Eat
-
Savor the Season
LISTEN NOW (16 mins): What does it really mean to eat seasonally in Sonoma County—and why does it matter now more than ever? In this episode, publisher Daedalus Howell sits down with food and hospitality authority Clark Wolf for a wide-ranging conversation about the rhythms of Wine Country, from early wine grape harvests and Gravenstein apples to the farmers,…
-
Olive Me: Gold Ridge Organic Farms’ New Olive Oil Collection Celebrates Sonoma
There are pantry staples, and then there are your everyday go-to’s that you keep within easy reach on the kitchen counter. Gold Ridge Organic Farms’ new With Love From Sonoma County collection are the latter. The award-winning organic extra virgin olive oils are paired with original label art inspired by the colors and character of…
-
Seven Moons Farm’s Avocado Advantage
For many in Sonoma County, avocados are a highlight of our California-style food culture, from the brunch favorite: avocado toast, to the “super” in a super-burrito. The avocado, native to Mexico and Central America, came-of-age as a local culinary essential during the California food culture movement of the 70s and 80s (I first encountered the…
-
Rare Bird: Glen Ellen’s Songbird Parlour
Sometimes the best restaurants feel a bit like a well-kept secret. Those places with thoughtfully prepared food, attentive service, and ambiance that encourages good conversation and genuine conviviality. Songbird Parlour in Glen Ellen is just such a spot. Tucked into historic Jack London Village, which dates to 1839, Songbird Parlour offers an elegant and sophisticated…
-
Summer in the City: Taco Tuesday Bike Ride Rolls to the New Mitote Food Park
A serpent-shaped balloon animal, painted four stories tall, coils around a prickly-pear cactus on the facade of an abandoned grain silo. Across the street, beside a clanking railroad crossing, a hundred papel picados, suspended above picnic tables, rustle colorfully in an evening breeze. Nearby, kids pose for a photo with a life-size mariachi-clad Snoopy statue…
-
Food for People, Not for Profit: Worker-Owned Community Market Celebrates 50 Years
For 50 years, Community Market has been keeping Sonoma County well-fed and feeling good about it—no shady ingredients, always fresh, organic, and ethically sourced goodness. With locations in both Santa Rosa and Sebastopol, this worker-run market puts people and the planet first. Now, as they celebrate their golden anniversary (that’s a lot of kale sold!),…
-
Name Games: What Does “Local Food” Really Mean?
In 2007, the New Oxford American Dictionary named “locavore” its Word of the Year. Farmers’ markets were proliferating nationwide, tripling in just 15 years. Restaurants began emulating farm-to-table trailblazers like Chez Panisse. Then came surprise bestselling books like The Omnivore’s Dilemma and films like Food, Inc. as millions reconsidered dinner’s long and convoluted journey to…
-
On the Rise: Nightingale Breads Harmonizes Artisan Breadmaking with Community Care
On the corner of Front and Second streets in Forestville, Nightingale Breads hums to life long before sunrise. A baker arrives in the early morning hours to bake bread that was mixed, shaped, and cold-proofed the day before. By 7:00 a.m., the next shift rolls in to mix fresh dough for the following day’s bake,…
-
Finding Unity Through Food: A Global Table at Sonoma Family Meal
“I come from a country where hunger dominated our population,” explains Jules Sinai, who arrived in Sonoma County last year from Haiti, “so, I know the importance of feeding people and am passionate about food and the happiness it can make in people’s lives.” Despite recent false claims from fear-mongering politicians, Haitian immigrants are arriving…
-
Cheese to Please: Local Selections
Perhaps Avery Aames, author of the Cheese Shop Mystery series said it best, “Life is great. Cheese makes it better.” Aames’ pronouncement seems to be the guiding principle for much of Sonoma County’s cheese community, including Keith Adams’ Brit-inspired venture, Wm Cofield Cheesemakers, located in The Barlow marketplace in Sebastopol. Visitors and locals alike flock…