Our new spring collections have arrived and are in stock and ready for delivery. Visit one of our eight local showrooms and discover why Terra has become the premier destination for California luxury outdoor living. Contact us at commercial sales@terraoutdoor.com for trade and designer inquiries. TerraOutdoor.com
Berkeley 1823 Eastshore Hwy.
Mountain View 1064 W. El Camino Real
Burlingame 1320 Burlingame Ave.
San Ramon 2095 San Ramon Valley Blvd.
Los Gatos 120 N. Santa Cruz
Walnut Creek Mt. Diablo Blvd.
Mill Valley 258 Redwood Hwy.
Fountain Valley NOW OPEN Euclid St.
Clockwise from left: A room at the Silver Lake Pool & Inn, dessert at Michael Mina in S.F., Eric Zivian and Tanya Tomkins appear at the Valley of the Moon Mu sic Festival in Sonoma.
The 2020 cenus, the coronavirus, Marin's wildlife and more.
Organizations formed after the Tubbs Fire are helping California communities grapple with future crises.
Marin's Michael Mina shares his secret sauce for success.
A roundup of things to do in Marin and beyond, including dance, comedy music, museums and more.
An insider’s guide to restaurants and food trends in the Bay Area.
Snapshots from social and fundraising events in Marin and San Francisco. HOME Sausalito with a
Escape to 1440 Multiversity to reenergize at your own pace in the redwoods or register for an immersive program with cutting-edge faculty to combine curriculum with personal connection. Experience locally sourced meals at Kitchen Table, grounding spa treatments at the Healing Arts center, and daily signature classes that range from meditation to art to yoga. Settle in each night in custom-designed accommodations and wake up to new opportunities for conversations that matter while in community with other like-hearted guests. A nonprofit modern learning destination in the Santa Cruz Mountains, 1440 Multiversity allows you to find inspiration in the 1440 minutes we all have each day.
1440 Multiversity is an operating 501(c)(3) philanthropic private campus. Thank you for supporting our work of self and society while experiencing your 1440 minutes of time each day just a little di erently.
NATIONAL in County. (USPS 024-898) published by Marin Magazine Inc., One Harbor Drive, Suite 208, Sausalito, CA 94965. Periodicals Postage Paid at Sausalito, CA, and at additional mailing offices. Send address to Marin Magazine, One Harbor Drive, Suite 208, Sausalito, CA 94965.
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Susan B. Noyes
It’s a fact that during the 2008 catastrophic stock market downturn, most investors lost significant wealth – and faith – in financial markets. Many never fully recovered – financially or psychologically. Strangely, most investors are poised to make the very same mistake during the next big market decline. Unfortunately, this is a result of Wall Street’s “set it and forget it” approach to investing. Here at Main Street Research we see things differently. Our Active Risk Management process mitigates the risk of catastrophic decline, as was the case in 2008, while at the same time allowing investors to participate in today’s rising market. If you are interested in avoiding past mistakes, we should talk.
Call or visit www.ms-research.com. Minimum relationship $1 million.
got risk? THE LOSS OF A SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF ANY SUCH INVESTMENT. THOSE RISKS INCLUDE THE RISK OF CHANGES ECONOMIC MARKET CONDITIONS, THE CONCENTRATION OF INVESTMENTS A PORTFOLIO, THE IS INDEPENDENT UNAFFILIATED FINANCIAL TIMES, THE CREATOR OF THE 2018 FINANCIAL TIMES 300 TOP REGISTERED INVESTMENT
Putting values at the top of your list.
IF YOU'RE READING this, you likely live in a home into which you wel come, or are welcomed by, family and friends. Furthermore, it’s prob ably in one of the most beautiful, protected and privileged areas of our great country. To be welcomed into your home is a great blessing.
Because your time and attention are so valuable, you reading this letter is a blessing for me, Marin Magazine and the rest of Make It Better Media Group. We hope that you feel at home with us too.
There is much to love about life in Marin County, but our values are at the top of my list. We’re grateful to live in community with each other, nestled in magni ficent nature. We think long-term and about others. Our lifestyle choices are more likely to preserve our planet for the future tha n fi ll our homes with thoughtless abundance in the present. We don’t just espouse social justice for underserved others, we inherently choose to foster opportunities to help them.
To publish helpful content for those who love Marin is a blessing too. This print issue repre sents only a small fraction of our outstanding home-related content. If you enjoy this, you will love our treasure trove of additional articles and resource guides online that can help you improve your home, live more sustainably, sup port local resources and help others.
For example, among our online content you wil l fi nd a comprehensive directory of renovation experts, home-related stories, and unparalleled dining, entertainment and local human-interest coverage. Furthermore, if articles in this issue about foster care needs and organized efforts to rebuild homes destroyed by the numerous local wild fi res pique your interest, online you wil l fi nd easy ways to get involved and other information on how to help out.
Perhaps best of all, absolutely everything we publish and do online can help to amplify your social impact. With one click, share or comment, you join a network of others who also love Marin, want to support the best in this community and foster a better future for the world.
If you haven’t done so yet, please subscribe to our weekly “Better Letter” email newsletter and follow us through your favorite social media channels.
We hope that you always feel welcome and at home when you read our magazine and peruse our online content.
Susan B. Noyes, Chief Visionary Officer, susan@makeitbetter.com
Creating an inspiring space is easier for some.
ABOUT A MONTH ago the inevitable happened: an adorable small white coffee maker I had carefully selected for my new life, in my new kitchen, stopped working. Despite repeated button pushing, plugging and unplugging, it wouldn’t turn on. I had spent much time fi nding the exact right appliance and was sad to see it go. The one that KitchenAid very graciously sent as a replacement is perfectly fi ne looking — it’s bigger and a matte charcoal — but just doesn’t make me smile when I walk into the kitchen. I am not unique in my quest for an aestheti cally pleasing abode, but I feel like sometimes I care more about things like color, mirror placements and chairs than I should The demise of the little coffee maker inspired me to put together a 10-page Google doc of
home design to-dos; I even created a hashtag on social media to keep me motivated and moving forward. It was sort of like saying, “Hey world, I’m going to lose 10 pounds,” but this post was a lot less personal. “Hey world, I’m going to stick with these projects until I’ve created my next nest.”
For help, I’ve enlisted the D team: my friends Debra, Dyer, Donna and Dawn, the latter of whom wrote “Confessions of a Serial Remodeler” in this month’s issue. Dawn Denberg and her husband, Josh, have been beautifying our community and environs one house at a time for over 20 years. I’ve known her for decades, and thei r fi rst home in Mill Valley, in the late ’90s, stood out from those of the rest of us first-time home buyers. While my family’s house was a well-intentioned mix of handme-down furniture and one extra-large brown
leather couch (I hadn’t measured the room), the Denbergs’ place was perfectly appointed. They had gone to a salvage yard and found old doors, a giant orange Foremost dairy sign and a gumball machine. They are fun and creative and walking into a home they design always puts me in a good mood
Speaking of homes and neighbors, I was thrilled to see Ashely and Riley Hurd pro fi led in this month’s feature “Fostering the Future,” about Marin’s foster care system. Riley is the son of my former neighbor, and I’ve watched his career and family life blos som. Reading about the Hurds opening their homes to three different little girls in the foster care system is not only inspirational, it destigmatizes what can seem a complicated process. The simple fact: these kids needed a home. It reminds of the Hawaiian practice of hanai, where the aim is to give a child as much love as possible. Like hanai, foster care works both ways: the adult caregivers also receive the emotional blessings of love and connection.
Our team has worked hard to bring you home-centric stories this month, from “Better, Not Bigger,” describing what’s new in tiny home design, to “Van Life,” about folks living in even tinier homes, on wheels, to “Disaster Planning,” about rebuilding in the post-fi re North Bay. And Backstory columnist Dawn Denberg turns her remodeler’s eye on a Sausalito couple’s Craftsman home redesign.
As for that KitchenAid, I would love to fi nd it another home, one where it’s better appreciated for its industrial color and clean lines, and fi nd myself a better fit. I’ll happily donate it, so any Marin nonprofit wanting to adopt a new coffee maker should post a photo of where it would live and tag @marinmagazine on Instagram.
Mimi Towle, Editor
April 25, 5:30–11:30 p.m.
Marin Civic Center Exhibit Hall, San Rafael
Come to the One Amazing Night gala to celebrate and fundraise for 10,000 Degrees, a nonprofit in California that helps students from low-income backgrounds earn college degrees. Enjoy delicious fare, fine wines and signature cocktails, while participating in a silent auction and an exciting live auction. You’ll hear inspiring first-hand stories from alumni who overcame all odds to achieve a college degree, as well as from this year’s One Degree of Change honoree.
Paul Dyer Photographer“Better, Not Bigger” (p. 44)
What was the most challenging part of this assignment?
I was worried driving up there that the spaces would be so tiny that they would be difficult to shoot, but that was not the case.
What do you like most about tiny homes?
Zack Ruskin Writer
“Disaster Planning” (p. 36)
What do you think is the biggest takeaway in the wake of the fires?
Dawn Margolis Denberg Writer
“Confessions of a Serial Remodeler” (p. 60)
What initially sparked your interest in remodeling?
COST
FIND OUT MORE
$250
415.451.4013, oneamazingnight.org
Friend us to share and view RSVP Hot Ticket photos at facebook.com/marinmagazine
Want to see all the images from our RSVP Hot Ticket events? marinmagazine.com/hotticket
That they are tiny! I think most of the time we don’t really need all the square footage that many homes come with, and this is a step in the right direction when it comes to having an alternative with a smaller environmental footprint.
Where has your work appeared before?
Luxe, Architectural Digest, Dwell, House Beautiful, Interiors, Better Homes & Gardens and more.
I think the resiliency of com munity is definitely a big one. Mental health is very real and being able to speak with the people you love when disaster strikes is about as important as anything.
What is a common misconception people have?
Anyone who speaks of the Camp Fire or even the Tubbs Fire in the past tense is failing to realize both the longevity and complexity of what goes into rebuilding a community.
Where has your work appeared before?
Vanity Fair, S.F. Chronicle , KQED.
Witnessing the transformation. Until I owned my first house, it never occurred to me that few things about a house are unchangeable. These days I find myself screaming at the TV when home buyers on remodeling shows nix a property because they don’t like its light fixtures.
What’s a reality of remodeling that’s not shown on TV shows?
The amount of time it actually takes to get architectural drawings and approved permits.
Where has your work appeared before?
San Francisco Chronicle and Napa Sonoma magazine.
The view from one of the tiny spaces at Dillon Beach Resort.
In January, in the slender space adjacent to the Fairfax pub Village Sake, executive chef Scott Whitman opened Sake Bin , a weekend sake bar with its own menu of sakana, or food to accompany drinks. With a four-person bar and two small tables, it’s
menu. Dig into nicely priced bites of sesame and honey-citrus glazed wings, oysters with mignonette or short rib sliders with horseradish aioli from 3 to 5 p.m. huntingtonhotel.com
After recently moving its headquarters from Novato to Larkspur’s
probiotics per serving. republicoftea.com
WHEN WHERE WHY YOU SHOULD GO
April 25, 5–8 p.m. Suite 325, Town Center, Corte Madera
Celebrate the 27th Marin Open Studios by joining art lovers, collectors and artists at the free preview gala in the exhibition gallery. Discover new artists or take home art from the silent auction. Enjoy delicious snacks and beverages with friends as you peruse artwork from more than 275 participating Marin Open Studios artists. Pick up an open studios tour guide to help you plan your studio visits the first two weekends in May.
a destination for beer, wine and shochu cocktails and specials like tamari-cured salmon roe or clam and kimchi hot pot. villagesake.com
Huntington Hotel’s Big 4 Restaurant on San Francisco’s Nob Hill recently launched a new weekday happy hour
Marin Country Mart, The Republic of Tea launched a series of new products. Instagramfriendly Blue Butterfly Pea Flower (it turns a remarkable shade of violet) is part of the Beautifying Botanicals line. And SuperDigest teas are boosted with one billion CFUs of
Larkspur’s Farm House Local owner-chef David Monson recently acquired Jason’s in Greenbrae. The lobster dinner program on Mondays is no more, but a fried chicken special has taken its place. Farm House Local’s famous Chinese chicken salad and salmon nicoise have migrated here, and new private dining menus and cocktail menus are in the works jasonsrestaurant.com
A French patisserie, Viennoiserie and salon de thé all in one, Maison Danel in Polk Gulch is the latest from David and Danel de Betelu. Enjoy the European tea salon, or dive in on a classic nicoise salad. maison danel.mailchimpsites.com
DESIGN Morocco comes to Marin at The Bazaar in Corte Madera’s Town Center. Handmade, one-of-a-kind Moroccan merchandise is handselected by owner Karima Gironce, who brought her eye for home accents when she transitioned her home from Marrakech to Mill Valley. thebazaarsf.com
After years near Corte Madera’s Village Shopping Center, San Rafael Home Consignment moved to the Wishbone, the industrial nook where 580 and 101 intersect, with the same menu of furniture, art, jewelry and more. thehome consignmentcenter.com
COST
FIND OUT MORE
Free
415.343.5667, marinopenstudios.org
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The brand known for its laid-back SoCal aesthetic, Jenni Kayne , just opened its seventh store at Marin Country Mart. Recently, Jenni Kayne has expanded to include collections for men, children and pets, all of which will be available at the new store. jennikayne.com
This past National Pizza Day (February 9) we ran our “Best of the County” pizza story and heard you loud and clear: favorites were missed, and some of our county’s finest — including Angelino’s — were over looked. We have since updated our list, but we know it will be a constant work in progress as more restaurants enter the scene. Check out the article and let us know if your top spot isn’t there. marinmagazine.com/bestpizza
In this issue we discuss Rebuild NorthBay Foundation, whose mis sion is to help the region recover in the wake of wildfires. Another group helping the community is Corazón Healdsburg, which utilized Make It Better Media Group’s $10,000 matching grant to bolster its work attracting funding, including receiv ing a matching grant from the EACH Foundation. better.net/kincade
WHAT INSPIRE
Buck Family Fund of the Marin Community Foundation
Dodge & Cox St. Joseph Health Sonoma County
Jay & Kären Abbe
Graham & Talia Brandt
Susan & Mitchell Cohen
County of Marin
Herbert & Jane Dwight Sonoma County Office of Education
Denise & Mark Steele
Marty & Marlene Stein
The EACH Foundation
$5,000 BACHELOR’S SPONSORS
Abbott Corporation
Bank of Marin Brouwer & Janachowski
Sandy Donnell & Justin Faggioli Kristin Lee-Swenson / Kreativz Loomis, Sayles & Company
Claudia & Ethan Moeller
Mark & Katey Mokelke and Bank of America Saul Peña & Charmaine Chow Redwood Credit Union Sharon Segal / Marin Optometry
William Smith & Ann Aylwin Sonoma Raceway
Suzanne Badenhoop & Guy Lampard
Bank of San Francisco Seth & Amy Barad Eric Bindelglass & Gabrielle Tierney
College of Marin
Pam Cook & Paul Gietzel
Judy & Jim Edgar Thomas Fair & Monique Bricca
Jenn & Ryan Fay
Deborah & Jonathan Goldman
Pepe & Danielle Gonzalez
Vanessa Holton & Lloyd Aubry, Jr. Nancy & Tony Lilly
Dr. Denise M. Lucy & Dr. Françoise O. Lepage
Toby & Susan Mumford
Luis Silva-Behrens & Keily Hernandez
Madeleine & Alexis Sinclair
Solairus
Nancy Warren
Confirmed sponsors as of 2/14/20
10,000 Degrees supports students from low-income backgrounds to and through college. For more information or to become a sponsor, please contact Caroline Silverstein: 415-451-4016 or csilverstein@10000degrees.org
10,000 Degrees receives major funding from the Buck Family Fund of the Marin Community Foundation.
CELEBRATING PEOPLE, PLACES CAUSES OF THIS UNIQUE COUNTY
KELLY PULEIO BOB DASS
The Tubbs Fire left smoky Bay Area skies in October 2017. Read about how the region is rebuilding on page 36.
Marin County had its first brush with the novel coronavirus at the end of February. The individual was transported to a Marin hospital from Travis Air Force Base and was among the American evacuees from the Diamond Princess cruise ship quarantined off Japan. The Marin County hospi tal and Marin County Public Health are working closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the California Department of Public Health to coordinate testing and moni toring. In March, another cruise ship was held outside the Golden Gate until passengers could be offloaded in Oakland and moved to quarantine. Many international flights to Bay Area airports are being screened by the CDC and the agency is working directly with pre-identified hospitals according to disease prevention and containment procedures. Marin County residents are still at low risk of becoming infected with COVID-19, and infectious-disease experts warn that face masks can offer only slight protection against airborne illness. Currently, there is no vaccine available to protect against the novel coronavirus. Aside from avoiding all nonessential travel, here are preventative actions, pertaining to all infections, recommended by the CDC.
The Coronavirus
WASH YOUR HANDS often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use a hand sani tizer containing at least 60 percent alcohol.
AVOID TOUCHING your eyes, nose and mouth.
AVOID CLOSE CONTACT with people who are sick.
COVER YOUR COUGH or sneeze with your elbow — not your hand — or with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
CLEAN AND DISINFECT frequently touched objects and surfaces.
GET A FLU SHOT to prevent influenza, which has similar symptoms to those of the novel coronavirus.
It’s a census year and one not quite like the others — 2020 is considered to be the first digital census, offering the option of responding online, by mail or by phone. The federal government uses cen sus numbers to know where to allocate more than $675 billion in funds annu ally. U ndercounting on the census can lead to loss of a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives . Since the census started in 1790, there have been many iterations and styles of questioning, with some pecu liar and racist queries. H ere are a few of those earlier questions. census.gov
The 1840 census asked: The number of white persons in the household who were insane and idiots (at public and private charge).
The 1850 census asked: Slave owners to assign a number (not a name) to each slave. Numbering restarted with each new owner. Listed in the same row as the owner, the number of slaves freed from bondage in the past year.
The 1870 census asked: Identify color — enumerators could mark W for white, B for black, M for mulatto, C for Chinese (a category that included all East Asians) or I for American Indian.
The 1890 census asked: Is the person a prisoner, convict, homeless child, or pauper?
The 1910 census asked: Enumerators were instructed to use a special expanded questionnaire for American Indians living on reservations or in family groups off of reservations. A second question: Is this person living in polygamy?
The 1930 census asked: Do you own a radio set?
The 1960 census asked: Does the house hold have a home food freezer separate from its refrigerator?
1970 census asked: Do you have a battery-operated radio?
In honor of Arbor Day, ideas for keep ing it green around the North Bay.
By Jessica GliddonFlowers aren’t the only things popping up this season.
By Kasia PawlowskaEveryone talks about the wildflowers that blan ket hills this time of year (hello, super bloom), but Emily Whitmer, a veterinarian at the Marine Mammal Center, says early spring is also a prime time to see all kinds of sea mammal pups cov ering Marin County shores, including elephant seals, California sea lions and harbor seals. It’s a privilege to get to witness these critters, and much as you’d want to get close, please be respectful and give them space. “Take a moment to evalu ate how close you are and use the zoom on your camera to get the shot,” Whitmer says. “If the animal’s behavior is changing — it’s lifting its head and looking around, for example — you’re too close.” If you feel the animal appears to be in danger, call the Marine Mammal Center hot line at 415.289.SEAL. The center annually receives over 10,000 calls, fielded by teams of trained dispatch ers and trained responders who are able to assess the situation properly. Seals aren’t the only ones making appearances in the area: in early March, two gray whales were seen feeding and swim ming in the bay near Tiburon. Last year about 20 gray whales made their way into the bay between February and May, and some stayed as long as a month. Best place to view them? “Top of Angel Island,” center cetacean researcher Bill Keener says. “Cavallo Point and Tiburon are also great spots.” Look for spouts. marinemammalcenter.org
Every year the city of Napa honors Arbor Day in the most appropriate way: it's planted over 1,000 trees in the past 30 years. Volunteers learn as they work, getting educated about tree species suited to the Napa climate and proper planting techniques. Pitch
in at Alston Park on April 25 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and enjoy a bite to eat and family entertainment when the planting’s done. cityofnapa.org
SPACE INVADERS
On the third Saturday of each month the Marin Municipal Water District leads volunteer habitat restoration efforts from 9 a.m. to noon;
this month’s event, April 18, focuses on controlling invasive species such as French broom and Douglas fir. The sites chosen for this work are scenic, accessible and familyfriendly. marinwater.org
YOUTH CREWS
For almost three decades the Conservation Corps North Bay has enlisted people ages 18 to 30
to help restore nature and reduce waste. CCNB’s Natural Resources Program provides training and work experience. Volunteer crews have restored trails, reduced fire fuel and planted thousands of trees across the northern Bay Area — 6,792 last year alone. ccnorthbay.org/ natural-resources-crews
BILL HUNNEWELL (TOP) VOLUNTEER Whale migration Bobber the harbor seal explores his rehabilitation pen during treatment at The Marine Mammal Center.MarinHealth SM entities collaborate to provide exceptional care to the North Bay. We also have a strategic alliance with UCSF Health. MarinHealth Medical Network Clinics are part of UCSF Health, and UCSF Health specialists provide key services for MarinHealth Medical Center in neurosurgery and several pediatric programs (outpatient surgery, diabetes, and NICU). Together, we are proud to offer a healing place dedicated to serving our community well.
Organizations formed after the 2017 Tubbs Fire are hoping to help California communities grapple with future crises.
By Zack RuskinON OCTOBER 8, 2017, Napa, Sonoma and Lake counties entered what has ominously been deemed “the new normal.”
