February 11, 2010 | 
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The Winter Olympics 2010 – bringing the world together
The Olympic Torch is wending its way across Canada in time for the Opening Ceremony of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver British Columbia on Friday night, Feb. 12. Eighty plus nations are expected to participate in the city whose motto is “with glowing hearts.”
Originally developed as a means for men to become physically fit, the Olympic Games were held in ancient Greece for approximately 1,200 years before they were banned as being pagan by Emperor Theodosius around 394 A.D.
After France was crushed in the 1870 Franco-Prussian War, a young French aristocrat initiated a revival from a judgment the defeat was the result of a lack of vigor among the soldiers. Pierre de Coubertin concluded sports made a person well-formed and energetic, and he organized a group which eventually became the International Olympic Committee which started the modern games in 1896 in Athens.
The Olympic logo was designed by de Coubertin in 1913 and has five interlocking rings in black, yellow, blue, red, and green on white, one for each continent, Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceania. This symbol reinforces the international concept of the games as a meeting place of athletes from around the world.
With the advent of television and news available instantaneously on the world stage via the Internet, the Olympics create a bond as countrymen vicariously take time from daily schedules with a common purpose to cheer on the athletes of their countries.
Watching the camaraderie and interaction among the athletes at the opening and closing ceremonies as well as the events gives a measure of satisfaction knowing we are one world and that which brings us together is greater than that which separates us.
“The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well.” Baron Pierre de Coubertin
On the Trails with Epi – Hello Cello and Limoncello di Sonoma
It’s a party. It’s work. It’s a working party with a crew of family and friends of Fred and Amy Groth to produce the latest sensation from Sonoma Valley. Made from all organic ingredients including Eureka lemons, oranges, a neutral grape-based spirit, plus agave syrup for sweetener, the making of Limoncello di Sonoma is a production worthy of a team Olympic event.
The history of Limoncello goes back to the beginning of the last century when an innkeeper in Southern Italy treated her patrons to her homemade liqueur as a complimentary after-dinner “digestivo.” Fast forward to this century to the Groths who have traveled for work all over the world, and yet gravitated more and more to Italy, particularly the southern regions where a limoncello recipe is a family affair. You could say that limoncello fell in love with them
With their daughter, Isabella, now age six and twins Alex and Cooper, now four, the Groth’s were looking for a new adventure and the way of life they loved in Italy. Their search brought them to Sonoma when an epiphany came while eating dinner at Swiss Hotel where they noticed a long table opposite them with a family celebrating with friends. It was the picture of the lifestyle they coveted.
The mission of Hello Cello is to provide an artisanal, fresh product which will create a limoncello experience, an event, an atmosphere, a memory, a story to tell grandchildren about the “good ole days” with family and friends.
Fred has been known to orchestrate the limoncello luge similar to the sled event in the Olympics; however, this time the course is an ice sculpture with a funnel at the top in which Limoncello is poured. As it swirls through the track, it develops its characteristic chill and is ready to sip as it emerges at the bottom. This weekend he will be in attendance at the Boys & Girls Clubs Annual Sweetheart Auction with his luge.
At the peel party recently in the spare warehouse space with its concrete floor and roll-up door, the smell of lemons intoxicated the air with a rich citrusy scent. About 60 adults peeled the rind from the lemons while 40 children squealed with excitement as they bounced in the large jumping house located just outside. This is community. Once the peel is removed, the rest of the lemons go to Sonoma Market where they are used with organizations such as Friends in Sonoma Helping.
Buy Limoncello di Sonoma locally at Sonoma Market and Whole Foods. Try it locally at Carneros Bistro, the girl & the fig, Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn, estate, and Maya. Check the Web site hellosonoma.com for more recipes and information.
Olive Season Finale Weekend, Feb. 12-14
VinOlivo presented by the Sonoma Valley Vintners & Growers Alliance – Friday, Feb. 12, 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. A gala celebration of Sonoma wines, olives and food. All that is Sonoma comes together in this sensory celebration. The Lodge at Sonoma, 1325 Broadway, Sonoma, sonomavalleywine.com
On Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 13-14 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the finale festivities encompass the venues of Jacuzzi Family Vineyards, Cline Cellars, and Cornerstone Sonoma. Jacuzzi Winery, 24724 Arnold Drive, Sonoma, jacuzziwines.com. Cline Cellars, 24737 Arnold Drive, Sonoma, 940.4000, clinecellars.com. Cornerstone Sonoma, 23570 Arnold Drive, Sonoma, 933.3010, cornerstonesonoma.com
For locals, California Wine Tours has an exclusive offer of four hours for the price of three on the evenings of Feb. 12-14. Be chauffeured in a limousine to and from VinOlivo or a romantic Valentine’s dinner. Call 800.294.6386 for reservations, californiawinetours.com
Let us thank all those who participated for a fabulous Season of the Olive.
