Sonoma Magazine Chasing Harvest September/October 2021

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The best of both worlds. Usable land and not just living on decks as one would assume. Interior features include hardwood floors, updated kitchen and baths, fireplace, beamed ceilings, and custom built-ins. A flexible floorplan makes the downstairs bedroom an ideal home office with it’s direct access to the front of the home.

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Charming with its covered porch, shutters, and porte cochère. Close proximity to all 3 public schools of the Eastside. Interior features include downstairs master bedroom with large walk in closet, double height entry, open kitchen, and den/home office. Light and bright interiors flooded with natural light makes the home extra warm and welcoming. New kitchen flooring, fresh paint, and new air conditioning. Work station upstairs between the two bedrooms and downstairs is the office/den so everyone can work and study from home if desired. Shade awning with LED lights for hanging out in the private back yard.

Low maintenance Xeriscape landscaping. Detached garage. Neighborhood park just a block away. Easy commute location.

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3 bedroom/2 bath tastefully updated single level home located just a few blocks west of the historic Plaza. Highly desirable location on a quiet street with very little turnover. Interior features include hardwood floors, updated kitchen & baths, fireplace, dual pane windows, and sliders leading to a lush & private backyard. Great indoor/outdoor flow with sliders off the dining area and master bedroom. Large 2 car garage with wine closet built in. Pride of ownership both inside and out.

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CONTENTS

features On our cover: Viticulturist José Ramos prepares for harvest at Sonoma’s Hanzell Farm & Vineyards.

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Outstanding recipes to celebrate fall from five Sonoma chefs.

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sonomamag.com SEPT/OCT 2021

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For the Love of Local Hops

Passionate Sonoma hop growers see the fruits of their labor make their way into seasonal, fresh-hopped beers.

96

In Their Hands

Vineyard workers face huge risks in bringing in Sonoma's grape crop. How are they protected during fire season?

Beth Schlanker

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CONTENTS

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021

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27 30 32 34 38 40 42 44

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FARMING WEEKEND ENTREPRENEURS MAKER CRAVINGS FOCUS

BY THE NUMBERS LOVE WINE

145

OUT AND ABOUT

152

PARTY PIX

the finish 160

taste 47

BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS

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SAVOR THE SEASON Jams, pickles, preserves, and the many ways local makers hold onto harvest.

58

BITE CLUB Dining editor Heather Irwin’s picks for where to eat now.

PADDLE PETALUMA Outrigger canoes on the Petaluma River.

AUTHOR SHUGRI SAID SALH

place 119

HARVEST IN HARMONY The roots really do run deep at Hanzell Farm & Vineyards.

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GROWING A VISION A busy family home nestled in a new vineyard.

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Looking for more?

Go to sonomamag.com for fresh stories, photos, upcoming events, and more about what’s happening in Sonoma County.

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119

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Courtesy Ethic Ciders, Eileen Roche, Christopher Chung

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Correction: On page 34 of our July/August issue, the credit for the portrait should have read “Courtesy of Yvette Wendt Photography.”

Volume 15, Issue 5, September/October 2021. Sonoma magazine is published six times a year by Sonoma Media Investments LLC, 427 Mendocino Avenue, Santa Rosa, CA 95401. Subscriptions are $14.99 for one year (six issues). ©Copyright 2021 Sonoma Media Investments LLC. All rights reserved.

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letter from the editor

T

HERE’S A SPECIAL KIND OF ENERGY to harvest season in Sonoma, one that brings a feeling of possibility and hope, no matter the year we’ve had leading up to it. When trucks stacked high with half-ton bins start rolling down our roads, it’s difficult not to want to feel a part of that excitement.

Four years ago, I signed up for a couple of viticulture and enology classes at Santa Rosa Junior College and took a production internship at a nearby winery. I was, quite literally, the 40-something-year-old intern, falling head over heels for the process of making wine. (That’s me above, walking the rows to check the maturity of the grapes, a classic intern’s job — note the handsome yellow safety vest!) Harvest meant long hours, grubby clothes, purple-stained fingernails, and lots and lots of yellowjackets—and I loved every minute of it. The work gave me a deeper connection to my community and to the agricultural history held in this land.

This issue celebrates that connection to the land and to the people who farm it. In 2014, Hanzell Vineyards winemaker Jason Jardine and his team started experimenting with innovative, regenerative farming practices and have since become one of Sonoma’s most sustainable wineries, a process we detail in “Harvest in Harmony” (p. 119). And in “Simple Pleasures” (p. 74), we asked five rock-star chefs to share their favorite recipes using locally-farmed fall produce. I’m in love with these easy dishes, especially Crista Luedtke’s roasted cauliflower with figs and olives and Roberth Sundell’s mushroom-pear flatbread.

If you know the magazine, you know that we make it our mission to address big-picture issues our county faces. “In Their Hands” (p. 96) confronts the urgent question of how to keep fieldworkers safe from smoke and wildfire during the intense, make-or-break weeks of harvest.

Reporter Kristin Moe portrays the difficult choices faced by vineyard managers, growers, and the picking crews themselves, who often head to work under extraordinarily challenging conditions.

We can all appreciate the leadership shown by growers, labor advocates, and elected officials in calling for change to protect these essential workers.

Lastly, we’ve tried something new in conjunction with a fun feature on Sonoma’s hop growers, whose harvest is making its way into seasonal, fresh-hopped beers this month (“For the Love of Local Hops,” p. 86). Author John Beck is also an accomplished filmmaker, and for the piece, we asked him to make a one-minute film showing the amazing dance that happens in the hopyard as evening breezes pick up across our valleys. What he created is pretty magical—see the film at sonomamag.com/hops.

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sonomamag.com SEPT/OCT 2021

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contributors

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A documentary filmmaker and journalist, John Beck has wanted to write a story about local hops ever since he followed Sly Stone to his car after a nightmare Santa Rosa concert in 2008, when the somewhatdazed singer looked around, still getting his bearings, and said, “Santa Rosa — I used to pick hops in Santa Rosa,” before disappearing into the night. After touring several of the county's best hopyards for his story “For the Love of Local Hops” (p.

86) , what impressed Beck the most was the spirit of camaraderie among farmers in the NorCal Hop Growers Alliance, as they freely share tips and resources, including a 1973 beast of a German harvester the group imported from Poland.

Erik Castro is a Santa Rosa photojournalist who began his career focusing on issues of homelessness and drug and alcohol addiction in Seattle in the late 1990s.

He has won multiple National Press Photographers Association awards for his multimedia work and fire coverage, and for his yearlong homelessness project, Broken. In this issue, Castro photographed a series of portraits for “In Their Hands” (p.

96), which portrays the challenges faced by vineyard workers bringing in the grape crop during wildfire and smoke season. “I have nothing but respect for the countless immigrants who do the many jobs most Americans refuse to do.”

Kristin Moe is a journalist and multidisciplinary artist based in Graton who writes about climate change, social movements, and the myriad ways humans relate to land. As a recent California transplant, she says that reporting for “In Their Hands” (p. 96) and “Rooted in Wisdom” (p. 27) was “a way to begin to understand some of the deeper layers of both the human and nonhuman landscapes of this region” — and how these layers shape and inform one another. In her spare time, she can be found working in the garden, exploring Sonoma's coastline, and eating her way through Santa Rosa’s taco truck scene.

In between news assignments covering drought and wildfire, photojournalist Kent Porter visited several Sonoma hopyards to photograph the feature “For the Love of Local Hops” (p. 86). Porter, who says he’s not much of a beer drinker, nonetheless fell in love with the taste of one he was given, made with Alexander Valley hops: “I put some of that beer in my chili that night, and it was the best chili I’ve ever made.”

Porter has been a photographer with the Press Democrat for 34 years and was part of the team that won the Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News in 2018.

Originally from St. Louis, Beth Schlanker has been a photojournalist with the Press Democrat for 11 years, juggling challenging assignments like breaking news and wildfire coverage with PTA meetings for her two children. For this issue, she photographed five outstanding fall recipes from Sonoma chefs for the feature “Simple Pleasures” (p. 74). At Schlanker's recent shoot with Guerneville chef and Food Network star Crista Luedtke, she asked Luedtke to step in as a hand model, squeezing lemons onto the finished dish. “I don't know how many lemons we squeezed on top to get that perfect shot, but when we tasted it afterward, it was still delicious.”

With more than three decades writing about food, culinary travel, restaurants, and the chefs who make it all happen, Carey Sweet has won numerous restaurant criticism and food writing awards, including a first prize from the Society of Professional Food Journalists. But she never realized how valuable a French copper jam pot could be until she dove into the soulful process of making preserves for “Savor the Season” (p.

48), which features jams, pickles, polenta, and all the other fall goodness harvested at farms throughout Sonoma County. Sweet is now scouring her own Sebastopol farm to see what produce she might transport to cans and jars in her home kitchen.

sonomamag.com SEPT/OCT 2021

Live, dream, experience.

Love the Sonoma Life...

BARI WILLIAMS Sales Associate | DRE 01263855 707.738.9709 Bari.Williams@sir.com © 2021 Sotheby’s International Realty. All Rights Reserved. The Sotheby’s International Realty trademark is licensed and used with permission. Each Sotheby’s International Realty office is independently owned and operated, except those operated by Sotheby’s International Realty, Inc. The Sotheby’s International Realty network fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. All offerings are subject to errors, omissions, changes including price or withdrawal without notice.

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T H E B UZ Z A RO UN D TH E REGI O N

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FA R MING

Rooted in Wisdom Honoring traditional agriculture at the county’s first Afro-Indigenous permaculture farm outside Sebastopol

By Kristin Moe Photography by Beth Schlanker

IN A COUNTY CELEBRATED FOR ITS AGRICULTURE, just 2% of Sonoma’s farmland is Blackowned. But when Pandora Thomas first stepped onto Gabriel Farm, a piece of land for sale outside Sebastopol, she thought to herself, “This place is calling me.”

Not long after, in March of 2021, with support from a wide circle of collaborators and private donors, Thomas purchased the 14-acre property and founded EARTHseed, California’s first Afro-Indigenous permaculture farm.

EARTHseed is teeming with life. There are over 4,000 fruit trees — apple, plum, persimmon — plus raspberries, native and medicinal plants, insects, and more than a few gophers. The farm is a place to practice and teach African agricultural skills that have endured and evolved despite centuries of slavery and diaspora.

SEPT/OCT 2021 sonomamag.com

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FA R MING

“It’s really a reclaiming of those ways,” Thomas says. EARTHseed’s ethos is grounded in the West African principle of sankofa — which means, in Thomas’ words, “We must know where we came from in order to move forward.”

Thomas is a designer, community-builder, and permaculture teacher with a deep love for Sonoma County.

Permaculture, as she puts it, is “an ecological design system rooted in Indigenous wisdom that elevates ecosystem health while meeting human needs.” It’s an approach that fosters resilience by working with natural systems, rather than imposing a structure from the outside. In a place like Northern California, already strained by drought and wildfire, practitioners believe it’s an essential tool in climate change adaptation.

That’s part of why EARTHseed is partnering with Indigenous land stewards whose knowledge of this place runs deep.

During this first year, Thomas and her collaborators are taking their time getting to know the land. They’re laying groundwork— building up the soil, installing water-catchment systems, and preparing for wildfire season.

They’ve hosted their first community “U-Pick” days. And they’re exploring the best way to make their farm, its bounty, and its teachings available to those who often face barriers to access: Black people and people of color, youth, and seniors.

“There’s a sense of possibility and abundance here,” Thomas says, looking out over the rows of apple trees, heavy with fruit. “We want that for everyone, but for Black folks especially—to come home to a piece of land and feel like everything they need is taken care of.”

Families and individuals can visit EARTHseed on designated U-Pick days.

Check earthseedfarm.org for offerings and availability.

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sonomamag.com SEPT/OCT 2021

EARTHSeed is a new permaculture farm that both grows food and fosters resilence in the land and its people. One of founder Pandora Thomas’ goals is to make the farm and its products accessible to those who have historically faced barriers to access, particularly communities of color. She hopes to offer a robust program of classes and farming internships.

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Compass is a real estate broker licensed by the State of California operating under multiple entities. License Numbers 01991628, 1527235, 1527365, 1356742, 1443761, 1997075, 1935359, 1961027, 1842987, 1869607, 1866771, 1527205, 1079009, 1272467. All material is intended for informational purposes only and is compiled from sources deemed reliable but is subject to errors, omissions, changes in price, condition, sale, or withdrawal without notice. No statement is made as to the accuracy of any description or measurements (including square footage). This is not intended to solicit property already listed. No financial or legal advice provided. Equal Housing Opportunity.

Lisa Thomas | Sharon Vallejo DRE 01359810 | 00826851 707.217.2683 | 707.953.4788 lisa.thomas@compass.com sharon.vallejo@compass.com

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DAY TRIP

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Most Beautiful Historic Barns 1 DREAM WEDDINGS

2 STUNNING STONEWORK

3 AHEAD OF THEIR TIME

DeTurk Round Barn

Landmark’s Hop Kilns

Jack London State Park Barns

Donahue St., Santa Rosa. 707-543-3733, srcity.org

Road, Healdsburg. 707-433-6491, landmarkwine. com

London Ranch Road, Glen Ellen. 707-938-5216, jacklondonpark.com

Crane Melon Barn

5 CLASSIC BRICK-RED

6 SAVED FROM DEMOLITION

795-6987, cranemelon.com

There’s something so fall-like about the warm, brick-red color of the Martinelli hop barn, which appears on every bottle of the winery’s celebrated Pinot and Chardonnay. A terraced outdoor tasting area overlooks the barn, one of the most recognizable landmarks in the Russian River Valley. 3360 River Rd., Windsor. 707-525-

A treasure of Santa Rosa’s city park system, this truly round 1891 barn in the West End was once home to champion racehorses. It has crisp white clapboard siding and a classic shingled roof, and is open to visitors each Wednesday—or you can rent it out for a charming wedding. 819

Hops were once big business in the county. The trio of tall, pyramid-shaped stone silos were used to dry hops before the crop was baled and shipped to make beer. These days, the barns anchor a winery dedicated to organic Russian River Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. 6050 Westside

4 HOMEGROWN HERO

It doesn’t get more classic Sonoma than this.

September is Crane melon season, and the circa-1868 redwood barn, which once was used to put up livestock and feed, is now a farmstand selling the beloved local melons and other local produce. Call ahead for hours; the melons can sell out. 4935 Petaluma Hill Rd., Santa Rosa. 707-

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Martinelli Winery Hop Barn

0570, martinelliwinery.com

The author and passionate farmer once wrote, “Do you realize I devote two hours a day to writing, and ten to farming?” The early 1900s structures at his Beauty Ranch include a palatial home for pigs (state of the art for its time), a stone stallion barn, and a distillery. 2400

Tierra Vegetables Barn

Tierra’s beautiful whitewashed barn was once slated to be torn down, but instead, siblings Lee and Wayne James relocated it to a 20-acre ranch near Highway 101, where they grow their famous chile peppers and strawberries. Earlier this summer, locals raised $70,000 to help replace a damaged well, a testament to the love they have for this traditional family farm.

651 Airport Blvd., Santa Rosa. 707-544-6141, tierravegetables.com

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707 5th St | Santa Rosa CA 95404 (707) 542-1855

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ENTREPRENEURS

A New Low-Alcohol Beer

BELLA SNOW IS AVAILABLE ON DRAFT at Mary’s Pizza Shack, HopMonk Tavern, Burgers & Vine, and other local restarants. It’s also sold at Sonoma’s Broadway Market and at Glen Ellen Village Market.

bellasnow.com

BELLA SNOW COFOUNDER SEAN BOISSON, who grew up in Sonoma and is the JV baseball coach at Sonoma Valley High School, came up with the idea for his new business after helping his younger sister wash her car one afternoon. A good 80 pounds lighter than Sean, his sister declined a second beer that day because she knew she had to drive home. “It got me thinking about leveling the playing field of people’s tolerances and coming up with a beer that was fully beer but had less alcohol,” says Boisson.

Boisson and co-founder Mathew Rohrs, college friends from Sonoma State University, worked with consulting brewmaster Peter Stearns to develop the recipe for Bella Snow, which comes in at 2.4% ABV (alcohol by volume).

The low-calorie Scottish-style “soft ale” — made with Cascade hops and infused with grapefruit flavors — is also unique in that all the gluten is removed from the beer and it contains no sugar.

Boisson and Rohrs realize that competition is fierce in the beer arena. They plan to self-distribute for as long as possible to keep the per-can price low. Their goal is for Bella Snow to be available coast to coast within the next two years. “We want women and smaller people – people of all tolerance levels – to be able to keep drinking with their friends if they want to,” says Boisson.

Bella Snow cofounders Sean Boisson, right, and Mathew Rohrs, in their Sonoma warehouse.

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sonomamag.com SEPT/OCT 2021

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MAKER

Perfecting a Passion Stunning stoneware mugs and vases from a Petaluma ceramicist

By Dana Rebmann

Paige Green

Her creations bring joy to our everyday rituals. “It’s nice to think of people starting their day with one of my mugs. I get to help them get caffeinated,” laughs ceramicist Heather Fordham. “Or have a cup of tea when they need to calm down.”

The Petaluma mother of two converted her garage into a pottery studio a few years back to focus on improving her craft.

But when looking at her work, including elegantly glazed matte-black mugs and dinnerware, it’s hard to imagine even a hint of artistic struggle. “It looks so much like cast iron. It just feels strong — and it goes with everything,” says Fordham.

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2 0 3 5 C U T T I N G S W H A R F R O A D | N A PA $4,500,000 Welcome to the historic M Ranch, the perfect family compound. This Napa Valley estate rests on 11.36 acres surrounded by world-class vineyards and rolling landscape. The property features a 4,000 SF main home, designed by Luther Turton in 1919, with 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms, with direct access to the indoor spa from the master bathroom. The family living areas are spacious and bright;they too hold true to the historic charm that can be seen and felt throughout the home.

A 1 bed/1 bath and a 2 bed/2 bath guest house provide a total of 5,935 SF of space and privacy to the property; perfect for hosting guests or additional income.

This property provides homeowners a secluded retreat with in ground pool & pool house, tennis court, built-in BBQ and a 2-story barn with stables. 4 acres of Chardonnay Vineyards with more plantable acres available. Unique to this property are grandfathered structure rights and possible wine permit.

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MAKER

With a focus on form and shape as opposed to decoration, if Fordham isn’t happy with something, odds are good it won’t make it to the final firing. She doesn’t hesitate to recycle clay, working with it again and again until she gets exactly what she wants. “I am a perfectionist, and that probably shows in my work,” she laughs. “I just want to get better.

That’s my main goal, to improve my craft, and it’s fun to see that happening over the years.”

As her kids head back to school this fall, Fordham is excited to have more time to indulge in the creative process and make use of a newly acquired kiln with even more capacity. Mugs may be her favorite thing to make, but she continues to branch out, working with weightier pieces of clay to create larger plates, broad serving bowls, and taller vases —which have a knack for finding their way to friends’ and neighbors’ homes filled with flowers from Fordham’s own garden.

Interest in Fordham’s work on is the rise, as locals see it in use at nearby restaurants, including Table Culture Provisions. Fordham is thrilled by the attention but remains focused on investing that success back into her maker community. A passionate supporter of fellow small-business owners, she collects mugs made by other Sonoma ceramicists. The stockpile comes in handy on a daily basis as she indulges in her morning ritual at Petaluma Coffee & Tea Co. “I like to think I’m supporting my fellow potters when I drink out of their mugs, when I purchase theirs, so I think it’s just supporting the makers I know. It’s a nice connection to them.”

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Buy Fordham’s ceramics directly from the artist on Instagram @heatherfordhamceramics.

You can also find her work at area restaurants and design shops, including Penngrove Market, Table Culture Provisions, and Herb Folk.

Paige Green

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C R AV I NG S

Best Local Cider

By Heather Irwin

Fall is cider time, and Sonoma County is hard-cider central, with nationally recognized brands like Golden State and Ace as well as small-scale producers like Tilted Shed and Horse & Plow. We give them all props for preserving long-standing traditions, and for helping to rescue our heritage orchards.

THE IDEALIST

ORANGE YOU CUTE

PASSION PLAY

Tilted Shed Ciderworks

Ethic Ciders

Goat Rock Cider Company

Inclinado Espumante

Zest

Rosé Cider

A twist on Basque cider, with a hint of effervescence and made with dry-farmed Gravensteins from a single orchard. Hazy and oakfermented, it has a wild flavor with a bit of funk.

Apples and citrus are perfect partners in this, well, zesty cider. It’s bone dry with flavors of tangerine and blood-orange alongside plenty of crisp apple and a zing of rosehips. Available online at

The mix of passionfruit and apples gives this pink cider both a rose color and the flavors of rose wine. A Good Food Award winner and personal favorite. Available online at goatrockcider.com

HOPPY TIMES

AGUA FRESCA-INSPIRED

Horse & Plow

Golden State Cider

ACE

Hops & Honey Cider

Jamaica

BlackJack 21

Though it sounds sweet, this dry sparkler is a mix of 10 varieties of apples, dry-hopped with whole hops with honey added as a fermenter. Hearty, earthy, and entirely unique. 1272 Gravenstein

A nod to the beloved sweet-tart hibiscus water found at many taquerias, this refreshing cider gets the pucker factor just right with the combo of dry cider and the tropical, floral notes of Jamaica. Plus, it’s adorably pink. 180 Morris St. at The Barlow,

The elder statesman of Sonoma ciders. This dry, celebratory cider features the Gravenstein apple, and is barrel-aged to mark the end of harvest season each year. 2064 Gravenstein Highway N.,

7765 Bell Road, Windsor. tiltedshed.com

Highway N., Sebastopol. horseandplow.com

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ethicciders.com

Sebastopol. drinkgoldenstate.com

THE ORIGINAL

Sebastopol, acecider.com

MAGNIFICENT ESTATE RADIATING TRUE ROMANCE AND PROVINCIAL CHARM. For the first time in 45 years, a rare opportunity to own a family vineyard estate steeped in decades of Sonoma history. This 187 acre property features a magnificent stone house, rustic lake-front cabin, barn with guest units, stable with bunk house, and the Los Chamizal vineyard.

