Kathleen Hill: The foie gras ban lifted; Twain- Peterson named Winemaker of the Year

Sonoma residents Junny and Guillermo Gonzalez have, in a sense, been vindicated by U.S. District Judge Stephen V. Wilson’s ruling that the foie gras ban “was preempted by a federal law regulating the distribution and sale of poultry products,” according to the Wall Street Journal.

Hence, the ban on selling foie gras in California is lifted, as you will read in Don Frances’ front page story.

When the Gonzalezes were building out their Sonoma Saveurs restaurant designed by architect Adrian Martinez, the site (now Harvest Moon Cafe) was vandalized, apparently in protest to their duck farming and foie gras business, first known as Sonoma Foie Gras and later as Artisan Foie Gras.

Junny Gonzalez told me Thursday morning “When I heard it at noon yesterday I was so excited I was laughing and crying. La Belle Farms in upstate New York is producing foie gras with our Artisan Foie Gras label and all of my distributors called yesterday and ordered and we are sold out, for the moment.”

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Morgan Twain-Peterson, son of Kate Twain and Ravenswood Winery president Joel Peterson, was named Winemaker of the Year on Sunday by the San Francisco Chronicle, along with his good friend Tegan Passalacqua of Turley Wine Cellars.

Both Twain-Peterson of Bedrock Wine Co. and Passalacqua seek old vines for the fruit that goes into their wines.

Twain-Peterson grew up around his famous dad’s winemaking, so wine was sort of, and maybe literally, in his blood. On the other hand, third-generation Napan Passalacqua’s grandfather and great-grandfather worked at Mare Island, and his dad drove a cement truck.

Twain-Peterson graduated from Vassar and did graduate work in American studies at Columbia, all the while working in New York wine shops. Passalacqua worked in construction at Tahoe after high school and graduated from Sacramento State in public health, worked in Napa Wine Company’s lab, and took viticulture classes at Napa Valley College.

Both wandered the world learning about wine and, coming from widely and wildly different backgrounds, ended up in similar wine vats.

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Rumor Department update:

The rumor I mentioned last week has been confirmed. Nima Sherpa, former manager of Sonoma Meritâge Oyster Bar & Grill, told me this week that the extended family’s Sherpa Hospitality group will eventually open a brew pub with lots of fish at the West Napa Street location.

I say eventually, because much work has to be done on the building before they can install their equipment, both for brewing and cooking. Nima gave me a peek inside with its torn-apart interior with piles of debris. More power to them, and we wish them great success. Will keep you posted.

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There are a few tickets left for tonight’s (Jan. 9) Martini Madness, the martini making and tasting contest created by Bill Blum and Gary Saperstein at MacArthur Place and Saddles Steakhouse. Blum is general manager of MacArthur Place and Saperstein is co-owner of Out-in-The-Vineyard and president of the Sonoma Valley Visitors Bureau.

Bartenders from Saddles Steakhouse, the girl & the fig, Aventine Glen Ellen, HopMonk Tavern, Murphy’s Irish Pub, Burgers & Vine, Santé at the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn, and Carneros Bistro will concoct their best martinis that have to feature an olive in some form, which may range from chocolate covered to deep fried, all to promote the Sonoma Valley Visitors Bureau’s Olive Season. $45. Four-course dinner package $95. 29 E. MacArthur, Sonoma. Tickets at olivefestival.com or macarthurplace.com/dining.php.

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Last night, the girl & the fig won the Good Food Award for its charcuterie, made in-house by executive chef John Toulze. The Good Food Awards are given out just before the annual Fancy Food Show in San Francisco, which is this weekend, but are unrelated to the show and are a private enterprise by Sarah Weiner, who once worked for Alice Waters as her assistant.

Weiner’s endeavor has spawned the Good Foods Merchants’’ Guild, which she hopes “will serve as a food artisan lobbying organization,” according to Emily Kaiser Thelin’s excellent story in the San Francisco Chronicle. Winners have the opportunity to sell their goods at the Good Foods Marketplace in the Ferry Building ($5 admission) on Saturday and at the Good Food Mercantile on Friday where winners and members can showcase their wholesale products for retailers. The latter event is co-sponsored by the Good Food Retailers’ Collaborative. Weiner has thought of everything.

