marin living december 2021

holiday gatherings

&

irresistible getaways

Home, where memories are made.

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Happy Holidays!

Thank you to my clients, colleagues, family and friends.

Nick Svenson nick@marinsfhomes.com www.MarinSFhomes.com 415.505.7674 | DRE #01918616

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Louise M. Davies Foundation

SUPPORTING PARTNER

HOLIDAYS WITH THE SF SYMPHONY

Love Actually is a copyright of WT Venture LLC. Licensed by Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.

© 1990 Twentieth Century Fox.

DEC 8

DEC 14–15

DEC 16 & 18

Holiday Soul with Yolanda Adams

Love Actually— Film with Live Orchestra

Home Alone— Film with Live Orchestra

DEC 17

DEC 22

DEC 31

Holiday Gaiety

A Cool Yule Christmas— Holiday Favorites of Frank & Ella

New Year’s Eve with Darren Criss

sfsymphony.org/holiday SECOND CENTURY PARTNER

INAUGURAL PARTNER

SEASON PARTNERS

OFFICIAL AIRLINE

Lap Pool, Resort Pool, and Spa Overlooking the Pacific Ocean

THIS IS NOT INTENDED TO BE AN OFFERING OR SOLICITATION OF SALE IN ANY JURISDICTION WHERE THE PROJECT IS NOT REGISTERED IN ACCORDANCE WITH APPLICABLE LAW OR WHERE SUCH OFFERING OR SOLICITATION WOULD OTHERWISE BE PROHIBITED BY LAW. WARD VILLAGE, A MASTER PLANNED DEVELOPMENT IN HONOLULU, HAWAII, IS STILL BEING CONSTRUCTED. ANY VISUAL REPRESENTATIONS OF WARD VILLAGE OR THE CONDOMINIUM PROJECTS THEREIN, INCLUDING THEIR LOCATION, UNITS, COMMON ELEMENTS AND AMENITIES, MAY NOT ACCURATELY PORTRAY THE MASTER PLANNED DEVELOPMENT OR ITS CONDOMINIUM PROJECTS. ALL VISUAL DEPICTIONS AND DESCRIPTIONS IN THIS ADVERTISEMENT ARE FOR ILLUSTRATIVE PURPOSES ONLY. THE DEVELOPER MAKES NO GUARANTEE, REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY WHATSOEVER THAT THE DEVELOPMENTS, FACILITIES OR IMPROVEMENTS OR FURNISHINGS AND APPLIANCES DEPICTED WILL ULTIMATELY APPEAR AS SHOWN OR EVEN BE INCLUDED AS A PART OF WARD VILLAGE OR ANY CONDOMINIUM PROJECT THEREIN. WARD VILLAGE PROPERTIES, LLC, RB-21701. COPYRIGHT ©2020. EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY.

WARNING: THE CALIFORNIA BOARD OF REAL ESTATE HAS NOT INSPECTED, EXAMINED OR QUALIFIED THIS OFFERING.

The Park Ward Village

Amazing Amenities Just Steps Away From Your Front Door Inspired by the principles of mid-century modern design, The Park Ward Village embraces and creates harmony between interior spaces and nature. The relationship between this Honolulu residence and the environment has been carefully designed, and as a result, the connection to your surroundings can be felt in your home and as you move throughout the building.

S T U D I O, O N E, T WO A N D T H R EE B ED RO O M S AVA I L A B L E INQUIRE WELCOMETOTHEPARKWV.COM | 808 400 8983 Offered by Ward Village Properties, LLC RB-21701

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About Us We are a group of talented creative and marketing professionals who have turned decades of experience into a new Marin County media company. five19 publishing includes Marin Living magazine and five19 brandstudio.

Contact Jessica Cline at 707.302.0850 or jessica@marinlivingmagazine.com to get started.

Thank you for being part of our best year ever!

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Casey Gillespie

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table of contents. december 2021

32

Lighted Boat Parade, ICB Winter Studios, holiday happenings and much more.

28 local splurges.

Creature comforts to help make holiday travel a breeze.

30 eat & drink.

Making vodka from grapes is a family affair at Hanson of Sonoma.

12 december 2021 marin living.

32 local getaways.

San Francisco’s Union Street has small-street charm and gifts galore.

36 take note.

Dancer and filmmaker Caroline Liviakis is right in step with a new short and a feature film on the way.

38 environment.

Jack Gescheidt is advocating for Point Reyes National Seashore’s tule elk population.

going places.

74 land & sea.

The giants have returned: now is the time to watch for gray whales.

78 new digs.

Tips from Marin’s Party Queen will help you throw a holiday soiree that everyone will be talking about.

84 stepping out.

The return of the S.F. Symphony and a grand opening in Yountville.

88 drawn together.

ExtraFood passes a significant milestone in the fight against hunger.

from the team.

16 from the ceo.

18 from the creative director.

Clockwise from left: courtesy of Aubrie Pick; www.adobe.stock.com/New Africa; courtesy of Coyuchi

spotlight marin.

20 news.

28

78

How to Take the Leap to Love Innovative Match founder Cassie Zampa-Keim offers some key tips for navigating relationships and the holidays.

What should I tell my friends and family about my dating life when they ask?

How do I introduce my new

When family and friends give you the old, “So, how’s your love life going?” it’s really a personal decision about how much or little you want to say. If you’re not looking to be in the hot seat around the holiday table, say something that will end the conversation politely, such as, “I promise to tell you as soon as I have something to tell.”

My advice is that unless you plan on being with

relationship during the holidays? this person for the foreseeable future and they’ve indicated the same to you, I would refrain from bringing them home to meet your mom, dad, children and dear aunt Sally or meeting theirs.

How can my partner and

My ex and I are both in town, but should we connect?

I decide whose family to

Ahhh, it’s so tempting. The lights, the mistletoe, the holiday cooking.

But my answer is generally the same: leave exes where they belong — in the past. Even if you’re interested in seeing where things lead, tread carefully. Unless your ex has given you concrete evidence to think the reasons why your relationship ended no longer apply, you shouldn’t believe anything is different.

Deciding whose family to spend

visit for the holidays? the holidays with can cause tension in a relationship, especially if you have to choose one or the other. If possible, and if distance and schedules allow, split the day. Dinner in one place, dessert in another. Or have two celebrations but on different days. The point is to listen to your partner and be as fair with them as you expect them to be with you.

Innovative Match, Ross | 415.259.8714 | www.innovative-match.com

features.

42

A Decadent December

Two big Hollywood names help the San Francisco Symphony close out the year in dazzling style.

48

Taking Flight

From flight attendant to CEO — a new book chronicles one high-flying career.

50

Spectacular Destinations

On the Cover Gatherings are better when everyone is included; illustration by Tiffany Dang

14 december 2021 marin living.

Courtesy of Alila Ventana Big Sur

We are all thinking about traveling again in 2022. Here are five spots that should top your list.

SAVE THE DATE

APRIL 23, 2022 Peacock Gap San Rafael

After two years of virtual experiences the award-winning food and wine event supporting individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities will return to Peacock Gap. We look forward to celebrating in-person with our amazing community.

Please join Lifehouse in raising funds to ensure that all individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities are accepted and have a place in our community.

Photo By Richard Wheeler

Photo by Drew Altizer

www.greatchefsandwineries.org

from the ceo.

I LOVE THE HOLIDAYS. I love time with friends and family, Christmas music, fuzzy socks, boots and turtlenecks — all of it.

And this year is especially sweet. I’m grateful to be spending time with family in Indiana. My sister has had the tree up since November and my parents have been talking about wish lists for months. This year my heart is exploding with joy a little more than usual and I am incredibly excited to be with my family.

I’m so proud of what we’ve created at Marin Living. From day one I’ve been laser focused on our company culture and our team. We’ve been able to grow quickly by throwing out the rules of what’s expected while still having a great deal of fun.

It is glorious and I have an entire team to thank for their ideas, enthusiasm and willingness to experiment. It’s the openness that I crave and the flexibility to not always be right. It works because I have a team that has my back and I have theirs.

