Kathleen Hill, July 31: New food & beverage investment company; Top 101 wineries in U.S.; Sonoma Springs Brewery opens pub; Rotary polio fundraiser success

Sonoma’s Kenwood Investments just announced a new food and craft beer investment company to be launched in August with Tom Rouse as president and Darius Anderson as managing partner.|

Sonoma’s Kenwood Investments just announced a new food and craft beer investment company to be launched in August with Tom Rouse as president and Darius Anderson as managing partner. A few others will invest, and the company will employ a maximum of six people, according to the North Bay Business Journal.

The new company will invest somewhere between $5 and $10 million in food and craft beer startups. Their whole idea is to invest in small companies with fabulous products that can grow and fill the specialized food niches that consumers hunger for.

Anderson, a partner in Sonoma Media Investments, which owns the Index-Tribune, previously served as chief of staff for Ronald Burkle’s Yucaipa company and vice president of external affairs for Burkle’s Ralph’s grocery store chain, where he worked on business development, public relations and property acquisition.

Rouse helped launch the Fresh Express packaged salad brand, now owned by Chaquita Brands; with his son, has a company based in Sonoma that sells ingredients to the pre-cut salad industry. He also was vice president of sales for POM Wonderful, owned by Lynda and Stewart Resnick, who also import Fiji Water, own Landmark Winery in Kenwood, and grow tons of pomegranates and pistachios. The Resnicks are grand supporters of the arts in southern California.

A native of Fremont, Tom Rouse also served as mayor of Sonoma and on the city council.

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The Daily Meal, an online resource for some food, wine and travel information edited by the highly respected Colman Andrews, released its list of the “101 Best Wineries in America in 2015” on Monday.

While about two-thirds of the wineries named are in California, only two Sonoma Valley wineries, Patz & Hall (#30) and Hanzell (#40) made the list, while 25 Napa Valley wineries scored.

Number 1 was Tablas Creek, west of Paso Robles, a partnership between the Perrin family of Chateau Beaucastel near Courthezon in southeastern France and Robert Haas, wine importer and founder of Vineyard Brands. The winery focuses on Rhône varietals.

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Sonoma Springs Brewery received its temporary occupancy permit from the county late last week and say they “still have some rough edges and some things to finish, but we figured it was time to open up shop and share our awesome new space. We have 10-plus beers on tap to celebrate our soft opening including all of your favorites as well as some unique limited releases such as our Green Purl Herbal Tonic, our Wolf House Double Black IPA aged on whiskey barrels for over two years, and a new beer, our Sonoma Session IPA.” Happy hour pricing will be in effect from now until the grand opening sometime in August.”

Find Sonoma Springs Brewing Company in the former Nicholas Turkey building at Petaluma Avenue and Riverside, same building as Dive Shop Café with its crepes and Bahn Mi sandwiches.

Their taproom is open Wednesday through Saturday, 1 to 9 p.m., and Sunday 1 to 6 p.m.

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Correction from me: Steve Ledson’s Zina Lounge pricing was incorrect in last Friday’s column. Chef Yoshihary Sogi now offers three-course lunch menu at $60, a five-course dinner at $125, as well as their original six-course menu at $150, all paired with Ledson’s and his Zina Hyde Cunningham wines exclusively.

Their summer menu with wine pairings might include selections of house-cured Ahi tuna, egg roll of organic chicken and Laura Chanel Chèvre, eel frittata and a shrimp cake, local beef-stuffed Savoy cabbage, lamb loin and lamb rib with sweet potato gnocchi, and local stone fruit and cream gratin. Thursday through Sunday. 480 First St. E., Sonoma, 996-9779.

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New Sonoma Valley Rotary president Susan Kopp Hoeffel and her her husband Jan hosted a fun fundraiser for polio irradication recently where Jan served his almost famous (and perfect) pulled pork sandwiches with a variety of his own sauces, home-cooked beans, cole slaw, and cookies before a sreening of the hilarious “North by Northwest,” starring Cary Grant, with chairs and screen donated by Bright Event Rentals, formerly Wine Country Events.

Every dollar raised is being matched by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to wipe out polio around the world. Those who gave generously included Jeanne and Chip Allen, Sylvia Bertram, Curt Carleton, Jennifer Churchill, Andrea Crowley, Carole Downing and Charlie Terzian, Whitney and Jeanette Evans, Anthony Hanrahan, Jackie Jordan, Rich Lee and Rhonda Stallings, Kathleen Leonard, Jackie Martens, Alice and John Melillo, George Merrick, Byron and Jeni Nichols, Bill O’Neal, Jon Parker and Kathy Witkowicki, Bill Paynter, Valerie Pistole and Jeff Walter, Jean Shepard, David Rathbun, Jon Reynolds, Wayne and Celia Schake back the day before from Uganda, Holly Seaton, Patricia Shults and Louie Runge, Darcy Stephens, and Dave and Alcaldessa Marcie Waldron.

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By the way, Byron Nichols had just returned from Alaska and Jeni Nichols had just come back that day from Kansas City where she and her mother made their requisite first night outing to their favorite local traditional fried chicken restaurant. Meanwhile, Marchele Carleton was in Cavalier, North Dakota where she traveled with her mother, Barbara Adams, for her umptiump high school reunion. Bets are open as to what was on the $19 banquet menu.

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As the winery conglomeration continues, Gallo just bought Asti winery (anyone remember Pat Paulsen and Italian Swiss Colony?) and the Souverain brand from Australia’s Treasury Wne Estates, having already purchased J Vineyards and Winery in Healdsburg in March. And of course they have loads of vineyard acreage in Sonoma County, with Gina Gallo as winemaker of their Gallo Signature Series. Granddaughter of Julio Gallo, Gina is married to Jean-Charles Boisset, who owns Buena Vista, DeLoach and Raymond wineries in our cross-county-line neighborhood. While Gina’s family is the largest wine producer in the world, Jean-Charles’ family is the largest wine producer in Burgundy.

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By the way, Jean-Charles Boisset will be one of the Honorary Chairs of this year’s Harvest Wine Auction at Chateau St. Jean winery over Labor Day weekend. His co-chairs include Joe Anderson and Mary Dewane of Benovia Winery and Mark and Terri Stark of Stark Reality Restaurants. Lots more info on tickets, winemaker dinners and lunches at sonomawinecountryweekend.com.

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Today is busy with food holidays. It is National Raspberry Cake Day, National Cotton Candy Day, and Natonal Jump for Jelly Beans Day. Choose your sugar fix, ladies and gents.

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