Along the southwestern slope of the Mayacamas, some 1,400 feet above the town of Sonoma, screenwriter and vintner Robert Kamen and his wife, Evonne Kamen Sproat, live in a much-longed-for contemporary Japanese-style hilltop home.
It is their oasis and their dream, they say—a place they never really imagined they would call home. But here, surrounded by 50 acres of organically grown Syrah, Cabernet, and Sauvignon Blanc, along with centuries-old oaks and heritage olive trees, the couple feels at peace.
At sunset, they relax on the expansive deck in modern chairs that hint of an Adirondack past, sipping a rosé made by Robert from grapes grown on the property, with their two standard poodles at their side, siblings named Kashmir and Kaia. The view they take in at the end of each day together sweeps broadly across the entire San Francisco Bay, with silhouettes of Mount Tam, the bridges, and even Mount Diablo.
The couple say it’s serendipity that brought them to this life, at this rugged site and on this rugged land, which lies 5 miles uphill from downtown Sonoma, the last two of those miles along a mostly dirt road.
“I live a 24-hour romance with the vineyard and with Vonnie. We live in the bubble of love,” explains Robert, a screenwriter known for “The Karate Kid,” “Taps,” “The Fifth Element,” and some two-dozen other blockbuster films. “I just knew I always wanted to live here, and I found the perfect person to do it with. If there’s someone who likes living here more than me, it’s Vonnie.”
A deep soaking tub on a bed of smooth river stones brings a sense of calm to the primary bath. (Adam Potts)
Back in the late 1970s, it was Robert who stumbled upon the site of his home while on a hike with a friend. At the time, the place was strewn with rocks and ryegrass, but Robert found himself utterly seduced by the view. He put down $135,000 to buy the land, the entire paycheck from the first screenplay he ever sold. It was a leap of faith for sure, as there was no electricity at the site, no water, not even a road. Essentially, he bought the view.
For a couple of years, Robert simply hiked and explored the land, getting to know the place. Later, the Bronx native built a simple, rustic studio on the property—a retreat from his apartment on Central Park in New York City, where he raised three daughters from an earlier marriage.
Viticulturist Phil Coturri helped Robert plant his first organic vineyard, convinced that the rocky, volcanic soil could grow great wine. Kamen Estate’s first harvest was in 1986, and for a while, Robert sold the fruit to other producers. But soon, he was drawn to the allure of winemaking, and the first Kamen Estate release was bottled in 1999.
A simplified palette of Corten steel, iron, wood, and concrete complement the structural rammed earth walls and keep the focus on the surrounding landscape and vineyards. (Adam Potts)
Robert left New York to live full time in the small studio on the vineyard in 2010. But these days, he and Evonne, who have been together 11 years, live in a larger Japanese-style contemporary home, designed by Santa Rosa architect Jessie Whitesides of Asquared Studios and completed in 2019.
The day of their first project meeting, Whitesides started sketching out designs with a black marker. “He said it needed to be a pretty simple thing,” recalls Whitesides. “I said ‘I see a couple of interlocking boxes, flat roof.’” And that was it—the basic vision for the project was in place.
“I probably never would have built the house without Vonnie,” Robert says of the three-year construction project Whitesides and her team oversaw. Evonne, a native of Hawaii of Japanese heritage, has always been drawn to the outdoors. She traveled all over the world for 44 years as a flight attendant.
Early in their relationship, Evonne told Robert the story of a fellow flight attendant who envisioned that she would one day live in the mountains near the ocean, surrounded by greenery. Driving up to the vineyard with Robert for the first time, Evonne thought, “My god, this is what she was talking about.”
Perched atop a steep hillside and divided into a series of three interlocking boxes, the couple’s 4,000-square-foot home has just one bedroom and a single office, lit throughout by floor-to-ceiling windows. A natural palette of Corten steel, wood, and glass blends with the surrounding property and with the textural striations of the rammed-earth walls.
The 8-foot-tall windows, imported from Portugal at a cost of nearly $1 million, are an essential feature of the design. “We take great pleasure in them, because our whole idea was we wanted to live inside and outside,” says Robert. “If it’s 100 degrees, we want to live inside. If it’s pouring rain, we want to live inside. But the rest of the time we want an inside/outside environment, and the windows afford us that.”
A marble Buddha greets guests as they enter the home through a massive oak front door, which pivots to open directly into the great room, where the view sweeps out through the windows to the spectacularly layered landscape beyond.
An open kitchen flanks one side of the entry, with an entertainment area at the other side. Nearby, there’s a yoga room with soaring windows, a wine storage area, and a Japanese-style bathroom with an elevated shower and soaking tub, opening to a zen garden.
Robert and Evonne have filled the home with art they’ve collected, including rugs, paintings, and textiles, many by friends and family. The early 1900s Japanese silk kimono Evonne’s grandfather’s wife wore for her wedding hangs on the bedroom wall, and polished Hawaiian driftwood sculptures made by Evonne’s mother share space with tapestries and paintings from Dutch actor Jeroen Krabbé.
Robert still writes daily in his large office on a desk inlaid with mother-of-pearl, which he purchased long ago in India, near the Taj Mahal. Photographs of his three daughters are displayed on long, open shelves, alongside piles of scripts from over the years, each inked on the side with the name of the film.
Robert and Evonne insist on a simple, purposeful life up in the hills, marked by long walks with their dogs through the vineyards, alfresco lunches, and evenings surrounded by the view. Robert writes in his office most mornings and practices karate daily, a habit he’s kept since he was 17 years old. Later, the couple might head down the hill to the Kamen Estates tasting room on the square in town, or host wine club members on the skydeck near the house.
This time of year, the promise of the upcoming harvest is tangible, as clusters hang on the vine and crews of fieldworkers prepare for the pick. It’s often windy, but at other times, it’s perfectly still except for the beat of the workers’ radios—here and there, they might even catch someone singing and humming along as the grapes come in. The work comes hard and fast, usually starting in late August for the whites, and late September for the reds. “It is beautiful to hear,” Evonne says.
Evonne believes that the way their life experiences and cultures intertwine are no mere coincidence, coming back to the concept of serendipity. “His whole life has come full circle, don’t you think?” she says.
“Everything happens for a reason,’’ echoes Robert. “I didn’t buy this property to plant a vineyard. My entire ethos and nature was all formed in a city housing project in the Bronx. Who would have thought a skinny little kid with a big mouth would end up here?”
Resources
Architecture: Jessie Whitesides and Tony Garcia, Asquared Studios, Santa Rosa, asquaredstudios.com
Cycling standout Miguel Crawford was getting folks together for rollicking low-fi bike races in rural west county over a decade before the worldwide rise of gravel racing. (Brian Tucker)
Meet Miguel Crawford, husband, father, teacher, extreme velophile—dude has 15 bikes lined up neatly in his Sebastopol studio—and accidental pioneer.
It was 26 years ago that Crawford, a longtime Spanish instructor at El Molino, then Analy High School, organized his first Hopper. That’s the innocuous-sounding name for the merry sufferfests comprising the Grasshopper Adventure Series, which he founded with little to no fanfare back in 1998.
A slightly sadistic series of four to six “rideslash-races” taking place between January and summer, Crawford’s “Hoppers” have long put a premium on hard-won versatility, taking riders over pavement, dirt, gravel, distressed macadam, fire roads, old logging trails, single- track, you name it.
Ripping down Old Cazadero Road north of Guerneville, or grinding up Willow Creek outside Duncans Mills on a smorgasbord of different rigs—road bikes, mountain bikes, cyclocross bikes—those intrepid early Hopper racers didn’t look or feel especially cutting edge.
It turned out, however, that the multi-terrain adventures Crawford has been curating since the previous millennium preceded by at least a decade the rise of gravel riding and racing, a discipline that’s recently gained worldwide popularity. Grasshoppers were all about gravel—and the gravel ethos of fun and exploration— before gravel was cool.
“Gravel,” we are reminded by five-time Olympian and Hopper veteran Katerina Nash, is not to be taken too literally. That word has become shorthand, a catch-all for a mix of different terrains. A huge part of its appeal, says Nash, “is that it brings together all these athletes”— mountain bikers, roadies, members of the cyclocross tribe—“who wouldn’t otherwise meet.”
There are now hundreds of gravel racing events across the United States each year. Among the best known is Unbound Gravel, a 200-mile ordeal contested by 4,000 riders each June in the Flint Hills of Kansas. The Super Bowl of Gravel, as some refer to Unbound, has been won by several Hopper regulars, including Yuri Hauswald, Amity Rockwell, Alison Tetrick, and Ted King, who refers to the Grasshopper Series as the “OG”—the original gangster—of gravel. That tribute was validated in March of 2023 by the Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame, which included Crawford in its second class of inductees, along with Petalumans Hauswald and Tetrick—lending the Emporia, Kansas-based Hall of Fame a distinctly Sonoma flavor.
Decades before the bike industry began marketing gravel bikes, noted Crawford’s Hall of Fame presenter, Dan Hughes, “Mig and his friends were pushing their old road bikes to the limit, installing the largest tires the frames could handle and taking parts from early mountain bikes to create new frankenbikes that could handle the abuse of long mixed-terrain rides.”
The natural beauty of Crawford’s courses, coupled with the relaxed, low-fi vibe of the events, has earned the series a fiercely loyal following throughout Northern California and beyond. Hoppers tend to draw a mix of eager, über-fit amateurs and, at the pointy end of the peloton, a who’s who of pro riders, both mountain and road, seeking some hard miles to sharpen their fitness for the upcoming season.
It’s a mix that has led to some surreal moments. Crawford recalls Giro d’Italia stage winner Peter Stetina texting him from Europe to learn the results of certain Hoppers. “He’d be over in France, racing Paris–Nice or something, asking me who won Old Caz.”
But as word of the rides got out and the number of participants grew, so did attention from neighbors, including members of the Kashia Pomo rancheria. Some citizens complained to their elected officials, others to the California Coastal Commission. By 2022, the process of securing permits for Sonoma County events had become so onerous, even Kafkaesque, that Crawford made the tough, sad decision to move the bulk of the series to friendlier environs—ones outside the county where the races were born.
Miguel Crawford, a longtime Spanish instructor at El Molino, then Analy High School, organized his first Hopper 26 years ago. (Courtesy of Miguel Crawford)
The one who made it happen
A three-sport athlete and member of El Molino’s Class of 1988, Miguel “Mig” Crawford became an elite bike racer following his graduation from Humboldt State. Upon returning to Sonoma County, he spent a decade, on bike and on foot, getting to know the fire roads and byways, the abandoned railroad corridors and old logging trails of west county like the creases on the palm of his hand.
Working with remote, often stunningly beautiful roads such as Sweetwater Springs, Skaggs Springs, King Ridge, Kruse Ranch, Old Caz, Willow Creek—“sounds like a greatest hits album,” notes Crawford, as he ticks them off—he devised long, looping rides that were at once spectacular and spectacularly hard.
Mig and friends would meet in the parking lot behind Occidental’s Union Hotel, where he would hand them a laminated card with a hand-drawn map of that day’s route. In those early, unsanctioned years, there was no registration, no waivers or rest stops or prizes, other than bragging rights and a bag of chips at the finish, paired with a Coke—or perhaps some other, more potent cold beverage.
Crawford would “start us on pavement, jump to dirt, connect through the backwoods to a bit of singletrack,” says old Hopper hand Geoff Kabush, a Canadian mountain biker who competed in three Olympic Games. “It was always fun to see what he was going to piece together.”
The underground feel of those early Hoppers faded as the fields grew. The registration fee edged up, from free, to $5, and then $10. By the time the legendary Ted King showed up to ride his first Grasshopper in 2011, the price of admission was up to (gasp!) $20.
“Hoppers have a different feel than a lot of the other races we do around the country. It still has that original ethos, those nuggets of camaraderie that you don’t see elsewhere.” – pro rider Ted King
The event had been described to him as a group ride, and King remembers thinking at the time, “Why do I need to pay $20 to go on a training ride?”
But he soon found himself drawn in by the fellowship and the beauty of the route. Following the punishing climb of Geysers Road outside Cloverdale, which pitches up the way Mike Campbell says he went broke in Hemingway’s “The Sun Also Rises”: “gradually and then suddenly”—riders took a left at the old Jimtown Store, finishing 3,000 vertical feet later at the terminus of Pine Flat Road.
What King remembers about that day was the fun he had, the friends he made—and the dessert awaiting them.
“There were all these cupcakes,” he recalls, 13 years later. “Really nice, artisanal cupcakes.”
“That might’ve been the best 20 bucks I ever put into my cycling career.”