In dealing with the aftermath of the Tubbs Fire — one of eight wildfires to burn simultaneously within California that fall — residents of Santa Rosa and surrounding areas got a crash course in the sobering reality of the devastation such disasters can leave behind. The following year, the Camp Fire would ignite in Butte County, earning the dubi ous distinction of being the deadliest and most destructive wild fi re in California history.
As the state faces the ramifications of a perennial wildfire season, many are also looking at ongoing recovery efforts in areas a ffected by the Tubbs Fire to figure out what their ow n fi rst steps in a crisis should be.
That’s where organizations like Rebuild North Bay Foundation come in. Founded by Sonoma developer and investor Darius Anderson, RNBF has become a resource for communities contending with their own disas ters. Though Anderson left the group’s board at the start of 2019, its efforts have continued under director Jennifer Gray Thompson.
Charles Brooks, director of the Rebuild Paradise Foundation, says Thompson’s offer of help after the town of Paradise’s devastating fire last fall has led to a lasting friendship.
“Jennifer jokes that I’m her ‘Rebuild’ brother and I joke that she’s my ‘Rebuild’ sister,” Brooks says, “because we are. We are so closely connected, but we also forged a friend ship and a bond.”
Built around a model meant to unify public, private and nonprofit sectors for a streamlined disaster recovery process, RNBF
is one of a large network of new organizations that sprang from the ashes of the Tubbs and other wild fi res and now provides information for areas in the midst of a disaster.
They include Nuestra Comunidad, founded by 911 emergency dispatcher Alma Bowen, offering outreach and CPR training to nonEnglish speakers and senior citizens.
“Alma is actually going to save lives,” Thompson says. “She quit her job and she started a nonprofit.”
Another out fit Thompson speaks highly of is United Policyholders. Guided by director Amy Bach, the organization has put boots on the ground in seemingly every new wild fi re recovery effort across California to help with the di fficult task of getting insur ance claims fi led and processed.
“Navigating insurance is so difficult, and she helps communities, as well as individuals, advocate for themselves,” Thompson says.
Thompson and other leaders are also looking for ways to compile and disseminate the information they’ve acquired. In some cases, that entails practical matters of policy.
For example, the latest update to the state’s building code includes requirements for solar and net zero energy, but does not yet mandate that any form of rechargeable, renewable energy be included. That’s problematic now that California is facing the prospect of more PG&E “scheduled” public safety power shutoffs (PSPS).
“People are going to need access to recharge able, renewable energy, because everything is going to go out,” Thompson warns.
Such energy sources are vital, both immedi ately after a disaster and in the event that PSPS
This page:
A firefighter takes a break on Wikiup Drive after the Tubbs Fire.
Opposite page from left: Homes in Coffey Park were destroyed in the Tubbs Fire; rebuilding a home on South Libby Drive in Paradise.
outages force school closures or endanger peo ple relying on electronic medical equipment.
Preparing more places for such possibilities is now on the North Bay disaster agenda. In May, Sonoma will host a “Rebuild California” event, featuring 45 speakers over three days, emphasizing RNBF’s tagline of “recover, rebuild, reimagine.” The group will pro vide information on everything from how to advocate for federal assistance to best practices for serving underrepresented communities post-disaster.
Rebuild Paradise Foundation’s Charles Brooks will also be there. He says he’s adjusting to what now amount to dual duties: facilitating the rebuilding of Paradise and
to help them figure out what makes the best sense for their area. That’s what we need. With Paradise, we learned that a lot of stuff was unique to our disaster but a lot of it also correlated with other communities in California. The more we share, the better.”
In surveying the progress RBNF has made, Thompson stresses that only someone like Anderson could have put such a project in motion.
“The thing that I think people need to understand is that everybody had to bring their talents to the table,” she says. “It was such a huge disaster, the scope of which was unprecedented. If you could cook, that’s what you did. You did what you could: get donations, organize, whatever it was. Darius’s talent was that he could bring together this incred ible board and he could find the funding to make [RBNF] some thing real.”
RBNF has been scrutinized for the methodical approach it used to disburse funds, but Thompson suggests that method was warranted.
being a font of information as more organiza tions share what they’ve learned.
“Imagine a virtual toolbox that a Rebuild Tuolumne County or Rebuild Placerville could use if they have a disaster like ours,” Brooks says. “We certainly hope that doesn’t happen, but if it does, they’ll know that they have this knowledge base and people who are willing
“It’s exhausting, di fficult longterm work,” she says, “and it’s OK that it’s been treated with suspi cion, because it’s new and it’s di fferent. With disasters, the universal truth is that there are three types of people who show up: those who want to sell you something, those who want to defraud you, and those who want to help. We are absolutely in the third category. Giving everything that this community has given right back, because this place is worth it.” m
Not everyone can afford to install solar panels, but if you can, the rewards include long-term savings on energy bills, an improved carbon footprint, and the opportunity to obtain and retain power in the event of an outage.
For any electronic device that can pivot from plugged-in to battery power, a stash of AA and AAA rechargeable batteries ensures you’ll at least have an initial charge for essentials like flashlights and, in case of smoke, air purifiers.
In many cases the distance between homes decides whether a house survives a fire. Creating “defensible space,” a radius between your home and anything flammable, is one of the most practical steps for protecting your home from a blaze.
The best way to know what to do during a disaster like a wildfire is to make your plans ahead of time. Especially if you live with small children, assessing the most viable exit paths and running through a dress rehearsal (without panic) leaves as little to chance as possible.
Generators are not an ideal solution for the planet, but until cleaner, renewable-energy substitutes are widely available, homeowners may opt to buy a gas-powered generator. What kind depends on how much power you need; 5,000 watts is a good baseline for the average home. Apartment-dwellers who can’t safely operate a gas- or propane-fueled unit might look for generators that amount to oversize portable power banks.
ANNE BELDEN (OPPOSITE, BOTTOM LEFT); KLESSEL (BOTTOM RIGHT)Many are looking at ongoing recovery efforts in a r eas affected by the Tubbs Fire to figure out f i rst steps.
We sat down with Fanny Singer (daughter of food icon Alice Waters) to discuss her new book, Always Home: A Daughter’s Recipes & Stories .
By Calin Van Paris
How long has this book been at play in your imagination?
About three years, give or take, ever since I worked with my mom on My Pantry. But I think I always felt a book like this might be brewing, especially since the children’s book my mom wrote when I was 8, Fanny at Chez Panisse, in some sense laid the groundwork for this kind of reflection. Even when I was much younger I was aware that I was leading an unusual existence.
Growing up, were you taught to weave food into memory? Do you think that changes the way you remember things and see the world?
Food is powerfully tethered to memory for everyone, I think, hence the notion of the Proustian madeleine. Still, forming the “correct” associations between food and memory — in the sense of developing wholesome and nourishing relationships to food in later life — is defi nitely something my mom cared about establishing with me, and also
the reason she is so invested in her Edible Schoolyard Project, where food is quite liter ally woven into all children’s lessons. The kids who grow food together, cook together, eat together and learn in the garden are predis posed to making choices down the road that revolve around health and nature and con viviality. The same is, of course, true for me and my experience in childhood.
Do you have a favorite dish, or one that particularly resonates with you right now? Simple green salad, obviously! I obsess over having access to great greens and delicious olive oil and just the right amount of tangy acid in a vinaigrette. I was just in Mexico for 10 days and was starting to go a little crazy due to the absence of salad. I finally caved and bought a massive head of romaine in the market, took it home, doused it in an iodine solution and rolled the dice. My stomach hasn’t been quite right since but it was worth it.
What is something about your mother that fans or devotees may not know or expect? That she has a great sense of humor and loves to laugh.
Appearing at a Book Passage event at Left Bank Brasserie on Sunday, April 26 at 12:30 p.m.
The White Devil’s Daughters: The Women Who Fought Slavery in San Francisco’s Chinatown by Julia Flynn Siler, Vintage, $17. A remarkable explora tion of an overlooked chapter of our history, The White Devil’s Daughters tells the story of the slave trade exploiting Chinese women in 19th-century San Francisco, Appearing at Book Passage Corte Madera on Tuesday, April 21 at 7 p.m.
Kept Animals by Kate Milliken, Scribner, $27. In the dry valleys of Topanga Canyon, California, Rory Ramos works as a ranch hand at her stepfather’s stables, surrounded by horses, a dusty landscape, and the wealthy clientele, including the proud June Fisk and the intriguing Vivian Price. Appearing at Book Passage Corte Madera on Friday, April 24 at 7 p.m.
Real Estate Rescue: How America Leaves Billions Behind in Residential Real Estate and How to Maximize Your Home’s Value by Tracey McLaughlin, Mango Publishing, $22.95. McLaughlin was inspired to write the book after spending years watching buyers and sell ers make impulsive decisions based on very limited information. Appearing at Book Passage Corte Madera on Tuesday, April 14 at 7 p.m.
Accordionly by Michael Genhart and Priscilla Burris, Magination Press, $14.99. Accordionly tells the story of two grandfathers who can’t understand each other’s languages, leading to a lot of silence between them. This book is sure to appeal to young readers. Appearing at Book Passage Corte Madera on Saturday, April 25 at 10 a.m.
Reviews by Book Passage Marketing Manager Kayla Beckman.
SINCE THE LATE 1990s, chef Michael Mina has defied the conventional wisdom that 80 percent of restaurants fail before they celebrate their fifth anniversary. With eight restaurants in San Francisco, another 30 scattered around 10 states and a brasserie in Dubai, the chef who fi rst rose to fame at San Francisco’s Aqua shows no signs of slowing the pace, developing partnerships to build his brand far beyond California. The longtime Nicasio resident continues his expansion with restaurants closer to home, too:
under the Mina Group umbrella, The Lodge at Sonoma welcomed his Wit & Wisdom earlier this year. A collaboration with chef and cookbook author Ayesha Curry led to the opening of the first International Smoke restau rant in San Francisco in 2017, with subsequent openings in Las Vegas, Miami and, most recently, Del Mar in north San Diego County. And a project in the former Guaymas space in Tiburon is slated for a late summer opening.
Your family is of Egyptian heri tage but you grew up in central Washington state. Did that have an impact on your desire to go into the restaurant industry?
My dad was Coptic Christian, so we left Egypt when I was two and moved close to where my mom’s brothers and sisters emigrated. My dad got a job at Central Washington University. The region where I grew up is all farming community. It’s known for growing the timothy hay that is sent to Japan to feed wagyu beef cattle. When I was 17, I said I wanted to go to culinary school. And when you're from Egypt, you get three choices: doctor, lawyer, engineer. You can do any of the three, but chef wasn’t one of them.
You famously came up under George Morrone, who was doing innovative things like pairing foie
gras with fish. What was your relationship with Morrone?
I did my (culinary school) internship under George at the Hotel Bel-Air in Los Angeles.
I was the pastry chef there before I became a sous-chef. We both worked for Charlie Palmer in New York; Charlie Palmer actually introduced us to the investor, Charles Condy, who funded Aqua originally. We basically had, and to this day still have, a great relationship. Food is collaboration and you work on it together. We created many great dishes there, and we did it as a team.
So you’ve got this one restaurant, in a rather iconic space with an iconic chef. How do you move from that to what you've subsequently done, which is build this program of San Francisco restaurants, and then partnerships that expanded beyond San Francisco? After George moved on, I was left with a dilemma — what do you do?
I literally was doing the same thing I was doing before. The only real di fference of what I was doing, for better or for worse, was dealing with the media. You get the praise, you get it all, be it good, bad or in between. The timing was interesting, though. This was around 1994. It was when Jeremiah (Tower) was leaving Stars. When we were conceptual izing Aqua and everything else, we would go to Stars all the time. It was, to this day, my favorite res taurant in San Francisco. I just thought it was just magical.
A lot of the people who worked there ended up moving over here [Aqua] and working here after Jeremiah left. And it was great, because they were seasoned veterans. What a crew we had.
One of the industry’s most successful restaurateurs shares his secret sauce for success.
actually that chefs are restau rateurs now, and it’s not some investor who becomes “a restau rateur.” It's actually the chef. They take a lot of pride in what they do, and you have a lot of amazing talent in these kitchens.
I mean, we had something that was really, really special for many years. And so that was the foundation. And what ended up happening from that was ... at that time, to be quite honest, it was kind of frowned upon as a chef to do more than one restaurant. It wasn’t what exists today. Your second restaurant or your third restaurant, people would be like, “Oh, well, you're not in your kitchen.” And there's something to be said for that, obviously. But I think, looking back at it, what I think has helped this coun try move forward in food, it’s
BY KIER HOLMES • PHOTOS BY STEVE KEPPLE
And these chefs can bring up crews of people as opposed to just one crew of people.
In 1997, I didn’t know whether I was going to expand or not expand, but I was fortunate enough to get an opportunity for a second restaurant. It was a partnership with the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas and with the Wynn family. It exposed me and opened my mind to something very new, because it was not the traditional restaurant agree ment where you lease and build a restaurant. It was much more
Smoked burrata with roasted beets, satsuma mandarins, pistachio and Calabrian chili at International Smoke in San Francisco. KELLY PULEIOabout your concept, and the partnership with the hotel. And you could focus on what you were good at, the concept and creativity. You didn’t have to be the plumber or the electrician.
When did you decide to build your own restaurant business?
With Aqua Development Corp, which was the name of the com pany that owned Aqua, it was myself and our original investor, Charles Condy. By 2002, I had built a nice small business. We had three partnerships — we had the Bellagio, we had MGM Grand, and one in Laguna Niguel — and four restaurants in the Bay Area: Charles Nob Hill, Pisces, Aqua and Redwood at Transamerica. I came to feel that I would need to build my own company. I wanted to build something where we could all grow together, and where there
was that ability to take care of your people. The magic of what we have is the ability to have this great group of people that grew up together, and then have great young talent that continues to come in as you grow, and coupling them together. And I knew we were going to have to build our own business to do that. And so then it was just about under standing what is the concept of a business, and di fferent than a lot of restaurant companies, I realized that we had the ability to do more of those partnerships with hotels.
We had the ability to build those partnerships because of our reputation and our track record at that point. I said, Why don’t we focus on what we’re really good at, which is operations, which is
human capital, building people, and really put all our focus into that, creativity and concepts? And so that’s kind of what Mina Group started in 2003. Andre Agassi was my first partner. It was hard to leave a successful restaurant and start something new. It was the best decision I ever made and the most uncomfortable.
Everything was on the line. Had Michael Mina at the Westin not gotten the four stars, and not been that glamour restaurant, everything I had done to that point could have gone the other way. And that’s the thing that you risk as a chef, you put everything on the line. You would not have loved me then.
How have you managed not always being in the kitchen or at all your restaurants at the same time? You can't ever be in all of your
kitchens. And even if you just have one kitchen, you are not the only one cooking all the food there. What you’re doing is creat ing a culture. And the important thing is to have like-minded people with a lot of talent. And when you find them, and when they find you, and when you get to work together, you give them the credit that they deserve because they’re the ones doing the work. And at the end of the day, it is only making what all of us love. You, me, everybody wants to be in these cities that have great food.
Greatest place in the world. I’ve been in Marin a long time and I’m not going anywhere. And I've got to say, Marin is so special. How do you pick a place that’s more perfect? The agricultural diversity just in Marin ... it’s all good. m
The bar at Trailblazer Tavern Pabu Trailblazer Tavern
As the Bay Area endures big shifts in climate and housing costs, smaller spaces can redefine how we live.
BY CHRISTINA MUELLER PAUL DYER
HEN IT COMES to retaining a sustainable way of life, Marin, like all of California, is on a precipice. Recent years have brought drought and ravaging fires, and our land and hous ing prices are among the highest in the nation — requiring new thinking from businesses and government agencies. But residents can also do something to ease strain on land use: live smaller.
Once upon a time, what we now call small houses were mainly for outdoor types living in one-room wilderness cabins or people needing temporary digs while building or buying a house. No more. Small homes are popping up all over the Bay Area as long-term solutions to housing shortages. Living small has many benefits, from a smaller tax bill to a reduced carbon footprint, and it’s catching on as a popular trend.
Of course, as an idea, living small (or smaller) is not new. In California, its modernized form dates back at least to the 1960s, when The Sea Ranch, in coastal Sonoma County, was con ceived. For that residential project, architects and designers challenged themselves to prove humans could live in a fragile natural environment without destroying it. The development evolved into an intentional community grounded in envi ronmental stewardship and community service.
Jim Soules, now principal architect at Soules Company in Seattle, was a student at UC Berkeley at the time and took notice of The Sea Ranch prop erties’ careful design. “The thought of compact, quality homes was bubbling in the design and urban planning communities,” he says. After Berkeley, he worked as a planner for Marin County, then moved into residential development to raise awareness of the possibilities for thoughtful smaller-scale design. Early reaction to his first projects, in the 1970s, was tepid: “People were like, ‘Who would do that?’ ” he recalls.
But attitudes continued to change. In the early 2000s, Sarah Susanka authored a series of books with titles like The Not So Big House , about how to live well in 1,500 to 2,500 square feet. Soules shared her view that “you invest in quality and good design rather than just space,” he says, acquiring a few really nice items rather than lots of possessions. “It is not about quantity, but quality.”
Keller Court Commons
THE MORRSIONS (SECOND SPREAD); PAUL DYER (TOP LEFT, BOTTOM RIGHT)
Views of the inside and outside at Dillon Beach.
In 1996, Soules founded the Seattle-based Cottage Company, developing “pocket neigh borhoods” of single-family dwellings in existing suburban neighborhoods. More recently, after moving back to California, he completed Petaluma’s Keller Court Commons (KCC) just blocks from downtown: an eight-home com munity of private homes built around a shared green-space landscape. The homes, designed by Chris Lynch of Petaluma’s MAD Architecture and completed in summer 2018, are between 1,400 and 1,700 square feet. That’s the sweet spot size-wise, Soules says, allowing room for a mas ter suite, 2.5 bathrooms, user-friendly kitchen, dining room and living room. Under 1,000 feet, “things get tight,” he says — that half-bath for guests provides some separation for both visitors and yourself — “but anything larger than that, you are adding another bedroom or building bigger rooms.”
For these homes Soules and Lynch chose good insulation and quality windows and siding; solid doors; and kitchen cabinets made of wood, not veneers. Each house is fitted with a full photovol taic array connecting to a boiler to heat water and has hydronic-heated flooring rather than air-vent heat. The passive solar design includes vertical trellises that block sun in summer and other fea tures that prevent excess warming or cooling. “We wanted to get as close to net zero emissions as possible,” Lynch says. Layout is paramount in these smaller spaces, allowing easy flow between rooms and enough built-in privacy so families can have both alone and together time. “While many people perceive 3,500 feet as ‘quality,’ we have a consciousness that bigger is not always better,” Lynch says. KCC’s homes are not just plain boxes, he notes: “They meet all sorts of needs at any phase of life.”
Twenty miles due west of KCC, Dillon Beach Resort recently underwent a complete renova tion, bringing small, short-term rental homes to its former recreational vehicle spaces. “It was
zoned as an RV park,” says Brooke Gray, the resort’s former director of operations, and she and co-owner Mike Goebel considered placing Airstreams in the property’s 25 former shortterm RV slots. But they wanted to honor the area’s famous wind-whipped oceanfront landscape and boost access to the views. “Metal containers seemed wrong for coastal salt air,” Gray adds.
Operating under regulations from the California Coastal Commission, the team researched companies that might create some thing like the coastal cabins built by resort original owner George Dillon and second owner John Keegan in the 1880s and ’90s. Of the doz ens of small home manufacturers across the United States, they picked the Eugene, Oregon, company Tru Form Tiny, whose small travel trail ers and park model RVs fit the desired “blending in” aesthetic while allowing Gray and Goebel to custom-design homes for each of the four differ ent footprints they wanted to fill.
Chief among the many design considerations were visual continuity with the main building and not blocking the view of neighbors across the street. Window placement would maximize natural light and ocean views but provide privacy between units. Gray and Goebel worked closely with Tru Form Tiny owner and design lead Malia Schultheis to customize major elements like lay out and smaller aspects like color palette. The park models, while technically RVs, are designed for long-term placement, connected to utilities and attachable to a foundation and have hidden wheels. Private decks were included, accessible only from each tiny home.
Interiors include details like movable pen insulas in the kitchen to quickly reconfigure as prep area or table or be removed altogether to create a dance floor. The homes each “cater toward a social experience of being together,” Schultheis says. That allowed homes to fit on a smaller footprint, as did four-foot-deep shower stalls in most units instead of a five-foot-wide tub. “Bigger bathrooms take other living space away from a tiny home,” Schultheis says. Every space was conceived for versatility and optimal storage: bedrooms with spots for suitcases, a
fold-out living room couch in the two-story units. In some homes, the bedroom is downstairs for single-story living.
Tru Form’s customer base is shifting to include both businesses like Dillon Beach and families with babies or small children, Schultheis says — people consciously choosing a life in which they cannot consume as much. “They want nontoxic, high-end materials,” she adds.
A self-proclaimed modern tiny hotel, the Anchor Inn in Pacifica merges the Airbnb and motel busi ness models. Four cottages, or “mini-villas,” on a hill near the beach are self-check-in and offer a full kitchen (like an Airbnb), yet stays there do come with concierge service, daily cleaning and parking spaces (like a motel). Studio cottages are 450 square feet; one-bedroom suites are 550 square feet. General manager Ella Patel, property owner Dave Colt and architect/designer Dave Blackman planned the spaces with current con sumer travel preferences in mind: “a home away from home, but a bit more personalized,” Patel says.
