Email This Post
Who says nothing ever happens in Sonoma?
Kathleen Hill Sonoma Valley Sun
Who says nothing ever happens in Sonoma? In the last 10 days, our quiet valley has enjoyed visits from movie and television stars Tony Shalhoub, Robin Williams, John Ratzenberger, Bonnie Hunt, Cheech Marin and Joe Pantoliano to honor John Lasseter at the Sonoma Valley Film Festival, Lettie Teague (Food & Wine magazine), Nancy Silverton (La Brea Bakery, Campanile and Mozza restaurants), winning stock car driver Jeff Gordon and fellow speedster Patrick Dempsey. Just another day in paradise! Speaking of the Film Festival, apparently Sunflower Caffé had its best couple of days ever that weekend, selling more soy milk than they imagined possible. But the film crowd had such a good time that they were not exactly running the bike paths on any mornings after!
******
Last Tuesday, we ventured over to the other valley, actually way south of Napa near its airport and the commercial development that houses several wineries and other warehouse-size businesses. The occasion was an invitation to join the usually controversial Bronco Wine Company president Fred Franzia for lunch at his Harlow Court offices and bottling plant to celebrate the fifth anniversary of his Charles Shaw wine brand, sold exclusively through Trader Joe’s. You can buy the exact same wine at Sonoma Market under the Crane Lake label for $2.99, the same price TJ’s charges for “Two Buck Chuck” on the East Coast. The real-life Charles Shaw lived up the street from one of Franzia’s legendary publicity people and managed to run through a good chunk of his wife’s fortune in his brief stint as a winery owner. After selling Franzia Brothers Winery in 1973 to Coca-Cola Bottling Company, the Franzia brothers set up Bronco Wine Company and later Classic Wines of California distributing company, and are now the largest grape grower in the state. Having won a Double Gold for its 2005 Merlot, Franzia loves to say that “Charles Shaw… proved to Americans that good wine doesn’t need to be expensive.” Franzia persists in looking for restaurants that would forego huge wine sales profits and offer wine inexpensively. Bronco’s Charles Shaw label alone sells more than five million cases a year. The Napa facility produces about 230 bottles per minute in one little room, 24,000 cases of Two-Buck Chuck daily, and a total of 55,000 cases of wine a day including those of other wineries, including some made by Beringer, Meridian, Bears’ Lair, Glass Mountain and Lindemans. There were several Sonoma ties to the Bronco afternoon. Sonoman Elaine Bell catered the luncheon of crisp Arborio rice cakes, baby organic greens salad with balsamic roasted black grapes and St. George white cheddar cheese; grilled Niman Ranch natural skirt steak with braised mustard greens and delicious celery root potato purée with smoked mushroom ragout, served with Basque Boulangerie sourdough rolls and followed by strawberry shortcake. Sonoma resident Lisa Walter of Adams Walter Communications handled media relations. Don and Donny Sebastiani walked over for lunch from their plant at the corner near Bronco. Sonoma architect Bill Dimmick, designer of the Bronco offices in Napa, will be project manager on Franzia’s next great idea, a glass bottle plant in the same light industrial complex. Franzia bought 80 acres near the intersection of Highway 29 and Dublin Road, and his next brainstorm has at least three political and planning hurdles to jump to get there. Napa County Supervisor Bill Dodd’s presence at the luncheon shows Franzia is working that route as well. Part of Franzia’s theory is that some vintners are buying glass bottles from China and Mexico, and that he can produce them cheaper because of the increasingly high costs of transportation. He claims the plant will lead to a reduction in greenhouse gases by saving 62,000 diesel truckload trips and, thereby, 32,000 tons of pollution by producing wine bottles closer to where they are needed. No matter what other vintners and purists think of Franzia, one thing everyone must concede is that he is one smart dude! He is also very personable, down-to-earth and funny. Among other labels I bet you didn’t realize are produced by Bronco are Cedar Brook, Coastal Ridge, Domaine Laurier, Domaine Napa, Dona Sol, Estrella, Fat Cat Cellars, Forest Glen, ForestVille, Fox Hollow, Grand Cru Vineyards, Hacienda, Montpellier, Napa Creek, Napa Ridge, Quail Creek and Quail Ridge, Rutherford Vintners, Salmon Creek Cellars, Silver Ridge and Thousand Oaks. Oh yes, let us not forget Franzia’s “serious” campaign, complete with bumper stickers, for “Charles Shaw for President-This Time We Mean It!”