And cheers to our partners! You’ve trusted us to deliver your messaging in a variety of mediums. This year was challenging for small business owners and my hope is that we’ve played a small part in helping you and your business get back on your feet by telling your stories. All of Marin is rooting for you and we are your biggest fans. Thank you for believing in us and trusting us to help you grow your brands.

16 december 2021 marin living.

Most of all, I love the anticipation of what’s to come. It feels like 2022 will be a year full of positivity and endless possibilities.

Our company is growing exponentially and our clients are happy and engaged. We have purpose and passion. We are entering the new year full of hope, light and excitement and it feels right for everyone.

Happy holidays, Marin, you’ve captured our hearts.

Jessica Cline, CEO and Co-Founder

Portrait by Becca Teal Batista; www.stock.adobe.com/Nelos

A Joyful Season

LET’S CREATE SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL TOGETHER Approachable Living by Design A nimble boutique real estate firm that specializes in navigating the complexities of buying and selling at a competitive price.

Jessica Canty Broker, MLIS, JD License #01049954 415.408.1879 jesscanty@thecantygroup.com

Since 1989 staging • design • construction • planning • permitting • property management • restoration • legal compliance

from the creative director.

Longtime collaborators Alan Cumming (left) and music director/conductor John Mauceri (right) join the S.F. Symphony for a production of The Nutcracker and the Mouse King.

CONGRATULATIONS, FRIENDS, WE DID IT. We survived another tumultuous, unpredictable, Covid-plagued year. And you know what, Marin? I am proud of us. Like really proud. I am writing this letter on the day that the indoor mask mandate has been lifted. What an incredible community to be a part of — I wish I could hug each and every one of you for sticking it out, caring about your neighbors, wearing masks and doing all the things that got us to this point.

And to celebrate, we have put together a pretty incredible issue for you (if I do say so myself!). It has everything: a double serving of celebrity sparkle, the excitement of international destinations, a nostalgic tale of air travel in its golden age and expert advice on how to throw your best holiday gathering to date. Let’s dive in, shall we?

The San Francisco Symphony is one of the best in the country, and so it is no wonder that the legendary stage and film actor Alan Cumming and Hollywood mega-talent (and San Francisco native) Darren Criss are collaborating with the organization this month on some can’t-miss holiday shows. We spoke to both actors and it’s confirmed — they are as wonderful as they seem.

Speaking of the holidays, local event planner extraordinaire Mimi Cunningham (aka the Party Queen) has shared some expert advice on how to throw a soiree without all the stress.

It’s been a while since we’ve all hosted a dinner party, much less a holiday party, and her tips are guaranteed to make your get-together a memorable one.

18 december 2021 marin living.

You won’t want to miss our 2022 travel preview either — these are all the places on our must-visit list and I’m sure you will want to add them to yours, too. In fact, this is the first time since we launched the magazine that we have felt like we can safely recommend international travel. And recommend it we do.

On a more serious note, this month we spoke to activist Jack Gescheidt about the Point Reyes elk. This has been an incredibly controversial topic and Jack is the one leading the fight for these beautiful creatures. As a professional photographer, he has also taken some breathtaking images of the elk and if you agree, you should consider buying one of his prints. Not only do they make a great present (hint, hint!), funds are also used to support his cause. That’s what I call a win-win.

Happy holidays!

Casey Gillespie Creative Director and Co-Founder

Portrait by Becca Teal Batista; courtesy of the San Francisco Symphony

Merry and Bright

THE OFFICIAL DRINK OF THE GOOD HOLIDAY PARTIES 30-35 CAL

FEWER EMPTY CALORIES

NO HANGOVER

ALL-NATURAL INGREDIENTS

L IC : C DP H -1 0 0 037 1 0

@D R I N K C A N N

spotlight marin.

“We’ve been lucky enough to attract even more up-and-coming artists to our community over the past year.”

—SHARON PASTER, CO-PRESIDENT OF THE ICB ARTISTS ASSOCIATION

art credit Margot Hartford

“Red Siren” by Margot Hartford (left) is part of the Winter Open Studios exhibition at ICB; more info on p. 26.

20 december 2021 marin living.

TO ALL OF MY CLIENTS, PARTNERS AND VENDORS

Happy Holidays!

A N D

A H E A LT H Y A N D P R O S P E R O U S N E W Y E A R

I would like to thank you for your continued support trusting me with your most prized asset. This year more than ever, I hope you enjoy celebrating the holidays with family and friends.

630 West Blithedale, Mill Valley On Market

465 Ridge Road, Tiburon Sold—Represented Seller

60 Estates Drive, San Anselmo Sold—Represented Seller

540 Wilson Avenue, Novato Sold—Represented Buyer

6 Tanglewood Lane, Novato Sold—Represented Seller

LEI ANN WERNER The Werner Group | Broker Associate | 415.710.0117 | l.werner@ggsir.com | DRE#00994572

news.

Healdsburg Plaza

What’s New in Wine Country

Ritter Center Unveils Mobile Van Street Team Not all superheroes drive shiny sports cars. The Ritter Center (www.rittercenter.org) unveiled a mobile medical van to more easily assist those on the streets across Marin County. Support includes social services, urgent care, Covid-19 vaccinations and testing, behavioral health aid, shelter and housing resources, and more.

22 december 2021 marin living.

Kim Carroll (top); courtesy of Ritter Center (bottom)

Healdsburg’s holiday soiree, Merry Healdsburg Weekend, ignites the first weekend of December with a series of holiday festivities including the lighting of the city’s iconic Christmas tree and holiday archway at the Healdsburg Plaza. Be sure to see the new soundstage activation at the plaza gazebo, a dazzling show of 800 electrifying sound-responsive LEDs. In St. Helena, The Little Book of Big Experiences (www.sthelena.com/store) is the holiday gift that keeps on giving. Enjoy VIP access and behind-the-scenes tours at 12 of Napa Valley’s favorite wineries, including Clif Family Winery and Raymond Vineyards, with curated experiences like wine and food pairings by local chefs. In Kenwood, the Transcendence Theatre Company (www.transcendencetheatre.org) debuts an all-new, live performance of the annual Broadway Holiday Spectacular at the Belos Cavalos equestrian estate. It’s a family-friendly combination of fabulous dance numbers and catchy Broadway show tunes, with a portion of each ticket going toward local nonprofit Belos Cavalos (www.beloscavalos.org). Merry Healdsburg Weekend, December 3–5; St. Helena’s Little Book of Big Experiences, $85, valid now through April 2022; Transcendence Theatre Company, Weekends December 3–12, Friday, Saturday, Sunday evenings 7:30 p.m., Saturday and Sunday matinees 2 p.m., starting at $49 per person

Nautical or Nice?

Marinites can prepare for some serious “oohing” and “aahing” with the return of the annual Sausalito Lighted Boat Parade (www.winterfestsausalito.com) and fireworks show followed by a ticketed dance party at The Spinnaker Restaurant. Saturday, December 11, 6 p.m., parade and fireworks are free

Feeding the County

Gary Ferber Photography (top); courtesy of the San Francisco -Marin Food Bank (bottom)

One in five Marinites are at risk for hunger. During the last year, more than 50,000 households received assistance each week from the San Francisco–Marin Food Bank (www.sfmfoodbank. org), which, according to its 2021 Hunger Report, has ramped up its operations. These numbers reflect those efforts.

80,000,000

total pounds of food

67,000,000

total meals

184,000 meals per day

4,500

CalFresh food stamp applications and recertifications

$9,000,000

in estimated CalFresh benefits

marin living. december 2021 23

news.

