Kathleen Hill: Sidewalk seating, a Gloria Ferrer departure and more

Separate and unequal? The official answer

Here’s a question I posed last week: Why are Taub Family Outpost, Valley restaurant and Glen Ellen Village Market allowed to sell “takeout food” and let customers sit at their sidewalk tables and chairs to eat it when no one else is allowed to?

Here is the answer from Sonoma Assistant City Planner Wendy Atkins: “Taub Family Outpost and Valley are not allowed to have customers eat at their sidewalk tables. Staff is currently addressing these concerns.”

Mike Crumly leaves Gloria Ferrer

One of the nicest people in the wine business, Mike Crumly is leaving Gloria Ferrer where he managed the vineyards for 35 years, a long time indeed.

Crumly joined innovative winemaker Bob Iantosca to combine their skills, knowledge and creativity to clone pinots noir and chardonnays, while Eva Bertran organized the winery and became the international face of Freixenet and Gloria Ferrer for Jose and Gloria Ferrer. The Ferrer family recently sold Freixenet and Gloria Ferrer to Henkell & Company of Germany.

As happens when local wineries sell to large outside corporations, much of the original soul of the place seems to have left with the founders and staff. Crumly has always been involved in community activities and spearheaded the building of hundreds of bluebird houses. Kids who themselves needed extra nurturing by the WillMar Center got to paint the bluebird boxes and got the joy of helping nurture little bluebirds. Crumly used the boxes in the Gloria Ferrer vineyards and many of them were sold in the community to benefit WillMar.

Personally, I had the pleasure of harvesting olives up the long Gloria Ferrer driveway with Crumly and Bertran and their crew a couple of times, followed by a scrumptious Catalan lunch prepared by Bertran herself.

A question to restaurants

We are all suffering from tensions and fears of the pandemic and the goings-on in Washington, D.C. Those in small shops and restaurant and winery businesses, whether owners or employees, have added layers of stress, the intensity of which others of us can only imagine. Add all of this together and many of us have had trouble sleeping, and alcohol doesn’t help.

So I asked many restaurateurs how the newest four-week extension of Sonoma County’s stay-at-home order effects them, and will their businesses survive. Here are some of their answers.

Many owners agreed with much of what Ari Weiswasser said: They don’t understand how outdoor dining is worse than standing in line at a grocery or big box store, and all are enormously thankful for Sonoma’s community support of their businesses.

Cochon Volant

Rob Larman always answers my questions first.

He said his takeout business is doing very well and he plans to expand his repertoire of food offerings in the next week or two.

Glen Ellen Star

Ari Weiswasser related the heart and soul of many restaurateurs’ thinking:

“It’s absolutely devastating that our governor bans outdoor dining without scientific evidence of spreading COVID-19. In fact, outlawing dining in places that follow rules and are prepared to handle crowds safely forces groups into homes that are not prepared and helps to spread the virus.”

Weiswasser also said that California has had the strictest lockdowns and some of the worst COVID-19 numbers.

“Have we learned that these lockdowns simply don’t work yet? Clearly not. It’s sad and our poor leadership has committed to this disastrous strategy and won’t change course.”

Weiswasser said the Glen Ellen Star will stay open for takeaway until in-person dining returns.

“We need a positive voice reminding people to continue to support Sonoma County restaurants until this nightmare is over.”

Palooza Brewery & Gastropub

Suzette Tyler offered: “We will survive, no plans to close. We will be selling our aiolis and dressings in 12-ounce bottles and micro greens.

“We have a Super Bowl special featuring ‘food of fame’ for $100 of your choice of two meals that serve six: two racks of ribs or pulled pork sandwiches served with cole slaw, baked beans, potato salad, your choice of a 32-ounce cocktail, 64-ounce keg of beer, or a bottle of La Rochelle wine. Add 20 hot wings for $20.”

The Red Grape

Sam Morphy says, “Current news is very disappointing but not unexpected. We have been surviving on curbside takeout and some delivery since Dec. 10. Our temporary hours will remain Wednesday through Sunday 4 to 7:30 p.m.

“We are very concerned for many of our employees that we had to furlough just before the holidays but are doing our best to keep the business afloat. We have reduced the size of our menu due to staffing and supply issues but plan on ramping up more special items in the near future.”

Café La Haye

From Saul Gropman: “I am committed to make it to the other side. This July will be our 25th anniversary and I can’t imagine not being here for that and many more. We will continue to offer takeout! And, we have just added our first online order platform through our website which is working quite well and helping streamline pickup for our customers.

“Our special order canopy is scheduled for delivery this week and installation next week. So… when we do finally get to reopen our sidewalk seating, we will have protection from the elements.”

You can now order from Café La Haye online at opentable.com/restaurant/takeout/6480 where you will also see their full menu. Gropman says the portal opens at 5 a.m.

