It has been seven months since the launch of Healdsburg's ambitious, new, state-of-the-art grange, grocery, farm store, cafe, bar and event space, SHED. And it took me the entire summer and now most of the fall to finally find a free afternoon for a foray up the 101 to check it out.
I'd been hearing mixed reports from friends and fellow bloggers, one of which stated, to the point (as he is wont to do), that he just: "didn't get it". Still, it sounded like something that I'd appreciate, what with its enticing line up of coffee and fermentation bars, larder and pantries, housewares for the seasonal cook, cafe, farm and garden store, workshops, Sunday suppers, event and tastings space. And unlike Sebastopol's ambitious and extensive Barlow District roll-out for the passing foodie's delight, the Shed is all under one beautifully styled, lofty, well lit and convenient roof.
Ironically, I'd actually made a (jaw-dropping) first visit to the ultimate emporium of all things Italian-foodie focused, New York's Eataly, before a visit to the Shed finally topped my SoCo to-do list and I just can't help but compare the ambitiousness of the projects, despite the wildly different demographic of foot traffic in keeping such major enterprises bouyant.
Whereas with Eately, there is sheer magnitude of choice and sumptuous selection, you just want to dive right in and order a slice of pizza, or an espresso, initial reaction to the Shed is considerably more of a mixed bag of wondering what to focus on first while figuring out how it all quite works.
After browsing around for about 20 minutes, Lesley and I each bought a copy of Angela Boggiano's appealing British Pie Book, as well as my impulse buy of a beautiful, made-in-Sonoma-County, big, white pie dish. If there had been a basket of Gravenstein apples I'd have come home with the makings for my holiday pie, but I found the fresh food refrigerators and counter offerings to be a bit sparse and austere looking.
Price varied from super expensive, rustic-luxe kitchen items to reasonable deals such as jars of pickled red Fresno peppers and old-fashioned molasses.
Despite the plethora of choices for lunch in Healdsburg, we decided to give the Shed a whirl, at a table for two in its indoor/outdoor chic cafe.
Staffing seems to be a bit of a hard commodity to come by in Healdsburg, with so many competing eateries (tasting rooms & stores) in town, and though polite and friendly, our server forgot to mention that our modest salads selection had reached the kitchen at the wrong end of a large group order. Better late than never, our fresh sardine and smoked salmon salads were, though 40 minutes in the making, beautifully presented and delicious.
As a community resource for learning, I wish the Shed were in Petaluma. The South County could do with a facility that offers an event space of this caliber as well as a center dedicated to talks featuring noted thinkers, artists and authors with workshops on food crafts, gardening, farming and sustainable living.
Though Petaluma has a great Arts Center and stores such as The Seed Bank and Copperfields for some of these activities, the draw from San Francisco and the East Bay would be so much more feasible than driving all the way up to the northern reaches of Sonoma County.
The 9,700 square foot building is two stories high. According to media reports, the Shed has, at the seven-month stage, undergone considerable growth and change as it settles into wine country's wider community awareness.
For those who are in the vacinity and have their calendars organized to follow the Shed's event calendar, I'd say its wonderful addition to Healdsburg's offerings. Though somewhat envious we don't have one on our doorstep, I'd imagine it would take on more of a practical farmer's market atmosphere if it were located in the South County.
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