Southern Sonoma Country Life

A New Jewel In The Crown of Magical Santa Barbara and Montecito

Santa Barbara View above — Photo by J Sinclair courtesy of Visit Santa Barbara 

Photos  — A Rivetti  2021

Nothing beats a visit to the Santa Barbara 100-mile stretch of coastline while driving the central and southern Pacific route down to Southern California. The region holds a special place in my heart and I'd happily entrench myself there for weeks at a time if I didn't love my Sonoma County, Nor Cal roots so much.

And so the timing proved fortuitous for me to have a quiet scout around the Montecito area on my way back from a visit with my oldest son in Los Angeles to celebrate his birthday. It just so happened that I was to pen a piece on Meghan and Harry's new home base in Montecito, Santa Barbara's exclusive unincorporated neighbor to the south when the news broke of the June 4th birth of couple's second child, a daughter, Lilibet Diana (named after her great grandmother the Queen and grandmother Diana).

Meghan delivered her sweet girl without any fanfare mid-morning on a sunny Friday in the nearby birthing  center of Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, a handy 10-mile drive from the Sussexes home in the hills of Montecito.  By the time I pulled into town she was back home with Harry and Lili's big brother, Archie (2), resting in what is reputedly a rather luxurious bedroom with its amazing en-suite bathroom and no doubt, exquisite views of the Pacific and verdant Santa Ynez Mountains.

Really, whatever your take on their royal departure from Britain and the big debate about speaking out with regards to the reasons for their culture-shaking move, who could possibly find fault in their choice of relocation for the now four of them? 

It was a relief to discover that there wasn't any evidence of mass media hysteria along the quiet, secluded hillside housing enclave. The only people I spotted on the winding roads past gated estates with forests of palm and olive trees was the occasional masked and helmeted cyclist (could have been Harry for all I knew), landscapers in baseball caps and a housekeeper with her lunch box waiting for a ride. 

I spent some time chatting to cafe and storekeepers and friends in the area with regards to the general response to the royal birth. Not everyone had heard. It was no big deal. 

If the family stays long term in the area, I've no doubt young Archie and Lili will be kept out of the radar as much as possible until they're old enough to decide for themselves if they're going for the limelight, but hopefully it won't be too hard to do given the geographic location and nature of Montecito and surrounding area.

I wrote my account of my visit in brief for British-based The Royalist, a fun and informative, informal weekly newsletter by career newspaper and magazine editors Kerry and Maria that has subscribers around the world. You can read it by clicking on the following link. Sign up to receive it in your inbox. 

The Royal List 

While in Montecito we stayed at the historic Montecito Inn. Before Hollywood was a thing there was Santa Barbara and its old school western allure. The early movie production companies that eventually relocated to Los Angeles first made their home in the Santa Barbara area. Even after many stars moved on to Hollywood, Santa Barbara's allure could not be denied and this was where they came back to play and to live.

According to the Inn's heritage: "Charlie Chaplin immediately fell in love with the area. So much so, that he, along with a small group of investors, built the Montecito Inn in 1928 as an upscale getaway. It soon became one of the most desirable destinations along the California coast. Soon after the Montecito Inn opened its doors, it became the "cream of the coast" between Los Angeles and San Francisco. Years later, in 1943, Mr. Chaplin returned to Montecito to marry the love of his life, Oona O'Neill. Since then, many things have come and gone, but the popularity and luxury of the Inn has remained."

The Inn has endured many eras of California history, not least the devastating mudslides that roared through its parking structure after ravaging this small city in January 2018.

In the spirit of revival that we see time and time again in our California coastal communities, the Inn, as with its surrounding merchant neighbors, picked itself up, cleaned itself off and is more popular than ever with visitors seeking the peace and tranquility of more secluded beaches and hillside properties. As a hotel, its not all that fancy, but clean and classic and well priced for the value-seeking traveler. The thing I liked about it was its unpretentious air and the fact there was a Rolls Royce convertible in the parking lot and not down the road at the much more expensive ocean-front accommodation options.  That kind of sums up Montecito perfectly. Low key. Casual style yet glamorous in its own way. 

