have rallied wine and music friends to raise more than $200,000 to advocate for sensible gun ownership legislation.

Proceeds from this year’s Ramble support Giffords, a nonprofit led by former congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.

Powered by passion

Kelly: “I grew up in a family of responsible gun owners. But having a right to own a weapon should come with—at a minimum—the same type of responsibility you must show to get keys to a car. Gun violence numbers are so rampant that the notion of ‘it will never happen to me,’ is not true. My family is proof. Action has been an antidote for grief, pain, and hopelessness.”

Community support

Kelly: “We feel like we won the lottery living in this beautiful, tight community that’s close to the city, ocean, redwoods, and mountains. Our kids are getting all sorts of amazing experiences.

They also have so many incredible humans around them who lead by example by showing perseverance, open-mindedness, and kindness. They’ve been through quite a lot in their young lives—fires, pandemic, loss of a beloved cousin—and they have felt loved and supported every step of the way.”

Musical genius

Noah: “We really went big for a small local festival by curating a lineup to draw a great crowd. These are the only Bay Area shows for Andrew Bird and Lord Huron this year. Plus, it’s pretty fun to bring Lord Huron back to Healdsburg, since we had them play for 500 people in Healdsburg in 2016 when they were an up-and-coming band. They’ve grown a lot since then. So have we.”

A homegrown festival

Kelly: “There is nothing big, corporate, or slick in anything we do. There are a million reasons why we shouldn’t be pulling off a music festival, but it boils down to the fact that we just want to do it. We are as passionate about music as we are about wine. Nothing makes us feel better than pulling people together for a good time and a good cause.”

The BloodRoot Ramble Festival is June 7 and 8 in Healdsburg. Tickets available online at bloodrootramble.com/tickets

The Insider Secret to the Best Parties in All of Wine Country

May 2024

By John Beck

Extradimensional Wine Co. Yeah! Sonoma — Guests tasting and mingling during a soft opening of the new tasting room for Extradimensional Wine Co. Yeah! in Sonoma, Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023. (Erik Castro / For The Press Democrat)

Sometimes you can’t help but feel sorry for wine club members who live thousands of miles away, in Texas or New York or Florida. Sure, shipments of wine magically appear on their doorstep several times a year. But just think of all the festivities they miss out on.

Welcome to the Age of the Never-Ending Pickup Party—a seasonal, late-spring cause for celebration, a way of saying thanks to loyal believers and imbibers, and one of the reasons locals love being locals, and everyone else gets a little jealous.

“We feel like terroir is people, too,” says Andy Peay, who’s been throwing parties at Peay’s winemaking space in Cloverdale for nearly two decades. “You know—who you are, what you eat, what you drink, where you’re from, what music you listen to, what movies you like. That informs all your decisions, just like what you grow, how you grow it, when you pick it and how you make it. And so here we are in Sonoma County, and these are the people we want to throw a party for.”

Call them release parties or open houses – they’ve been around long enough to make you wonder, was there ever a time when people used to drive to a winery, open their trunk, load up on new wines, and turn around and go home? (Sadly, the answer is yes.)

Ryme Cellars Forestville — Wine is displayed and poured at a recent club gathering at Ryme Cellars in Forestville. (Megan Glaab/Ryme Cellars)

But in recent years, the wine club pickup party has become a moveable feast and house party all rolled into one. “Rather than making it formal, it’s really about a celebratory hang,” says Megan Glaab, who runs Ryme Cellars in Forestville with her husband Ryan, who often mans the grill at parties. “When we started looking at what we wanted to do for our pickup parties, it was kind of like, ‘What do we like to do at home?’ We gather with people, have fun, eat, and enjoy some wine. Our customers have become our friends.”

Along with music, seasonal food pairings are a huge part of the equation. “We always do oysters in April because they’re so delicious coming out of the cold months of winter, and they pair well with high-acid whites,” says Pax Mahle, owner and winemaker at Pax Wines in Sebastopol.