As many former WorldTour pros have after him, King discovered a fulfilling second career as a “privateer”—a rider unaffiliated with a team—on the gravel racing scene. The Hoppers, he says, “have a different feel than a lot of the other races we do around the country. It still has that original ethos, those nuggets of camaraderie that you don’t see elsewhere.”
As pro mountain biker Alex Wild put it after winning the Lake Sonoma Hopper in 2022, “No one’s telling me to be here. I don’t have to put [Hoppers] on my schedule. But Mig just puts on such good events, it makes people want to ride them.”
Top rider Larissa Connors of Santa Rosa finishes a muddy Mendocino Hopper in 2023. (Brian Tucker)
Today we ride
Twenty-six years after Crawford and a dozen of his buddies rolled out of Occidental for the inaugural Hopper, some 600 riders straddled their bikes, chatting nervously in the parking lot at Todd Grove Park in Ukiah. It was January 27, 2024, and the group was waiting for the start of the Low Gap Hopper, a half-dirt, half-pavement, 48-mile ordeal into which Crawford crowded 6,200 feet of climbing. (For context, the first mountain stage of this summer’s Tour de France is 87 miles, with 11,617 feet of gain.)
One the coolest things about these adventures, says Chas Christiansen, an artist and pro gravel rider, is who you end up saying hello to in the parking lot or at the start. “You’re standing next to these pros—Ted King, or Levi, or Peter Stetina—guys who just rode in the Tour de France or the Giro d’Italia. It’s wild.”
Christiansen was a 20-something San Francisco bike messenger in 2010 when a friend talked him into signing up for the Old Caz Hopper – the perennial Grasshopper season opener until 2019, when a landslide prompted the county to close the road. (It has yet to reopen.)
He grabbed his vintage Miele, an Italian-style racing steed—“the only bike I had with gears,” he recalls—and headed for Occidental. Thus did he find himself later that morning battling gravity and the elements on the descent of Old Cazadero Road. Such was the steepness of one muddy section of Old Caz that Christiansen was forced to sit astride the top tube of the bike, braking Fred Flintstone-style.
“I had a foot down on each side, like a trimaran,” he recalls.
Up ahead, riders were dismounting. Why are they doing that, he wondered, until he saw the rain-swollen creek bisecting the trail. “You know it’s a good race when there’s a surprise river,” says Christiansen.
Fourteen years later he’s still racing and riding bikes for a living. Christiansen credits Grasshoppers for helping him “get comfortable being extremely uncomfortable” and “riding deep into the wilderness and being confident in my own abilities to survive and thrive.”
Standing on the far side of Austin Creek that soggy morning, photographer Paul C. Miller snapped a picture of Christiansen as the grinning bike messenger forded the stream, shlepping his vintage road bike. Behind him are two riders, one carrying a mountain bike, the other a cyclocross rig. Crawford in particular treasures that image because it captures a core Hopper tenet: There is no “right” bike.
It has long delighted him that these mixed-terrain adventures force specialists out of their comfort zones. Pure roadies merely survive the rocky, technical sections. Fat-tire folk struggle to keep up on pavement. As Hopper apostle Austin McInerny recalls, each new event prompts a fresh round of “tinkering with our bike set-ups, asking one another, ‘What tires you gonna run?’” “For me, that was the fun,” says Crawford, who for years competed in his own events, finishing first in exactly one of them. “Here’s the course, now choose what to ride. We’re all trying to get there as fast as we can. How’s that going to play out?”
Some of that mystery has been removed by the emergence of discipline-specific gravel bikes—including those made by Specialized, now the title sponsor of the series.
McInerney got his first taste of the Grasshopper series around 2006. He was immediately beguiled by the beauty of the routes, and grateful for Crawford’s willingness to share. “Surfers are all about locals only, but Mig’s attitude was, ‘No, you’re here, you’re willing to check it out, you’re part of my group.’” That day’s ride finished at the top of Willow Creek Road, “and it was a huge party up there, chips and beer and soda and people just hanging out, celebrating.”
There is no “right” bike: Chas Christiansen, front, on a vintage Italian road bike, illustrates a core Hopper tenet while racing Old Caz back in 2010. (Paul Miller)
Growing pains
Rider Austin McInerny has a background in environmental planning and has consulted extensively on natural resource management cases, including work with the U.S. Forest Service and other federal agencies “with thorny issues, a lot of it dealing with recreation and public lands management.”
For the last six years or so he’s been Crawford’s point man, working with Sonoma County to get the Hoppers permitted. For years, he said, wrangling those permits had been straightforward.
Early in 2022, when the county began consideration of McInerny’s application for a permit to run the King Ridge Supreme Hopper in March of that year, “that’s when things started to go sideways.”
As they later learned, the county was in the process of updating its system for reviewing events such as theirs. As part of that overhaul, Hopper applications were now being scrutinized by newly created Municipal Advisory Councils.
In late January of ’22, Crawford and McInerny were informed by Permit Sonoma that the King Ridge application had drawn the attention of the powerful California Coastal Commission. Concerned citizens had objected to numerous aspects of the application—in particular the Grasshoppers’ plan to use Willow Creek Road, described by one as “an environmentally fragile area within Sonoma Coast State Parks’ salmon-bearing Willow Creek watershed.”
In addition to adverse impacts sure to be suffered by the salmon, the citizen went on, area roads would be blocked by cyclists “and their friends and families cheering them on.”
With the event less than two months away, Crawford and McInerny modified the course, routing riders away from Willow Creek. For weeks, the Coastal Commission withheld its approval of the application. In a letter to the commission, McInerny expressed frustration with its ongoing “review,” pointing out that this Hopper no longer passed through the area of environmental concern.
“The event does not use any of the coastal pullouts, is outside of the busiest time of year, nor requires any road closures. The event has already received approval from California Highway Patrol and is under review by Caltrans, which issued a permit for the same event in 2019.”
“Sadly,” he wrote, “this appears to be a case of locals not wanting to share the beauty of west Sonoma County with others.”
The Grasshopper never did hear back from the Coastal Commission. But a week after McInerny sent his letter, Crawford was informed by Permit Sonoma, that, upon careful review of the code, organizers didn’t need an encroachment permit for the King Ridge Supreme, after all.
The event was on! But the drama was not over.
The course called for riders to roll west on Skaggs Springs Road, then south on Tin Barn Road. Unbeknownst to Crawford and McInerny, that intersection, and the land around it, is the Stewarts Point Rancheria of the Kashia Band of Pomo Indians.
Some of the Kashia Pomo, including tribal chairman Reno Keoni Franklin, were upset that neither the county nor representatives from the Grasshopper Adventure Series had consulted them.
“They did not require safety measures to protect the children and elders who [live] on the Rez. They did not require the riders to post safety signs or to slow down when entering the reservation,” Franklin wrote in a Facebook post the day before the ride.
Describing the event as “extremely dangerous,” that he would be “driving tomorrow to block the road and anyone participating in the race to walk their bike through reservation. I am traveling on this and could use some support.” short notice, Crawford changed the route again, shortening the course considerably to the rancheria. a follow-up email to riders, Crawford explained that he hadn’t consulted with the Kashia before this Hopper, “but neither had we prior to any of our previous events, as this was not requested by any of the county nor California permitting agencies that we had consulted. As far as we understood, both Tin Barn Road and Skaggs Springs-Stewarts Point Road are public roads which have been used legally by the public for years.”
Having spoken with chairman Franklin, Crawford continued, “I now understand the importance of contacting the Tribe, regardless of what is required by the state or the County of Sonoma. All of us, unless native to California, are visitors on this land, and this is important to remember and recognize.”
Scarred by those experiences, and considering “the uncertainty and extremely laborious requirements” of the overhauled permitting process, says McInerny, the Grasshopper hasn’t applied for any permits in Sonoma County since—with the exception of the Lake Sonoma Hopper, which is held on lands managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which has been “fantastic to work with,” says Crawford.
“We were caught,” McInerny believes, “in the middle of an apparent turf battle between the various MACs” and Permit Sonoma staff.
While unwilling to comment specifically on the Grasshopper series, Permit Sonoma director Tennis Wick defended the county’s revamped permitting process as an improvement over the old one, describing it as more efficient, and more responsive to concerns voiced by locals.
“Conducting a community event requires engagement with and respect for that community,” he wrote in an email. “There have been multiple complaints about events impacting local residents and Tribal Partners. Now that advisory councils receive referrals on event applications, residents and businesses may comment on proposals affecting their communities.”
The Grasshopper’s brief flareup with the Kashia Pomo left “no hard feelings,” says Franklin. “We know they learned from it, and in a good way.” He describes Crawford as “a great guy” running “a great organization. They’re raising funds for good causes—causes we support, too.” (The Grasshopper series often donated money to the west county volunteer fire departments along its routes.)
“If they ever do come back, we’ll be happy to work with them.”
Grasshopper Adventure Series by Lake Sonoma in April 2023. (Brian Tucker)
New chapter, new outreach
For now, however, the series that sprung up organically in Sonoma County holds all but one of its events elsewhere. In Mendocino County, Ukiah has embraced the Grasshopper series, hosting both the 2024 season-opening Low Gap Hopper in January and the Ukiah- Mendo Gravel Epic on May 11. The 89mile Huffmaster Hopper, on February 24, took place in Colusa County.
“What we’re looking for now,” says Crawford, “is to do events in communities that want us to be there, that see the benefit—that we’re bringing money in, bringing a form of recreation that’s healthy and positive.”
Yes, he is wide open to future rides in Sonoma County, but not if it means the kind administrative war of attrition the Grasshopper endured in 2022.
“It’s a shame,” says Peter Stetina, of the Hoppers exiting Sonoma County, “because they have such a rich history there.” He spoke of widespread “disgruntlement” within the county’s “cycling community”—a frustration with some leaders’ inability to see “a bigger picture” and appreciate the tourism dollars cycling can bring.
Amity Rockwell was philosophical about the migration of Grasshoppers from their original home, describing it as not so much sad as “a little bittersweet,” and, perhaps, inevitable.
Riding King Ridge and Old Caz and Willow Creek “was pretty special,” Rockwell allows. But as the number of riders in the Hoppers “doubled and tripled in size,” it became more difficult to hold the events “in a respectful manner in these really tiny places.” As it booms in popularity, the gravel scene “has undergone massive change in the last six or seven years. There are a lot of races that aren’t what they used to be. They’re something new now.”
One recent addition to Crawford’s series is a rider mentor program devised by Helena Gilbert-Snyder, a pro rider and analyst at Specialized Bicycles.
Gilbert-Snyder is passionate about correcting gender disparity in sports—which can be especially pronounced in cycling. Women make up a little over 20% of the Grasshopper fields. While that’s “above average” for gravel events, says Crawford, “I would obviously like it to go higher.”
Lining up for the Low Gap Hopper will be 20 young female riders, each paired with a seasoned female mentor.
What the job entails, said Rockwell, one of the mentors, is to “follow a junior rider around for the day, help them eat and drink and wear the right clothes.” While it might seem straightforward, “it’s a lot to take on, if you’ve never done this before.”
“When I was just getting started in my early 20s,” she recalls, the Hoppers “were a way for me to race against Olympians and WorldTour riders. And now here’s a chance for me to help a young rider who maybe has dreams of doing what I do, someday.”
She’s confident that the Hoppers will bloom wherever they’re planted. Spectacular as it is, Sonoma County has no monopoly on gorgeous Northern California scenery. And Crawford, she believes, has created “this, like, magic potion,” of elements, including the chance for pros to race hard “but not take everything so seriously,” and for up-and-coming riders to rub elbows with the pros.
“It’s just the right mix. We’re all drawn to it.”
Who loves a Hopper?
The front row of any Hopper sendoff has long bristled with world-class talent. Here are some of the big names who’ve suffered for vertical gain in the hills of western Sonoma County.
Mountain bike world champions: Chris Blevins, Kate Courtney
WorldTour road racers: Katie Hall, Ted King, Levi Leipheimer, Peter Stetina, Alison Tetrick Laurens ten Dam
Olympians: Geoff Kabush, Katerina Nash, Flavia Oliveira, Max Plaxton
Local rising stars: Luke Lamperti, Ian Lopez de San Roman, Vida Lopez de San Roman
Baked goods at downtown Sonoma’s new Monday Bakery. (Sakhon Nhek/Courtesy of Monday Bakery)
Dining editor Heather Irwin picks three top spots for dining out in Sonoma County as spring arrives. Click through the above gallery for a peek at a few favorite dishes at each restaurant.
Golden Bear Station
Chef Joshua Smookler tested nearly 100 pizza doughs for his new restaurant, and he’s still tweaking the recipe. The moisture, the flour, the “secret ingredient” he declines to share, the temperature of the wood-fired oven, and even the weather are all critical to the final result—a crust dotted with leopard spots, neither too burnt nor too raw, but just right.