And we indulged in a hearty lunch (a few hours before meeting friends at their house for a seafood dinner) at the wonderful Bettina, with its outdoor seating in Montecito Country Mart which I highly recommend for Neapolitan-style pizza made with seasonal California ingredients and a cheeky Spritz if you're in the area. 

Photos — F Rivetti 2021

If you go — things are really opening up this summer. Demand is high for the coastal region, so do book ahead for your accommodations, special dinners and activities whenever possible and to plan for what you'll need as we navigate all the new protocol. I felt extremely safe and well cared for everywhere we stayed and stopped in at on our five day road trip. 

Visit Santa Barbara is a great resource of where to stay and things to do, especially for the first time visitors but also for regulars, as activities and events get back on board. 

 

Recommended Read —We Are What We Eat — A Slow Food Manifesto — Bay Area Legend Alice Waters on the Food Values We Need to Embrace

Flash back a year and one of the positive aspects of life during a pandemic was an international lock-down culinary revival. Here in the United States, where an estimated 95% of its people regularly consume fast food, the art of cooking and cooking seasonally, let alone slow food concept was suddenly and massively in vogue. And it lasted for months.

Shopping for flour and yeast and coming home empty handed was like living in a revolution era — scoring said ingredients was a triumph of the week and how many loaves of bread, cookies, cakes, scones, quiches, soups and stews were served up at tables filled with family members for weeks on end? The mind boggles. That part was wonderful.

What I hoped, as an ardent home cook, food writer and proponent of the shared family meal was that folk would get a taste for the good life of simple, locally sourced meal ingredients and stick with it more frequently after everything opened up again. 

It's no problem to find a bag of flour or packet of yeast now, so needless to say, the rush to stock our pantries has subsided significantly. And while I'm all for supporting our local restaurants, be it dine in or eat out or take home, it would be better for us and the planet if we no longer frequent the non-chain fast food eateries that have nothing to do with nurturing or nourishing us or the earth.

I was excited to learn that Alice Waters was releasing a new book We Are What We Eat — A Slow Food Manifesto. And I signed up through local indie bookstore Point Reyes Books for a copy that included an invitation to hear Alice, chef and founder of Berkeley's Chez Panisse in conversation with another Bay Area legend, The Omnivore's Dilemma author Michael Pollan, Knight Professor of Journalism at UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism and the director of the Knight Program in Science and Environmental Journalism. 

If you haven't heard of Alice Waters it's most likely that you're not in the United States. Alice has won numerous awards including the National Humanities Medal, the Cavaliere of the Italian Republic, the French Legion of Honor Medal and three James Beard Awards. She is vice president of Slow Food International and founder of the Edible Schoolyard Project, bringing healthy food awareness to communities all around the world. 

Back when Alice opened her restaurant Chez Panisse in the early 70s, her goal was to feed people good food in a time of political turmoil. Nothing much has changed fifty years on when we look at life today. And Chez Panisse, like so many restaurants worldwide continues to prove its mettle having hung in there through the past fifteen months.

I've eaten at Chez Panisse only two or three times in the years that I've lived in the Bay Area. My oldest son studied at CAL and I fondly remember a lunch we enjoyed together in the cafe upstairs from the main restaurant. If I lived in Berkeley I would eat there as often as I was able. Like the best of food and wine, the menu is seasonal, the ingredients fresh, delicious and local. In fact, most of the items on the menu when I last ate there were from Sonoma County, where I live and shop the farm stores, so lunch at Chez Panisse is like coming home, only better! Restaurants across the country have modeled themselves on the core values of Chez Panisse and how thankful are we for that?

Alice talks frequently of Bob Cannard, the iconic Sonoma County farmer behind my favorite Green String Farm, whose produce sold her on fresh, seasonal and local in the first place. I spoke with Bob a couple of years ago for a story on farmstands for the Petaluma Visitors Guide and have written about his long history in biodiverse farming.  I feel so fortunate to call this bountiful region home.  

Over five decades, Alice and her partners deduced that many of the world's most serious problems are, at their core, connected to food. In We Are What We Eat, 

the author and activist urges us to take up the mantle of the slow food culture if we haven't already. It is the philosophy that has guided her life's work as she came to see that it is the phenomenon of fast food culture, that prioritizes cheapness, availability and speed that is not just ruining our health, but dehumanizing the ways we live and relate to one another while poisoning the environment. 