Stonewood-Estate.com 18000 GEHRICKE ROAD | SONOMA Price available upon request Mark Stornetta 707.815.8749 mark@markstornetta.com markstornetta.com | DRE 01440416 Compass is a real estate broker licensed by the State of California and abides by Equal Housing Opportunity laws. License Number [license number to be inserted by region]. All material presented herein is intended for informational purposes only and is compiled from sources deemed reliable but has not been verified. Changes in price, condition, sale or withdrawal may be made without notice. No statement is made as to accuracy of any description. All measurements and square footage are approximate.

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FOCUS

Farming in Unity Every year, Tim Page, the founder of Sebastopol’s bustling food hub and growers’ cooperative FEED (Farmers Exchange of Earthly Delights) watches

the harbingers of fall arrive. “It’s all about the colorful eye candy – the apples, the Asian pears, winter squash coming on, the pumpkins – that classic cornucopia,” he says. Then, suddenly, one day the season is upon us: “That first afternoon where it feels really crisp and cool, and there’s a breeze – that’s what I think of when I think of fall,” he says.

What started 10 years ago with a walk-in cooler in Page’s garage has grown into a business supported by more than 70 member farms, selling to hundreds of families and dozens of restaurants. This season, with scarce water and a record drought, the big question that weighs on him daily is: “If this persists, is this the end of farming in Sonoma County?”

- John Beck

Surviving the drought

If this drought persists, you may not have many farmers to talk to next year. But I think this year, the drought for fall crops actually gives us an opportunity to really support local farmers, because I think that the harvest this fall will still be pretty abundant. If the general public wants to see these farmers survive and be around next year, then buy what they have.

Investing in the harvest

After launching the FEED bin program last March, we’re now averaging around 600 food boxes per week. In all honesty, if we had 2,000 to 3,000 families buying a food bin per week – we’re talking $35 for a box of food, and you’re already spending

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money for food, granted it would cost $10 less at Safeway – if we had that amount of people willing to invest in the program, that would literally guarantee that our food system will survive.

That is all we’re asking. We don’t need government subsidies to save the food system. We just need people to invest in it.

Planning for fire

When it comes to the fire season, it’s about having a closer-knit farming community that’s going to be tied together. For instance, FEED creates a tree of contact for people, and we can use our warehouse as a gathering space for people to bring their equipment or whatever it might be. I think the threat of fire has actually become a part of a farm

plan, much like you would have a crop plan. It’s actually becoming part of the business plan, with emergency mitigation now built into your annual plan.

Helping farmers get by

If you’re going to buy apples this fall, make sure they’re coming from a local grower, because that’s the only way they stay in business. That’s the only way they survive. Nobody’s farming in Sonoma County to become rich financially – no one. These are all people that you want on your team if you believe in saving the planet for your children. It’s all based on stewardship.

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BY THE NUMBERS

Sonoma’s Newest Theater

$28 million Total project cost 50 years ago The first time SRJC’s theater department requested a black box theater to produce smaller, experimental works Very necessary first-time addition A dressing room

1939 The year of the original Burbank Auditorium, constructed as part of FDR’s New Deal Most natural design element Sunlight filtered through oak trees, made visible through the theater lobby’s new north windows, giving the space a wash of diffused light

10,000 pounds Weight capacity of each panel of cable net that light operators walk on to access catwalks, 27 feet in the air

An element preserved Designers kept the stage’s original steel proscenium arch, with its college emblem and repeating relief pattern of oak leaves

Coziest upgrades Wider seats for the audience and a green room lounge for performers

400 feet Depth of the bores for a new energy-efficient geothermal heat pump Three Number of ADAcompliant lifts added to access control booths and the orchestra pit

200 seats Capacity of the new black box theater

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400 seats Capacity of the renovated main auditorium

sonomamag.com SEPT/OCT 2021

Most popular SRJC show The 2014 production of “Phantom of the Opera”

“Onion Rings” Students’ nickname for the lobby’s new chandeliers

Tim Griffith, Derrick Story (2), Tom Chown (2)

After four years of planning and renovations, plus delays due to the pandemic, students at Santa Rosa Junior College are finally making use of the newly-renovated Burbank Auditorium. The face of the original red-brick building is unchanged, but the interior has been transformed for 21st century learning, and a brand-new black box theater provides a home for smaller, experimental productions.

This is a theater for the community, and in the months to come, it will be home to public lectures, performances, and festivals. -Karen Kizer

A PLAC E LI KE N O OTH E R Wine Country is open. Experience the ultimate wine, food and farm-to-table destination in Sonoma Wine Country with curated small-lot wine tasting flights and four acres of culinary gardens.

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5007 Fulton Road, Fulton, CA 95439 707.571.8100 | kj.com | @kjwines

©2021 KENDALL-JACKSON WINERY, SANTA ROSA, CA

LOVE WINE

Favorite Dry-farmed Wines

By Stacy Briscoe

IT’S THE QUESTION ON EVERY WINEMAKER’S MIND THIS YEAR: Water. As we come off a second

season of punishing drought, more and more Sonoma winemakers are looking to traditional dry-farming methods as a way to increase their vines’ resilience.

What is dry farming? It’s a method of cultivating grapes without additional irrigation, a method no longer strictly relegated to old-vine plantings in Sonoma County.

“Dry farming is not an entirely new concept,” says sixth-generation vintner Katie Bundschu of Abbot’s Passage Winery, who recently purchased a block of 80-year-old, dry-farmed Zinfandel vines. “Prior to the 1970’s, all vineyards planted were functionally ‘dry farmed,” Bundschu says.

“We rely on the water that falls from the sky and gets absorbed into the soil,” says Mari Jones, president of Emeritus Vineyards in Sebastopol. Jones estimates that using no irrigation whatsoever saves 44 million gallons of water annually, compared to vines farmed with conventional irrigation. Dry farming works on their 140 acres of estate vineyard because of the local soil type. “The Goldridge topsoil is very well-draining, allowing water to flow through to the deeper clay, where water is absorbed and stored,” she explains.

In contrast, at Hamel Family Wines in Sonoma Valley, it’s in the rockiest vineyard where winemaker

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John Hamel says he sees the most success with dry farming. “We have the privilege of farming a vineyard that was planted in the 1880s that has been dry farmed during its entire history,” he says. “We’ve found roots are able to penetrate the fractures in the rocks and find trapped water and nutrients within those fractures. Deep roots in well-drained soils are key for us in terms of wine quality. A vine must have deep roots in order to persist and carry a crop without irrigation.”

Vines that struggle to root more deeply are also more adaptable to weather fluctuations, as they’re well-practiced at water conservation, according to William Allen, proprietor and winemaker of Two Shepherds Winery in Windsor. The technique also results in decreased yields, increasing grape quality: “It’s generally accepted that higher-quality grapes are grown by making vines struggle,” Allen says. “Lower yields produce higher-quality grapes—in contrast to irrigated, fertilized vines with high yields.”

In the end, dry farming is a choice that can not only offer increased resilience in the face of drought, but can also boost the quality of the crop. “We see an elevated complexity, texture and minerality in wines made from dry-farmed grapes,” says Hamel. “We ultimately believe that it yields higher quality grapes than those from irrigated vines.”

DRY-FARMED WINES TO TRY THIS FALL HAMEL FAMILY WINES 2018 Sonoma Valley Zinfandel Complex aromas of raspberry, cherry and orange peel complemented by floral, flint and spice. $64 / 707-996-5800, hamelfamilywines.com ABBOT’S PASSAGE WINERY 2018 Makeshift A dry-farmed blend of Zinfandel, Petit Sirah, and Petit Verdot. Enjoy moderate tannins and a bright acidity, along with rich, bold black fruit flavors. $30 / 707-939-3017, abbotspassage.com TWO SHEPHERDS WINERY 2020 “Blanc de Cinsault” Whole-cluster pressed Cinsault from the 135-year-old Bechthold Vineyard.

Pair with light dishes, white fish, salads, chevre. $30 / 415-613-5731, twoshepherds.com EMERITUS VINEYARDS 2016 Hallberg Ranch Pinot Noir Flavors of black cherry, cinnamon, and toasted almonds. A light-bodied red wine filled with subtle nuances. $45 / 707-823-9463, emeritusvineyards.com

At Emeritus Vineyards, dry-farmed vines show deep roots.

Courtesy Emeritus Vineyards

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THE SCOOP ON ALL THINGS FOOD AND DRINK LOREM

taste

taste BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS

Warming chorilocos are a childhood favorite of chef Carlos Rosas, who fondly remembers his mother making fresh chorizo and salsa after her weekly trip to the farmers market. Rosas elevates the dish by cooking the potatoes in adobo for three hours, then adding scrambled eggs and freshly-made chorizo seasoned with cinnamon, Mexican oregano, thyme, pepper, and Chardonnay. Chile Morita, a sauce of tomatillos, roasted tomatoes, and chiles adds an earthy, smoky fall flavor, while housemade red corn tortillas (the red comes from more chiles) add a final seasonal touch.

Christopher Chung

Available until 3 p.m. daily. Barrio Cocina Mexicana, 6760 McKinley St., at The Barlow, Sebastopol. 707-329-6538, trustmetaco.com.

-Heather Irwin SEPT/OCT 2021 sonomamag.com

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SAVOR THE SEASON

Jams, pickles, and chutneys—how local producers hold onto harvest

By CAREY SWEET Photography by CHRISTOPHER CHUNG

SAVOR THE SEASON Jams, pickles, and chutneys — how local producers hold onto harvest.

By CAREY SWEET Photography by CHRISTOPHER CHUNG

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A

S SUMMER USHERS IN AUTUMN, we begin to miss our warm-weather berries,

peaches, and plums. But that’s why preserving the goodness of harvest has long been a way of life in Sonoma County. We pickle and can our garden veggies, mill grains into flour, and even freeze herbs and citrus juices to enjoy year-round.

“I’ve absolutely seen a rise in people canning preserves,” says Amie Pfeifer, who makes jams, shrubs, pickles and more at Glen Ellen’s Flatbed Farm. “It was super-evident last summer, as you couldn’t find a Ball or Mason jar for miles. I also had more people coming and asking me questions about beginning canning or telling me about their own canning experiences.”

Besides pampering our palates with the brightest, freshest flavors, canning and pickling helps protect the earth. “Preserving is a fantastic way to eat foods out of season,” says Veva Edelson of Piano Farm, a boutique operation in Bloomfield, where she and husband Karel Sidorjak turn a cornucopia of produce into jam, polenta, and cider. “It is way more sustainable than shipping produce long distances so we can have whatever we want whenever we want it.”

kovacdesignstudio.com | @kovacdesignstudio

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Five years ago, Tanya Seibold of Fourteen Magpies started making jams as gifts for friends and family with fruit from the heirloom orchard on the 1915 farm she inherited from family in southwest Santa Rosa. The riches hung heavy on the branches: 50-year-old quince and Spitzenburg apples; figs; and over a dozen different plums, including rare French prunes and several wild varieties she still hasn’t identified. “My desire to craft a collection of jams and preserves came from seeing beautiful fruit drop with nowhere to go,” says Seibold. “We’re so fortunate in Sonoma County to have an unending bounty of produce — I didn’t want it to go to waste.”

Seibold’s low-sugar, micro-batch jams in handnumbered jars were an instant hit, with their bold, perfectly balanced sweet-tart flavors. The crowning touch: kisses of vanilla bean and a puckery finish of lemon. “We use an all-natural, vegan, low-sugar pectin, and a ratio of approximately one cup of pure cane sugar to one pound of fruit,” she says. “Most commercial jams are two cups of sugar per pound.

Way too sweet! I believe the true flavor of the fruit should shine through in every bite.”

Last year, Seibold invested in a pricey French copper jam pot, secured a cottage food industry permit from the county, and opened her boutique business for sales online and at local festivals. “I covet my jam pot,” she says. “It was a splurge, but so worth it. Copper’s heat-conductivity can’t be beat, and the wide, shallow design allows the fruit to heat up quickly and evenly. The shorter it takes the jam to cook, the more flavorful it is.”

To be sure, these are treasures you’ll want to slather on pastries and scones. But Seibold says they also pair beautifully with charcuterie, cheese, and grilled meats. “And try adding them to a craft cocktail in place of simple syrup, for a burst of brilliant fruit flavor.”

It’s difficult to believe how much goodness is coaxed from the 3-acre Piano Farm in the west county hamlet of Bloomfield. Owners Veva Edelson and Karel Sidorjak craft gourmet, tiny-batch products like boysenberrylemon verbena, strawberry-red currant, and tomato-plum-rosemary jams; nutty rich Floriani corn polenta; Sonoma Coast sea salt flavored with their own herbs; and a zingy fire cider of live-culture apple cider vinegar spiked with horseradish, onion, garlic, ginger, thyme and rosemary.

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Above: Organic pears at Fourteen Magpies farm in Santa Rosa. Left: The farm's owner, jam-maker Tanya Seibold.

be playful be light be bright be home.

V I S I T US AT CO R CO R A N G L .CO M

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Clockwise from above: Veva Edelson and Karel Sidorjak of Piano Farm in the west county hamlet of Bloomfield.

Organic stonefruit swells in late summer. The farm’s jams are handcrafted in tiny batches.

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Everything except the salt comes from the couple’s organic farm. And they handcraft it all, from grinding the corn using a bicycle-powered mill, to drying anise hyssop, mullein, tarragon, marigold, and rosemary in their sun-house to make their Lung Love Tea. “We consider ourselves to be artists and climate change activists,” explains Edelson. “We have a deep connection with food and believe that the landscapes we live in are shaped by the choices we make.”

A burbling pot of jam shown on Instagram hints of the farmstead approach for tart strawberry-rhubarb-rose jam and plum preserves fragrant with the cinnamon-basil notes of red shiso. Spicy mustard is another time-consuming craft, starting with horseradish that’s preserved in apple cider vinegar. The mustard blooms for a week before it’s blended with the horseradish, then the mix rests for a while to mellow its sharp, sinus-tingling thrill.

At Glen Ellen’s bucolic Flatbed Farm, monthly classes led by manager Amie Pfeifer explore all different avenues for preserving seasonal harvests, including answering questions like the difference between jam, marmalade, and fruit butter. “Berries and soft fruits that are cooked down whole become jams,” she says.

“Marmalades are specifically citrus, and butter comes from pureed fruit that you cook low and slow until it becomes thick and darkens in color.”

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Co-owner Veva Edelson harvests late strawberries in the field at Bloomfield's Piano Farm. The fruit is destined for her popular Strawberry-Red Currant preserves.

Certainly, you can buy the delicious finished products at their farmstand year-round, but Pfeifer encourages people to try their own hand at canning, too, from vegetables and fruits they grow at home or farmers market purchases they may have left on the counter just a little too long. “Preserving is the best way to utilize imperfect produce,” she says. “At Flatbed, whenever we have anything that is overripe, has been slightly damaged in the harvesting or maybe has a bite taken out by a critter, it goes into the ‘Amie Bin.’ I turn it into something, whether it’s jams, spreads, pickles, shrubs, or dried snacks. We do our absolute best not to waste anything.”

Jesus Velasquez and Patricia Greer’s small family farm, Waterhorse Ridge, nestles above a fog-blanketed valley on a remote Cazadero ridgetop, where the couple has been living off-grid for 25 years. That means they can be hard to reach (“We have ridiculously spotty internet up here,” Greer says with a laugh), and their website can be hit or miss.

But it’s worth hunting them down for delicacies like their organic, orchard-harvested Seven Citrus Marmalade; Triple Berry and Apricot Vanilla Cointreau jams; spiced plum chutney; and salsas. Velasquez and Greer’s signature is working with more unusual produce like Luther Burbank thornless blackberries, sweet lemons, Rangpur limes, and Thai Dragon chile peppers, which will go into a Cherry Dragon salsa later this year.

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taste

BOUNTY

ALL THINGS JAM IN SONOMA COUNTY

TIERRA VEGETABLES

PIANO FARM

Harvest bounty at this landmark Santa Rosa farmstand comes pickled, frozen, dehydrated, smoked, canned, bottled, and milled. DON’T MISS: Colorful popping corn such as Dakota Black, Ruby Red, and Shaman Blue. Also excellent hot sauces and stoneground polenta.

651 Airport Blvd., Santa Rosa. 707-544-6141, tierravegetables.com

At Veva Edelson and Karel Sidorjak’s organic farm in Bloomfield, everything is made by hand including apple cider vinegar produced with an apple press they received as a wedding present. DON’T MISS: Tomato-plum-rosemary jam, zingy Fire Cider, and stoneground Floriani polenta.

Order at pianofarm.org

At Flatbed Farm, late-summer bounty is captured in jams, shrubs, and pickles. The farm’s owners also offer classes in food preservation.

WATERHORSE RIDGE Oliver’s Markets carry the creative combinations put forth by Jesus Velasquez and Patricia Greer from their small farm in Cazadero.

DON’T MISS: Triple Noir preserves, with grapes, berries, and chocolate, or the Creative Buzz tea, a flurry of peppermint, rhodiola, yerba mate, berries, and more.

Order at waterhorseridge.com

FOURTEEN MAGPIES HOMEMADE JAMS & PRESERVES Tanya Seibold makes delicious micro-batches of Bartlett pearginger jam, Gravenstein apple jelly, quince paste and more.

DON’T MISS: Comparing versions of her wild plum jam from orchards just a few feet apart— one rosier in color and tasting of spiced apricot; the other a deep, inky purple.

Order at fourteenmagpies.com

LALA’S JAM BAR AND URBAN FARMSTAND

Locally, Oliver’s Market carries Waterhorse Ridge products, including the Triple Noir preserves, a “crazy blend” of blackberry, mulberry, estate grapes, and chocolate. Emily O’Conor, who oversees Oliver’s gourmet cheese selections, recommends their apricot preserves with a rich triple-cream brie, or the plum chutney with blue cheese. Waterhorse Ridge batches are tiny: just seven cases at a time, 12 jars to a case. And as with the best of all farm-grown products, availability is seasonal, says Greer, “and subject to the whims of nature.”

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Jam-making classes are a highlight at this popular shop, held Sunday mornings. Sign up for Sunday Jammin’ ($55 per person); or Family Jam ($99 per family). DON’T MISS: The Petaluma Fog, with figs, orange juice, and ginger, and wonderful mild and hot versions of Lala’s organic pepper jelly.

Open Thurs-Mon, 10 a.m.- 5 p.m. 720 E. Washington Street, Petaluma. 707-773-1083, lalasjams.com

FLATBED FARM Pickles, flavored sugars, preserves, and all kinds of other harvest goodness come from the kitchen at this bucolic Sonoma Valley farmstand.

Register in advance for “Preserving the Season: Shrubs and Jams” class on October 17, $125 per person. DON’T MISS: Delicious apricot jam and pomegranate shrubs.

Open Saturdays 9 a.m.- 3 p.m.

13450 Highway 12, Glen Ellen. flatbedfarm.com

To learn more: The Sonoma County chapter of the UC Master Food Preserver Program debuted last year. The group plans to offer virtual online canning, pickling, and fermenting workshops, and volunteers can answer food preservation questions. mfpsc@ucanr.edu, 707-565-3026

GROWN WITH GRIT

crafted with grace

It’s an introduction to California’s top family-owned vineyards. The grit of our grower partners, plus our winemaker’s graceful influence, is evident in each sip. Join us in Sonoma to explore our range of single vineyard Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, or savor our new sparkling wine & caviar experience.

21200 8th Street East | Sonoma, CA 95476 | (707) 265-7700 | PatzHall.com

Scan to reserve your experience PTZ 1561769 ©2021 Patz & Hall, Sonoma, CA 95476

A visit to Patz & Hall is more than a wine tasting.

taste KEEP UP TO DATE WITH THE LATEST AT

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New restaurants, new dishes, and favorite spots at harvest time.

BY HEATHER IRWIN DILLON BEACH

Dillon Beach Coastal Kitchen Windblown cypress jut into the horizon line just above Dillon Beach.

Standing on a bluff above one of of the state’s only private coastal beaches, you can see children playing below, birds flying above and silver ripples reflecting the evening sun. And at the Dillon Beach Coastal Kitchen, new chef Jennifer McMurry, formerly of Viola Café and The Pharmacy, makes food as satisfying as the view. The food’s beautiful not just visually — most dishes are dressed with pretty edible flowers and greens — but also in the flavors each one incorporates. McMurry always has known how to balance her creations delicately, adding a pop of citrus, a hint of salt, a little crunch, or a surprising sweetness.

If you’ve never been out to Dillon Beach, this is an ideal opportunity to get to know the resort, which owns the kitchen, along with cottages and a general store/surf shop. Though the beach is private, visitors can get a day pass for $10, and the resort is very dog-friendly. Looking out the picture windows onto the vast blue ocean and even bluer skies, it’s hard not to sing an off-key rendition of “Perfect Day” (you know, the early 2000s song by Hoku on the “Legally Blonde” soundtrack). Dillon Beach Coastal Kitchen is, no doubt, the place to finish off your perfect day.

Open Fri. through Sun., 12 p.m. – 7 p.m., 1 Beach Ave., Dillon Beach. 707878-3030, dillonbeachresort.com

BEST BETS Fried Chicken Sandwich, $18: This is my new favorite, with a thick and juicy slab of white meat, spicy pickles, a mound of shredded cabbage, aioli and greens.

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Clam Chowder, $12: “This is the best chowder I’ve ever had,” my dad said. “And you can quote me on that!” We’re not throwing any shade by saying that Bob Irwin likes his food simple, flavorful, and mostly uncomplicated. He knows what he likes, and the chowder was a hit. What impressed him, as well as the rest of us at the table, were the briny clams and applewoodsmoked bacon, with lots of chunks of potato and leeks mixed in. Even though the bacon does overpower the chowder a bit, we’ll still go with Bob’s take on this seaside staple.

Heather Irwin

Fish & Chips, $21: The rock cod is super fresh, with a lovely flake and mellow taste. After sampling so many dishes, I was dreading a big bite of fried fish, but was pleasantly surprised at how light and yielding the breading was, after a squeeze of lemon.

Beet & Avocado Toast, $13: People who dismiss avocado toast as millennial frippery do themselves no favors. A thick (but not too thick) slice of airy pain de ville from Santa Rosa’s Goguette Bread is topped by a generous schmear of fresh avocado, thinsliced pickled yellow beets, greens, and edible flowers. It’s a work of art with enough nourishment to get you through an afternoon of surfing or sandcastle-building.

Above: A seasonal salad with strawberries and goat cheese. Left, the million-dollar view at Dillon Beach Coastal Kitchen.