Golden Bear Station, which Smookler owns with his wife, Heidy He, is a departure for the couple, who opened the critically acclaimed Animo in downtown Sonoma in 2022. While that now-shuttered dining experience focused on livefire cooking with luxe ingredients and Mediterranean and Korean influences, Golden Bear Station pays homage to Italy. Mostly.
Smookler and He shrug off being pigeon-holed into specific categories, and the new menu, which leans heavily on gourmet pizzas and pasta, also includes a hamburger, a tuna crudo starter, and a $155 whole lamb saddle, which must be ordered ahead of time. The scallops tiradito starter riffs on Peruvian-style crudo, with raw scallops thinly sliced into disks and stacked in basil oil, green tomato, and finger limes—a flavor bomb of sweet mollusk, tart citrus, and aromatic vegetal notes. The couple have also reprised the Asian-inspired pork chop in umami-laden dashi broth and lobster in XO sauce with lemongrass tea previously on the Animo menu. (Animo is slated to reopen in 2024 with a new concept.)
A Burger Named Harlan from the Golden Bear Station in Kenwood. (John Burgess/The Press Democrat)Lobster XO with a table side pour of shiitake lemongrass tea over sushi rice from the Golden Bear Station in Kenwood. (John Burgess/The Press Democrat)
What brings this diverse set of offerings together is just how extraordinary everything is. Take the classic cacio e pepe , a classic bucatini pasta. Here, the dish is elevated with seven different kinds of pepper, giving it a spicy punch that lingers on the tongue. There’s an option to add fresh uni, which lends a creamy, briny, sweet accent, further elevating the dish. Pasta Bolognese is equally impressive, with a meat and tomato sauce that sticks to every centimeter of the fresh, housemade paccheri pasta (a larger, wider sibling of rigatoni).
Pizzas are a highlight, perfectly cooked without any bitter notes of char. The soft, chewy dough has a puffed crust and a thin but sturdy middle that holds on to ingredients rather than letting them all slide off. The best bet is the Boscaiola pie, topped with fresh mushrooms, sharp fontina cheese, and truffles, though the classic Margherita also shines.
Smookler and He’s shared passion for exhaustive research, even on the simplest of dishes, sets Golden Bear Station apart. As the menu continues to evolve, the amount of time and passion the couple invest in their practice is sure to lead to many more equally revelatory dishes.
There is no tidy way to eat kouign-amann, the sweet but complicated cousin of the croissant. This crisp, buttery, caramelized French pastry explodes into a million tiny pieces of sugar and dough at the mere suggestion that you might eat it; napkins are useless against its many layers; and it laughs at your attempts to wipe the buttery crumbs from your face and hands.
And somehow, that is my warped rationale for eating one while driving away from Sonoma’s Monday Bakery. No matter what, it’s making a mess. Why not enjoy the ride?
The downtown bakery, owned by Sally Geftakys, crafts super-sized versions of kouign-amann (pronounced “queen-uh-man”), roughly translated from French as “you will be wearing these pastry crumbs for several days.” With crunchy petals of laminated dough and an airy honeycomb interior, they’re worth every bit of mess, hassle, and calorie (your hands will smell like a pat of butter for several hours).
Cheerful spring vibes at downtown Sonoma’s new Monday Bakery. (Sakhon Nhek/Courtesy of Monday Bakery)
Geftakys, a CIA Greystone graduate and passionate baker, launched Monday Bakery at local farmers markets and pop-ups in 2017. But after finding a ravenous audience for her seasonally inspired sweet and savory pastries, she opened a storefront in downtown Napa in 2019, followed by this new Sonoma location in late 2023.
Seasonal ingredients like pears, apples, and berries fill scones and turnovers; ham, cheese, or chocolate are hidden inside fat croissants; and muffins, cookies, and quiche beckon from the glass display case. Premade sandwiches on fluffy baguettes are ready to grab and go. Nutella-frosted banana bread is a revelation—and the only way I’ll ever enjoy it again.
I’ll be cleaning the crumbs from my car upholstery for weeks, but life is too short not to dive into a messy bag of pastries immediately and without regret.
For nearly 13 years, chef Mark Malicki spent his Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights cooking in a closet-sized kitchen at the Casino Bar & Grill in Bodega. Inside that kitchen was a two-burner stove, a flat-top grill, and a refrigerator drawer—not exactly a dream setup for a chef.
But somehow, Malicki made it work, serving up decidedly un-barlike dishes like short rib goulash with mushroom gratin, Dungeness crab from nearby Bodega Bay, buttermilk fried rabbit with rémoulade sauce, or Wagyu beef with foraged chanterelle mushrooms. Without the financial pressures of a brick-and-mortar space, Malicki thrived in the remote west county town as a culinary curiosity— an off-the-beaten-path food destination beloved by insiders, but mostly ignored by the Michelin-star obsessed.
Chef Mark Malicki operates his de Havilland pop-up at Tea Room Cafe in Petaluma. (Christopher Chung/The Press Democrat)
Now 64, Malicki says he was ready for a change, something closer to home, with a more expansive kitchen. After leaving the Casino last year, he created de Havilland, which takes over Petaluma’s Tea Room Cafe three nights a week, Thursday through Saturday. It’s a through line for Malicki’s deep-rooted passion for, well, whatever he’s passionate about at the moment—whether that’s frying latkes in Chinese scallion oil, feeding crab boat workers facing a deferred season, cooking for a fundraiser, or sharing a produce haul from his favorite farmer.
What you’ll experience will likely be a surprise, unless you follow Malicki’s Instagram (@malle.mal), where he posts the evening’s dishes along with observations and insights. There’s often a theme, but sometimes there isn’t, and it’s better not to go with any expectations. Just put yourselves into Malicki’s hands, and enjoy being treated to de Havilland’s wild, wonderful, heartfelt, idealistic, perfectly imperfect world.
Here are our favorite spring getaways — from farm tours to cooking classes — for those who love to celebrate good food.
Meet the Milk Producers
“Springtime is the most beautiful time on the farm,” says Jennifer Bice, owner of Sebastopol’s Redwood Hill Farm-Capracopia, whose family has been raising goats in Sonoma County since 1964. “We have fruit orchards in bloom, but really, the highlight is the baby goats.”
Spring farm tours, often led by Bice herself, spotlight what she calls “kid cuddling”—as in the baby goat kind of “kid.” Guests are invited to sit on bales of hay while baby goats frolic and clamber into laps (one sweet kid, just a week or so old, nibbled on a corner of a guest’s shirt). The socialization is important for the young goats—as adults, they must be gentle and used to being around people to be milked, explains Bice.
Owner Jennifer Bice of Redwood Hill Farm-Capracopia has been working with goats since she was a child. Now, her niece and nephew, above, continue the family tradition. (Eileen Roche/For Sonoma Magazine)Guests sit on bales of Hay while baby goats frolic and clamber into laps. Farm owner Jennifer Bice calls it “Kid Cuddling.” (Eileen Roche/For Sonoma Magazine)
Farm tours also visit a large solar array, the adult goat barns, and the milking parlor (the equipment is a mini-me version of cow-sized equipment) and teach about the farm’s commitment to sustainability and regenerative farming.
A small farmstand offers estate-grown extra virgin olive oil, goat milk soap, and bouquets of spring ranunculus, sweet peas, and other beauties grown on the farm. After hanging out with the kids, linger with an alfresco lunch in the farm’s lush picnic fields. Pick up picnic provisions at nearby Andy’s Produce Market (1691 Gravenstein Hwy. N., Sebastopol) on your way to the farm.
Redwood Hill Farm-Capracopia. 5440 Thomas Road, Sebastopol. redwoodhillfarm.org
At Redwood Hill Farm-Capracopia in Sebastopol. (Eileen Roche/For Sonoma Magazine)
Adventure with Experts
There’s a ton of ground to cover in Sonoma County. For a refreshing change of pace, let someone else show you around as you indulge your culinary passions. Behind the wheel of a glitzy new Land Rover Defender, Bohemian Highway Travel Co. ensures that your day will include unique, often family-owned wineries, many not normally open to the public. Admiring vines up close is intriguing in any season, but traversing vineyards on sunlit spring days yields a powerful spirit of renewal.
The company’s thoughtful itineraries also acknowledge Sonoma County’s evolving food scene. Farm-to-table picnic lunches are prepared by chef Jennifer McMurry of Bloom Carneros fame, and lunch spots are carefully selected in advance. At Beltane Ranch, for example, getting to the primo picnic sites typically includes buckling into an all-terrain vehicle to bump through vineyards, olive orchards, and pastures studded with longhorn cattle and adorable sheep.
Bohemian Highway Travel Co. ensures that your day will include unique, often family-owned wineries, many not normally open to the public. (Bohemian Highway Travel Co.)
Overnight Ranch Stays
Who says tree houses are for kids? Located on 400 acres in Bodega, just a short distance form the coast, a 30-foot spiral staircase leads the way to the Eagle’s Nest Treehouse at Salmon Creek Ranch. When you’re not lounging on the wraparound deck, you’ll likely be hanging out with the resident cows, ducks, goats, and charming livestock guardian dogs. Grill your own dinner with ranch-raised meats from the small, on-site market, which sells filet mignon, short ribs, carne asada, and sausages.
Less than 15 minutes outside Healdsburg, the splurge-y NewTree Ranch is a biodynamic farm with the feel of a luxury wellness resort. Cook fresh produce in the modern outdoor kitchen, collect eggs from the henhouse, or take an outdoor soak alongside your partner in side-by-side clawfoot tubs. Don’t be surprised if a Scottish Highland cow or knobby-kneed Nigerian goat swings by to see what all the splashing is about.
Or, after savoring a multicourse food and wine pairing at Lynmar Estate in Sebastopol, call it a night at the winery’s luxurious Bliss House, which overlooks serene Quail Hill Vineyard and the Laguna de Santa Rosa.
A tree house with a view at Salmon Creek Ranch. (Silas Fallstich)Spend time with animals at New Tree Ranch in Healdsburg. (New Tree Ranch)
Forgotten Freestone
When was the last time you wandered through the tiny west county hamlet of Freestone? If you have to stop and think about it, you’ve got some catching up to do.
At much-loved Wild Flour Bread (140 Bohemian Hwy.), crusty loaves of sourdough and fougasse, fruit-studded scones, and cookies, fresh out of the wood-fired brick oven barely have a moment to cool before being snapped up. Go ahead, buy one loaf for now and one for later—and perhaps also something sweet and delish to enjoy straightaway in the bakery’s sundappled garden.
Practically next door is the new Jasper House tasting room from cult-favorite Pinot Noir and Chardonnay specialists Black Kite Cellars (12747 El Camino Bodega). In spring, owners Tom and Rebecca Birdsall and their team love taking visitors into the nearby vineyard to introduce them to the wonkish world of Pinot Noir clones.
No spring field trip to Freestone is complete without a stop at BlueGoat (380 Bohemian Hwy.). Formerly known as Freestone Artisan Cheese, the charming market features cheese from close to home and around the world. Lucky you, you’ve already got the bread.
At Black Kite Cellars’ Jasper House tasting room in Freestone. (Will Bucquoy/Black Kite Cellars)The courtyard at Gold Ridge Organic Farms in Sebastopol. (Gold Ridge Organic Farms)
Spring’s Apple Blossoms
The buzz these days may be all about bud break in the vineyards—but long before there were grapes in Sonoma County, there were apples. So many apples. At Gold Ridge Organic Farms in the rolling hills of Sebastopol, apples still reign supreme. “The apple orchards in spring erupt in a sea of flowers, ushering in one of my favorite sensory spectacles of the year,” says owner and farmer Brooke Hazen. “I am undecided which is more beautiful: the cornucopia of flowers in spring or the apples themselves in summer.”
With more than 12,000 apple trees and about 75 heirloom varieties, blossoms emerge in every imaginable shade of pink, violet, and white, providing food for honeybees and native bumblebees. Hazen leads walks through the rows to celebrate the season; taste his love for the versatile fruit in farm-fresh products including apple cider syrup, apple cider vinegar, and apple cider balsamic vinegar. Mandarin kumquats, Meyer lemons, and 13,000 olive trees also grow on the property. The farm hosts a “Spring Is Blossoming” celebration Saturday April 27.