Likewise, earlier this spring Bricoleur Vineyards in Windsor brought in a crew of Hog Island oyster shuckers to pair bivalves with wild mushroom risotto. But pairings are always personal taste. “For our open houses, it’s like unlimited wine,” says Mahle. “You just come in and drink anything with anything you want. If you want to tap the Syrah with the oysters, I’m down with that. That’s why we do a harissa mignonette. There’s no wrong answer.”

Bricoleur Vineyards Windsor — Bricoleur winemaker Cary Gott at a March 2024 pickup. (Bricoleur Vineyards)

Come for the wine, stay for the party. That’s the mantra at Peay, where Uneda Eat chef Rob Hunter wheels in a 20-foot flatbed truck loaded with a restaurant-sized pizza oven, firing up 150-200 pies for the party. The nomadic Point Arena chef leans heavy on homemade fennel sausage, broccolini and mushrooms he forages in the woods of Mendocino. It all goes perfectly with Peay Pinots and Syrahs, which are less about big, fruity, jammy notes, and more about good acids, and earthy, forest-floor flavors.

Peay always lays out a spread of Soyoung Scanlan’s Andante Dairy cheese, made in Petaluma. “It’s just for tasting,” he says. “We put out as much as they can possibly eat. You can’t get Andante Dairy cheeses very easily. We put out tons of it, and we watch people just mow through it. Like, I can basically eat this stuff until my face hurts.”

But what works at some wineries, doesn’t always work at others. “If you lay out a cheese wheel and just let people attack it, within an hour it can look pretty ugly,” says Duncan Meyers, owner-winemaker at Arnot-Roberts in Healdsburg. In the past, they’ve also gone the taco or pizza truck route. “But it gets messy,” Meyers says. So they turned to The Spinster Sisters owner Liza Hinman for small seasonal bites, usually one veggie and one with meat. “There’s no utensils or waste, you grab a tart or a mini quiche, pop it in your mouth and keep tasting.”

The key to pairing with Arnot-Roberts wines, he says, is to find something earthy and savory, like a crostini with chanterelles or morels. Or, “it’s hard to beat charcuterie or pâté—savory, salty, and not overly spicy.”

This time of year, it seems there’s a rolling pickup party circuit on almost any given weekend. Some club members try to juggle several in a day. “I always stay in touch with Scott Schultz at Jolie-Laide and Pax Mahle over at Pax winery, because we have similar customers, and we often have releases at the same time,” says Meyers. “Literally, Pax just emailed me earlier to say, ‘Hey, I saw you’re having a party on the 13th. So are we, but let’s work it so we don’t conflict on hours.’”

And for those East Coast wine club members still awaiting their latest shipments, there is hope. “We do get responses from our people in New York, saying ‘Oh man, I wish I lived in Sonoma County. I’d love to be there.’ Well, make a trip out,” says Meyers. “This is the perfect excuse.”

Andy Peay always smiles when he sees a familiar wine club member who drives down from Canada every year to make the pickup party rounds, loading up his trunk for the long drive home. At Ryme, Glaab has a few members who just can’t stand missing out. “We actually have people who fly out for pickup parties, just to be a part of it. You would be surprised.”

An East Coaster by birth, Mahle is hardly shocked. As he puts it, “Nothing attracts a good time like a good time.”

Chef Crista Luedtke’s Road Trip Restaurant Is an Eating Adventure in Guerneville

May 2024

By Heather Irwin

The Mac Daddy burger with a 7-ounce Oak Ridge patty and the secret sauce from Road Trip Monday, May 20, 2024, in Guerneville. (John Burgess/The Press Democrat)

Barely an hour after finishing an early May taping of the Food Network’s “Tournament of Champions” with her friend, Guy Fieri, chef Crista Luedtke had already strapped on an apron and started bussing tables at her newest restaurant, Road Trip.

Guerneville’s most notable serial entrepreneur and cheerleader, Luedtke isn’t afraid to put in the work as she spins around the globally inspired cafe as server, line cook, host, fryer maintenance expert and chief table wiper.

Days later, the pompadoured spitfire who seems to be everywhere at once headed to Montana for a luxury ranch cooking gig followed by a three-day, 300-mile cycling fundraiser along the North Coast. Luedtke’s Instagram feed is both a travelogue and geography lesson as she globe-hops from Peru to Thailand, London to Mexico and Los Angeles to Maui.

