Kathleen Hill: Farmers Market at Maxwell, film festival food events and a Sangiacomo family recipe

Farmers Market at Maxwell next week

On March 29, the Friday Farmers Market will be in the Maxwell Park parking lot, 100 Verano Ave., across from the back of McDonald's. It will not be at its regular location at the Depot Park parking lot this one Friday only.

Vehicle entry into the Maxwell parking lot is from Verano Avenue. Proceed past the entry gate; farmers market customers don't pay to enter. More than 40 parking spots are available to market customers. Additional parking is across Verano Avenue.

Today, March 22, the farmers market will still be at the Depot Park parking lot on First Street West. Market hours will be the same both Fridays, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Antique Kitchen show opens today

Take a trip to the Marin Art & Garden Center for the latest exhibition of the Kathleen Thompson Hill Culinary Collection, focusing on kitchen inventions from 1945 to 1965, the years in which Caroline Livermore and other prominent Marin residents acquired and preserved this gorgeous island of art and gardens. The exhibition runs through April 28.

Opening night party tonight, March 22, 5 to 7 p.m. Free. 30 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., Ross. (415) 455-5260.

Film festival food events

Sonoma International Film Festival offers two dinner events at Ramekins Culinary Center next week. At both events, five guests have the opportunity to sit with television chef and Marin resident Tyler Florence.

With 'Chefs & Shorts,' Michael Howell and Lia Rinaldo return with a film-food pairing event on Thursday, March 28 at Ramekins. Chefs & Shorts means that chefs cook food in short films screened during the dinner. This year's chefs are Marcellus Coleman of Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn, Cole Dickenson of soon-to-open Layla at MacArthur Place, Michelle Gayer who worked with Charlie Trotter, and Eduardo Garcia, founder of Montana Mex.

On Friday, March 29, is 'The Uncrushable Dinner' with television chef Tyler Florence, also at Ramekins, for a 'Dinner and a Movie' evening where Florence will show the trailer of his 'Uncrushable – From Ashes to Hope – The Story of the 2017 Wine Country Fires' followed by dinner and wines from Simi, Ravenswood, Robert Mondavi and the Prisoner Wine Company.

Each evening's tickets are $250 with an SIFF Soirée Pass, $275 with a Cinema Pass, $300 general public, and $500 for each of five seats with Tyler Florence. Sonomafilmfest.org/page464.html.

Here comes McBride

Martina McBride returns to Carneros with her cookbook 'Martina's Kitchen Mix: My Recipe Playlist for Real Life' on Saturday, March 30 at Calmére Estate Winery, formerly Liana Estate Winery, all of which are part of Peju Estates.

'When I make something delicious, I want to share it, which is a lot like sharing my music with an audience. Cooking is my love language,' writes country music singer Martina McBride. She has sold over 14 million albums, is the author of 'Around the Table: Recipes and Inspiration for Gatherings throughout the Year,' and lives in Nashville, Tennessee, with her husband and three daughters.

Chef Sarah Sabatino will prepare appetizers, a roasted beet and goat cheese salad with walnuts, chicken and potatoes with lemon and rosemary sauce, and green beans or roasted asparagus, followed by chocolate flourless cake, all from McBride's book. $145 single, $255 couple, with one book. Noon. 2750 Las Amigas, Napa. Tickets via bookpassage.com.

Here's to the Sangiacomo family

Many locals might wonder why the recent Boys & Girls Club Sweetheart Ball honored the entire Sangiacomo family. They act as a unit, and as wonderful parents and community contributors, because that's what they believe in.

The Sangiacomos are one of the founding farming families of Sonoma County agriculture as we know it. Maria and Vittorio Sangiacomo arrived at what is known as their Home Ranch in 1927. Their four children, Angelo (Ang), Buck, Lorraine and Bob all grew up on the ranch and joined the family business in their early 20s. Angelo and his wife Diane, Buck and his wife Sue, Bob, and Lorraine led the transition from pear growing to grape growing and oversaw the large expansion of the family business, each generation employing the latest in techniques at the time.

Except for Bob, who passed away in 2006, they continue to be involved in all aspects of the business, along with Ang and Diane's children, Mike, Steve and Mia Sangiacomo Pucci. The kids grew up on the ranch and learned the ropes early in life, tagging along on ranch rounds with Ang, uncles Bob and Buck and Aunt Lorraine.

According to sangiacomowines.com, their 'core values are integrity, fairness and respect influence our every decision — large and small.'

As the Sangiacomos repeated at the Sweetheart Ball recently, 'As a family we believe that a great community is stronger when we work as one. We are better together,' something they obviously live by. The Sangiacomo family planted their first grapes in 1969 and have been harvesting grapes for over 50 world-class wineries. The third generation of the Sangiacomo family has ventured into a new branch of the business - producing their own premium wines under the Sangiacomo Wine label.

They are great humanitarians, as well as generous donors to several Sonoma Valley charities. They were the first ranchers to build a dorm for their workers, and even hired one of them to barbecue lunch for the rest of them.

For years, mother Maria Sangiacomo cooked lunch for all the men for a break in their outdoors work day, and I had the honor to be invited to share in the pleasure of a few of those lunches at the family home. After Maria passed on, sister Lorraine picked up the spatula and cooked for the gang, a great farming tradition to bring everyone together for a good meal and conversation, sometimes about business.

Diane Sangiacomo told me she hand-made ravioli and cooked roast beef for many Sunday family dinners and holiday meals, and somehow I found myself teaching Mia to make tacos in a cooking class at Father Robert's Hall when all of our kids attended St. Francis Solano School.

Now Mia makes her Aunt Lorraine's strawberry pie and says this 'simple dessert shines best in the summer and early fall, when strawberries are in season and readily available at local farms.' Mia has adapted the original recipe, 'seeking to deepen the connection to her family's estate vineyards and wines, she has created a masterful pairing for pinot noir. Often noted for its berry-like flavor, pinot noir is complemented by the cooked strawberries, which are highlighted by a quick splash of wine added into the filling while it simmers. Accompanied by a rich buttery pie crust, this treat provides a pleasing canvas for the velvety texture of pinot noir.'

Aunt Lorraine's Strawberry Pie Recipe

Pie crust ingredients:

· 1 cup of flour

· ½ cup of butter

· ¼ cup of confection sugar

Mix the above ingredients together and press out into a pie dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Set aside while preparing the filling.

Pie filling ingredients:

· 6 cups of fresh strawberries, quartered lengthwise, divided in half

· ½ -1 cup sugar

· Pinch of salt

· 3 tbsp cornstarch

· 1 tbsp lemon juice (alternatively substitute with pinot noir)

Begin with the first 3 cups of sliced strawberries and place into pie crust, gently spreading around bottom of pie.

To prepare the remaining pie filling, mash the remaining 2 cups of strawberries. In a saucepan combine the mashed strawberries with ½ - 1 cup of sugar (depending on the sweetness of strawberries), 3 tbsp. of cornstarch and 1 tbsp. of lemon juice or wine. Over medium heat simmer gently, stirring continuously until the berries cook and filling slightly thickens. Taste filling for desired sweetness and adjust with sugar if needed. Remove from heat and pour into pie crust covering the strawberries already arranged in the crust. Gently spread the filling into any gaps and smooth the top of the pie.

Chill the pie 1-2 hours in the refrigerator prior to serving. Best served with fresh whipped cream.