Eat Local
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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…
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Meals That Heal: Ceres Community Project Delivers Nourishment
Food is medicine. Instinctively, that statement makes a lot of sense. It’s easy to see that if one eats well, then one has more energy, avoids illness, and feels well, both physically and mentally.Sebastopol’s Ceres Community Project takes the “food is medicine” concept and puts it into practice by providing 100% organic, locally sourced, and…
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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,…
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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…
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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…
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Traditional Foodways on the Table
If the food products lining grocery store shelves could talk, they’d tell many a tale, including sagas of long voyages, preservatives, and shortcuts taken to maximize corporate profits. But rarely would these stories be tied to place, culture, or connection to those who produced it. But the California Indian Museum and Cultural Center (CIMCC) in…
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Back to the Land: Kim LaVere of Land + Local Cooks Up Deep Connection
In our modern grab-and-go food culture, it’s easy to forget that food is a main ingredient in our health and wellness. But Kim LaVere, chef and owner of Land + Local is helping us to remember. She’s all about the philosophy that food can be medicine. Her main goal? To lovingly and gently bring people…
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Star of the Summer: New Wood-Fired Pizza at Stellina Pronto! Debuts
Ever since husband-and-wife team Christian Caiazzo and Katrina Fried opened Stellina Pronto! three years ago, customers were patiently eying the blue mosaic pizza oven behind the counter with the sign above it stating, “Pizza—Coming Soon.’ The cafe has since become a fixture in Petaluma, offering Linea espresso roasted in San Francisco and an ever-changing menu…
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Connect with the Source at Jupiter Foods, Your Farmers Market Grocery Store
The San Francisco North Bay Area is bountiful with farm fresh produce, but venturing to the farmers’ markets every week just isn’t always possible for many people. Luckily, Jupiter Foods Grocery Store in downtown Petaluma does all the legwork, and lovers of locally grown produce can enjoy the farmers’ market freshness all week. The intimate…
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From Ecuador With Love
Grand Central Cafe is more than a coffee shop. Owners Natalie and Juan Carlos Vinueza opened it during the waning days of the pandemic, and what began conceptually as a cafe, evolved into a colorful business that serves coffees and mochas as well as organic empanadas, and sells imported Ecuadorian cacao and artisanal items. A…