At the end of the day, however, the Midwest-born Luedtke comes home to the sleepy Russian River town where she is the chef/owner of Boon Eat + Drink, proprietor of Boon Hotel + Spa and was a key player in the founding of Big Bottom Market and El Barrio cocktail bar. Luedtke opened Brot, a restaurant focused on German cuisine, in 2019 and shuttered it in late 2023.

Road Trip takes over the former Brot space on Main Street in Guerneville Monday, May 20, 2024. (Photo by John Burgess/The Press Democrat)

Brot’s Main Street restaurant space was quickly recast as Road Trip, a culinary journey that pays homage to the chef’s global travels. From street food to fast food, with a generous sprinkling of comfort favorites, Luedtke’s menu is a mashup of flavor memories that include a Vietnamese-inspired Banh Mi Panzanella salad, Texas-style pulled pork flatbread (with pickles), and Mexican hot dogs wrapped in bacon. All dishes have an adventurous yet approachable quality.

“I wanted it to have creativity and not stay in one lane. I want people to come up to the river and look at the menu and find four or five things they absolutely want to have,” Luedtke said in an April interview. She and her longtime Chef de Cuisine, Carlos Mendez, have created just that in Road Trip.

Road Trip executive chef Crista Luedtke Monday, May 20, 2024, in Guerneville. (John Burgess/The Press Democrat) — Road Trip executive chef Crista Luedtke Monday, May 20, 2024 in Guerneville. (Photo by John Burgess/The Press Democrat)

Inside the restaurant, lights are kept low during daylight hours, allowing the town to become the backdrop. Road trip-themed movies play silently against a back wall, adding to the travel motif, and bench and bar seating lend a casual “come as you are” feel. A smattering of outdoor bistro tables are hot property, as the interior can get warm on summer days. Hawaiian shirts and board shorts welcome.

Though Road Trip lacks a full liquor license, well-crafted low-alcohol cocktails fit the bill if you’re seek something more continental than beer or wine.

Don’t miss the RTK-SBG ($12), a riff on the Negroni Sbagliato that gives herbal Coca-Cola vibes, or the crisp Clean Slate ($14), made with sherry, vermouth and bitters. The menu also features a small but well-curated list of refreshing bubbles, whites and rosés by the glass (and a handful of reds), local and international beers and nonalcoholic drinks.

A dedicated kids’ menu with the usual suspects — hot dogs, chicken bites and pasta — makes the experience genuinely family-friendly. A thoughtful selection of vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options considers various dietary requirements.

A month into service, there are a few hiccups yet to work out, but Luedtke and her team rarely skip a beat when it comes to reliably good dining in West County. Service is solid, and the experience is a worthwhile Guerneville adventure.

DIY Deviled Eggs with kimchi, green onion and pepper toppings from Road Trip Monday, May 20, 2024 in Guerneville. (Photo by John Burgess/The Press Democrat)

The RTK-SBG (negroni sbag) cocktail with Cappelletti, Routin Rouge vermouth and sparkling wine from Road Trip Monday, May 20, 2024 in Guerneville. (Photo by John Burgess/The Press Democrat)

Best bets

DIY Deviled Eggs ($11): Squeeze a pastry bag filled with creamy hard-boiled egg yolks and Kewpie mayo into naked egg white halves. Add as much kimchi, green onion and sliced chiles as you dare. Add caviar ($65) for a fancy upgrade.

Fried Mushrooms ($12): An ode to Luedtke’s Wisconsin upbringing, these bar snacks are a must-try. Pickled maitake mushrooms get a fried cornmeal breading and are ridiculously dippable in charred onion buttermilk Ranch dressing (vegan/gluten-free).

Mexican Street Corn Salad ($14): Probably our favorite dish on the menu (along with the Mac Daddy), this salad is as pretty as it is delicious. Grilled kernels of sweet corn are dressed with creamy lime sauce, salty cotija cheese and ancho chile powder atop halved Romaine hearts — a sort of deconstructed salute to this popular Mexican street food.