“The apple orchards in spring erupt in a sea of flowers, ushering in one of my favorite sensory spectacles of the year,” says Gold Ridge Organic Farms owner and farmer Brooke Hazen. (Sonoma County Tourism)
Outstanding Cooking Classes
“Our community is thinking about the sandwich bread and baguettes they want to make fresh for picnics, to say nothing of the artisan pizzas, hand-shaped Italian pastas, and glistening fresh fruit pies and tarts they get to share with loved ones as the weather improves,” says Lorenzo Alviso, program director at Artisan Baking Center in Petaluma. This spring at the center, James Beard award-winning pastry chef Nicole Plue is leading handson classes on puff pastry and spring tarts.
At The Epicurean Connection in Sonoma, enthusiastic students can learn how to pull mozzarella, churn butter, and create a wheel of ricotta in small classes with chef and cookbook author Sheana Davis.
And during the rare moments the kitchen is free, the magicians responsible for the lines out the door at Healdsburg bakery Quail & Condor make time to teach everything from making pasta to baking their legendary buttermilk drop biscuit with Parmesan and roasted onions. Sign up online; if a class is full, it never hurts to reach out.
Artisan Baking Center (at Keith Giusto Bakery Supply). 1120 Holm Rd., Petaluma. 707-765-5745, centralmilling.com
Melissa Yanc of Healdsburg’s Quail & Condor. (Emma K Creative)A sourdough class at Petaluma’s Artisan Baking Center. (Chris Hardy/For Sonoma Magazine)
Forage in Mendocino
“I actually have the best job on this property of sharing the land with guests,” says Otis Brown, experienced forager and ranch hand at The Inn at Newport Ranch.
Located north of Fort Bragg, the 2,200-acre private ranch commands a mile and half of swoon-worthy oceanfront, expansive stretches of coastal pasture dotted with grazing cattle, and acres of old-growth redwoods.
Foraging is a way of life in Mendocino County, where the diversity of wild foods is astounding. On a spring foraging tour led by Brown, a chorus of crashing waves, cascading waterfalls, and gushing streams usher in a feeling of solitude. Guests can gather wild ginger, fiddlehead fern, waterleaf, miner’s lettuce, wild radish, and redwood sorrel—but there’s much more to the experience than simply filling your basket. Part of the joy of foraging is slowing down and letting the details of the landscape come into focus.
The ranch’s executive chef incorporates ingredients foraged by guests into meals. (Nik Z Photo/ Inn at Newport Ranch)The ranch’s executive chef incorporates ingredients foraged by guests into meals. (Nik Z Photo/ Inn at Newport Ranch)
“I think there’s little bells and whistles that go off in our brain chemistry from foraging. There’s a satisfaction of ‘I’m going to pull this from the land and eat this.’”
The magic carries through to dinner, as executive chef Patrick Meany, formerly of Elk’s Michelin-starred Harbor House Inn, uses the ingredients you collected on your tour to create a multicourse meal: Think Humboldt Bay oysters with verjus ice and redwood sorrel, and grilled black cod in waterleaf butter sauce with porcini foam.
The bounty of the land also unleashes a feast for the eyes. “It’s such a unique property.
I find it magical,” says ranch manager Blair Foster. “There’s so many facets to explore. You have to love the outdoors, but if you have that inclination, it’s endless.”
For a foodie getaway a bit further afield, the 2,200-acre oceanfront Inn at Newport Ranch near Fort Bragg offers stunning blufftop vistas. (Nik Z Photo/ Inn at Newport Ranch)For a foodie getaway a bit further afield, the 2,200-acre oceanfront Inn at Newport Ranch near Fort Bragg offers stunning blufftop vistas. (Nik Z Photo/ Inn at Newport Ranch)
Taste Liquid Gold
Driving west from Petaluma toward the Pacific, rolling green hillsides sparkle and sightings of cows are everywhere. McEvoy Ranch, just a few miles outside town off Red Hill Road, is a place to be enveloped in nature and the bounty of locally grown products. Arriving at the ranch, a cheery sign along the winding driveway reminds you to take it slow. It’s good advice; the scenery here should be enjoyed.
There isn’t a bad day of the year to wander through the organic orchards at McEvoy Ranch; the silver-green foliage of 14,000 olive trees shimmer year-round. But with spring comes an explosion of delicate white blossoms that instill a sense of excitement for warmer days ahead. Rare dawn redwoods reawaken, dogwood and tulip trees remind why they’re worthy of adulation, and more than 3,000 tulips wrap the ranch’s Culinary Garden in a fragrant rainbow.
McEvoy Ranch’s lush greenhouse. (McEvoy Ranch)Outdoor tasting area at McEvoy Ranch in Petaluma. (Shwetha Kotekar/Sonoma County Tourism)
Ranch tours cover everything from the olive orchard to the mill, highlighting the diversity and history of this third-generation family-owned ranch. Afterward, settle into a seat on the patio—they all come with a view—for a tasting of the ranch’s specialty olive oils, including the gold-medal winning Ginger Turmeric flavor, served with Della Fattoria bread. Toast spring sunshine with a glass of McEvoy Ranch’s small-lot wine or say yes to dessert with a lemon tart topped with a drizzle of basil olive oil. Before you leave, stop into the sunshine-filled farm store for Mission fig balsamic vinegar, Sonoma wildflower honey, or the wonderful spicy green-olive tapenade.
McEvoy Ranch. 5935 Red Hill Rd., Petaluma. 707-769-4100, mcevoyranch.com
Spring sunshine filters through the trees at McEvoy Ranch in Petaluma. (McEvoy Ranch)
A Seafood-Filled Day in Bodega Bay
Hop from taste to taste as a breezy spring day unfolds along coastal Highway 1 in Bodega Bay. Get some steps in along the Bird Walk Coastal Access Trail at Doran Regional Park, then head to Ginochio’s Kitchen ( 1410 Bay Flat Rd.) for an order of Fish ’n Tacos. It’s hard to share—we know—but pacing is key. You want to bring your “A” game as you shuffle next door to Gourmet Au Bay for their famous smoked clam pizza ( 1412 Bay Flat Rd.).
From there, the dazzling vistas of Bodega Head are just a short drive away. It’s a bit late in the year to see migrating whales—but they have been known to blow off the calendar, so stay sharp as you wander the bluffs and beaches.
After the chill of the bluffs, warm your hands around a paper cup of steamy chowder from Spud Point Crab Co. (1910 Westshore Rd.). Afterward, for even more heat, try the grilled oysters with pickled jalapeño and shallots served next door at Fisherman’s Cove (1850 Bay Flat Rd.).
At the end of the day, the ride home will be even sweeter when you’re accompanied by a giant bag of saltwater taffy from Patrick’s of Bodega Bay (915 Hwy. 1). Try the peppermint taffy—its stripes echo the cheerful pink and white ones on the candy store’s exterior, a landmark along this stretch of the North Coast.
Hop from taste to taste as a breezy spring day unfolds along coastal Highway 1 in Bodega Bay. (Shutterstock)At Bartholomew Estate Vineyards and Winery in Sonoma. (Michelle Hogan)
Wineries in Spring
Whether you want to shop for specialty vegetables or enjoy a full meal, these wineries offer both delicious sustenance and beautiful spring landscapes to explore.
Bartholomew Estate Vineyards and Winery
Hike, ride horses, or go forest bathing at the 375-acre vineyard-studded estate that’s considered one of the birthplaces of California viticulture. Enjoy Mediterranean deliciousness from Sonoma’s Spread Kitchen—think shawarma, falafel, tabbouleh, and more—alongside a two-glass flight of Bartholomew Estate wines.
A taste of Spain in Sonoma County. Enjoy wine paired with Spanish tapas from owner Marimar Torres on the sunny winery patio surrounded by a rainbow of purple foxglove, daffodils, and Chinese peonies. Along with honey from estate hives, you can often purchase fresh chicken eggs, and quince paste fresh from Marimar’s kitchen.
Seating among the flowers at Marimar Estate Vineyards and Winery in Sebastopol. (Marimar Estate Vineyards and Winery)The gardens at Ferrari-Carano Vineyards and Winery in Healdsburg. (Ferrari-Carano Vineyards and Winery)
Belden Barns
Along with hillside vines and 1800s-era farm buildings, this family-run Sonoma Mountain winery also boasts a 3-acre farm. Much of the produce is sold to local restaurants, but you can scoop up delicious pantry items, including polenta, heirloom beans, and popcorn.
5561 Sonoma Mountain Rd., Santa Rosa. 415-577-8552, beldenbarns.com
Ferrari-Carano Vineyards and Winery
Call the hotline (707-433-5349) to find out when the famous tulips and daffodils will be in bloom, then tiptoe your way to a table in the winery’s Sycamore Grove for an outstanding Sunday brunch. Reserve in advance.
“This is really a stroll garden,” says landscape architect Mike Lucas of the Healdsburg backyard he designed with his wife, Jennifer Lucas, an architect. “It’s best for moving through—so many different paths and perspectives.” The half-acre garden steps down a hillside, into which they’ve carved an intricate series of spaces defined by dry-stacked stone walls and meandering, pea-gravel pathways.
Jennifer and Mike Lucas, principals in Lucas & Lucas, a landscape architecture firm, met at Cal Poly Pomona, where each was pursuing a graduate degree in design. Their renovated home, where they live with their two children, represents their vision of the classic California indoor-outdoor lifestyle. And in the same way that the home flows between inside and out, the couple moves seamlessly across design disciplines. Often, Mike envisions the big picture, while Jennifer focuses on the practicalities of execution. “It’s important to both of us that the different fields work together, that the land informs the architecture, and the architecture makes sense in the landscape,” explains Jennifer.
The pool area at Jennifer and Mike Lucas’ Healdsburg home. (Eileen Roche)Mike, Flora, Jennifer, and Owen Lucas in their Healdsburg garden. (Eileen Roche)
“That’s the ethos of what we do,” echoes Mike. “On projects, it’s all integrated—that’s where our strengths lie.” The couple bought their 1960s-era rancher in the Hidden Acres area in 2010, just after having their second child. “It’s kind of in this sweet spot in Healdsburg, with a lot of families—a real neighborhood,” says Jennifer. The tight-knit street, which ends in a cul-de-sac just a few minutes’ drive from the downtown plaza, has large lots for privacy and access to hiking on Fitch Mountain.
The family lived there for several years before launching into an extensive indoor renovation in 2017. When they bought the home, the primary bedroom and bath had already been relocated to a former garage—a positive step—but a poorly planned front entry and tiny kitchen hampered the flow. Jennifer’s new plan kept the home’s footprint the same but created a new entry with plenty of storage to help transition from the street to inside. She also expanded the kitchen into the space where the living room used to be and opened access to the backyard with smarter decking and a stairway down to a new pool area. “Our vision was that people would walk in the front door, come around the corner, and see things opening up, and get drawn out the doors to the back,” she says.
Inside, the home is now a bright, family-friendly space with a pair of big couches to sprawl out on, vibrant paintings from local artists (including daughter Flora’s class art, bought at a school auction), and tons of houseplants to further the indoor-outdoor feel. New lighting includes a large, round, Noguchi-style pendant that glows at night and can be seen from the garden below. “Lighting is like jewelry,” says Jennifer. “It’s not just the light they give, but how they finish the space.”
Landscape architect Mike Lucas on the porch overlooking his Healdsburg garden. (Eileen Roche)The Lucas family often dines outside in summer. (Eileen Roche)
While the couple waited to tackle a more major inside renovation, Mike started planning the backyard almost right after moving in, sketching out a series of semicircular stone walls and terraces to make the steep backyard more usable. “We were digging, camping out, doing burn piles, making bacon and eggs over a campfire in the backyard. I was just having a great time,” he says. “I really like the process a lot. And Owen, my son—he’s a real nature boy. We were like dogs, digging out there in the rain.”
The new walls, which define areas for dining, playing bocce, and gathering by a firepit, were dry-stacked in place using a native Sonoma County stone called tufa, a compressed volcanic ash. “It was challenging, because we didn’t really have much of a budget back then,” Mike explains. “And I think I tried probably a hundred different versions of the design…We were probably our own worst clients, in that way.”
Forming the terraces and walls took quite a lot of rock—so much so that neighbors started to wonder just exactly what was up at the Lucas house. “The truck would come and just dump huge piles of boulders and the neighbors would be like, ‘What are you doing? Where is this all going?’” says Jennifer. “It just kept coming and getting swallowed up by this black hole of a backyard.”
Surfboards at the ready in the garden. (Eileen Roche)Colorful succulents are interplanted among the stones in the retaining walls. (Eileen Roche)
“The Hidden Acres mystery house,” laughs Mike. The couple both say that the renovations inside and out have helped them refine what smart, workable design means—and brought an understanding that more isn’t always more. The deck, for example, used to wrap all the way around the back of the home.