A scene from A Christmas Carol

There’s no room for Scrooge at The Great Dickens Christmas Fair (www.dickensfair.com), which takes over the Cow Palace in a drive-through debut of its traditional fair festivities — but from the safety and comfort of your car. Enjoy street scenes and enchanting portrayals from A Christmas Carol as well as lively music, culinary treats and a selection of handcrafted holiday gifts for purchase. Angels sing as the Young Women’s Chorus (www.ywcp.org) opens its season as a guest artist in the Old First Concert Series at the Calvary Presbyterian Church. Enjoy a charming candlelit concert featuring the songs of Benjamin Britten’s A Ceremony of Carols performed in full, with music from harpist Chloe Tula. The San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus (www.sfgmc.org) kicks off a very fabulous 44th season with Holigays Are Here... Again! marking a muchawaited return to live performance for the group’s 250-plus spirited singers. Dickens Fair weekends Saturday, December 4–Sunday, December 19, $25 per car up to seven passengers; TYWC Carols by Candlelight, Sunday, December 5, and Angelic Voices on December 11, $25 per person; SFGMC performs at San Francisco’s Sydney Goldstein Theater December 10–11, Rohnert Park’s Green Music Center December 18, Berkeley’s Freight & Salvage December 19 and San Francisco’s historic Castro Theatre December 24 (Conductor’s Society memberships starting at donations of $120 or more).

24 december 2021 marin living.

Rich Yee

Holidays by the Bay

Meet the McCarthy + Moe Group Learn more about Marin’s fastest growing, female-driven real estate team.

Did you know?

Liz is a World Champion Ultimate Frisbee player

Shenna was born and raised in Denmark

Liz is mom to a miracle surviving twin daughter, born 14 weeks prematurely

Shenna & husband Eric, designed & built their first home as owner-builders

Liz was born in Michigan

Shenna’s finance background means she loves statistics

Liz loves all things outdoors, hiking, skiing & paddleboarding

The McCarthy + Moe Group is refreshingly different. Our clients benefit from the synergy of our combined expertise and marketing, making intelligent pricing decisions, and efficiently managing the details of every transaction. Our common thread is our relentless pursuit to deliver the best possible results for our clients.

Liz McCarthy + Shenna Moe | 415.250.4929 | Team@McCarthyMoe.com | McCarthyMoe.com | DRE 01421997

news.

Grand Theft Mortgage Like in a scene from a bad movie, many shocked Marinites abruptly learned they no longer owned their home due to paperwork fraud. To combat this white-collar corruption, the Marin County Recorder’s Office (www.marincounty.org/depts/ar) and district attorney (www.marincountyda.org) teamed up to create an anti-fraud program and take action against house stealing. “Deed fraud is a serious crime,” says Assessor-Recorder-County Clerk Shelly Scott. “We want to be proactive with this and prevent Marin residents from being victimized.” The Marin County Recorder’s Office could previously review requirements for recording but couldn’t refuse a properly prepared document (even a suspicious one), which led to dubious transfers in ownership. This ordinance ensures homeowners are notified as soon as ownership transfer documents are filed so they can take immediate action in the case of a scam.

ICB Is Back and Better Than Ever

ICB artist Alex Friedman

Speed Limit Reduction There’s no need for speed on Marin County’s crowded streets. A new California state law gives cities power to reduce speed limits by 5 miles per hour in areas with a high concentration of businesses, pedestrians and cyclists. “Cities know their streets best,” says Warren Wells of the supporting Marin County Bicycle Coalition (www.marinbike.org), “which, again, keeps everybody safer, not just bicyclists.”

26 december 2021 marin living.

Courtesy of ICB

Winter Open Studios is back at Sausalito’s historic Industrial Center Building (ICB) (www.icbartists. com) after a year of hiatus. The showcase features the talent of 75-plus award-winning artists including abstract and figurative painters, photographers, sculptors and textile makers. Sharon Paster, for one, is glad to be back. “We’ve always been part of the vibrant art scene in Sausalito,” she says.

December 4 and 5, 11 a.m.–5 p.m., free

THANK YOU 2021 The Leaders Circle is a group of businesses fully committed to securing our community's economic vitality.

Our Leaders Circle investors are crucial to the overall success of the Chamber. Our work in the community is made possible because of their investment. They understand a healthy local economy is the foundation for building a resilient community where we all thrive and prosper.

The Leaders Circle allow us to: •Advocate for workforce housing •Create quality jobs •Train our next generation of leaders •Support local businesses DIAMOND •Marin Independent Journal

EMERALD •Bank of Marin •Hanson Bridgett LLP •Marin Sanitary Service

PLATINUM •CPi Developers •Monahan Pacific •NorthBay biz/KSRO

GOLD •BioMarin Pharmaceutical, Inc. •Embassy Suites Hotel •IndiGo Auto Group

•Kaiser Permanente •Linbro, Inc. •Redwood Credit Union

•Seagate Properties/Montecito Plaza •Vivalon

SILVER •Bank of America •California Film Institute •College of Marin

•Comcast •Eckhoff and Company •Ghilotti Bros, Inc.

•MarinHealth •MarinLiving •North Bay Business Journal

BRONZE •Fairview Capital •INsite Networks

•Peacock Gap Golf Club •San Francisco Chronicle/SFGate

•Sutter Health Bay Area

COPPER •City Carpets •MCE •Mechanics Bank

•Pacific Gas & Electric •San Rafael Airport LLC •The Pasha Group

•Toyota Marin •Wells Fargo

Interested in joining the San Rafael Chamber Leaders Circle?

srchamber.com Visit srchamber.com| or 415-454-4163 call 415-454-4163

local splurges.

Up, Up and Away Holiday travel is back and you’ll want these creature comforts with you no matter where you may roam.

By Casey Gillespie

1 3 2

4

1. Keep warm on chilly plane rides with Flora and Henri’s Extreme Cashmere wrap in Witch Grey.

We love it in this neutral hue — it pairs perfectly with jeans and can even be dressed up for holiday cocktail parties or dinners out with the family. Available at Live and Love by Flora and Henri (2229 Larkspur Landing Circle, Larkspur) and www. florahenri.com, $350

2. Need new luggage?

Look no further than Away’s The Bigger Carry-On. It fits into overhead bins and comes with an inner compression system, hidden laundry bag and TSA-approved ejectable USB charger (it can fully charge your phone up to four times) — luxuries you never knew you needed until now.

Available at Away (371 Hayes Street, San Francisco) and www. awaytravel.com, $245

28 december 2021 marin living.

3. Keep your feet cozy with Bombas’ Everyday Compression Socks for men (ladies, you are going to want to steal them). The socks offer 15 to 20 mmHg of compression and are great for increasing circulation during long-haul flights.

They are also ideal for your next run.

Available at Dick’s Sporting Goods (64 Serramonte Center, Daly City) and www. bombas.com, $24

4. If you are traveling across time zones you’ll need Coyuchi’s Organic Olema Quilted Eye Mask (it’s a welcome nighttime addition at home, too). The luxurious quilted cotton mask — inspired by Olema Creek just outside Point Reyes Station — is also fair trade– certified. Available at Coyuchi (11101 Highway 1, Ste. 201, Point Reyes Station) and www.coyuchi. com, $18

5. This Mantis 1 Waistpack by Arc’teryx provides easy access to all your important items while you are in the airport and doubles as an on-the-go bag when you reach your destination. Wear it around your waist, over your shoulder or cross-body style.

Available at Arc’teryx (1708 Redwood Highway, Corte Madera) or www. arcteryx.com, $30

All images courtesy of the brands

5

Happy Holidays and Thank You As we enter this holiday season, I am filled with gratitude and appreciation for my many clients and the relationships I have built over 20 years as a Realtor in beautiful Marin County. I am passionate about helping buyers and sellers find homes that offer a warm environment to share with friends and family as well as a sanctuary for their own happiness and security. I’d welcome the opportunity to assist with your home search or sale to fulfill your vision of the perfect home.

««««« “Susan is the best agent I have ever encountered and kept us updated at every turn. She’s very organized, extremely knowledgeable, and a real joy to work with.”

“The five star rating says it all. Susan always acted in a professional manner and had great local knowledge.”

“Susan had our best interests in mind every step of the way, from our initial showings to our successful close of escrow.”

“Susan knows a great deal about real estate in Marin and yet was very careful to make sure that I, the seller, made all the important decisions.”

SOLD

SOLD

SOLD

SOLD

Corte Madera

Larkspur

Greenbrae

Kentfield

Susan Van Liere Susanvl.com DRE#: 01323865

Hanson products are certified organic, free of added sugars, gluten-free, additive-free and GMO-free

In the Spirits

Marin’s Hanson family traded art galleries for unique, grape-based vodkas.