The 3/50 Project
Pick three, spend $50
The 3/50 project supports independent, locally-owned businesses by inspiring consumer loyalty to the storefronts which directly fund their communities. Choose three independently-owned businesses you would miss if they were no longer here and spend $50 a month supporting them to have a major impact on our community.
Kristin V. writes that her three businesses are EJ 588 Hair Salon, 588 First St. W., 938.0588; Pacific Rim Auto, 505 W. Napa St., 935.4444; and estate restaurant, 400 W. Spain St., 933.3663.
Sheana D. states that her local picks to shop are Readers’ Books, 130 E. Napa St., 939.1779; Tiddle E. Winks, 115 E. Napa St., 939.6933, and The Barking Dog Roasters, 18133 Sonoma Highway, 939.1905 and 201 W. Napa St, 996.7446.
If you are a business in town, register at the350project.net and download the flyer to leave on your counter to let customers know about the project. The flyer can also be viewed at The 3/50 Project Facebook page.
Let Epi know of your support and send your name and the names of the three businesses you support to epi@pattiwilliams.com for a listing each week in this column. Let us shout out which three businesses would be missed.
Valentine Week-end
For last minute plans
Valentine’s Day Concert at Sonoma Community Center – Sunday, Feb. 14, 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
In partnership with Sonoma Valley Jazz Society, and their “Meet the Musicians” concert series, Mad and Eddie Duran will perform in the Backstage Theater. A small venue with just 40 seats, this is an intimate setting for informal sets, with anecdotes and audience interaction. General admission: $20, Sonoma Community Center and Sonoma Jazz Society members: $18. Advance tickets recommended. Call 938.4626, ext. 1 or e-mail scc@vom.com. 276 E. Napa St., Sonoma, sonomacommunitycenter.org.
The Cave is offering a four-course experience – Sunday, Feb. 14, Open at noon.
Menu will include prosciutto wrapped asparagus or stuffed portabella mushroom; beef tenderloin Caesar salad; lime-cilantro rib eye, swordfish Connie, or four-cheese penne pasta; and banana’s foster or chocolate raspberry tart all with a bottle of Gloria Ferrar brut rose, $50. 524 Broadway, Sonoma, 287.8705.
Kenwood Vineyards offers some suggestions for pairings of chocolate and red wine, a traditional duo for Valentine’s Day. If your dessert features bittersweet chocolate as in flourless chocolate cake, a torte or truffles, pair with Kenwood Sonoma County cabernet sauvignon or zinfandel. If semi-sweet chocolate is your bent as in brownies, cupcakes, soufflé give the Kenwood Sonoma County merlot a go. Milk chocolate as in chocolate covered strawberries, cheesecake or mousse would work with the merlot or Kenwood Russian River Valley pinot noir. A further recommendation is to serve red wine at approximately 65 degrees and never serve red wine with white chocolate which pairs better with Kenwood chardonnay or gewürztraminer. 9592 Sonoma Highway, Kenwood, 833.5891, kenwoodvineyards.com.
Santé Restaurant at Sonoma Mission Inn is having a special Valentine’s Day tasting menu of seven courses Reservations: 939.2415. 100 Boyes Blvd., Sonoma, See entire listing for menu at fairmont.com/sonoma.
Sonoma Portworks will be chocolate obsessed during. Pairings available every Saturday – noon to 5 p.m., in the Petaluma tasting room, 613 Second St., 769.5203. Pairings are available weekdays by appointment only.
estate will be open for brunch on Valentine’s Day from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. 400 W. Spain St., Sonoma 933.3663, estate-sonoma.com
The Depot Restaurant is featuring a private cellar dinner on Monday, Feb. 15 in addition to their multi-course Valentine’s Day menu see their Web site for details. 241 First St. W., Sonoma, 938.2980, depothotel.com
Juniper & Co. has unique Valentine gifts – for him, for her, and for foodies, including a perfect example of your love – a life-long McEvoy Ranch organic Frantoio Olive Tree, which are 20 percent off through Valentine’s Day at $18. 15 E. Napa St., Sonoma, 939.9065
The Best of the Sonoma Valley Experience
restaurants and wineries
The Wine Shack and Shiso Sushi Bar – Saturday, Feb. 20, 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
This special event will feature unlimited sushi from Chef Ed Metcalfe including sashimi, nigiri, and rolls. Wine and sake available by the glass or bottle. Seating limited to 30. Reserve your spot now 938.7218.
Winter Artisan Cheese Fair – Sunday, Feb. 21, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Meet cheesemakers from around the country, taste culinary dishes from Sonoma County Chefs, meet brewers, winemakers and more from the Valley. $25 per person.
E-mail epi@pattiwilliams.com with the names of one cheese produced by the Laura Chenel Chèvre Company and a cheese produced by Sheana Davis to win two tickets to the event.