Enhanced products. Broader reach.

Still your community bank.

TALK TO US

Sonoma County Commercial & Retail Banking leadership (L to R): Stacey Powers, David Short, Julianna Graham, Ryan Beach, Marshall Graves & Nathan Andreassen

Meet with our expanded team in Sonoma County.

With locations in Healdsburg, Petaluma, Santa Rosa & Sonoma.

Learn more by visiting bankofmarin.com or americanriverbank.com Member FDIC

taste

BITE CLUB

PETALUMA

Central Market

Within the overall food landscape of our county, it’s a mistake to overlook the restaurants that succeed year after year, the dining rooms that become part of our lives day after day. Such it is at the iconic, beloved Central Market, where chef/owner Tony Najiola has spent 18 years of his life.

The signature entrée is Najiola’s slowcooked Angus Short Ribs ($32), with meat that falls to pieces at a mere touch of the horseradish gremolata and leek potato gratin. Fresh burrata ($16) is so simple it’s ridiculous, with buttery cream-stuffed mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, capers and crostini. Batter-fried Alaskan Halibut ($18.50) features pieces of delicately fried whitefish nestled into butter lettuce cups with fresh herbs and gribiche (a vinegary sauce with hard-boiled eggs), eaten in a couple of dainty bites. The menu changes frequently, so you’ll likely see some alterations as the seasons pass. Just don’t wait 18 years to get there.

Open Wed.- Sun. 5 p.m. – 9 p.m., 42 Petaluma Blvd. N., Petaluma. 707-7789900, centralmarketpetaluma.com

Sushi Rosa

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Above: Petaluma's Central Market. Below: A nigiri platter at Sushi Rosa. Top right: White asparagus with cured egg yolk and chiles at 4th Street Social Club.

Earlier this year, chef Jeremy Cabrera decided to reinvent his entire plant-based menu, bringing a fine-dining feel to this pint-size downtown dining room. You pretty much can’t look away from his Instagram feed @4thstreetsocialclub, featuring tweezer-rific plating in eye-popping rainbow hues. Cabrera is clearly a tinkerer, for example, using blue pea flower to color strawberries sourced from owner Melissa Matteson’s gardens and his own foraging.

The food is astounding, including the “Zuke” ($14) with roasted and torched asparagus, fermented chiles, cherry relish, mint aioli and a shoyu-cured egg yolk. Cracking the purple yam lace and releasing the salty umami yolk onto perfectly cooked asparagus is so enjoyable. It’s this kind of precision and attention that recently won the restaurant the Slow Food Snail of Approval in recognition of sustainable, slow food practices.

Open 6 p.m.– 10 p.m. Thurs. – Sun., and 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. Sat. and Sun., reservations recommended. 643 Fourth St., Santa Rosa. 707-9783882, 4thstreetsocialclub.com

4th Street Social

There’s an extra set of hands, er, a chargeable wait-tron, helping out at the new Sushi Rosa restaurant on Fourth Street.

Excuse us for the childish glee in getting a plate of nigiri deftly rolled to us from the sushi bar by a friendly roving robot that guides itself right to our table. The sushi here is solid, if not Hana Japanese level, with page after page of rolls and nigiri, including a vegetarian “nigiri” plate as well as more traditional dishes like dried squid with vegetables (ika sansai), Japanese pickles (tsukemono), a whole mackerel with fried bone and pickled vegetable maki.

Open 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Tues. through Sun. and 5 p.m. – 9 p.m. Tues. through Sat. 515 Fourth St., Santa Rosa. 707-843-5132, sushirosa.com

4th Street Social Club

Heather Irwin

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taste

BITE CLUB

SANTA ROSA

Tony’s Galley Seafood & Bar

Tony Ounpamornchai, executive chef and co-owner of SEA Thai Bistro and three other local restaurants, has been thinking about opening a seafoodcentric spot for years. Now, the chef has fulfilled his briny ambitions with Tony’s Galley Seafood & Bar. The menu is a mix of Ounpamornchai’s familiar Southeast Asian flavors and chef de cuisine Hunter Bryson’s American take on classic dishes like lobster rolls, steamed mussels, fish and chips, clam chowder and, of course, surf and turf.

Highlights include the LGBLT lobster roll ($26), with Village Bakery rolls, garlic butter, bacon, tomatoes, and a pop of tobiko. Bryson’s favorite dish is the crab poutine ($16), with hand-cut fries as a carrier for creamy lobster gravy and fresh crabmeat. And the steamed mussels ($16) feature the gentle heat of a light, flavorful Panang curry with onion, fennel, and garlic. Overall, it’s another win for Ounpamornchai and a chance to see longtime local Bryson show off his culinary chops.

Open 3 p.m. – 9 p.m. daily. 722 Village Court, Santa Rosa, 707-3037007, tonysgalley.com Tony's Galley Seafood & Bar in Santa Rosa

HEALDSBURG

Ferrari-Carano Vineyards & Winery

The harvest season outdoor brunch options at Ferrari-Carano include an excellent herbed porchetta sandwich.

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Heather Irwin

Deep in the Dry Creek Valley is a place to reclaim inner quiet at a series of special Sunday fall brunches, running through the end of October. Enjoy a meal and wine tasting on the patio at the Italian-inspired winery estate, Villa Fiore, surrounded by meditative gardens, fountains, and meandering paths. Dishes include a prosciutto Benedict made with eggs from the estate’s own chickens, a brunch pizza with Journeyman bacon, or a delicious herbed porchetta sandwich on ciabatta bread with truffle aioli and pecorino cheese.

Seatings on Sundays from 10:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., reservations required. $85 per person.

8761 Dry Creek Road, Healdsburg. 707-433-6700, ferrari-carano.com

A FI R E PLA C E F OR AL L S E AS O N S

The New Forest Electric Fire

taste

BITE CLUB

HEALDSBURG

Burdock

BEST BETS Crispy Pork Belly, $14: Fatty, meaty, crispy squares of pork belly with soft pineapple and the lasting flavor embrace of a sweet-savory mole. A steal of a deal.

Akaushi Beef Carpaccio, $26: It’s perhaps a splurge, but so memorable: Whisper-thin slices of premium raw beef, gooey egg yolk, and the earthy note of mushroom and tangy pecorino cheese. If swagger had a flavor, this would be it.

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Ahi Tuna Tartare, $17: Three little spoons with barely a bite of raw tuna had us snorting in disbelief. Really?

Then we ate them. Oh. A flavor bomb of clean and briny tuna with a zing of sweet-tart Meyer lemon and a crunch of popped farro. The richness would have been overpowering in a larger portion.

Baked Oysters Cubano, $4.50: Plain and simple little oysters get a mink stole of mustard butter, Gruyere, and Serrano ham. Lucky little oysters.

Heather Irwin

Burdock, the newly opened sister eatery to Duke’s Spirited Cocktails, is Healdsburg’s version of Harry Potter’s Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, existing only to a self-selecting crowd.

Once inside, you see there’s a bit of magic about it. Wedged between Duke’s and the former Brass Rabbit, the restaurant is in an impossibly long and narrow passage, a secret alleyway edged in brick where wanderers discover a secluded market for top-shelf bourbon, tiki drinks, and caviar puffs.

Last April, Duke’s was left rudderless when its founders left the business over a dispute with their investor.

The founders had been slated to open Burdock soon after, but the debut was pushed back to late June, when it opened with chef Michael Pihl and beverage director Michael Richardson. Both are ridiculously overqualified for the gig: Pihl with stints at the former Michelinstarred Cyrus and Napa’s Mustards Grill, and Richardson of Frankie’s Tiki Room in Las Vegas.

We went wild for Richardson’s custom tiki drinks. These aren’t the farm-to-glass cocktails you’ll get next door at Duke’s, but more serious mixed drinks that show off Richardson’s hefty experience. And each bite from the menu was truly, truly stunning. It’s rare to be moved by such minuscule portions, but sometimes less is absolutely more.

109A Plaza St., Healdsburg. 707-431-1105, burdockbar.com Above: The clubby interior at Burdock in Healdsburg.

Left: Ahi Tuna Tartare.

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It’s knowing the smallest incisions may be your biggest hope.

If you have prostate cancer, robotic-assisted technology may be able to remove your prostate gland with a few small incisions. Through high-definition, 3D-magnified views inside your body, this robotic system translates every hand movement your surgeon makes, in real time, to bend and rotate high-precision instruments. The robotic surgical system at Sutter Santa Rosa Regional Hospital provides some of the most advanced instrumentation for your minimally invasive prostate surgery.

It’s a thousand things, big and small.

Learn more at sutterhealth.org/ssrrh.

Sign Up for a Free Webinar Join us September 16 for a free webinar on prostate health and surviving prostate cancer.

Register at sutterhealth.org/ prostate-seminar.

PROMOTIONAL SECTION

Aging Well

The phrases “70 is the new 50” or “80 is the new 60” have never been truer than today, where seniors are healthier, in better shape, and living an active lifestyle more than ever before. In the pages that follow you’ll find some of Sonoma County’s best resources to help you or a loved one get the most out of life’s “golden” years.

WHO WE ARE

At Home Caregivers At Home Caregivers serves those who are recovering, convalescing or aging wherever they call home.

We are proud to be the leading provider of in-home non-medical care services for seniors throughout Sonoma and Marin counties for more than 16 years. As the employer of record, we pay ALL wages, taxes and workers compensation insurance.

All caregivers are bonded, screened and insured. We encourage the development of the client-caregiver relationship through consistent caregiver scheduling. Licensed by the state of California, At Home Caregivers is locally owned and operated – not a franchise.

OUR SERVICES

Caregivers are at the heart of our service.

We hire only compassionate, experienced caregivers and train them to meet our standard of care. Our “Legendary Caregiver Service” includes in-home care, dementia care, personal care, hospice care and companion care services. Caregivers are trained to meet care needs associated with Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, heart failure, Parkinson’s, diabetes and many other conditions. We match the needs of our clients with the expertise and personalities of our caregivers.

891 SECOND STREET, SANTA ROSA, CA 95404 • 707-575-4663 ATHOMECAREGIVERS.COM

AG I N G W E L L P R O M OT I O N A L S E C T I O N

Kaiser Permanente Live longer, healthier, and more independently — our integrated care and services are customized to meet your needs and priorities, at any stage of life.

kp.org

L I V I N G I N D E P E N D E N T LY

H E A LT H Y AG I N G

Even though your body changes as you age, those changes don’t have to limit your independence, energy, or enthusiasm for the activities you enjoy. The key to healthy aging is a healthy lifestyle. Our online resources and programs, in-person classes, and multidisciplinary care teams help you manage chronic conditions, reduce pain, sleep better, stay active, maintain a healthy weight, and more.

Many older adults prefer to stay at home as they age. The best way to stay independent is to know when, where, and who to ask for help. Become familiar with your community’s support services for seniors, such as transportation, financial counseling, and home-delivered meals. You can find out more about the services available in your area by calling your local senior center, Area Agency on Aging (AAA), or by visiting an Eldercare Locator.

LIFECARE PLANNING

Whether you’re healthy or have an ongoing or serious illness, it’s important to document your values, care preferences, and other end of life decisions in the event you can’t speak for yourself. Complete an advanced directive and share it with your doctor, attorney, caregiver, and family/friends.

Keep it in a safe, and easy to find, place and review it from time to time to reflect changes in your medical conditions, living situation, and preferences.

CARING FOR OTHERS

Many people care for a spouse, parent, or other family member or friend. Caregiving can be a rewarding experience, but it can also be stressful. It’s important to understand you’re not alone.

There is help, including family and friends, health care professionals, and persons working with community services. Here are three steps to being a good caregiver: take care of yourself, don’t help too much, and ask for help.

401 Bicentennial Way, Santa Rosa • 707-393-4000 • kp.org

AG I N G W E L L P R O M OT I O N A L S E C T I O N

Spring Lake Village Spring Lake Village offers an engaged community with a spacious open campus, delicious dining and a full calendar of wellness activities, classes, and more.

www.covia.org/spring-lake-village

SERVICES

AMENITIES

At Spring Lake Village you can learn a new skill or pursue an existing interest in our woodshop and art studios or take a comforting walk around our miles of walking trails and wooded areas. From our fitness center and pool to our onsite library and activity rooms, there are numerous amenities to help you live your best life, enjoy friends, and stay active.

Whether you choose a Lifetime or Classic contract, your monthly fee includes comprehensive services to make your life easy and enjoyable.

We provide weekly housekeeping and linen service, regular maintenance, and utilities, including Wi-Fi, plus 24/7 security with an emergency response system in each apartment or cottage.

Certain services are available for an additional fee, including cable TV, meal delivery, private transportation and parking.

NEW MONTHLY CONTRACT OPTION

There’s a new way to join Spring Lake Village. Choose from a select group of one-bedroom apartment homes offered without an entrance fee. Now, you can call Spring Lake Village home and experience the renowned spirit of community and wellbeing along with the flexibility of a monthly agreement.

Come see the campus and available apartments and learn how this option can work for you. Think of your future on your terms with engaging opportunities, interesting neighbors and dedicated staff providing the services you want.

HEALTH CARE

We offer multiple levels of care to support you as your healthcare needs change. The healthcare continuum available at Spring Lake Village includes independent living, assisted living, skilled nursing care, outpatient rehab services, exceptional memory care, and a preferred partner for home care.

5555 Montgomery Dr, Santa Rosa CA 95409 • 707-579-6964 • www.covia.org/spring-lake-village

AG I N G W E L L P R O M OT I O N A L S E C T I O N

Healdsburg A Pacifica Senior Living Community Open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Virtual tours are also always available. Specializing in assisted living, memory care, skilled nursing and rehabilitation.

www.pacificaseniorliving/healdsburg

AMENITIES AND ACTIVITIES

COMMUNITY

Healdsburg is a full-service senior living community. This beautiful nine-acre campus – with spacious studio, 1 and 2 bedroom apartments – is minutes from the picturesque town square. On the community campus there are 25,000 square feet of flowers, gardens, and beautiful walking paths.

All are an outdoor feast for the senses.

In addition, residents enjoy keeping company with settled chickens, collecting eggs and feeding friendly goats. The community provides assisted living, memory care, skilled nursing and rehabilitation

In addition to customized care plans and compassionate staff, residents enjoy professional dining services in a restaurant-style setting. Beauty, barber and manicure services are available as well. Healdsburg offers a schedule of engaging activities. These include arts and crafts, cook-outs and barbeques, picnics, fitness and dancing, board and video games, movies and local entertainment. A day out in the area might include charming local wineries or appreciating the culture that Healdsburg has to offer.

MEMORY CARE

The skilled nursing staff supports seniors with memory impairment by implementing targeted therapies and continuing with activities – to engage the cognitive functions. The dementia care staff is trained to provide needed services in a supportive environment.

We provide a comprehensive approach to caring for each resident by integrating behavioral management and nursing assistance. Our goal is to optimize function, promote social interaction, and enhance self-esteem through assessment and development of care plans that are individualized for each resident.

SKILLED NURSING

Nurses provide your loved ones with the highest level of care found outside the hospital. Our goal is to assist residents through every step of the recovery process, making sure they heal not only physically, but also emotionally. We evaluate and design each therapy plan to fit individual needs while offering the respect and dignity residents deserve. Areas of specialty include orthopedic and neurological rehabilitation, wound care, and intravenous medication administration. We also provide long term custodial care.

725 Grove St Healdsburg, CA • (707) 687-9632 • PacificaSeniorLivingHealdsburg.com

AG I N G W E L L P R O M OT I O N A L S E C T I O N

Exchange Bank

Trust and Investment Management A major component of happy, healthy aging is stress management, yet some of life’s most stressful events happen as we age. Exchange Bank’s Trust and Investment Management team aims to alleviate stress by helping our clients achieve their goals and plan for their financial futures.

exchangebank.com/trust-investment

E S TAT E S E T T L E M E N T

INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT

Estate settlement is a complex process—many people either don’t have someone they trust, or they want to spare their loved ones the time-intensive task. We take care of everything, including: managing financial assets; protecting and distributing personal belongings; tax reporting; bill payments; accounting to beneficiaries; and ultimately distributing the assets in accordance with our clients’ wishes. We worry about these things so that you (and your loved ones) don’t have to.

Our objective is to manage your investments to meet your goals, not to take unwarranted risks in an attempt to beat the market. We work to understand your goals, timeline and risk tolerance to build a portfolio that works for you.

As a fee-only fiduciary investment manager, we do not accept commissions of any kind. Our fee is based on the market value of your account, which means our financial interests are in alignment with yours.

RETIREMENT SERVICES

Exchange Bank provides a wide range of retirement planning services. Our Rollover IRA program provides a rational and cost-effective alternative to traditional investment advisory services. Our certified retirement and investment specialists have a strong understanding of the unique rules that govern retirement accounts and will ensure your tax, distribution and beneficiary elections are handled with care. Our goal is to take some of the guesswork out of retirement, so you can focus on celebrating.

SERVING SONOMA COUNTY SINCE 1963

Exchange Bank has one of the largest community bank trust departments in California with offices in Santa Rosa, Roseville and Los Altos, and over $1.4 billion in assets under administration. Since 1963, we’ve been committed to the financial success and well-being of our clients and are proud to be a trusted resource for our community.

545 Fourth St., Santa Rosa, CA 95401 • 707-524-3151 • exchangebank.com/trust-investment

AG I N G W E L L P R O M OT I O N A L S E C T I O N

SENIOR LIVING

Arbol Residences of Santa Rosa Senior living with a core mission of care and compassion

We offer a continuing care model with three levels of accommodations on one campus: Assisted Living, Memory Care and Post-Acute Care (Skilled Nursing). At Arbol Residences we are hospitality driven, embracing a true service culture where we value residents and staff alike. We strive to not only meet, but exceed expectations daily.

Kenwood Hearing Centers provides hearing tests, hearing aids, and other hearing care services.

Arbol Residences is proud to announce plans for a $9 million renovation project to be completed in the fall of 2021.

The project includes a bistro, upgraded dining room, exercise room and six new one-bedroom apartments. The exercise room will include ergonomic equipment, free weights, and a full schedule of classes designed to enhance the community’s existing holistic approach to healthy aging and adoption of the eight Dimensions of Wellness.

300 FOUNTAINGROVE PKWY, SANTA ROSA • 707-359-5005 ARBOLSANTAROSA.COM

OV E R V I E W

Kenwood Hearing Centers

R E N OVAT I O N S

We’ve been helping people in Sonoma County improve their lives through better hearing for more than 60 years. We have five conveniently located offices with professionally trained Audiologists and Hearing Specialists to provide you with the very best care. We are family owned and operated and treat each patient as if they were family too.

HEARING SOLUTIONS

We offer a complete suite of hearing care services, including hearing testing, hearing aids, repair, custom earplugs and more.

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SIMPLE PLEASURES

BY ABIGAIL PETERSON PHOTOGRAPHY BY BETH SCHLANKER

September and October farmer’s markets beckon with a double dose of seasonal bounty, as the last of the tomatoes and corn give way to figs and squash, chiles and whole grains. Here, five Sonoma chefs, emerging names and TV stars alike, show off the best ways to play with these flavors at home, from an alluring cauliflower and chickpea salad to a uniquely velvety walnut gazpacho. Each recipe is so very Sonoma, with abundant local veggies at the heart of the dish—and each recipe speaks, in its own way, to what makes fall such an incredible time of year for those who love to cook.

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THE CHEF:

CRISTA LUEDTKE

BOON EAT + DRINK, EL BARRIO, BROT GUERNEVILLE Call her the chef who transformed an entire town. In 2008, tired of corporate life, Crista Luedtke moved to Guerneville, taking over a boutique hotel and opening a restaurant named for her sweet, white-muzzled rescue pup, Boon. And then she just kept going, with another local restaurant, and another—and just this summer, a second resort, The Highlands. Along the way, she became a star on “Guy’s Grocery Games” and a leader with a heart of gold in her local community.

Today, though she travels in the heady world of celebrity chefs, she stays true to her adopted west county roots, hiking with friends at the Jenner Headlands Preserve or dropping in a couple of kayaks at the mouth of the Russian River.

“Early fall is quite literally one of my most favorite times of year here, as the vineyards go from green to orange to red,” Luedtke says. “It’s a moment to relax and reflect on a crazy-busy summer season. It means fewer crowds, but more quality time with people, and really getting to enjoy the bounty of the food.”

Luedtke says this easy fall recipe came together on the fly, with nutty cauliflower, creamy chickpeas, and sweet figs balanced by salty olives and crunchy pine nuts.

“Eating veggie doesn’t have to mean just salads—it can mean super-hearty and seasonal. This is like a fun mash-up of my favorite things.” eatatboon.com

ROASTED CAULIFLOWER OVER WHIPPED CHICKPEAS WITH FIG AND OLIVE RELISH Cut the cauliflower into florets. Toss the florets in a few tablespoons of olive oil and salt, then roast on a baking sheet in the oven at 450°F until goldenbrown, about 10-15 minutes. The finished cauliflower should have color and tenderness but retain a bit of crunch.

While the cauliflower roasts, prepare the chickpea puree. Strain the chickpeas and reserve the liquid in a bowl. In a blender or food processor, combine the chickpeas, the juice of one lemon, garlic, olive oil, tahini, a teaspoon of salt, and ¼ cup of the reserved chickpea liquid (aquafaba).

Blend on high for about 2 minutes, scraping down the sides as needed. If the machine slows down, add 2 more tablespoons of aquafaba. To finish, add 1 tablespoon of water at a time until the puree is smooth and light, and season with salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.

To make the relish, cut the figs in half, and caramelize them on the stove in a medium-hot saute pan with a tablespoon of olive oil, then set aside to cool.

In the same pan, sauté the diced shallot in oil on medium heat until soft, and add the chopped olives to warm them through, then remove from heat. Once the figs are cool, chop them roughly and add them back to pan with the oliveshallot mixture and the juice of one lemon. Roughly chop the pine nuts and fold into relish. Set aside at room temperature until serving.

To serve, spread the whipped chickpeas on individual plates or a platter, top with the roasted cauliflower, and spoon the relish over the cauliflower.

Squeeze the juice of one lemon on top, and garnish with chopped parsley, lemon zest, and more pine nuts. Serves 4-6.