By Bob Cooper

30 december 2021 marin living.

WHEN SCOTT AND JUDY HANSON said no to their sons as they were growing up in Ross, they meant it. They still meant it when Chris and Brandon were in their twenties and asked for help launching a craft distillery. But the sons kept asking.

Fortunately for the brothers, their father had switched from owning art galleries to producing films, and his final movie was about bootleggers (2012’s Lawless with Shia LaBeouf and Jessica Chastain). “Producing that movie sparked his interest in our idea, and he became convinced it was different enough to stand out,” says Chris. Scott confirms his son’s account: “Working with the film’s writer taught me a lot about whiskey-making, so even though I had no experience in that industry, the boys finally persuaded me. They had been watching creative brewers getting substantial attention and realized there were very few innovative craft spirits being made.”

Scott and Judy had already sold all but one of the 26 galleries they owned nationwide — the Hanson Gallery of Fine Art in Sausalito remains — so this new idea seemed capricious. Or was it? They would soon find out when they agreed to join all of their kids — their two entrepreneurial sons, another son, Darren, and their daughter, Alanna — in opening America’s only major distillery, Hanson of Sonoma (www.hansonof sonoma.com), to use grapes rather than grains in its spirits.

Once the grapes are grown, harvested and pressed by Ceja Vineyards, another family business that shares the distillery building (the distillery is in the former Carneros Brewing Co. building), the Hansons oversee the process of turning grapes into spirits. Most are used in cocktails (see the recipe on the opposite page) that are paired at the Sonoma distillery’s pond-side tasting area with wood-fired pizza, charcuterie, artisanal cheeses, truffles or caviar. The Sausalito gallery, which displays some of Scott’s metal sculptures — he’s also an accomplished artist — now serves as

All photos courtesy of Hanson of Sonoma Distillery

eat & drink.

eat & drink.

a second tasting room where cocktails are paired with Hog Island Oysters and other small plates served both indoors and outdoors.

Several distinctions, besides the use of grapes, set the Hansons’ spirits apart from most competitors. All of the products are certified organic, free of added sugars, and gluten-free, additive-free and GMO-free: Hanson is America’s first GMO-free-certified distillery. All ingredients are listed on every bottle, including the locally grown, hand-cut cucumbers, Meyer lemons, mandarin oranges and peppers in the infused vodkas. Also, fermentation byproducts (“congeners”), which are partly responsible for hangovers, are removed.

“Congeners are undetectable down to the parts per million in our vodkas, which

Pomms + Roses Cocktail

Pomms + Roses Cocktail Perfect for the holidays, this festive cocktail can be purchased “pre-batched” from Hanson (just pour over ice), or make it yourself by mixing: 1.5 ounces Hanson Organic Meyer Lemon Vodka .5 ounce pomegranate puree .75 ounce fresh-squeezed organic lemon juice 3 dashes orange bitters .25 ounce orgeat syrup Stir together, add ice and enjoy!

makes them very smooth and any hangover less intense,” says Chris. “Oprah called it ‘practically health food.’ ” The vodkas won major international competitions in 2013 and 2014 when the brand launched. That led to widespread distribution and Hanson spirits are now sold in markets, restaurants and bars in all 50 states. The company has grown steadily, even during the pandemic, offering curbside pickups and deliveries of spirits, premixed cocktails and distillery-produced hand sanitizers.

Although the Hansons’ roots are local — all six family members live in Marin — the influences on their spirits are international. Besides vodkas, for example, they make a Scottish-style single-malt whiskey aged in bourbon barrels using a small-batch, doublebarrel blending method they observed in Japan.

“We’ve been approached by most of the large distributors to sell some or all of the business, but we want our kids to keep going,” says Scott. The initially hesitant patriarch is now the company’s biggest cheerleader as president and CEO, but not for much longer. “I told my kids I would be full-time until I turned 70, which was last April, so I plan to step back soon. I’m very excited about them fully running the company because I can see they will be very good at growing it in a very creative way.

“Thank goodness we listened to them,” he adds, “because it’s been a lot of fun to work together as a family in making something we’re proud of.”

The Hanson family: Darren, Judy, Scott, Alanna, Chris and Brandon

marin living. december 2021 31

local getaways.

A Day Out on Union Street

By Casey Gillespie

32 december 2021 marin living.

Nothing says the holidays like a bustling city street and where better to find that than in San Francisco?

Union Street has been a frequented shopping destination since the 1950s when old carriage houses, barns and Victorian homes lined the streets. The buildings have since been renovated to accommodate new stores and buzzy restaurants, but the area has retained its small-street charm. Weekends are filled with the brunching crowd and independently owned shops and eateries provide the backdrop for a day buying presents for everyone on your list.

Leslie Santarina

The Epicurean Trader

Anomie 2149 UNION STREET

www.shopanomie.com Home to all the funky oversize sweaters and 90s-inspired hair accessories you could ever want, this store is your one-stop shop for cool-girl apparel (they also have kids’ stuff). The on-trend, high-quality shoe selection shouldn’t be missed.

B12 Love Lounge 2086 UNION STREET

www.b12love.com The holidays can be exhausting, but you can inject a little pep into your step with a vitamin infusion. Whether you want to feel your best, need help balancing hormones or want help recovering from your last workout, this IV lounge has it all.

Bamboo Spa 2284 UNION STREET

www.bamboobeauty.com This Japanese-inspired spa offers top-notch facials, massages and natural nail services in a tucked-away, tranquil environment. Spa lovers can now relax knowing that the spa has recently upgraded its ventilation system to be more Covid cautious.

And breathe.

Danielle San Francisco 2278 UNION STREET

www.shopdaniellesf.com Expect a curated selection of clothing, jewelry and shoes for women, with most being small-batch, sustainable Italian brands. Don’t miss this month’s trunk show with Mill Valley’s Stick & Ball (starts the second week of December) as well as Marin artist Linda Wegmann, whose paintings will be on show in-store throughout the month.

Isalis 2127 UNION STREET

Drew Altizer

www.shopisalis.com Does she love prints, patterns and lots of color? Then this store is a must. While the apparel does skew slightly younger, it’s the perfect destination for fashion-loving

Danielle San Francisco

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local getaways.

Wildseed

Le Marcel Bakery 2066 UNION STREET

www.lemarceldogbakery.com

resist this urban oasis. The spa features everything from facials to acupuncture to hair restoration. Book a treatment in December and enjoy a complimentary herbal latte along with any service.

Shaw Shoes 2001 UNION STREET

This gourmet dog bakery is as good as any you’d find in Paris (probably better!) and Fido will love the seasonally inspired pastries and cookies (that look delicious enough for humans to eat).

The bakery also offers personalized cakes, treats and toys. It’s a little slice of canine heaven.

www.shawshoes.net

Redmint

The Epicurean Trader

1958 UNION STREET

www.redmint.com

1909 UNION STREET www.theepicureantrader.com

Spa and wellness lovers won’t be able to

This beloved foodie utopia is opening

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A shoe lover’s heaven since 1970, Shaw Shoes is a family-owned business that prides itself on stocking the best in Italian footwear. Combat boots, sneakers and stacked pumps make the selection as diverse as it is luxe.

the doors on its new, expanded space this month — the store will double in size and it will have a full cafe. The evening wine and tapas bar will open its doors in the new year, and in the meantime, be sure and pick up smallbatch gift baskets for all the food lovers on your list.

Wildseed

2000 UNION STREET www.wildseedsf.com Wildseed is healthy comfort food at its most delicious and the brunch menu is a thing of gastronomic beauty — think red velvet flaxseed pancakes, a vegan spicy sausage omelet and beet poke. The fun, buzzy atmosphere is reminiscent of pre-pandemic life and the weekday happy hour is well worth a try, too.

Aubrie Pick

daughters and nieces. And if roller skates are on anyone’s list, you are in luck because they stock those, too.

take note.

Step

by Step

Caroline Liviakis is building a career combining her passion for filmmaking and dance to create something entirely new.

By Daniel Jewett

Caroline Liviakis and Paul Barris

36 december 2021 marin living.