The landscape featured prominently in Blackman’s designs. Floor-to-ceiling windows flood rooms with light, morning till night; double-paned glass helps keep warmth in. Roofs are angled to accommodate rain and provide privacy for units farther down the hill. A floating deck allows outdoor access, and galvanized steel railings create a maritime feel without blocking the view. Inside, the team installed Kohler floating toilets, stall show ers, and stackable washer and dryer units in the bathroom. “We put the tanks in the wall to save space,” says Blackman. “We would have lost another foot if we had put in a conventional toilet.” In the kitchen, small appliances and a radiant stovetop minimize energy use. Quartz countertops are virtually stain- and scratchproof and tidily separate kitchen and living areas. A closet near the entry doubles as pri mary storage and coat closet.
A number of businesses have rented the space for corporate retreats, Patel says, most likely for the modern amenities and ease of use.
Local residents who provide a temporary home can transform the course of kids’ lives.
When Ashley and Riley Hurd fi rst began to think about having a family, they made a plan — to have one biological child, then adopt another, opening their home to a child in need. But after their son Riley IV was born, when they started exploring adoption, they discovered a much bigger need: many children entering the foster care system, but not enough foster homes.
They also discovered that because many potential foster parents are looking ultimately to adopt, there was an urgent need for families willing to take children not expected to remain in the system long.
“At the same time that we heard about these needs,” says Riley, an attorney specializing in land use issues, “we were learning about the scienti fic benefits of fostering, and how taking a child even for a short period of
time and giving such kids love and contact can actually change the brain pathways, could change the trajectory of their lives, even if they returned to a less than desirable situation. And that changed our plan.”
As of this date, the Hurds have fostered four little girls, ranging in age from 6 months to 18 months at the time they arrived, who remained with the family for up to 11 months. All four are still actively in the Hurds’ lives, even though three reunited with their parents and one was adopted by close friends.
“At this point we’ve never had to give a child away forever, which we know is unusual, but we’re so grateful because it has allowed us to build this extended family,” says Ashley, an event planner. “At any given time I have three or four di fferent car seats in the car because I don’t know who I’m going to be picking up that day.”
She wants to be clear, however, that letting go of a child after bonding with him or her over a period of months or years is painful — and she acknowledges that this is one of the concerns that prevents many people from becoming foster parents.
“I don’t want to sugarcoat it: it’s not easy — giving them back can be like mourning the loss of a child,” she says. “But for me, personally, I feel like it was my calling to help take care of these children until they ca n fi nd their forever home. And I know that now they can transfer that attachment to another human being. It’s just a sel fless type of love that you fi nd a way to give.”
Ashley also helps raise awareness on such issues as board president of the Marin Foster Care Association, which provides a network of services to foster and former foster children and people caring for them in any framework, foster, adoptive or biological. O fferings include support groups, teen coaching, and a community resource center that takes donations and equips foster parents with clothes, baby and school supplies, toys and other essentials. Donations and grants cover the costs of sending kids to after-school enrichment, tutoring and sports programs.
“These kinds of services are so important, because we know that families are more likely to continue to foster if they have good support,” says Bree Marchman, Child Welfare Division Director for Marin County Children and Family Services (CFS).
To extend this network further, CFS recently launched Friends of the Family, which connects foster families with trained volunteers who deliver cooked meals, drive foster kids to activities and appointments, and help out in other ways. “It’s a huge ask, becoming a foster parent, and not everyone can make
Julia (Hurd Family)When the Hurds started exploring adoption, they discovered a much bigger need: many children entering the foster care system, but not enough foster homes.
that commitment, even if their heart is in it,” says Leslie Fields, a CFS recruitment and support specialist. “But we want people to know there are all sorts of ways they can get connected to the foster community and help these families.”
This mission couldn’t be more important, because in Marin, as in communities across America, there is a severe shortage of foster homes. In 2019, Marin had 121 kids in foster care; 37 percent were placed out of county. A third of those went to homes of relatives or extended family, but the rest were sent to live with strangers far away. “We have kids in Stockton, Concord, Sacramento, Oakland and as far away as Long Beach and Los Angeles,” says Fields. “They are often in a community they’ve never even visited.”
The children entering foster care span all ages and backgrounds. In 2019, 34 children entered foster care in Marin for the fi rst time; of those, nine were babies age 1 year or younger, 9 were ages 2 to 5, 11 were between 6 and 12, and five were teenagers 13 to 17. The shortage of homes is most serious for teenagers, particularly teenage girls.
Children are removed from their original family household when a parent’s behavior puts them at risk. While physical and sexual abuse do occur, the majority of cases, in Marin and nationwide, are attributable to general neglect. “We see a lot of situations in which the parent isn’t providing for very basic needs, like food and shelter, leading to a safety risk for the child,” says Marchman, “or there’s a lack of supervision, like we fi nd the child wandering in the street at night.” A parent’s involvement with drugs or alcohol or mental illness are often factors. Nationwide, in 2018, of the 163,500 children entering foster care, 94,400 were there because of a parent’s substance abuse, up from 92,100 in 2017.
One assumption people working in the foster care system are eager to correct is that children who endured neglectful or abusive situations are di fferent from other kids or are permanently scarred in ways that prevent them from ever having healthy lives. “Sadly, we have these negative stereotypes and people are nervous; they feel that these are damaged children,” says Fields. “Certainly, they’ve experienced trauma, but that doesn’t mean
they can’t thrive once they’re out of the chaotic situation; in fact, many do really well.”
It was the sudden death of her mother that put Jessica Karner into the foster care system at age 10, along with her older sister, age 12. Their father was alcoholic and unable to take custody, so the girls were placed in a home with a kind and supportive couple who helped them adjust to their loss.
“They were very loving; they did everything you would want a family to do when helping kids in a crisis like that,” Karner recalls. Then the couple had to move out of state, and the sisters were placed in another home, which proved much less kind. “I saw both sides of it, very positive and very negative,” she says, “and I saw what a di fference it made to go to a loving home.” Karner and her sister were lucky: their mother’s younger sister, 22 at the time, was able to move them to California, where she and her young husband raised them to adulthood.
Now an attorney practicing in Marin and a mother of three, Karner is a fi nancial
Ashley Hurd with Julia, Anna and Riley IV
supporter of Marin Foster Care Association. “My experience in foster care was short, but it shaped many of my attitudes, giving me a deep sense of how important it is that kids have a place to go,” she says. “I have a lot of admiration for those who step up to help these kids.”
The experience was quite di fferent for Cherylee Gillispie, who entered foster care at 13 with her 12-year-old sister. The girls spent six months in an emergency group home, followed by stays with several families before they aged out of the system with no support for getting a start on adulthood.
“What happened to me was a long time ago, and there have been many improvements, but the problems still aren’t fi xed,” says Gillispie, who is now a leader in the teen program at the Marin Foster Care Association. “Only 6 percent of foster kids graduate from college and, after they age out, there’s a high level of housing instability — over 50 percent at some point will experience homelessness.
“These kids have already been traumatized by having to leave their families,” she adds, “and it’s heartbreaking that they also have to leave school, their friends, teachers, coaches and their whole adult support network. That trauma has lifelong consequences — it was devastating for me and took me a long time to get over, when I could have had a much better start in life.”
Among Marin’s foster parents are some who have dedicated themselves to this way of life for years or even decades. Carol Ihlenburg has fostered more than 50 children in 21 years. She takes primarily babies and tod dlers, mostly as newborns straight from Marin General Hospital, where many were treated in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) to detox from drugs their mothers were taking. Ihlenburg was a licensed day care provider when a recruiter asked her to consider fostering. “At the time I thought sure, what does it matter if they’re here 24 hours, I’m already watching them all day,” says Ihlenburg, chuckling. “Of course, I found out there’s a big di fference. But I also found that I really loved caring for these babies and getting them healthier than when they fi rst came in.”
Her biological daughter, Jordin, was 5 when the first baby came into the house; now Jordin is 27 and pursuing studies in social work. Ihlenburg and her husband Kris Bradley adopted another daughter, Kylie, who came to them as a foster child at 4 months and returned after family reunification efforts failed.
“It’s ful fi lling and it’s challenging. Every time I do this I think, why do I keep going back? And then they call with another baby and I can’t say no,” Ihlenburg says.
Every foster family has a di fferent story about what drew them to the role. After discovering they weren’t suited to be full-time foster parents, Bill Anderson and his wife Susan Brennan began offering respite care, taking children for various lengths of time to give the kids’ current foster parents or reunited biological parents a much-needed break.
“We want to help these people who are really committed to doing this and let them take time off hen they need to,” Anderson says. Often the couple has developed ongoing relationships with the children and their parents, foster or biological, and some kids have returned for repeated stays over the years. Many of the dozen-or-so kids Anderson and his wife took in are still in their lives: a 3-year-old boy they fi rst fostered when he was just 7 days old comes back regularly, as does a 5-year-old girl living with her grandmother.
When one of their respite charges joined a basketball team, Anderson signed on to help coach the team, then helped her with college applications: “We’re like grandparents or uncles and aunts.” Recently, when an infant needed tending on very short notice, “I thought well, I’m going to be watching the Niners game, so as long as I’m going to be sitting on my couch for four hours, I might as well do that holding a baby,” he says with a laugh.
Moments like this may seem small, Fields says, but they can make all the di fference in a child’s life. “You can’t take back a traumatic experience that a child has had, but you can counteract it with positive ones.”
And foster parents like Anderson, Ihlenburg and the Hurds want people to know how gratifying it can be to participate in this process. “There are so many ways people can be involved,” Ashley says. “We can all be part of helping these kids get a better start.”
A wide range of help is greatly needed to support Marin’s foster children and the dedicated families who care for them. Here are some of the organizations working on the front lines to support foster families and raise much-needed funds, both locally and nationally.
MFCA lends support to foster families and guidance for those seeking to become involved. Offerings include a Community Resource Center that stocks supplies such as clothes, baby items, toys and toiletries; support groups for foster parents; and a program supporting teens and their caregivers. Both in-kind and financial donations are accepted. marinfostercare.org
This branch of Marin Children and Family Services is devoted to recruiting, training and supporting foster parents. marinhhs.org/foster-care
Have a few hours to drive a child to practice, deliver a meal or donate supplies? This new program of CFS connects volunteers with families in need of support. foster.marinhhs.org/friends-family
The nonprofit offers multiple services to support foster parents at the national and local level and sponsors Walk Me Home fundraising events. nfpaonline.org
The countrywide network recruits, trains and supports court-appointed special advocate (CASA) volunteers, who represent children’s interests in the courtroom and other settings. nationalcasagal.org
BY KASIA PAWLOWSKA • PHOTOS BY STEVE KEPPLE
ost weekend warriors , nine-to-fivers and burnedout college applicants have had the fantasy: ditching your home, work and obligations, selling off ossessions and taking life on the road and off he grid for true mobile adventure. How many actually follow through? The numbers are scant. Yet some people do take the plunge, and van life — now a hashtag — has picked up speed over the past few years. While this way of being can bring wonder and excitement, the day-to-day reality isn’t like living with a permanent Instagram filter. We spoke to locals who have embarked on life on the road and can now speak from the rearview, yet wouldn’t have it any other way.
Kristin Hayes, who runs the blog The Wayward Home, says her 1994 Chevy Astro van totally changed her life. “Back in 2016, I lost my job as a reporter at KGO radio,” she says. “I refused to go into debt to pay rent, so I moved onto my boyfriend Tom’s sailboat. During this time, I started the blog, which was meant to inspire others to downsize and live free of possessions.” She lives part-time in the van and part-time on her boyfriend’s boat.
Erik McGregor and Mandy Xie took up van life just before 2020. “Having a stocked fridge and water and the ability to jump in and go anywhere at a moment's notice inspired us,” Mandy says. “It also supports our sur fi ng and kiteboarding lifestyle well.”
For Hayes, the van serves as primary worksta tion, a place to sit and write her blog during the day, and it also allows her to go camping and exploring often. “I am not attached to a house or tons of belongings and, given that I also work remotely, I can live my life com pletely on my own terms,” she says. “Plus, if I ever have a bad month of work in the future, I know I don't have a big rent or mortgage payment. So I live pretty much stress-free.” She also likes how living in a van brings her close to nature. Cities are less friendly to vans, however. “As you probably know, sleep ing in a vehicle is prohibited in most cities. Therefore, we have to ‘stealth camp,’ which can
be stressful, as you're always waiting for that dreaded knock.” Luckily, in Marin there are places to sleep legally, like the campgrounds on Mount Tam, Samuel P. Taylor State Park, and the rest stop overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge. A big downside? “Pooping,” says Xie.
Wherever there are roads. “I love the trip we took down to Death Valley and then up Highway 395 on the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada — we found natural hot springs in the middle of snow y fields and stared at the snowcapped mountains,” says Hayes. McGregor and Xie have enjoyed camping at Bodega Bay with other van-living friends — they even tried to make pancakes in the morning in the rain between the two vans in the middle of winter. “Pancakes always taste the best in the cold weather,” says Xie.
Not surprisingly, freedom, the sense of adventure and being able to sleep nearly everywhere rank high on people’s list of perks. They speak of being part of a community and opportu nities to attend meetups with like-minded people. “Our favorite meetup is at Sherman Island with our kiting friends,” says Xie. “We have a great community and don’t need any planning. Summertime, the wind brings all the friends together — we show up and it’s a big family.”
The abundant online resources include kombilife.com , vanclan.co, #vanlife and Hayes’ blog.
Van life aficionados enjoying life on the road in Marin include John Willenborg (this image, right), owner of Novato's Owl Vans, and Max Polishchuk, owner of CAtuned, a van accessories provider. Also shown is blogger Kristin Hayes (opposite, right).
Now seven homes in, a Marin couple has found a way to tackle fun design projects and ride the wave of rising property values.
BY DAWN MARGOLIS DENBERG
The year was 1986. My husband and I were newlyweds in search of our first home. We settled on a tiny bungalow in Mill Valley’s Sycamore Park neighborhood.
Our sensible Midwestern parents fell out of their chairs when we told them we’d put in an offer of $383,000 on a dated 1,600-square-foot home with no basement and a one-car garage. “That’s what things cost around here,” I explained. They thought us young and foolish and begged us to rethink our plan.
But we forged ahead, closed on the house, and spent the next six years fixing it up. When we sold it for more than double what we’d paid, our parents were shocked and pleased.
We, too, were pleased — par tially for proving them wrong, but mostly because we realized a house wasn’t just a place to hang your hat. It could also be a source of income.
From there, we relinquished the notion of ever settling into a “forever home.”
Ever since, each of the seven residences we’ve occupied has served as our family’s home, but
also a secondary revenue stream and a creative outlet for our near obsessional love of remodeling and home design. It’s also allowed us to benefit from Marin’s everescalating real estate prices, rather than bemoan them.
The first rule we adhere to: dis miss anything marketed as “move-in ready” or “turnkey.” Conversely, key words like “contractor’s special” and “needs TLC” get our imaginations going. As my husband likes to say: “The more it smells like cat pee, the more we like it.”
To date, we’ve bought and remodeled seven homes, five of which have become a primary residence. Each and every time, our parents — not to mention close friends — think us crazy for plunking hard-earned money into what casual observers call a “dog,” a “dumper” or a “teardown.”
Many people find the process of renovating, not to mention moving, stressful, but for us it’s magical. There’s just something cathartic about taking a run-down structure, plotting a redesign and seeing it to fruition. The smell of fresh drywall
and newly milled wood is as intoxicating to me as fresh-fromthe-oven chocolate chip cookies.
As for boxing up your worldly possessions every three to six years, I’m not going to lie, that’s my least favorite part. It’s emotionally and physically exhausting. But the process of moving also has an upside. I relish the opportunity to purge, donate and start anew. We dumped our CD and DVD collections three moves ago, pared our paper book collection down to treasured classics. And as we prepared for this next move, we consolidated keepsakes from our now-adult children’s childhood into two extra-large storage bins. Sentimentalists may be thinking, “How do you let go of all those pre cious memories?” My response: “How many pinch pots and plaster-of-Paris paperweights does one need?”
Our current home, a five-bedroom, four-bath contemporary in San
Rafael, may well be my favorite. Alas, I knew when we bought it, almost three years ago, our stay would be short.
Frankly, it’s too big for two soon-to-be empty nesters. But the allure of the project and a chance to live in a home with amazing bay views were too much to pass up.
The moment I walked in I thought, Wow, what a great home for a young family. I imagined how much my two kids, now 18 and 21, would have loved to explore the acre-plus backyard or play hide-and-seek in the many nooks and crannies of the lower-level recreation room. The house also has endless storage space to corral toys, bikes, strollers and the other accoutrements kids accumulate. Still, for us, that ship had sailed. Our daughter was at college, our son soon to follow.
But the other plus of the place was that incredible view, which had never been optimized. The tiny kitchen at the center of the house was completely walled off from everything, including the view. The rest of the house was in
decent condition if you overlooked the ’80s-era finishes, and given the extra space, I knew we could slowly remodel it with little disruption to our daily lives. (We’d lived in some pretty precarious quarters during past renovations.)
As a serial remodeler, I’ve learned a few important les sons, and the primary one is to squelch the urge to jump in and do work right away. The way you think you’ll use the house and the way you actually use the house are rarely the same. In this house, we waited a full year before letting hammers fly. That proved wise, since we changed our minds on how to lay out the new common spaces at least half a dozen times. The final plan, which repurposed the main-floor guest room into a dining room and nearly doubled the size of the kitchen, was spot on. The kitchen is the heart of any home, and we
tricked it out with all the bells and whistles.
As in our previously completed do-overs, we optimized the indoor/outdoor design. Choosing the right movable wall of windows for a seamless flow from the kitchen to the deck took some time. Ultimately, we chose a set of four panel sliders by Weather Shield that slide into the wall and disappear. I also agonized over the right countertop to pair with the white Shaker cabinets and comple ment the existing “beach house boho” style. I knew from experience that how a stone reads on a coaster-size sample can be drastically different when it’s fabricated into a 10-foot-long surface. So I took a 90-minute ride to a stone shop where I could view full-size slabs and eventually decided on a concrete-honed gray quartz.
For flooring, I splurged on factory-finished wide-plank oak.
In prior homes, it seemed like anything but natural wood, nailed in and then finished on site, was cheating, but old-school floors come with old-school problems, like warping, cupping and fading. And I’m happy to report these hardwoods look as pristine as the day they were installed.
We completed most of the remodel last year. But as with all our houses, we’ll continue to tweak and adjust. When exactly we will vacate this property is a moving target, as we are currently on the hunt for our next project. Ideally, I’d like to know where we’re headed before pulling up stakes again.
Usually, by the time we move, my Pinterest board is brimming with ideas for the next remodel, not to mention a list of things I’d do differently. But it’s too early to say what will be called for, and I’ve yet to tire of any of the hard surfaces, fixtures or paint colors here.
1. Mill Valley
Best resale improvement: In our very first home renovation, our initial action was to vault the living room ceilings. We then wrapped the sup port beams in redwood boxes and punched three skylights into the roof.
2. Wilmette, Illinois
Best resale improvement: We found a rare property with a 75-by-150-foot lot, allowing a 1,500-square-foot side yard expansion. It also enabled us to incorporate a very useful attached garage.
3. Union Pier, Michigan
Best resale improvement: We took the large master suite and turned it into two bedrooms, and we split a large, dated bathroom into two new ones.
4. Corte Madera
Best resale improvement: We ripped out a tree; added a solar-heated pool, a poured-concrete back porch and new landscaping; and converted an old storage shed into a funky pool cabana.
5. Tiburon
Best resale improvement: We blew out all the walls, creating one large open-concept space, and doubled the ceiling peak in the kitchen/dining room.
Best resale improvement: We car ried out a laundry list of repairs and upgrades, including new flooring, new kitchen and complete repaint ing inside and out.
7. San Rafael
Opener: The completed Healdsburg home. Opposite from left: Remodeling the San Rafael home. This page: The completed San Rafael home.
Best resale improvement: The house had postcard-perfect views of San Pablo Bay that were not that acces sible. We created an indoor-outdoor design by removing the wall between kitchen and dining room and turning the exterior wall into floor-to-ceiling glass sliding doors.
Over the years Hadley has become synonymous with a quality of construction that is second to none and service that creates lasting relationships with our customers. We are the premier homebuilder in Marin County because we always act in our client’s interest, we never waver from our commitment to quality, and we stand by our work. As part of the community, we give back to the place that has given so much to us. By doing this, we have prospered for 70 years and will continue to thrive.
85 Beach Road • Belvedere, CA 415.383.0583 hadleyconstruction.com #702420
Becky James specializes in designing contemporary to traditional styles with emphasis on kitchens and baths. She feels the important element when working with a client is to capture their vision and dreams for their home while working within their budget. Visit her showroom featuring authorized dealer cabinet lines, and a beautiful display of lighting, fabric options, window coverings, furniture, rugs and home accessories to help with the complete design.
828 Grant Avenue • Novato, CA 415.269.3330 • beckyjamesdesigns.com
Crome Architecture was born and raised in Marin. Since 2001 we have served our clients with a commitment to quality design and personal service. When clients visit our light-filled studios, they will immediately sense that it’s a remarkable place for design. We love to guide you through the process of turning ideas into reality.
The culture of Crome Architecture is built on more than the talent, technical rigor, and dedication of its staff, it’s built on our commitment to collaboration with each other and with our valued clients.
GVD Renovations is a family owned and operated, full-service siding replacement company serving Marin and Sonoma county. We specialize in siding replacement and installation, replacement windows and exterior renovation services. We are fully licensed, bonded and insured through the CSLB. Driven by a highly experienced, professional and talented construction team our goal is to offer homeowners high quality products, excellent workmanship and outstanding customer service at a competitive price.
As a James Hardie Elite Preferred Contractor, we install James Hardie Siding which has been rated as the #1 for Return on Investment by Remodeling Magazine for 12 years in a row and has been installed on more than 8 million homes across North America.