“We used it like mad,” says Jennifer. “But we realized people w ouldn’t necessarily go down into the garden that much, because the decks just weren’t designed that way. So in this remodel, we made the deck smaller but made the access down to the pool really inviting.”
Back in the 1970s, the home had a reputation for being the neighborhood hangout—and with a reorganized interior and backyard, the 2023 version of the home is no different. This time of year, the Lucas family makes heavy use of the pool, with Owen and Flora organizing family jumping contests off the walls into the deep end. Jennifer and Mike are usually with neighbors, getting together for drinks and grilling outside.
“I have a system,” says Jennifer. “I have a basket that I just fill up with picnic plates and utensils, and we have a big cooler that we set up—it’s all about the system.” A flat lawn would be an easier space to use and entertain in, they acknowledge, but wouldn’t hold the visual interest and surprise of the terraced garden the couple has built together.
Inside, a large collection of houseplants, including a massive fiddle-leaf fig that Jennifer picked up for a song at Home Depot, flourishes in bright indirect light from a new skylight. The family’s two cats, Daphne and Nigel, like to nap in the stripe of warm sunshine coming through the glass door to the backyard. “We have such great light all the time. It’s always different—it’s great on the foggy days, and it’s great in the sun,” says Mike, who likes to stretch out on the deck off the dining area.
Jennifer and Mike bought the portrait, which is painted on wood, years ago from local designer Myra Hoefer. Lush plants further the home’s indoor-outdoor connections. (Eileen Roche)The primary bathroom, with a door that leads directly to the garden. (Eileen Roche)
The couple always pictured that they’d stay forever in the home, but they’re not ruling out working on another house together somewhere in Healdsburg, where their business is based. This house, after all, is meant to be a family home, and with their son off to college this fall to study design, and their daughter in high school, they say they’re open to possibilities. “We’ve learned a lot here, so I do think about what the next place could be like,” says Jennifer.
In the meantime, they’ll revel in summertime by the pool with their kids and take satisfaction in the stone walls, those many truckloads of tufa stone carried down from the street and painstakingly fitted and stacked in back. They bring a timelessness to the landscape, a sense of grounding in nature and space, explains Mike. “Those walls could be here for a hundred years or more. The rock’s not going anywhere— so yeah, I hope the next people like them.”
Jennifer and Mike Lucas’s book, “Architectural Gardens: Inside the Landscapes of Lucas & Lucas,” written with former Garden Design magazine editor in chief Thad Orr, was published last year. It’s available in Healdsburg at Levin & Co. Lucas & Lucas, 707-431-2790, lucas-lucas.com
The Spyglass treehouse in Occidental brings guests up close to the forest. (Jayson Carpenter)
“How different would the world be if everybody slept in a tree?”
That’s the question Will Beilharz pondered in 2011, after spending the night in a hammock securely suspended some 250 feet above the ground in the canopy of a redwood tree in Occidental.
Beilharz had come to Sonoma County to work on the construction of the Sonoma Canopy Tours zipline course (now Sonoma Zipline Adventures) on the Alliance Redwoods Conference Grounds. That experience, and especially the overnight stay in the trees, made a lasting impression.
13 years later, Beilharz’s company, Artistree Home, makes sleeping among the trees an easy — even luxurious — feat. And, for tree lovers, there’s an added bonus: 10 percent of business profits support forest restoration and stewardship projects in Sonoma County and beyond.
Co-founded with his mother, Amy Beilharz, Artistree designs and builds treehouses and tiny homes for customers around the world. The company, headquartered in Occidental, has constructed two treehouses in Sonoma County that can be booked for one-of-a-kind overnight stays in the redwoods.
Artistree’s Compass treehouse in Occidental. (Jayson Carpenter)
The Spyglass Treehouse offers an elevated Wine Country experience. Along with a king bed, kitchenette and floor-to-ceiling windows, it has a bathroom with an infrared sauna and a deck with a cedar hot tub. (Nightly rates from $555.)
The Compass Treehouse is more like a glamping tent suspended in the trees, with walls made from canvas-like, semi-permeable fabric. Amenities include a queen mattress pad and a battery to power some lighting and charge a cellphone. A composting toilet and hot shower are located a short walk from the tent, on terra firma. (Nightly rates from $150.)
The two treehouses are situated on 20 acres of third generation redwood forest in Occidental, owned by the mother-and-son duo. Both accommodations offer a dreamy place to relax and unwind. But the treehouse stays in Sonoma County are just one small component of the Artistree business.
The company was conceived to develop and operate so-called eco-resorts and is currently working on one in Texas. Sonoma County is another potential location for an eco-resort, if Artistree can find land that is the right fit for the project.
Will Beilharz, a self-described “regenerative real estate developer,” says the company’s goal is to use the hospitality side of the business to fund land conservation.
“We’re interested in developing hospitality-type experiences in partnership with land conservation that help restore land and ecosystems, but also engender a sense of place and a cultural and ecological refuge for people to experience the beauty of the world,” he says.
More Above Ground Getaways
Two other properties in Sonoma County, one in Bodega and another in Occidental, offer overnight stays among the trees.
Eagle’s Nest Treehouse Farm Stay at Salmon Creek Ranch
Located on a 400-acre working ranch on the Sonoma Coast, Eagle’s Nest treehouse is accessed via a 30-foot spiral staircase. It features a queen bed, full bathroom, coffee machine and a wraparound deck for lounging on — when you’re not hanging out with the ranch’s resident ducks, cows, goats and livestock guardian dogs. (Nightly rates from $399.)
Five treehouses, similar to yurts, form an aerial village in redwood treetops on the Alliance Redwoods property in Sonoma’s west county. (There’s also a sixth similar structure on the ground that is ADA compliant and accessible.) Every treehouse stay includes two zipline tours with Sonoma Zipline Adventures — one on the day you arrive and another before you depart.
Dinner and a hot breakfast are included and are delivered via room service. With a queen bed and bunk beds, each treehouse is designed to sleep up to four people. Treehouses also have a sink and compostable toilet.
The cost is $523 per person Monday through Thursday, $595 for Friday or Sunday arrival, and $616 for Saturday arrival (there is a minimum of two guests). Additional children and household members start at $263 per person (depending on the day of the week). Along with the overnight stay and two zipline tours, the stay includes a guided nature hike, gourmet dinner and hot breakfast.
Last week, we asked our newsroom colleagues (including reporters, photographers, copy editors and editors at The Press Democrat, Sonoma Index-Tribune and Petaluma Argus-Courier) for their favorite “guilty pleasure eats.”
We defined guilty pleasure eats as “those not-so-cool foods we all secretly crave.” They are the items we tell ourselves we’re not going to get at the grocery store, but end up buying anyway. The restaurant dishes we don’t take photos of or post on social media. The weird food combinations we came up with in some distant past. They are the things we eat when nobody’s watching. Or eat without abandon and without shame. Because life is short and we’re worth it.
Without further ado, here is our newsroom’s favorite guilty pleasure eats. (We have allowed our colleagues to remain anonymous, so that they could share without fear of judgment. Want to share yours? Send us an email.)
Jack in the Box tacos: “Oh man, where do I start. The meat is a total mystery; no one can ID the animal. They fry the hell out of them, and somehow even the stale lettuce and garden-variety hot sauce are perfect. And they’re small, so you have to eat 2-4. I would NEVER bring them to a party, but if I show up to a party and someone else has brought a box, I’m so happy.” locations.jackinthebox.com
Mac & Cheese: “Sadly, it’s always a side dish so there’s never enough. We order four servings from Blue Ridge Kitchen and they always ask, ‘is that all?’ – ‘Yes, I’m just here to pick up my melty cheese pasta, thank you.'” Blue Ridge Kitchen, 6770 McKinley St., Suite 150, brkitchen.com
Mac & Cheese at Blue Ridge Kitchen in Sebastopol. (Blue Ridge Kitchen)
El Roy’s Burrito al Pastor in Petaluma: “It’s 3,000 calories packed into a tortilla — What more could you ask for?” El Roy’s Mexican Grill, 210 Edith St., Petaluma. Food trucks at 401 E. Washington St. and 175 Fairgrounds Drive.
Papa Murphy’s Cowboy Pizza: “I love artisan woodfired pizza as much as the next person, but when it comes to sitting on my couch in sweats—the way pizza was meant to be eaten, mind you—I have an unnatural affinity for Papa Murphy’s Cowboy Pizza. Take and bake pizza is a godsend, no doubt about it, and this is the best of them all. It has pepperoni, sausage, mushroom, olive and flecks of orange cheddar cheese, but it’s Papa Murphy’s special herb and cheese blend that seals the deal. This magic sprinkle, which they use on just a select few pizzas, tap dances on every taste receptor I have. I’m certain it has an addictive substance in it because, like the drug-addled lab rat that keeps pulling at a lever for one last hit, I don’t have an off button when eating this pizza.” papamurphys.com
Annie’s Shells and White Cheddar: “If you’re a parent of a child of a certain age, you no doubt know the wonders of Annie’s purple box. I was once a Kraft Blue Box aficionado, interrupted by a brief flirtation with Velveeta shells and cheese, but those can’t compare to Annie’s Shells and White Cheddar. When I make it, I even sing ‘Shells and White Cheddar’ to the tune of the Moody Blues ‘Nights in White Satin’ (I am not making this up). When my kid was little, I’d make it for her and would make sure that mama got her fair share in exchange for labor. Now that she’s old enough to make it herself, which she does any chance she gets, I lurk in the kitchen after she’s filled her bowl to scrape up any shells that are still stuck to the side of the pan, and eat them standing over the stove.” annies.com/products
Annie’s Shells & White Cheddar. (Annie’s Homegrown)
Theater popcorn: “I LOVE expensive theater popcorn with (and this is key) the butter flavoring. I know, I know. But it tastes so good and it helps stick the salt to the popcorn when you tear open those tiny packets and sprinkle it into the tub. Plus, when I was 19-21, I worked at S. E Ryfoff, a food manufacturing company in L.A., and this was one of the products we made and (with my help on the ‘Oils, Dressings and Mayonnaise Line’) packaged for theaters. So I know what’s in the stuff. And I still like it.”
A cold vodka martini (with olives, natch) and a basket of French fries: “The delightful combination of cold and hot, medicinal and salty, tactile and aromatic, is simply to die for. And yes, given how unhealthy this pairing is, that’s a strong possibility. Until then: perfection!”
Costco Pepperoni Pizza: “I absolutely love the different pizza options we have here in Sonoma County but living by Costco means I ALWAYS have access to a wonderful slice of Costco pepperoni pizza. It’s only $2, I always get an amazing cheese pull with each bite and it hits the spot when I just need something to eat. Also walking around Costco is busy work so I need food after.” costco.com
Costco Kirkland Almond Butter: “This really hits the spot if eaten straight out of the jar standing by the kitchen counter — it’s good on a slice of bread or apple, too, but not quite as addictive. I sprinkle some cardamom on it — because cardamom makes everything taste better. It tastes sweeter than other almond butters I’ve tried. There’s supposedly no sugar in it — if there is, I don’t want to know. The only downside is that, after a few spoonfuls, the almond butter kind of sticks to the throat. But it’s still worth it.” costco.com
In Sweden, Swedish fish is simply called “fisk” (or fiskar) and is and is sold as pick-and-mix candy in grocery stores. You can find it at Stockhome restaurant in Petaluma. (newrevmedia.com)
Swedish Fish: “In Sweden, where I’m from, Swedish Fish is simply called ‘fish’ (or ‘fiskar’) and is sold as pick-and-mix candy in grocery stores. It comes in a variety of colors and flavors, including salty licorice, which is a completely normal thing to enjoy in Sweden but creates looks of horror and dramatic ‘bleh’ reactions among Americans. The red Swedish Fish version found in the US is made in Canada but that doesn’t make me love it any less. Eating it almost always gives me a tummy ache and I tell myself that, next time, I’ll eat less than half of the bag in five minutes. But I forget and then I do it all over again.” You can find real Swedish Fish candy at Stockhome restaurant, 220 Western Ave., Petaluma.