FOR FILMMAKER AND CHOREOGRAPHER Caroline Liviakis, a Bay Area native who spent most of her childhood in Marin, premiering her dance short at the Mill Valley Film Festival in October was a dream come true.

“I remember growing up and walking around Marin and seeing red carpets and people taking photos and thinking, ‘Wouldn’t it be amazing to have a film premiere here,’ ” Liviakis says, although at that time being a filmmaker or a choreographer was the last thing on her mind. “It was really a beautiful moment careerwise — when you get to see your film for the first time on the big screen, it’s just an incredible feeling.”

The film, Boys and Girls (www.carolineliviakis.com/ boysandgirls), was shot in April and tells the traditional tale of boy meets girl through a modern lens, and entirely through dance. “It’s this battle for power, this game of cat and mouse and manipulation and seduction,” Liviakis says. “But in the end, they realize this coexistence and this understanding that they each have the power.”

Before Liviakis could shoot, however, she had to find a dance partner — no easy task during a pandemic when auditions were difficult, if not impossible, to schedule. But just a few weeks before filming she found that partner, dancer Paul Barris from Dancing With the Stars, So You Think You Can Dance and many other programs.

“It’s a really tricky role that he had to play because my choreography involves so many different styles,” says Liviakis, who dances opposite him in the film. “But I knew that I wanted to have a ballroom dancer who was flexible enough to be able to get these other styles, like jazz and modern, because I really wanted that posture and that presence that ballroom dancers bring to the table, and that partnering experience.”

Liviakis says they clicked instantly and the first audition really ended up being the first rehearsal. What followed were 20 more rehearsals and finally two days of shooting using a camera set at a very fast 48 frames per second to capture all the moves in fine detail. “It was a pretty intensive

“It’s this battle for power, this game of cat and mouse and manipulation and seduction.” rehearsal process, but you’ve got to get it right before it’s showtime.”

Liviakis says she added filmmaking to her repertoire because her detailed dance moves were getting lost on the big stage and film was the only way to show them properly.

“My choreography is extremely gestural; it’s filled with a lot of facial expressions and it’s very theatrical in nature,” she says.

“When you have film there, you can go into a close-up, and I can choreograph just a dance of facial expressions — I create what I call face dances.”

In terms of casting herself in the role, Liviakis says it was the best choice since she knew the character and knew she could dance the parts — once she got her body up to speed, that is.

“When you’re choreographing, you’re telling people what to do all the time, not dancing, so I had to get my body there,” she says, adding that dancing and directing were a challenge she could only pull off because of her talented crew, which included producer Henry Reed and cinematographer Aakash Raj. “It was insane. I don’t recommend it.”

Up next, Liviakis plans to shoot her first independent feature starting next year — one she won’t be dancing in. The dance musical, Lessons in Love, will be like a piece of pop art, full of color and intricate costumes, she says. “I’m very interested in revitalizing the musical genre since it’s just kind of fallen out of fashion over the last 40 years,” Liviakis adds. “There’s this revitalization that can really happen with the genre, and it’s all about thinking where does a musical fit in a modern context.”

All images by Aakash Raj

Paul Barris and Caroline Liviakis

marin living. december 2021 37

environment.

The Unlikely Elktavist Jack Gescheidt left the herd as a NYC adman to organize protests and save the Point Reyes tule elk.

By Bob Cooper Photos by Jack Gescheidt

38 december 2021 marin living.

environment.

JACK IS BUSY. During a September rally at the Bear Valley Visitor Center he organized to draw attention to the plight of the Point Reyes National Seashore’s tule elk, he scurries around to answer journalists’ questions and takes wide-angle shots from atop a stepladder over the crowd of about 200. He is in his element.

Jack Gescheidt, 61, was a snarky, meat-eating Manhattan copywriter for Ford trucks and then a national magazine photographer before his slow transformation to vegan environmental activist. Ironically, the skills he honed working for corporate clients on Madison Avenue now serve him well as an “elktivist” organizer and photographer for environmental causes.

“Living in Marin for 13 years has peeled back some of the New York protective layers,” says Gescheidt. “But I’ve always felt more alive in the woods, and that realization led me to taking photos of humans and trees in communion in nature.” That would be the TreeSpirit Project, which involved nude

volunteers posing for him in and around some of California’s most photogenic trees for artistic images that have been showcased at the Sausalito Art Festival.

His quasi-legal “shoot” of nudes in threatened trees on the UC Berkeley campus — his first venture into activism — drew the most attention.

The day after the September 12 rally, the U.S. Interior Department approved a 20-year extension of the park’s 24 cattle ranchers’ leases, newly allowing them to raise goats and sheep and grow crops, and approved the culling (shooting) of the Drakes Beach elk herd when it exceeds 140 (it’s now at 139). These are the elk, among 600 in the park, that ranchers say are competing for forage and water

with their 5,600 cows. Ranchers are OK with the 300 elk at Tomales Point because they’re fenced in, away from the ranches, but this group is dying of hunger and thirst in large numbers.

Gescheidt is lead plaintiff in a suit filed in June by the Harvard Law School’s Animal Law and Policy Clinic that demands that the park plan for the humane management of its wildlife.

Conservation groups are expected to file additional lawsuits on environmental grounds.

“The NPS has called the 406 elk that died during the two droughts since 2012 ‘natural’ population declines,” says Gescheidt. “But there’s nothing natural about the three-mile fence that prevents them from roaming to find additional

“The NPS has called the 406 elk that died during the two droughts since 2012 ‘natural’ population declines.”

marin living. december 2021 39

environment.

Elk Timeline 1962 Point Reyes National Seashore is founded with cattle ranchers allowed to lease some of the land, an arrangement meant to be temporary.

1978 Tule elk, native to Point Reyes until the mid-1800s, are reintroduced.

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2012–2021 More than 400 Point Reyes elk perish due to droughts.

2019–2021 Numerous pro-elk protests are held.

June 2021 A suit with Gescheidt as lead plaintiff is filed against the NPS for allowing elk to die, ignoring its mission to protect wildlife.

Sept. 2021 The NPS gives Point Reyes ranchers a 20-year lease extension and permits the limited shooting of elk.

food and water as ‘wild’ animals are supposed to do in a national park. We have been begging and badgering and screaming for something to be done.”

Gescheidt organized four mass water deliveries to the fenced-in elk at Tomales Point before park officials delivered troughs — while still insisting that the problem is a lack of forage, not water. He has also orchestrated six protests, including the September rally where, like many in the age-diverse crowd, he wore a “Free the Elk” T-shirt.

The activists’ chief complaints are that ranchers’ cows are given priority over the elk, resulting in dead elk, and that cattle ranches contribute to climate change and don’t belong in a national park. The protesters are not alone, as 91 percent of 7,627 public comments the park has received have been pro-elk. The ranchers, park administrators and some politicians, including Rep. Jared Huffman, argue that the ranches are part of the park’s cultural history, dismissing concerns

about soil degradation, groundwater contamination, biodiversity decline, greenhouse gas emissions and impact on the elk.

“Elk will keep dying until the fences come down and private cattle operations are removed, which are in direct conflict with healthy ecosystems,” says Gescheidt. “The NPS is starving, confining, and will now shoot to death wild elk in a national park. If we can’t win this one in a time of climate change, we’re all doomed.” marin living. december 2021 41

Grittani Creative Photo

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A

Decadent

art credit

December

The San Francisco Symphony presents two eclectic and entertaining shows to close out the year in style.

By Tanya Henry

WHILE THE VERY NATURE of a fairy tale requires us to suspend our belief, perhaps a more robust, fleshed-out telling of a beloved tale might cultivate a deeper understanding and appreciation of a tried-and-true favorite.

Take The Nutcracker. Many of us ring in the holidays with this traditional ballet accompanied by Tchaikovsky’s magical score about a young girl named Clara in which her favorite Christmas toy, the Nutcracker, comes alive and, after defeating the evil Mouse King in battle, whisks her away to a magical kingdom filled with candy and dolls. Fantastical indeed.

However, as the distinguished conductor John Mauceri discovered, this is an oversimplified version of a story titled The Nutcracker and the Mouse King originally penned by E.T.A. Hoffmann more than 200 years ago.