Last year, Nancy Lilly’s Tallgrass Ranch Estate Blend Olive Oil won the award, presented by Alice Waters and her former roommate, Ruth Reichl, former editor of the defunct Gourmet magazine. Lilly’s olive oil is available at Sheana Davis’ Epicurean Connection here in Sonoma, Bi-Rite Market in San Francisco, and The Pasta Shop in Berkeley. The Lillys graciously decided not to enter this year.

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Artist Pat Meier-Johnson, a four-year Sonoma resident who once worked as a political cartoonist for PBS, has been named the Sonoma Valley Visitors Bureau’s 2015 Olive Season Artist, chosen by the bureau and Studio 35 for the festival’s poster.

Meier-Johnson’s lovely painting, “Gift of the Olive,” one of the best ever in this competition, can be viewed at Studio 35 and will be unveiled again at the Feast of the Olive, Jan. 31. She has studied with Chester Arnold, Ditte Jensen, George Scribner, and colorist Carol Smith Myer, the latter of whom she says “opened my eyes to the deliciousness of oils and the joy of color.” Pat and husband Russ Johnson studied photography under Joe Baraban at The Maine Media Workshops in 2012.

Tickets for the Jan. 31 The Feast of the Olive sell fast to guests from around the world and here’s why: 18 local chefs will be cooking dinner, each course involving olives: Andrew Cain of Santé at The Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa; Ari Weiswasser of Glen Ellen Star; Jeffrey Lloyd of Café La Haye; Adolfo Veronese of Aventine; John Toulze of the girl & the fig; Andrew Wilson of Carneros Bistro; Carlo Cavallo at Burgers & Vine; Catherine Venturini at Olive & Vine; Dana Jaffe at Saddles at MacArthur Place; Andrea Koweek and Moaya Scheiman at Crisp; Gary Edwards at Carneros Caves; Antonio Ghilarducci at Depot Hotel; Amando Navarro at El Dorado Kitchen; Manuel Azevedo and Ed Metcalfe at La Salette and Shiso; Lisa Lavagetto and Doug MacFarland at Ramekins; and Sheana Davis at The Epicurean Connection. Abundant local wine is included, with many winemakers attending.

Gary Saperstein, Liam Mayclem of KCBS radio’s “Foodie Chap” and CBS-5’s “Eye on the Bay,” and Joel Riddell who succeeded the late Gene Burns with “Dining Around,” now broadcast on KKSF-FM, will emcee the Sonoma Valley Visitors Bureau’s 14th annual Feast of the Olive. $175. 6 p.m. 450 W. Spain St., Sonoma. Reservations at 996-1090, Ext. 108.

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In need of a French winter cooking fix?

Learn to make it yourself with Chef Pierre Lagourgue, who will teach “The Art of French Cooking” on Friday, Jan. 16, at Ramekins Culinary School. This first of a series includes how to prepare Dungeness crab profiteroles, zucchini soufflé, roast duck breast with pearl onions and peas with Madeira sauce, and caramelized walnut tarts. $95. 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. (You get to eat all that.) 450 W. Spain St., Sonoma.

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Oh boy, and girl! “Old Fashioned Nights” begin again Sunday, Jan. 11 at Saddles Steakhouse. Whether you remember these old dishes or think it may be cool to try them, it’s total fun. This culinary trip into the past will be served Sunday, Monday and Tuesday through February.

Executive Chef Dana Jaffe has organized a great à la carte menu that starts with old fashioned cocktails ($6), her grandmother’s cream of tomato soup, deviled eggs, oysters Rockefeller, Caesar and Waldorf salads, chicken tetrazzini (my mother used Campbell’s cream of mushroom soup for this one), Salisbury steak TV dinner, deviled crab, sole Veronica, and surf & turf ($18 to $20, lobster surf & filet turf $40.) Jaffe has added a line about the origin of each dish. Finish it off with a banana split, lemon pudding cake or Hesselrode pudding. ($7.50).

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Update on French Laundry wine heist:

Apparently the alarm was not set by the last person leaving before the restaurant closed for six months’ renovations.

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We definitely had some good news in 2014 in the restaurant biz in Sonoma Valley.

Aventine, Oso, and Tips Tri-Tips Trolley all opened for business.

Aventine, owned by Angela Alioto Veronese’s sons and led by chef Adolfo Veronese, had a sellout New Year’s Eve blast where, by all reports to me, featured loads of fun, abundant great food, and lively drinks and guests.