We’re proud to offer you a free, no obligation estimate on your home improvement project that is fair, accurate and includes everything needed to handle your renovation project from start to finish.
415.429.0887 • SidingNorthBay.com • Lic #989637 Call us today to schedule your free in-home estimate.
Designing a white kitchen is like beginning a painting with a blank canvas - the possibilities are endless. Whether traditional, contemporary, or transitional - expansive, familysized or efficiently compact - the use of materials, textures and finishes is how Sandra Bird Designs creates spaces unique to the individual clients and their homes. Visit www.sandrabird.com or Sandra Bird Designs on HOUZZ.com
415.927.1171 • sandrabird.com • Lic #460795
Dennis Anderson Photographer
THE BEST IN MODERN DESIGN
2801 Larkspur Landing Circle (across from the ferry terminal) 628.212.1003 dwr.com
Marin’s go-to for modern renovations. From choosing light fixtures to figuring out furniture layouts, we’re here to help you complete your renovation project. Visit our Larkspur store to explore 20 fully realized rooms, each designed to inspire ideas and help you envision our sofas, tables, chairs, storage and more in your own home. We’ll also help you put it all together at no charge.
Our complimentary Design Services include:
• Space planning
• In-home measuring
• 3-D renderings of your rooms
Ready to wrap up your renovation? Stop by the Larkspur store any time, or book an appointment in advance at dwr.com/studios. We also have stores in San Francisco, Berkeley and Palo Alto. We look forward to seeing you soon.
MODERN. SIMPLE.
Here at Badeloft, we take a modern yet minimalistic approach to the design of our bathroom fixtures. We specialize in Stone Resin freestanding bathtubs, freestanding sinks, wallmount sinks and counter-top sinks. Our Stone Resin products are made from marble and limestone mixed with a polyester resin.
As far as bathtubs go, people are moving away from the acrylic and fiberglass tubs as they have zero heat retention. Since Badeloft products are made with natural minerals and the tubs are one-piece, solid fixtures, they have noticeably strong heat retention and will help the water inside stay warmer, longer.
Badeloft is a global brand based in Berlin, Germany. With showrooms throughout Europe and N. America, our US offices and showroom are located in the San Francisco Bay Area. Our products are designed in Berlin ensuring that all of our products demonstrate both practicality and modern innovation. We are confident that they will be the focal point of your new bathroom.
2829 Bridgeway, Suite 101 • Sausalito, CA 415.644.5888 or 877.892.3445 • badeloftusa.com
Since one of the largest contributors to indoor air pollution is home furnishings, all Pine Street Natural Interiors products are created without using harmful chemicals. Our standards of design are based on principles, which explore the effect of the built environment on human health. Knowledge of healthy products and our design experience ensures your home will nurture your mind, body and spirit.
323 Pine Street, Suite A • Sausalito, CA 415.331.9323 • pinestreetinteriors.com
We design modern homes grounded in their unique connection to the surrounding landscape. These buildings highlight their natural environment and are rigorously tailed to our clients’ lifestyles.
Tyreus Design Studio is located in the vibrant Marin County neighborhood of Sausalito. Our services include architecture, interior, and exterior hardscape design. Our design process involves extensive 3D modeling, photorealistic renderings, and professional timeline management. Each design milestone includes builder pricing sessions so that design options and their associated cost are fully understood.
Two decades of experience designing custom properties has allowed us to create a highly efficient process with cohesive project results. Our close coordination with building and planning departments during each phase of the project is essential to moving smoothly through the complex permitting process. Our design team is intimately familiar with the unique challenges of each of the many building departments throughout Marin County, San Francisco, Sonoma, and Napa Valley.
Contact us to discuss your next remodel or custom house.
With extensive experience in design iteration we offer more than just the glass we install. Contractors, designers, architects and home owners have been leaning on our expertise as specialists in architectural glass for years. We place a strong emphasis on functional design and client consultation. For us working with our clients to conceptualize a project that is beautiful, functional, and structurally sound is what fuels our passion. Glashaus offers frameless shower enclosures, custom mirrors, glass railings, wine room enclosures, glass countertops and backsplashes.
This is our passion, we are Glashaus..
28 Mark Drive • San Rafael, CA 415.479.0626 • studioglashaus.com
A DIVISION OF AMERICAN PACIFIC MORTGAGE NMLS
All California has been helping families finance homes since 1992. We’re a full-service mortgage banker offering a variety of loan products. We want to help you buy, fix or expand your home. Rates have dropped, so now would be a perfect time to give us a call. Licensed by the DBO under the CRMLA. Equal Housing Opportunity.
17 E. Sir Francis Drake Blvd., Suite 200 • Larkspur, CA 415.464.8248 • allcalifornia.com • NMLS 888828
2845 California San Francisco, CA 415.306.3431
Urban Building Workshop (UBW) has been providing residential design / build solutions for clients across the Bay Area for 20 years. UBW has led the effort designing and rebuilding fire destroyed homes in Sonoma County. Including numerous attached and detached Accessory Dwelling Units or ADUs. This recent experience familiarized the company with the great need and the market’s keen interest in ADUs.
UBW President, Kevin Skiles as newly appointed Chair of the Mill Valley Planning Commission has created exciting policy making it easier to build Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) on your residential property.
Due to the housing shortage, recent state laws allow homeowners to obtain permits to build an ADU on their properties within 60 days – without any public hearings or neighbor notifications.
UBW has three prototype offerings as a single point solution. UBW handles all the design, engineering, permitting and building for a fixed sum.
At Urban Building Workshop, we are in the solutions business. Solutions for people, for the environment and aesthetics. We build with the human factor in mind.
Let our expertise go to work for you.
DESIGN IS THE MIRROR OF LIFE
Design begins with listening to our clients and pulling information that makes up their lives. Our process is very intense at times to be sure we have a clear understanding of you our client and your desires. We work closely with you throughout the completed project to ensure the vision becomes the reality.
Remick + Sessions Design, a boutique San Francisco Bay Area architectural design firm dedicated to inventive and highly detailed residential design. Designing smarter for our clients in today’s ever-changing environments, needs, and desires. Whether a dream home on a lot of land, remodel of an existing home, replacement home from wildfire, or addition - we place the same amount of energy and creativity into all that we do.
Our work spans from homes that are traditional, classical, contemporary, and every style in between. Design style is not forced but rather what is natural based on all aesthetics from existing homes (remodel), site conditions, and your life. Your home needs to function properly for your life, a mirror of life.
1230 Howard Street • San Francisco, CA 415.896.9500 • RemickSessions.com
Alexander’s Artisan Rugs is founded by nationally recognized rug expert Richard A. Habib. Established in 1991 as a leading source of unique and exquisite rugs to interior designers, architects, celebrities, Fortune 500 CEOs and discerning home owners. Offering access to well-vetted collections of modern, vintage, antique and custom rugs including Odegard Carpets. Premium hand wash repairs, restoration, appraisals, consulting and rugs design services.
1 El Paseo Lane • Mill Valley, CA 415.309.3045, 415.384.8261 • alexandersrugs.com
3854 Santa Rosa Avenue Santa Rosa, CA 707.586.2064 nctile.com SERVICE TILE AND STONE FABRICATION INSTALLATION
Family owned and operated for over 30 years, they are the North Bay leader in tile installation and granite fabrication for residential remodels, new home construction and commercial jobs.
From start to finish, North Coast Tile is dedicated to working with you on accomplishing your vision.
Hundreds of granite, quartzite, marble, soapstone, limestone and onyx slabs to choose from in their acre large outdoor yard.
Inside is a beautiful boutique tile showroom offering hand selected tile lines from all over the world.
Six designers are on staff to help you achieve your vision. At North Coast Tile they are also happy to work with you and / or your Designer, Contractor and Architect.
Expertise, knowledge and trust make them the tile company that provides the solid foundation you will need to get your project started.
Kitchen above designed by Lamperti Contracting & Design.
1241 Andersen Drive San Rafael, CA 415.454.1623 EXPECTATIONS… CUSTOMER AT A TIME
…is a standard we truly live by. Lamperti Contracting and Design has been providing exquisite and functional modern, transitional and traditional kitchens and baths in Marin County since 1965. The owner, Sean Kelly, has over 30 years’ experience in all aspects of the design/build industry; specializing in high-end Kitchens and Baths.
We invite you to visit our newly redesigned and comprehensive kitchen and bath showroom featuring Bentwood, Harmoni, Columbia, Woodharbor and the Sub-Zero/Wolf Parlor –showcasing the latest innovations and trends in appliances and cabinetry.
With a full-service design team, we will help you envision creative and functional ideas to incorporate into your dream home. Lamperti Contracting and Design takes pride in knowing each project reflects superior quality and artistic mastery.
At HSH Interiors, sophisticated interiors are designed to be as unique as the people who live in them. The full-service interior design firm, helmed by Principal Designer and Founder Holly Hollenbeck, has been serving the Bay Area and beyond since 2002. For every project—whether it’s a large-scale remodel, ground-up construction, single-room revamp, or furniture selection—HSH Interiors drafts detailed road maps that make projects feel manageable without leaving a single detail to chance.
The HSH team works collaboratively with the client, architects and builders to run projects large and small on time and on budget. Highly experienced in working with diverse tastes and lifestyles, HSH Interiors brings the client’s vision to life with designs that are anything but ordinary. Their projects are throughout the Bay Area as well as Jackson Hole, Squaw Valley, Manhattan Beach and Beverly Hills.Clement Street Francisco, CA 415.702.6460
Ligne Roset De Haro E San Francisco, CA 415.777.1030 THE HEART OF FRENCH STYLE
Known for its artful collaborations with both established and up-and-coming talents in contemporary design, Ligne Roset offers clients an entire lifestyle with which to live boldly and beautifully via its furniture collections and complementary decorative accessories, lighting, rugs, textiles and occasional items. In-house manufacturing allows Ligne Roset to closely supervise the entire product creation process and uphold the highest production standards.
Matching its deeply-held belief in design with investment and innovation, Ligne Roset has grown from a small business to a multinational company with factories and headquarters in France, and more than 200 exclusive Ligne Roset stores and 1,000 retail distributors worldwide. All the while, the company has been family-run since its inception in 1860.
Our San Francisco showroom offers a full experience of the Ligne Roset design ethos at over 6,000 sq. ft. in size, located in the heart of the Design District. And with over 22 years of experience with Ligne Roset, owner Claudine Aubonnet-Musarra is proud to introduce the brand to newcomers. We welcome you to stop by our showroom.
Marin County’s hidden gem flooring showroom, ADC, has over 30 years of experience with an array of products ranging from luxury one-of-a-kind statement pieces to family friendly floors. We collaborate with the Bay Area’s top interior designers, real estate agents, and homeowners to achieve their flooring vision with our inspirational collection of broadloom carpets, rugs, and hard surfaces. The foundation of your home starts with us.
1111 Francisco Blvd East, Suite 3 • San Rafael, CA 415.458.1717 • architecturaldesigncarpets.com
Chambers + Chambers is a boutique architectural practice specializing in residential and interior design services. Understated elegance, quiet luxury, richness in color and texture, classical detailing, and axial relationships are signature elements of our award-winning designs. Our work has been featured in Elle Décor, LUXE Interiors + Design, Veranda, House Beautiful, and Town & Country.
420 Miller Avenue • Mill Valley, CA 415.381.8326 • chambersandchambers.com
Landscape Architecture is about the intimate and powerful relationship between humans and the natural environment. As we find ourselves increasingly attached to technology and screens, indoor-outdoor connectivity becomes a key component of enhancing our health and well-being. The designed landscape fosters relaxation and re-connection to nature and the people around us. We design these spaces…
227 Flamingo Road • Mill Valley, CA 415.381.9500 • integrateddesignstudio.com
A town built by inspired craftspeople and visionaries. The perfect blend of agricultural heritage and trendsetting experiences. Join us in Healdsburg and dig into our roots, enjoy the fruits of our labor, and discover why we’re the tastemaker of Sonoma wine country.
Plan your stayhealdsburg.com
Lambert Bridge 2016 Crane Creek Cuvée
Jennifer Higgins: Winemaker, Lambert Bridge Winery
Silver Lake got its first upscale boutique hotel, the Silver Lake Pool & Inn.
TRUE CONFESSION:
I didn’t become an L.A. fan until I discovered its neigh borhoods. Before that, every visit made me feel over whelmed, with the nagging sense I was skating across a glossy veneer, the real city hidden underneath.
That all changed when I began to base each stay in an area of the city I wanted to know better, choosing as my headquarters a personality-rich hotel that prom ised a window into the local scene.
On my last trip, that was the Kimpton La Peer, located in West Hollywood’s Design District, just
blocks from the landmark rainbow crosswalk on Santa Monica Boulevard. Not only does the La Peer have a stunning pool and a roof deck ideally placed for sunset watching, it’s supremely dog-friendly, which meant I could join my WeHo neighbors in chatting about our breed mixes as we strolled the shady side streets.
But there’s an even greater secret to the successful L.A. getaway: brunch. And not just any brunch, the right brunch, preferably in a low-key neighborhood hangout with plenty of outdoor seating (read: dog-friendly) where you can eavesdrop while the party at the next table discusses their upcoming comedy showcase. In WeHo, that’s Blu Jam Cafe on Melrose, the original location of what’s grown to be a group of six breakfast spots around town. Take a sidewalk table for a frontrow seat to the WeHo parade.
My favorite brunch hangout of all, though, has to be Sqirl, and not just because it’s in übercool Silver Lake. The menu here tilts well toward groovy, with a plethora of vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options, but dishes like the skillet-baked FrittOmlette with fresh herbs and ricotta brioche toast are what keep me coming back.
Afterwards I stroll over to the Silver Lake Saturday farmers mar ket to admire the beeswax candles and goat’s milk soap and seek out my favorite organic chai. Silver Lake also has a Tuesday afternoon market, while the Friday market in nearby Echo Park is the place to go to wind down your work week with a fresh kombucha and a couple of empanadas.
Another neighborhood favorite is Echo Park Lake itself, where the city turns out to stroll on sunny afternoons, mothers push ing strollers and couples pedaling swan boats through the spray of a towering fountain.
It was big news last November when Silver Lake got it s fi rst upscale boutique hotel, the Silver Lake Pool & Inn, and that’s
where I’ll stay the next time I’m in town, lured by the siren call of the inn’s sunny Palm Springs–style pool deck. One of L.A.’s most walkable neighborhoods, Silver Lake has so many options for dining and nightlife that there’s no need to go anywhere else, but I jump in the car to check out Pilot, the new rooftop poolside restaurant and bar at The Hoxton, an outpost of the London-based hotel group that opened last fall in the historic former headquarters of the Los Angeles Railway Authority.
Together with a host of proj ects that include the Downtown LA Proper, a luxury landmark
There’s only one thing that could keep you from visiting the Santa Monica Pier and Venice Beach Boardwalk, and that’s traffic. Solve that problem by taking the Metro Expo line — and bring your bike to continue your journey on two wheels. santamonica.com
Yes, it’s hokey, but the world’s shortest railway is also a hoot, its wooden cars ascending Bunker Hill for the bargain price of a dollar a ride. Reopened in 2017, the 118-year-old funicular is a favorite of location scouts, so you might catch a shoot in progress. angelsflight.org
From chop suey (really) to pupusas to the beloved pastrami and corned beef at Wexler’s Deli, Grand Central Market has it all and then some. A food hall before they were a thing, it’s been a downtown gathering spot since 1917. grandcentralmarket.com
Come for the view, stay for the exhibits, which include multiple telescopes, a planetarium, a timeline of the universe, and a mural-covered dome. Surrounded by 53 miles of hiking trails, Griffith Observatory offers telescope viewings on clear nights. griffithobservatory.org
Where else can you descend a staircase in the heart of the city to find yourself in a grotto studded with mastodon and mammoth bones? The La Brea Tar Pits continue to fascinate, with paleontologists still digging up fossils today. tarpits.org
Equal parts art museum and antiquar ian book collection and surrounded by 120 acres of lush gardens, the Huntington Library is a getaway within itself. huntington.org
A short walk from the Pacific Coast Highway north of Malibu takes you to the protected coves of El Matador State Beach, a favorite of photographers for its rock arches and crashing surf. californiabeaches.com
Gilda Radner, Kristen Wiig and Tina Fey all got their start here, and chances are at least one of the performers you see at a current Groundlings show could be Saturday Night Live’s next breakout star. groundlings.com
hotel opening later this year, The Hoxton is part of an adaptive-reuse boom that’s fast transforming the city’s once seedy downtown (now going by the annoying acronym DTLA) into a hub of arts and culture. Maybe this neighborhood is where I should base my next visit instead?
Opposite: Marco Polo Trattoria at the Silver Lake Pool & Inn. This page, from top: A dish at Sqirl; Venice Beach; a room at The Hoxton, which also has a new rooftop poolside restaurant and bar.
Updates from the Happiest Place on Earth.
By Brooke Geiger McDonaldAnaheim's Disneyland Resort is having quite the year.
The January 2020 opening of Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, Disney’s most ambi tious and immersive attraction ever created, rounds out the already epic 14-acre, $1 billion land, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, which opened last May.
Magic Happens, Disneyland’s first new daytime parade
in a decade, debuted February 28. A soundtrack by Todrick Hall and collaborations with choreographer Tessandra Chavez (So You Think You Can Dance) and makeup artist David Petruschin (RuPaul’s Drag Race) bring next-level music, moves and makeup to Main Street, U.S.A.
Foodies will flock to the Disney California Food & Wine Festival through April 21 for a celebration of California ingredients and cuisine.
Looking ahead, Marvel fans will want to assemble later this summer for the opening of phase one of Avengers Campus, the Marvel-themed land debuting at Disney California Adventure with a new Spider-Man attraction, Ant-Man microbrewery and more. disneyland.com
After years of languishing, the venerable hotel is back and better than ever.
By Jim WoodSANTA BARBARA, with its vibrant downtown, historic mission, beautiful harbor, beaches and Mediterranean-like setting, has long lured visitors. Now reasons to come here have taken a giant leap forward thanks to the lavish Rosewood Miramar Beach Hotel, which opened in nearby Montecito last year.
Though it is now flurishing, the Rosewood Miramar’s 16-acre oceanfront site has a somewhat up-and-down history. From its fi rst opening in 1934, the original and venerable Miramar Hotel had a loyal following, despite pressures brought by the Great Depression, World War II and numerous too-close-for-comfort wild fi res. Then in 2000 it was acquired by renowned hotelier Ian Schrager and shuttered, with promises to redevelop it within 18 months. But five years later the place had been only partly demolished, and it laid dormant for over a decade. Soon another buyer,
Ty Warner Hotels, announced intentions to restore the property to its former glory; still, nothing happened for several years until developer Rick Caruso stepped in. With both a bold vision and the will and ability to carry it out, he began construction in 2016.
The Rosewood Miramar Beach Hotel fronts Miramar Beach, and its 161 units include a range of options, with a variety of suites and bungalows. Oceanfront rooms literally sit on the sand, and the bungalows are surrounded with lush landscaping. There are vast lawn areas and pools for both family and adult swimming. Whether you’re strolling through the gardens, working out in the gym, indulging in a spa treatment, swimming in the ocean or dining in one of the fi ne restaurants, a stay here feels like a five-star experience.
And there’s a bonus: the hotel encourages visitors from the community and out of town to come here, relax and take in the beauty. rosewoodhotels.com
THE WINEMAKER Martha McClellan German-trained winemaker and marathon runner Martha McClellan credits her success to simplicity: “Simple means direct, thorough, rigorous, and it gives me the con fidence and freedom to work intuitively and highly speci fi cally.” She and husband Bob Levy were named “superstar wine couple,” and she’s considered a star maker for wine brands that include Harlan, Checkerboard, Hamel and Blankiet. Her recent collaboration with ToyMaker has drawn even more positive attention
I love all cheese and would eat any of it with a glass of ToyMaker. I think any of the blues would go nicely: Gorgonzola, Roquefort or Danish blue. I am a huge fan of Epoisses and fi nd that it has a sweet savory character that the powerful but supple tannins found in the ToyMaker balance out exceptionally. Another all-time favorite is truffle cheese — its earthiness is a wonderful complement to the deep red fruit.
By Mimi Towle
THE WINEMAKER Stephanie Putnam Stephanie Putnam is busy. When not training her white Shepherd puppy, Kody, to not chew her shoes, she oversees all aspects of wine making at Raymond Vineyards and JCB as well as other Boisset brands. Throughout her tenure as director, she has focused on cabernet and chardonnay and has earned much acclaim, including recognition in Wine Enthusiast ’s Top 100 and Wine Spectator ’s Top 100 Wines for the 100-point 2015 JCB Surreal ist. The Bay Area native’s enthusiasm began at an early age in a family who appreciated gourmet food and wine.
With the Raymond Generations cabernet sauvignon, I like a dry Italian cheese such as Latteria San Andreas like we have in our sister property, Atelier Fine Foods in Yountville. It’s slightly sweet, with a dry, grassy taste that will pair with the spice, fruit and tan nins of the wine. For the Raymond Napa Valley Reserve chardonnay, I opt for a f resh goat's milk cheese from Nicasio Valley called Foggy Morning, which ha s t he classic tang from goat’s milk cheeses and rounds out the buttery chardonnay.
This summer, with 13 harvests under her belt, Maggie Kruse took over winemaking responsibilities at Jordan Winery. Fermenta tion science runs deep in her family: her father brewed beer at Miller in Milwaukee, and she moved to California from Wisconsin right after high school graduation to study winemaking. On fermentation, she’s happy to talk shop. “I love sour beers; they smell like everything you shouldn’t do with winemaking. A ll of the bacteria they use to make sour beer is the bacteria you try your hardest to avoid in winemaking.” Only the second winemaker in Jordan’s 44-vintage history, Kruse will be pouring the winery’s 40th-anniversary Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon at a new-release tasting at the winery on May 2.