******
Down at Infineon Raceway at Sears Point, leading NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon showed up to “cook” lunch with chef Victor Scargle, formerly of Julia’s Kitchen at COPIA and now leading the kitchen at Go Fish! in St. Helena. Gordon’s racing pal Patrick Dempsey strode in mid-cooking demo, complete with filming entourage, all to promote the exciting NASCAR NEXTEL Toyota/Save Mart 350 coming to Infineon June 22-24.
******
Shiso Restaurant is now open Tuesday evenings after the Farmers Market, with dinner beginning at 5:30 p.m.
******
Speaking of the Farmers Market, the Friday market at the Arnold Field parking lot up First Street East is now open from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. since the gumbo guy is serving lunch.
******
Get ready for the next Center of the Universe Café, a Cinco de Mayo celebration produced by Ken Brown at the Sonoma Community Center and featuring Sonoma Valley wines provided by the Sonoma Valley Vintners & Growers Alliance and dinner by chef Manuel Arjona of Maya Restaurant. Arjona’s menu will include four kinds of guacamole served with Maya’s tortilla chips called ratitos; tlacoyos, which are deep-fried baby tamales with chicken or a vegetarian option, both with chili guava sauce; cabbage salad; Neapolitan ice cream with cones; and even beer for this special occasion. Arjona and his partner in Maya, Denny Lane, son of Community Center executive director Kathy Swett and Dr. Clinton Lane, suggest guests slide on down the street to Maya for margaritas and Sonoma Valley wines after the Café dinner and show on May 5. For reservations and more info call 707.938.4626, ext. 1.
******
Also on actual Cinco de Mayo, which fortunately lands on a Saturday this year, Robledo Family Winery will host its annual Mexican party with executive chef Maria Robledo’s truly Mexican food paired with Robledo’s wines. Enjoy folkloric dancers, live mariachi music and great wines along with Mrs. Robledo’s chicken tostadas paired with 2005 Robledo Family Pinot Blanc, tacos de carne asada on hand-made tortillas with 2004 Los Braceros Red blend, and bunuelos for dessert with 2005 Robledo Muscato. Visit with this distinguished family, which has been honored internationally for starting the first winery established by Mexican migrant workers. $55 or $40 for wine club members, $20 for kids. 21901 Bonness Road, Sonoma off Arnold Drive and Highway 116. For more info and directions visit robledofamilywinery.com or call Stephanie at 707.939.6903. Incidentally, the Robledo family was the subject of a well-done six-page color story in Reader’s Digest recently. Reader’s Digest is one of the largest circulation publications in the country.
******
A bit into the future, the Sonoma Valley Mother’s Club will honor Disty Thompson, longtime Sonoma Child Birth Educator with a big lunch and party at Larson Family Winery on June 3 at noon. Thompson is retiring and will be followed by Rebecca Hengehold in this important position. Members of SVMC, people just interested who are not members, pregnant women and families are welcome to bring a chair or blanket, a picnic for your family and guests and a dessert to share with others. Sounds like a dessert orgy to me! For more info contact Renea Magnani at neachurch@aol.com.
******
Vancouver, British Columbia residents Alisa Smith and James McKinnon will visit Readers’ Books on Friday, May 4 at 5:30 p.m. with their book “Plenty: One Man, One Woman, and a Raucous Year of Eating Locally.” They point out the average North American meal has traveled at least 1,500 miles to get to our tables and were early advocates of eating food from within 100 miles of one’s home. Their Web site, 100milediet.org has become a primary resource for the new trend toward eating locally, much to their surprise. 130 East Napa Street, Sonoma. 707.939.1779.