Michael Pollan was the perfect choice for this online conversation to introduce the book. Michael lives and lectures in Berkeley and is a Chez Panisse regular during more normal times. He and Alice go back a couple of decades in the call to slow food living, championing a different kind of culture, one with values of biodiversity, regenerative farming, seasonality, stewardship and pleasure in work. 

"We Are What We Eat" is a wonderful, beautiful, elegant piece of work — a manifesto that is so clarifying, simple and with a sense of inevitability," said Michael, as he introduced this important new book. 

It's about a whole lot more than food, the positives and negatives of the way that we eat and how we live our lives. It's an illuminating read even for the committed farm-to-table reader. 

The book talks about why we are buying so much fast food and why we believe we need access to convenience food 24/7, why it's okay to eat in our cars, why its okay to expect supersize portions, with much of it going to waste.

Alice spoke about growing up in New Jersey after the second world war. Her family ate seasonally. She remembers playing outside until it was dark, the taste of a New Jersey tomato and of a summer strawberry. When, in the 1950s, convenience food came into play and along with it, mass advertising, Americans became immediately addicted to it and to the salt and sugar that came with it. 

"We lost our seasons and we lost the camaraderie of the table," she said. Other countries held on to their food cultures for longer, whereas America, built on puritan values, never put much stock into fun and flavor at the table. It was always more about growing and producing food for quality.

Both Alice and Michael laud Italy for "Still fighting the good fight when it comes to food values." This made me smile, as my husband of over three decades, Timo, was born into and raised by Italian immigrant parents in the UK and even after we moved to California he can honestly say he has only ever eaten fast food in a car once in his life and that was when an unsuspecting friend stopped in at one on a road trip. He likes to remind anyone who will listen that there's nothing too important to get in the way of sitting at a table for a bite to eat.

According to Alice: "The fast food culture destroyed the family dinner." 

The two of them discussed how culinary skills have been lost and many people don't believe they have time to cook. They aspire to but don't find their way to it. 

"I'm always trying to win people over with taste," said Alice. "I want to give them this, I don't just want to tell them what to do. If you know some very, very basic things about cooking and buying food it can be easy and important."

Alice is determined to demonstrate to the government that organic and local food can be purchased for school lunches for the same cost or less than mass produced foods. She's devoted the past 20 years to working in schools on the Edible Garden Project. My own three sons went to Valley Vista Elementary School in Petaluma and were fortunate to have school garden classes run by an excellent garden teacher and parent volunteers throughout their early years. It's not this way everywhere but it should be.

"Nature is such a compelling teacher," said Alice, a former Montessori teacher herself. She talked of a world that is sensorily deprived, whereas:"Food touches all of the senses."

"Kids don't all know that chicken nuggets come from a bird," added Michael, agreeing that we should teach stewardship of the earth in our gardens from kindergarten on up. 

Both spoke of the shocking degree of food shipped out of state in the mid west to feed other states by powerful industries. "This is an emergency," warned Alice, calling for regenerative agriculture and biodiversity of crops to become more widespread, immediately both to repair our immune systems and pull the carbon back down into the parched earth. 

The Central Valley for instance, would benefit vastly from a layer of compost on dry, barren, drought-hit land. It wouldn't need nearly as much water to grow crops.

A big take out was that we must treat kids as adults with regards to food, respect them and ask them to help, empower them. "That's what food communicates," expressed Alice. "Love. It's terribly important at this moment in time.

 

We have the power to chose what we eat. And we have the potential for individual and global transformation by shifting our relationship to food. "All it takes is a taste," says Alice.

I'm about half way through reading the book as I write this post. It's short and succinct and powerful. Highly recommend. 

Sonoma Botanical Garden — New Name, New look for Former Quarryhill Garden, Glen Ellen

 

Along with a new rebranding and repositioning, primarily Asian-focused Quarryhill Botanical Garden in Glen Ellen, now Sonoma Botanical Garden has also been treated to a complete makeover while we were all sitting at home dreaming of being back out and about. 

