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Sonoma-owned Café Sarafornia best Calistoga business

Plein Air Gala brings NBC TV; B.R. Cohn Pool Party this weekend; Two new CSAs in Sonoma Valley

 

Café Sarafornia, owned by eastside Sonoman residents Madeline and Drake Dierkhising, was just selected "Business of the Year - 2011" by the Calistoga Chamber of Commerce.

The Dierkhisings used to have The Feed Store café where The Red Grape is today on First Street West, and are very active at St. Leo's and with the Boy Scouts.

In fact, Dierkhising said, "We were dumbfounded. I could only think about our letting the Troop 18 use the café for their annual spaghetti feed ... We have great people working for us." And many of them have worked at Sarafornia for decades. Congratulations!

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Sonoma's unique Plein Air Gala and weekend arrived this week, starting this past Monday with a reception for the artists at Ramekins Culinary School & Inn, a "Quick Draw" Tuesday at the farmers market on the Plaza, an art sale at the Charles Creek winery tasting room on First Street West, and a live filming by Lance Lew of NBC-TV of Plein Air founding artist Keith Wick painting from a blank canvas.

The gala dinner and auction tonight at Cline Cellars' barrel room support arts in the schools, much needed to keep arts education alive. Attendees will dine on chiogga pink beet salad, double cut pork chops with chive mashed potatoes or Provençal vegetable tian and strawberry rhubarb Napoleons. $175 to $1,000. Silent and live auctions. 5:30 p.m. wine and hors d'oeuvres, 7 p.m. dinner and live auction. Sonomapleinair.com.

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Michael and Anya Crain, John and Deborah Emery, Larry and Ginny Krieger and Curt and Marchelle Carleton dined at their new hangout, Olive & Vine restaurant, to celebrate the Emerys' last day at their sold Emery Estate. All have become great fans of the restaurant, as many of us are of Catherine Venturini's (Driggers) great food.

Of the Crains' third visit to the Jack London Village restaurant, Anya commented, "Each time Michael and I have come into the new Olive & Vine we've been treated like the most welcome of guests to a private home ... It doesn't get much warmer than that ..."

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B. R. Cohn Winery will host a pool party Saturday and Sunday, May 28 and 29, this Memorial Day weekend to welcome summer and guests with a beautiful barbecue, lawn games, live music and wines from Bruce Cohn's Classic Car Wine Collection. Apparently the party is around the pool, not in it.

Sample the goodies as a warm-up to Cohn's 25th annual B.R. Cohn Charity Events Fall Music Festival where Santa Rosa resident and television star Guy Fieri will mastermind the Celebrity Chef Wine Dinner in September. Pool party $10. 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. both days. 15000 Sonoma Highway, Glen Ellen. 800-330-4064.

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Chateau St. Jean hosts its annual "White Party" this Memorial Day weekend. Wear white, nibble at several tasting stations and enjoy live music. $20 includes logo glass and savory bites.

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Julie Atwood, who will open her "downtown studio" of Julie Atwood Events in the Lynch Building on West Napa Street this summer, produced the fabulous M.F.K. Fisher-Audubon event last weekend at the Bouverie Preserve. As I mentioned, Atwood heard from many participating chefs that it was one of the best food events ever. Atwood's theme of getting the chefs to blend their dishes to Fisher's books was brilliant and made the event exceptionally creative and exciting.

In addition to the favorites I mentioned last week, Charlie Hallowell's grilled asparagus, Mark Stark's ribeye with potato chips, Stephen Viguerie's escargot and the picture emblazoned Divine Chocolates served with air-dried tangerines were indeed divine. It was a real treat to see Shane Enzensperger and Natalie Holshevnikoff from Sonoma Valley High School's Culinary Program volunteering to serve Paul's Produce vegetables in colorful salad.

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Rosemary Wood, Alexa Wood and Lauren and Alex Benward hosted last weekend's release of the Beltane Ranch's 2010 vintage was one of the loveliest parties of the year, with perfect weather under perfect old oaks over a perfect garden sculpted for decades by Victor Torres, to say nothing of perfect sauvignon blanc and great food.

Bob Rice of Breakaway Café served a melt-in-your-mouth pulled pork on tortillas with avocado lime sauce and a potato galette, while the Glen Ellen Fire Department BBQ Unit did their job on oysters smothered in melted butter.

In the large crowd were Thale and Steve MacRostie, Karen and Pieter Everard, Sandra Lowe, Maureen and Adam Cottingham and Lori and Kevin McGovern.

Mike Short, who celebrates 25 years as wine buyer for Sonoma Market and Glen Ellen Village Market, says the two stores are the exclusive local sellers of Beltane Ranch wines. Beltane's 2009 sold out already, and the 2010 will be available next week, having won a gold medal in the 2011 San Francisco Chronicle wine competition run by winejudging.com.

Warning to Sonoma Valley Vintners & Growers members: Do not miss your annual barbecue Thursday, June 9, at this ultimate Sonoma Valley property.

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Coming up soon:

Infineon Raceway's Historic Motorsports Festival Friday, Saturday and Sunday, June 3 through 5, features fabulous old cars and new foods, the latter organized again this year by instructor and Chef Victor Scargle of the Culinary Institute of America's Greystone Campus in St. Helena.

