Kathleen Hill: Cheese Factory sold, the Mill opens, Delicious Dish and more

This is my 600th column for the Sonoma Index-Tribune. That means 1,200,000 words plus extra stories over about 11.5 years. Thanks for joining me in all of these updates and adventures through fires, power outages, earthquakes, pandemics and fabulous trips to France and the U.K. with friends, to sitting right here in Sonoma.

Developers buy Sonoma Cheese Factory

Adding to their many Sonoma Valley properties, Stacy and Ken Mattson’s Sonoma’s Best Hospitality Group just purchased the Sonoma Cheese Factory on Spain Street facing Sonoma Plaza.

The building has sat inoperative for a couple of years, at least, with former owners the Viviani sisters holding occasional sales with sandwich offerings after closing and laying off staff.

Hopefully the Mattsons will actually open the business today, as suggested. It would be lovely to have the building functioning again, but as what? Other developers have backed away from expansion in every direction after not meeting city requirements and neighbors’ expectations.

Several of Sonoma’s Best Hospitality Group commercial properties have remained vacant, undeveloped or non-functioning for a couple of years.

The Mill at Glen Ellen opens

The Mill at Glen Ellen has finally opened at Glen Ellen’s Jack London Village after almost a year of cleaning and remodeling and permits, resulting in a lovely dining spot overlooking Sonoma Creek.

Dana Jaffe, former executive chef at Saddles Steakhouse and Sonoma Golf Course, and Sanjeev K. Singh, former executive sous chef at Saddles, have combined their talents and backgrounds to create an interesting and reasonably priced menu. For now they can serve takeout or on the deck and patio. And restrooms are now ADA compliant.

Watch for entrée salads, sandwiches, burgers, wraps, a mushroom stuffed Impossible burger, edamame bean hummus, masala potato patties with broccolini, a petite filet with wild mushrooms with brown butter cauliflower, Wagyu top sirloin steak with fingerling potatoes and French beans, and a ricotta stuffed chicken breast with wild mushrooms, charred broccolini, tri-colored carrots, and garlic mashed potatoes. And then there are some of Dana’s sweet sweets such as coconut Kheer with sultanas ($9.95 to $38). House brewed beers as well. 14301 Arnold Dr., Glen Ellen.

Delicious Dish pairs with Microsoft

As longtime caterers to Microsoft’s San Francisco offices, Lauren Cotner and her Delicious Dish have converted their Microsoft orders to help feed food-insecure (aka hungry) people in Sonoma Valley.

Microsoft will pay Delicious Dish “to provide meals for 800 people a week, one week a month as if we were booked to provide our normal lunches to them. Since there is no one in the office anymore they want us to take those meals and donate them.”

Delicious Dish’s first week of donated meals will be distributed Oct. 5, with distribution sites yet to be announced. This week Cotner is giving 20 percent of their income to Santa Cruz fire victims in conjunction to her “Dinner & A Movie” that was filmed in Santa Cruz. Some staff donated their pay from that dinner.

St. Francis Sunday breakfast returns

Aunt Momo and the Valley of the Moon Knights of Columbus team up again, thank heavens, for that super popular first Sunday of the month Community Breakfast on Sunday, Sept. 6.

This time you can either sit properly distanced outside in the St. Francis Solano School playground or take breakfast home to watch a game or enjoy with family, or both.

Aunt Momo says it’s still $10 adults, $5 for children, $25 for a family. “To ensure the safety of our guests and volunteer Knights, all COVID health directives will be strictly enforced in the kitchen as well as during the seating and service of all of our guests.”

Line up for scrambled eggs, home fried potatoes, pancakes, sausages, Aunt Momo’s famous ricotta doughnuts (beignets), coffee, tea, orange juice, and Cadbury hot cocoa. Best deal around.

And you don’t have to be Catholic to go and enjoy. All faiths welcome. All money goes to Knights of Columbus projects such as youth scholarships. Father Roberts Hall, Third Street West, behind St. Francis Solano church, Sonoma.

Elaine Bell & Sigh open on Plaza

Chef and caterer Elaine Bell and Sigh proprietor Jayme Powers, both lifelong Sonomans, have teamed up to open a pop-up on the southwest corner of Sonoma Plaza. They launched quietly Thursday, Sept. 3 and will serve through Saturday and see if that does well enough to open more days.

Jayme Powers of Sigh will offer her Champagne and sparkling wines by the glass or bottle, and “boozy slushies” including Cline froze, a Moscow Mule, and tea/lemonade with sake-based bourbon. The slushies are also made with a sake based spirit. Powers says, “They are really quite refreshing and delicious.”

For starters Elaine Bell will always have gluten free and vegan selections and will be offering smoked chicken salad, lobster salad éclair, Chioggia beet poke (gluten-free and vegan), and a “sparkling cheese plate.”