Swedish Pizza from Stockhome: “Having a Swedish restaurant in Sonoma County enables me to continue to indulge in some of my favorite guilty pleasures. We have fancy woodfired pizzas in Sweden but we also have ‘fulpizza’ (or ‘ugly pizza’), the kind of down-to-earth, greasy pie you devour after drinking too much schnapps or when it started snowing again in April or you’re feeling a bit burned out after returning to work after six weeks of paid vacation. Fulpizza flavors tend to be eclectic and include Kebab Pizza, Banana-Curry Pizza and, my absolute favorite, Steak and Béarnaise Pizza. It’s really the best of both worlds: Craving steak but also pizza? You’re all set. Stockhome restaurant’s Swedish pizza is an elevated version, with topnotch ingredients. Pair it with ‘pizzasallad,’ a tangy oil and vinegar based coleslaw with red pepper.” stockhomepetaluma.com
Banana curry pizza and Bianco pizza with Swedish pizzasallad at Stockhome restaurant in Petaluma. (Courtesy of Stockhome)How do you tot? Acme Burger has garlic tots, truffle tots, sweet potato tots, Cajun tots, chili cheese tots. And, of course, classic tots. (Acme Burger)
Acme Burger’s Sweet Potato Tater Tots “are just the perfect comfort food. The only problem is, when I order them, I eat them first, and then don’t have room for the tasty burger!” Acme Burger, 550 East Cotati Ave., Cotati; 1007 W. College Ave., Suite D, Santa Rosa; 330 Western Ave.,
Petaluma. acmeburgerco.com
Burger King’s Classic Chicken Sandwich, McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets and Lemon Cloud Pie from Betty’s Fish and Chips: “I love the Classic Chicken Sandwich at Burger King, because my grandmother always took us there as kids. I’m also a fan of Chicken McNuggets, because I would go through the drive-thru with my dad and he would order an ‘orange sandwich and a chicken drink,’ which was hilarious when I was 5. I’d have to say the Lemon Cloud pie at Betty’s Fish & Chips disappears remarkably fast whenever I order it.” Betty’s Fish N’ Chips, 4046 Sonoma Highway, Suite 4128, Santa Rosa. bettysfishandchips.com
The famous Lemon Cloud Pie and Apple Pie from Betty’s Bakery and Fish and Chips in Santa Rosa. (Photo by John Burgess/Sonoma Magazine)
The Morning Bun from Quail & Condor: “My slice of food heaven is courtesy of Quail & Condor, specifically their morning bun which they describe as ‘a spiral of our croissant dough tossed in sugar and filled with a mousse…’ The mousse tastes of real pastry cream so you have the combination of flaky melt-in-your-mouth croissant dough combined with the just-right heaviness of the filling. I swear every time that I’ll only eat half. Every time I’m licking sugar off my chin and flicking croissant crumbs off my clothing. Mmmmmm.” Quail & Condor, 149 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg, quailandcondor.com
Kozlowski’s Apple Turnovers: “Even though the store on Highway 116 is now closed down, they’re still available at Andy’s Produce in Sebastopol. Way more calories than I really need, but they’re so good!” Andy’s Produce, 1691 Gravenstein Highway N., Sebastopol.
Dark chocolate orange sticks from Trader Joe’s, a favorite spot for guilty pleasure shopping. (Trader Joe’s)
All the snacks from Trader Joe’s: “I’m the mom of two teenage boys, so there’s a lot of guilty pleasure eating in my house. Trader Joe’s is the place! Potato chips, pirate booty, chili-lime tortilla chips. And we can’t escape without at least four bags of their dark chocolate orange sticks—one for each person in the family.” traderjoes.com
Coke Slurpees at the 7-Eleven: “On the way home from track practice with the boys, we’re all-in on Coke Slurpees at the 7-11! It’s not so guilty for the boys, because it puts a bit of sugar back into their hard-charging bodies and cools their throats after their run. Definitely a guilty pleasure for me, because I haven’t worked out before having mine. But they’re my favorite thing ever!” 7-eleven.com
Trader Joe’s dark-chocolate-covered marshmallows: “Because they are little puffs of heaven.” traderjoes.com
Chocolate-covered gummy bears: “Delicious chocolately outside with mildly chewy center. So satisfying. An odd but delightful combination!” Available at specialty candy stores.
O Organics Grapefruit Soda: “Something about it is so hard to resist at the grocery store! I pour it in a wine glass, sometimes add a little fresh mint or basil, it’s bliss and extremely indulgent.” safeway.com
Special mentions:
The best fries: Coming up with a list of the best fries in Sonoma County goes beyond the scope of this article and requires more in-depth research, but there seems to be some consensus in the newsroom that Five Guys fries are among the best — “with the caveat,” as one person pointed out, “that McDonald’s fries are in a class by themselves, so, out of fairness, shouldn’t be able to compete with other fries.” An insider tip: “The best french fries in Sonoma County are at Seared (in Petaluma), where you can get them at happy hour in a basket, though they are not on the menu. You have to ask for them.”
The most eclectic food combo: “Pork rinds and Red Vines.” We can’t wait to try this one.
And for those who love everything pickle: Get the “In a Pickle” seasoning from Trader Joe’s. “I always buy a few because it’s only around during the summer,” said one reporter.
Spring colors envelop John Leipsic of Larkspur and Wendy Robbins of Massachusetts as they tour the Western Hills Garden in Occidental, Tuesday, May 14, 2019. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat)
With spring just around the corner, gardens will soon be in full bloom again. If you are seeking a peaceful sanctuary in nature, a beautiful spot for a picnic, a secluded lovers’ escape, a pathway for a revitalizing stroll or simply a place where you can unwind and relax, this list of some of our favorite gardens in Sonoma County was made for you. Click through the above gallery for a peek at some of the beautiful blooms.
Asian and California Native Plants—Sonoma Botanical Garden
You can take a tranquil walk or picnic among breathtaking flowers and foliage native to Asia without leaving Sonoma County. Located just outside of Glen Ellen, Sonoma Botanical Garden has blossomed into an expansive showcase of plant species from Asia and California over the course of nearly 40 years. A focus on conservation has long been a part of Sonoma Botanical Garden’s ethos. Founded by Jane Davenport Jansen in 1987, the garden was started from wild seeds collected on expeditions to Asia.
Philadelphus schrenkii in bloom at the Sonoma Botanical Garden in Glen Ellen. (John Burgess/The Press Democrat)At Hidden Forest Nursery in Sebastopol. (Karen Kizer/for Sonoma Magazine)
Rhododendron, Azaleas, Camellias and more—Hidden Forest Nursery
Tucked away in the Hessel Area of Sebastopol, this is a nursery and a magical secret garden all in one. Rhododendrons, azaleas, camellias and Japanese maples are among the many plants available for purchase at the Hidden Forest Nursery, but the highlight of a visit to the nursery just might be a walk around its verdant grounds. Walking along the two miles of trails that wind through the botanical reserve feels like a journey to an enchanted land. Guided docent tours through the 7.5 acres are also available the first and third Saturday morning of each month.
Open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday – Monday; other times by appointment. 3970 Azalea Lane, Sebastopol. 707-823-6832, hiddenforestnursery.com
Roses and Irises—Russian River Rose Company
The Russian River Rose Company’s show garden in Healdsburg features over 650 different roses and 202 irises. Guided tours can be booked for a fee to see the full splendor of the garden and its many flower varieties. Among some of the garden’s highlights are the Rose Allee (eight arches covered with climbing roses), a Butterfly Garden, an Iris Garden and a Perfume Distillery where rose water and perfume are produced.
Situated on over five acres, this expansive rose farm cultivates 8,000 rosebushes. There are a variety of ways to experience Petaluma’s historicGarden Valley Ranch. You can buy tickets for a day of flower foraging when the roses are in bloom or make a reservation to stay overnight at the property’s romantic garden cottage. The venue also can be booked for weddings and private events.
Spring colors envelop John Leipsic of Larkspur and Wendy Robbins of Massachusetts as they tour the Western Hills Garden in Occidental. (Kent Porter / The Press Democrat)Scotch broom blooms, Tuesday, May 14, 2019 at Western Hills Garden in Occidental. (Kent Porter / The Press Democrat)
Rare Plant Species—Western Hills Garden
You will not want to miss this plant lovers’ oasis in Occidental. Western Hills Garden features an array of species collected from far off places such as Australia, South America and South Africa. Set on a three-acre property, the garden has five ponds, 34 bridges and everything from rare conifers to endangered Chinese maples to a camellia forest. For a fee, visitors can walk through the garden on their own or book a guided tour with a group.
There is nothing quite like seeing lavender fields in bloom. Monte-Bellaria di California opens its lavender farm to visitors for country walks during weekends starting in April, but it’s during early summer when the lavender is in full color.Pre-paid, timed tickets are required during this “High Bloom Season” that goes from June 21 to July 28. Though not as colorful later in the year, visitors can also take walks on weekends when the lavender aromas reach their peak during the farm’s “High Fragrance Season” from Aug. 3 to Sep. 1.
When you live in a place like Sonoma, it’s a given that there are going to be heaps of delicious wines to be shared. But the winemakers themselves—their stories, their backgrounds, their under-the-radar recommendations—are what bring a region alive.
Here’s to 15 of the most fascinating folks on the scene right now, including both established winemakers producing thousands of cases a year and up-and-comers exploring exciting new avenues.
Plus, we’ve polled the entire group for their insider thoughts on inexpensive weeknight wines, interesting travel destinations on the horizon— and how it really feels to zoom around the barrel room on the forklift.
The Rising Star: Justin Trabue
Ward Four Wines
Photo by Eileen Roche.
Justin Trabue’s parents may have had a premonition—or a secret plan in mind—when they named her after a California winery. “Unlike a lot of Black families, I grew up with wine on the table,” says Trabue, a native of Washington, D.C.’s Ward Four district. “My parents were always having conversations about food and wine and hospitality.”
Trabue moved to California straight out of high school to study wine, then spent seven years working in production at Lumen Wines in Santa Barbara County and Heitz Cellar in Napa Valley. She founded Ward Four in 2021 with help from the Courier Fresh Fund, which awards cash grants to young Black founders.
Sourcing grapes from vineyard owners who farm sustainably and follow ethical labor practices, Trabue makes her wine at Sonoma’s Obsidian Wine Co. using native yeasts and gentle foot-treading.
“My motto is ‘wines of joy, no fuss,’” says Trabue, whose offerings range from dry Muscat to chillable Mourvèdre. “Ward Four wines are supposed to be enjoyed with friends that give you joy and lift you up to be your highest, happiest self.”
Most proud of: My 2022 Barbera. Savory yet fruitforward, the wine is soft on the palate but so exciting and lifted at the same time. Although it’s light bodied, it holds up beautifully with food.
What I’m drinking in 2024: This year, I’m excited to drink more McCarter Cellars wine, owned by Dennis McCarter. His Sauvignon Blanc is beautiful, and his Pinots truly shine.
“Xarel- lo; a native white grape from the region of Penedès region of Catalunya in Spain.The grape is very versatile and can make some delicious sparkling wine as well as some more serious white wines.” — Gustavo Sotelo, Orixe Sotelo
“Muscat of any kind, if I could find it around Sonoma Valley— Á Petits Grains, Alexandria, Canelli.”— Coral Wang, Maison des Plaisances
“Pinot Noir. It makes such a sexy wine.” — Joel Burt, Las Jaras
“Malvasia Bianca, I’ve been searching for a source for this beauty for a few years! Let me know if you know anyone!” — Justin Trabue, Ward Four Wines
“Would love to work with some Rhône varietals.” — Henry de Lambert, Roth Estate
“With LaRue and my consulting, I work with 29 different varieties, so I’m good.” — Katy Wilson, LaRue
The Sage of Natural Wine: Joel Burt
Las Jaras Wines
Photo by Adahlia Cole.
While Joel Burt’s winery partner is a famous comedian — Eric Wareheim of the “Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!”—there is serious intention behind Las Jaras Wines. Hailing from a family of organic table grape growers, Burt toiled at corporate wineries for years before launching his brand in 2017. A year later, he ditched his day job to go all in on Las Jaras.
With Burt heading up production and Wareheim handling label art and marketing, the partners share a vision to offer cleanly made, natural wines with energy and vitality—wines of place rather than process. “The current trend has been wines that are more about the process of natural winemaking, and those wines can show a lot of flaws,” Burt says.
“We’re taking our natural approach to the fine wine space.”
These days, the Las Jaras lineup is no small venture, with 20,000 cases produced annually and more than a dozen wines, from Russian River Trousseau Gris to Sweet Berry Wine—named for a “Tim and Eric” show sketch. In 2024, Las Jaras will release its first Oregon Chardonnay.
Most proud of: Our three Chardonnays from wildly diverse areas: Santa Rita Hills in Santa Barbara County, Alder Springs Vineyard in Mendocino, and the Chehalem Mountains in the Willamette Valley of Oregon.
What I’m drinking in 2024: I really like the wines from LaRue. Katy Wilson is a really talented winemaker.