Attendees at Infineon's "Celebrate Sonoma Day" races on Saturday get to taste in the Wine Country Pavilion as part of their admission to the races. Purveyors committed so far to serving in the tent include the girl & the fig, Estate, Annie the Baker, Bardessono, Butterfly, Botanical Bakery, Clover Stornetta Dairy, Eastside West and the CIA Greystone.

Bennett Lane, Clarbec, Hughes, Korbel, Meadowcroft, Rielle, SideJob, St. Supéry and Tin Barn will all pour their wines.

All proceeds from the pavilion go to Sonoma County youth organizations through Speedway Children's Charities, the charitable arm of Infineon Raceway and led locally by Denise Silver. Race and pavilion admission $40 advance each Saturday and Sunday, $60 weekend pass; youth $20/$30; children 12 and under free. Free parking. 800-870-7223 or infineonraceway.com/historics.

Late Saturday afternoon, June 4, 30 of the historic cars cruise from Infineon to downtown Sonoma, circle the Plaza and then line up in the horseshoe in front of Sonoma City Hall. The Red Grape, Swiss Hotel, Basque Boulangerie, Maya, Tuscan Cowgirl Dezerts and Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream will all serve yummies, while B. R. Cohn, Chandelle, Cline, Deerfield Ranch, Highway 12, Larson Family and VJB will serve wine. $30 advance, $35 at festival. 5:30 to 8 p.m. 800-870-7223 for tickets.

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Paul's Produce and Lunita Farms just announced they are starting Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) endeavors to deliver boxes of their hand-grown vegetables to locals.

Paul Wirtz of Paul's Produce (and formerly Oak Hill Farm) is well known for his super fresh produce at Sonoma's farmers markets, and will be joined by Mike Zakowski (Mike the Baker) and his bread, as well as Nick's Chixs free-range eggs. You commit to regular purchases and then you can pick up your box of goodies at 19655 Arnold Drive across from Brocco's Old Barn at what used to be Romberg's Dairy, or at other so far unspecified central locations. Unclaimed boxes will go to Sonoma's Meals on Wheels. For more information email Candi Edmonson at cadied@vom.com.

Rachel Kohn Obut of Lunita Farm in Schellville offers lots of berries, vegetables, melons and herbs and boxes can be picked up at the Yoga Community or at Junipero and Co. For more information visit lunitafarm.net, email lunitafarm@gmail.com or call Rachel at 201-247-2496.

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Sheana Davis of The Epicurean Connection hosted a cheese class at St. James Cheese Shop in New Orleans this week and served "a total of 2,000 cheese plates over four days in New Orleans." Davis also has 10 new artisan American cheeses in her shop, with names like Shamrock and Two Faced Blue, along with Jimtown Store's orange marmalade. James Fanucchi and Tori Dwyer kept the shop hopping during Davis' NO stint.

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Meadowcroft Wines welcomes summer early with a food and wine pairing on Saturday, June 11, at its Cornerstone Sonoma tasting room. House chef Darby Tarantino will serve spiced watermelon and summer vegetable salad with 2010 Meadowcroft Riesling; Mike Anderson's Louisiana cole slaw with 2009 Thomas Henry Chardonnay; followed by pulled pork sliders with Syrah-spiked barbecue sauce and 2007 syrah. Finish it all off with caramelized pear short cakes with Meyer lemon cream and Thomas Henry Riesling. $25. Seatings at noon and 2 p.m. Reservations at 934-4090.

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The world's first ever Gay Wine Weekend approaches Friday through Sunday, June 17 to 19, all organized by super popular Gary Saperstein's Out in the Vineyard. The weekend offers three full days of LGBT events in Sonoma Valley including a VIP reception at MacArthur Place hosted by SKYY Vodka, Gloria Ferrer Sparkling Wine and Westwood Winery on Friday, June 17.

Following the reception the Sonoma Community Center sponsors "An Evening of Gay Comedy" with Russian Opera Diva Katya Smirnoff-Skyy. Uh-huh.

Saturday brings a Twilight T-Dance to benefit Face-to-Face and the Sonoma County AIDS Network at the Atwood Ranch in Glen Ellen with a "gourmet food truck up" starring Uncle Charlie's Dim Sum, El Gitano Mexican and Phat Wraps and Salads and wines from 10 wineries.

Sunday brunch and wine auction at El Dorado Kitchen winds up the celebration. All access pass $295; Twilight T-Dance VIP $150 or general $75; Gay Comedy Night $35. For tickets and more information contact Gary Saperstein at 495-9732 or gary@outinthevineyard.com.

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Sonoma Mission Gardens advises us to thin our fruit on fruit threes that is "to protect against over cropping, which can lead to broken branches and sub-standard fruit." SMG says "start by giving the tree a good hard shake," which will send weaker fruit and some peach leaf curl leaves a-flying. Then pick the weaker, smaller fruit, especially within a cluster.

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Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn news: Condé Nast Traveler's Reader's Poll just found FSMI's Willow Stream Spa, featuring thermal springs from 1,1000 feet below our feet, and 12 other Fairmont spas to be among the tops in the world. Six Fairmont Willow Stream Spas ranked in the top 10 in Canada.

 Executive Chef Bruno Tison will be teaching private or group cooking classes of all levels of interest and skill at the Inn. Call 939-2407 for more information and pricing.

The Big 3 still offers local guests deals with the early morning $10 breakfast and $18 dinner specials with soup or salad from 4 to 6:30 p.m., with a complimentary dessert on your birthday.