Au Relais vs. Auberge du Soleil; Rotary’s Applause huge success; tasting Maui

Correcting myself:

Obviously (to me anyway), I had a minor brain lapse recently when I said that Harry and Dorothie Marsden had owned Auberge du Soleil. They owned Au Relais, an extremely popular Sonoma restaurant of its time.

Nancy Lilly reminds us all that Harry Marsden began his restaurant business on Arnold Drive, first where Sonoma Country Antiques is now, and then across the road at Cornerstone’s site. Lilly said, “It was a great spot for dinner even in the early days.” I first knew him when I was doing public relations for Claude Rouas’ and Henri Barberis’ L’Etoile restaurant in San Francisco’s Huntington Hotel and Harry was “pantry chef,” meaning he made salads. It is Rouas who is now a principal in Auberge du Soleil, as well as the El Dorado Hotel & Kitchen and Piatti.

H H H

Ramekins Culinary School just hired Victoria Campbell as general manager. Until last week, she effectively served as culinary director at Sonoma Raceway, as a result of raceway President Steve Page persuading speedway caterer Levy Restaurants of Chicago to hire her to reshape Sonoma Raceway’s food.  

With Page’s total support, she developed the new fresh food concessions, and created the raceway’s organic garden, on which I played a small part. (See the new issue of Edible Marin and Wine Country for raceway garden story.)

Said Ramekins owner Sarah Anderson from France, “We couldn’t be more happy than to have Victoria join the Ramekins family.”

H H H

Sonoma Valley Rotary’s only slightly raucous “Applause” fundraiser recently at Hanna Boys Center was a huge success, raising record funds for youth programs throughout the Valley. The picnic competition was wild. Supposedly only home-cooked food could be entered in the contest, and there were also “winners” for theme, best decorated table, costumes and best overall presentation.

Probably not an inside job: Rotary President Bill O’Neal’s table, “Pirates of the Rotary Coast,” won first place for both theme and best overall presentation. Event chair Susan Hoeffel’s table, “When Pigs Fly,” was runner up for theme. Best decorated table went to Sam Morphy and Laura Zimmerman’s “French Art Scene” with a giant Eiffel Tower centerpiece, and Chad Allen’s table, “State Farmhouse,” won runner up. Vicky Whiting’s “Paleo Picnic” and Valerie Pistole and Rick Wynne’s “Hogwarts” table, tied for first for their costumes. And then the “Hospital” came in second for best overall.

In the food department, “Gilligan’s Island” won with some excellent island foods.

Judges included Suzanne Brangham, Kate Eilertsen, Karen Foley, Nancy Lang and me.

Entertainment producer James Marshall Berry put together great performances by Ballet Folklorico Quetzalan, Transcendence Theatre Company, Flying Eagle Dixieland Band, the Keenan Irish Dancers, the Santa Rosa Youth Symphony, Sheila Whitney Stanfield and Victor Mazzone.

H H H

The Sonoma Valley Education Foundation’s Red & White Ball dinner Saturday, Sept. 6, is sold out, but lucky ticket holders will enjoy appetizers by the school district’s food services manager Cody Williams, with Jonathan Beard of the Sonoma Valley High School culinary team, using some veggies from the Altimira Middle School Garden.

If you didn’t get dinner tickets, you can make your own picnic and bring it. You can still get tickets to the ball itself, always a hot and swinging affair. $30. 5 to 10 p.m. Svgreatschools.org.

H H H

If you missed artist Judy Theo’s performance a couple of Fridays ago, the newish Studio 35 gallery at 35 Patten St., you really missed something. Having now outed herself as a former nun, Judy may be known to some of you as Judy Lehner and Judy Theo Lehner. The Lehner comes from a former marriage, which produced a smart and lovely daughter, who now has twin boys.

We’ve known Judy well over the years because she designed the covers for most of Jerry’s and my Hill Guides to wine regions of the west coast. As many of you know, this peppy redhead paints in strong primary colors and owned Red Wolf Gallery – near Sign of the Bear – for many years.

For a long time she didn’t mention her “nun-ness,” but explained to us when she became Judy Theo, that the Theo came from her assigned nun’s name, Sister Theophane. Her grandmother always called her Sister Cellophane.

To a full house in the backyard of Studio 35, Judy performed as two people. She came out in something resembling a nun’s habit, with her veil covered with sparkles. As she told the story of her teens, decision to enter the convent and teach, and not to get out for 12 years, she brought into the act a second character, her friend who left religious life after just one year.

In her first act, Judy sat on a simple chair on a simple stage. While peeling out her lines, she sat as a proper nun, constantly tugging at her habit’s skirt to make sure it covered her legs. When she took her friend’s part, she raised her habit to reveal turquoise tights and a very short red dress. Every switch of character came with a skirt move.

In her second act, Judy told the story of her own sister taking her bar hopping after Judy left the convent and introduced her to the wild life. That’s why her show was called “The Red Dress.” She wore it and the blue tights, without habit, for the rest of the show, and her “bar-hopping” life. Hilarious.

Partners Robert Coury and Scott Palmer own the gallery and host the performances. Coury also turns out to be a good cook, having produced possibly the best fig and onion tartlet I have ever tasted, among the many appetizers offered. Jude Cameron is the gallery’s art director. 35 Patten St., Sonoma. Open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday through Monday. 934-8145. SP.Stuido35@gmail.com, Studio35Sonoma.com.