The Mac Daddy ($18): Locally sourced grass-fed and grain-finished beef is the heart of this Big Mac upgrade. Served with lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions and special sauce on a squishy sesame milk bun. (Fries are $4 extra). A top-notch burger from a chef who knows her burgers and isn’t afraid to reinvent the McDonald’s classic.

Fish-n-Chips ($26): Fresh local cod is dredged in a sesame tempura beer batter and deep-fried for a super crispy crunch. The dish improved on a second visit, served with herby coleslaw, fries and tartar sauce.

Get Gnudi ($24): Adapted from Luedtke’s very Midwestern childhood favorite of noodles and tomato juice, this gluten-free pasta (ish) dish features soft pillows of gnudi (saying it is just fun) made with spinach and ricotta cheese. Tart tomato sauce with basil, Parmesan and a hint of lemon make this a very shareable dish for the table. We just wish it had some bread on the side to sop up all the saucy goodness.

Butterscotch Pudding ($12): This gussied-up version of a 1970s Jell-O favorite is sweet and slightly salty, with the recognizable dark caramel and butter flavor of those little yellow candies your grandma carried in her purse. Topped with fresh whipped cream and shards of chocolate shortbread.

Road Trip is at 16218 Main St., Guerneville, 707-604-6102, eatatroadtrip.com. Open 4 to 9 p.m. Thursday through Monday.

Popular Petaluma Bakery Stellina Pronto Now Serves Up Pizza. And It’s Delicious

May 2024

By Heather Irwin

Puttanesca pizza at Stellina Pronto pizzeria and bakery in Petaluma. (Heather Irwin/The Press Democrat)

For three agonizing years, chef Christian Caiazzo used his custom-built Italian pizza oven as a very expensive shelf.

The hulking, azure-tiled igloo on stilts brought in through the downtown Petaluma bakery’s windows was supposed to be the centerpiece of his pizzeria, Stellina Pronto.

But permitting issues for the wood-fired beast repeatedly stalled, forcing Caiazzo to refocus on what he could bake in traditional ovens — luxurious Italian pastries that routinely draw long lines of customers to the petite cafe. Though his cream puffs and croissants were a hot commodity, the pizza oven and his dreams of a perfect crust were left cold.

In late May, with t’s crossed and i’s dotted with city officials, Caiazzo finally fired up the oven to 800 degrees and created his first pie. And the pizza gods said, behold, these slices are very good.

Epically good, I’d say, with a Neapolitan-meets-New York style crust that holds up to a fold while being thin enough to flop over and drop its toppings if you’re not attentive. Crisp, caramel-colored crusts result from careful timing, good dough and practiced tossing by Caiazzo and co-pizzaiolo Reid Marple.

Toppings range from a simple Margherita ($24) with red sauce, fresh mozzarella, oregano, sea salt and basil to The Rivertown ($28) with sausage and pepperoni, or Fungi ($30) with roasted oyster mushrooms, thyme, mozzarella, Fontina and Parmesan. You’ll find 11 styles, including the best New Haven-style pizza ($34) I’ve had locally, with clams, garlic, chilies, parsley and Pecorino cheese.

On a five-pizza-tasting bender with two friends, we were awed by the simplicity of the Margherita, the briny Puttanesca ($28) with Kalamata olives, anchovies, fried capers and mozzarella, along with the Fungi and New Haven.

Caiazzo, a disciple of Wolfgang Puck and his groundbreaking popularization of gourmet California-style pizzas (though Chez Panisse is credited with its invention), pays homage to the former Postrio with the Wolfgang ($32), with a thin crust topped with cold-smoked salmon, dill creme fraiche, red onion, lemon zest, and orbs of orange salmon caviar (add $10), if you’re doing it right.

Crying for mercy after carbo-loading pizza and warm chocolate chip cookies supplied by Caiazzo’s wife and partner in crime, Katrina Fried, I took home two slices of the nostalgic Gianni ($29) that originated at the couple’s now-shuttered Osteria Stellina in Point Reyes.

Topped with impossibly thin slices of Yukon Gold potato, sauteed garlic, stinging nettles that Caiazzo picks, mozzarella and Fontina, it’s one of the best white pizzas (meaning no red sauce) at the bakery/pizzeria.