No matter what vintage of Jordan you open, I love to pair it with the tru ffle brie f rom Marin French Cheese Company. The subtle truffle character complements the beautiful dark fruit in our cabernet so well and the creamy texture of the triple crème doesn’t inter fere with our tannin profi le and long fi nish; it is a great pairing. For the chardonnay, I love the Laychee from Penny Royal Farm in Anderson Valley. T his fresh goat’s milk cheese is a great complement to our fruit aroma and mouthwatering acidity.
THRU APR 5 The Glass
Menagerie Tennessee Williams’ most auto biographical work fi rst appeared on Broadway in 1945 and follows the Wing field family’s efforts to re-create the life of a Southern belle under reduced circum stances. Barn Theatre (Ross). rossvalley players.com
THRU APR 26 The Book of Mormon Back by popular demand, the misadventures of a mismatched pair of missionaries sent overseas to spread the Good Word are one part comedy, two parts laugh riot. Golden Gate Theatre (SF). broadwaysf.com
THRU JULY 12 Harry Potter and the Cursed Child The eighth story
in the Harry Potter series is presented in two parts. Curran Theatre (SF). harry potteronstage.com
APR 9 –MAY 10 Cyrano
His famed undesirable nose notwithstanding, the central character in this reimagining of Cyrano de Bergerac must come to grips with unrequited yearning and his own self-perception.
Cutting Ball Theater (SF). cuttingball.com
APR 15–MAY 3 The Pajama Game A story of workplace romance and clashes between management and labor is paired with musi cal numbers and the early choreographic work of Bob Fosse. Gateway Theatre (SF). 42ndstreetmoon.org
APR 23–MAY 17 Botticelli in the Fire The 15th-century Italian painter is challenged by the arrival of a priest from Florence. Will the master sacri fice his work or the life of his apprentice, Leonardo da Vinci? Marin Theatre Company (Mill Valley). marintheatre.org
If it’s been awhile since you did the Time Warp (again), Richard O’Brien’s cross-dressing classic celebration of sex, drag, rock ’n’ roll and being who you really are will remind you of the importance of sequins and fish net stockings. Geary Theater (SF). act-sf.org
APR 2–5 Dance Downtown Up for Air (Decameron) features live instrumentation while a second program, Grassland and Speaking Volumes, nods to nature’s diversity and to community. Blue Shield Theater (SF). odc.dance
Showcase LINES Ballet joins BFA at Dominican as students perform four works in a culmination of the academic year. Dominican University (San Rafael). linesballet.org
APR 15–21 Jewels
Principal dancer Yuan Yuan Tan celebrates her 25th anniversary season with the company
THEATER / DANCE / COMEDY / MUSIC / MUSEUMS / EVENTS / FILM EDITED BY CHRISTINA MUELLER
by dancing “Diamonds,” one part of Balanchine’s full-length master piece, itself inspired by displays at New York jeweler Van Cleef and Arpels. Opera House (SF). sfballet.org
APR 23–25 Acclimate
In this work that uses elements of set and sound design to bring to life the delicate relationship of humans to the biosphere, a damaged world retaliates against the life form that spoiled it. YBCA Forum (SF). ybca.org
APR 24–MAY 2 Dance
Series Two An evening of two distinct works: Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s Requiem for a Rose blends contempo rary dance with Latin and Afro-Cuban beats, and Michael Smuin’s Symphony of Psalms is set to a Stravinsky choral score (SF). smuinballet.org
APR 24–MAY 3 Bay
Area Dance Week With nearly 400 free events in a range of movement styles like fi re dance, samba, Chinese classical and belly dance, surely something piques your interest enough to get your groove on? Multiple locations (SF, Oakland). bayareadance.org
APR 4 Paul Ogata The former morning radio show host, Hawaii native and winner of the 2007 San Francisco International Comedy Competition throws down in his latest standup routine. Showcase Theater (San Rafael). marincomedyshow.com
APR 17 Kathleen Madigan A regular on The Tonight Show, the comedian hits the road on her 8 O’Clock Happy Hour tour. Luther Burbank Center for the Arts (Santa Rosa). lutherburbank.org
APR 3 Tim Hockenberry
The soulful singer and fi nalist in 2012’s America’s Got Talent also regularly tours with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra and with Mickey Hart of the Grateful Dead. See him here solo. Sweetwater Music Hall (Mill Valley). sweetwatermusic hall.com
APR 4 Hillstomp The “junk-box” blues duo from Portland known for recycling traditional elements of American roots plays with buck ets and slide guitar. HopMonk Tavern (Novato). hopmonk.com
APR 5 A Taste of Tango An afternoon of tango, tapas and musical treats, includ ing a performance by the Mariano Barreiro Tango Trio playing piano, violin and ban donion, a two-handed instrument in the con certina family essential to tango. Servino Ristorante (Tiburon). musicamarin.org
APR 11 Yanni The genre-defying orches tral sounds of the famed Greek musician are dis tilled down to a single instrument: a piano. Davies Symphony Hall (SF). sfsymphony.org
APR 11–12 The Eagles
Perhaps best-known for its 1976 album Hotel California, the L.A.based band is playing
The stand-up comedian and actor drops by the Luther Burbank Center.
By Christina MuellerRecently named “one of the 50 best stand-up comics of all time” by Rolling Stone, Tig Notaro arrived in comedy’s inner circle via regular appearances on The Sarah Silverman Program, landing jokes both absurd and serious. The breast cancer survivor plays the first lady opposite Jennifer Aniston in the upcoming Netflix film First Ladies. Luther Burbank Center for the Arts, April 3. lutherburbank.org
How do you balance touring with appearing in episodic TV? The priority is stand-up. I love doing TV and film but my passion and where I make most of my money is stand-up. I’m always working on new material and creating new specials or albums.
What drew you to play an engineer on Star Trek: Discovery ? Are you a Trekkie? A friend of mine is a creator on the series and this character was written for me. It is undeniably cool to be on Star Trek because it is such an iconic show and it always offered such a positive message and was so inclusive.
How did Netflix’s First Ladies come about? I wrote it with my wife (Stephanie) for me to star in as the first lady and I knew Jennifer Aniston socially and she had expressed interest in working together. We thought Jennifer would be a great president and so we approached her about doing it.
Other than a tour stop in Santa Rosa, any connection to San Francisco or Marin? San Francisco’s Punch Line is one of the first national A-list clubs that started booking me and I’ll forever be thankful for that.
the entire album again on tour this year with Don Henley, Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmit, along with Glenn Frey’s son Deacon and Vince Gill. Chase Center (SF). chasecenter.com
Jepson The pop singer’s blockbuster hit “Call Me Maybe” penetrated American conscious ness in 2015; now she tours in support of her new album, Dedicated Fox Theater (Oakland). thefoxoakland.com
The songwriter, whose works have been recorded by Jimmy Bu ffett, Blake Shelton, Tim McGraw and oth ers, takes the stage. HopMonk (Sebastopol). hopmonk.com
APR 21 Arlo Guthrie
The singer, songwriter and producer known for Alice’s Restaurant plays songs ranging from the works of his dad, Woody Guthrie, to those of the present day. Palace of Fine Arts (SF). slims presents.com
APR 25–26 The Obsession: Beethoven’s Influence 1770–2020 Valley of the Moon Music Festival cel ebrates the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth with eight concerts featur ing performances of the composer’s cham ber music and Fifth Symphony alongside works that inspired him. Green Music Center (Rohnert Park). gmc.sonoma.edu
APR 25–26 Vivacious
Marin Symphony’s Masterworks Series continues with works from Bates and Orff conducted by Alasdair Neale. Veterans’
Memorial Auditorium (San Rafael). marin center.org
MARIN
Bay Area Discovery Museum Wobbleland
This new exhibit takes children inside the kitchen sink, where they can set sail on a watermelon boat or crawl through a slice of cheese (Sausalito). bayarea discoverymuseum.org
Bolinas Museum Sally Robertson Inspired by her own garden, a master watercolorist presents an exhibition of floral art, through June 7 (Bolinas). bolinasmuseum.org
Marin Museum of Contemporary Art Elmer Bischoff The Bay Area figuratie artist known for his maverick approach to art-making helped advance the movement, through April 19 (Novato). marinmoca.org
The Museum of the American Indian Thousands of Native American regional and cultural items are displayed, with a focus on Marin and Sonoma (Novato). marinindian.com
BAY AREA Asian Art Museum Jean Shin: Pause This site-specific intallation views the Bay Area as the epicenter of both the environmental and tech movements, connecting them through e-waste, rocks and other objects, through May 24 (SF). asianart.org
Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive When All That Is Solid Melts into Air Art from
postcolonial India tells the story of the push of modernity against the pull of folkloric tradi tion, through May 24 (Berkeley). bampfa.org
California Academy of Sciences The natural history museum boasts a multilevel aquarium, a tropical rainforest and a planetarium, but kids of all ages come just for the daily penguin feedings (SF). calacademy.org
Charles M. Schulz Museum Lucy! Fussbudget to Feminist Marking the centennial of the passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920, this exhibit honors Peanuts ’ most empowered young lady, through March 7, 2021 (Santa Rosa). schulzmuseum.org
Contemporary Jewish Museum Predicting the Past: Zohar Studios, The Lost Years A pho tography installation by artist Stephen Berkman, who has mastered the 19th-century chemical photographic process known as wet collodion, is a tribute to Shimmel Zohar and his New York City studio, through August 23 (SF). thecjm.org
de Young Frida Kahlo: Appearances Can Be Deceiving A treasure trove of the Mexican artist’s personal belong ings, including jewelry, clothing and prosthet ics, reveal a private side of their iconic owner, through July 26 (SF). deyoung.famsf.org
di Rosa Core Reflections Davina Semo explores tensions between nature, society and the self, through June 28 (Napa). dirosaart.org
Exploratorium Aperture Lucida A new work by artist and inventor Tristan Duke shapeshifts from blank, monolithic cube to an exploding holographic ball of light, through May 3 (SF). exploratorium.edu
Legion of Honor Last Supper in Pompeii: From the Table to the Grave Discover the pots, pans and paraphernalia of everyday life in a thriv ing Roman city in A.D. 70, moments before the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, April 18 through August 30 (SF). legionofhono.famsf.org Museum of the African Diaspora Mary Lovelace O’Neal: Whales, A Romance… An extensive installation of the artist’s Whales F–ing series, through August 23 (SF). moadsf.org
Museum of Craft and Design Linda Gass: And Then This Happened The Bay Area multimedia artist “creates stitched paintings on silk and glass works to question the relationship between humans and their envi ronment,” through May 3 (SF). sfmcd.org
SFMOMA Dawoud Bey: An American Project A retrospective of the photographer’s 40-year career highlights his commitment to por traying both the black subject and African American history, through May 25 (SF). sfmoma.org
Sonoma Valley Museum of Art Valentin Popov: Modern Mixmaster The Ukraine native known for his portraits gets a retrospective that features works from his best-known
series, through April 5 (Sonoma). svma.org
The Walt Disney Family Museum Healing in Color Showcasing artworks created by children receiving can cer treatment at two Bay Area hospitals, the exhibit explores the intersection of fantasy and reality themed on the inspirational work of Disney artist and animator Mary Blair, through August 24 (SF). waltdisney.org
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Spanning contemporary and performance art, civic engagement and public life, the works on view at this museum embrace the local community. (SF). ybca.org
THRU APR 2 Yotam Ottolenghi and Samin Nosrat The famous London-based chef and the star of Netfli’s Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat share their love of cooking and all things culinary. Veterans’ Memorial Auditorium (San Rafael). marincenter.org
THRU APR 26 Of Here
From There Fantastical, large-scale sculptures on which animated and time-lapse videos are projected are at the heart of this collabora tion between Creativity Explored and the San Francisco Art Institute. SFAI Fort Mason cam pus (SF). sfai.edu
THRU MAY 7 Homing
A site-specific intal lation by Taiwanese artist Hung Tzu Ni explores the reciprocal relationship between light and sound as it responds to Chinatown and the surrounding
neighborhoods. Chinese Culture Center (SF). cccsf.us
APR 3 Alice Waters and Dolores Huerta The Edible Schoolyard scion and the pioneering activ ist discuss social justice, labor and food sustain ability. Sydney Goldstein Theater (SF). cityarts.net
APR 3 Santa Rosa Salmon Dinner On the night before the salmon fishing season open, attendees will raise funds for the Golden State Salmon Association and share stories about the one that got away while enjoying cocktails and dinner and raffles f rods, reels and other outdoor gear. Friedman Event Center (Santa Rosa). goldenstate salmon.org
APR 3–4 James and the Giant Peach The Teens and Little Throck pro gram presents the Roald Dahl classic about a boy and his insect friends on a cross-ocean adventure. Throckmorton Theatre (Mill Valley). throck mortontheatre.org
APR 4 The Art of Dessert North Bay pastry artists will create one-of-a-kind cakes for each table at this annual benefit, preceded y cocktails, dinner and a live auction. Luther Burbank Center (Santa Rosa). lutherburbank center.org
APR 6 Gibor Basri The University of California professor invites listen ers to consider whether the planets circling the most common stars in the universe, red dwarves, are habitable. Morrison Planetarium (SF). calacademy.org
APR 11 Behind the Curtain A new program features behind-thescenes looks at the lives of music artists, arts organizations and S.F. Gay Men’s Chorus mem bers; this time Terrance Kelly, artistic director of Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir, is inter viewed. National LGBTQ Center for the Arts (SF). sfgmc.org
APR 11 The Earth
Speaks This dance, music and spoken word poetry presentation is a fundraiser for the North Bay Hindu Temple Project. Showcase Theater (San Rafael). marincounty.org
An intergenerational poetry reading in cel ebration of the Presidio’s El Polin Spring is curated by San Francisco’s poet laureate Kim Shuck, a member of the Northern California Cherokee diaspora. Presidio Officers’ Club (SF presidio.gov/events
APR 15 Climate Change
A salon-style discus sion by TedXMarin brings together a panel of speakers to discuss decarbonization, its economic implica tions and government’s role. Dominican University (San Rafael). tedxmarin.org
APR 15–18
Anon(ymous) A.C.T.’s Young Conservatory presents an adaptation of Homer’s Odyssey, where newly arrived refugee Anon fights t hold on to his identity in the vast melting pot of contemporary America. Strand Theater (SF). act-sf.org
APR 17–18 Marilu Henner The star of Taxi, Evening Shade, and musicals including Grease! and Chicago takes you along on a hilarious ride through her career and her three husbands. Feinstein’s at the Nikko (SF). feinsteinssf.com
APR 18 BAM Gala
Benefiting the aren G. Schurig Scholarship Fund, aiming to help those recovering from brain injury, concussion or stroke, the evening kicks off with apptizers and a bufft dinner from San Anselmo’s Comforts. Osher Marin JCC (San Rafael). schurig center.org
APR 23 Big Bang Gala
A bash with dinner and music supports the acad emy’s science education mission. California Academy of Sciences (SF). calacademy.org
APR 23 Love Heals All Wounds The chore ography of Jon Boogz and Lil Buck combine with words from Robin Sanders to address social issues such as mass incarceration and vio lence in America. Kanbar Hall (SF). jccsf.org
APR 25 Crime and Punishment Get creative with your attire and bring your clue-solving skills for this Prohibition-era interactive mystery tour featuring mobsters, jealous lovers and a pair of undercover federal agents. Wine Train (Napa). winetrain.com
APR 25 Madeline
Albright The former U.S. Secretary of State dis cusses her new book Hell and Other Destinations: A 21st-Century Memoir. Herbst Theater (SF). commonwealthclub.org
APR 25 Marin Open Studios Preview Gala
Meet some of the 270 artists and view their work at this come-asyou-are meet and greet. 325 Town Center (Corte Madera). marinopen studios.org
APR 25 One Amazing Night Helping students
get to and through col lege, this 10,000 Degrees gala includes cocktails, dinner and a live auc tion to help fund the program’s future. Civic Center (San Rafael). oneamazingnight.org
More than 20 top interior and landscape designers present their design visions for 29 distinct spaces in a Mediterranean-style house to benefit the Sa Francisco University High School Financial Aid Program. 22 22nd Avenue (SF). decorator showcase.org
APR 30 Your Undivided
Attention A former Google employee, Tristan Harris from the Center for Humane Technology, discusses our addiction to smart phones and the role Google, Apple and Facebook play. Sydney Goldstein Theater (SF). cityarts.net
APR 1–30 Dumbo The 1941 version of this animated classic is a reminder of how far we have come and how far we have yet to go on the subject of unconscious bias and racism. Walt Disney Museum (SF). waltdisney.org
APR 5 The Clowns Suffused with fantay, this 1970 work from Federico Fellini dives deep into the world of clowns. Berkeley Art Museum (Berkeley). bampfa.org
APR 8–21 San Francisco International Film Festival From an opening-night party to dancing on the fina night, experience the magic of film. Catro Theatre (SF). sffilm.o
APR 16, 18 Frida: Viva La Vida Asia Argento narrates a tale of a cre ative spirit spun with two threads. Lark Theater (Larkspur). larktheater.net
APR 26 Peter Pan In col laboration with Musica Marin, the screening of the 1924 film will featur live music as accompani ment. Rafael Theater (San Rafael). rafaelfilm cafilm.or
APR 29–MAY 3 San Francisco Silent Film
Fest The silver jubilee festival features 24 pro grams with silent-era films from nine cou tries, all accompanied by music performed live by musicians from around the world. Castro Theatre (SF). silentfilm.or
All listings are correct at the time of printing. Please be aware that events may occasionally be canceled or postponed. We always suggest con tacting the promoter or venue to confirm detail haven’t changed since publication.
Death Proof, a “lethal” blend of dark rum, Calvados, orange and aromatic bitters, is just one of the pre-tiki-era handmade drinks on the menu at San Rafael’s California Gold. The brainchild of Tam High alumnus Isaac Shumway and co-owner and life partner Rhia, the slickly comfortable space is decked out in a style befitting the Roaring Twenties. Tufted deep-red bar stools and banquette seating in booths are ideal for hanging out awhile. A pressed-tin ceiling and dark-green walls lined with books, old maps and paintings of clipper ships hearken back to an earlier era in California’s history. Upward lighting casts the L-shaped room in a warm glow, the bronze statues and gold lamps glittery and incandescent. Ignacio Gonzalez, famous for his handicraft at San Francisco cocktail bars Smuggler’s Cove and Whitechapel, designed a room that thoughtfully reflects the region’s diverse roots and seafaring history. The Shumways matched the mood with a range of beer styles from across California on the 12 taps and also included globally sourced wines. But the Tropical, Smash and Thunderbolt cocktails made with produce sourced from the San Rafael farmers markets are the big attention-getters.