The ballet by Alexandre Dumas is based on an adaptation of this book.

On December 21, John Mauceri will lead the San Francisco Symphony in an altogether reimagined version of the beloved tale with a score and narration that keeps the origin story intact, but reveals a plot including warring sisters, a dreaded curse and two magical brothers. Ultimately, the story culminates with an 8-year-old girl breaking the frightful curse and becoming queen of a land of imagination and tolerance.

“I have arranged a score making use of all of the favorite sections of Tchaikovsky’s ballet, but also adapting lesser known works as a soundtrack to this bigger story,” explains the conductor, who delved deep into Tchaikovsky’s catalog to unearth this marin living. december 2021 43

timeless tale that encourages children to follow their dreams, to never stop believing in the power of imagination and the belief we can all live together in harmony.

Not only will audiences be treated to Mauceri’s illuminating and newly conceived score; in addition, the immensely talented Alan Cumming will be narrating the production. When we caught up with the inimitable Cumming by phone in New York City, he couldn’t say enough about the upcoming show.

“It’s really a mashup! We get to hear all of Tchaikovsky’s greatest hits — and I get to work with John,” says the accomplished actor, writer and singer whom Mauceri invited to perfrom. The two originally met when Cumming was in drama school and performing cabaret and stand-up comedy in his native Glasgow in the 1980s and Mauceri was the music director of the Scottish Opera. Cumming recalls collaborating on a commercial for the Scottish Opera with his show Victor and Barry in 1987: “The campaign was everywhere and very successful — it was kind overwhelming at the time,” says the self-effacing performer, who has teamed up with Mauceri many times since. “John is so clever and skilled — he really researched this production and I think the audience will be enchanted and surprised.” He is looking forward to the evening and to spending time in a city he loves where he has plenty of friends and family.

With his second book titled Baggage: Tales from a Fully Packed Life (HarperCollins, 2021) having just been released on October 26, Cumming also has plans to appear at “a couple of indie bookstores” while he is visiting the Bay Area for the holidays.

Another special symphony guest, Darren Criss of film, music and stage fame, will be returning to his hometown 44 december 2021 marin living.

for what is sure to be a celebratory New Year’s Eve performance at Davies Symphony Hall. Conductor Bruce Anthony Kiesling and the San Francisco Symphony will collaborate with Criss for a rousing night of eclectic holiday music and much more.

“Performing with an orchestra is like having the Avengers at my side,” says

an enthusiastic Criss, whose varied career includes everything from a long-running starring role in Glee to an Emmy win for The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story. Criss clearly has superpowers of his own.

“Darren is the most talented person I have ever met — he isn’t limited by

CAMI Music

Alan Cumming (right) will narrate John Mauceri’s reimagined tale of The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, performed with the San Francisco Symphony

“I will, of course, rehearse for this show, but I also like to get a vibe from the audience and go with it.”

F. Scott Schafer

anything,” raves Kiesling, who met Criss in Los Angeles in a bar where Criss was playing piano. They discovered they were both University of Michigan alums.

Criss happened to be looking for a music director for A Very Potter Musical and he tapped Kiesling for the role.

Kiesling is currently the music director for both the Adrian Symphony in Michigan and the Sequoia Symphony Orchestra in California. He was thrilled that Criss accepted his invitation to collaborate for the New Year’s Eve show. “Audiences can most certainly count on an eclectic set list that will showcase songs from Darren’s recently released holiday album, A Very Darren Crissmas, classic holiday favorites (think Andy Williams) and plenty of original tunes by Darren.”

“I will, of course, rehearse for this show, but I also like to get a vibe from the audience and go with it,” says the self-taught guitarist and pianist who assures us there will be surprises. “I have great respect for the orchestra’s time, but there’s always room for some unexpected orchestral arrangements,” he teasingly adds The Saint Ignatius High School graduate is also a soon-to-be father and is excited to be coming back to his hometown. “It will be a reflective show for sure. The audience will hear music that spans my entire career — a sort of love note to San Francisco.”

The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, Tuesday, December 21, at 7:30 p.m.; “NYE Celebration with the S.F. Symphony,” featuring Darren Criss and Bruce Anthony Kiesling, conductor, Friday, December 31, at 7:30 p.m.

San Francisco native Darren Criss comes home for a performance on New Year’s Eve.

marin living. december 2021 45

Kathleen Harrison

Maryles Casto, Casto Travel founder and author of A Hole in the Clouds: From Flight Attendant to Silicon Valley CEO

Taking

Flight A career in travel sends a former Philippine Airlines flight attendant on the journey of a lifetime.

www.stock.adobe.com/Andrey Kuzmin

By Daniel Jewett

marin living. december 2021 47

HE LAST PERSON TO BELIEVE that a flight attendant and immigrant without a college education couldn’t become the CEO of a $200 million travel company, get yelled at by Steve Jobs, go to the Academy Awards with Larry Ellison and participate in an official White House delegation was Maryles Casto.

That’s because Casto, who recounted these vivacious tales and many more in her new memoir, A Hole in the Clouds: From Flight Attendant to Silicon Valley CEO (Silicon Valley Press, 2021), has been able to fuse a boundless optimism, a keen eye for detail and a love of travel into an extraordinary career — one that saw her on the front lines of the tech revolution in Silicon Valley.

But before she could drop the receiver on an angry Steve Jobs, she had to find her way to America. And that path started with becoming a flight attendant for Philippine Airlines, where her uncle was vice president and several members of her family also worked.

“Our training was phenomenal because it took two months before we would be released to work a flight. And in that two months they taught us so many things, not just in-flight service, but how to take care of the passengers, how to anticipate, how to watch,” Casto says, adding that treating guests well is built into the Philippine culture.

48 december 2021 marin living.

person he contacted. And about that phone call regarding an airplane that Jobs didn’t want to fly on? “I hung up on him when he started screaming and shouting. He called me back later, and you know, he took the flight,” she says.

Soon Casto began to see her “colleagues” — she always thought of herself as a partner with her clients and often bought shares in any new company she worked with — on the cover of magazines like Fortune. One such figure was soon-to-be Apple CEO John Sculley, whom Casto kept booking trips for. “I already knew John was going to be working with Apple because they kept bringing him back. So I thought, ‘this is going to happen,’ ” she says. “It was exhilarating to be part of this whole Silicon Valley scene and to watch the world changing and being part of it.”

But one moment from an illustrious career (Casto sold the U.S. arm of the company in 2019 but retained the Philippines branch) stands out for this immigrant who became an American citizen: joining a White House delegation to attend the inauguration of Philippines president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in 2001. “The last night we were hosted at the embassy and that’s the same embassy where I got my visa to come to United States,” she says. “To be there representing the U.S. was so inspiring; it felt so good to be able to bridge the two worlds.”

Maryles Casto will be in conversation with Elaine Petrocelli at Book Passage Corte Madera on January 22 at 1 p.m.

George Wedding (book cover); www.stock.adobe.com/Samuel Cook (opposite)

T

“That experience for me was what really helped me when I started my business, because I learned a lot about paying attention to our clients.”

But when Casto got married and came to the United States in 1963, she learned that the airline wouldn’t let married women fly. She tried everything to make money in her new country, even selling Avon, but wasn’t having any success. She returned to the travel industry and spent some years learning the field as an agent, eventually setting out to start her own company, Casto Travel, with another employee. “We left and started our own business and didn’t tell anybody we were leaving — we just left,” she says.

Casto soon bought out her partner and realized that the promise to not poach any clients from her old employer meant that she had no clients and no money — so she just started cold calling on foot.

“I broke my heel and so I walked barefooted into a nearby company and saw a guy looking at me from the corner suite. I asked the receptionist if I could meet with him and she said, ‘Do you have an appointment?’ I said, ‘No, but I think he will want to meet with me,’ ” Casto says about connecting with Intel Corporation CEO Andy Grove. Soon Grove, and many tech titans to follow, came to depend on Casto’s travel expertise and white-glove approach, giving her retainers to help with the upfront costs the travel business required at that time. “There was so much camaraderie in Silicon Valley back then. We were all open to helping each other and that was what I enjoyed the most.”