H H H

Sonoma Plein Air brings us their Sonoma Plein Air Festival again Sept. 15 through 19, all to raise funds to keep art in our schools, a noble cause with proven and excellent results.

A few seats remain for the festival’s fundraiser gala, which will be Saturday, Sept. 19 at the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa, featuring a lively auction, music, and dinner. Executive Chef Bruno Tison and staff will create ahi tuna salad on crispy wontons, dungeness crab and corn fritters, caramelized onion and Gruyere tarts, and risotto cakes for appetizers.

Dinner will be a salad of Marin French Cheese Truffled Brie on local organic; cabernet braised short ribs with Bloomsdale spinach or a vegetarian substitute; followed by several desserts. $200 to $5,000 welcomed. 5:30 p.m. Reserve at sonomapleinair.com. See ads and other stories for full festival schedule.

H H H

Williams-Sonoma representatives Jean Armstrong, Kristin Perrakis, Carrie Crespo-Dixon and Lauren Tarzia met with Chamber of Commerce and city officials recently to plan their reopening of Chuck Williams’ original store. Rumored to be in the plans will be a small party in the small store and for Williams-Sonoma to rent the entire Plaza to host a breakfast for the whole community. Not sure what that will look like. All of this around Oct.2, Chuck Williams’ 99th birthday.

H H H

This year’s B.R. Cohn Fall Festival will be dedicated to the memory of lots of people’s friend, Lise Sonnen, known to nonprofits in Sonoma Valley as a true angel. In fact, the festival’s Olive Grove Stage will be renamed the Lise Sonnen Memorial Stage.

The Charity Auction and Dinner will be Friday, Sept. 19, in the winery’s 140-year-old olive grove, with chef Mark Stark cooking a five-course meal for the always-lively crowd. Stark has been a James Beard Award nominee and owns Bravas, Monti’s, Stark’s Steakhouse, Willi’s Seafood and Willi’s Wine Bar.

See James Marshal Berry’s column for the full musical lineup, featuring some of the biggest names this festival has attracted. Tickets $175. 6 p.m. Tickets sell fast, at the tasting room or brcohnfallfestival.org.

H H H

On a recent 10-day trip to Maui, gifted to me by my cousin Carol McKelligon Reinhold and Terry Reinhold, of course I had to taste everything local that I could find.

Carol and I are less than a year apart, grew up in Berkeley swimming on the Berkeley City Club swim team, and declared ourselves sisters a few years ago. It turned out that Carol hadn’t seen many of the things that aroused my interest in her 30 years of visiting Terry’s family’s condo at Napili Bay.

Here are some of our favorite finds:

Maui Gold Pineapple farm: Maui Gold guides claim this is the only pineapple farm remaining in Hawaii, saying Dole has moved its entire operation to Costa Rica. Since my return, I have found Dole pineapples at Sonoma Market and Safeway with labels saying grown in Maui or Hilo.

Did you know you can cut off the top of a pineapple or one of its sharp skin sections, plant them, and grow a pineapple?

Alexander & Baldwin Sugar Museum: Features the heritage and history of Maui’s sugar industry and its rich, multi-ethnic make-up and inner workings of a sugar mill. Ogle a Cleveland Model J36 trench digger, a 1920s outdoor Portuguese oven, a cane hauler, vintage tractors and a cane grab. Great gift shop. Pu’unene, Maui, Hawii, sugarmuseum.com.

Old Láhainá Lu’au: A nightly gathering of nearly 500 people on the Lahaina ocean front where guests soak up exotic Hawaiian cocktails, wine, and an enormous buffet of Hawaiian specialties, such as pit-smoked pig, pork wrapped in taro leaves, sautéed taro leaves, raw yellow fin tuna and octopus, warm sliced sweet potatoes, steak, chicken long rice, Maui mahi mahi, stir fry veggies, fried rice without meat, crab salad, salmon, and the best ever banana bread and multiple desserts. Lots of crafters surround the amphitheater where scores of dancers tell the history of Hawaii and hula. 800-248-5828 or oldlahainaluau.com.

Star Noodle is another offering by the owners of the Old Lahaina Luau for which they needed a larger kitchen, built a warehouse for same and decided to start a restaurant featuring noodles to share and not. We got tons of food to go (I had met the manager at the beach) because you can’t get a reservation for days. Shepard Fairey’s art lines the walls and the food is fabulous. Don’t miss the malasadas for dessert, sort of donut hole-looking fried dough balls with chocolate and butterscotch caramel sauces. If you are in a rush or have wiggly kids along, check out their food truck in the parking lot called StarsTruck. Full bar and sake. 286 Kupuohi St., Lahaina, Hawii. 808-667-5400.

Sansei Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar: The best ever Nigiri sushi, sashimi, combinations, full bar and abundant wine and beer. It seemed like we ate for hours and ordered more. At the Kapalua Resort, 600 Office Road. Kapalua. Several other restaurants on other islands. 808-669-6286.

H H H

Jean-Charles Boisset and Gina Gallo recently received the Chuck Smith Award for Global Entrepreneurship at John F. Kennedy University’s Institute of Entrepreneurial Leadership at the Blackhawk Auto Museum in Danville. Boisset has implemented organic and biodynamic farming at all of his family’s vineyards and Burgundy and California. Gallo is winemaker of Gallo Signature Series Wines.