WHO Co-owners and life partners Isaac and Rhia Shumway WHAT California Gold brings pre-tiki-era cocktails to San Rafael’s craft cocktail scene WHERE 848 B Street, San Rafael, californiagoldbar.com s
AN INSIDER’S GUIDE TO RESTAURANTS AND GOOD FOOD IN THE BAY AREA EDITED BY CHRISTINA MUELLER
Golden Gate Strait
Coco Tropical
Blackberry Thunderbolt
“Benissimo” means “really, really good” in Italian. Aside from the daily 4 to 6:30 p.m. happy hour, the menu offers a large selection of pizza, pasta and large plates, like cioppino, fresh fi shes of the day, T-bone steaks and the signature Benissimo Burger or portobello burger. Specials include all-day happy hour on Mondays, no-corkage Tuesdays, Wednesday night martinis and live music on Thursdays. 415.927.2316, benissimos.com
s $$$ S D º
American The fi rst Marin outpost of the S.F.-based eatery has proven very popular. The menu includes customizable salads, toasted sandwiches, soups and more, prepared with locally harvested produce and proteins. Try the Jersey cow milk gelato from Double 8 Dairy of West Marin. 335 Corte Madera Town Center, 415.927.1104, bluebarn gourmet.com
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The Italian-inspired pizzeria utilizes sea sonal ingredients and showcases local microbreweries and wine country’s boutique varietals. The menu includes appetizers, sal ads of organic produce when available, pastas, local free-range poultry and meats, desserts and Neapolitan-style pizzas with house-made mozzarella. Wine half off n Mondays. 1544 Redwood Highway, 415.924.3021, bocapizzeria.com
s $$ Í C LD º
BURMATOWN Asian
The small home-style Asian fusion restaurant offers fresh, light meals like tea leaf salad and basil shrimp stir-fry, as well as curries, coconut rice and chili-garlic green beans. Extra heat optional. Prepare for a short wait if dining in, or order for takeout. 60 Corte Madera Ave, 415.945.9096, burmatown.com b $$ S D
CAFE VERDE California
This revamped cafe offers wraps, paninis, salads, tea and more nearly all day long. Enjoy any of these items inside or out on the patio and be sure to inquire about the German and Belgian beer samplers. 502 Tamalpais Drive, 415.927.1060, cafeverdemarin.com b $ Í BLD º
FIELDWORK BREWING
Pizza The latest outpost of the original Berkeley draft house features pizzas, salads and shareable bites (think crispy Brussels sprouts and meatballs) to round out the day’s list of fresh IPAs, pilsners and more. 107 Corte Madera Town Center, 415.891.8273, fieldworkbrewing.com b
FLORES Mexican With an emphasis on regional Mexican dishes and fl avors sourced from family recipes, the menu is based on California seasonality and revolves around masa. The daily-made tortillas are featured in dishes such as duck con fit enchiladas, Dungeness crab tostadas, and chili-braised beef short ribs. There’s a full bar to boot. 301 Corte Madera Town Center, Corte Madera,
415.500.5145, floressf.com s $$$ S C LD BR º
MARIN JOE’S Italian
A Marin mainstay for over 50 years, with a menu of soups, salads, seafood, mesquitegrilled or sautéed meats and a plethora of pasta options. To add to your dining experience, order the table-side prepared Caesar salad. Not looking for a meal? Enjoy a drink and hear local musicians at the well-known piano bar. 1585 Casa Buena Drive, 415.924.2081, marin joesrestaurant.com s $$ S C LD
& SPIRITS American Olympic gold medalist Jonny Moseley opened this sports bar with 11 fl at-screen TVs, a beer garden wit h fi re pit, and bar games galore. Food is available until midnight and includes pizza from business partner Karen Goldberg, fresh
sandos and salads, and pregame snacks like wings and sweet potato fries. 55 Tamal Vista Blvd, 415.704.7437, moseleysmarin.com s $$ S Í LD
PACIFIC CATCH Seafood The Paci fic Rim–inspired restaurant has a familyfriendly atmosphere. The menu, showcasing freshly caught seafood, includes tacos, poke, ceviche, sandwiches, salads, rice bowls, seasonal cocktails and daily specials. 133 Corte Madera Town Center, 415.927.3474, pacificcatch.com s $$ S Í C LD º
PIG IN A PICKLE
American Fresh and locally sourced brisket, pork, ribs and chicken get star billing at this Town Center eatery. Sauces are crafted to represent various American barbecue regions, including Memphis and South
Carolina. House-made pickles, buns and sausages will keep you coming back. 341 Corte Madera Town Center, 415.891.3265, piginapicklebbq.com b $$ S Í BLD
California Create your own salads and burgers using all-natural proteins including Angus beef, turkey, chicken, mahimahi, bison or the latest addition, the Impossible Burger. Gluten-free options and a vegan veggie burger are also available. The restaurant has patio seating, a kick-back vibe and a popular happy hour. Give the spiked milkshake a try. 201 Corte Madera Town Center, 415.924.7000, thecounterburger.com s $$ S Í LD º
VEGGIE GRILL Vegan/ Vegetarian Veggie Grill is a fast-casual restaurant chain that celebrates the veggie
by offering a variety of hot sandwiches and bu r gers, entree salads, bowls, home-style plates, shareable sides, organic teas and housemade desserts prepared with vegetables, fruits, grains and nuts. 147 Corte Madera Town Center, 415.945.8954, veggiegrill.com b $ S Í LD
California Zinz is an upscale wine bar, retail store and art gallery with a cozy, sophisticated atmosphere, an eclectic array of boutique wines and craft beer, and light appetizers. The quaint neighborhood space also holds events and happy hours. 207 Corte Madera Ave, 415.927.9466, zinzwinebar.com b $$ Í º
The Combination at Lo Coco’s, San Rafaelspace, which had been operating as just a bike shop, has been recon figured and now also serves food and an assortment of beers. Menu items include pizzas, sandwiches, and snacks like citrus marinated olives or house-made pickles. Beers on tap are almost all exclusively local favorites. 2020 Sir Francis Drake Blvd, 415.721.7644, splitrock tapandwheel.com b $$ LD
plus tasty sake and craft beers. The daily wait list opens online at 5 p.m. and is somewhat eased on weekends by the addition of Sake Bin, the adjoining small bar with sochu cocktails and a menu of its own. 19 Bolinas Road, 415.521.5790, villagesake.com b $$$ Í D
Markle’s wedding, as well as savory lunch options like paninis, open-face spinach croissants and quiches. 292 Bon Air Shopping Center, 415.461.3099, victoriabakerymarin.com $$ Í BL
GUESTHOUSE
American Chef Tony Senehi prepares fresh California dishes with local organic ingredients from sustainable sources. A popular brunch spot, this quaint restaurant in the heart of Fairfax serves locals and tourists everything from eggs Benedict to panna cotta dessert. 1900 Sir Francis Drake Blvd, 415.460.2160, barefootcafe.com
b $$ S BLD
FRADELIZIO’S Italian
Fradelizio’s blends Northern Italian with California-inspired healthy fare, featuring natural beef and freerange chicken dishes. 35 Broadway Blvd, 415.459.1618, fradelizios.com
b $$$ S LD BR
THE HUMMINGBIRD
b $$ S BL BR
IRON SPRINGS PUB & BREWERY American
Pair your pick from the extensive beer list with an ale-braised barbe cue pork sandwich, shrimp tacos or the house-ground-chicken bacon cheeseburger. 765 Center Blvd, 415.485.1005, ironspringspub.com
b $$ S Í C LD º
MAS MASA Mexican Chef and owner Patrick Sheehy focuses on the ancient technique of corn nixtamalization, using organic, non-GMO blue corn
American This New Orleans–style res taurant serves up creole staples like fried chicken and wa ffles, shrimp and grits, po’boys, gumbo and beignets. Opt for the spicy syrup or homemade hot sauce to get that Cajun kick. Cash only. 57 Broadway Blvd, 415.457.9866
to make its handmade tortillas. The beer and wine lists highlight local California microbreweries and wineries. 31 Bolinas Road, 415.529.5444, eatmasmasa.com
s $$ S Í LD
SORELLA CAFFE Italian
Run by sisters Sonia and Soyara, Sorella, which means “sister” in Italian, serves fresh Italian with a northern in fluence. Customer favorites include the cioppino, butternut squash ravioli and Pollo alla Sorella. Another highlight is the giant wheel of Grana Padano cheese. Stop by for live music on weekends and every second and fourth Thursday of the month. 107 Bolinas Road, 415.258.4520, sorellacaffe.com b $$$ S D
SPLIT ROCK TAP & WHEEL American The former Fairfax Cyclery
TAMAL Mexican The regional cuisine here highlights coastal regions of Oaxaca and the Yucatán Peninsula. Dine inside or on the patio and enjoy craft Mexican cocktails or some of the Bay Area’s best craft beer. 23 Broadway, 415.524.8478, tamalfairfax.com s $$$ LD
THE LODGE American
From the owners of S.F.’s Big Swingin’ Cycles comes this rider-friendly stop along Fairfax’s main drag. With a menu designed to power you up, The Lodge features all-American eats like a breakfast burrito stu ffed with eggs, spinach and salsa; share plates like a sausage board served with Lodge tots and slaw; and pour-over coffee and draft beer for riders and hikers alike. 1573 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., Fairfax, 415.991.5625, thelodgefairfax.com b $$ BLD
VILLAGE SAKE Japanese Beloved former Sushi Ran chef Scott Whitman opened this izakaya, a Japanese style community pub, with sushi and skewers, salads and small plates,
WAY STATION American Barbecue from a food truck trailer embedded into the wall is the main attraction at this mechanic’s shop turned eatery, where tall sliding windows frame washed concrete floors that lead to a craft beer garden with fi re pit. The ’cue gets all the love here, but salads, flatbread pizzas, and a wide selection of tapped and bottled beers plus wines round out the menu. 2001 Sir Francis Drake Blvd, 415.300.3099, way stationmarin.com b $ S Í LD
JASON’S California A Golden Gate Sunset cocktail is perfect for watching the sun go down over Corte Madera Creek on the outdoor patio, but be sure to try the fried chicken special on Mondays or the Chinese chicken salad and salmon nicoise from chef-owner David Monson. 300 Drakes Landing Road, 415.925.0808, jasons restaurant.com s $$$ S Í C LD
VICTORIA BAKERY & CAFE Italian The famed Italian pastry place now offers elderflower cake, the same kind served at Prince Harry and Meghan
American Jared Rogers, the former executive chef of Picco has returned with Guesthouse. Rogers is heading up the kitchen in the Kent field eatery, and has partnered with well-known mixologist Dustin Sullivan to open this 110-seat space. Look for menu classics such as mini lobster rolls or kurobuta pork chops with crispy pota toes. 850 College Ave, 415.419.5101, guest housemarin.com s $$$ D
HALF DAY CAFE
American Tucked away in a setting of intertwining ivy and large open windows, this cafe is the quintessential breakfast nook and is also open for brunch and lunch, including coffee drinks, pastries and much more. Enjoy a casual meal inside or out on the patio. 848 College Ave, 415.459.0291, halfdaycafe.com b $$ S Í BL BR
BACKSTAGE California Nestled in downtown Larkspur, Backstage is a comfortable, sociable setting for wine tasting and light appetizers. Flights of exclusive picks from small-scale California vineyards bring wine country closer to Marin. Happy
Shrimp at Caribbean Spices, San Rafaelhour Tuesday through Friday 4 to 6 p.m. 295 Magnolia Ave, 415.898.6778, back stagewines.com
b $$ º
DJ’S CHINESE CUISINE
Chinese A great place to satisfy a craving for wonton soup before a show at the Lark Theater; the outdoor patio is a scene-stealer in itself. Lunch and takeout are popular here, too. 435 Magnolia Ave, 415.924.0717, djchinesecuisine.com
b $$ S Í LD
DON ANTONIO Italian Antonio Volpicelli, of Don Antonio in Tiburon, has opened a second location in Larkspur. Choose from standbys like gorgonzola gnocchi, veal parmesan and carbonara and an extensive wine list, all served either inside or out on the spacious patio. 455 Magnolia Ave, 415.924.3332, don antoniomarin.com
b $$ Í LD
BELCAMPO MEAT CO.
American The goods at this meatery are delivered from the certi fied-organic Belcampo Farms near Mount Shasta, dedicated to practicing a holistic approach to pasture management. Try the lamb burger banh mi or the daily meat board. Marin Country Mart, 2405 Larkspur Landing Circle, 415.448.5810, belcampomeatco.com
b $$ Í LD BR
EL HUARACHE LOCO
Mexican The menu has gained quite a following for the authentic Mexico City dishes. From mini huaraches (fi lled corn masa cakes) to the foot-long huarache with two salsas,
crema, queso fresco and two toppings of your choice, you’re sure to get a true taste of a homemade Mexican meal. Marin Country Mart, 1803 Larkspur Landing Circle, 415.925.1403, huaracheloco.com
b $ S Í BLD
EMPORIO RULLI Italian Renowned for its Northern Italian specialties and treats, the Larkspur location (there are four others) is a favored spot for lunch as well as coffee and a sweet treat. 464 Magnolia Ave, 415.924.7478, rulli.com
$$ S Í BL
FARM HOUSE LOCAL
California This downtown Larkspur gem is sure to please with simple, healthy food in a warm, cozy atmosphere, both indoors and on the covered patio. The seasonal menu, inspired by American classics, includes biscuits and gravy; a “BLAT” (with avocado) sandwich; and a daily flu ff y omelet stu ffed with local meats, vegetables and artisanal cheeses. 25 Ward St, 415.891.8577, farmhouselocal.com
b $$ S Í BL
FARMSHOP American
Located in the Marin Country Mart since 2013, Farmshop Marin has quickly become a top spot here in the county. Indoor and out door seating available. Marin Country Mart, 2233 Larkspur Landing Circle, 415.755.6700, farmshopca.com
s $$$ S Í C LD BR
GIA RISTORANTE
Italian Italian Fabrizio Laudati, former owner of San Francisco’s Bella Trattoria and Panta Rei,
Come see our multi-million dollar property renovations and state-of-the-art event spaces.
When you meet here, your vision is our complete focus.
has brought his Italian style to Marin. With cochef Stefano Guasco, he offers a menu of simple, authentic dishes with a modern twist from central Italy’s Lazio region. 286 Magnolia Ave, 415.891.3979, giarestaurant.net b $$ Í LD
LARKSPUR Seafood
The full-service Marin Country Mart location features a full bar with seasonal cocktails, beer and wine and the same bay-to-bar philosophy as the Tomales Bay original. Oysters, raw and grilled are a must, then check the day’s menu to see what was most recently pulled from Marin’s waters before deciding what to eat. 2401 Larkspur Landing Circle, 628.253.5905. hogis landoysters.com s $$ LD
This authentically classic brasserie has been serving the Larkspur community for more than two decades. Whether on the patio, at the European-style bar or in the casually elegant main dining room, it’s a fun and French experience. 507 Magnolia Ave, 415.927.3331, leftbank.com s $$$ S Í C LD BR
MARIN BREWING CO.
American Grab a cold beer made on site and pair it wit h fi sh ’n’ chips — in this case fresh cod dipped in Mt. Tam pale ale batter, served with steak fries and homemade tartar sauce — or anything from the all-American menu.
Marin Country Mart, 1809 Larkspur Landing Circle, 415.461.4677, marinbrewing.com b $$ S Í LD º
PERRY’S American Perry’s on Magnolia has the quintesssentially American fare, bustling bar and warm personality the San Fancisco original has always been famous for. Along with three separate dining rooms in a historic building, there’ss outdoor dining on the patio and in the redwood grove. Lunch and dinner daily, brunch on weekends and holidays; valet parking in the evenings. 234 Magnolia Ave, 415.927.1877, perryssf.com s $$$ Í LD BR º
PICCO California Popular since its inception, Picco has a seasonally driven menu featuring items such as risotto (made every half hour) that keep attracting return visits. 320 Magnolia Ave, 415.924.0300, restaurantpicco.com
s $$$ S Í C D
PIZZERIA PICCO Pizza This upscale parlor offers Californiain fluenced Neapolitan pizzas, cooked in a wood-burning pizza oven. Fresh mozzarella is pulled in-house and the menu also features organic salads, a daily soup and Straus Dairy soft-serve ice cream. 316 Magnolia Ave, 415.945.8900, pizzeriapicco.com b $$ S Í LD º
R’NOH THAI Thai This cozy place by the Corte Madera Creek has a reputation for clean and tasty dishes. From curries and Thai barbecue to noodle dishes and the classic tom ka (coconut lemongrass soup), R’Noh is bound to satisfy your Thai cravings. For an indulgent treat, try the fried sweet potato appetizer. 1000 Magnolia Ave, 415.925.0599, rnohthai.com b $$ S Í LD
ROMA SF Italian Ovalshaped pizza, fried rice balls, burrata with artichoke hearts, and pasta with fresh pear and Gorgonzola are just a few of the dishes that reflect the regional Roman ingredients and style of this sister restaurant to the San Francisco original. In Marin, look for fresh seafood pastas on the day’s specials menu, too. 286 Magnolia Ave, 415.896.4002, romasf.com b $$ LD
RUSTIC BAKERY
California The home grown bakery is known and loved the world over: Pope Francis famously requested Rustic Baker y fl atbread and crostini when he visited the U.S. in 2015. Organic
bread, croissants and pastries baked fresh each morning and salads, sandwiches, and soups for lunch make Rustic a local staple. 1139 Magnolia Ave, 415.925.1556; Marin Country Mart, 2017 Larkspur Landing Circle, 415.461.9900, rusticbakery.com b $$ S Í BLD BR
WISE SONS American The popular Jewish deli Wise Sons has opened its fourth outpost at the Marin Country Mart. The grab-and-go Larkspur bagel shop includes classic favorites like hot pastrami, matzo ball soup and lots of homemade schmear. Marin Country Mart, 2227 Larkspur Landing Circle, 415.878.3354, wisesonsdeli.com $$ BL BR
BOL SUPERFOOD CAFE Vegan/Vegetarian Snugged into the Mill Valley Lumber Yard, this small storefront boasts an array of bowls and smoothies packed with vibrantly-hued nutritious ingredients like acai, spirulina and activated charcoal. A bright blue Indigo bowl gets its color from blue algae while Gold pops with house made oatmylk and turmeric, both perfect for eating outside in the yard. Mill Valley Lumber Yard, Ste 803, boloflove.com $$ S Í BL
BOO KOO Asian This locally owned restaurant creates healthy meals that blend equal parts California fresh with Southeast Asian–inspired street food. Boo Koo offers a vibrant bar with wines and kombucha on tap as
well as one of the best craft beer offerings in town. Vegan, GF and vegetarian-friendly menu. 25 Miller Ave, 415.888.8303, eatbookoo.com b $ Í LD
Re-branded to more accurately reflect the expanded, ingredientdriven menu from chef Kyle Swain, the former Pizza Molina still serves its renowned pizza s fi red in the old Alan Scott oven. A fresh menu of salads such as a red beet salad and a kidfriendly white cheddar mac ’n’ cheese are now available alongside wood-fi red meats like a half-chicken or pork ribs. 17 Madrona St, 415.383.4200, pizzamolina.com b $$ S B
BUCKEYE ROADHOUSE American Oysters Bingo, baby back ribs and ChiliLime “Brick” Chicken are a few of the satisfying comfort-food menu items that have made this classic roadhouse a favorite since the ’30s. The warm dark-wood bar with red leather booths is a popular spot for cocktails, conversa tions or a light meal. 15 Shoreline Highway, 415.331.2600, buck eyeroadhouse.com s $$ C LD BR
BUNGALOW 44 American One of Mill Valley’s neighborhood hot spots, featuring contempo rary California comfort food, signature cock tails, fi ne wine, and one-dollar oysters from 5 to 6 p.m. every day. 44 E Blithedale Ave, 415.381.2500, bungalow44.com s $$$ S Í C D
Mushroom and Chestnut Pizza at Tony Tutto’s, RossCalifornia Healthy options become addictive at this eatery that now has locations in both Tam Valley and San Rafael. Once you stop in for the deliciously fresh quinoa wrap, you’ll want to return to try the chipotle rice bowl. A casual lunch spot and great for takeout, Cafe del Soul also serves smoothies and pressed juices. 247 Shoreline Highway, 415.388.1852, cafedelsoul.net
$ S Í LD
California Sip “The Obligatory Vodka Drink” at the roomlength bar while you nosh on scallop crudo or dive into a housemade veggie burger in the TV-free front room. Up the coziness factor in the back room as you tuck into a margherita pizza cooked in the wood-fi red oven at this spacious Tam Valley tavern. 152 Shoreline Hwy, 415.843.4545, floodwatermv.com
s $$ S Í C D BR
American The brain child of pastry chef Heather Hardcastle, this second location, in the bright and airy renovated Lumber Yard, offers not only gluten-free baked goods but sandwiches, salads and takeout. The fi rst location is in San Anselmo. 129 Miller Ave, 415.384.8244, flourcraftbakery.com
b $$ S Í BL
GRAVITY TAVERN
American Enjoy classics like grilled chicken Waldorf salad with pickled grapes, lobster roll with toasted challah and veggie slaw, and a land and sea
pasta with house made egg pasta, pork belly and crab. 38 Miller Ave, 415.888.2108, gravitytavern.com
s $$$ Í LD
GRILLY’S Mexican
If you’re looking for a quick, fresh meal, Grilly’s is an easy and delicious stop. Pick up a couple burritos and the much-loved chicken taco salad and you have a lunch or dinner to please the whole family. 493 Miller Ave, 415.381.3278, grillys.com
b $ S Í C BLD BR
Enjoy a lighter take on Chinese. The barbecue pork bun is fi lled with house-made roasted meat in a savory sauce, and signature prawns are wok seared with scallions. Pair your pick with wine, beer or tea and check out the weekday takeout lunch special. 401 Strawberry Village, 415.381.5300, harmonyrestaurant group.com b $$ S LD
HOOK FISH CO.