1 1

medium head of cauliflower 15-oz. can of organic chickpeas (reserve the liquid) 1-2 cloves of garlic, peeled ⅓ cup olive oil, plus additional for tossing and browning ⅓ cup tahini (optional) 1 lemon Salt and pepper For relish 1 pound fresh figs 1 shallot, diced 1 small jar Castelvetrano olives, pitted, strained, and roughly chopped 1 lemon 2 tbsp toasted pine nuts

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THE CHEF:

OSCAR BENDECK

KIVELSTADT CELLARS SONOMA Oscar Bendeck grew up in the diverse culinary world of South Central Los Angeles, the youngest of four, with parents originally from El Salvador and an uncle from Korea. “So growing up, it was a lot of Latino foods—elote, street food—but then I was also eating rice and nori and kim chi,” he says. He attended Le Cordon Bleu in Pasadena, then built a career as a corporate chef, feeding crowds while keeping quality high (“my specialty is taking someone’s grandmother’s recipe and scaling it up”). Bendeck moved to Sonoma with his wife and dog three years ago to take over the culinary program at Sonoma Raceway. Recently, he’s been making a splash at Kivelstadt Cellars with elevated Wine Country dishes like vegan tacos with blue corn tortillas and tri-tip smoked with grapevines. “I love fall,” the chef says.

“We do a big harvest party at the winery, and all of the pumpkins and gourds in my garden at home are ready. And we go out in a big group to Hog Island, rent picnic tables, tailgate and grill oysters.”

Bendeck says his gazpacho is full of protein and refreshing on a warm day. Traditionally, white gazpacho is thickened with almonds and bread, but Bendeck’s extra-velvety version is gluten-free and vegan, made with local walnuts and often garnished with grapes straight from the vineyards. At Kivelstadt, Bendeck serves the soup with a Parmesan tuile, but he also loves it with a hunk of crusty ciabatta bread. kivelstadtcellars.com

WHITE WALNUT GAZPACHO First, make a base of macerated vegetables and grapes: Sprinkle white pepper and kosher salt over the onion, Persian cucumbers, garlic, and green grapes and let sit for 30 minutes while the flavors combine.

While the base macerates, make the walnut milk by blending walnuts and water in a blender until velvety smooth.

To make the finished soup, combine the macerated vegetables and grapes, walnut milk, sherry and champagne vinegars, olive oil, and broth or coconut milk in a blender and blend until smooth. Chill the soup and serving bowls for 30 minutes before serving. To serve, combine the cucumber, walnuts, grapes, and shallots together and toss. Spoon the soup into chilled bowls, divide the garnish among the servings, and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and sherry vinegar. Serves 6-8.

For walnut milk 2 cups walnuts, raw or roasted 2 cups water For soup 1 sweet onion, chopped 4 Persian cucumbers, chopped 8 cloves of garlic, finely chopped 2 cups green grapes, sliced in half 2 tsp white pepper 3 tbsp kosher salt 4 cups walnut milk (see above) ¼ cup sherry vinegar ¼ cup champagne vinegar 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil 2 cups vegetable broth or coconut milk For garnish

¾ cup cucumber, diced ½ cup walnuts, chopped ¾ cup green grapes, sliced

Sliced shallots to taste Extra-virgin olive oil and sherry vinegar, for drizzling

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THE CHEF:

PLOYPAILIN SAKORNSIN SANGSAN, QUAIL & CONDOR HEALDSBURG

At 29 years old, Ploypailin Sakornsin has built a foodie career straight out of a fairytale. Born in Bangkok, Thailand, she studied finance and worked in banking before realizing cooking was what she was meant to do. She opened a small sushi kiosk across the street from the bank where she used to work, then headed to the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY—where she zoomed to the top of her class and scored a coveted internship at Healdsburg’s SingleThread.

Sakornsin recently struck out on her own, building a following as a private chef, baking with fellow SingleThread alums at Quail & Condor, and creating small pop-ups of Thai street food favorites under the name Sangsan. “I’m super homesick sometimes, so this kind of food takes me back. I want to make food that Thai people will say tastes like home.” The star of this fall dish is a Thai chile and coconut milk dressing, which tastes refreshing alongside crisp greens and eggplant but also would go beautifully with grilled fish or shrimp.

Fall here in wine country still feels new, says Sakornsin. “We don’t have seasons back home; it’s summer, summer, summer—and then typhoon. So it’s really nice to feel the cool nights and hot days and eat all the good produce.” @fermentedperson on Instagram

BAKED EGGPLANT SALAD WITH CHILE-COCONUT DRESSING (YUM MAKEAU MUANG) Slice the shallot into quarters, then place the shallot, garlic cloves, and dried chiles in a small frying pan, and cook on low heat on the stovetop. Remove the chiles from heat when they’ve turned dark and crispy. Remove the shallots and garlic when they are blistered all over. Then, blend the roasted shallots, garlic, and chiles in a blender with the oil, adding the sugar and a pinch of salt as it blends. Continue blending until the mixture becomes a fine paste.

Return the paste to a cooking pan on the stove, and over low heat, stir until the oil separates and the mixture is cooked to a clear, deep red. Refrigerate the paste and oil in a tightly-lidded jar for up to a month, and use together in any recipe that calls for chile jam.

Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Cut eggplant into thin sticks, then toss with canola oil and a generous pinch of salt. Lay the eggplant sticks on a baking tray lined with parchment or a Silpat sheet. Bake the eggplant at 425ºF for 5 minutes, then flip and bake another 5 minutes or until crispy.

Whisk all dressing ingredients together. Adjust the flavor to your liking by adding extra fish sauce, sugar, or lime, then set aside.

Mix the lettuces together and arrange on a serving platter with the baked eggplant, shallots, eggs, radishes, and cilantro. Pour the dressing over the top and serve. Makes two dinner-size salads.

For the chile jam 1 medium shallot 2 cloves garlic 1-2 mild dried chiles such as guajillo ¼ cup canola or sunflower oil 1 tsp sugar Pinch of salt For the chile-coconut dressing

¾ cup coconut milk

2 1 1 1

tbsp chile jam (see above) tbsp fish sauce tsp sugar tbsp lime juice

For the salad 1 medium eggplant Pinch of salt 4-5 tbsp canola or sunflower oil, enough to coat the eggplant 6 cups packed mixed greens (here, a combination of frisée, green and red lettuces) 1 medium shallot, thinly sliced 2 hard-boiled eggs, shelled and quartered 3-4 radishes, thinly sliced ½ cup packed cilantro, roughly chopped

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THE CHEF:

ROBERTH SUNDELL STOCKHOME PETALUMA

It’s a family affair at Roberth and Andrea Sundell’s terrific Petaluma restaurant, Stockhome. The couple, who have four children, including 11-year-old twins, wanted to open a comfortable, simple neighborhood spot where even young guests would feel welcome. The menus reflects a range of street-food influences in Sweden’s cosmopolitan capital, where Roberth grew up: meatballs and gravlax make their appearance, but so do kebabs and falafel. At the restaurant, Roberth garnishes this easy fall flatbread with lovage, which Swedes call libbsticka. The fresh greens, which Roberth says taste like a cross between parsley and celery, balance the richness of the cheese, the earthiness of the mushrooms, and the sweetness of the pear. The flatbread dough comes together quickly, but if you’d rather, a prepared dough or crust is an easy substitute. stockhomerestaurant.com

MUSHROOM & PEAR FLATBREADS First, make the flatbreads. In a small bowl, whisk together the yeast and warm water and allow to rest for 10 minutes while the yeast activates.

In a stand mixer with a dough hook, stir together the whole wheat flour, 00 pizza flour, and salt. Add the yeast/water mixture and olive oil to the flour and salt. Mix for 1 minute, then pause and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Then mix again on medium speed for another 5-7 minutes.

Turn out the dough onto a table sprinkled with a small amount of 00 flour and knead for two minutes with your hands. Using a pastry cutter, cut the dough into 8-10 equal pieces and place on an oiled baking tray. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Set a pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 400 ºF. Remove the dough from the fridge. Roll out individual flatbreads with a rolling pin into an oval shape. Bake flatbreads on a pizza stone at 400 ºF for 10 minutes until crispy. While they’re baking, sauté the shaved mushrooms in a hot pan with olive oil, salt, and pepper until softened, about four minutes. Remove the flatbreads from the oven.

When the flatbreads have cooled a bit, spread with crème fraiche and cover with shredded cheese. Mix the sautéed mushrooms with the shaved pear, and cover the top of the flatbreads. Bake the flatbreads a second time in a 400 ºF oven for 10 minutes, or until the cheese has melted. To serve, top with zested lemon, lightly-fried garlic, toasted pine nuts, salt, and pepper, and garnish with fresh lovage.

For the flatbreads: ¾ tsp dry active yeast 1 cup warm water (98 ºF) 2/3 cup whole wheat flour 2/3 cup “00” pizza flour 1 ½ tsp salt 2 tbsp olive oil For toppings (per flatbread): 1 tbsp crème fraiche ¼ cup Präst Ost cheese or shredded gouda ¼ cup King Trumpet mushrooms, thinly shaved ½ ripe Asian pear, thinly shaved 1 tsp garlic, shaved and lightly fried 1 tsp pine nuts, toasted ½ tsp lemon zest ½ cup lovage or flatleaf parsley Maldon salt Fresh-cracked pepper

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THE CHEF:

JONI DAVIS

MIRACLE PLUM SANTA ROSA Joni Davis, a chef and culinary instructor, says fall in Sonoma feels a little more intense than it did when she was growing up outside Windsor in the 1980s, given the differences in weather and the challenges of fire season.

“I feel more grateful for the produce we get, knowing what it takes to grow and harvest it. It feels important to me to treasure that,” she says. One of a team of women who run Miracle Plum’s culinary marketplace and kitchen, Davis says she’s inspired by the store’s collaborative spirit: “It makes everything better that we all have a voice,” she says. Davis also draws strength from the students in her tart- and pie-baking classes at Santa Rosa Junior College, who persevered through distance learning last year, picking up kits of ingredients and posting pictures of at-home baking assignments. “I wasn’t expecting it, that joy they found in the kitchen—it was the best thing.”

Davis loves working with pumpkins and squash, especially delicata squash, which she calls the queen of the fall veggies. “I love the sweetness of it. I love its color, its seeds, the texture it brings to soups and stews. And I love the shape—when you cut it into rounds and you get that beautiful scalloped edge.” She says this dish makes the most of the play between sweet squash, nutty farro, tart pickled currants, and sweet-hot apricot-chile dressing, which takes on a gorgeous rosy hue from apricot jam. miracleplum.com

FARRO SALAD WITH ROASTED DELICATA SQUASH AND FETA Cook farro according to package directions to yield 3 cups cooked.

Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Slice off the stem and the blossom end of the squash (no need to peel the skin). Cut the squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Next, cut the squash crosswise into half-moon-shaped slices ¼-inch thick. Toss the slices with olive oil, chile flakes, and ½ teaspoon of salt, then roast in the lower half of the oven for about 10-12 minutes. Flip the slices over, and roast for another 10-15 minutes until golden. Set aside to cool.

Put the currants in a heatproof bowl. Gently heat the red wine vinegar on the stove until hot, but do not boil. Pour the vinegar over the currants and let sit for 15-20 minutes. Strain the currants and set aside. Reserve the vinegar soaking liquid for the vinaigrette.

Combine all apricot jam vinaigrette ingredients using a blender or whisk until emulsified.

In a large bowl, combine cooked farro, roasted squash, cabbage, scallions, pepitas, 3 tablespoons of herbs, and pickled currants. Toss together gently, then pour over the vinaigrette, add black pepper to taste, and toss again.

Put the feta, yogurt, olive oil, and garlic into a food processor and process until and creamy. If you don’t have a food processor, use a whisk to combine. Fold in the zest, herbs, and cracked black pepper and refrigerate until serving.

To serve, spread the feta mixture on individual plates or on a serving platter, then spoon the farro salad over the feta and sprinkle with the remaining herbs. Serves 4-5.

For the whipped feta 8 oz feta cheese, crumbled ½ cup Greek yogurt 2 tbsp olive oil 1 small clove garlic, minced zest of 1/2 orange 3 tbsp fresh herbs, chopped Freshly cracked black pepper to taste For the pickled currants ¼ cup currants ⅓ cup red wine vinegar For the apricot jam vinaigrette Leftover vinegar from the pickled currants, about ⅓ cup 2 tbsp apricot jam About ¼ tsp Urfa chile flakes or other chile flakes (adjust to taste) ¾ tsp kosher salt ½ cup olive oil 1½ tbsp shallot, finely diced For the salad 2 medium delicata squash 3 tbsp olive oil About ½ tsp Urfa chile or other chile flakes (adjust to taste) 3 cups cooked farro 1½ cups red cabbage, thinly sliced 4 scallions, thinly sliced ⅓ cup pepitas, toasted ¼ cup fresh herbs, finely chopped Salt and pepper to taste

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local hops For the love of

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Sonoma's very own version of Oktoberfest arrives in September, as passionate local hop farmers see the fruits of their labors make their way into some of the most in-demand brews in the country.

By John Beck Photography

By Kent Porter

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Previous spread: Grower Melissa Luci takes in the harvest at Alexander Valley Hops.

I

N

2013,

WHEN

PAUL

HAWLEY

transplanted a few wild hop plants he found growing along a fence in a vineyard near the Russian River, he had no idea it would spark the revival of a crop that once made Sonoma County famous with brewers around the world. “In the beginning, I just wanted to see what would grow,” says the co-owner of Fogbelt Brewing Company, who grew up the son of a winemaker, farming grapes outside Healdsburg.

Hawley had already planted a few rows of the industry-standard hop varieties Cascade, Chinook, and Centennial. But the row of wild California Cluster hops he discovered along the river outproduced them all, he says. “They just blew away everything else.”

At the time, Hawley’s quarter-acre was the largest hopyard he knew of in Sonoma County, while in Santa Rosa, Moonlight Brewing Co. also had a quarter-acre hopyard that had been rescued from Korbel.

A beer-drinking buddy of Hawley’s who shares his love of hops, Mike Stevenson planted his half-acre Warm Spring Wind Hop Farm in Sebastopol a year later. When Stevenson joined with Hawley to form

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the NorCal Hop Growers Alliance in 2016, they were hoping to dig up anything they could find out about the heyday of hops in Sonoma County. They knew hops had first been planted near the Laguna de Santa Rosa in 1858, and the county’s hopyards reached more than 2,000 planted acres by 1899. By the 1930s, around 3 million pounds were harvested annually. But for a number of reasons, the crop had largely faded away by the 1960s.

“I kept thinking if only I could find an old-timer who used to grow hops, they could answer all my questions,” Hawley remembers. “But I couldn’t find anyone.”

As more farmers joined the hop collective, they shared hard-won tips learned from trial and error along with information gleaned from research. The group saved on bulk orders and pooled money together to buy new equipment. Guest speakers from UC Davis and the hop mecca of Yakima, Washington, dropped by to share the latest in industry news.

Now, about a month into this year’s abundant hop harvest, as fresh wet-hopped brews are getting chalked up on local beer boards, a half-dozen tightknit commercial growers are mounting a hop revival, marking a tradition that dates back 160 years.

Above: These freshly harvested Sonoma hops are headed straight to the brewery. So called “wethopped” beers made with fresh hops like these are available only in early fall.

Right: A busy pace during the early-morning harvest in Alexander Valley.

Local hops have a huge advantage when it comes to making a seasonal wet-hopped beer: They can be picked in a hopyard a few miles from the brewery and dropped in the kettle within hours.

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The difference between a fresh, wet-hopped beer and a dry-hopped one, people like to say, is the difference between cooking with fresh basil from the garden and dried basil from the spice rack.

IF YOU’VE NEVER SEEN A HOP HARVEST,

Above: Erin Shea and Mike Sullivan of Santa Rosa’s Blossom & Bine with their two children. The couple grow in a little known but highly prized variety called Teamaker.

Left: Scott Bice in his Sebastopol hopyard. Bice, a key member of the hop growers collective, imported a harvester from Germany.

In Rohnert Park, Ron and Erica Crane are embarking on their second harvest at Crane Ranch Hops, where sheep help with pruning and fertilizing on a family farm first settled in 1852. The couple is building a kiln to dry some of their hops this year.

In west Santa Rosa, Erin Shea and Mike Sullivan at Blossom & Bine are growing a little-known variety with hardly any bitterness called Teamaker, along with the usual suspects like Cascade, Chinook, and Cashmere. Last year, the couple picked their first crop entirely by hand — something they’ll never do again.

North of Healdsburg, in Alexander Valley, Melissa Luci feeds her Alexander Valley Hops a healthy mushroom compost, so tasty it attracts raccoons.

To keep critters out of her 1.5-acre hopyard, which is surrounded by a sea of Cabernet vines, she often blasts live Giants baseball radio broadcasts into the night. In Sebastopol, at Capracopia and Redwood Hill Farm, Scott Bice fertilizes his hops with goat manure from his dairy. Every hop grower in the area will drop by his farm at some point during harvest to feed their bines through “The Wolf,” a reconstituted 1973 German hop harvester that Bice and the Cranes imported for $50,000 for the hop growers collective.

Keeping it local this fall, these growers’ hops will flavor beers at Russian River, Fogbelt, Crooked Goat, Barrel Brothers, Steele and Hops, Old Possum, Pond Farm, and Mad Fritz breweries, among others.

the first thing to know is a hop vine is called a “bine.” A close cousin of cannabis, the hop flower, or “cone,” is what gives beers like IPAs and pale ales their beautifully bitter aromas and delicate floral notes. More jargon: A beer’s bitterness is measured in IBUs or International Bitterness Units. And when hops have gone “O.G.” they have not turned “Original Gangster” but “Onion-Garlic” — a dreaded off-flavor that can plague certain varieties.

Fresh, wet-hopped beers are what get many beer lovers going this time of year. A wet-hopped beer is one made with fresh whole cones harvested only hours before they're dropped into the brew kettle.

It’s a seasonal tradition, available in only in August, September, and October, making it the Beaujolais Nouveau of beers. Most beers are dry-hopped, with cones that are heated and dried in a hop kiln and often pelletized and refrigerated before being added to the beer. The difference between a fresh, wet-hopped beer and a dry-hopped one, people like to say, is the difference between cooking with fresh basil from the garden and dried basil from the spice rack.

To see and smell a young hop flower coming to maturity on the bine, you begin to understand the allure for any brewer looking to make the freshest, locally sourced beer available. Standing in the middle of her hopyard on a baking-hot afternoon, Melissa Luci of Alexander Valley Hops plucks a flower and pulls it apart to expose tiny, yellow lupulin glands inside. “That’s what flavors the beer,” she says, pointing to the bright resinous beads before letting the flower fall to the ground, which is composted with bark from trees burned by the 2019 Kincade fire.

Luci, who has a degree in art history, came to hopgrowing on a whim. One day, as she was looking at the long, narrow fairway where her father would drive golf balls every evening before dinner, “it occurred to me to go up,” she says — literally 18 feet in the air. She began researching and poring over archival photos and erected a hopyard on wooden poles she sourced from Washington. “You want them to reach the top by the summer solstice,” she explains, looking up at the climbing tendrils, which always wrap clockwise around the coconut-husk twines. On this day, most of

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her 1,500 bines of Cascade, Triumph, Chinook, and Cashmere have met the challenge and are touching the top wire as they dance in the breeze, undulating in waves down each row.

Luci’s family has grown Cabernet grapes since the ’70s in the surrounding Peline Vineyards. She’s a farmer, but very much a Cali farmer. When you ask what it was like to taste the first beer flavored with her own hops, she says, “It was bitchin.’” One of the most memorable was a Barrel Brothers concoction called “Hop Cones of Dunshire,” inspired by the TV show “Parks and Rec.” LUCI HAD AN EARLY HARVEST THIS YEAR.

Early or late, the annual hop harvest was always big news around the turn of the 20th century. “During the period of about four weeks from September to the early part of October all the way from 15,000 to 30,000 men, women, and children were busily engaged from sunrise till sunset picking the blossoms from the great hop fields of California,” reads a 1900 story from the San Francisco Chronicle. It estimated at least 7,500 acres of hops were planted in Sonoma, and neighboring counties, totaling 9 million bines.

Every fall, migavrant workers would camp along the banks of the Russian River, as entire families pitched in for the harvest.

Paul Hawley’s 97-year-old grandmother tells stories of picking hops as a little girl for a few seasons, always adding how “it wasn’t much fun at all.” Back then, hop harvesters walked on stilts

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to pick the upper reaches of towering bines. They wore thick wool suits to protect themselves from scratchy bines and what newspaper stories called “hop poisoning” — a severe rash on the face and arms from the “nettle-like fuzz on the stalks of the hop vine.” And their hands would end up stained dark from hop resin — something that could be “removed by rubbing with the crushed green leaves of the hop.”

By the early 1900s, when Grace Brothers Brewery in Santa Rosa was selling its “Special Brew” (and later “Happy Hops” lager), the local crop flavored much lighter, less hoppy beers than the double and triple IPAs that score raves on Beer Advocate today. Back then, a variety called California Cluster was king — the same one Paul Hawley later found growing wild in a vineyard off Eastside Road. A London hops broker who visited both Yakima and Sonoma County hopyards in 1892 told the Sonoma Democrat that Yakima hops were very rich in lupulin and “altogether of the finest quality for the European market.” But “they are excelled by the Sonoma hops in only one essential. The Yakima hops lack softness to the touch, silkiness, which the Sonoma product possesses in a high degree.”

By the ‘60s, the crop had all but died out when one of the last big harvests took place at Bussman Ranch near Windsor. Post-World War II fertilizers had introduced “downy mildew” into the soil, decimating hopyards, which were then replanted with prunes and grapes. New trends and drinking preferences favored lighter, less hoppy beers. With more daylight hours (hops need 16 hours a day) and soil conditions more resistant to mildew, Yakima, Washington offered better growing conditions for hops. The area now grows around 75% of the hops in the U.S., which produces nearly half of the hops in the world, about the same amount as Germany.

But local hops have a huge advantage when it comes to seasonal wet-hopped beers: They can be picked in a hopyard a few miles from the brewery and dropped in the kettle within hours. Wet-hopped brews also require about five times the amount of hops when wet, which at $8 to $9 a pound (compared to the 81 cents per pound that pioneer farmers Otis Allen and Amasa Bushnell got for their 1,100 pounds of inaugural Sonoma County hops in 1858) makes for a decent payday for local growers. To make a wet-hopped beer with Northwest hops — and some Bay Area brewers actually do it — you need to overnight the hops by mail, paying a premium for what is mostly water weight.