Tickets available at The Epicurean Connection or Readers’ Books. Event is at Mac Arthur Place, 29 E. MacArthur St., Sonoma, 938.2929, macarthurplace.com
Up & Down the Valley
organization events
Vintage House Valentine’s Day Luncheon – Friday, Feb. 12, 1 p.m.
Celebrate with “the house with a heart” and their menu of salad niçoise, carrot ginger soup, dessert, and beverage for $15 per person. Live entertainment by Jim Fitzgerald on the guitar will accompany the event. Make your reservation at 996.0311. 264 First St. E., Sonoma.
Women for Wine Sense 2010 Grand Event – April 30 – May 2, Napa Valley
Mark your calendar for the premier wine program and explore the cultural, health, and culinary attributes of moderate wine consumption. wwsgrandevent.org
Odds & Ends
previously reported reminders
Junipero & Co. Special Event – Sunday, Feb. 21, all day
Learn the art of preserving the seasons with June Taylor in her Still Room in Berkeley. Enjoy refreshments, beverages, and participate in making orange marmalade. Take home a jar to enjoy. Call for details: 15 E. Napa St., Sonoma, 939.9065
Eating with the Seasons In search of local, seasonal, and sustainable food
Kathy Prentice will be at the market this Friday selling fresh boxwood heart wreaths from six inches to 18 inches wide. Wreaths include ribbons, dried flowers and berries, all truly one-of-a-kind. Call for special orders 938.1535.
John Macleod of Macleod Family Vineyards has started selling daffodils which will continue throughout the spring.
Cowgirl Creamery has introduced a new seasonal cheese, Devil’s Gulch, a rich double cream dusted with sweet and spicy pepper flakes. Available at Whole Foods Market, Sonoma
Samuel Kim of Bohemian Well-Being Town Farm in Occidental brings wild-crafted and cultivated mushrooms. Some of his seasonal offerings should be available for the next couple weeks. He will be at the market regularly with his cultivated shitake, enoki, and trumpet mushrooms.
Mission Olive Preservation Restoration & Education Project volunteers are selling mission olive trees and educating everyone about the history of olives in the Valley.
Jacqueline Aubin is at the market with local, fresh eggs.
Oak Hill Farm will be back Friday and will bring salad mix, red and green cabbage, kale, dandelion greens, red mustard, chicories, escarole, broccoli, carrots, burdock, celery root, beets, turnips, kohlrabi, and parsnips, onions, garlic, shallots, and watermelon radish. In addition, winter squash – delicata, butternut, kabocha, and spaghetti – will also be available. Salad greens might be scarce.
Juli Ortiz with Ortiz Brothers has red and green cabbage, Walla Walla onions, radishes, parsley, mint, chard, carrots as well as scallions, leeks, cauliflower, young broccoli, romaine as well as red and green leaf lettuces, carrots, arugula, and spinach.
Ed Miller and Anne from Twin Peaks have large fan kiwi, Eureka lemons, tangerines, blood oranges and navels, mello-gold grapefruit, and pomelo which are similar to grapefruit, yet sweeter.
Hector Alvarez of Hector’s Honey has all kinds of honey products including fresh bee pollen and candles, as well as squash, tomatoes, garlic, tomatillos, eggs. It is near the end of pepper season. Take some home and dry them for use all winter. Fuji and Golden Delicious apples are available as well as fuyu and hachiya persimmons.
Gary Peter brings organic cheese offerings each week from Spring Hill Cheese Company which produces over 30 varieties of cheese, as well as sweet creamery butter.
Linda Carniglia of Mini Farm Products has her fresh mini greens including wheat grass, sunflower greens, pea greens, buckwheat salad and birdie greens. Ask for a taste to experience the buzz about mini-greens.
Buchanan Hollow Nut Company has pecans, pistachios, almonds, walnuts, and chocolate-covered raisins. Stock up and freeze for freshness all year long. Ask John Buchanan or Michelle DeLucca about quantity discounts for freezing and using throughout the year.
Carson Hunter of Carson’s Catch brings Bristol Bay Alaska Sockeye Salmon to the market from the last, largest sockeye run in Alaska. Monterey Bay Aquarium has given salmon from Bristol Bay the cleanest rating of any salmon in the world. Hunter spends early summer catching and flash-freezing the salmon in a 200-year-old cannery nearby.
Vivo Vinegars, a 200-year-old Orleans-style of aging wine in barrels over a one-year period, converting it to vinegar, is at the Friday market. The vinegars include such wine favorites as syrah, cabernet sauvignon, sauvignon blanc, merlot and a pinot noir limited edition. Their awards include a gold, silver, and bronze medal at the 2009 Harvest Fair for their syrah, cabernet, and merlot.