Well, almost everyone felt that entrepreneurial spirit and sense of community as this small corner of the globe brought groundbreaking technology to the world. “He could have been nicer and kinder. People give all these excuses because he is so smart but I don’t believe that,” Casto says about working with Steve Jobs.

But she says he was loyal to her and when he started NeXT, she was the first

“In that two months they taught us so many things, not just in-flight service, but how to take care of the passengers, how to anticipate, how to watch.”

50 december 2021 marin living.

FIVE SPECTACULAR

2022 DESTINATIONS It is time to dip your toes into planning more far-flung adventures again.

Michael Gilbreath

By Casey Hatfield-Chiotti

Las Rosadas

marin living. december 2021 51

IF YOU’RE LIKE US, your wanderlust has been smoldering, and the new year means new adventures await. While travel can still be complex (make sure to always check the latest Covid-19 testing requirements and have proof of vaccination in hand), hotels and destinations in various corners of this country and around the world have reopened to travelers. We couldn’t be more thrilled. Here are five enticing vacations we can’t wait to book.

Versailles, France

The gilded Palace of Versailles is a famous Paris day trip, but it has never been a more worthy destination than it is now thanks to a spectacular new hotel, the first-ever within the palace gates. If you want to splurge, check out the uber luxurious Airelles Château de Versailles, Le Grand Contrôle (from $2,077 a night; www.airelles.com) that opened in June. It transports guests to the opulent 1700s and grants unprecedented access to the palace and its grounds, essentially a 2,000-acre green space with lakes and water features, woodlands, gardens and paths for walking and riding bikes.

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Fourteen elegant suites and guest rooms include the light-filled Necker Suite with Versailles parquet flooring and a stand-alone bathtub with a view of the palace’s grand Hundred Steps staircase. Public spaces are adorned with Pierre Frey fabrics and period pieces painstakingly tracked down by art historians, like an intricate 18thcentury desk made of five different kinds of wood on display in the mint green library.

Located in two buildings constructed in 1681 by Jules Hardouin-Mansart, Louis XIV’s favorite architect, the entire hotel has been renovated and refurbished to reflect 1788, the year of the last inventory before the French Revolution. Each evening celebrated French chef Alain

Ducasse treats guests to a feast inspired by the lavish meals enjoyed by the Sun King himself.

Room rates include unlimited access to the Orangerie gardens and private tours of the Trianon palaces and the château, including the King and Queen’s State Apartments and the Hall of Mirrors.

It is impossible to see everything Versailles has to offer in a day, but by staying here, travelers can properly explore every nook and cranny, including the whimsical Queen’s Hamlet, the world’s most aesthetically pleasing petting zoo, where Marie Antoinette and her children would escape the demands of palace life, and the town of Versailles with its covered market, excellent restaurants and wine bars.

Public spaces are adorned with Pierre Frey fabrics and period pieces painstakingly tracked down by art historians.

This page and opposite: Renée Kemps

The Necker Suite at Airelles Château de Versailles, Le Grand Contrôle

art credit

Le Grand Controle Facade

marin living. december 2021 53

54 december 2021 marin living.

art credit

Las Rosadas

Michael Gilbreath

marin living. december 2021 55

56 december 2021 marin living.

Micheal Gilbreath

Las Rosadas

Woodstock Inn & Resort

There are other smart and less opulent stay options in Versailles, including the Waldorf Astoria Versailles Trianon Palace (from $211 a night; www.hilton.com), in a 1907 building with a Grecian-inspired pool and a Guerlain spa.

Courtesy of Woodstock Inn & Resort

Woodstock, Vermont

The state of Vermont is arcadian in winter when smoke billows from the sugar shacks and church steeples are dusted with shimmering snowflakes. Just off of the central square in the town of Woodstock, the Woodstock Inn & Resort (from $395 a night; www.woodstockinn. com) was established by conservationist Laurance Rockefeller and sports New England–style architecture and cozy interiors with coffered ceilings and multiple roaring fireplaces. During the holidays, the inn’s master gardener transforms the hotel into a winter wonderland with garlands, grapevine trees and dried flowers (the annual Wassail Weekend December 10–12 has an equestrian parade and period costumes). Guides organize numerous outdoor activities out of the hotel’s dedicated Nordic Center, including fat tire biking and uphill skinning and snowshoeing.

After exploring the slopes, book a hydration facial using Vermont-based skin care line Tata Harper products in the 10,000-square-foot spa. Families should head north just across the covered bridge to the Billings Farm and Museum (www.billingsfarm.org), a working dairy farm with an 1890 farmhouse for cider doughnuts and horsedrawn wagon rides through the snow.

For a more romantic, adults-only option, travelers can book a stay at Twin Farms (from $2,550 a night all-inclusive; www.twinfarms.com) overlooking the Green Mountains in Barnard, where the architecture is elevated farmhouse meets Swiss chalet.

Offering a smorgasbord of winter fun; guests can sign up for everything from ice fishing to cross-country skiing on the property’s 300 acres (make sure to après with a glass of champagne in the recently renovated Lift Shack). If you prefer, only leave your private cottage with king-size feather bed to breathe in the fresh Vermont air. Twin Farms’ over-the-top room service includes a five-course dinner delivered to your doorstep, featuring dishes such as lamb roulade with Romanesco and garlic scape plus wine pairings.

Costalegre, Mexico

Visitors might spot jaguars, armadillos and iguanas along this wild and remote stretch of coastline in Jalisco, which is a two-and-a-half-hour drive south of Puerto Vallarta. It’s so stunning that many big names have taken note. One and Only, Four Seasons and Luxury Frontiers are developing resorts in the area, and a new airport and highway are on track to open in 2022. The region is already home to many of the most understated and elegant hotels in Mexico, including Las Rosadas (from $1,100 a night; www.lasrosadas.com), an eco-luxury ocean club and community with a castaway-style casita and a six-bedroom villa available for vacation rental. It’s a true culinary destination: chef Laurent Manrique, who lives in Marin, travels to Las Rosadas each time guests book Las Tres Noches, a villa package that includes immersive dining experiences over three nights. Manrique prepares locally caught seafood like red snapper on Playa Corazon, a small beach peppered with heart-shaped stones; a shaman-blessed vegetarian meal in a jungle; and a feast of grilled meats typical in the Tequila region, served in a naturally sculpted grotto.

marin living. december 2021 57

Casita guests and other visitors can experience Manrique’s fresh take on Mexican cuisine f, the beachfront Bar Mono and La Terraza, an intimate hacienda restaurant with just six coveted tables.

The palapa-topped hideaway Las Alamandas (from $513 a night; www.alamandas.com) to the north has added two new luxury suites, and just 30 minutes south of Las Rosadas, a fashionable crowd flocks to Cuixmala (from $650 a night; www. cuixmala.com), once the retreat of French-British politician and tycoon Sir James Goldsmith. His daughter Alix Goldsmith Marcaccini has turned the sprawling yellow villa with Moorish influences into one of Mexico’s most luxurious and sustainable hotels. On a 30,000-acre nature preserve there are also a biodynamic farm, three private beaches, and even a herd of wild zebras. Accommodations include suites, villas, bungalows and casitas.

Goldsmith Marcaccini also owns Hacienda de San Antonio (from $795 a night; www.haciendadesanantonio. com), about a two-and-half-hour drive east in the mountains of Colima, next to a volcano. A former coffee plantation, the hacienda hotel was recently redecorated with a new color scheme and family heirlooms once displayed in their Paris pied-à-terre.

Taos may not be as well-known as ski destinations like Lake Tahoe and Jackson Hole, and locals prefer it that way, but it should be on any powder hound’s radar, with more than 305 inches of average annual snowfall and a major revitalization nearly complete.

Conservationist Louis Bacon acquired Taos Ski Valley in 2013 — Taos is the first and only B Corp certified ski resort — and immediately began a $300 million renovation project that has included modern chairlifts, a new plaza and the LEED-certified Blake Hotel (from $325 a night; www.skitaos.com/plan-yourvisit/blake). At the center of the base area near Lift 1, the 80-room ski-in/ ski-out hotel with traditional pine architecture evokes the “salon” of art patron Mabel Dodge Luhan, complete with handmade furniture, Pueblo pottery, vintage black-and-white photographs and local Taoseño artworks.