Above left: A hundred years ago, hops were huge business in Sonoma County.

Growers like Erin Shea of Blossom & Bine, right, are betting they will be again.

“Some days when you're out here, it's almost like you can see the growth process in action, because they're growing so fast.“ - Erin Shea

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FOR NOW, THE NEXT STEP IN THE REBIRTH of

Sonoma County hops will be reaching and maintaining a consistent level of quality that brewers can count on every harvest, says Vinnie Cilurzo, owner-brewer at Russian River Brewing Company. Cilurzo grew hops at Korbel in 1997, where his brewery was first started, and now buys 50,000-60,000 pounds of whole cone hops a year from growers in the Northwest.

“Just because it’s local doesn’t mean that the quality is there,” says Cilurzo, who pitched in $5,000 so the NorCal Hop Growers Alliance could purchase its first harvester — a modern update of the first hoppicking machine invented in 1940 by Santa Rosa farmer Florian Dauenhauer. “So we need to make sure these growers are doing the best they can and have the best practices they can to have the highest quality hops that are at least coming close to what we can get up in the Northwest.”

A lot of it comes down to timing, Cilurzo says — knowing when to prune, when to add nutrients, when to train the bines up the line, how much to water, and ultimately, when to pick so the hops don't come in underripe or overripe.

“If people aren’t harvesting at the right time and they’re just doing it for convenience — like, say the brewer says, ‘We have to do this the second week of August or we can’t do it.’ And the grower needs the money — then the hops aren’t going to be as good and then the beer won’t be as good,” says Scott Bice, who started farming a quarter-acre in 2015 on a neglected apple orchard at his Redwood Hill goat dairy and now grows about 1.5 acres.

WHEN IT COMES TO LOCALLY SOURCED

beer, there’s one final ingredient that’s been missing all these years: Barley. On a hot, dusty June afternoon, Ron Crane of Crane Ranch Hops, who comes from a longtime local farming and ranching family, pulls up to a farm on Lakeville Highway, southeast of Petaluma, where he grows hay and runs sheep on 1,000 acres along the Petaluma River. His pickup truck is loaded down with spent grain from Russian River Brewing Company, a trail of juice dripping out the back of his tailgate onto the dirt road. While some ranchers are spending a fortune on feed during the drought, Crane keeps his sheep alive on the mealy brewing byproduct that he gets for free.

It was his wife Erica’s idea to plant hops. “I wanted to find something that could be our legacy,” she explained a few days before, wearing a “Don’t Worry Be Hoppy” T-shirt while touring their 2.5-acre hopyard. Last year, the couple got to belly up to the bar at the Russian River outpost in Windsor to toast their

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very own R&D Crane Ranch Pale Ale. For Ron, who flew Apache helicopters in the second Iraq War and CALSTAR rescue helicopters, it marks a new adventure, inspiring him to build a hop kiln this year to extend the life of his hops.

But today, he’s eager to check on his barley crop. If a lab test confirms the protein levels are suitable for malting, it will be one more step toward his dream of making a beer from entirely local ingredients — the holy grail for farm-to-bottle afficionados — all sourced and made within a 30-mile radius.

Back in 2017, Nile Zacherle at Mad Fritz in St. Helena, who specializes in origin beers, made an all-Sonoma County beer with hops from Bice’s Capracopia hopyard and barley from Front Porch Farm in Healdsburg.

But in a county that prides itself on homegrown ingredients, this new all-local brew will be special, with barley grown by the same farmer who grew the hops. Crane’s plan is to malt the barley at Grizzly Malt in Rohnert Park, and brew the beer in batches at Russian River Brewing Company and Old Caz Beer.

Taking a four-wheeler out to his field of Genie barley, Crane picks a few spikes and pulls off the golden barley berries, turning them over in his hand.

They’re still at least a few days away from harvesting.

“I’m hoping in a few months, this will go into a freshhopped batch of beer,” he says, smiling. “How cool would that be?”

Above: Fresh hops from Melisssa Luci's Alexander Valley hopyard, all packaged up for the trip to the brewery.

ONLINE BONUS Just in time for harvest, see author John Beck's short film, "Dance of the Bines," filmed at Melissa Luci's Alexander Valley Hops.

When Beck first visited the hopyard to research this story, Luci promised that if he returned at dusk, he'd see something extraordinary: The delicate movement of the 20-foot tall hop bines as they sway in the evening breezes.

See the film at sonomamag.com/hops.

SONOMA’S VERSION OF OKTOBERFEST arrives

in September, as local farmers wake before dawn to harvest ripe hops, delivering them to breweries hours after they’re picked. “You really get the essence in the beer of what the hops smell and taste like hanging on the bine,” says Russian River Brewing Company owner-brewer Vinnie Cilurzo.

“Our goal is to have the hops picked from the bine and into the kettle in 5 to 6 hours.”

beers Where to Drink

w e t-h o p p e d

Drinking a wet-hopped beer is the best way to sample Sonoma’s terroir. Instead of being dried in a kiln and pelletized, home-grown hops are dumped whole-cone into wet-hopped beers. This month, wet-hopped IPAs, pale ales, and pilsners start showing up in pastel chalk on beer boards all over the Bay Area. It’s a wild time of year for beer lovers: The seasonal brews are often available for just a day or two, or a week at most.

FOGBELT BREWING CO.

RUSSIAN RIVER BREWING COMPANY

POND FARM BREWING CO.

Owners Paul Hawley and Remy Martin plan to brew four to five wet-hopped beers this harvest, releasing them in a Wet Hop Week celebration, with hopped-up food pairings, most likely in the first or second week of September. “These are the most exciting beers for us to brew, because you only brew them once a season,” says Hawley, who is also petitioning the county to create a new “farm brewery” designation that would give breweries similar tax and ag benefits as wineries, a model that’s already been adopted in New York, Oregon, and Placer County.

Fogbelt will once again make an Alliance IPA using hops from any NorCal Hop Growers Alliance members (commercial and noncommercial growers) who want to add their cones to the mix.

This past spring, Hawley helped prune the bines at Scott Bice’s Capracopia hopyard and used all the cuttings to make pickled hop shoots, which will be served during Wet Hop Week. In the past, they’ve also served salad with hop-oil dressing, hops chimichurri on lamb, and sausage made with hops alongside their wethopped beers.

Even Pliny can’t compete with the freshness of a wet-hopped beer. “It’s one of my favorite beer styles,” says Vinnie Cilurzo. In 1998, Russian River Brewing became only the second brewery in America (in modern times) to make a wethopped beer — with Cascade and Chinook hops Cilurzo grew at Korbel Winery.

Last year, Cilurzo and his wife, Natalie, helped bring in the harvest at Crane Ranch Hops, buying a few hundred pounds of Cascade, Chinook, Triumph, and California Cluster to make HopTime Harvest Ale and R&D Crane Ranch Pale Ale. Look for more Crane Ranch hops, and possibly other locally farmed hops, in RRBC wet-hopped beers in early to midSeptember.

The San Rafael brewery, which takes its name from the west county artist colony located near where owner-brewer Trevor Martens grew up, is planning on brewing two wet-hopped beers in mid-September: a Pils and an IPA. Last year, they made a pilsner from Blossom & Bine’s barely bitter Teamaker hops. “While it leaves some things up in the air regarding the brew schedule,” says Martens, “it’s really exciting for us to work with a local hop farmer and be waiting for this natural product to hit its peak.”

1305 Cleveland Ave., Santa Rosa. fogbeltbrewing.com

1848 Fourth St., San Rafael. pondfarmbrewing.com

700 Mitchell Lane, Windsor, and 725 Fourth St., Santa Rosa. russianriverbrewing.com

other local breweries that love to make wet-hopped beers are crooked goat, barrel brothers, steele and hops, and old possum. check their beer boards and social media for the latest, and hurry — these special brews don’t last long.

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IN THEIR

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As intensifying wildfires collide with harvest season, vineyard workers bear the brunt of the risk in bringing in Sonoma’s prized grape crop.

What rules are in place to protect these essential workers?

And do government regulators—and local industry leaders—need to do more?

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BY KRISTIN MOE

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ERIK CASTRO

LATE INTO AN UNSEASONABLY WARM NIGHT IN AUGUST 2020, Raymundo was harvesting Pinot Noir grapes with a 10-person crew at a vineyard in Healdsburg. A little over three miles away, the lightningsparked Walbridge fire had begun to spread quickly, shrouding the hills of northwestern Sonoma County in thick smoke.

To protect himself, Raymundo put on an N95 mask, but his eyes began to itch and his head ached. Still, he and the crew kept working by the light of their headlamps, moving fast, breathing heavily.

Raymundo, 48, is a veteran farmworker who has labored in California vineyards since arriving from Mexico 22 years ago. At the time, he was living with his wife and three children in a small house on the same vineyard property where he worked. He asked that his full name not be used, for fear of retaliation from his employers.

That night, as he and his crew were busy harvesting, the smoke grew thick in the summer darkness. He looked up and saw a light coming toward them. It was the vineyard owner, who told them to stop work and go home. Although the fire was still a distance away, the smoke was too thick.

The next day, sheriff’s officials knocked on Raymundo’s door and told him and his family to evacuate. By that time, hotels in the region were full of fire refugees — a wide swath of west county was threatened by the Walbridge fire, and residents stretching from Guerneville to the western outskirts of Healdsburg had been ordered to flee their homes.

With nowhere to go, Raymundo and his family drove nearly four hours to a relative’s house in the Central Valley. Several days later, Raymundo got a call from his boss. Although evacuation warnings were still in place, it was time to go back to work.

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very year, for a frenzied period beginning in early August, Sonoma County’s vineyards reap the harvest they’ve spent all year cultivating.

The roughly 11,000 grape workers who call the county home harvest a crop that covers more than 62,000 acres and in 2019 was valued at $654 million. Combine that with harvests from Napa, Mendocino and Lake counties, and the total haul topped $1.8 billion.

But those make-or-break weeks stretching through October now coincide with a fire season that’s grown longer and more catastrophic.

Farming goes on amid these disasters. Vineyard workers are deemed “essential” by the state, meaning their jobs continue even in times of crisis. They harvest regularly in the cool hours of night during the North Bay’s hottest and driest months. That collision — of fire season and grape harvest — now increasingly forces workers to risk their health, and sometimes their safety, to bring in the crop.

These competing environmental and economic forces have thrust Sonoma County to the front line of a human health dilemma with implications for fire-prone communities across the West. Amid a historic drought that’s fueling another severe fire season, local and state officials are proposing a raft of new regulations on this multibilliondollar industry, while leaders in the farm labor movement are calling for more to be done to protect their members.

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Wine industry representatives and leaders say they recognize the health and safety risks as an emerging existential threat to their business — one on par with the threats posed by climate change.

“Worker safety is the number one priority for our local farmers,” says Karissa Kruse, president of Sonoma County Winegrowers, a group that represents the interests of 1,800 growers. “They provide workforce housing, education, and they have been innovative in how to safely keep vineyard workers employed during the Covid-19 crisis. Our local grape growers are not activists, but local families in our Sonoma County community who have been caring for the land, spending time and money investing in our community and ensuring that the health and well-being of their workforce is always at the forefront.”

Vineyard managers who oversee much of the harvest say they are taking steps beyond standard protective equipment such as face masks and safety checks to minimize the peril for laborers. Tony Bugica, director of farming and business development at Napa’s Atlas Vineyard Management and one of 11 commissioners of the Sonoma County Winegrowers, describes his harvest procedures with military precision.

In case cell networks go down, he carries a satellite phone. In case of stray sparks, every truck has a fire extinguisher and water tank. Everyone uses a buddy system so no one’s caught alone. “I never send anyone into a place where I wouldn’t go myself,” he says. “No job is worth a human life.”

But in an industry that has prided itself on environmental sustainability, the question hangs over Wine Country: Can it be as proactive about safeguarding its workers?

“Climate change is here,” says state Assemblyman Robert Rivas, a Democrat from Hollister who has introduced new legislation aimed at protecting farmworkers during wildfires. “And it has forced a lot of people, all across the county, to consider what kinds of conditions our farmworkers face not just during wildfires, but every single day.”

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gricultural work can be perilous even in ordinary times. Until recently, wildfire smoke was not among the top concerns for labor advocates. But the infernos that have burned across Wine Country over the past four years — as well as a growing body of scientific evidence about the health risks of wildfire smoke — have changed that.

Smoke particles from wildfires are infinitesimally small, about one twentieth the size of a human hair. They can penetrate the body’s normal defenses, lodging deep inside the lungs. A toxic mix of heavy metals and chemicals released by burning buildings, automobiles, propane tanks, and other structures can also make wildfire smoke as much as 10 times more dangerous than other types of air pollution, according to a study from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego.

Jennifer Fish, a family physician with Santa Rosa Community Health and cofounder of Health Professionals for Equality and Community Empowerment (H-PEACE), says she routinely sees farmworkers and their families suffering from the impacts of smoke inhalation. “This community is one of our most marginalized,” she says. “We see workers having no choice but to work under dangerous circumstances in order to survive.”

I N E V E R S E N D A N YO N E I N T O A P L AC E W H E R E I W O U L D N ’ T G O M Y S E L F.

NO JOB IS WORTH A HUMAN LIFE. -V I N E YA R D M A NA G E R T O N Y B U G I C A

Tony Bugica, who oversees farming and business development for Atlas Vineyard Management, emphasizes the use of protective equipment and a system of safety measures in order to minimize risk for vineyard workers.

A variety of other risk factors, including poor access to healthy foods, unstable housing, and financial insecurity, can make farm laborers vulnerable to asthma, heart disease, and lung disease, says Fish. In pregnant women, smoke exposure is linked to low birth weight and preterm birth. There are also the invisible effects of living year after year with the stress of wildfire disasters: depression, anxiety, and PTSD. The health risks don’t dissipate after the flames are extinguished.

A recent UC Davis study found that residual ash continues to emit dangerous particulates that pose an additional threat to outdoor workers — even after the skies have cleared. And while it’s not known exactly how many of Sonoma County’s vineyard workers are undocumented — the share is said to be significant — that status can exacerbate a lack of access to health care and other aid.

In July, U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson cosponsored a bill that authorized $20 million to study the effects of smoke on human health and provides funding for ways to mitigate its effects.

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lthough rampant wildfire is not new in California, regulations protecting outdoor workers from the effects of smoke exposure are still in their infancy. The state agency tasked with ensuring worker safety, Cal/OSHA, only enacted its main standard in 2019.

The rule mandates that employers make N95 masks available to outdoor workers when the Air Quality Index (AQI) is higher than 151, or “unhealthy.” Workers are only required to wear masks when the AQI reaches 500, past “hazardous” — a designation so high that it is not separated out on the now-familiar color-coded index scale.

While many labor groups welcomed the new regulations, Jennifer Fish says that this baseline isn’t a sound basis for health policy. “If an AQI is over 150, I don’t go outside without an N95. It is not acceptable for people to work under those conditions,” she says. “This is negligent.”

But N95 masks aren’t effective when worn improperly. And they can make it difficult for wearers to breathe, especially during strenuous work, such as agricultural labor.

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THIS COMMUNITY IS ONE OF OUR M O S T M A R G I N A L I Z E D.

W E S E E W O R K E R S H AV I N G N O CHOICE BUT TO WORK UNDER DA N G E R O U S C I R C U M S TA N C E S IN ORDER TO SURVIVE. -PHYSICIAN JENNIFER FISH

Omar Paz, a lead organizer with the grassroots labor coalition North Bay Jobs with Justice, says he worries whether employers are following Cal/OSHA’s mask guidelines.

Karissa Kruse with Sonoma County Winegrowers says, “All our growers follow strict Cal/OSHA worker safety regulations and provide workers with personal protective equipment which is required by law.”

Last year, however, the United Farm Workers conducted a statewide poll of 350 farmworkers and found 84% reported that even in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic, these workers weren’t receiving masks from their employers.

“Vineyards and wineries are extremely disconnected from the realities of the management companies they contract with,” says Paz. “I don’t think owners or even managers have a pulse on the reality of the conditions [workers are] facing.”

Cameron Mauritson, partner at Healdsburg-based Thomas Mauritson Vineyards, which grows roughly 1,000 acres of wine grapes in Sonoma and Lake counties, acknowledges wine industry businesses could do more to improve their responsiveness to worker needs. Although some of his employees have been working for the family for two generations, he worries about his blind spots.

“One of my biggest fears is, ‘What if we were making people feel unsafe and didn’t know about it?’ ” he says. One thing is clear: “We need better guidance from enforcement agencies—from OSHA.” Cal/OSHA representative Frank Polizzi says the agency enforces the new smoke standard with targeted inspections of worksites, and points to new wildfire-safety training materials made available online.

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He also notes a recent effort, a “labor rights caravan,” organized by the state’s Department of Industrial Relations and the Labor & Workforce Development Agency, that has been making stops at farms statewide to educate workers on their right to protection from heat illness, wildfire smoke, and retaliation.

Still, labor advocates say that those wanting to file a complaint face daunting barriers: language, lack of knowledge of the system, and fear of reprisal.

Of the 144 Sonoma County complaints filed in 2020 with Cal/OSHA, four stemmed from problems with wildfire smoke and only one led to a citation.

Labor advocates say the small numbers point to a larger issue: Cal/ OSHA is severely understaffed, with only 10 inspectors for the fivecounty district to which Sonoma belongs. Only one of those inspectors speaks Spanish, and none currently speak any of the various Indigenous languages represented in the workforce.

“If you’re not able to enforce a law, then for workers at least, it doesn’t exist,” says physician Jennifer Fish.

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n October 2019, the largest wildfire on record in Sonoma County thundered down from the Mayacamas Mountains into vineyard-rich Alexander Valley. As the flames pushed west to threaten Healdsburg and Windsor, Sheriff Mark Essick ordered the evacuation of nearly 40% of the county — more than 190,000 people, many of whom fled their homes in the middle of the night. The sheriff’s warnings over Twitter were increasingly urgent: “If you have NOT evacuated, DO SO NOW!”

Who Decides What’s Safe?

One of many points of contention in addressing issues of worker safety is that while federal and state regulations are on the books (and continue to evolve), too often the concerns of farmworkers go unaddressed. Cal/ OSHA is the state agency charged with enforcing safe workplace practices—but the agency has long been overextended and understaffed.

Various state and county agencies each take on a different aspect of safety oversight, but labor groups say they could be doing more.

On the north side of town, Corazón Healdsburg, a community center serving predominantly Latino families, was swiftly being converted into a Red Cross evacuation shelter for the refugees, many of them vineyard workers and their families, pouring in from the rural outskirts.

The community center’s emptied rooms were soon filled with rows of cots. Children carrying stuffed animals clung to their parents. Some families brought their dogs and cats, even their horses. One group of workers arrived after spending the previous night on the floor of a barn.

The smoke was getting worse, and the sounds of helicopters and sirens could be heard outside.

Ariel Kelley, Corazón’s cofounder and then-CEO, sat at a table in the courtyard in her N95 mask, writing down names and addresses of the families anxiously seeking shelter. They asked her: How close was the fire? What was going to happen?

Kelley was surprised to find, even with the fire at close range, evacuated vineyard workers continued to go to work. They would drop off their belongings on a cot and leave in buses that pulled up outside Corazón’s doors.

Seeing that few of the workers had masks, Kelley and her staff grew concerned. They didn’t know where the workers were being taken, what the conditions were like when they got there, or who was looking out for their safety.

“We were telling them, ‘You have the right to stay here and protect your health. You don’t have to go to work,” recalls Marcy Flores, a programs manager at Corazón. “And they were just in this mindset of, ‘No, I do. I have to get paid, I need to go.’ ”

A vineyard worker watches a fire’s progress near Clearlake in 2018. Some workers feel they must continue to work during wildfires.

After an area is evacuated, the ones ultimately making the calls at key evacuation checkpoints are public safety officials—firefighters, police officers, even members of the National Guard—who monitor changing fire conditions, verify Ag Pass permits, and allow farmers and workers into evacuation zones.

While the county’s Agriculture Commission oversees the requirements for entry of farmworkers into evacuation zones, it denies having the legal authority or the funding to oversee worker safety behind evacuation lines.

The newly created Sonoma County Office of Equity has been working closely with the Agriculture Commissioner to revise the system in a way that ensures racial equity, but its mandate doesn’t include oversight of worker safety.

Meanwhile, labor advocacy groups like North Bay Jobs with Justice and the Graton Day Labor Center argue that because the county is making the decision to allow entry into these zones, it is also responsible for protecting the workers it allows inside.

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Wildfires can make harvest work more frenetic and worrisome for farming managers like Tony Bugica, center, and his team.

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ony Bugica, the Atlas farming and business development director, starts every morning with transcendental meditation for exactly 23 minutes. He’s only missed one day: in early October 2017, when he and his crew were fleeing the Tubbs fire. That year, and every year since, Bugica has had to make tough decisions balancing business interests with the safety of the workers under his watch.

Smoke is hazardous for humans, but it’s also bad for grapes. If it hits the wrong varietal at the wrong time, it can cause smoke taint, a set of off-flavors that can render the fruit unusable.

During a fire, the harvest becomes a frantic salvage job. Vineyard managers like Bugica are tasked with bringing in as much of the crop as they can, as safely they can.

In 2019, with the Kincade fire burning nearby, Bugica pulled his truck up to a checkpoint at the edge of the evacuation zone near Healdsburg, hoping to get inside. Grapes needed harvesting in a vineyard off Westside Road, where residents had already been cleared out. Earlier that day, he and his 5-year-old daughter had watched planes dropping fire retardant onto the hills. The smoke had created a “blackout” in Healdsburg, but where he sat, for the moment, at least, the air quality was good.

In his hand he carried a piece of paper signed by the county’s Agricultural Commissioner stating that he and the handful of crew members accompanying him had essential agricultural duties to perform inside the evacuation zone. The officer at the checkpoint decided conditions inside were safe enough and waved Bugica through.

Once on the property, Bugica says he evaluated the situation. He looked

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at wind speed and direction and tested the air quality with his portable sensor. All seemed OK. Satisfied with the conditions there off of Westside Road, Bugica called in his crew.

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he ad-hoc “Ag Pass” system that allowed Bugica and his crew to pass through evacuation checkpoints was designed to accommodate the needs of the county’s farmers. The program, which began in 2017, was a singular effort among different Sonoma County jurisdictions to verify whether a farmer or landowner has a legitimate business reason to enter evacuation zones.