Sheana Davis of The Epicurean Connection will have her signature Delice de la Vallee cheese in two flavors – a blood orange zest and Sonoma Valley olive oil and olive oil with fresh herbs.
McClelland’s Dairy of Petaluma has organic dairy products including unsalted butter in one-pound blocks.
Primavera is at the market with salsa, chips, and tamales in various flavors, including chicken, pork, pumpkin, black bean, green chili, mushroom and spinach and white corn and zucchini. Just steam for 10 to 15 minutes, eat and enjoy.
M & CP Farms is at the market with all things olives. Tony Howe provides samples and a variety of olive products.
The Hummus Guy, Mohammed Cherif, is part of the Friday market with specialties such as couscous salad, spicy harissa, dolmas, organic baked tofu, falafel, pita, spanakopeta, pita chips and kalamata olives.
Rebecca Bozzelli of the Sonoma Garden Park has eggs available from NixChix and Brussels sprouts, cabbage, and kale. 19996 Seventh St. E., Sonoma, sonomaecologycenter.org.
End Notes – Inspirational Quote of the Week
“The antidote to exhaustion may not be rest. It may be wholeheartedness. You are so exhausted because all of the things you are doing are just busyness. There’s a central core of wholeheartedness totally missing from what you’re doing.” Brother David Steindl-Rast, author, Benedictine monk and Roman Catholic theologian known for his active participation in interfaith dialogue.
I remain, yours truly, Epi Curious, your entrée to the Spirit of Sonoma in the best of food, wine and events in the Valley of the Moon.
.
Epi Curious, aka Patti Williams, began her career teaching cooking and nutrition classes. Leaving the education field, she has been an entrepreneur and partner in a financial advisory firm, has written a column for a Southern California newspaper on making a home environmentally friendly, and has been host to a series on a community public television station. She brings her love of cooking and a desire to nourish body and soul through the best of food, wine and events in the Sonoma Valley.
Patti can be reached directly at epi@pattiwilliams.com.
From Epi’s Recipe Box – In honor of Valentine’s Day, Fred and Amy Groth have developed some recipes with Limoncello di Sonoma to celebrate the occasion. Here are some fresh, creative cocktails crafted for love with local ingredients as well as some song suggestions to add to the mood of the evening.
Sonoma Kiss
5 ounces Limoncello di Sonoma
5 ounces raspberry sorbet
Gloria Ferrer Brut sparkling wine
Combine Limoncello di Sonoma and sorbet in a bowl. Blend or mix well and return to freezer
Serving: Fill martini glass with sparkling wine. Using a melon ball scoop make a Limoncello sorbet ball. Float the sorbet ball gently on top of the sparkling wine.
Suggested play list: Dave Mathews – “You and Me” – happy and bubbly just like the drink.
Sonoma 75
1 ½ ounces Limoncello di Sonoma
1 ½ ounces Junipero Gin
Gloria Ferrer Brut sparkling wine
1 Lemon wedge
Raspberries for garnish
Combine Limoncello di Sonoma, gin and a squeeze of lemon juice in an ice filled cocktail shaker. Shake vigorously and strain into a martini glass. Top with sparkling wine and garnish with two raspberries.
Suggested play list: Louis Armstrong “Give me your Kisses”
Lemon Meringue Pie – Tastes just like a lemon meringue pie in a glass.
Created by Tony Tealdi, Carneros Bistro
1 ½ ounces Limoncello di Sonoma
2 ounces Stoli Vanilla Vodka
1 tablespoon agave or simple syrup
1 part fresh lemon juice
In an ice-filled cocktail shaker, add all ingredients and shake vigorously. Strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with an optional meringue cookie.
Sonoma Valley Limoncello di Sonoma Bread Pudding
Created by Sheana Davis, The Epicurean Connection
8 whole Nix Chix eggs
2 cups whipping cream, Clover or Strauss
1/2 cup Mc Clellands butter, melted + 2 tablespoons
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon lemon zest, grated fine
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 cup Limoncello di Sonoma + 2 tablespoons Limoncello di Sonoma
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
4 cups Basque Boulangerie Potato rolls, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 cup golden raisins
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
1. Prepare an 8 cup baking pan, brushed with 2 tablespoons sweet butter.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, cream, melted butter, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, Limoncello di Sonoma and sea salt.
3. Fold in bread and raisins and place in prepared baking pan.
4. Place baking pan on a baking sheet and bake in oven for 35-40 minutes, or until center has thoroughly cooked.
5. Remove from oven; allow to rest for 1 hour.
6. Brush with 2 tablespoons Limoncello di Sonoma
Serve warm with a glass of Limoncello di Sonoma which has been stored in the freezer.
Please give Epi feedback on recipes and let her know if you desire a specific recipe from a local restaurant. Contact her at epi@pattiwilliams.com
