Kathleen Hill: Mary’s cookbook, olive shortage and farmers markets

Mary's Pizza Cookbook launch

The Mary's Pizza Shack Fazio family will launch its limited first edition cookbook, 'Mary's Italian Family Cookbook,' on Saturday, Sept. 29 right here at Sonoma's Williams-Sonoma store on Broadway.

Mary's is definitely a Sonoma original, as was Williams-Sonoma, even though the latter now is part of a large corporation. Chuck Williams launched his hardware-cum-kitchenware store right where it is now on Broadway, and Mary Fazio launched her little pizza business in a shack on Highway 12, a property the family had hoped to purchase and create a small museum to Italian cooking traditions. (Ken Mattson, who purchased the property in 2016, beat them to it.)

Mary's, which now includes 18 restaurants, will be making pizza in Williams-Sonoma's back parking lot. Mary's family will sign books and hand out samples of their long-loved pizza. Free admission, books for sale. 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. 605 Broadway, Sonoma. 939-8974.

Grill temporarily closed

Schellville Grill will be closed until Oct. 5 while owner Matthew Nagan soaks up more of Italy, where he apparently owns two properties.

Big Museum Gala Oct. 6

For its 20th anniversary, the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art will celebrate with a fabulous gala opening with sparkling wine and cocktails accompanied by the Starlight Strings and political maven, philanthropist and pianist Robert Gardner.

Guests get a chance to see works by Roy De Forest, Tom Friedman, David Hockney, Robert Mapplethorpe, Claes Oldenburg, Kiki Smith and Andy Warhol, all from local private collections. As well, you can take in 'From Fire, Love Rises: Stories Shared by the Artist Community.'

Elaine Bell will cater dinner and David Garibaldi will perform his 'Rhythm and Hue' fast painting on stage. There will also be a fund-a-need by auctioneer Gabriel Butu to support the Art Rewards the Student program to fund art in fourth- and fifth-grade classes throughout Sonoma Valley and to benefit the Sonoma Volunteer Firefighters Association. DJ On-Que will DJ the After Glow party dancing from 10 p.m. to midnight.

Vitamin V fans will enjoy a Prohibition Sprits Vodka Mixology bar, with complimentary wine before and during dinner.

Elaine Bell's menu will include hors d'oeuvre of local figs, honey-lacquered duck on sweet potato pancakes, candied bacon short rib squares, and pork belly steamed bun tacos.

The first sit down course will be roasted red, yellow, and Chioggia beet salad with avocado and blue cheese citrus vinaigrette. Next comes the main course of Bryan Flannery hanger steak with sautéed jumbo prawns or a vegetarian terrine of green lentils, grilled corn, tomato risotto and mixed mushroom ragout with Swiss chard and black kale, followed by princess cake and coffee. $275 for whole evening, $50 for After Glow party alone, which includes six-month museum membership. 6 p.m. 551 Broadway, Sonoma. Svma.org.

Olive shortage?

Monday's San Francisco Chronicle featured a two-page story on what the current California olive crop shortage means. It probably means that the price of California olive oil will go up.

And remember that olive trees seem to alternate fruit-bearing years, but this year seems to be unusual.

So I asked Don Landis, 'the Olive Guy,' and Teresa Hernando, chief retail officer at the Olive Press, if the shortage exists here, or for them.

Here are their answers:

Teresa Hernando: 'Yes, there is a shortage. The warm weather in January and February caused the buds to break, then the cold with frost caused the buds to die and fall. This especially happened in Corning and further north. Capay Valley, where we harvest most of our oil, is down due to nature of the trees producing less this year.'

Don Landis: 'The calls and e-mails started coming in during July, 'Why don't I have olives?' The entire state of California production is down by significant amounts. My partner has 2,000 trees in Lindsay. The level there is way down. A grower and producer I know in Orland said it is all down 45 to 55 percent.'

Landis invites people to come to his 'work party' at his home to sort and clean olives Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 29 and 30. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. 7820 Apple Blossom Lane, Sebastopol. olivedon@hotmail.com.

Tuesday night farmers market ends

Unfortunately the Tuesday night farmers market came to an end for 2018 this week. The Friday market at Depot Park/Arnold Field parking lot is open year round, rain or shine.

Springs Community Farmers Market begins

A new farmers market will begin Sunday, Oct. 7 in the sort of triangular parking lot (now known as a plaza) at Boyes Boulevard and Highway 12 between the post office and old Church Mouse and Armando's Automotive. Kelly Smith has moved this market here from Larsen Park.