The one drawback — there’s not much seating at the cafe, with just a few window-seat barstools and bistro tables outside. Knowing that, Caiazzo has ensured his pizzas will stand up to takeout, and each pie is large enough for two to three people.

You’ll want to grab a prepared salad with your pizza, our favorite being the Italian Chopped ($22) and Nectarine and Feta ($15) with sheep’s milk feta, arugula and balsamic vinaigrette.

Piadine (folded pizza crusts filled with toppings) is slated to arrive shortly, with the Eggplant Parm and Caprese high on my list to try.

Also, Stellina Pronto sells slices during the day, and has frequent wood-fired vegetable specials like seasonal asparagus.

Caiazzo, who also owns Petaluma’s Stellina Alimentari, a sandwich shop, Italian marketplace and deli, is finally in his happy place making the kinds of pizzas he’s always loved — with a warm heart and a hot oven.

Stellina Pronto, 23 Kentucky St., Petaluma, stellinapronto.com.

Downtown Napa Is the Place to Go for Wine Tastings, Food and Fun

May 2024

By Vincent Vitale

Roberto Corona Jr., center right, toasts with his daughter, Gaby Corona, his son-in-law, Alvaro Camacho, left, and his son, Roberto, Corona III, right, at MaCo Vineyards tasting room in Napa, Thursday, Jan. 4, 2024. (Beth Schlanker / The Press Democrat)

When visiting Napa Valley, there are hundreds of wineries and tasting rooms to choose from. Planning a trip requires coordinating various logistics, including where to taste, eat and stay.

Many visitors now make downtown Napa their destination, drawn by the city’s revitalization and array of new restaurants and cocktail bars.

One of the benefits of making the city of Napa your focus is that it is walkable ― you can just stroll from your accommodations or your parked car to the downtown tasting rooms, bars, restaurants and shops, each promising a memorable experience.

Here are four downtown tasting rooms ― some new, some perennial favorites ― to add to your trip itinerary.

Family-friendly tastings at MaCo Vineyards

MaCo Vineyards recently opened a tasting room in downtown Napa and continues to offer visitors a great tasting experience. Just in time for summer, they have added an outdoor patio, which borders Napa’s riverfront.

“It’s a game changer to get to share our story and wine overlooking the Oxbow Commons,” said General Manager Alvaro Camacho.

MaCo Vineyards was founded in 1980 by friends Roberto Corona and Jesus Maciel (the company name is a fusion of the first two letters of their last names).

Today, the winery has its own label that is sold both in the U.S. and abroad. Its family-friendly tasting room and patio is a great place to bring kids, the wines are approachable in price and the chic interior space lends itself to relaxed indoor tastings on a hot day. The tasting room also hosts special events, such as last year’s Super Bowl party.

1000 Main St., Suite 190, Napa. 707-373-2346, macovineyards.com

The Vermeil Wines tasting room in downtown Napa. (Cody Krantz)

Pair football and wine at Vermeil

On the topic of football, the transition from summer to fall is an ideal time to explore downtown Napa as things cool down, both in terms of temperature and visitors. But this is also the time of college football and the beginning of the NFL season.

Thankfully, there is room for both wine lovers and football fans in downtown Napa, especially at Vermeil Wines, owned by Hall of Fame coach Dick Vermeil, whose family has been making wine for over 100 years.

“If it’s sports, it’s on,” said Vermeil General Manager Andrew Curry. (The tasting room has two TVs for a premier viewing experience.)

The Vermeil Wines tasting room is located off the bustling First Street, with both indoor and outdoor spaces. They offer a variety of tasting experiences, wine by the glass, and private food and wine experiences.

“Whether you are looking for an elegant place to watch the game on Sunday, or a fully immersive wine experience, Vermeil is your place,” said Curry.

1018 First St., Napa. 707-254-9881, vermeilwines.com

A serene garden experience at St. Clair Brown

If sports on big screen TVs isn’t your wine tasting vibe, perhaps a serene garden experience is?

At St. Clair Brown in downtown Napa, you can sip wine surrounded by flowers, trees, and produce that makes up the tasting room menu.

