Southern Sonoma Country Life

Original Recipe Revealed for Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce

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Lea and Perrins Worcestershire Sauce is one stand-alone, traditional British condiment that has successfully made it big time on the breakfast tables of America.

Not too many bacon and sunny-side-up breakfast specials are served up with a side of the Brits' beloved HP Sauce - or Colman's Mustard for that matter, yet Worcestershire Sauce somehow hit the mark here in America - despite the fact that correct pronunciation of the northern county's creation does remain a bit of a mysterious tongue-twister to most.

Flicking through the pages of the March issue of an appealingly old-fashioned British Heritage Magazine (somehow having survived the demise of glossy print), a photo of a bottle of Lea and Perrins alongside a handwritten recipe book caught my eye.

According to the editor, historians in Britain believe that they have their hands on the authentic,  150-year-old secret ingredient list for Worcestershire Sauce, recorded in leather bound folios in sepia ink.

Turns out the folios were found by a former company accountant and archivist busy dumpster diving in a skip at the company's Worcester hq.

Apparently, no one individual employee has ever known the entire formula for Worcestershire Sauce, a spicy, pungent concoction of vinegar, peppers, pickle, soy, lemon, cloves, anchovies and tamarind.

British Heritage Magazine quotes Worcester City Museums officer David Nash as saying that the list of ingredients does not guarantee that anyone other than Lea and Perrins could produce a copy-cat product. The secret is safe, at least in the distinctive method of manufacture!

My mother's visit to California this past Christmas resulted in the re-stocking of British condiment supplies in the vineyard kitchen (see photo above). Although I had reassured her that Lea and Perrins is widely available in breakfast cafes and stores throughout the region, she wasn't taking any risks and carried her own miniature bottle in her handbag throughout her two week stay! Thanks for leaving me the left overs, Mum, although I am more of an HP Sauce girl, myself.

And talking of old Blighty. Anglophile fans and ex-pats in the Bay Area take note, the second annual Saint George's Day shindig takes place at Aqus Cafe at Foundry Wharf here in Petaluma on April 23rd, 2010. Pub songs, pints, bangers and mash. I'm up for initiating a Pearly King and Queen Competition. Better start sewing on the buttons, now. More details on Saint George's Day festivities, price and time to follow.

Petaluma Photographer Jude Mooney Opens New Show at Barry Singer Gallery

Barry Singer's Gallery will be bursting at the seams with top notch photography this Easter weekend, as Petaluma portrait photographer Jude Mooney joins the ranks of celebrated visionaries on show at the gallery's 7 Western Avenue storefront on Saturday April 3rd.

Jude's hauntingly beautiful images will be on show from 4-6pm - a perfect prelude to Barry Singer's official opening of a double dose of photographic nostalgia with the fine art photography of both the late Don Jim and Morrie Camhi.

Stop by the gallery for a glass of wine and a wander and why not make a downtown evening of an early Spring Saturday? If you are not familiar with the central historic west side of this Victorian river front town, now's the time for a road trip. Restaurant row offers a wide range of superb Sonoma County-style eateries from the stylish, seasonally inspired Central Market to old-school Italian dining at Graziano's Ristorante.

Beer lovers would do well to stop off for a pint on the patio at Dempsey's riverside Restaurant and Brewery.

Enjoy a good curry, over in the Golden Eagle Center over the bridge you'll not be disappointed by the healthy Nepalese Naan and aromatic dishes at Everest.

Phrase of the Week - Hyperlocal

Buzz phrase every which way we turn at this challenging interchange in global history is Hyperlocal. With the internet having increasingly opened up a tangled, multi-faceted world wide web of insight into the life, minute details, photos and not always fascinating times of practically every Tom, Dick and Harry on and off your list of Facebook friends, there is little wonder over present trends to turn our attention closer to home.

Much closer to home, in fact. For the remarkably uncomplicated concept of hyperlocal has a whole lot of appeal when it comes to sourcing the stuff of daily life: food, services, commute-free employment, entertainment and especially neighborhood news.

With limited resources and an evolving appreciation of quality, scale and value, hyperlocal continues to come into its own. 

Evidence that mainstream media has widely recognized the need for hyperlocal community news sites such as Sonoma Country Life to link arms in the ongoing provision of news and journalistic views, monolithic New York Times had this to say   on blogs and emerging print-free platforms such as PATCH.

Of course, this doesn't mean that we don't have a continued need for regional, national and international influence in today's global market. It is the awareness of just who we are as individuals and members of awakened communities that strengthen the message we send out to the rest of the world.