Watch for micro greens from Eddie's Farm in Kenwood; lots of vegetables from Tolay Valley Farms in Petaluma; lamb, eggs and veggies from Two Moon Family Farm in Glen Ellen; the Patch's variety from Santa Rosa and Sonoma; Neufeld Farms fruit varieties; and both summer and winter squashes and lettuces from Rize Up Farm. Crafts people will include Gypsy Garden, the Stinging Nettle and Life on Coffee all from Boyes Hot Springs, and Jessica Jo Jewelry of Sonoma. Still accepting vendor applications. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. through Dec. 15. Agriculturalcommunityevents@gmail.com.

First responders eat free at Tips

Susie Pryfogle announced that first responders and their families will eat for free Oct. 8 at Tips Roadside in Kenwood, 'in gratitude for their tireless efforts and sacrifice during the 2017 Sonoma fires.'

Thanks, in part, to the Pryfogles' two Tri-Tips Trolleys cooking and distributing food to first responders throughout the active fires, many of those responders called ours the '10-pound fire' because they ate so well. Local chefs and many others cooked and donated food throughout the Valley.

There are a few restrictions or requirements: First responders must make reservations; each group many not exceed four people; reservation is good for lunch or dinner; and reservation for free food does not include alcohol. The day is sponsored by Andrew Pryfogle's Intelisys telecommunications company in Petaluma. 8445 Sonoma Highway, Kenwood. Reserve at 509-0078. Tipsroadside.com.

'Easy Vegan Thai Food' at Sonoma Ashram

Sonoma Ashram Chef Adam Lovelace offers three more classes using vegan ingredients to make Thai flavors and textures. Learn knife skills for Asian chopping vegan pad Thai and sauce, carrot and avocado soup on Oct. 7; a vegan green curry paste recipe rice bowl with vegetables and green papaya salad and coconut rice on Oct. 21, and Tom Kha soup with vegan red curry with noodles, satay with peanut sauce and Thai pink Jasmine rice. Suggested $35 donation each class or $100 advance to book all four classes. Supports homes for boys and girls in India. 1087 Craig Ave., Sonoma. 996-8915. info@sonomaashram.org.

Food news with a twist

Dunkin' Donuts, which opened Dec. 20, 2018 on N. McDowell in Petaluma, is dropping 'Donuts' from its name, although its website is still dunkindonuts.com. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the company wants to emphasize coffee and tea, with donuts available, and accommodate 'younger customers who apparently like things simple.' Maybe they are leaning away from deep fried dough. Saturday, Sept. 29 happens to be National Coffee Day, when Dunkin' will give a free cup of coffee for every one purchased.

Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill banning plastic straws in restaurants unless customers ask for one. The law takes effect Jan. 1, 2019 and makes California the first state in the U.S. to ban them. Compostable straws are fine. The cities of San Francisco, Alameda, Oakland, Richmond, Berkeley, Carmel, San Luis Obispo and Davis have already restricted use of plastic straws.

Remember Mel's Diners? They used to be all over San Francisco and the East Bay, and now they are again, some as franchises of the 1950s-style diners. Apparently the old formula of table top juke boxes, burgers, thick milkshakes, good breakfasts, great tuna sandwiches and hot fudge sundaes wasn't going to work for the Van Ness Avenue location where a Courtyard Marriott Hotel is growing in San Francisco. So they have upscaled it to Mel's Kitchen, adding poke, kale salads, Impossible Burgers, and other latest food fads. Vinyl seats have been replaced with leather, and chrome with gold décor.

Famed Shed chef Perry Hoffman, who helped put the successful Healdsburg restaurant on the culinary map when it opened, has left Shed for some time in France. Who wouldn't!

Hoffman will find pure joy in Reims, France where Champagne growers and makers are excited for what they believe is their best harvest in 10 years due to a rainy winter and a heat wave. They expect production of Champagne to rise by 56 percent this year.

Jennifer Bice and Redwood Hill Farm & Creamery celebrate 50 years this month of raising goats and creating the leading goat milk dairy and organic lactose-free-cow dairy, Green Valley Organics. A great friend to Sonoma whose products are available at most local grocery stores, Bice told this writer that she started with one goat as a 4-H project when her parents moved their family to Sebastopol and subsequently suffered lots of teasing by her siblings. When I interviewed her for an Edible Marin & Wine Country story, she said, 'Now they all work for me.'

Since then she sold the company to Emmi of Switzerland and retains ownership of her farm and 300 goats, which live practically right outside her living room.