Murphy’s Irish Pub

Dermot Coll suffers the added emotions of the loss of valued kitchen staffer Tomasa Valera (Tomy) Vargas in one of Sonoma Valley’s tragic automobile accidents two weeks ago.

After three years, he thought that 2020 would have been their breakthrough year, until COVID.

He said, “It’s been very tough just trying to make a living of to-go foods. It’s infuriating to be told that we are closed because people congregating is spreading the disease, yet you can go into any big store, Safeway, Costco, Target, and there are lines trying to pay that are on top of each other for a period of time.

“We are optimistic that we are going to survive.

“We have a good core of loyal regulars who do support us, some just simply order food to-go. Others play trivia online each week, and order from us beforehand. We would like to see more help locally from the city and county to try to help small businesses survive, even just a more obvious support through marketing to the local community. Any little push helps. Hopefully we will have some form of seating in the coming weeks, this winter is definitely hurting.”

Della Santina’s

Nicole Della Santina says they will continue with their takeout and delivery until they are allowed to open again for outside dining. “As for the wine bar, Enoteca Della Santina, we have re-built our website, enotecadellasantina.com, and people can now purchase wine online, or stop by our pop-up shop in the parklet to purchase unique wines at value prices,” she says. “We also have hats, sweatshirts, cheese boards, wine tools and more for purchase.

“Our loyal customers are why we come to work each and every day.”

La Salette and Tasca Tasca

From Manuel Azevedo: “After nearly 25 years of hard work and perseverance building a small business that has supported many families including my own, I am reduced to taking handouts to survive. Demoralizing and infuriating. Let me and my team get back to work!

“I believe we will survive but it’s sort of a ‘Tale of Two Restaurants’ for us. LaSalette is 23 years old, well-established with excellent local support, and has a great landlord. We can hang in there a while longer—as long as our savings holds out. Tasca Tasca is a baby by comparison. We have a loyal following, but have not had time to hit full potential like LaSalette. These lockdowns would have buried TT if it was our only revenue source. We would have likely closed permanently after the second lockdown last month. How can you pay rent, utilities, insurance, etc., with no money coming in?

“Long term I worry that small local businesses will fade away, and with them the unique character of our Valley. Larger companies can weather this better – many are in fact benefiting from these lockdowns. Imagine the Plaza without Eraldi's, Sign of the Bear, Chocolate Cow or some of us.

“I am hopeful we will all recover from this. Sonoma Valley (I’m talking the whole Valley from Kenwood to Carneros) is a unique place and we have weathered other tough times. We need to open up now!”

Depot Hotel

Gia Ghilarducci says, “Takeout throughout December has been very good for us!

“Starting this Wednesday the 13th, we came back to all our regular takeout hours after a winter break: Lunch noon to 2 p.m. and dinner 4 to 7 p.m.

“That includes pick-up at the front door, curbside service, and delivery service through Toast Takeout.”

The new takeout menu includes many favorites including Caesar of wedge salad with pancetta, tomatoes and blue cheese dressing, their famous Dungeness crab cannelloni, veal scaloppini, various pastas, chicken Parmigiana, and tiramisu. Full new menu at depotsonoma.com.

Cheesemonger joins Sonoma Cheese Factory

After 18 years at Napa’s Sunshine Foods, and following that a stint at Jean-Charles Boisset’s Atelier Fine Foods in Yountville, cheesemonger James Ayer joined the Sonoma Cheese Factory in October.

Friends and I, all of whom have lived in France, hoped to find loads of French cheeses, charcuterie and other food products. While Boisset’s Atelier was impressive, it is also a tad expensive, and we never found many actually French cheeses when we visited several times. Atelier is currently closed.

A “cheesemonger” is someone who sells or hawks cheeses, which includes being able to describe what the source and taste of cheeses are to people who might not know what to expect.

Ayers seems excited to have the opportunity to “bring back a dead business,” as he put it.

Ayers says cheeses are selling very well, including Vella cheeses, made practically around the corner on Second Street East.

Since no cheese will be made at Sonoma Cheese Factory, perhaps they should change the name.

A yellow “World’s Best Cheeses” truck was spotted in the middle of Spain Street loading zone, presumably delivering cheeses.

World’s Best Cheeses started out nearly five decades ago as a one-man, one-truck operation called LIPCO in Long Island, New York. Richard Fiscina imported and distributed cheeses and grew his business and demand in the 1970s. In 1984 the Atlanta Corporation bought LIPCO and renamed it Long Island Cheese & Specialties, Inc., and later renamed it World’s Best Cheeses.

Through a series of acquisitions, the modestly named World’s Best Cheeses also created World’s Best Cheeses West. Together they distribute more than 3,500 specialty foods, according to wbcheese.com.

Basically, the company makes a cheesemonger’s job much easier by doing the early scouting and importing. And cheesemongers get to taste all those yummies. That’s one of the great pleasures (we used to have) of attending the Fancy Food Show in San Francisco’s Moscone Hall.