The property's beautiful ponds received a facial and a duckweed extraction, making way for a perfectly picturesque spot on the wooden bridge overlooking a garden view with glistening reflections on the water.

Historic stone walls were restored, facility buildings were renovated and more improvements continue to be made in this internationally recognized wild Asian woodland garden.

"Adapting our mission to include California botany will allow us to be even more sensitive to wildlife, water, and wildfire issues that are so present in our community and the world at large," says Scot Medbury, Executive Director for this unique garden. "We hope that encountering specimens of California's endangered native flora will lead people to an appreciation of plant-conservation challenges around the world, including those found in Asia, and vice versa - and that learning about the endangered flora of Asia might inspire local action to save California plants." 

With this revised mission, a new name was needed to encompass the whole of the Garden - Asian woodland and Three Springs Ranch. Quarryhill Botanical Garden became Sonoma Botanical Garden. "We anticipate that the new name and enhanced mission will strengthen the Garden's connection to our community, advancing our environmental-education impact in an era of climate change," says Jerry Newell, Chair of the Garden's Board of Directors.

Efforts to expand the garden's deliciously refreshing citrus collection are in motion, including the cultivation of Kumquats, Buddha’s hand, and more. If you've never visited, I thoroughly recommend you put it on your list for staycation activities this summer or fall.

Visit Wednesday through Monday from 9:00 a.m. through 4:00 p.m. Closed Tuesdays.

If you go:

General Garden Admission
Please check-in at the Gift Shop.

• $12 Adults
• $10 Seniors (65+)
• $8 Children ages 13-17/Active Military/Students with ID
• Children 12 and under are free
• No admission fee for members, become a member today!
  
• No charge for AHS RAP members

Contact 
707-996-3166
info@sonomabg.org

Mailing Address
PO Box 232, Glen Ellen, CA 95442

Physical Address
12841 HWY 12, Glen Ellen, CA 95442

 

Driving Directions
About 8 miles north of Sonoma, the Garden is located on California Highway 12 (Sonoma Highway), just north of Arnold Drive intersection.
Do NOT turn on Miller Rd. Enter directly through the gate off HWY 12. Click here to view the Garden's entrance gate on Google Maps.

Parking
When you enter the gate off HWY 12, follow signs to Visitor Parking. Please check-in at the Gift Shop before you enter the Garden.

Wheelchair accessibility is limited. There are steep hills and uneven, loose trails. Leave pets at home. 

Photography is welcomed. 

Picnic areas are scattered throughout the garden and near the parking lot.

Guests  are encouraged to bring water in refillable water bottles. Water is available in the Gift Shop for purchase, but there is no access to drinking water on the trails.

Restrooms are located near the parking area and in the Garden northwest of the arbor. Note: the Arbor restrooms are Port-a-Potties.

To ensure the tranquility of the garden for all, biking and smoking are prohibited. 

Humans share the Garden with rattlesnakes and mountain lions. For your safety, stay on the paths.

The Garden is a living museum with a scientifically documented collection. Many plants are rare or endangered and therefore significant to conservation efforts. Please do not remove seeds or cuttings from the garden.

Spring Hill Open Air Market, Petaluma — Live Music & Refreshments Sunday, May 16th 10 - 4pm

Tuolumne County's 2021 Inspirational Travel Guide

 

Travel — remember that? Aren't we all bursting to get back out on the road? Many friends have already resumed their adventuring — I'm just getting started with my travel planning. There's a lot to consider when heading far and wide and also closer to home and it's a new world for the travel and tourism and leisure industries, all enthusiastic to welcome us back, but with responsible itineraries. 

One of the most talked about travel destinations these days are our beautiful national parks. What an absolute treasure trove of natural splendor and many, with a little more careful planning, within driving distances. 

Yosemite National Park/Visit Tuolumne County now has its online 2021 Inspiration Travel Guide ready for viewing on the Visit Tuolumne County website.

This handy and well thought out  Travel Guide is filled with information on Yosemite's Tuolumne County. A hard copy of the guide can also be ordered and sent to addresses within the United States.