During the Glass and Walbridge fires of 2020, Agricultural Commissioner Andrew Smith’s office issued passes to 613 agricultural producers and their employees. “People make calculated risks to support their business and their livelihood,” says Smith. “If you’re an employee, you always have the opportunity to decide whether you want to go. No one’s forcing anyone to do this work, and it’s not appropriate for them to do so.”

But those close to the farmworker community worry low-income workers who don’t speak English and aren’t trained to evaluate the risks are being asked to work in areas deemed unsafe for the general population. Aside from their employers, advocates say, no one is responsible for their well-being.

“The default should be protecting health and human safety — and to not let that be outweighed by the economic pressure of picking grapes.

And that’s a really challenging conversation to have,” says Kelley, the Corazón Healdsburg cofounder.

An Industry Adapts

Whoever is staffing the checkpoint—whether it’s the sheriff, highway patrol, or even the National Guard— has final discretion over whether to let crews into evacuation zones. But the perimeter of these areas can be vast, the boundary not necessarily reflective of shifting smoke conditions.

What’s safe one minute, in one place, may not be safe the next.

Aside from vineyard managers like Bugica, who else decides what’s safe and when? And to whom are they accountable?

“That’s a very, very, very good question,” says Alegría De La Cruz, an attorney and director of Sonoma County’s newly created Office of Equity.

With OSHA limited in its capacity to respond to workplace safety violations, some labor activists are questioning whether local government should be playing a bigger role. Elected officials and health and business leaders “have the direct responsibility to protect and advocate for our most marginalized workers,” says Fish, the Santa Rosa physician. “They’re the ones with the power.”

While various county agencies own a piece of the disaster response during a wildfire, none are specifically tasked with monitoring worker safety, either inside or outside evacuation zones. “That’s OSHA’s responsibility,” Smith says. “Why would we want to adopt responsibility for something that we don’t have the legal authority to do?”

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here’s new recognition within the wine industry, as well as the government, that broader support is necessary.

At the county level, Smith is working with De La Cruz’s office and a host of other agencies, as well as community stakeholders and farmworker groups, to revise the current Ag Pass system, an effort that is also occurring at the state level. Sonoma County Winegrowers and the Sonoma County Farm Bureau have started offering wildfire safety training sessions that will become a requirement for anyone applying for such passes in the future. Tony Bugica and the rest of Atlas’ crew leaders are already certified.

The momentum aligns with a growing recognition, De La Cruz says, “that Sonoma’s not alone in these challenges. Our state is dealing with this too. This gives us a real opportunity for leadership.”

Rivas, the state Assemblyman, has introduced new legislation aimed at protecting farmworkers during fire season. The bill would give OSHA authority to deploy “wildfire smoke strike teams” to check on worker safety in real time; would create a state stockpile of protective equipment for workers; and would require regular wildfire safety trainings for employees in English and Spanish.

“Agricultural work has always been essential,” says Rivas. “We have to do better. We have to do more.”

Sonoma's Ag Pass system has allowed some crews into evacuated zones. But advocates worry these workers have too few protections.

As the threat of wildfires intensifies across Northern California, Sonoma County’s wine industry has begun to adapt to this existential challenge by changing the way it trains, deploys, and supports its workers. The Sonoma County Farm Bureau and the Sonoma County Grape Growers Foundation have begun offering trainings on wildfire safety in English and Spanish, and are also working with the county's Agricultural Commission to refine the system of allowing work inside evacuation zones. In addition: During active fires, vineyard managers and crew leaders have adopted a range of safety measures in the field, including buddy systems, monitoring of wind speed and direction, and outfitting vehicles with extra water and fire extinguishers.

When smoke is present, some employers are making changes to the ways they deploy their crews: paying by the hour rather than by weight, using their own air quality sensors for more accurate on-the-ground readings, or determining their own, often more conservative standards, for what is considered “safe.” Some employers are choosing not to harvest inside evacuation zones. And others will stop outdoor work altogether when conditions are poor.

In certain cases, the industry has also provided direct financial assistance: Since 2017, the SCGGF has aided at least 1,500 farmworkers with gift cards, help purchasing RVs, and grants to pay rent.

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Omar Paz with the labor coalition North Bay Jobs with Justice says farmworkers are too often forced to risk their health and safety to ensure their livelihood.

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ineyard workers who fear that policy change is not keeping pace with the urgency of the moment are stepping up to make sure their voices are heard.

Maria Salinas, a mother of four, is a veteran former field hand whose relatives still work in Sonoma County’s vineyards. She’s seen them come home after working during a wildfire, “covered in ash and soot, spitting up gobs of black saliva.”

Salinas speaks Chatino, an Indigenous language from southern Mexico.

She came to the U.S. in 2003 and is now a full-time activist with the region’s Indigenous immigrants, many of whom are vineyard workers.

Last year, during the twin emergencies of the pandemic and the worst wildfire season on record in California, farmworkers began to share their accounts with Salinas and others of the fear and danger they were experiencing. The stories gave momentum to a budding movement ,but also exposed, according to Salinas and Paz, a dearth of data on the experiences and concerns local farmworkers have with wildfire and smoke.

Working with Michael Méndez, an assistant professor of environmental planning and policy at UC Irvine, labor organizers developed a survey about farmworker health and safety concerns that has since garnered over 100 responses.

The tally was encouraging, and this summer the project team turned to identifying farmworkers who might serve as leaders for their ranks on the issues of worker safety and a range of other priorities. Three dozen of them—including female, LGBTQ, and Indigenous vineyard workers— stepped forward to begin that process.

“People who have been doing this work for much longer than me said they’d never seen anything like it,” Paz says. The coalition they’re building as a result of their work on fire safety, he says, is an important new step—though he feels strongly that their work is built on that of previous movements for worker justice in California.

“We started this movement with a small team, and I was anxious,” says Salinas. “But joining with other organizations, we’ve started growing.”

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mid the range of existential issues posed by climate change and wildfires, wineries and vineyards are also making changes to the ways they harvest their crops during emergencies.

Cameron Mauritson of Thomas Mauritson Vineyards touts his farm’s ability to employ a full-time vineyard crew, which allows more control over the way workers are deployed. In Healdsburg, Preston Farm & Winery and Quivira Vineyards operate under a similar in-house model.

But that setup is less common, as outsourced vineyard management companies provide economy of scale and savings in much of the county.

Mauritson has experimented with paying his harvest crew by the hour, rather than by the ton, when there’s smoke. This way, they’re able to not work at their normal breakneck speed. He also provides free housing to nearly 60 people—employees and their families— and extra sick and vacation days. The winery guarantees a minimum wage even when employees are prevented from working due to circumstances like wildfires.

These are the kinds of changes that some individual employers are able to make. But when it comes to policy, Mauritson says, “we need to have more seats at the table for the people who are doing the actual work.”

“If anything, there’s proof out there that you can effectively pick your crop as needed, as long as you’re being thoughtful about it,” says Kelley, who was elected last year to the Healdsburg City Council.

For Paz, the positive steps by some show that more needs to be done across a wider swath of the industry to support workers — so they don’t feel they have to choose between their safety and paying next month’s rent.

“We want to be partners with government and industry,” he says. “We’d love to support vineyards that make the changes for a better workplace.”

I

n July, back at Atlas headquarters, Tony Bugica sat in his office and listened as representatives from North Bay Jobs with Justice presented five key priorities the group has proposed to protect local vineyard workers: disaster insurance; hazard pay; safety trainings in Spanish and Indigenous languages; clean bathrooms; and community safety observers trained to accompany workers into the fields during fire emergencies, ready to report safety violations to Cal/OSHA. Bugica didn’t balk at any of the Jobs with Justice proposals. He said he would certainly allow community safety observers into his fields — a significant concession. “We have an open-door policy,” he says, spreading his hands wide.

Whether the industry at large is as flexible and ready for those changes remains an open question.

Another peak fire season is fastening its grip on the region, and no one knows what that will bring this year. If the last four years are any indication, it may well resemble a now-familiar harvest scene, mirrored by thousands of workers in vineyards spread across the county, their heads bent low, clouds rising behind them. The figures are small, the sky smoky and vast.

But that outside perspective overlooks an element that is central to the story of farmworkers and fire, says De La Cruz of the county's Office of Equity. “These workers are highly skilled,” she says. “There is a lot of pride and care that goes into the work they do with these vines.”

Maria Salinas makes a similar point. “Farmworkers deserve something better. Dignidad.” She repeats the last word several times, nodding.

“I feel very excited and hopeful for the work we’re doing,” says Salinas, “knowing that it may be a long journey ahead.”

THE BIGGEST REASON WHY I’M DOING THIS WORK IS FOR MY C H I L D R E N.

I WA N T T O F I G H T F O R A BETTER WORLD FOR THEM. -INDIGENOUS COMMUNITY ACTIVIST MARIA SALINAS

SEPT/OCT 2021 sonomamag.com

105

2022 Featuring

MEDITERRANEAN WINE CRUISE

W H F

H A R T F OR D F A M I LY W I N E RY

LA CREMA

®

June 25 - July 7, 2022 | 12-days Barcelona to Venice Oceania Cruises' Riviera Sonoma Magazine teamed with Hartford Family & La Crema wineries in 2017 for an epic Mediterranean wine cruise that sold out in a matter of days. Food & Wine Trails is thrilled to announce these industry powerhouses have once again collaborated for 2022 and you're invited!

Join Steve Falk, Don Hartford and Hailey Jackson Hartford-Murray for 12 days of fun and of course, lots of tasty wines while cruising to seven different countries, including the wine regions of Provence and Tuscany plus the ancient walled city of Dubrovnik, Croatia and an overnight in Venice, the city of canals.

Your Wine Cruise Hosts:

Steve Falk

Don Hartford

Hailey Jackson Hartford-Murray

CEO, Sonoma Media Investments

CEO & Co-Owner, Hartford Family Wines

President & Co-Owner, Hartford Family Wines

Airfare Inc

luded!

2022 CRUISE ITINERARY: June 25 Barcelona, Spain June 26 Provence (Marseille), France June 27 Antibes, France June 28 Monte Carlo, Monaco June 29 Florence/Pisa/Tuscany (Livorno), Italy June 30 Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy July 1 Naples/Pompeii. Italy July 2 Cruising the Ionian & Adriatic Sea July 3 Dubrovnik, Croatia July 4 Kotor, Montenegro July 5 Koper, Slovenia July 6 Venice, Italy (overnight) July 7 Venice, Italy

PROGRAM HIGLIGHTS: • 12-day Mediterranean wine cruise personally hosted by Steve Falk of Sonoma Media Investments; Don Hartford and Hailey Jackson Hartford-Murray of Sonoma County's Hartford Family & La Crema wineries • Exclusive and private onboard events including receptions, seminar & wine tasting and winemaker's dinner with your hosts

• FREE Airfare, FREE Airport/Ship Transfers, FREE Shipboard Gratuities & FREE Internet

• Choice of bonus per stateroom: Six FREE Oceania Shore Tours or $600 Shipboard Credit or FREE Beverage Package

• Optional pre-cruise wine-themed land program

Exploring the Best of Basque Country curated specifically for program guests

• Three optional and private wine-themed tours ashore

Prices starting at $4,949 per person Airfare Included!

Florence/Pisa/Tuscany Venice Monte Carlo Koper Marseille Dubrovnik Antibes Rome Kotor Barcelona Naples/Pompeii

featuring exclusive access to top wineries of the regions visited

OCEANIA CRUISES' RIVIERA • Intimate and spacious 1250-guest luxury ship with refined ambiance and unparalleled service

• Open seating restaurants, all at no additional charge

including specialty restaurants Polo Grill, Toscana and Red Ginger

• Gourmet cuisine curated by world renowned Master Chef Jacques Pépin

• La Reserve, the only Wine Spectator sponsored restaurant at sea

• Aquamar Spa + Vitality Center to nourish your mind, body & soul

• State-of-the-art Culinary Arts Center featuring hands-on cooking classes

For reservations and information contact Food & Wine Trails at 800-367-5348 or visit www.foodandwinetrails.com/cruises/sonomamag2022

Fare shown is per person based on double occupancy of the minimum inside stateroom, many other categories available, call for rates. Fares include roundtrip economy class air from select Oceania gateways, transfers between airport and ship on day of embarkation and debarkation only when participating in cruise line's air program, Please visit foodandwinetrails.com for a complete list of terms & conditions. Ship's Registry: Marshall Islands CST# 2020386-40

Presenting and Founding Partner:

Women in

Conversation Three Olympic gold medalists. Three inspiring stories. One amazing evening.

Wednesday, September 22, 2021 Green Music Center Kristi Yamaguchi

Olympic, U.S. and World Hall of Fame figure skater

Brandi Chastain

World Cup and Olympic soccer player

Kerri Walsh Jennings

World Championship and Olympic beach volleyball player

3:30 to 6:30 pm The Experience

Mingle, taste, and explore! Join us for an afternoon on the green to celebrate, inspire, and empower local women from all backgrounds – Including dozens of exhibitors, plus demonstrations, activities, and food trucks.

7:00 to 9:00 pm Women in Conversation

Inspiring conversations with three Bay Area women who have achieved Olympic gold.

Tickets on sale today! SoCoWomenEvents.com

Founding Partner:

Community Inclusion Partner:

Supporting Partners:

United Way of the Wine Country

EXPERT ADVICE

Special Advertising Section

INFECTIOUS DISEASE DR. JESSICA AUGUST AND DR. SHU YANG, KAISER PERMANENTE, SANTA ROSA. Since 1945, Kaiser Permanente has been providing high-quality, affordable health care services and improving the health of our members and the communities we serve. Get the information you need to feel confident about getting vaccinated.

Find out how the COVID-19 vaccines work, what to do after you get your vaccine, and more.

COVID-19 vaccines were developed and rolled out quickly. Are they safe?

The COVID-19 vaccines were able to be developed quickly and safely because of decades of accumulated scientific research on vaccines, coupled with unprecedented funding for COVID-19 vaccine development, as well as worldwide collaboration. Even though the COVID-19 vaccines were developed rapidly, no required study or regulatory steps were skipped. So far, hundreds of millions of people in the world have received the COVID vaccines. The benefit from the vaccine significantly outweighs the potential risk during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Are COVID-19 vaccines effective?

Although vaccinated people can get infection, the severity of disease is greatly reduced after vaccination. The vaccines have been shown to be highly effective in preventing serious illness caused by the circulating variants, including the Delta variant. Studies have shown that the COVID-19 vaccines are 85%-94% effective in preventing severe disease/ hospitalization/death. To put this in perspective, flu vaccines

are usually 40%-60% effective, and flu vaccinations prevented an estimated 7.52 million illnesses, 105,000 hospitalizations, and 6,300 deaths during the 2019–2020 flu season alone.

Are there side effects from the COVID-19 vaccines?

Like most vaccines, the ones for COVID-19 can have side effects. Some people who’ve received the vaccine have reported fevers, fatigue, muscle aches, and soreness around injection sites. These side effects are normal and a good sign that the body is building immunity.

Can my child or teenager get a COVID-19 vaccine?

It depends on your child’s age. Until more studies are completed, there is no vaccine available for children 11 years old and younger. Children between 12 and 17 are approved to receive the Pfizer vaccine. All of the COVID-19 vaccines are safe and approved for adults 18 and older.

Can I get COVID-19 from the vaccine?

No. The COVID-19 vaccine doesn’t contain the virus, so it can’t give you COVID-19.

Kaiser Permanente | 401 Bicentennial Way, Santa Rosa, CA 95403 | 707-393-4000 | kp.org

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MICHAEL YANG, MD, JOHN HAU, MD AND BARBARA KANGAS, FNP Summit Pain Alliance is a medical practice specializing in pain management. We treat a wide variety of painful conditions. Our double-board certified physicians strive to offer highly effective and advanced treatment options with the utmost compassion. We have offices located in Santa Rosa and Petaluma.

What is pain management?

Pain management is a specialized field of medicine focused on the treatment and management of painful conditions through a combination of therapeutic options.

What conditions do you treat?

We treat ALL musculoskeletal and nerve pains. These include common pain conditions such as sciatica, arthritis, cancer, joint and spine. We can also help with neuropathy, fibromyalgia, headaches and complex regional pain syndrome.

What treatment options do you provide?

We believe in a comprehensive approach to pain management, including referrals to physical therapy, acupuncture, and chiropractic therapies. We can provide trigger point injections, epidural injections, nerve blocks and ablations and various surgical implants.

EXPERT ADVICE

INTERVENTIONAL PAIN MANAGEMENT

We specialize in pain management intervention and believe in reducing and managing pain without reliance on prescription medication whenever possible. Our goal is always to improve the patient’s quality of life and get them back to doing what they enjoy.

What are the benefits of having an interventional pain procedure versus taking pain meds?

Taking pain medication is simply “putting a band-aid” on the problem without treating the underlying cause. If you stop taking the medication, the pain returns after a few hours. Interventional procedures treat the root cause of the pain.

Do you participate in reseach studies?

Yes, our clinical research department allows us to offer new pain management therapies. We partner with industry leaders to provide cutting-edge technologies and advancdements in pain relief. We use innovative technologies along with new treatments and practices to better serve our patients.

When is a good time to see a pain management specialist?

Whenever someone has pain that will not go away with over-the-counter medications or continues longer than expected.

Summit Pain Alliance | 392 Tesconi Court, Santa Rosa, CA 95401 | 1372 N. McDowell Blvd., Suite E, Petaluma, CA 94954 707-623-9803 | www.summitpainalliance.com

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EXPERT ADVICE

Special Advertising Section

CHIROPRACTIC AND NEUROPATHY DR. KATHY O’CONNOR, DC Dr. Kathy O’Connor is a graduate of the Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa and has been in practice for 27 years. Dr. O’Connor uses a combination of time tested techniques and cutting edge technology that focuses on structural correction of the spine and soft tissue repair. This results in longer lasting stabilization of the spine which contributes to overall healthier living.

What does a doctor of Chiropractic do?

Chiropractic champions a natural method of healing advocating a non-surgical, noninvasive and drugless approach to the treatment of patients. Grounded in a view of the individual as an integrated being, the Doctor of Chiropractic focuses on spinal health and wellness as the keys to overall health and well-being. The human body is controlled by nerves. Everything (circulation, breathing, elimination, etc.) is under the direction of this unbelievably complicated system. If the impulses of this network are transmitted normally to and from the brain, the body will be healthy and able to ward off disease.

Chiropractic adjustments relieve interference of these nerve impulses.

How is Dr. Kathy O’Connor’s approach different to others in her profession?

Dr. O’Connor utilizes a combination of hands on adjusting, as well as a computerized adjusting instrument that senses motion and the frequency (vibrations) of the vertebra. The instrument matches the frequency, essentially employing a biofeedback mechanism. This moves the vertebra much easier. The pressure can be adjusted to the patients tolerance. There is never any twisting of the spine. She also employs a Genesis One LED, a Class IV K-Laser and Pulsed Electromagnetic Therapy when needed. The Genesis One and the K-Laser are the latest and most effective modality for speeding healing of tissues biochemically. Pain and inflammation are quickly reduced. It is FDA cleared to be 90% effective for treating Neuropathy resulting from Chemotherapy and Diabetes. The PEMF charges the cells, increasing oxygenation for optimum tissue repair and healing.

What is Therapeutic Laser Therapy and How Does it Work?

Genesis One and K-Laser Therapy are painless and proven to bio-stimulate tissue repair and growth. Pain management results are dramatic and it is non-addictive and virtually free of side effects.

These are just some of the painful conditions that have responded to laser treatments.

Neurogenic Pain Soft Tissue Injuries • Sciatica • Tendinitis • Fibromyalgia • Sprains, Strains

• Back and Neck Pain • Post Traumatic Injury • Repetitive Strain Injury • Trigeminal Neuralgia • Carpal Tunnel Syndrome • Radiculitis • Knee pain (multiple types) • Shingles • Trigger Points • Herniated Disc • Plantar Fasciitis • Brachial Neuralgia • Tennis Elbow Degenerative Conditions • Muscle Spasms • Rheumatoid Arthritis • Shoulder Pain • Knee pain • Osteoarthritis What are the benefits of on-going Chiropractic care?

There are so many! The most obvious is pain relief.

When your spine is properly aligned, there will be less degeneration.

Better sleep! We heal at night when we sleep and good sleep benefits all functions of the body.

Reduce Stress! When you don’t have pain in your body, your mood is better.

Gain Confidence! The better your posture, the taller you stand and the more confidence you feel. Others will see you that way too!

A few of the many customer testimonials: After being completely unable to walk due to pain and no better after a two day stay in the hospital, I went to Dr. Kathy O’Connor, on pain medication and a walker. She adjusted my back and my pain went from a 10+ to a 5. The following day I no longer needed my walker and a total of five days later I went back to work! Hope is within Dr. Kathy O’Connor’s chiropractic office. Her healing hands, heart and equipment really work.

– Mark, Petaluma It was hard to believe that I could no longer walk. When two years earlier I had been exploring 10,000-foot high Sierra passes and pushing 20 miles down trail (with pack), I had become barely able to walk my dog two blocks at sea level. It was painful to stoop to garden. I hobbled up stairs.

Simple exertions made me grunt like an old man. What was happening to me?!? The personable Dr. O’Connor (“Kathy”) got me up and - literally - running again. Fabulous. Even my untrained eye can see the changes on the radiographs.

And the dog clearly thinks eight blocks is better than two.

They say she’s the best in town; I agree.

– Jeff, Petaluma

Dr. Kathy O’Connor | 5 Keller St Suit C, Petaluma, CA 94952 | (707) 778-1145 | www.dockathy.com

Special Advertising Section

SPECIALIZED MEMORY CARE Primrose focuses exclusively on adults with Alzheimer’s and related forms of dementia, offering residential care, respite care, hospice care and adult day care with unique operational protocols to enhance quality of life for residents, and offer a range of life-affirming and encouraging activities.

When did Primrose open?

Opening in 1997, Primrose was the first memory care specific facility in Sonoma County. Over the years we’ve been fortunate enough to retain our core staff for ten years or more. The continuity of staff and the quality of care we provide is an indispensable component of a safe and secure home for our residents.

What sets Primrose apart from other assisted living facilities?

Our memory loss programs incorporate the latest research findings, including aromatherapy, touch therapy, music and pets. We have 3½ acres, so our residents can experience the feeling of freedom in a safe, secure setting.