“Brad Webb, the founding winemaker at Hanzell, singlehandedly invented a good portion of standard winemaking practices in the modern age.” – Cody Rasmussen, Desire Lines
“Jack Sporer [Fresh Wine Co.]. He never falters, with the most unique grace, charm, and sound advice. Whether through harvest, off-season work, or just friendship, this guy’s got everyone’s back.” – Coral Wang, Maison des Plaisances
“Mike Chelini of Stony Hill Vineyards, who passed away in October. He was proof that simplicity works, and he truly let the soil and grapes do the talking.” – Nick Hess, Leghorn Wine Co.
“Michael Lancaster from Tin Barn Vineyards. He still approaches every harvest and every day in the cellar with the same joy and excitement as someone who just started making wine more recently.” – Gustavo Sotelo, Orixe Sotelo
The Seasoned Farmer: Daniel Ricciato
Marnet Wines
Photo by Kim Carroll.
You’d think that managing more than a hundred vineyard sites for winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown would take up all of Daniel Ricciato’s time—yet he still manages to produce his own acclaimed wines under the Marnet label.
Ricciato named Marnet for his German grandmother— a joyous woman with a knack for celebrating simple pleasures—and dedicated it to single-vineyard Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from the Sonoma Coast and Mendocino. With vineyard expression as his goal, Ricciato makes whole-cluster wines with native yeasts, minimal sulfur, and no additives.“A lot of people talk about consistency across their wines, but I don’t want consistency,” says Ricciato. “I want all of my wines to have their own personalities.”
Still working his day job, he intends to keep his brand small. “There are a lot of producers that make 20 or 30 wines, and that would drive me nuts,” he says. “I want my portfolio to be very succinct and to the point.”
Marnet will achieve a new milestone in 2024 when Ricciato takes over farming the well-known McDougall Ranch Pinot Noir vineyard on the Sonoma Coast.
Most proud of: My Chouette Pinot Noir. It’s a site that I’ve had enough time to work with to where I’m starting to make some small adjustments. I’m hoping that’s going to start to pan out and elevate that wine.
What I’m drinking in 2024: The wines that Steve and Catherine Kistler produce at Occidental Wines are superb every year.
“The 2021 Schäfer-Fröhlich GGs: a magical, mysterious, beautifully intense Riesling from the Nahe.” — Cody Rasmussen, Desire Lines
“The 2000 Henri Bonneau Reserve des Celestins Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Each time I have had this wine it has been dazzling and kaleidoscopic.”– Daniel Ricciato, Marnet
“The Didier Dagueneau Pouilly-Fumé Silex from the Loire Valley in France. This wine is perfection, a master class in beautifully articulating the expression of terroir and place.” – Katy Wilson, LaRue
“A Carlisle 2019 Rossi Ranch Zinfandel. The fruit and the oak were really well integrated, and I was sad when the bottle was empty”. – Morét Brealynn Chavez, Morét-Brealynn
“A Chardonnay by Albert Grivault from Meursault. I have a tendency to be overly analytical about wine, but in this instance it spoke directly to a more primal part of my brain and I simply enjoyed the wine.” – Eiji Akaboshi, Freeman
The Sweetest Pair: Eglantine Chauffour & Alberto Bianchi
Ena Winemakers
Courtesy of Ena Winemakers.
To say that Eglantine Chauffour and her husband Alberto Bianchi bring an international perspective to their winemaking would be an understatement.
Chauffour is from France and Bianchi is from Milan. The couple met while making wine in Western Australia and worked in cellars all over the world before settling in Sonoma County.
By day, Chauffour works as an enologist at a winemaking equipment and supply company, and Bianchi is the winemaker for ADAMVS on Howell Mountain. Together, they launched ENA in Santa Rosa with Pinot Noir as their flagship, along with a carbonic Primitivo called Eurica.
All of their grapes hail from Mariah Vineyards in the Mendocino Ridge AVA—which just became one of the first vineyards to earn “Land to Market” regenerative farming certification.
The winemakers take a low-intervention approach to winemaking, using native yeasts and minimal sulfur dioxide.
“We are very hands-off, but that’s not saying that we just let the wine go,” says Chauffour. “We are very present in terms of tasting the wine every day, and every decision that we make really matters.”
Most proud of: Probably the most “out of the box” wine we make is Eurica , where we experiment with carbonic maceration.
What I’m drinking in 2024: We enjoy Brick & Mortar’s Sweetwater Spring Vineyard Blanc de Blancs sparkling wine—it has a lot of minerality and elegance with beautiful fine bubbles.
In less than a decade, Coral Wang pivoted from a career in New York’s fashion industry to making natural wine at Domaine Mamaruta in Provence to launching a wine brand in Sonoma.
Wang debuted Maison des Plaisances (“house of pleasures”) in 2021 with Cuvee No. 1, a semi-carbonic Grenache blend from a regeneratively farmed vineyard in Cloverdale. The following year, she took over farming a vineyard in Napa’s Lovall Valley and introduced her Carbonic Cab—a light, playful take on Cabernet Sauvignon. For the 2023 vintage, Wang made a skin-contact Sauvignon Blanc fermented in amphora.
“I’ve taken on this mission to make California noble grapes appealing again and bring a fresh, new perspective,” says Wang, who also works at Magnolia Wine Services and Valley Bar + Bottle in Sonoma. “Every vintage, every wine, is a new experiment.”
She has also embraced a mission to open wine industry doors for people in the BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities by donating a portion of her sales to pro-equity organizations like the Two Eighty Project and Co-Fermented.
Most proud of: A Sauvignon Blanc from the Denmark Street vineyard, farmed by my dear friends Holly and Eric Clouse. I am so glad I pushed and didn’t take no for an answer when it came down to borrowing amphora for this cuvée. The wine is balanced and bursting with tropical character. Brightness, salty orange peel, and for some wild reason, this site gives us a touch of coconut.
What I’m drinking in 2024: I’m always excited to taste through the Ryme Cellars lineup.
“Ferrari-Carano Fume Blanc.” – Henry de Lambert, Roth Estate
“The sparkling wines fromUne Femme (at Target!) or the very popular La Marca Prosecco.” –Katrina Laemmerhirt, Social Creatures
“Husch Pinot Noir from Anderson Valley.” – Nick Hess, Leghorn Wine Company
Cody Rasmussen
Desire Lines Wine Co.
Photo by Emma K Creative.
Cody Rasmussen thought he was headed for a career in economics when an overseas study program in South Africa—tasting local wines on the side— changed his trajectory. Months after graduation, he and his wife Emily moved to Sonoma to pursue a life among the vines.
The leap led him to Bedrock Wine Co., where he works with Morgan Twain-Peterson as associate winemaker. Since launching Desire Lines in 2015 with a single ton of Syrah, the label has grown from 45 to 1,000 cases, with single-vineyard dry Riesling as its calling card.
“When we picked up Cole Ranch in Mendocino I told Emily, ‘There’s no way we can sell this. We’ll do 50 cases and I’ll drink it myself for the next 20 years,” says Rasmussen. “But now we cannot find enough Riesling.”
Rasmussen describes Desire Lines wines as “distinctly not natty,” yet many of his practices share commonalities with natural winemaking. “Our focus is on having that great vineyard speak through the glass,” he says, “and our winemaking practices line up around that.”
Most proud of: Our Cole Ranch Riesling. The wine is still only halfway through fermentation, but the flavors leap out of the glass already and are so precise, pure, and intense.
What I’m drinking in 2024: Tidings Wine Moonridge Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon . It’s a beautiful expression of Moon Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon from the very top of the Mayacamas.
Winemaker Gustavo Sotelo and his wife Jackie. (Beth Schlanker / The Press Democrat)
Many know Gustavo Sotelo as the head winemaker at Scribe, yet his personal label is creating a buzz all its own. Born in Mexico City, Sotelo began exploring Spanish wines after tracing his family name back to Galicia. The journey inspired him to create Orixe Sotelo, focusing on Tempranillo, Garnacha, Godello, and other Spanish grape varieties.
“There’s so much focus on French varieties and French winemaking techniques in California, yet as a New World wine region, we have the potential to do whatever we want,” Sotelo says. “So why aren’t more people playing around with Spanish grape varieties?”
Taking that concept a step further, Sotelo uses a traditional Sherry-making technique to create his Rosé en Flor, which involves growing a film on the wine’s surface after primary fermentation. Along with giving the Grenache- Tempranillo blend a bone-dry character, the process contributes savory and nutty elements, and enhances texture.
“I do like to make very classical wine in some ways, but I also like experimenting,” he says. “I’m just trying to broaden the conversation about what California wine can be.”
Most proud of: The Rosé en Flor. It is a unique winemaking style rarely seen in California and it requires a lot of care and patience to create the right kind of flor.
What I’m drinking in 2024: The Birdhorse Wines Cinsault from Preston Vineyard. Katie Rouse and Corinne Rich are making some phenomenal wines.
Adolfo Hernandez— full name Aldolfo Hernandez de Monroy—grew up in the dry country of Saudi Arabia, but that didn’t stop his Guatemalan father from making his own wine in the family’s bathtub and recruiting 7-year-old Adolfo as his apprentice. It wasn’t until years later, when the family moved to California, that he decided to go legit as a winemaker.
Hernandez worked at high-end wineries in Napa Valley before landing at Benovia Winery in Santa Rosa as associate winemaker, and in 2020, he released his first Monroy Cabernet Sauvignon. The idea, he says, was to create a more restrained style of Cabernet through early picking and barrel fermentation. “Something that’s more savory, more floral—that’s what I want to make,” he says.
To enhance texture, he uses a labor-intensive, closed-barrel fermentation process that involves opening the heads to add the Cabernet berries, then rolling the barrels to work the skins and caps. “I like to describe it as changing the oil in your car while it’s running,” says Hernandez. “It takes some skill to get it right.”
Most proud of: My Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s the raison d’être for the brand, and the approach of closed-head rolling fermentations along with early picks makes for distinct wines.
What I’m drinking in 2024: I like the white Pinot Noir that my friends at Dot Wine make. It’s bright, light, and still complex with green melon and floral tones.
“Our golden retriever, Maya, is named for the mountains of the Mayacamas. She came to the winery every day as a puppy but now mostly stays home to clean up after our two young boys.” — Cody Rasmussen, Desire Lines
“Nico is a brown lab/pitbull mix that I adopted right before the harvest of 2019. The winery and vineyard are his happy places, and his favorite toy is a barrel bung.” – Gustavo Sotelo, Orixe Sotelo
“I have two pet rats, Dolcetto and Gris. They don’t come to the winery but are the sweetest ladies ever!” – Justin Trabue, Ward Four Wines
“Our Morkie is a regular fixture at the winery and can also be found running quality control with me in the vineyards during harvest.” – Katy Wilson, LaRue
“Honey Bee the beagle is great for pest control but doesn’t like the loud crush equipment!” – Nick Hess, Leghorn Wine Co.
The Trend Setter: Katy Wilson
LaRue Wines
Courtesy of LaRue Wines.
With a new label launching this spring, longtime talent Katy Wilson has a new reason to shine. The much-lauded winemaker began her career at Flowers Vineyard & Winery in Healdsburg before launching her LaRue label—inspired by her rebel great-grandmother Veona LaRue Newell—at just 26 years old. Since then, Wilson has built a reputation as a sought-after consultant, working with buzzy wineries such as Anaba Wines, BloodRoot Wines, Reeve Wines, and Smith Story Wine Cellars.
While LaRue focuses on small-production, site-specific Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from Sonoma Coast vineyards, her new brand, Charlie LaRue, developed with husband David Meneses and named for their young daughter, indulges the couple’s passion for cellar-worthy Bordeaux wines. It will showcase organically farmed Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc from celebrated vineyards such as Monte Rosso and Bedrock.
“Similar to our Pinots, we’re not making wines to just open up and they’re gone,” Wilson says. “They are beautiful and fresh and lively when they’re young, but they can also age.”
Most proud of: An organically farmed, barrel-fermented Sauvignon Blanc from the Pigasus Vineyard on Sonoma Mountain. We’ll be releasing it in the fall of 2024.
What I’m drinking in 2024: Wines from Under the Wire and Bedrock. Both are independently owned and produced by a pair of friends with great experience in this industry and whose passion for creativity and well-crafted, quality wine really shines.
A Fermentation Vessel I’d Like to Experiment With…
“Stockinger oval casks from Austria.” — Cody Rasmussen, Desire Lines
“The Egginox, a stainless steel egg from Bouchard.” — Henry de Lambert, Roth Estate
“I enjoy working with milk tanks and concrete eggs and more recently have begun working with bottle ferments for pét-nats and traditional Champagne method sparkling wines.” — Nick Hess, Leghorn Wine Co.
“I would love to do a huge foudre. I’ve seen that in South Africa, and the wines are so lovely when they come out of there. It’s like five barrels in one.” — Katrina Laemmerhirt, Social Creatures
Erik Miller
Breaking Bread Wines
Courtesy of Kokomo Wines.