******
The same day, Marty Paradise at SL Cellars on Highway 12 in Kenwood will host another SL Cellars Wine 101 Food & Wine Pairing event/class featuring SL Cellars’ wines paired with yummies from the girl & the fig caters! Edibles will include goat cheese with lavender and honey on a baguette with champagne; bay scallop and rock shrimp ceviche with chardonnay; sausage-stuffed mushrooms with spinach and chorizo with pinot noir; smoked Gouda from Ditty Vella’s The Cheesemaker’s Daughter with syrah; miniature Cambozola burgers with merlot; and black mission fig short ribs on a skewer with cabernet sauvignon. 5:30-7:30 p.m. $35. 9380 Highway 12, Kenwood. Call 707.833.5070, ext. 11 or e-mail marty@slcellars.com.
******
Last weekend’s successful April in Carneros and their winter event, Holiday in Carneros, fund scholarships at Santa Rosa Junior College and at Napa Valley College. The Carneros wineries have endowed each school with $10,000 and add to the amount after each event. According to Jason Ghiselin, Napa Valley College has a terrific new Tourism and Hospitality Management program, as well as its Napa Valley Cooking School.
******
Sharna Haver has opened a new salon and mini-spa in Sonoma Court Shops that run between Broadway and Napa Street called Cheveux Salon, where she always has champagne, cheese and chocolate on hand. Sounds like a complete treatment, inside and out!
******
Ty Caton Vineyards apparently wants to build a 4,800 square foot metal winery building at 700 Mountain Avenue, with a goal of producing 15,000 cases of wine per year with no tours, tastings, special events or retail sales.
******
Frozen Mexican food king Louis Ruiz, a native of Chihuahua, Mexico and founder of Ruiz foods, died a couple of weeks ago. Ruiz’s best-known brands are El Monterey and Rosita’s, which supposedly began on his mother Rosita’s two-burner stove, moving on to a tortilla factory in Tulare.
******
Justine and Steve Ashton’s Wine Country Film Festival will show “The Cheese Nun” on Friday, April 27 at Vintage House, 264 First Street East, Sonoma. The evening begins at 6 p.m. with cheese tastes for sale. The Cheesemaker’s Daughter proprietor Ditty Vella will moderate a discussion after the film, which screens at 7 p.m. $5 donation requested.
******
Nestlé SA of Geneva, Switzerland, just bought Gerber Products, including baby food, from pharmaceutical maker Novartis SA for $5.5 billion. Nestlé recently acquired Jenny Craig (not the person) and Novartis Medical Nutrition, adding to its existing labels of Nescafé, Perrier and Dreyer’s.
******
Blooper: I apologize to Sonoma Valley Film Festival super volunteer Bobbie Bleistift Collins for referring to her as Bonnie Collins. Bobbie delivered those Hershey’s truffles tins left over at the showing of “Big Night” and visit with Tony Shalhoub to June Shepherd for distribution by F.I.S.H.
******
Following the illness of three Napa Valley Little League players who ate hamburgers cooked at League concession stands in Calistoga and St. Helena, their beef patty supplier, Richwood Meat Co. of Merced, has recalled hamburger patties produced between April and May, 2006. If you have any of this meat, throw it away, preferably on garbage pickup day. We assume that our local purchasers of frozen beef patties will check their sources and packing dates and consider buying locally. At press time, Richwood was pointing the finger of blame toward slaughter houses, specifically which ones they weren’t sure. Bon appétit! Send tidbits and driblets to khill@sonomasun.com. Catch Kathleen Hill’s story in today’s FineLife on Lettie Teague, Executive Wine Editor of Food & Wine magazine. “The Kathleen Hill Show” airs from 4-5 p.m. on KSVY-91.3 FM or at ksvy.org.
1 views