Seafood The indoor, wood-ceilinged din ing room feels like a boat’s galley and the spot’s outdoor beer garden adjacent to Mill Valley’s Proof Lab has 13 taps, but the draw at this counter-service joint is the seafood. The transparent supply chain means you can enjoy the poke, fi sh and chips or fi sh tacos secure in the knowledge of exactly where and on what boat your meal came from. 254 Shoreline Highway, hookfihco.com b $$ S Í D
Mexican Joe’s serves up fi sh tacos, burritos and enchiladas as well as more unusual items like Mexican pizza, tofu tostada and crab tostadas. A colorful interior and quick service make this a fun, easy stop. If there are too many unsupervised kids for a peaceful meal, takeout is easy too. If you stay, grab a selection of hot sauce bottles from the wall and fi nd your perfect match. 382 Miller Ave, 415.383. 8164, joestacolounge.com
b $$ S Í BLD
American This brunch stop brings some gourmet to your morning with options like Dungeness crab hash, corn fl ake French toast, eggs Florentine and bottomless mimosas. Lunch choices like paninis and burgers are also available. 31 Sunnyside Ave, 415.326.5159, kitchen sunnyside.com
b $$ S BL BR
PIATTI RISTORANTE
AND BAR Italian The staff rides itself on capturing the warm and
welcoming atmosphere of a traditional Italian trattoria. Get a table by the window or on the outdoor deck for a truly exceptional view right on the water. Peruse the impressive selection of Italian wines to accompany your rustic seasonal meal. 625 Redwood Highway, 415.380.2525, piatti.com s $$ S Í C LD BR
PIAZZA D’ANGELO
Italian Family owned for over 35 years, Piazza D’Angelo evokes a traditional trattoria dining experience. Enjoy a variety of house-made pastas, meat and seafood dishes, wood-fi red pizzas, and gluten-free offerings with organic and locally sourced ingredients. 22 Miller Ave, 415.388.2000, piazzadangelo.com
s $$ S Í C LD BR º
PIZZA ANTICA Italian Besides its popular thin-crust pizzas, this Strawberry Village restaurant serves seasonal dishes like Tuscan fried chicken with spicy honey, burrata with crushed sweet peas and toasted focaccia,
and ricotta gnocchi with sun-dried tomato cream. 800 Redwood Highway, 415.383.0600, pizzaantica.com b $$ S LD BR º
PLAYA Mexican Drawing inspiration from travels and the fresh , fl avorful cuisine served on the playa, Peter Schumacher and Bill and Vanessa Higgins have developed a menu that blends locally sourced, organic and sustainable ingredients with a bar highlighting a selection of exceptional tequilas and mezcals. 41 Throckmorton Ave, 415.384.8871, playamv.com s $$ Í D
ROBATA GRILL AND SUSHI Japanese Robata translates as “by the fi reside”; fittingly, food here can be cooked on an open fi re and served in appetizer-size portions to pass around the table. Or simply order your own sushi or entree from the menu. 591 Redwood Highway, 415.381.8400, robatagrill.com b $$ S LD
SHORELINE COFFEE SHOP American Tucked away in a parking lot at Tam Junction, this coffee shop is a funky diner with a small-town feel. Check out the mix of Mexican and traditional breakfast fare. 221 Shoreline Highway, 415.388.9085, shoreline coffeeshop.com b $$ S Í BL BR
SOL FOOD Puerto Rican This Marin favorite has opened in Mill Valley, still serving up everyone’s favorite Puerto Rican cuisine. The line can get long, but the food is well worth it. 401 Miller Ave, 415.380.1986, solfood restaurant.com $$ S BLD
SUPER DUPER American If a burger is what you are after, the one served here on a sesame seed bun is juicy, beefy and cooked medium. You can also get a veggie or chicken burger with all the toppings, a sustainable/ local pedigree for the meat and compostable packaging. A side of fries and an organic shake or soft-serve cone from Straus Family
Creamery makes it a meal, right? 430 Miller Ave, 415.380.8555, superduperburgers.com b $$ S Í LD
SWEETWATER MUSIC HALL CAFE American Located at the entrance of Sweetwater Music Hall, the cafe is dedicated to the FLOSS philosophy: Fresh, Local, Organic, Seasonal and Sustainable. O ffering breakfast, lunch, dinner and weekend brunch, the menu includes brown-butter scrambled eggs on avocado toast, crispy potatoricotta gnocchi and vegan Thai spring rolls with sweet-and-sour sauce. 19 Corte Madera Ave, 415.388.3850, sweetwater musichall.com s $$ S Í BLD BR º
TAM TAM RAMEN Asian Ramen, bao sliders, wonton nachos and pan-fried gyoza are made fresh to order, with sushi and salads from Whole Foods and Urban Remedy available in the grab-and-go cooler. If you’re dining in, an array of sake, beer and wine rounds out the menu. 745 E Blithedale Ave, 415.381.3900, genjiweb.com $$ LD
TAMALPIE Italian Owner Karen Goldberg designed this restaurant with a large group seating area, indoor and outdoor fi replaces, and a small casual bar. The food is Italian home cooking with the daily modern inspira t ion of locally sourced seasonal ingredients found in the salads, house-made pastas and crispy Neapolitan-style pizza, with a selection of beer and wine to match. 477 Miller
Ave, 415.388.7437, tamalpiepizza.com s $$ S Í C LD º
THEP LELA Thai This jewel is tucked away in the back of Strawberry Village. Diners come for the tasty kee mao noodles, pad thai, fresh rolls and extensive bar menu. It’s also a great place for lunch. 615 Strawberry Village, 415.383.3444, theplela.com s $$ S Í LD
VASCO Italian Whether at a table, the bar or the back counter, you can expect an intimate dining experience in this one-room trattoria. Try one of the pasta dishes or thin-crust wood-fi red pizzas. 106 Throckmorton Ave, 415.381.3343, vasco millvalley.com s $$ S D
WATERSHED California Gather round the fi repit in front of the restaurant or hang out at the long bar for a pre-dinner glass of wine before sampling one of the many dishes curated to reflect the bounty of Marin. The Stemple Creek Ranch burger and fresh pastas are matched with a bevy of simply prepared, easy to share dishes (like spicy rock cod lettuce cups or lamb riblets) that reflect chef Kyle Swain’s careful sourcing and focus on loca l fl avor. 129 Miller Ave, 415.888.2406, watershedmv.com b $$$ LD
WEST COAST WINE CHEESE California
Focused on small production winemakers, the wine menu features a bottle list with over 300 selections, wines by the glass that change weekly as well as
Bao at Floodwater, Mill ValleyCalifornia, Oregon and Washington beers on draft and by the bottle. A rotating cheese and charcuterie menu, served with bread from San Francisco’s Jane Bakery, is also offered. 31 Sunnyside Ave, 415.758.3408, westcoastsf.com
b $$ D
hilltop1892.com
s $$$ S Í C LD BR º
HOPMONK TAVERN
BACON American
Known for their Honey Bee Bacon coated with honey, cayenne and a bit of sugar, this aptly named spot sneaks porcine goodness into its morning menu of Benedicts and frittatas as well as lunchtime favorites of salads and burgers. But really, the Millionaire’s Bacon and the Monte Cristo Twinkies are musttry’s. 1516 Grant Ave, 415.892.9900, bacon novato.com
$$ S BL
GRAZIE American
Dark, wood-paneled walls and wide windows frame a wide room and sun-splashed terrace where an Italian-American menu of pasta, panini and sandwiches have allday appeal. Locals love the brunch menu and its blue corn blueberry pancakes and mascar pone-stu ffed French toast. 823 Grant Ave, 415.897.5181, grazierestaurant.com
s $$ S Í BLD BR
HILLTOP 1892
California In a historic country estate in Novato with sweep ing views, enjoy classic favorites with a California fl air. There’s a private banquet room for special events. 850 Lamont Ave, 415.893.1892,
American The beer garden–style outdoor patio and live music keep fans coming back to this Novato brewhouse. Weekly events include country line dancing and open mic nights with an ample selection of beers on tap. 224 Vintage Way, 415.892.6200, hopmonk.com
s $$ S Í C LD
THE SPEAKEASY
American There’s nothing like the comfort of a solid burger and beer when you’re kicking back and watching the game, and the Speakeasy provides. In addition to the 10 beers on tap, you can go beyond traditional pub grub with treats like a deconstructed salmon salad. 504 Alameda del Prado, 415.883.7793, the speakeasynovato.com s $$ LD BR º
French A local favorite known for cuisine showcasing locally farmed produce, wild and fresh seafood and free-range meats pre pared with an artisan’s touch, accompanied by a lengthy wine and beer list (bacon, wine and beer are available for sale). Thursday night is hamburger night; requesting your burger with your reservation is recommended (quantities are limited). 23 Ross Common, 415.925.9200, marcheaux fleurs restaurant.com
b $$ S Í D
By Christina Mueller
What you eat — from the meals you order to what kind of packaging food producers use — affects how much carbon you generate. Viewed in terms of the supply chain that brings food to your table, menu choices bear unequal carbon loads. That goes for veggies too — not every salad is equally green. We looked at local restaurants to see how chefs are mixing things up to help the planet.
Bamboo Sushi San Francisco Foraged Seaweeds Part of the Sustainable Restaurant Group and billed as the world’s first sustainable sushi restaurant, San Ramon’s Bamboo Sushi provides an online real-time view of its seafood supply chain. While they’re not yet doing that for vegetables, the seaweed salad here is made with
foraged marine greens, from Ocean Harvest Sea Vegetable Company in Mendocino, that are farmed with techniques that promote a replenishing ecosystem.
Harvested at the new and full moons, greens like dulse and kombu are rinsed with seawater and naturally dried in coastal cedar forests, the fronds turned each hour. Transport to the
restaurant is the only source of emissions, making this salad extra carbon-friendly. 6000 Bollinger Canyon Road, San Ramon, bamboosushi.com
Chez Panisse Cafe Berkeley Goat Cheese Salad
Ever since it opened in 1971, Alice Waters’ restaurant has cham pioned local farming
and the area food shed, emphasizing fresh inseason ingredients and pioneering what we now know as California cuisine. The restau rant’s signature salad contains mixed greens typically sourced from the Sonoma Valley’s Cannard Family Farm, which ships in reus able boxes not lined with plastic and takes back all trim from the
Bamboo Sushigreens for reuse. “We don’t stick to a cer tain kind of lettuce” so there’s no need to order produce from afar, restaurant gen eral manager Jennifer Sherman says. Even the olive oil is sourced locally, from Seka Hills in Capay Valley, north west of Sacramento.
Cheese from Petaluma’s Andante Dairy is rolled in crumbs spun from yesterday’s bread and warmed gently in the oven until crispy, an irresistible combination that remains so popular the cafe can never take it off the menu. 1517 Shattuck Ave, Berkeley. chezpanisse.com
Creator San Francisco Mixed Greens Salad
Perhaps better known for its robot-made burger, Creator is reimagining the way food comes to us at restaurants, from tools to sourcing. The menu fea tures two salads, one that changes seasonally and a year-round goat cheese with greens. The greens are from Plenty, an indoor vertical farm in South San Francisco that uses around 1 percent of the land and 5 percent of the water required by a tradi tional farm. That extreme energy efficiency makes for a lunch that pleases the palate with little impact on the planet.
680 Folsom St, San Francisco, creator.rest Daily Driver San Francisco Seasonal Salad
Tomales’ Toluma Farms is the source for not only the milk at Daily Driver’s on-site creamery in San Francisco’s Dogpatch neighborhood but the produce in the day’s seasonal salad. In early spring, that can be kale and mixed greens with julienned fennel and carrot, tossed with a lemony vinaigrette or buttermilk ranch dress ing courtesy of Toluma Farms’ cows. Toluma is actively engaged in carbon farming,
strategically applying compost to rangelands and recently undertaking to plant 500 trees onproperty to store carbon and improve soil health — to “sequester as much CO2 as possible through land management,” says co-owner Tamara Hicks. 2535 Third St, San Francisco, dailydriver.com
A small organic farm across the street from Nick’s Cove, the Croft provides much of the produce used at the restaurant. In the spring, chef Kua Speer works with garden manager
Brendan Thomas to harvest lettuces and vegetables at the peak of flavor. Croft-grown lettuces, peas, radishes and turnips might get a dressing of local lemon and olive oil. While some ingredients are not sourced from within 100 steps, the garden program helps: “Reducing our carbon footprint is central to the conversation around sustainability,” Thomas says. 23240 Highway One, Marshall, nickscove.com
Valette Healdsburg Sonoma County Salad OK, the goat cheese is
from Skyhill Napa Valley Farms, but otherwise this salad from chefowner Dustin Valette and chef de cuisine Nate Davis is an expression of Sonoma’s bounty. Greens hail from Bernier Farms in Geyserville; the satsuma mandarin seg ments and the makrut lime in the dressing are from the Valette garden; and the English walnuts come from a tree in vintner Gary Blasi’s Healdsburg vineyard. “We are fortunate to sit back and express our local style of living through what’s growing,” Valette says. 344 Center St, Healdsburg, valettehealdsburg.com
After nine years in Mill Valley, owner Greg DiGiovine relocated to Ross, bringing his familiar pies and kidand dog-friendly vibe to downtown. The vegan pies are still here and a gluten-free crust is now available. 16 Ross Common, 415.383.8646, tonytuttopizza.com
b $$ S LD
BAAN THAI CUISINE
Thai Known for its mango sticky rice, this restaurant is committed to serving fresh, local and seasonal food. Warm up with the tom kha soup or stave off he heat with a lychee iced tea. 726 San Anselmo Ave, 415.457.9470, baanthaimarin.com
b $$ LD
American Established in 1986, Comforts has a cozy sit-down patio
and serves breakfast, lunch and weekend brunch. A large takeout section offers fresh bakery items, seasonal salads, soups, sandwiches and even entrees for dinner at home. Besides the famous Chinese chicken salad, other winners are the stu ffed pecan-crusted French toast , fl avorful scrambles, Chicken Okasan (nicknamed “Crack Chicken” by fans) and wonton soup. 335 San Anselmo Ave, 415.454.9840, comfortscafe.com
b $$ S Í BL BR
CREEKSIDE PIZZA & TAP ROOM American
Under the direc tion of chef Janet Abrahamson, Creekside serves American-style artisan pizza (vegan and gluten-free options available) and organic salads, along with an extensive selection of craft beer on tap and Northern California wines. There’s a daily
happy hour, a big-screen TV and a banquet room available by reservation. 638 San Anselmo Ave, 415.785.4450, creeksidesa.com
b $$ S C D º
CUCINA SA Italian Cucina SA recently ren ovated and expanded its space to include a full bar that seats 30 with an upstairs mezzanine area that will eventually become a lounge. Along with two dining rooms, a private dining option and outdoor tables on the adjacent bridge, the restaurant is a solid bet for casual after-work drinks or hosting large parties. The menu has woodfi red pizzas, homemade pastas, modern takes on Italian classics and lots of vegetarian, gluten-free options and now a full bar.
510 San Anselmo Ave, 415.454.2942, cucina-sa.com
s $$ S Í LD º
globally-sourced and Californian wines and a few beers are on tap at owner Jill CordovaHolt’s eponymously named bar and retail shop in the Red Hill Shopping Center. Savor small bites like a cheese and charcuterie board or black tru ffle potato chips while sipping in the lounge, at the bar or one of the indoor/ outdoor tables. 906 Sir Francis Drake Blvd, San Anselmo, 415.521.5500, jillieswine.com b $$ Í LD
MH worth checking out. 101 San Anselmo Ave, 415.755.4575, mhbreadandbutter.com b $$ S Í BL BR
SUSHI 69 Japanese
American Along with artisan gluten-free pastries, breads and special-occasion cakes, this place serves lunch, with dairy-free and vegan choices available. Customer favorites include oatmeal choco late chip cookies, decadent cinnamon rolls, flourless hazelnut brownies and the bakery’s signature granola 702 San Anselmo Ave, 415.453.3100, flour craftbakery.com $ S Í BL
INSALATA’S Mediterranean Awardwinning chef Heidi Krahling’s restaurant features delicious, soulful Mediterranean fare, as well as food-to-go at a counter inside. 120 Sir Francis Drake Blvd, 415.457.7700, insalatas.com s $$$ S C LD BR
JILLIE’S WINE BAR
Californian A rotating list of more than 20
MADCAP California Chef Ron Siegel has opened his fi rst solo venture in a contemporary art-fi lled space with an urban edge. The vegetable-centric menu incorporates seafood and local ingredients, fusing California and Japanese cuisines in colorful dishes that are bold, balanced and bright. 198 Sir Francis Drake Blvd, 415.453.9898, madcapmarin.com b $$$ D
MARINITAS Mexican
This sister restaurant of Insalata’s continues to flourish as a bastion of creative Mexican and Central and South American cuisine. Not your typical southof-the-border spot, Marinitas serves up top-notch margaritas and Latin lusciousness. 218 Sir Francis Drake Blvd, 415.454.8900, marinitas.net s $$ S LD BR
M.H. BREAD AND BUTTER California
A one-stop shop for everything from coffee and pastries to artisan bread, with a seasonal brunch menu. Highquality ingredients and a comfortable atmosphere make
Opened in 2001 in San Anselmo, Sushi 69 has been a favorite for locals looking to get thei r fi ll of no-frills sushi. The owner hails from Japan and has created an extensive menu featur ing traditional tempura and the popular Hiro’s roll (spicy tuna with avocado, salmon and ponzu sauce wrapped in sushi rice). 69 Center Blvd, 415.459.6969, shallwego69.com b $$$ Í D
The delicious burgers and fries, like the #1 Hub Burger with white cheddar and special sauce, and seasonal focus at the former Farm Burger in the Red Hill Shopping Center haven’t changed, but the addition of an array of big salads like Thai spinach and keto cobb necessitated a rebrand ing. The chicken burger with sriracha-chile mayo is a new fave. 882 Sir Francis Drake Blvd, 415.785.4802, hubsananselmo.com b $$ Í LD
This bright and cozy space is the ideal environment for authentic Italian dishes made with local ingredients. A seat at the chef’s table gives a prime view of the open kitchen. 337 San Anselmo Ave, 415.454.7800, valentico.com b $$$ D
FLOUR CRAFT BAKERY Tartare di Tonno at Cucina SA, San Anselmo
PIZZERIA California A wide array of thin-crust pizzas, freshly made pastas and salads are the ticket here, along wit h fl ame-roasted lemon chicken wings, for dine-in, takeout and delivery. Gluten-free pizza crust is available. 1242 Fourth St, 415.455.9777, amicis.com b $$ S Í LD º
Brazilian The picanha is the signature cut at this Brazilian-style steak house where gauchos carrying grilled meats on long swords cruise the room, offering portions of up to 10 meats. A huge salad bar offers everything from fei joada and potato salad to yucca and deviled eggs. 925 Fourth St, 628.253.5854, boiadeirus.com s $$$ S LD
Brazilian Brazilian street eats and the country’s famed pao de quejo are on offer at this catering and baking hub and take-out shop in San Rafael’s Canal neighborhood. Naturally gluten-free cheesy bread and tapioca crepes pair well with Brazil’s native acai bowls, coffee and desserts or build your own sandwich with linguica or roasted eggplant. brazilianbreads.com s $$$ S LD
Caribbean Jerk chicken with just the right amount of heat is a menu highlight at this brick-and-mortar San Rafael extension of chef-owner Frantz Felix’s food truck of
the same name. Go for the Caribbean sangria and Haitian specialties like griot or goat curry and African American–inspired versions of creole snapper and seafood gumbo. 819 Fourth St, 415.299.2680, carribeanspicesdba.net b $$ BLD BR
GASPARE’S Italian Carved Moroccan-style plasterworks grace the foyer at this boisterous, two-room spot. The room to the left hosts a busy bar where an Italian Cosmo cocktail is topped with Prosecco but anyplace is fi ne to try homemade gnoc chi, veal scaloppini or a Sicilian style pizza with eggplant and feta. 200 Merrydale Road, 415.472.7101, gasparespizzeria.com s $$ S D
LAVIER CUSINE
Mexican Free-range meat and fresh seafood are the focus at this allorganic eatery run by Gabriela and her husband Guillermo, who hails from Yucatán. Try the popular pu ff y fi sh tacos with slaw and black beans. Brunch is served on weekends until 2 p.m. 1025 C St, 415.295.7990, lavier latinfusion.com b $$ S LD BR º
LE COMPTOIR French
The owners of San Francisco’s Gamine have opened their second restaurant, this time in the heart of San Rafael. The bistro serves up traditional French favorites like beef cheeks bourguignon and onion soup gratinée in a chic and cozy setting. If you’re planning to go, call ahead. 1301 Fourth St, 415.454.5454, lecomptoirsr.com b $$ Í C D
LOS MOLES Mexican Nestled centrally on Lincoln Avenue, Los Moles offers traditional pueblo Mexican cuisine, with — you guessed it — a variety of di fferent moles to enhance your dish. O ffering brunch, lunch, dinner and party options, Los Moles’ menu includes enmo ladas, tacos, pollo al horno, carne asada , fl an and much more. Don’t miss Taco Tuesday night for all-you-caneat tacos. 912 Lincoln Ave, 415.453.5850, losmoles.com
s $$ LD BR º
American Grab a meal prepared by chef Chris Harman before or after hitting the driving range (or even without picking up a club). Outdoor seating is popular, as is the full bar, with a selection of premium Scotches, small-batch bourbons and more than 50 wines
from California vine yards. McInnis Park, 415.491.5959, mcinnis parkgolfcenter.com s $$$ Í C LD
PIZZERIA Italian Chef Ted Rowe won fi rst place in the Food Network Television Pizza Challenge with his For the Love of Mushroom pizza —sautéed mushrooms in a creamy garlic sauce and a red wine reduction atop a fresh crust. Be sure to try other unique pies, like the spicy Three Beer pizza. 101 Smith Ranch Road, 415.472.7272, mulberry streetpizzasan rafael.com b $$ S LD
American The new microbrewery in the West End from husband and wife team Trevor and Stephanie Martens has a rotating list of beers on tap from brewer Trevor,
pop-up food from local businesses in the beer garden, and snacks at the bar. Stein parking is available. 1848 Fourth St, 415.524.8709, pond farmbrewing.com b $ Í D
RANGE CAFE American The cuisine is local, seasonal, made with naturally raised ingredients and served in a casual, comfortable and refi ned setting, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the grand Peacock Gap lawns. An inviting cafe at lunch with ice-cold lemonade and refreshing chardonnays makes a great dinner spot once the sun sets. 333 Biscayne Drive, 415.454.6450, rangecafe.net s $$ S Í C BLD º
REVEL & ROOST
Californian The sunflower-bedecked tables hint at the Spanish and French flavors to come from the seasonally
driven, locally sourced menu at this corner spot in downtown San Rafael. Artichoke salad with grilled radicchio casts an eye to Italy while a diver scallop with red curry and Thai basil looks far beyond the Mediterranean. 901 B St, San Rafael, 415.870.9946, revel roostkitchen.com b $$ S LD
SHANGRI-LA ORGANIC KITCHEN Indian/Himalayan The cute Nepalese dump lings known as momos come in vegetarian, vegan and sweet versions and spinach pakoras are just one of many gluten-free options on the menu. Other dishes, like a bento box with chicken or paneer tikka, New York–style pizzas, and Shangri-La veg thali, bridge the Indian diaspora. A small bar at the front of the slim space serves beer, wine and sake. 869 Fourth St, 415.459.3315, shangrila organickitchen.com b $$ LD
SHIRO KUMA Japanese Shiro Kuma, which means polar bear, takes its inspiration from chef Yasuo Shigeyoshi’s childhood in a small rural town in the south of Japan and offers traditional-style sushi and wagyu A5 and Kobe beef to cook over ishiyaki grilling stones. Popular weekly specials include hama chi jalapeño and the omakase (chef’s choice) dinner. 1518 Fourth St, 415.295.7464, sushishirokuma.com b $$ S LD
SUSHI TO DAI FOR Japanese Snagging a seat in this popular Fourth Street spot can be a challenge, but
patience is rewarded with tasty and fresh sashimi, unique sushi rolls and great prices. 816 Fourth St, 415.721.0392, sushi todaifor.net b $$ S LD
American Pub grub like karaage “popcorn” chicken, French bread pizza, and big meaty plates of ribs and tritip with all the fi xin’s defi ne the menu from chef Chris Lyon at this brewpub in a National Historic Landmark building in downtown San Rafael. A pull from one of the 34 taps yields a hand-crafted beer, cider or kombucha from local and global breweries. 1300 Fourth St, 415.521.5770, tam commons.com b $$ LD º
American This water front restaurant and music venue presents fresh food and local talent. The menu offers salads, savory dishes and wood-fi red pizzas plus a wide selection of beer, wine and cocktails. Come for the food, stay for the music. 100 Yacht Club Drive, 415.524.2773, terrapin crossroads.net s $$ Í C D BR º
American A favorite with both the kids and the foodie set, this charming eatery serves food like Mom used to make. Drop by for eggs Benedict, tuna melts, coffee and some of the best milkshakes around. 817 Fourth St, 415.259.0182, theresaand-johnnys.com b $$ S Í BL BR
UCHIWA RAMEN
Japanese When own ers Benson Yang and Kevin Fong decided to open Marin’s fi rst ramen shop in 2014, they weren’t sure what to expect. Three years later, Uchiwa remains loved by ramen enthusiasts for its rich broths, fresh noodles and wide assortment of appetizers. Vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options available. 821 B St, 415.991.3693, uchiwaramen.com b $$ LD
VN NOODLE & GRILL Vietnamese Located in Montecito Plaza, the restaurant has a robust menu of standard Vietnamese fare, including a wide selection of rice plates, pho and of course, iced coffe. 421 Third St, 415.306.8299 $$ S C LD
Caribbean Owner/chef Bill Higgins serves tapas, sangria and reasonably priced organic dishes. The CaliforniaCaribbean lunch and dinner cuisine blends local farm-fresh ingredients with Latin fl avors. Be sure to try the popula r fi sh tacos, Cuban “cigars” and chocolate bread pud ding. Available for parties and special gatherings, plus a back patio for alfresco dining. 1613 Fourth St, 415.256.1818, whipsnap.biz b $$ S Í C LD º
YET WAH Chinese
Named for the founder’s wife (“Yet” refers to the moon, “Wah” to bright ness), this beloved mainstay has a traditional Chinese menu and daily dim sum. Expect live music in the
Sweet Heart Salad at Creekside Pizza and Taproom, San AnselmoKung Fu Lounge. 1238 Fourth St, 415.460.9883, yetwahsanrafael.com
s $$ S Í LD
AVATAR’S Indian If you’re on the hunt for innovative Indian fare, head to Avatar’s. Sip masala chai sweetened with brown sugar in this casual one-room restaurant, ideal for a quick lunch or dinner. 2656 Bridgeway, 415.332.8083, enjoyavatars.com b $$ S LD
BAR BOCCE American
Food just tastes better on a bayside patio with fi re pits and a bocce ball court. Order one of the sourdough bread pizzas and a glass of wine and you’ll see
why this casual eatery, overseen by Robert Price of Buckeye and Bungalow 44, has become a local favorite. 1250 Bridgeway, 415.331.0555, barbocce.com s $$ S Í LD
BUMP BAR Seafood
The Sausalito bar and cafe boasts an intimate 12 seats facing the kitchen and an array of sustainably sourced caviar and roe and a seafood-centric menu that makes the most of the sea’s briniest delight. Plates like binchotan grilled lobster with herbs or black cod topped with tru ffles round out the menu. 1403 Bridgeway, 415.332.0826, californiacaviar.com b $$$ D
COPITA Mexican Co-owner Joanne Weir, along with chef Daniel Tellez, presents fresh Mexican fare in the heart of downtown Sausalito. The ever-changing menu is 100 percent glutenfree, and the in-house tequila bar serves over 100 varieties and fantastic cocktails. Dine at the bar or on the outdoor patio for great people-watch ing. 739 Bridgeway, 415.331.7400, copita restaurant.com s $$ S Í LD BR
MURRAY CIRCLE
American Cavallo Point’s acclaimed restaurant features local seasonal fare by executive chef Justin Everett, with pairings from an extensive wine list and tempting
desserts. Stop by Farley Bar for cocktails with a view. 601 Murray Circle, 415.339.4750, cavallopoint.com s $$$ S Í C BLD BR
POGGIO Italian Executive chef Benjamin Balesteri creates Northern Italian fare using fresh and local ingredients. Private dining rooms above the restaurant can accommodate larger parties (10 to 150 guests). 777 Bridgeway, 415.332.7771, poggio tratoria.com s $$$ S Í C BLD
SAUSALITO EQUATOR
American The transition of Cibo to Sausalito Equator means the coffee menu expanded to include Equator’s iconic drinks like the shakerato (coffee shaken
with cream) while the locally-sourced salads, sandwiches, soups and housemade pastries (try the croissant or cream cheese Danish) are here to stay. 1201 Bridgeway, 415.331.2426, equator coffes.com/sausalito $$ S Í BL
SAYLOR’S RESTAURANT AND BAR Mexican Chef/ owner Sean Saylor uses fresh local ingredients and seafood to create a distinctively Cabo combination of California and Mexican cuisine. Choose from more than 200 varieties of tequilas that are even better when enjoyed in the private Cabo Wabo room, named for (and approved by) Mill Valley’s own tequila master, Sammy Hagar. 2009 Bridgeway,
415.332.1512, saylors restaurantandbar.com s $$ S Í C LD º
VITALITY BOWLS
California Hydrating acai, graviola (a.k.a. soursop fruit) and other nutritional powerhouses are at the heart of this superfood cafe in Sausalito’s Gateway Center. Look for bowls and smoothies like The Hulk (powered by broccoli, naturally) and an organic coffee bar with pour-over coffee, kombucha and drinks like a pitaya latte. 100 Donahue St, 415.729.9795, vitality bowls.com $$ S BLD
Since 2013, CK Contemporary has offered the best in realism, abstraction and historic estates. In a celebration of our commitment to San Francisco and Union Square, we are thrilled to announce our beautifully renovated new location that boasts twice as much exhibition space, allowing us to dramatically expand our programing.