Is there one thing families should know in advance?

Adult children should talk with their parents, no matter how hard the conversation, about how they want to live if they develop dementia. Preparing for the journey is the single best thing I can tell people. The legal process, the emotional process: these need to be talked about.

Although I don’t sell insurance, buying long-term care insurance is good advice.

What’s important to know when dealing with dementia patients?

Remember those affected with dementia, no matter how impaired they are, are still wonderful people and have something to contribute. We’ve learned enormously from our clients.

What are some of the satisfactions that come from the job?

Being successful when other facilities have failed with difficult and challenging dementia patients. We strive for fewer medications and offer a facility that’s life affirming and outdoor-oriented in as homelike a situation as possible.

Primrose, Special Alzheimer’s Living | 2080 Guerneville Rd., Santa Rosa | 707-578-8360 | www.primrosealz.com

EXPERT ADVICE

JOHN WOTRING, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

EXPERT ADVICE

Special Advertising Section

OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGY SHAZAH KHAWAJA, MD, FACOG, is an obstetrician and gynecologist with The Modern Woman in Santa Rosa. Dr. Khawaja is board-certified and specializes in obstetrics, gynecology, SHAZAH KHAWAJA - MD, FACOG minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery and uro-gynecological procedures. She is also certified in non-surgical, elective gynecological procedures, including MonaLisa Touch and Votiva.

I am pregnant. Is it okay that I have some cramping or bleeding?

It is okay to have some cramping or stretching of the ligaments around the uterus. This stretching can cause cramping that in some patients can be more severe than others. It is always best to see your provider to make sure no other problems are occurring. However, if you are dealing with ligament pain, Tylenol is often sufficient to relieve that discomfort.

Bleeding, on the other hand, can be normal but an assessment by your obstetrician is important. Sometimes bleeding can be due to placement of the placenta. At other times it can be completely normal after doing something strenuous or intercourse.

What can I do to prevent leakage?

Urinary incontinence is often categorized into two types: stress incontinence and urge incontinence.

Remedies for stress incontinence can include pelvic floor therapy (Kegel exercises), vaginal pessaries, Votiva radiofrequency treatment, and some minimally invasive surgeries.

Urge incontinence treatment can be improved with bladder retraining, dietary modifications, medications and percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation (PTNS), a lowrisk, non-surgical treatment. PTNS works by indirectly providing electrical stimulation to the nerves responsible for bladder and pelvic floor function.

including: annual exams, contraceptive consults, gynecological concerns, breast exams, cancer screening and menopause management.

Is there anything I can do to minimize pain during sex?

Depending on the cause of your pain, there are a number of ways to treat this common condition among perimenopausal and menopausal women. Simple remedies include trying sensual activities like massage.

Take pain-relieving steps before sex: empty your bladder, have a warm bath, or take an over-the-counter pain reliever.

After consulting with your gynecologist, you may learn that the reason you experience pain during sex is due to vaginal dryness. For some women, estrogen creams can be beneficial. Newer non-invasive, nonsurgical technologies, like MonaLisa Touch and Votiva, help restore your body’s organic response to sexual stimulation so that you can self-lubricate during sexual activity. MonaLisa Touch uses laser energy to help restore vaginal elasticity and lubrication to improve vaginal health. Votiva is an advanced form of treatment that utilizes heat and RF technology to provide relief from painful sex, especially for women following a recent vaginal delivery. We perform both procedures in-office and neither require anesthesia.

Do midwives only treat pregnant women?

No, actually. In our practice in Santa Rosa, each of our midwives holds master’s degrees in nursing. They are highly skilled at providing a range of thorough, individualized care to women and their families throughout their pregnancy, birth and postpartum periods.

Not all of our midwifery patients are pregnant or postpartum. In fact, approximately 60 percent of our patients are pregnant. The other 40 percent of a typical midwife’s patients receive care for a variety of needs, The Modern Woman 990 Sonoma Ave, Suite 18, Santa Rosa, CA 95404 | 707-579-1102 | modernwomansr.com

Special Advertising Section

NORTH BAY EYE ASSOCIATES Here at North Bay Eye Associates we are dedicated to delivering the highest quality care for you and your family. Our practice includes several optical offices, an ambulatory surgery center, and a research facility. We believe that supporting our patients through every step of their eye health journey sets us apart. We have locations across the North Bay; visit our website today to find out which location is closest to you.

Dr. Jason Bacharach, MD, Co-Founder When do I need to make an appointment with an ophthalmologist?

Unlike the traditional optometrist you see for your vision checkup, ophthalmologists are trained physicians and surgeons who diagnose and treat eye disorders. If you have or think you may have glaucoma, cataracts, an eye muscle disorder like strabismus, or are interested in laser eye surgery, it’s important to make an appointment with an ophthalmologist. If the above scenarios do not apply, you may not need to see an ophthalmologist until you are 40+ or your optometrist refers you. Here at NBEA we have both optometrists and ophthalmologists to help you with all eye care needs.

How can eye health impact your overall health?

We use our eyes for almost everything we do, from watching a favorite show or driving to connecting with those around us. Our eyes can also be good indicators of possible health issues. Conditions that might be detected in an eye exam include high blood pressure, diabetes, autoimmune diseases, cancer, and even potential strokes. When we practice healthy habits, we give our body the best chance to flourish. An easy first step is to eat foods that are filled with Omega3’s and Vitamin A, C, D, and E; these not only support the health of your eyes, but your entire body.

I have frequent headaches, especially when working. Is this an eye issue?

Chronic headaches may be an indicator that your prescription is changing and it’s time to schedule an eye exam. You may be experiencing headaches from spending extended time on the computer. With much of our days spent in front of a screen, it’s essential to give your eyes time to rest and reset. Tricks like the 20-20-20 rule can help prevent eye strain and improve focus. Every 20 minutes look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. This helps the surrounding muscles distribute the workload and gives your eyes the quick break they need to help you continue your work.

Adopting this habit can prevent tension headaches as well as neck and shoulder pain caused by computer overuse. It still may be important to see your PCP to rule out any underlying issues.

I have worn glasses most of my life, am I a good candidate for LASIK? LASIK is effective in treating astigmatism, myopia, hyperopia, and more. After a consultation and eye exam, your ophthalmologist will tell you if you are a candidate for LASIK. Many factors determine this, including eye health, the severity of vision loss or astigmatism, and the presence of other illnesses or diseases. If you’re interested in LASIK and want to see if you are a candidate, call our office for an evaluation appointment.

Interested in research? So are we.

Ever wanted to be a part of a research study? At North Bay Eye Associates, we strive to stay ahead of the eye care game. Our goal is to help you obtain the clearest vision possible using advanced technologies. This means we work toward new and improved methods. We are currently conducting clinical trials on glaucoma implants, dry eye disease, cataracts and blepharitis. We’re interested in finding individuals who want to participate in our research: if you qualify you’ll be reimbursed for your time. If you’re interested, we can put you in touch with our research facility to see if any of our current studies are right for you.

North Bay Eye Associates | 707-588-7939 ext.5008 | www.northbayeye.com

EXPERT ADVICE

OPTOMETRY & OPHTHALMOLOGY

EXPERT ADVICE

Special Advertising Section

INTEGRATIVE ORTHOPEDIC MEDICINE GAIL M. DUBINSKY, M.D. Dr. Gail Dubinsky has practiced in Sebastopol for 30 years, providing consultations, second opinions and non-surgical treatment of back, neck, shoulder, hip, other joint and soft tissue pain, injuries and conditions, including motor vehicle accidents. She specializes in osteopathic manual therapy techniques, and making the benefits of yoga, including simple breath and meditation practices, accessible to virtually everyone. She is the creator of the DVD programs “RSI?”, “Rx: Yoga!” and “Yoga for Gardeners”. Plus, she has her YouTube channel, Gail Dubinsky MD Yoga.

What is different about how you approach a patient?

I take the time to listen, do a thorough structural physical examination and practice laying on of hands.

Considering the whole person with an orthopedic problem, not just the painful area, allows me to arrive at the most accurate diagnosis and formulate the most effective treatment.

I address lifestyle, stress and nervous system imbalance as primary contributors to ongoing pain and disability. My goal is to help patients live a more sustainable life. This is the true foundation for healing.

How do you integrate yoga into your work?

After teaching classes in a variety of settings for more than 25 years, I now work one on one with my patients to provide them with tools to help stretch, strengthen, balance, relax and integrate. Almost everyone can derive benefits from basic yoga postures or exercises, which are infinitely modifiable for specific needs and limitations.

Equally important are simple breath and meditation practices to reduce stress and anxiety, or vitalize one’s energy. All can be done in just a few minutes a day, with no need for special clothing or equipment.

How do you use osteopathic manual therapy in your practice?

I offer a hands-on technique called Zero Balancing and aim to balance the structure and energy of the body, whether it be spine, joints, soft tissue, or even the abdominal organs. I also utilize a technique called CounterStrain which emphasizes the fascia or connective tissue through the entire body.

Again, my focus is integration of the whole system, not just where the pain manifests.

Why do you do what you do?

People are seeking alternatives before, instead of, or in combination with drugs, injections or surgery. Those modalities have their place, but not enough other options are offered.

Too many people tell me I’m the first doctor who has physically touched them in the months or years they’ve sought help to alleviate their pain.

What unique qualifications do you bring to the table?

My 40-plus years of continuing education in orthopedic and repetitive strain injuries, osteopathic manual therapies, and therapeutic yoga informs my ongoing practice.

I’ve been involved in holistic healing since medical school, plus experience with injured workers and pain clinics later in my career, providing a broad knowledge of both conventional and alternative realms to guide individualized treatment plans, often collaborating with other health practitioners.

After personally experiencing and rehabilitating from several injuries, including dealing with insurance and legal aspects; I’m able to truly understand, support and empathize with patients going through a stressful process.

Here is a case example: A.S., age 74, came to me with severe right hip and leg pain, searching for alternatives to lumbar spine fusion surgery recommended after an MRI showed severe spinal stenosis. I examined her and found a severely restricted right hip, and ordered X-rays that showed extremely advanced arthritic degeneration.

No previous doctor had done a physical exam. She underwent the appropriate hip replacement, instead of invasive spinal surgery that likely would have not relieved her pain.

I think this note from a local patient expresses it well: “Thank you for the work that you do and for the person that you are.”

Gail M. Dubinsky, M.D. | 6800 Palm Avenue Suite I, Sebastopol | 707-829-7596 www.gaildubinskymd.com | dubinsky@rxyoga.com

Special Advertising Section

DR. MARCUS AND REBECCA PORRINO Dr. Marcus and Rebecca Porrino are licensed Naturopathic Doctors practicing general family medicine at their clinic in Sonoma since 2008.

They received their doctorates from the National University of Naturopathic Medicine (NUNM) in Portland, Oregon, the country’s top Naturopathic medical school.

What is a Naturopathic Doctor?

In California, Naturopathic Doctors (NDs) are licensed to diagnose and treat illness; similar to an MD, who practices as a general practitioner or family practice doctor. NDs can order laboratory tests, imaging and utilize these tools, as well as an extensive history and physical exams, to diagnose and manage illness. NDs use a small formulary of medications when needed, but prefer less invasive methods first.

Key Principles in the Naturopathic Approach: • Taking time with patients allows for better health care.

• The body is capable of healing and self-regulating. Give it support to do so.

• Doctor and patient are partners in the healing process.

• All aspects of the patient’s life matter: diet, lifestyle, relationships, and spirit.

• Natural medicine, from nature, is less invasive, therefore should be used first whenever possible.

• Prevention is good medicine.

What else do you do?

• GI Issues, IBS, Food sensitivities • School and Sports Physicals • Fertility and Hormone Support • Men’s Health (prostate and sexual health) • Women’s Health (annual exams, PAPs, gynecology, HPV alternatives, etc) • Adjunctive Cancer Treatment Support • And Much More!

Will the doctors work with my primary care physician or refer to a specialist?

Absolutely.

We have good relationships with many of the physicians in Sonoma and Marin counties. We believe in a team approach.

We will refer to a specialist when we feel it is necessary.

EXPERT ADVICE

NATUROPATHIC FAMILY MEDICINE

What are your patients saying about you?

“I have been sick for 25 years, since the removal of my thyroid.

After 6 months working with Dr. Rebecca, I have felt better than I had since I was a teenager. —TR, 60 years old, Sonoma I probably would never have gone to a naturopathic doctor if i hadn’t been referred by friends. I am so glad I took the leap.

—HB, Petaluma I was taking 7 medications — including 2 infusions every month — for my rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes. I am down to one medication, I have lost 80 lbs, I no longer have “flares”, I eat better and feel better than I ever have before. —DT, Suisun City I am off my Lipitor. I never liked that stuff. Thank you Dr. Marcus for creating a program for me that keeps my cholesterol in check.

—JB, Napa After years of prescriptions, over-the-counter sprays and pills, i finally have the tools I need to manage my allergies without them.

Thank you, Dr. Marcus. —TS, Sonoma “I feel as though I am well taken care of here. I don’t feel rushed.”

EQ, Sonoma “I really feel at ease in your hands.” —DM, Sonoma “Thank you, Dr M., for all your wonderful help and thoughts for when I was going through my cancer surgery and treatment.”

—AH, Petaluma “You are the first doctor that has touched me in many years.

Thank you for taking the time.” —DO, Rohnert Park “Wow. That was the most satisfying medical experience i have ever had. Thank you.” —LO, Sonoma “Thank you. I feel a sense of direction. I am so glad I decided to come in.” —LM, Calistoga “I feel as though I am well taken care of here. I don’t feel rushed.”

EQ, Sonoma “My digestion has been awful since my gall bladder surgery. No one had any solutions for me until i came here. Now I can manage it myself.” DA, Sonoma “For years, I have been looking for someone to look after me and my family with a philosophy of health and prevention. Someone who knows about nutrition and natural medicine, isn’t quick to grab the prescription pad…Glad we found you.” —OW, Napa”

Sonoma Naturopathic Medicine | 710 W Napa Street #1 | 707-996-9355 | www.sonomanatmed.com

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OUR UNIQUE DESIGN AND STYLE

place

place Harvest in Harmony

The grapes are coming in at what may be the greenest winery in Sonoma, where the winemaker is also a lifelong organic farmer, crops grow with little added water, and sheep and ducks forage among the vines.

by ABIGAIL PETERSON photography by EILEEN ROCHE

SEPT/OCT 2021 sonomamag.com

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September is crush season for winemaker Jason Jardine, below, of Hanzell Farm & Vineyards.

Located high in the Mayacamas, the sustainably-farmed winery has views across Sonoma Valley.

W

INEM A K ER JASON JA R DINE OF H A NZELL FA R M & V INEYA R DS,

a historic winery perched high on the edge of the Mayacamas just outside downtown Sonoma, says that even after decades of experience with making wine, the energy of harvest season is unlike anything else he’s experienced. “It’s probably the most special time of year for me, when we’re all standing around the fruit that’s just come in, asking, ‘How does it taste? What tank is this going to go into? Are we going to do this Pinot whole-cluster?’ That’s when 99% of the winemaking is done, standing around in that circle.”

The team standing with Jardine in that circle is doing more than upholding tradition, however. Jardine is also a visionary organic farmer applying holistic practices to make the land healthy for food crops and livestock as well as grapes. The amount of old-school Sonoma winemaking history at Hanzell makes for an unlikely pairing with this cutting-edge approach—after all, it is a risk to change the way you farm 70-year-old vines. The de Brye family, which has owned the winery since the 1970s, is so committed to history that they haven’t changed the style of the wine labels in years. And yet, in another sense, Jardine’s goals are fitting, for the winery has always been ahead of its time. The landmark boardand-batten barn, for example, built by industrialist James D. Zellerbach in the late 1950s, contained all sorts of new technology for its era, including some of the earliest stainless steel wine tanks and one of the first on-site laboratories for analyzing wine chemistry.

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WINERY

Jardine built his career in organic farming and grape growing first in Oregon, where as 21-yearold newlyweds, he and his wife, Ali, were able to purchase a small property (they almost decided to plant blueberries instead of grapes). Later, he worked as a winemaker in Napa and Sonoma, not far from where he grew up outside Lodi. He arrived at Hanzell in 2014 with a dream of transforming the use of the land, operating in the tradition of such visionaries as author Jack London, whose 1910-era experimental farm is just a few miles up the valley.

Jardine says it’s important to know that the level of sustainability achieved at the farm has its roots in traditional farming. “We’re not just some hippies up on the hill, doing this new thing that no one’s heard of before. We’re preserving history and really trying to honor it,” he says.

The diversity of species and opportunity for change were apparent when Jardine first arrived.

Less than a quarter of the winery’s 200 acres are planted with grapes, and wildlife—deer, coyotes, turkeys, hawks—is all around. “Here, every small

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Jardine, above, and his wife farm several vegetable patches at the winery, which yield several thousand pounds of food a year. They’ve also experimented with grazing geese in between vineyard rows to boost production.

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WINERY

The winery’s chickens and sheep graze on cover crops grown in the vineyards, and their manure fertilizes the soil. “When you get the whole picture of so many diverse species, you can’t go wrong,” says farm manager Brandon Brédo. “They all have different jobs.” The farm’s ten American Guinea hogs, below right, help with fire supression by eating underbrush and turning over the soil with their hooves.

block of vineyard is isolated by these large areas of forest. You just feel like you’re not just in a vineyard, but that you’re part of the environment. You feel a responsibility to take care of the oak trees that are next to the grapes, and the bay laurel… It just opens you up to thinking beyond the vineyard,” Jardine says.

For Jardine and his colleagues, thinking beyond the vineyard means that grapes are just one of many living things the farm supports, and each of those living things, both cultivated and wild, has a role to play in balancing the farm’s overall output.

Hanzell is home to 150 farm animals, from chickens and geese to pigs and sheep. The sheep and fowl, under the care of farm manager Brandon Brédo, are pastured in the vineyard several months of the year, where they can eat grasses and bugs and fertilize the vineyards with their manure. Two guardian dogs, Radley and Scout, protect the livestock from

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WINERY

hawks and coyotes as they work through the rows.

The pigs are put to work primarily as fire suppression pigs: They eat through the underbrush in the oak woodlands, turning over the earth with their snouts as they forage for acorns and grubs, and tromping down small twigs with their heavy hooves.

“The animals are all doing different jobs,” says Brédo.

“It’s like there’s a partnership. Like, the pigs will be rooting in one area, and there’ll always be three or four chickens hanging out with the pigs, because without the pigs, the chickens wouldn’t be able to get at those grubs or those seeds. It’s all of these sweet, interesting things that you pick up when you spend day after day with these animals.”

The animals are just one aspect of the farm’s overall green transformation. Over the past seven years, Jardine has worked with viticulturist José Ramos to change over the vineyards to organic production, and to stop tilling in between the rows. The mat of dried grasses on the floor of the vineyard helps protect the vines from heat, and not turning over the soil preserves microbes and helps sequester more carbon. “We have these massive cover crops that we crimp down, and that’s conserving a lot of moisture,

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Right, farm manager Brandon Brédo with livestock guardian dog Scout. Below, the winery’s new outdoor tasting platforms were built with lumber milled from trees that were removed for fire safety.

The tasting area overlooks the historic Ambassador’s Vineyard, planted in the 1950s.

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WINERY

Viticulturist José Ramos has farmed at Hanzell since 1975. He was excited for the transition to organic, no-till grapegrowing.

protecting and putting armor on the soil,” explains Jardine.

No-till farming and regenerative agriculture are buzzwords in many vineyards around Sonoma County, but only a few can apply these methods to the degree that Jardine and Ramos are. “If we can make these adjustments that benefit the soil biology, benefit the wildlife and the longevity of the vines by creating a healthier environment—I mean, I just don’t get why you wouldn’t want to do it,” says Jardine.

For Ramos, who arrived at Hanzell in 1975 and raised his three children on the property, the switch to organic, no-till viticulture was welcomed. “I was so happy—it’s good for the ground, it’s good for the vines. To leave more grass, the vines say thank you. It’s like raising a little kid, you have to give them what they love,” says Ramos. Jardine calls Ramos Hanzell’s Zen master, a repository of 40-plus years of working knowledge of the land. Ramos knows intuitively when there’s something that needs attention in the vineyards, for example, and weeks ahead of time can predict the start of harvest down to the day.

The 2021 growing season has brought challenges at the winery.

With low winter rains, the annual cover crops grew more slowly, which meant less natural forage for the farm’s livestock. Brédo had to bring in extra feed and adjust the grazing schedule in the vineyard blocks. Due to drier weather, the fruit set was excellent—but in April, a problem with a well pump meant that the winery was without irrigation for over two months. Going completely without water during late spring and early summer would have been a five-alarm emergency in many vineyards, but Ramos and Jardine were able to take the setback in stride. “I told everyone, ‘This is the test,’” says Jardine. “This is what we prepared for; this is why we farm the way that we farm. The vines should be able

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WINERY

to adapt and get through this period.”

And that’s exactly what happened: The cover crops kept the soil cool and conserved existing moisture, and the vines adapted.

The well was back online by June, but in a year like this one, Jardine says he’s not using any vineyard water unless absolutely necessary. “I’m really grateful to be on a well, but we have to also be understanding that what we draw from the aquifer has an impact on our neighbors and the communities around us,” he says.

Jardine’s vision extends to the community in other ways as well. He is exploring more ways of increasing the land’s ability to produce food crops in conjunction with growing grapes. He believes he can extend the growing season, for example, so that he can get two rounds of food crops harvested in the time that it takes for the grapes to grow. The crops that currently grow in the vineyard and in the gardens feed everyone who works at Hanzell, from fieldworkers to sales managers.

And he is experimenting with growing grains like wheat and rye in between the vineyard rows. Imagine what’s possible, says Jardine, if you could double the production of the land by growing grains as well as grapes in the same space. “If we can find a way to feed the local community, all from our vineyard, that to me would be the ultimate. I would feel like I’d accomplished something in my life if I was able to pull that off. And we’re getting very close.

We’re harvesting several thousand pounds of produce a year already.”

It’s the type of ambitious thinking that can change minds and change lives. “Stewardship is huge,” explains Brédo. “We’re upstream. Everybody’s upstream in a way, right? But we’re literally upstream. And our actions here, everything we do completely affects what happens downstream.”