I haven’t dined at OSO yet and have heard some “love its” and “not going backs,” as is true with every restaurant. Owner/chef David Bush features small plates and no small children, mainly because it is classified as a bar or lounge with food, which means no one under 21.

Tips Tri-Tips Trolley rolls around to events and farmers markets, but you can walk or drive up to the bright red trolley for lunch at Fat Pilgrim next to Presentation School Monday through Thursday.

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When the stomach flu attacked me last weekend I missed the make-up Christmas at our daughter’s, the Proud to Be A Cha Cha holiday party at Kenwood Restaurant, some friends’ white elephant party, and another friend’s birthday brunch. I am sure they all had wonderful food, but I can’t even think about it.

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Before the plague, we attended the Filipello family’s annual Wild Thyme holiday party, loaded with Chef Keith’s finest. The creamy butternut squash soup, ham, and many desserts were great, but the ultimate were his celeriac (celery root) salad and peppered salmon.

Among the luckies who got to nibble and sip were Patty Cuica, Ray and Emi Kaufman, David and Christiane Parker, Nick and Angele Greben, Chris and Jane Gallagher and family, winemaker Jeff Baker and artist Diana Lee Craig, Anne Berthoud, Verna Lantz, Tim and jazz organizer Janice King, Matt, Lexi and David Filipello, vintner Bill Hawley, Carole and Don McLain, James and Jane Patrick, Nancy Lang, Junny Gonzalez and Filipellos’ grown kids, Beau and Justine.

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Several Sonomans flocked to Stone Tree Club on Highway 37 for a New Year’s Eve feast to support manager and The Bay Club Company’s vice president Larry Krieger, who also serves as president of the Boys & Girls Club Sonoma Valley.

Lisa and Rick Cavalli, Curt and Marchelle Carleton, Deborah and John Emery, Sharon Cohn, Rebecca and Gary Rosenberg, Ginny and Larry Krieger, Chandra and Bob Friese, and Carol and Mike Morris all enjoyed sparkling wine with passed risotto balls, baby lamb chops, cheeses and salumi as they arrived.

Lots of the evening was occupied with a five-course dinner paired with interesting wines including wild salmon gravlax with St. Supéry 2013 Sauvignon Blanc; lobster risotto with Orogeny 2013 Chardonnay; heirloom tomato salad with Gavilan 2012 Pinot Noir; filet mignon and Yukon gold truffle potatoes and root vegetables or vegetarian Squash ravioli with Provenance 2012 Cab Sauvignon; followed by a chocolate raspberry torte with fresh berries and vanilla bean ice cream, all to music of the Pop Rocks.

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On New Year’s Day itself, Phil and Mara Kahn hosted their multi-annual gathering for which realtor Mara cooks for days and weeks, all while she was co-chairing this year’s Sonoma Valley Holiday Program that collected and gave out loads of clothes and gifts to Sonoma’s most needy families.

According to Mara, their guests enjoyed more than seven pounds of gravlax, five pounds of prawns, five pounds of her handmade meatballs, a 20-pound turkey, and three gallons of Phil’s special “Hawaiian Martinis,” to say nothing of Mara’s chicken tomatillo pozole, “Twice Engaged BBQ Beef,” and desserts by neighbor Amee Scott, whose cherry chocolate chip cookies were irresistible and even managed to taste healthful.

Feasting on all of this with the Rose Bowl in the background were Alexandra Allen, Laura and Steve Havlek, Amy Alper and Mark Hummel, Marcia and Jim Levy, Yaffa and Rabbi Steve Finley, Karen Collins, Holiday Program co-chair Constance Grizzell and Michael Beutel, Diane Krause and Gerry Snedeker, Anita Watson, Rick and Jane Wicklund, Nancy Warner, Carole McLain, Kirsten and Peter Stewart, Lori Bremner and sons, Kurt Krauthammer and Christie and Eric Undercoffler.

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Radio alert: My prominent guests today on KSVY-91.3 FM (or ksvy.org) at 10 a.m. will be Roland Barthélemy, worldwide president of Le Guilde des Fromagers (Cheesemakers Guild), and Michaela Rodino, MBA, 20-year CEO of St. Supéry Winery, proprietor of Villa Ragazzi Winery, and author of two books called “From Bubbles to Boardrooms.”