Five years from now, what changes will your gallery experience?
We just relocated to an expansive and beautifully renovated new gallery, directly on Union Square, which opens enormous possibilities for how we can curate our collection. Our future is now exponentially more interesting.
What is your competitive edge?
We truly believe in building strong relationships with our clients above all else. When you really get to know someone, finding the perfect art for them or their space becomes intuitive.
What makes your work worthwhile?
An art gallery has a cultural obligation to its city. Doing what I do allows me to support that mission as well as artists all over the world.
What part of your business drives you crazy?
Most galleries are intimidating places to walk into and can alienate the average collector. We have always strived to create an inviting place for people to explore our collection.
CK CONTEMPORARY GALLERY 357 GEARY STREET, SAN FRANCISCO, 415.397.0114, CKCONTEMPORARY.COM
MARIN ADVERTISERS SPEAK UPDON ANTONIO
TRATTORIA Italian Located in Tiburon’s Ark Row, this trattoria serves authentic Italian cuisine in a quaint setting. Traditional selections include chicken piccata, veal marsala and housemade pesto. 114 Main St, 415.435.0400, don antoniotrattoria.com b $$ D
LUNA BLU Italian Executive chef Renzo Azzarello serves Sicilian seafood and homemade pastas with a Californian touch. The seasonal menu incorporates fresh and organic produce, local naturally grown meat and poultry from small farms. The restaurant
complies with Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch, so all the seafood is sustainable. In 2014 diners voted Luna Blu one of the Top 100 Neighborhood Gem res taurants in America. 35 Main St, 415.789.5844, lunablurestaurant.com s $$ S Í LD
SAM’S ANCHOR CAFE American Reopened after an extensive remodel, Sam’s boathouse feel and boat tie-ups are intact, and spi ff y white umbrellas and deck chairs line the waterfront patio. Allday cocktails remain a fi xture as does the signature cioppino, while offerings like crab toast, a roaming oyster cart and a raw bar reflect the menu’s endur ing seafood focus. 27
Main St, 415.435.4527, samscafe.com s $$$ S Í C LD BR º
SERVINO RISTORANTE Italian Chef and owner Angelo Servino highlights organic ingredients in an array of rustic Italian dishes, including house-made pastas, wood oven pizzas, and seasonal specialties. Located on the bay in Tiburon, Servino also prides itself on its extensive sustainable seafood program. Savor la dolce vita on the waterfront patio. 9 Main St, 415.435.2676, servino.com s $$$ S Í C LD BR º
CAFE REYES Pizza
Though there’s no oyster pizza on the menu, a short menu of bivalves and Neapolitan-style pies at this cozy spot means the brick oven is a hub of activity. Margherita with handcrushed San Marzano tomatoes is a classic but the Farallon with
crimini mushrooms and pepperoni is equally popular. 11101 California One, Point Reyes Station, 415.663.9493, cafe-reyes.com b $$ S LD
This coastal escape is now famous for barbecued local oys ters, Dungeness crab mac ’n’ cheese and
cocktails incorpo rating homegrown ingredients. Large windows in the 120seat restaurant provide picturesque views of Tomales Bay and Hog Island (Marshall). 23240 Highway 1, 415.663.1033, nickscove.com
s $$$ S Í C LD BR
s b $ $$ $$$ S Í C BLD BR º
Full bar Wine and beer
Inexpensive (entrees $10 or less) Moderate (up to $20) Expensive ($20 and over) Kid-friendly
Outdoor seating
Private party room
Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Brunch
Happy hour
These listings are not intended to be a full review of the business, rather a quick guide to some of the most popular restaurants in the county. For more restaurant listings, visit us online at marinmagazine.com/dine
• SVMA The Sonoma Valley Museum of Art held an open ing reception to announce two solo exhibitions, Judy O’Shea: Permutations and Valentin Popov: Modern Mixmaster, on January 25. Both artists are based in the Bay Area.
DREW ALTIZER
Joshua Roma, Brian Birddog and Jonathan Jump
Paul Hepfer, Gail Kennedy and Tim Barabe
• MANETTI SHREM MUSEUM The Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art announced a commitment of $4.5 million in gifts at its January 25 annual winter gala.
• PROJECT OPEN HAND Over 400 people attended Project Open Hand’s 27th annual Hand to Hand Luncheon at the Fairmont San Francisco Hotel. Money raised from this event will support Project Open Hand.
Sami Gowara, Janine Frisk, Erika Boulding and Jesse Cuevas
Jan Shrem, Mauro Aprile Zanetti, Inder Dhillon, Maria Manetti Shrem, Eva Zanetti and Ken McNeely
Linda Keaton and Valentin Popov
SNAPSHOTS FROM SPECIAL EVENTS IN MARIN AND SAN FRANCISCO EDITED BY JESSICA GLIDDON
DREW ALTIZER PHOTOGRAPHY
• FOG DINNER On January 16 at San Francisco’s Tosca Cafe, Pace Gallery hosted a dinner with artist Leo Villareal during this year’s FOG Design+Art Fair.
Annie and Gene Schnair, Roger Magoulas and Agnieszka Pilat
Kitty Morgan, Charles Desmairais and Leo Villareal
• S.F. BALLET S.F. Ballet’s opening night gala kicked off with a cocktail reception and fundraising dinner at S.F. City Hall January 16. The event saluted Helgi Tomasson’s 35th year as the ballet’s artistic director.
Helgi and Marlene Tomasson
Paul and Nancy Pelosi, Paula West and Michael Nguyen-Hormel
TO SEE MORE EVENT PHOTOS VISIT MARINMAGAZINE.COM/HOTTICKET
The all-new bathroom has a floating mirror.
SANDY AND DAVID Millspaugh of Asheville, North Carolina, were drawn to the Bay Area after two of their children moved here. One eventually resettled out of state, but the other put down roots, purchasing a home in Marin to live in with his wife and son. After many visits, the Millspaughs fell in love with Marin and decided to buy a home here too, planning on a bicoastal retirement.
Finding the right spot wasn’t easy. “We looked on and off or at least five years,” David says. Finally, in 2014, they settled on a hillside Craftsman in Sausalito with postcard bay views.
The house had good bones, though it hadn’t been remodeled since the eighties. “It was very dated, which really bothered me,” Sandy recalls. David says, “It didn’t bother me a bit.”
But as the saying goes, happy wife, happy life, so in 2017 the coupled teamed with Jennifer Wundrow and Heather Brock, of Nest Design Co. in Ross, to devise a renovation plan.
The project started out small in scope, then kept snowballing until it became a near down-to-the-studs remodel. They expanded the kitchen and tricked it out with all-new custom cabinetry, marble countertops and top-of-the-line appliances. Every bathroom was reimagined. Engineered wide-plank oak floors were laid down throughout. Out came two old wood-burning fi replaces and in went two energy-efficient gas units. The one in the living room now has a surround fashioned from carved Carrara marble tiles by Artistic Tile; the one in the master is adorned with Ann Sacks 6-by-12-inch stone pieces. New built-in cabinets in the dining room were designed to complement the couple’s existing table and chairs, reupholstered to coordinate with the wallpaper.
While the home still has quirks, including a tight stairwell leading to the second floor, the Millspaughs embrace them. One funky detail that had to go was the original laundry area. “It was outside. You had to walk outside and around the back deck to a storage closet,” recalls Sandy. “After doing this in the rain for three years, I said, ‘Enough.’ ” The design team carved space for a proper laundry room from what was once a vestibule off he guest bedroom. The outdoor storage room got closed off nd opened to the inside — making space for another surprise. “It ended up being the perfect place to put a small kitchen pantry,” Sandy says.
The outside also got a face-lift. “We stained the redwood shingles gray, changed the house trim to black, updated the front garden, replaced all the exterior lighting and added new landscaping,” Sandy says.
Renovations behind them, they are now savoring family life in their quiet hillside home. “Our grandson sleeps over all the time,” says Sandy. “And we’re available for babysitting.”
A vintage Sausalito home with a view gets an inside-out remodel.
CONTRACTOR
Ross Reed of Design Solutions, San Francisco
Jennifer Wundrow and Heather Brock of Nest Design Co., Ross
“I guess I would say the kitchen, although my inside laundry room is also fabulous,” Sandy says.
Opposite: The home’s new and improved kitchen. This page, clockwise from top left: David and Sandy Millspaugh; stellar bay views were one of this home’s many assets; a luxurious soaking tub anchors the master bathroom; a bold wallpaper adds personality to a small space; existing redwood shingles are modernized when coated in gray stain; the master bedroom.
WHAT THEY OWN A 3-bedroom, 2.5-bath Craftsman
The South Banana Belt neighborhood in Sausalito
One of a kind, sleek and modern. Built in 2009 and featured in Sunset Magazine! Full length roof top deck with 360° views of the bay, Mt. Tam and San Francisco. Boat dock included.
Spacious home with brilliant sunshine in every room. Gas fireplace, custom woodwork throughout, two ensuite bedrooms and large boat dock.
Whimsical floating home with wide open bay views from 3 large entertaining decks. One of a kind, located on the coveted “Garden Dock.” Almost 1,000 sq.ft of charm and character.
Having over 31 years of experience, Michele Affronte provides buyers and sellers with an exceptional level of service and a deep understanding of the Sausalito Real Estate market. A long time floating homeowner and resident, Michele is well-known for being the best-informed and most knowledgeable resource for real estate services regarding floating homes and has sold hundreds of floating homes. She currently serves as a Board Member for the Sausalito Floating Home Association and sells throughout Sausalito.
Learn more at micheleaffronte.evrealestate.com
Michele Affronte · Engel & Völkers Sausalito (415) 798-0236 michele.affronte@evrealestate.com 00959293
©2020 All rights reserved. Each brokerage independently owned and operated. Engel & Völkers and its independent License Partners are Equal Opportunity Employers and fully support the principles of the Fair Housing Act. is but is guaranteed and should be independently verified. If your property is currently represented by a estate broker, this is not an attempt to solicit your listing. 1,292 &
Luxurious and elegant, this 5 bedroom, Colonial-style estate presents a once in a lifetime opportunity. A unique blend of modern amenities, refinement, and elegance. A grand foyer and circular staircase open to perfectly proportioned rooms. A sun drenched parlor, game room with coffered ceiling, and stately dining room blend seamlessly into the sensational back yard. Upper level boasts two spacious bedroom en suites and a master bedroom retreat. The estate grounds showcase formal rose gardens, patios, pool, BBQ, and an outside kitchen. Romance is back ~ come experience true love in the Mansion on Midway.
Charming 3 bed/2 bath single family home, full of character and situated on a large lot. Updated kitchen and bathrooms. Price to be determined.
Spacious 2,400 sq. ft. home. 3 bed/2 bath plus 2nd floor addition (4th bed/family room). Lovingly cared for with many updates. for price.
OPENING CLOSING DEALS went above most Realtors would K.C. Corte Placida, Greenbrae Green Glen Way, Mill Valley Lowell Avenue, Mill Valley Sheffield Avenue, Mill Valley Trillium Lane, Mill Valley Monte Vista Avenue, Mill Valley Skyline Terrace, Mill Valley Chaucer Court, Mill Valley Eldridge Avenue, Novato Albion Court, Novato San Marin Drive, Novato Knollwood Drive, San Rafael Ross Street, San Rafael Narragansett Cove, San Rafael Monte Mar Drive, Sausalito
As Spring begins to blossom, so are the listings with Bowman Real Estate Group. Three lovely offerings exceptional a charming, revitalized Victorian with a landscaped garden on a quiet street in Coastal Marin, a spacious Fairfax canyon home with incredible light, guest house and a one-of-a-kind passive solar home In Bay Hills with nearly 360-degree views. Contact for
Chris BackerBrownFrontMachado
Domain Marin Team O’Brien
Spiro Stratigos
Stylish contemporary house nestled at the top of Lincoln Hill with Bay views. A rare opportunity to own a 4 bedroom house with the potential of an in-law/rental unit. Upper level has open living, dining and kitchen area with vaulted open beam ceilings, a fireplace, Teak hardwood floors, remodeled kitchen with an island, stone counters, gas range, wine refrigerator, skylight and access to the yard. Lower level has a separate family room with a fireplace, bedroom, bathroom and laundry/kitchen with a separate entrance and private patio. The backyard has a nice brick patio off the kitchen and a small deck with a trestle. Up the back hill is a large viewing deck with a panoramic view of the Bay, Richmond bridge and East Bay. 2-car garage, near hiking trails/open space, moments away from downtown and 3 different access roads to the property. 105Graceland.com
My clients searched for months for the right house in Mill Valley. When we found 416 Viewpark Court in Mill Valley, they instantly fell in love with it. This spacious townhouse has ample living space with a living & dining room, plus a family room off the kitchen. Outstanding views of Mt. Tam, Richardson Bay, Tam Valley and National Park that makes one feel on top of the world. The property features a 2-car garage, privacy, near hiking trails, easy commute to San Francisco and much more. My Clients love their new home!
A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity awaits with your purchase of Valhalla, one of the San Francisco Bay Area’s most iconic residential/mixed-use waterfront compounds. Located in the heart of old town Sausalito, offering world-class, panoramic views of the San Francisco skyline, Angel Island, Bay Bridge, Richardson Bay and beyond, Valhalla is available for the first time in nearly a decade. Asking $11,800,000. Valhalla is ready for final stages of development into a world-class, Riviera-style estate with over 11,000 square feet of living space across three independent residences; the main home, adjacent guest house, and a separate finished single family home. The main residence has approximately 4,000 square feet of terraces, including a massive view-side terrace adjacent the proposed master suite with captivating San Francisco Bay views, and an approximately 1,000 square foot covered veranda. One of the most anticipated properties to ever grace the Sausalito market, this opportune moment in history calls for the most discerning of buyers to re-imagine and custom-finish one of Marin’s most legendary properties into an unrivaled resort-style estate.
Sausalito
Artistic Rendering
Artistic Rendering
Artistic Rendering
LUXURY PROPERTY SPECIALIST
Seasoned Realtor and Marin mom, this former urbanite helps families make the move across the bridge, expertly navigating niche neighborhoods, top schools and headache-free commutes with ease. A reputable resource and proven partner, there’s no better agent to help your family find their forever home. Bridge Loan Services gets you access to competitive and dedicated support from industry-leading with the exclusive option to get up to six months of payments fronted when you sell home with a Compass agent. Contact me for more information.
The Marin Motor Movies opened in 1948 and 600 cars could drive in — but many more would catch a “flicker” as they drove by.
By Jim Wood
IT WAS THE era of “making out,” not “hooking up,” and Marin was not to be left behind. According to Marin IJ ’s History Watch writer Michael Kilgore, “the 600-car-capacity Marin Motor Movies drive-in featured ‘hook-on’ speakers with volume that was adjustable depending on the amount of attention the car’s occupants wanted to devote to the screen.” In case you’re now lost in memories of teenage years, a bit of orientation might be in order: in this photograph, that’s Highway 101 cutting diagonally across the upper left side and Highway 580 is on the photo’s upper right side.
Marin Motor Movies opened on May 21, 1948, and lasted 34 years until it was replaced by today’s Marin Square shopping complex, which has recently been remodeled. And if you consider yourself a Marin oldtimer, you’ll no doubt recall driving along either of these highways and catching a flicker of something playing that evening. In the mid-1960s, you might have glimpsed A Hard Day’s Night, featuring the Beatles, on the massive 41-by-52-foot screen. Also drawing Marinites to the seven-acre venue were traditional Easter Sunday sunrise services that occurred annually until the drive-in theater ceased operation in 1982. m