Did you know that more than half of Yosemite National Park is in Tuolumne County? I'd like to discover more of this side of Yosemite that I haven't seen much of before.

Why no Vvsit Hetch Hetchy, Carlon Falls and the Tuolumne Grove of Giant Sequoias, all within the Park's boundaries, but much less crowded than the more iconic Yosemite Valley?

In addition to Yosemite, Tuolumne County boasts two historic state parks – Columbia and Railtown 1897 where visitors can experience California's Gold Country by stepping back in time and catching a glimpse of what life was like in the 1800's.

Quaint towns loaded with character can be found throughout the area. Wineries, craft breweries, and a cidery along with excellent dining and unique shopping opportunities are found throughout the area.

Outdoor adventurers will feel right at home on backcountry trails or high-country lakes and rivers that can be found throughout the High Sierra region of Tuolumne County in the Stanislaus National Forest.

Lodging from camping to bed and breakfasts and historic hotels to modern lodges and even Conestoga wagons are available for memorable overnight stays.

See the Travel Planner for great trip ideas and tips for traveling responsibly. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone's travel photos this summer on social media. Wherever we roam, it certainly will be extra special this year and not taken for granted. 

 

Join The Keep California Real — Truth in Olive Oil Labeling Campaign

Photo & Info McEvoy Ranch 

There's been much debate about the integrity and origins of the olive oil we see on the shelves here in the States for quite a few years. Not all olive oil is created equal, but misleading labeling might make you think otherwise!

Since we have several incredible high quality, first rate California olive oils widely available, it's confusing to the consumer when cheap oils with less integrity that are not native to the state continue to be labeled as such. 

As for olive oil producers, such as local gem McEvoy Ranch, it's imperative that current legislature sorts this out once and for all. And so it's time to join together with food lovers and farmers and KEEP CALIFORNIA REAL. Here's some info from our friends over at McEvoy:

What is Assembly Bill 535 currently in front of the California Legislature?
In short, it’s truth in olive oil labeling. The Bill will make it unlawful to make any representation that an olive oil is produced entirely from olives grown within California unless the representation is true.

Why Should You Care?
The truth matters, and you deserve to know where the olive oil you are buying comes from.

Did You Know?
Several olive oils currently on the market are labeled “California Olive Oil”, but are produced out of state, or even out of the country. Make sure products labeled with “California Olive Oil” support California farmers and local businesses, and KEEP CALIFORNIA REAL by helping to support AB 535.

What You Can Do?

1. Sign the Petition to support Assembly Bill 535.
2. Download KEEP CALIFORNIA REAL Assets so you can share your support for AB 535 with your network and community. When sharing use the official hashtags: #KeepCAReal #TruthInLabeling #RealCAOliveOil
3. Contact your Local Assembly Member and share a helpful pre-written letter. It takes under a minute!

 

“Hello Assembly Member,

I am writing to you to register my strong support for AB 535 and I very much hope that you vote for this bill which calls for greater truth in labeling on California Olive Oil.

The integrity of agriculture as a whole in California relies on truth in labeling, origin, and honest presentation of information to consumers. California is known as an agricultural leader, and we have a financial and ethical interest in defending our agricultural heritage and our future. Many foreign olive oils have a lower cost basis than California due to many factors including lower environmental and labor regulatory burdens. To sell this olive oil with "California" (or other regional claims to provenance) on the label undermines our local olive oil production and sales potential. And it is deceptive to olive oil customers. Please vote for AB 535.

Thank you,

Insert Your Name”

AB 535 Press
Check out Agri-Pulse's article covering Assembly Bill 535 where McEvoy Ranch president, Samantha Dorsey, highlights the bill's goal to protect truth in labeling.

“You guys have done a really good job of setting the bar high with labor standards, emission regulations, water usage controls, food quality standards, inspections, payroll taxes, equipment, taxes, property taxes,” said Dorsey to lawmakers in the hearing. “To be compliant in California, I have to charge a premium price for my product, because it's produced in a premium region. It's super disruptive to my business, and every other real California olive oil producer, when we have to compete against this foreign oil that's produced with fewer regulations at a significantly lower cost structure.”