Changing of the Guard in Petaluma Politics Likely this Election Year

Strolling around a bustling, historic downtown of boutique clothing stores, antique emporiums, a thriving restaurant row of inviting cafes, a stranger to Petaluma, CA might assume that business is booming in this quaintly bucolic outpost of the San Francisco Bay Area.

Locals and visitors alike continue to frequent the most stalwart of the area's characteristic independent business and eateries, yet recession time has certainly taken its toll here at the gateway to Sonoma County wine country with just as many cash-strapped civic coffers, vacant commercial buildings, job cuts, slashed community resources and housing foreclosures as most anywhere else in the northern outreaches of the Bay Area's more affluent south.

One Petaluman with a keen eye on reversing the current economic trend of shutting shop and down sizing future investment is prospective politician and deep-rooted farmers' daughter, Karen Nau.

"My personal background, having grown up here in Petaluma with a deep understanding of its past, enables me to explain to all ages the importance of a balance between needed economic growth, preserving traditions and quality of life," says Nau, a former Petaluma City Councilwoman and strongly positioned return candidate for the 2010 elections.

"Daily, I (explain) this (model) as a preschool teacher and as a community leader in Petaluma," says Nau, contending for one of four seats that will come available on the seven seat city council this November. 

If voted back onto the council (Nau lost her seat in 2008 to current Councilwoman Tiffany Renee):  "I want to continue to fulfill the vision of the new General Plan, establish economic development and make a difference in Petaluma's future," she says.

" We need to create jobs, put people back to work, establish shopping opportunities and revenue for our general fund. With a healthy budget, we can maintain a standard of fire/police safety, improve street conditions and create/maintain our city parks."

Nau isn't the only candidate with a back-to-business agenda. Two newcomers have entered the race for Petaluma City Council seats this month: both reportedly bearing business-friendly credentials and the likeliness of being in support of long-winded, controversial Regency and Deer Creek developments that would bring big box stores such as Target and Lowe's to town. 

Due to a 4-3 council majority on slow growth, Petaluma has won itself the unofficial mantel of a regional namesake for its stranglehold (good or bad) over any new development over the past few years. If Nau and incumbent Mike Harris are seated in favor of certain development projects, the potential successful election of fellow community contenders Ray Johnson and Chris Albertson will undoubtedly tip the balance of recent history. 

Former Fire Chief here in Petaluma, Albertson's considerable appeal to voters will no doubt be driven in part by equal measures of goodwill and a reportedly pragmatic approach to ending an extended period of no-progress.

Likewise, its is probably fair to assume that retired telecom executive Ray Johnson has big plans to utilize an extensive top-ranking sales background with Pacific Bell to create and foster an environment in which progressive businesses from outside of the area will once more cast their vision here for desperately needed corporate growth and development in the heart of southern Sonoma County. 

With a robust tax flow and expendable income back in vogue, sole proprietors such as Barry Singer's Fine Photography Gallery on Western Avenue and A Splendid Little Shoppe (pictured above) on Petaluma Boulevard will serve as flag bearers who survived the recession and inspiration for all of the new businesses that have yet to bloom in a more stable economy.

Berkeley Bootcamp Breakfast Nirvana

Back in Sonoma County after six days of super-intense 12 hour bootcamp for independent journalists' blogging the new frontier of online storytelling at the Knight Digital Media Center in the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism.

Twenty fellows from across the country (one in this temporary alternate reality from combat zone assignment) did a double take at day six breakfast spread, a surprise treat of authentic Brittany French Crepes cooked to special order in the Edwin R Bayley library.

The Knight Digital Media Center is housed jointly at Berkeley and the University of Southern California Annenberg School for Communication. Dedicated to helping good journalists and good journalism succeed in the 21st Century, fellowship workshops such as the Web Publishing for Independent Journalists seminar are vital in an age of increasing layoffs in newsrooms around the country.

As journalists explore new realms of storytelling potential via web publishing, new and emerging platforms are popping up in communities throughout the nation, particularly on the hyper-local level.

Anyone can write a blog or take a stab at throwing a community news project together. The key, however, is keeping afloat and rising to the top of regular online readership in a sustainable way so that independent reporting can thrive as a profession and stories continue to be told.

Web publishing offers a myriad opportunities once we explore the powerful tools available for storytelling delivery online. The 20 test fellows in this first-time offering for independents reporting outside of the newsroom had a highly focused whirlwind introduction to a wide variety of the following phenomenal tools and more thanks to the incredibly talented team at KDMC:

• Shooting good video and video editing • Using Photoshop to prepare images for publication• How to effectively sell advertising • Data visualization at the community level • Basic Mapping and Data-driven Maps • Search Engine Optimization and Google Analytics.