Best known as the founder and winemaker at Kokomo Winery in Dry Creek Valley, Erik Miller launched Breaking Bread as an experimental side project that would allow him to express his artistic side. “The natural category had a lot of intrigue for me, not just in making low-alcohol wines, but making a different style using ancient techniques,” says Miller. His Breaking Bread lineup includes Zinfandel- based pét-nat and rosé, along with a Muscat orange wine and a chillable Mourvèdre-Zinfandel blend called Al Dente. Now, he’s adding Italian varieties to the mix.
Making the Breaking Bread wines has not only taught Miller that native fermentations are the way to go—including for his Kokomo brand—but also that making successful low-intervention wines is not for amateurs. “I tell people that you do not want to mess with making natural wine unless you’re a seasoned winemaker,” he says. “It’s very easy to get burned.”
Most proud of: Our Pét-Nat, because it’s made with old vine Dry Creek Zinfandel and done in an ancient style.
What I’m drinking in 2024: Extradimensional Wine Co. Yeah!’s Marvelous Mourvèdre , because I have always been inspired by Hardy Wallace’s work and how he makes Mourvèdre.
When Eiji Akaboshi set out to become a winemaker, he thought he would be the first in his family to do so. But as he later learned, a Japanese ancestor had beaten him to the punch by more than a century. Pioneering winemaker Kanaye Nagasawa, a distant relative of Akaboshi, ran the Fountain Grove Winery in Santa Rosa at the turn of the 19 th century and was known to the locals as the “Wine King of California.” “There are so many coincidences that you start wondering if things are connected,” says Akaboshi, who joined Freeman Winery in Sebastopol as associate winemaker this past spring.
“Maybe it’s in my DNA or my blood that I had a tendency toward wine that somehow came from my ancestors.”
By another remarkable coincidence, Akaboshi now works alongside another Japanese winemaker, Akiko Freeman, making Russian River and Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Though he once dabbled in launching his own Pinot Noir label, Akaboshi says he’s happy to remain part of an in-house team.
“I have a terrible affliction that when I make something delicious, I just want to give it to people,” he says. “I’m more of a craftsman than a businessperson.”
Most proud of: This was my first harvest at Freeman Winery, and the most exciting wines that I worked with were the Estate Pinot Noirs that came in from our Gloria Estate and Yu-Ki Estate vineyards. Even before the fermentation started in the open top tanks, it already had substance and depth.
More Sonoma standouts: The Tempranillo from our neighbor, Marimar Estate. I tasted it this year before harvest and it was lovely— very balanced with a mineral character and depth. I would like to revisit it in 2024 to see how it is developing. It will definitely keep getting better.
Morét Brealynn Chavez worked in winery hospitality and marketing before her fascination with winemaking lured her into the cellar. Though she’d long taken an interest in production— peppering cellar teams with questions after her workday ended—the early morning schedule of a typical winemaker kept her from making the switch. After meeting winemaker Adam Lee and becoming his general manager, Chavez overcame her aversion to sunrises.
“When it was just Adam and me, I didn’t have the choice to sleep in or let someone else do things,” says Chavez. “As my confidence in my own palate and my passion for being out in the vineyards grew, I just couldn’t not do it.”
She made her first Morét-Brealynn Pinot Noir in 2021 with Lee as consulting winemaker. Now in its third vintage, with a Heintz Vineyard Pinot Noir in the works, the brand specializes in Russian River Pinot Noir, plus Muscadelle under the Stray Cats label, which donates proceeds to local animal shelters.
Chavez says she likes her Pinots on the intense, full-bodied side—a style she achieves through meticulous attention in the vineyard to a Taylor Swift soundtrack.
Most proud of: My 2022 Russian River Pinot. It has a deeper concentration that’s reflective of the vintage and my barrel selections. There’s a silkiness on the palate that comes with darker red fruits, cinnamon, and some chocolate on the finish.
What I’m drinking in 2024: Due to the late harvest, we were able to squeeze in a visit to Dehlinger. The fruit on their estate property tasted so delicious, I wished it was my fruit.
“I am going to Greece and am so excited!” — Joel Burt, Las Jaras
“Galicia. My wife Jackie and I are planning to travel there this winter to learn from the Old World producers.” — Gustavo Sotelo, Orixe Sotelo
“The Etna region of Sicily. My grandfather was born in Siracusa and I’ve never been there, so that’s very high on my list.” — Daniel Ricciato, Marnet
“I need to get back to the Roussillon and pick up the rest of my stuff!” — Coral Wang, Maison des Plaisances
“The wine culture of South Africa is so welcoming, and for new wine drinkers their entry level wines are well priced and delicious! The Hemel-en-Aarde and Elgin wine regions are incredible.” — Justin Trabue, Ward Four Wines
The World Traveler: Katrina Laemmerhirt
Social Creatures
Courtesy of Social Creatures.
In 2019, Katrina Laemmerhirt quit her job in Chicago and set off on a one-year backpacking trip to weave together her love of travel and wine, beginning in France at harvest, then hiking through Greece, Italy, and Egypt (where she was stranded for three months during lockdown).
Since moving to California in the fall of 2020, she’s arranged her life around her two loves, working in South Africa and Chile while obtaining her formative winemaking education from pioneering natural winemaker William Allen of Two Shepherds. “He was the first one to give me some cellar space and some barrels to start Social Creatures,” she says. “I just became so obsessed, and there’s such a great community here.”
Laemmerhirt now keeps a day job in marketing at Medlock Ames while growing her small label, made at a custom crush in Santa Rosa. ‘Egon,’ a low-intervention Cabernet Franc named for her German grandfather, is already on the wine lists at The Matheson and Little Saint, and she’s released two different Chenin Blancs.
Next up is exploring her interest in viticulture—not surprising for someone who’s been known to pitch a tent and sleep in the vineyard. “I don’t know why everyone doesn’t do that,” she says. “It’s just so beautiful.”
Most proud of: My Hannah Chenin Blanc, named for my cousin Hannah—so bright and bursting with honey and apricot aromatics and the acidity is so refreshing. It’s a really serious wine, and then it can also be fun and fresh.
What I’m drinking in 2024: I am excited to try the hybrid grape wines and co-ferments of my friend Marreya Bailey at Mad Marvlus. She crafts bubbly pét-nats and even sometimes forages her own fruit.
“Empowering. You feel like such a badass.” – Katrina Laemmerhirt, Social Creatures
Nick Hess
Leghorn Wine Company
Courtesy of Leghorn Wine Company.
Nick Hess discovered his passion for wine while waiting tables as a college student in Santa Barbara. Once the match was lit, he worked at wineries from the Central Coast to the Southern Hemisphere, and eventually returned to his native Sonoma County to make wine in his own backyard. He launched the Leghorn label in 2015 as a showcase for Petaluma Gap Pinot Noir—years before the region officially became an AVA. While getting his brand off the ground, he also worked for several years as associate winemaker and production manager at Meadowcroft Wines in Sonoma.
Last spring, Hess joined Schramsberg Vineyards in Napa Valley as the winery’s production manager. The move immediately inspired him to start thinking about adding a sparkling wine to the expanded Leghorn portfolio.
“I’m going to try and learn how to do it on a smaller scale, more by hand,” says Hess, who describes his low-impact winemaking style as “natural-adjacent” and inspired by the Slow Food movement. “I already have a few trials going for that.”
Most proud of: My Petaluma Gap Pinot Noir – it’s a challenge to continuously try to raise the bar and showcase our AVA. Also, my Petaluma Gap Sauvignon Blanc gives me a chance to work with a varietal that’s rare to the Gap and distinguish it from the Sauvignon Blanc grown in warmer regions of the county.
What I’m drinking in 2024: I have really been enjoying the wines from Garry Brooks at Brooks Note. Their new winery project in Petaluma is exactly what our local wine community needs more of, and they are the kindest, most genuine people.
When Henry de Lambert joined Roth Estate as winemaker in 2023, he had some pretty big shoes to fill. The previous year, Roth’s 2019 Heritage Red— made by veteran winemaker Michael Beaulac—took the top prize at the Press Democrat North Coast Wine Challenge.
The Windsor native originally set out to earn a bioengineering degree before a foray into brewing showed de Lambert the wonders of fermentation.
After working in the labs and cellars at Mauritson Wines and Trinchero Family Estates, he became associate winemaker and then director of operations for PreVail, a sub-brand of Ferrari-Carano devoted to Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon.
Now, at Roth, he crafts Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon with a minimalist touch. “For me, less is more,” says de Lambert. “My job as a winemaker is to let the fruit do the talking.”
He’s also hoping that the wines will elevate Sonoma County’s reputation as a Cabernet Sauvignon region. “When it comes to Cabernet,” he says, “there is no doubt in my mind that Sonoma County can complete at the highest level.”
Most proud of: My 2022 Heritage Sonoma County Red Blend, a great combination of tradition and creativity. This ready-to-drink Bordeaux blend allows for an artistic twist from a “left brain” winemaker.
What I’m drinking in 2024: Try the Hartford Court Jennifer’s Vineyard Pinot Noir. It’s grown on the same ranch where my great-grandparents Henry and Mary once raised dairy cows and grew potatoes in the 1920s.
A Sebastopol live and work loft gets a cleanly stunning renovation from Sebastopol-based mother-daughter interior design team Tama and Lauren Bell of Tama Bell Design. (Christopher Stark)
Think of the word “loft” and it may conjure up images of industrial-chic accommodations in New York City’s Tribeca or Soho. But suburban versions of loft living, while more unusual than their big city counterparts, can still be found and are growing in popularity. One such example is Florence Lofts in Sebastopol.
The “live-work project” at 7385 Healdsburg Ave. — at the corner of Florence Avenue — was built in 2008 and includes 12 eco-friendly units, each with 620 square feet of office space and 900 square feet of living quarters. When completed, the development was the first of its kind in west Sonoma County.
Now, mother-daughter design duo Tama and Lauren Bell of Tama Bell Design in Sebastopol have completed a remodel of one of the Florence lofts, elevating the look of the live-work space.
The new design is airy and serene with a few dramatic touches throughout. The tranquil tonal palette of whites, woods and brass is contrasted with bold design choices such as graphic black and white terrazzo countertops, jewel-toned tile and floral wallpaper.
Small details, like oversized walnut knobs, leather welting on the velvet upholstery in the dining nook, and brass sconces high on the wall, make the design sing. (Christopher Stark)
When the Bells walk through a new project looking for design cues, Tama says they always consider how to turn the space into the best version of itself.
“This house had orange floors and yellowed wood so it read like it was in a similar palette,” said Tama about the Florence loft. “We made some decisions about where to create contrast.”
The duo decided to “pull back” some of the color. They painted walls and cabinets white to differentiate them from the exposed wood ceilings. The burnt orange concrete floors were toned down with a charcoal epoxy finish.
They used a custom sliding screen made of wood and framed with steel to separate the work area from the kitchen. The sliding screen’s wood grid allows light to pass through, creating a sense of openness that is essential in smaller spaces.
Tama and Lauren decided to keep the larger spaces in the unit “clean and neutral” while creating more “design interest” in smaller areas — entering those areas is “a full experience,” said Lauren.
The two bathrooms feature black and white terrazzo countertops; it’s natural drama with a vintage feel, said Tama. One of the bathrooms has an emerald green tile backsplash while the other has colorful floral wallpaper. While these design choices are modern and bold, wood cabinets add a natural, down-to-earth touch.
‘There needed to be elements that were much more organic than some of the cooler modern elements,” explained Lauren.
In the bathroom, colorful floral wallpaper is a wonderfully bold design choice. Wood cabinets and a stone countertop add a natural touch. (Christopher Stark)An emerald green backsplash and black and white terrazzo countertops in a second bathroom. (Christopher Stark)
Modern and elegant light fixtures also help create contrast in the otherwise soothingly neutral and minimalist spaces. Brass long-arm sconces have been hardwired high on the walls to create downlighting — can lights weren’t an option due to the pitched ceiling. Organically shaped brass and glass wall sconces add more delicate beauty — proving that lighting, in accordance with the old design adage, is “the jewelry of the home.”
Small design details are “make or break for me,” said Lauren, and thus need to be carefully considered. In this loft, the Bells have successfully incorporated them throughout: the textured wheat raffia wallpaper in the main bedroom, the oversized walnut knobs in the kitchen, and the leather welting on the green velvet upholstery in the dining nook all help elevate the look.
Click through the above gallery for a peek inside the remodeled Sebastopol loft.
Tama Bell Design, 154 North Main St., Sebastopol, 707-861-9890, tamabell.com