Hanzell Farm & Vineyards. Tastings by appointment. 18596 Lomita Ave., Sonoma.

707-996-3860, hanzell.com

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Eight Steps to Green Farming practices at Hanzell go beyond the definition of

organic. More importantly, says winemaker and president Jason Jardine, the holistic way they farm is not only better for the environment, but costs less, too. “Believe it or not, on a per-acre basis, I’m farming Hanzell for less than a lot of the conventional farms that I’m aware of,” he says. Some of the guiding principles that make the farm green include:

1. Extreme biodiversity Hanzell is the opposite of a monoculture. On the 200-acre estate, only 42 acres are vineyards. The rest is primarily forest, with vegetable gardens and fruit trees mixed in.

2. No-till agriculture Viticulturist José Ramos doesn’t use tractors to turn over the soil in between the rows of vines. The practice lowers water needs, maintains beneficial soil microbes, and locks carbon into the ground.

Carbon released from tillage is a contributor to global warming.

3. Wildlife corridors You won’t find fences around the vineyards at Hanzell. Deer, turkey — even coyotes and mountain lions — move freely throughout the property, and each has a role to play within the broader ecosystem.

4. Natural soil boosters As cover crops break down in the vineyard, they add back nitrogen and other elements that were depleted by the previous year’s production. The livestock pastured in the vineyards also fertilize with their manure.

5. Fire-smart planning Rarely a day goes by without the team tackling chainsaw work somewhere around the property. The pigs that graze the forest also lower the fire risk, and in the future, Brédo would like to incorporate prescribed burns and pile burning.

6. Food crops in the vineyard Jardine integrates food crops like fava beans and yellow peas into the vineyard cover crop — he’s also tried squash and tomatoes. Earlier this summer, he completed a trial of a variety of rye that he hopes to grow as a grain crop in between the vineyard rows.

7. Few outside inputs Ramos doesn’t apply additional fertilizer in the vineyard, and the livestock mainly eat what’s grown on-site, including silage put up in spring. (This year, due to drought, they did need to bring in additional feed.) Many cover crops reseed on their own, and vegetable gardens are planted with seeds saved from the year before. Non-native trees that are removed to manage the forest are milled into lumber.

8. Using less water In the middle of a punishing drought, this may be the most important green principle of all. Since Hanzell switched to no-till agriculture in 2014, says Jardine, the farm has lowered its water use in the vineyards by 80%. “This is how we have to farm in the future,” he says. “There’s no other way.”

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Growing a Vision I

A Sonoma family retreat creates space for the parents’ long-held dream: a vineyard.

by KIER HOLMES photography by REBECCA GOSSELIN

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N THE TOWN OF SONOMA, down a long gravel driveway and past a young Grenache vineyard, is the serene home and garden where the five members of the Potter family hunkered down as the world changed. Extra time at their Sonoma ranch was a silver lining to the upheaval of the pandemic say Scott, who works in private equity, and Dara, a consultant.

The couple’s kids, Jordan (15), Miles (13), and Rhea (11), are an active bunch, logging hours in the pool and kicking around soccer balls with their Vizsla pup, Cali. “We also spend a lot of time playing golf at the Sonoma Golf Club and love riding our cruiser bikes to Sonoma Plaza,” says Dara.

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FA MILY

The family bought the property in 2017, looking for a weekend retreat with a warm summery climate and good food and wine nearby — the fact that there was space for an on-site vineyard was a bonus for the couple. “Scott and I had dreamed of having a vineyard and making our own wine someday,” explains Dara.

Dara and Scott farm their 1,700 vines organically, with help from Mike Nuñez of Nuñez Vineyard Management. They’ve named it Figure 8 Vineyard, a nod to Dara’s former life as a competitive figure skater. Figures are an essential discipline that teach young skaters the foundations of edging, Dara explains. And since this is the family’s first foray into growing grapes, they say the name also represents newness, abundance, and love. They’re hoping for their first full crop next fall. “We can’t wait to get our allocation of wine made with Figure 8 Vineyard fruit,” says Dara.

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Raised veggie beds, left, contain deep, rich soil for kale, salad greens, chives, and other crops. Below, the Potter family’s three active kids are back and forth all day from the patio to the pool.

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FA MILY

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The process of choosing which varietal to grow was as thoughtfully considered as the vineyard’s name. “Even though Sonoma is known for Pinot and Chardonnay, we wanted to do something different,” says Scott. Mike Nuñez introduced the couple to the folks at nearby Anaba Wines, who also weighed in on choosing the varietal and rootstock. So committed were Dara and Scott to their winegrape research that pre-pandemic, they traveled to France’s Rhône Valley and Spain’s Priorat region, both areas where Grenache Noir is widely grown. “Turns out, the grape fit very well with the soil composition at our property,” says Scott.

When they bought the home, the existing landscaping was minimal, with a lot of economical bark used as groundcover. Paul Rozanski of Rozanski Design helped the couple envision different outdoor spaces—a veritable Potter wish list that included a small soccer field, bocce area, outdoor kitchen, and space for veggies, olives, and fruit trees in addition to the vineyard. Part of the plan was to execute the design in stages, over time, so that the space could evolve as the family’s needs did.

Clockwise from above: Sonoma’s Rozanski Design planned the landscape, including classic pairings such as grasses and olive trees.

Miles, 13, practices soccer on a small, water-wise lawn. The family’s fig trees produce their second crop in fall.

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FA MILY

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During the initial design, Rozanski took Dara and the kids to Sweet Lane Wholesale Nursery in Santa Rosa to help choose trees and grasses. “One of the most memorable moments was when Paul asked Rhea to pick out a plant of her own,” remembers Dara. “She chose a mulberry tree, and I smile every time I pass ‘Rhea’s tree.’ ” And Dara and Scott adore Japanese maples, so Rozanski made sure a handful of Acer palmatum ‘Emperor One’ made the final design.

Mulberries, lettuces, and especially figs all end up going from straight from the garden to the family’s dinner table, says Dara. “We put figs on everything, whether it’s a cheese platter, salad, fig jam, marmalade for pork…figs are a favorite in the Potter house.”

The Potters are looking forward to fall (“this time of year, the reds, oranges, and yellows around here are stunning,” says Dara), and, hopefully, being able to host gatherings again. They’d like to invite friends to join them for the fall olive harvest, helping to gather the fruit before it’s sent off to be pressed into oil. As the tail end of summer blends into cooler, more colorful days, the Potters say they enjoy seeing how the winemaking community works together to bring the joy of harvest in Sonoma Valley to everyone.

RESOURCES

Interior design

Elena Calabrese Design & Décor elenacalabrese.com

Landscape architecture Rozanski Design rozanskidesign.com

Vineyards

Nuñez Vineyard Management nunezvineyard.com

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One family’s love of Japanese maples Designer Paul Rozanski’s plan for the Potter family’s Sonona home incorporates their affection for Japanese maple trees, which the designer sourced at Sweet Lane Wholesale Nursery in Santa Rosa. Nursery manager Joe Hadley says Japanese maples are a subtle, beautiful choice: “They have an elegance of form and structure that is unique to the species, and their sizes are ideal for more personal or intimate gardens. Plus, they are quite nice from a distance and exquisitely sculptural up close.”

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Hadley says a landscape designer or nursery professional can help homeowners choose the right Japanese maple for their site’s light, water, and soil characteristics. “Maples can be more complicated than people imagine,” he says. He recommends the book “Right Plant, Right Place” by Nicola Ferguson for learning more about how to match plants to a particular location.

The most popular Japanese maples Hadley sells for Sonoma gardens include Acer palmatum ‘Bloodgood,’ ‘Green,’ and ‘Emperor One.’ But he encourages people to branch out, as there are many lesser-known varieties that offer unique color and character.

For three-season color, Hadley recommends Acer palmatum ‘Omato.’ And he likes varieties of Acer shirasawanum (the “full moon” maple) for beautifully layered texture and form.

Japanese maples are a perfect foundation planting, adding fall color plus elegant form and structure, says Sweet Lane Wholesale Nursery’s Joe Hadley.

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It gives me goose bumps.” Garrigan says the club is welcoming members all the time, and most are new to the sport: “Everyone can come out—we have a seat for you.” kaiwainb.org

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“Because we make so little wine, we are offering it almost exclusively to visitors at the tasting room,” says the label’s founder, Baron Ziegler. “It’s one of the only places people can drink it.” And what a tasting room it is. The recently opened space riffs on the cool blues and serenity of the coast, with soft and luxurious seating, rattan lanterns, comfy ottomans, and other warm accents from local design hotshots the Hommeboys. “It’s stunning, like nothing you’ve ever seen before on the Plaza,” says Ziegler.

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Less than a two-hour drive from Santa Rosa, just outside the town of Philo, Hendy Woods State Park is an ideal fall day trip or weekend camping getaway. The park is home to two inland redwood groves, named, aptly enough, Big Hendy and Little Hendy. There’s also a broad meadow adjacent to the sleepy Navarro River, which, though running low this year, still has spots to wade across its broad gravel banks. From the park, it’s just ten minutes to the excellent farmstand at the Philo Apple Farm, or 15 minutes to favorite Anderson Valley wineries like Husch and Navarro.

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Santa Rosa

LAGUNA DE SANTA ROSA TRAIL AND HANNA WINERY

The 1.8-mile trail at Laguna de Santa Rosa offers more of a stroll than a strenuous hike. There are two entrances to the trail, one at 6303 Highway 12 and another by 5420 Occidental Road. If you park at the Occidental Road entrance, you’re just a hundred yards or so from Hanna’s Russian River Valley Tasting Room, where winemaker Jeff Hinchliffe is known for his Sauvignon Blanc, but also works with rarer fruit like Alchimie from the Alexander Valley and old-vine Zinfandel grown high on Bismark Mountain. 5353 Occidental Road, Santa Rosa. 707431-4310, hannawinery.com

Glen Ellen

JACK LONDON STATE HISTORIC PARK AND BENZIGER FAMILY WINERY

Historic trails lead the way to the Wolf House ruins and Beauty Ranch in Jack London State Park at 2400 London Ranch Road. The park is located less than a mile from the Benziger Family Winery, where the Tribute Estate tour ($75) teaches guests about biodynamic growing practices and includes a stop in the underground wine cave. 1883 London Ranch Road, Glen Ellen. 707-9353000, benziger.com

Sonoma Coast

SODA SPRINGS RESERVE AND ANNAPOLIS WINERY

This remote 48-acre reserve (24550 Kelly Road, Annapolis) boasts a number of short, easy strolling trails through giant redwoods. It’s located less than a 10-minute drive from familyowned Annapolis Winery, where you can sip wine and take in views at an elevation of about 1,000 feet.

Tastings of three to five wines are just $5, and there’s often live music on Saturdays. 26055 Soda Springs Road, Annapolis.

707-886-5460, annapoliswinery.com

Healdsburg

WARNECKE RANCH AND SUTRO WINE CO.

SUTRO Wine Co.’s founder, winemaker and artist Alice Warnecke Sutro, takes guests on a 45-minute vineyard hike through the golden hills before settling down in a quiet, shady grove of historic oaks for a tasting of her lineup of excellent, estate-grown Cabernet and Sauvignon Blanc wines. Reservations required, $45 per person. 13301 Chalk Hill Road, Healdsburg. 707-509-9695, warneckeranch.com, sutrowine.com

-Dana Rebmann

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OUT AND ABOUT

A PARK EXPERT’S FALL FAVORITES

Last May, Misti Arias, a 25-year veteran of the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District, was named the agency’s new general manager. Her favorite fall day trips focus on lands the group has helped acquire and preserve. -John Beck Sonoma Valley

Stop off at Sonoma Garden Park on Seventh Street to pick up fresh produce at the Saturday Harvest Market and then head to Montini Open Space Preserve for a hike up to Coyote Point while taking in views of the fall foliage below. sonomagardenpark.org, overlookmontini.org Sonoma Coast

Head out River Road and drop by Creekside Park in Monte Rio to take in the action at the skate park and grab goodies at the excellent Lightwave Coffee & Kitchen. Then head to Jenner Headlands Preserve, where you can grind out the 16-mile roundtrip Pole Mountain hike or take a short trek to a telescope overlooking the Pacific. mrrpd.org, wildlandsconservancy.org West of Petaluma

Nestled among the rolling hills of Chileno Valley, Achadina Cheese Company offers great tours, which always involve tasting yummy cheeses.

Afterwards, take a few cheeses (the California Crazy Curds are perfect finger food) on a picnic to nearby Helen Putnam Regional Park. achadinhacheese. com, parks.sonomacounty.ca.gov

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Glen Ellen

LITTLE VINEYARDS

Music is baked into everyday life at this family winery in the heart of Sonoma Valley. Guitars and stringed instruments hang high on the walls, and “every one of them has a story,” says winery owner, grapegrower, and guitar aficionado Rich Little, who, together with winemaker Ted Coleman, makes deep, earthy reds like Petite Sirah, Zinfandel, Syrah, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Admire the tasting room’s historic bar, rescued from the long-gone Rustic Inn, where legend has it that Jack London himself was a regular. Tastings from $20. 15188 Sonoma Highway, Glen Ellen, 707-996-2750, littlevineyards.com. -Jean Saylor Doppenberg

courtesy Little Vineyards

Little Vineyards, owner Rich Little, right, is also a keen guitar player.

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OUT AND ABOUT

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Michael Moore Photography

Guests with bouquets they picked and arranged themselves at Santa Rosa's Poppies & Petals Farm.

Santa Rosa

HARVEST BLOOMS

It’s a pick-your-own-bouquet paradise at the brand-new Poppies & Petals Farm on the western edge of Santa Rosa. Owner Stephenie Chow came to flower farming after a career in corporate communications—and couldn’t be happier about the decision. “I used to be afraid of frogs, mice, bees, and bugs in general… My neighbor always makes fun of me and compares me to Eva Gabor from ‘Green Acres,’ ” she laughs. But Chow’s farming skills are nothing to sneeze at: On offer are dahlias, sunflowers, and hybrid lilies (the latter planted in waves, 400 bulbs at a time, so there’s always plenty to choose from), plus ornamental grasses and other unusual finds. From $45. 500 Sanford Road, Santa Rosa. 707-752-7891, poppiesandpetalsfarm.com Hopland

courtesy Thatcher Hotel/Kaseman

THATCHER HOTEL

In Hopland, just across the Mendocino-Sonoma line, Sonoma-based design firm Medium Plenty collaborated on the redesign of a landmark 1890s Victorian inn. A moody deep gray on the exterior looks beautiful against fall pumpkins and grasses, while in the lobby, a custom-built window seat, old-school bar, and stunning mahoghany-paneled library have a fresh, design-forward vibe. The hotel is right in the center of town: Walk a few doors down to dinner at the Stock Farm, or take a loaner bike and pedal 10 minutes east via Old River Road to the rambling organic farm and vineyards at Campovida. 13401 Highway 101, Hopland. 707-723-0838, thatcherhotel.com

RAPTOR MIGRATION In September and October, large numbers of raptors can be spotted on their annual southward journey along the coast. Coastal bluffs near the mouth of the Russian River, including the popular Jenner Headlands Preserve, are prime areas for spotting red-tailed hawks, Cooper’s hawks, peregrine falcons, and more.

Citizen scientists with West County Hawk Watch explain that the area is a dynamic theater for birdwatchers, as hungry migrating raptors stop for a day or two to fuel up on prey and soar on the thermal updrafts, before continuing south. westcountyhawkwatch. blogspot.com

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PA RT Y PI X

Teerah Rochioli, left, and Michael Bernard talk with chef Josh Silvers of Jackson's Bar and Oven

WINE, BITES, AND BIDS BENEFITS THE SIX FOUNDATION

Judith Newton, left, and Robin Alderson

AS HAPPENS TO ANYONE who

-Chris Smith

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Russell and Vicki Ernst

“THEY HAVE A CHOICE, AND THEY CHOOSE TO GO OUT IN VERY DIFFICULT SITUATIONS AND PROTECT THE COMMUNITY.” Dustin Saylor performs

-Jackson Family Wines CEO Rick Tigner Jackson Family Wines CEO Rick Tigner, left, The 6 Foundation founder Sonya McVay-Straub, center, and event co-host Erika Altes

Christopher Chung

runs a large and complex company, Rick Tigner of Jackson Family Wines has difficult questions land on his desk. Whether he’d host a foodand-wine benefit to aid local first responders and military veterans wasn’t one of them. “It took me not even three seconds to say, ‘Of course, we’ll do it,’” he says.

On July 27, more than 200 people attended Wine, Bites, and Bids at La Crema Estate at Saralee’s Vineyard to benefit The 6 Foundation, which provides potentially life-altering rehabilitation to Sonoma County firefighters, law-enforcement officers, emergency medical professionals, and veterans who live with the fallout of trauma. Guests were served Jackson Family Wines and Seismic Brewing Co. beers paired with appetizers from Sweet T’s Restaurant & Bar, Jackson’s Bar and Oven, Grossman’s Noshery & Bar, KIN Restaurant, Oliver’s Market, and Ausiello’s Bar & Grill.

“It was breathtaking,” said Sonya McVay-Straub, who founded The Six Foundation in 2018 with the goal of assuring that first responders and vets have access to the same level of manual therapy, mental and physical wellness care, and posttrauma rehab services extended to professional athletes. Wines, Bites, and Bids was The 6 Foundation’s first-ever public fundraising event, and it was among the first events that Jackson Family Wines has been able to host since the onset of the pandemic. The event was co-hosted

by Erika Altes, who runs the blog Whiskey & Lace, and raised more than $35,000.

“The feeling was just utter family,” McVay-Straub said. “It was very special. Breathtaking. It’s that magic of Sonoma.” thesixfoundation.com

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Participants walked through open space in Rohnert Park

Blair Kellison, left, and Jesse Torres

WALK FOR GIRLS AND WATER IT’S ALL TOO COMMON A SIGHT IN VAST , rural swaths of India. But for people to be seen walking while balancing water pots atop their heads at Rohnert Park’s SOMO Village made for a rare spectacle. It happened July 27 at the WomenServe Walk for Girls and Water, a fundraiser for a locally-conceived mission to uplift the lives of women in the Thar Desert region of northwestern India. “It was amazing,” said Nioma Narissa Sadler, founder of WomenServe. “We walk in solidarity with the girls and women who are walking up 10 hours per day for water.” Sadler is also a goodwill ambassador for Sonoma County’s Traditional Medicinals tea company, which sources ingredients from India and is deeply involved in efforts to improve the quality of life there.

WomenServe founder Nioma Sadler, left, and Kika Reyes-Acosta

Huifen He

“ONLY 1 OF 100 GIRLS GRADUATES FROM HIGH SCHOOL THERE. WE’RE WORKING TO CHANGE THAT STATISTIC.” -WomenServe founder Nioma Sadler

In villages of western Rajasthan, WomenServe provides rainwatercatchment ponds and tanks that free women and girls from walking miles for water. The nonprofit also offers education and economic services aimed at helping girls stay in school and avoid being married off as teens. The walk at SOMO Village, which was accompanied by other walks across the country, raised over $60,000 for the organization.

Nioma Sadler smiled broadly and gazed skyward when, just as the walkers danced to a Bollywood song about the approach of rainfall, they were sprinkled by a few, sweet drops of rain. “It was a beautiful moment,” she said. womenserve.org

-Chris Smith

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PA RT Y PI X From left , Will Ellis, José Moyet, Brian Badertscher, and William French of San Francisco.

OUT IN THE VINEYARD TWILIGHT T-DANCE SONOMA VALLEY welcomed back its first major in-person fundraising event on July 17, with the return of Out in the Vineyard’s 14th Annual Twilight T-Dance at Chateau St. Jean in Kenwood. For the first time, superstar San Francisco drag queen Ruby Red Munro headlined the event, along with companions Adriana Roy and Madison McQueen.

To attend the outdoor event, the 250 attendees were required to show proof of being fully vaccinated, explains Out in the Vineyard founder Gary Saperstein. “As I like to say, we’re vaxxed, and we’re back.” DJ Pumpkin Spice spun tunes, and light bites were provided by Classic Culinaire Catering Service of Novato. The event raised $15,000 for Face to Face: Ending HIV in Sonoma County, which has offered education and services to locals with HIV and AIDS since 1983.

-Kathleen Coates

“I SAW PURE JOY FOR PEOPLE BEING ABLE TO BE TOGETHER AGAIN AND GATHER AS A COMMUNITY, AND THAT’S WHAT THIS EVENT IS ALL ABOUT.” -Out in the Vineyards founder Gary Saperstein

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Darryl Bush and Rob Pengelly

From left , Bogar Orea, of Suisun City, Calif., Maya Lane of Nevada City, Calif., and Hadley Larson of Sonoma.

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the finish AS FIRST-TIME AUTHOR AND SANTA ROSA RESIDENT Shugri Said Salh gazes out at the dry rolling grasslands of Crane Creek Regional Park, she is both overcome with wonder and reminded of the Somali desert where she was born. How did a child, raised by her grandmother in a family of nomadic goatherds, get to this place of peace and plenty? A nurse and self-described “soccer mom,” Salh shares her incredible journey across cultures and continents in a new memoir, “The Last Nomad.” She writes with reverence of her desert upbringing, under the wing of her grandmother, in a world of savage beauty, poetry, and storytelling. She also reflects with clear-eyed honesty on the plight of women in a repressive culture and the cruelties she witnessed in a homeland she describes as riven by clan warfare.

-Meg McConahey

A grandmother’s legacy I don’t believe I would have been as resilient as I am today without watching a woman that strong and resilient. She was a camel tamer. A camel is crazier than an untamed horse. I see her dismantle the hut.

I see her herding goats. I see her getting ready for the droughts. I see her enjoying the rainy season.

I come from this strong badass woman. So I feel like every time I’m having a hard time, I remember: I am a woman of the desert. I am the girl who came from this grandmother.

The perils of nomadic life Survival of the fittest is put to the test. You either die or you survive.

You get sick. There’s drought. Lions attack and take you. Every time you go out to the animals, it’s obvious you could encounter lions and hyenas and wild dogs. And yet they expect you to come home with the goats, all well-counted.

Kent Porter

Revisiting a life left behind I wanted to leave a legacy. My children don’t really know the world I came from. I want to make them understand. I was part of two cultures. I am the last nomad of my family. It’s not like my California kids will one day go back to the desert. They say in Somali, loosely translated, “You’re not going to live long or forever. But you may leave your words. “

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