Mar/Apr 2023
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Letter from the Editor
I recently spent a delightful two hours interviewing Jenny DeYoung, the owner of Santa Rosa’s beloved Disguise the Limit, which has provided costumes, oddities, and fun to the community for about as long as I’ve been alive. After acquiring the store in 2016 and giving her all to keep it afloat the past seven years,…
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Meet An Artist – Singer/Songwriter Erica Ambrin
“With R&B and jazz undertones, Ambrin spins lyrical narratives that are romantic, vulnerable, and insightful.” – TERRY ROLAND, No Depression: The Journal of Roots Music “Music fuels me. It feeds the parts inside me that I can’t explain, the parts most of us try to hide from the world. Since I was a little girl, I…
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Where Are They Now?
In which the editor brings you up to date on the happenings of some of our previously profiles people still doing awesome things and continuing to feed, beautify, and inspire our community. Dawn Zaft’s Criminal Baking Company is expanding its catering options, specializing in boxed breakfasts and lunches, a variety of platters (veggie, fruit, charcuterie,…
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Park Place
We would be remiss to write about all of the amazing things Sonoma County has to offer without mentioning our bountiful Regional Park system. Sonoma County Regional Parks includes more than 50 parks and beaches from Petaluma to Gualala and Sonoma to Bodega Bay. Many offer wild landscapes and miles of trails. Others feature sports…
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Mix Master Morales
How The College Confectionista baked her way through U.C. Berkeley and into a promising career. Photos by Paige Green Photography Anamaria Morales keeps a mock acceptance letter from U.C. Berkeley framed in her bedroom. The dean’s signature is so expertly photocopied onto it that you’d never know it’s not real. The straight-A student sent herself…
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Keeping Land Legacies Alive with Ag + Open Space
Whenever I visit Humboldt County, I like to take a meandering detour along the Avenue of the Giants to visit my favorite redwood tourist tree. Dubbed the “Immortal Tree,” its accompanying informational sign touts some astonishing stats about this marvel of nature, including its age (950-1000 years!), its height (once 298 feet, now 248 feet…
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From The Ground Up
The Neighborhood Garden Initiative teams up with Bulb Bliss to promote veggies for all in Sonoma County and beyond. When Ammon Jordan set out to write a children’s book about sustainability and green living a few years ago, he had no idea that the project would, well, balloon into something more. But somewhere along the…
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Hope In The Spotlight
Inspired by writer Rebecca Solnit’s newest book, Not Too Late: Changing the Climate Story from Despair to Possibility, we are devoting this new section to spotlighting the people and organizations advocating for and enacting change—whether related to climate, economic, or other forms of social justice. Meet Noelle Johnson Deputy Director of The Gold Ridge Resource…
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Making A Scene
What was once a Pontiac dealership, and so many other businesses, is now the home of Santa Rosa’s first downtown community theater. Photos by Paige Green Photography I walked into the new California Theatre last September with high hopes. A friend had invited me to see the musical Fun Home, based on the graphic memoir…
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Locavore: Sheila Shupe Makes Overnight Baked Oatmeal
Confessions of a Germophile: Sheila Shupe Makes Overnight Baked Oatmeal Photos by Tammy Horton I’ll admit it. I don’t like porridge. For the granddaughter of a Scottish immigrant, it’s hard for me to even type those words. Like many of us, I grew up in the shadow of the food pyramid. It ain’t easy cramming…