 

When buying your next bottle, be sure to select an olive oil that you know has been grown and produced here in California. Better still, support local and buy directly from McEvoy Ranch online. 

Mother's Day Pop-Up Market at Petaluma's New Grand Central Cafe on the River at Weller Street

Wow! I'm blown away by all the wonderful open air markets and pop-ups in the Petaluma area this spring. I haven't had a chance to check out the new Grand Central Cafe on the river at Weller Street yet, but I plan to soon and Mother's Day sounds like the ideal time to stop by. 

All of the vendors in the pop-up are moms. What better way to celebrate and support hardworking and creating mothers in our community? Here's friend Houston Porter's article on this fun & innovative new cafe in a recent Petaluma 360 post. 

Top Pick — Support Sonoma Family Meal Wine & Dine Fundraiser with a Single Thread Take-Home & Hook & Ladder Tasting

This is such a fabulous pairing, I hope you'll join me in participating with Sonoma Family Meal's summer fundraiser. Sign up for a ticket and you and a guest will be invited to taste at Hook & Ladder in Santa Rosa on your choice of Sunday June 13 or June 27th, 2021 with a fabulous and delicious take-home meal for four to-go from the team at Single Thread, Healdsburg at the end of your tasting. 

Ticket donations will boost the coffers of Sonoma Family Meal, the county's emergency food network of chefs, farmers and food producers that has been tirelessly stepping up to the plate to feed local folk in fighting food insecurity during times of disaster. As we prepare for a summer of drought, Sonoma Family Meal is more important than ever.

So why not drink wine, bring home dinner for your family and support Sonoma Family Meal in feeding our local community - it’s a win win! By purchasing a ticket for 2, your donation will feed 7 families of 4 in Sonoma County. I booked for the 3pm tasting on the 27th. Hope to see you there! 

Each ticket includes:

• Tasting flight for 2 at Hook & Ladder winery
• 2 specialty bottles of wine
• SingleThread family meal for 4
• Harvest Card membership - your ticket to wine country
• Sonoma Family Meal grocery tote bag

Click here to purchase tickets. 

 

Red Barn Studios Petaluma Spring Show Saturday & Sunday May 1st & 2nd

We're so lucky to have access to so many talented artists and makers in our Sonoma County community. Red Barn Studios is one of my favorite shows.

This Spring show will feature a pop up food tent with super chef Brenda La Noue's delicious eat there or take home offerings, also featuring Mariposa ice cream, small handmade pies and goodies.

Upcoming Events at McEvoy Ranch

McEvoy Ranch is a magical place and the team there loves sharing it with guests. Visit any time for Wine and Olive Oil Tastings or a WalkAbout Tour, but mark your calendar for one of the upcoming Workshops or Celebration Events that are available for a short time.

 If you see something you like, sign up today, as spots fill-up quickly.

For reservations, questions, or changes, email events@mcevoyranch.com or call   707.769.4113.

VISIT THE RANCH

Sip & Sketch

Saturday, April 17
11:00am-12:30pm

Social Club Member and Academy of Art University Instructor, Chuck Pyle, will lead a sketching class in the McEvoy Ranch Milk Barn!

Your ticket includes a glass of wine, a sketch notebook, and a pencil kit from the General Pencil Company.

Register Here

Masks required and Social Distancing in place.

 

Earth Day Wellness Hike
Wednesday, April 21
3:00pm-5:00pm

Join  in celebrating Mother Earth while exploring the beautiful Ranch. Your tour will include a walk through the organic culinary garden, a hike to some of the property's hidden Celtic plantings followed by a guided meditation, and relaxing sound bath. After the hike, enjoy a delicious Buddha Bowl on the Tasting Room Patio.

 

Register Here

Masks required and Social Distancing in place.

 

Mother's Day Brunch
Sunday, May 9
11:00am-1:00pm, 2:00pm-4:00pm

Join for brunch to celebrate mom. Enjoy views of the Ranch – including the Tuscan olive orchards, pond and rolling hills – and a 3-course brunch box on the Tasting Room Patio. The perfect gift for any mom in your life this Mother’s Day!

 

Register Here

When not seated, masks and social distancing will be required to ensure this celebration is Covid-safe for all who attend.