“Our culinary garden sits on a third of an acre. It features over 60 fruit trees, edible flowers, herbs and seasonal raised beds, which we grow for our food menu and garden drinks” said president and co-owner Laina Brown.

St. Clair Brown is a jack-of-all-trades destination: a boutique urban winery, nanobrewery and culinary garden. Founded in 2010 by Brown and winemaker/brewmaster Elaine St. Clair —colleagues and lifelong friends — it has been a beacon of craftsmanship and camaraderie since its inception.

“We see a lot of people visiting from the Bay Area and from out of state because we offer a wide range of experiences, including wine, beer and a full range of housemade, nonalcoholic garden drinks, as well as an organic garden-to-table food menu that is mostly vegan. There is something for everyone,” said Brown.

They are also set up to accommodate various types of tastings.

“Our wines and beers are served by the tasting flight, glass, or table bottle. We even have a zero-proof garden drink flight, which offers a special experience for designated drivers or non-drinkers. Everything we serve is made onsite in the city of Napa,” explained Brown.

816 Vallejo St., Napa. 707-255-5591, stclairbrown.com

Sip wine and beer in the serene culinary gardens at St. Clair Brown in downtown Napa. (St. Clair Brown)

The Cadet Wine + Beer Bar in downtown Napa. (Cadet Wine + Beer Bar)

The best of both worlds at Cadet Wine + Beer Bar

Cadet Wine + Beer Bar is another popular place to taste in downtown Napa. This establishment ― known among locals as the cool place to go after 10 p.m. ― allows guests to embark on a journey through the wine and beer worlds.

“So much of our growth has been facilitated through word of mouth, from those who frequent Cadet or who once visited and look forward to coming back. Our weekly Winemaker Wednesday series is just one example of the type of tastings we offer, highlighting vintners and winemakers from around the world and giving guests an opportunity to engage with their friends, peers and idols,” said Aubrey Bailey, co-owner of Cadet.

The inclusive space welcomes locals and tourists alike and offers an ever-evolving menu of food and drinks. Whether you prefer rare Champagne, California wines or beer in a can, you’ll find it all on the menu, even the humble grilled cheese, occasionally.

930 Franklin St., Napa. 707-224-4400, cadetbar.com

Where to Get the Best Tacos in Sonoma County

May 2024

By Heather Irwin

Tacos al Pastor from Cielito Lindo restaurant in Santa Rosa. (John Burgess/The Press Democrat)

Writing about “the best tacos” in Sonoma County is a near-impossible feat. As soon as I’ve finished a list, another lineup of favorites begins forming in my mind.

Tacos are one of the few Mexican foods that truly translate here in the U.S.—soft corn tortillas piled with braised meat, maybe a sliced radish or pickled onions thrown in, perhaps some raw onion, or just plain. They’re all delicious.

I’m also not averse to less traditional additions like cheese, avocado, crema or a little pico de gallo.

But this list is about the best tacos, and I’m willing to commit to a list of my favorites despite the fact that many of you will be mortified by my omissions.

I also could use some more truck recommendations, so email me your favorites, and I’ll check them out for my next roundup.

Best tacos in Santa Rosa

Mitote Food Park: I’m going to start at this Roseland destination because you’ll be hard-pressed to find a bad taco here. My favorites include quesabirria from Los Magos, mushroom tacos from Lucha Sabina, huitlacoche at Antijos Victoria and cochinita pibil at Mami’s Panuchos. 665 Sebastopol Road, Santa Rosa, mitotefoodpark.com

Mi Ranchito: I’m giving a giant thumbs-up to Mi Ranchito for the lacy bits of caramelized cheese, butter-soft meat and grill-kissed quesabirria that arrive with a steaming cup of consommé, pickled red onion, tomatillo salsa and a naughty chile and tomato salsa that’s nuclear-spicy. 90 Mark West Springs Road, Santa Rosa, 707-978-2295, miranchitomexicancuisine.com