What does this mean for the future of Sonoma Country Life? Lots of great ideas bubbling away in the mental upload department. Thanks to all who continue to watch this space!

Design Your Own Petaluma River Monster

Don't you think the Scots have had their fair share of mileage out of Nessie the beloved Loch Ness Monster legend? 

Now's a great time to take on the highlanders at their own game. And what's more, you could be the canny one behind the making of a myth. Creative types are invited to conjure up an artistic rendering of a (real or imagined) Petaluma River Monster for an exhibition at Boomerang Gallery at 46 Kentucky Street and several additional locations on the (Friday) night before Butter and Eggs Day (Saturday, April 25, 2026).

Three winning Petaluma River Monsters will be featured on posters to promote and fundraise a River Town Revival Art Festival and Boat Races to be scheduled on the Petaluma River this summer. 

"We need your wild imaginations, or, in case you are one of the fine town's folk who has seen the river monster - here's a chance to share what you saw," says River Monster Art Show organizer Drew Washer. "We want a lot of original monsters so grab grandpa and all of your neighbors and co-workers and have them draw or paint a monster."

Art should be ready to hang and delivered to Drew by April 19th, 2010.

PEF Funded Cherry Valley Farmstand - A Boost For School Learning Garden

Thanks for the vision and generosity of Clover Stornetta Farms for its financial support, Petaluma Educational Foundation (Sonoma Country Life Sponsor) is able to fund renovation of an on-campus farmstand to connect a student garden at Mary Collins at Cherry Valley Elementary School with local farms and sustainable agriculture.

“This project will raise our school teaching garden to the next level,” said 2nd/3rd grade teacher, Gena Richman. The 5,000 grant, funded by Clover Stornetta, will pay for the conversion of a former bathroom into a workable farm stand to be operated on a regular basis.

“The farmstand will extend the teaching of the garden beyond science and nutrition to include business, math and local economy,” said Richman. “In Petaluma we support the use of local, seasonal food choices and the integration of garden-enhanced nutrional education.” PEF Thirteen Major Impact Grant recipients (totaling $131,882) are currently implementing programs to be completed by May of 2011.

A garden program has been an integral part of the curriculum at Cherry Valley and the school offers a weekly salad bar available to all students, based on produce from the garden. The salad bar gives all students a chance to participate in harvesting produce, preparing and serving fresh food and to eat a nutritious lunch, offered free to all students once a week. Farmstand income at Cherry Valley would directly support the salad bar by providing funds to purchase additional produce and dairy products from Petaluma farms, including Canvas Ranch and Green String Farm.

“Petaluma is historically an agricultural economy and currently is at the forefront of sustainable agriculture,” said Richman. “Cherry Valley is doing what we can to support healthy food choices and is serving as the district’s model for a school lunch program that gives children both choice and all natural, organic, locally sourced foods where possible.”

Directly benefiting 370 students throughout the school, the farmstand will be constructed from a former bathroom on the playground. Power and running water is in place and the structure is easily accessed from the parking lot and entrance to the school.

“What better bridge to start kids learning about earth and soil and how they can better feed themselves and their families?” asked Benedetti. “We at Clover are very excited to fund this sustainable project.”

Hip New Book for Beardies

Got facial hair? Not entirely sure on grooming etiquette? Author, blogger, Nick Burns and publishing partner Allan Peterkin have all the answers and more to your shaving do's and absolutely do nots!

Check out Nick's blog  Bearded Gentleman and pick up a copy of this sharp new style guide on May 1st. Nick's a Bay Area-raised UC Berkeley Grad student with designs on shaving out a top-notch niche for himself in the brave new world of modern man's grooming.

Smart Seat for the Book Lover

Take a load off in this dream chair and have all your favorite novels at your fingertips. Spotted this superb seating arrangement in the lobby of the comfortably bohemian  Hotel Durant in Berkeley. Couldn't think of a better way to curl up after a long day and take in few chapters of the latest read. Now that's what I call smart furniture design!

What Does the Prospect of Health Care Reform Mean to You?

From the hospital corridor to the campaign room, politics in a sharply divided congress and throughout  communities across the nation will undoubtedly be the subject of a red hot debate on health care reform for many months to come.

As news broke this evening on the vote to approve Obama's historic health care reform bill, pros and cons continue to be argued in every avenue of community life. 

What does the prospect of health care reform mean to you?

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