Kathleen Hill: Mexican bakeries, Kenwood Farmers Market and more

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Mexican bakeries ?and markets

New Haven Apizza and Garcia Bakery have a sign posted on their glass door saying in both Spanish and English that they apologize for the inconvenience – their building suffered a fire recently -- and ”will re-open very soon.” Eye-balling it last week, the interior looks just the same as it did the afternoon of the fire with blackened walls, soot-covered display cases, and pizza boxes scattered on the floor. It might be a while.

Meanwhile, Little Maya Bakery, previously known as Maya and La Mixteca, is back to Little Maya again. Located behind Palms Grill along the same strip as Golden Springs Mandarin Restaurant, the cake artist Javier is no longer baking and he had to return his offshoot to its original owners of Maya Bakery in Vallejo. Check out the pastries, fresh every morning.

My Carniceria Tour last Friday was, indeed, eventful. Before we ordered our entrées at La Hacienda, the power went out – along with the rest of Sonoma Valley’s – thanks allegedly to the garbage truck that tangled with electric wires on Fifth Street West. Since they use gas, the restaurant was able to cook, albeit a little slowly because they couldn’t process credit cards.

And when we went to pick up our pre-ordered chickens at El Brinquito, they claimed the order hadn’t been called in. Apparently the person who called got one of the non-English speakers who wrote down one-half chicken instead of 13 and a half chickens. All was resolved happily and with good humor.

Chapala Market (formerly Carniceria Chapala) is recommended for meat and cleanliness, featuring Fulton Valley chickens at one-third the price of other stores, while Superior La Favorita #1 (formerly La Favorita) has gorgeous ripe tomatoes and little bags of little avocados at bargain prices. La Favorita’s new owner, Jocelyn Rodriguez, says #2 is in Fairfield.

Three Sonomans accepted to Edible Schoolyard Academy

Kimberly Weber, garden educator at Altimira Middle School, Chris Everidge, garden educator at both Flowery and Sassarini schools, and Alissa Pearce of Dunbar have all been accepted to this summer’s Edible Schoolyard Academy in Berkeley.

The Edible Schoolyard, funded by Alice Waters’ Chez Panisse Foundation, is located at Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School (known as Garfield Junior High when both my mother and I went there as kids).

These are the most coveted scholarship positions to learn the best techniques to raise food and educate students in school gardens that anyone can achieve. And thanks to School Board Trustee Nicole Abaté Ducarroz for tipping me off the night before the application deadline. We made it. Congratulations to all.

Kenwood Farmers ?Market update

Kenwood Farmers Market organizer Kelly Smith will still accept last-minute applications for vendors for the opening of the season on Sunday, June 4 at St. Patrick’s Church.

So far she has Home Brew Chef Sean Paxton and his new Humboldt Hot Sauce, flavored honey and salts; Jacob’s Sushinoma sushi; cold brew coffee from Creature Cold Brew; granola, cookies, dulce de leche, cakes and other goodies from Big Table Catering; and pork and tri-tip with housemade sides from Jolly Pig barbecue.

Farmers signed up so far include Two Moon Family Farm with veggies, eggs and goat meat; Sister Womyn Fir Farm with organic veggies and herbs; tomatoes from the Patch, lots of veggies and plants from Quarter Acre Farm, and fruit from the Peach Guy.

Smith has room for 15 more vendors, and will also host Stinging Nettle from the Springs, Art Escape’s art van, and the Bicycle Coalition for Bike Valet services.

Smith would like to invite at least one more hot food vendor, and more growers and artisans. To apply contact Kelly Smith via communotyfarmersmarkets.com. 9000 Sonoma Highway.

Smith also runs farmers markets in the Springs starting in July, plus markets in Tiburon, Cotati, Rohnert Park, three in Petaluma, Fairfax, Novato, and at the Santa Rosa Veterans Building.

North Coast Wine ?& Food Fest

The Press Democrat’s North Coast Wine & Food Festival will be next Saturday, June 10 at SOMO Village, which according to Wikipedia is Sonoma Mountain Village, “a $1 billion, 200-acre mixed-use redevelopment of a former Agilent campus in Rohnert Park proposed by Codding Enterprises.” Sonoma Mountain Village aims to be an environmentally friendly development. As I recall, it was the late Ed Stolman of Glen Ellen who first proposed such a development.

The North Coast Wine & Food Festival will offer samples of 90 gold medal winning wines and tastes from 20 wine country chefs presented by John Ash and Clark Wolf, along with live music, in the Clover Sonoma Pavilion. VIP ticket holders get special parking and entry 30 minutes ahead of everyone else.

Local chefs include Ari Weisswasser of Glen Ellen Star, John Toulze of Girl and the Fig and Armando Navarro of EDK. $95 to $135, 1 to 4 p.m. 1100 Valley House Drive, Rohnert Park. Tickets via northcoastwineevent.com.

Fresh Paint from ?the Museum of Art

Not they are not going to come paint your house, nice as that would be.

But the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art does invite you to their annual Fresh Paint fundraiser on Saturday, June 17 at Hanna Boys Center.

In keeping with the event’s theme of “A Celebration of Pop Art,” Catherine Venturini of Cuvée Wine Country Events will create a slightly retro menu from the Pop Art era to be accompanied by wines from 3 Badge Beverage Corp. and Buena Vista Winery among others.

Venturini’s fun menu includes Emmenthaler Pilsner fondue, bit-size meatballs and onion dip and chips on tables. Passed hors d’oeuvres will include celery stuffed with pimento cream cheese.

On your table will be wedges of Iceberg lettuce with Bay shrimp and Green Goddess dressing, followed by game hens with wild rice and apples, Angus sirloin au poivre, roasted Yukon potatoes with English peas, Blue Lake beans with Trumpet mushroom sauce and crisp onions, and Parker House rolls and butter.

Dessert will be carrot cake, peach Jell-O shots, brownies and Peace Cookies (no funny stuff). $250. 5:30 for specialty cocktails to 10:30 p.m. Tickets at svma.org/freshpaint. 939-7862. A few discount tickets for young professionals are available at 939-7862.

File under: coping with disappointment

“Long walks in the forest, I organized my closets, and I won’t lie. Chardonnay helped a little too.” – from Hillary Rodham Clinton’s commencement address at Wellesley College, May 26, 2017.

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