Cielito Lindo: I spent weeks looking for the ultimate al pastor after falling in love with this spit-grilled pork inspired by Lebanese immigrants to Mexico. The very best versions feature a pineapple atop the spinning rotisserie, dripping its sweet juices onto the meat (and you’ll get a little nibble of caramelized fruit as well). There is no shortage of great al pastor in Sonoma County—whether spit-grilled or griddled—but Cielito Lindo’s was one of my favorites. 52 Mission Circle, Suite 110, Santa Rosa, Instagram.com/cielitolindosantarosa

Galvan’s Eatery: Seeing the long lines for these brother-owned food trucks (now three of them!) is always heartwarming because they truly believe in the food they’re sharing with the community. My favorites are the messy, gooey quesabirria and crispy carnitas. Their weekly stops are listed online at Instagram.com/galvanseatery.

La Texanita: Hot. Hot. Hot. La Texanita serves up some seriously spicy fish tacos, packing a flavor wallop. For me, they were almost too spicy for comfort, but like everything here, they’re fresh and homemade. 1667 Sebastopol Road, Santa Rosa, 707-525-1905

Taqueria California: One of the most approachable taco meats, carnitas is simply pork shoulder boiled in lard with herbs, orange (and maybe a Coke or two to get a nice caramelization). The ultimate bite of carnitas straddles the line between crispy-crunch and soft, melty meat. This humble taqueria seems to have a magic touch, avoiding the leathery, tough strips of meat that others pass off as carnitas. Some say the dish originated with the Spanish, but Mexico City has a claim to some of the best carnitas hawkers anywhere. Oh, carnitas, how we love to eat you. 6560 Hembree Lane, 707-836-4242

Taqueria Las Palmas: Taqueria Las Palmas is an oft-overlooked Mexican eatery tucked into a rather, er, colorful strip near the Greyhound bus station. Suffice it to say, it’s not the sort of place you stumble upon, but it’s definitely a spot worth seeking out. I like the enchilada and taco combo with beans and rice, and I always go for the spicy shrimp. Fish tacos are also incredible. 415 Santa Rosa Ave., Santa Rosa

Best tacos in Rohnert Park, Petaluma

El Fogon: Though not technically a taco, the epic Machete, a forearm-length corn tortilla filled with meat (al pastor!), cheese, sour cream, tomato and cilantro, is a favorite. The focus on Mexican street classics makes this a great lunch stop or casual dinner. 623 Fourth St., Santa Rosa, and 6650 Commerce Boulevard, Suite 4, Rohnert Park, elfogonca.com

Quiote Mexican Restaurant: This family-owned taqueria is worth a special trip. Their handmade blue corn tortillas — topped with fresh rock cod, cochinita pibil with pickled onions, or al pastor and salsa verde — always make my “best tacos” list. Add a side of guacamole with serrano chiles and crispy raspadas or brothy Rancho Gordo beans to get the full experience. While you’re there, I highly recommend the Jalisco-style mole and braised chicken enchiladas. 121 Kentucky St., Petaluma. 707-774-6130, quiotemx.com

Best tacos in Sonoma

Sonoma Eats: Chef Efrain Balmes makes the best Oaxacan food in Sonoma County, infused with his heart and soul. Best bets include Baja fish tacos and potato tacos. 18133 Sonoma Highway, Sonoma, 707-9391905, sonomaeatsmex.com

El Molino Central: Beer-battered fish tacos with salsa de arbo and avocado-lime mayo. The best fish taco. Cripsy beef brisket tacos with sour cream, avocado and pickled escabeche are also a can’t-miss. 11 Central Ave., Sonoma, elmolinocentral.com

More great tacos in Sonoma County

El Roy’s: Between the trucks and their Petaluma restaurant, it’s rarely hard to find their tasty tacos. Locations in Santa Rosa and Petaluma, elroys.com

Guerneville Taco Truck: It is set up most days in the Safeway shopping center and needs no name other than “Authentic Mexican Food.” That, and the line that sometimes stretches 10 or 20 deep on particularly sunny days. 16405 Highway 116, Guerneville, guernevilletacotruck.com

Delicias Elenita: Tried and true truck located at La Fondita restaurant in Roseland. 816 Sebastopol Road, Santa Rosa, deliciaselenita.site