Small plates include sweet corn pancakes, a green pea blini, and a spicy Asian chicken wrap.

Entrées, which rotate daily, might bring a Black Forest ham sandwich on ciabatta with a blue cheese walnut spread, arugula, a chardonnay pickled cauliflower, seared salmon with leek pea purée, sweet corn, roasted fennel and cauliflower (gluten free), a Mediterranean chicken breast with romaine lettuce, feta and puffed chickpeas, and a wine country Cobb salad with grilled chicken, tomato, blue cheese, green beans, hard boiled eggs, scallions, bacon bits, avocado, croutons and creamy herb dressing.

Sweets to be offered are ivory apricot Genoise and cotton candy pops ($6 to $25).

Nibs & Sips

Tri-tips and doughnuts

Tips Tri-Tips Trolley will show up for the first time tonight, Sept. 4, with its full menu at Harvey’s Gourmet Donuts and coffee drinks from 5:30 to 9 p.m. A great addition for people who might like a yummy doughnut for dessert instead of for dinner. Harvey will host a different food truck weekly and is now open 5:30 to 9 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. 19030 Railroad Ave., Sonoma.

Palms Grill to become Café Bellini

Watch for Palms Grill to morph into Café Bellini fairly soon. Mike has “remodeled” a few times and still has a good following for basic food. Mimosas might even show up.

Foster Farms chicken plant shut by Merced county

After seeking a correction about this column’s reporting on COVID-19 problems at Foster Farms’ Livingston plant, Merced County actually ordered the plant shut down last Wednesday, Aug. 26., two days after their Vice President of Communications issued a statement saying that “Foster Farms‘ most recent testing at the Livingston complex involved over 1,400 employees. Results using a state- endorsed PCR test indicated an asymptomatic positive rate of less than 1 percent. This compares to the Merced County positive test rate of approximately 19 percent.”

Vice President Ira Brill apparently left out one detail: Eight Foster Farms workers had died from coronavirus.

But then they didn’t close it. Pleading with the U.S. Department of Agriculture they got a dispensation to take the time they needed to close it down on Tuesday, Sept. 1, according to the Merced Sun-Star. We shall see.

Fig Rig sold

There I was last Friday with Sondra Bernstein of the Girl & The Fig, the Fig Café & Wine Bar in Glen Ellen, Suite D, Girl & the Fig Caters, and the Fig Rig. Conversation was supposed to be about how she and other restaurants are surviving during the pandemic and now smoke hanging over the Valley. We did get around to that eventually.

Just as I was going to beg her to bring the Fig Rig back for easy takeout food, she announced “Kath, I sold the Fig Rig.” What?

Sonoma Eats bought it and is having it “wrapped” with the Sonoma Eats logo and look.

Sonoma Eats owners Esteban Flores and Efrain Balmes have worked hard and successfully in just a couple of years, starting with one food truck mostly parked in the Barking Dog Coffee Roasters parking lot, then added a stationery location on Highway 12 where West Burgers was briefly, and they are now adding another food truck.

Chef Balmes’ most popular items are his chicken mole enchiladas and lamb tacos. Yes, lamb tacos. They have added Tuesday night specials and weekend brunch including lemon cottage cheese pancakes, breakfast burritos and more.

Flores and Balmes have put in a new patio in back with colorful umbrellas and hope to open it this weekend to seat 20 to 30 guests properly socially distanced. Beer and wine license to come. Most of their business is locals and repeat customers, and they like it that way. 18375 and 18133 Sonoma Highway, Sonoma. 227-5121.

Glen Ellen Star’s Labor Day Grill Kits

Easy to order, easy to cook, easy to eat, I presume. A little fun for a hot holiday.

Glen Ellen Star offers Labor Day Grill Kits that include panzanella (bread and tomato) salad with sourdough croutons, olives, cucumber, bocconcini a balsamic emulsion; potato salad Dijonnaise with celery and paprika; a 7-ounce beef burger (to be grilled) with cheddar cheese, lettuce, caramelized onions, and their special sauce.

Dessert will be mouthwatering brown butter apple cake and housemade vanilla maple bourbon ice cream. ($45 per person). You can also pre-order beer and wine to pick up. Order deadline is Saturday at 9 p.m. Pick up Monday, Sept. 7 between noon and 4 p.m. Order via: 343-1384 orapp.upserve.com/glen-ellen-star-glen-ellen.

Sonoma Portworks’ new Tasting Kits

Sonoma residents Bill and Caryn Reading of Sonoma Portworks just came out with a new port tasting kit which includes four 50-milliliter bottles of dessert wines. You might also order some of their Sonomic vinegar. And perhaps consider calling right away to make an appointment to pick yours up tomorrow to have for Labor Day. Otherwise, they will ship free of charge. Call them at 769-5203. 613 Second St., Petaluma.