58 december 2021 marin living.

Alila Ventana Big Sur

art credit

Taos, New Mexico

marin living. december 2021 59

Courtesy of Alila Ventana Big Sur

Taos has very steep, challenging terrain and a European meets Southwest vibe.

Taos has very steep, challenging terrain and a European meets Southwest vibe. Visitors can order a Wiener schnitzel and German lager on the deck of the Bavarian Restaurant and peruse vintage and new western-style clothing and home goods at the artist-owned People of the Valley (www.people ofthevalley.com) in downtown Taos.

Anyone interested in learning about Taos’ history as an artist colony should wander the grounds and gardens at the newly opened Lunder Research Center at the Couse-Sharp Historic Site (www. couse-sharp.org), where the Taos Society of Artists was founded. Outside Taos, Ojo Caliente (www.ojosparesorts. com) reopened this fall after a refresh.

Its mineral hot springs, tucked between 60 december 2021 marin living.

desert cliffs and cottonwood forests, and adobe structures have intrigued wellness seekers for more than a century. Treatments include sound and energy healing.

Big Sur, California

With Highway 1 in Monterey reopened since the spring, it’s time to venture south to Big Sur and the cliffside Alila Ventana Big Sur (from $1,600 a night, glamping from $240 a night; www.ventanabigsur.com). It’s now an all-inclusive property as of last summer; guests can leave their credit cards in their wallets and focus on the serene setting that includes acres of meadows, slender redwood trees and Pacific Ocean views. Meals, snacks to take on

outings, chauffeur service, and activities like tai chi, meditation and s’mores are included in the room rate. The 59 guest rooms, suites and villas feel like the most luxurious of treehouses, with king beds, window seats and private wood-paneled decks. Some rooms have fireplaces and oversize hammocks.

Visitors looking for an even more rustic experience can try glamping in Ventana Big Sur’s 20-acre redwood canyon. Separate from the rest of the resort and its amenities, glampers will enjoy safari tent–style accommodations with wood-burning fire pits and Adirondack chairs.

All Alila guests and Big Sur visitors should make it a point to dine at the property’s Big Sur Smokehouse (www. bigsursmokehouse.com), a barbecue restaurant in a renovated 19th-century homestead. Reopened since the summer, the eatery serves Texas and Kansas City barbecue with a fresh California twist, including house-smoked tri-tip, St. Louis pork ribs with sweet barbecue stout sauce and banana bread pudding for dessert.

This page and opposite: courtesy of Ojo Spa Resorts

Ojo Caliente Posi Suite

Ojo Caliente

marin living. december 2021 61

wine, dine &

Rawpixel.com/www.stock.adobe.com

gifting

In this issue we showcase the Bay Area’s wineries, retailers and restaurants that offer holiday perfection for gifting and entertaining. Get to know these local products, services and retailers and what sets them apart in their industry.

Here they share their own stories in their own voice, while you discover dining and gifting ideas that will make for a perfect holiday season. marin living.

december 2021 63

PROMOTION

wine, dine & gifting

Newton Vineyard Get to know a mountainside vineyard with a rich legacy and exceptional wines.

What unique wines are you offering for the holidays?

For us at Newton Vineyard, the holiday season is always about celebrating the release of the latest vintage of our hallmark wine, The Puzzle 2018. For winemaker Andrew Holve, crafting The Puzzle is always an incredible challenge. “The Puzzle is a historical wine for us, made since the early ’90s. This 2018 vintage is a revelation of our Spring Mountain estate, and a testament to the combined effort of the winemaking and vineyard team to work in coordination.”

How are you helping patrons make the most out of their gift giving and holiday gathering experience?

This year, we have compiled a special holiday selection catalogue featuring a trio of The Puzzle 2018 and our best wines that can be ordered via our webstore. We also now have the option to gift a membership to our wine club, The Newton Circle.

Now that guests can come visit your establishment again, how are you making them feel welcome?

As we rebuild our winery and tasting room atop Spring Mountain, we are currently welcoming guests for private experiences at Brasswood Village, St. Helena. This was an important step for us to stay connected to our community and continue to share our wines.

Newton Vineyard 1040 Main Street, Ste 201, Napa, CA 94559 707.204.7423 winery@newtonvineyard.com www.newtonvineyard.com @newtonvineyard /newtonvineyard

Newton Vineyard winemaker Andrew Holve

PROMOTION

wine, dine & gifting

The Caviar Co. Petra Bergstein Higby Impress loved ones and friends with caviar gift boxes, nextlevel charcuterie boards and champagne this holiday season.

What unique specials are you offering for the holidays?

We yearn for the holidays all year long. Guests can join us for a curated tea service in our tasting room every Thursday through the end of December by reservation. Chef Sophy Chen has allowed us to travel to England this holiday season through finger sandwiches, pastries, tea, and, of course, caviar. However, guests can still indulge in their tasting room favorites and bubbly.

What unique gift items you are offering for the holidays?

We have some tempting products — shop our caviar market for eye-catching and mouth-watering gifts. Our caviar

concierge will consult with you on the perfect way to package your caviar selection in our luxurious gift box line.

Last, but certainly not least, we have created a next-level charcuterie board as a NYE pre-order special that will seriously impress at your holiday party — a cheese, meat and caviar pairing that is ready to serve.

How are you making guests feel welcome?

Our team is a family and we love to make our guests feel at home. Above all else, we are passionate about providing warm and welcoming service for anyone who comes to our caviar tasting room and market.

The Caviar Co. | 46A Main Street, Tiburon, CA 94920 415.889.5168 | tiburon@thecaviarco.com | www.thecaviarco.com | @thecaviarco

PROMOTION

wine, dine & gifting

Balletto Vineyards John and Terri Balletto Local gifts and experiences perfect for the holidays.

What unique gift items or wine tasting opportunities are you offering for the holidays?

We are offering a unique collection of holiday gift sets this year for purchase. All gift sets are packed in beautiful gift boxes to make your holiday gift giving easy. We also offer two different tasting experiences throughout the year and into the holidays.

Now that guests can come visit your establishment again, how are you making them feel welcome?

Balletto Vineyards offers white-glove hospitality service for all of our visitors. Guests can choose a seated tasting experience outside under our covered patio, in the cellar or enjoy a selfguided tour through our beautiful estate vineyards.

Balletto Vineyards | 5700 Occidental Road, Santa Rosa, CA 95401 707.568.2455 | tastingroom@ballettovineyards.com www.ballettovineyards.com | @ballettovineyards

Bella in Marin Stacey Templeton Kaplan Find the perfect clothing, accessories or gifts for the holidays.

What unique gift items are you offering for the holidays?

We have lots of great gift items for the holidays including well-priced designer jewelry, artisan candle brands, cashmere wraps and more.

How are you helping patrons make the most out of their gift giving experience?

We want customers to have a special experience each time they shop. We provide personal shopping, well-priced products and gift wrapping. Our gift wrapping helps set us apart from most retailers these days.

Do you or have a unique or notable history in the Bay Area?

I just celebrated 25 years in business!

Bella in Marin | Three Locations: Pacheco Plaza in Novato, Red Hill Shopping Mall in San Anselmo, and Strawberry Village in Mill Valley www.bellamarin.com | @bellaboutiquemarin | #bellaboutiquemarin

PROMOTION

wine, dine & gifting

Dee’s Organic Catering Dolores “Dee” Coleman Make your holiday gatherings extra special this year.

What unique dining specials are you offering for the holidays?

We are bringing back our Christmas and Hanukkah menus with delivery options. And not to be forgotten, the New Year’s Eve party planning underway.

How are you helping patrons make the most out of their holiday gathering experiences?

We are working with clients to make sure they are able to have the holiday gathering experiences they were unable to have last year. We have also been fortunate to work with some amazing local businesses, such as Celebrations of Marin, to ensure that the party rentals and catering design effortlessly blend.

Dee’s Organic Catering | 1545 4th Street, San Rafael, CA 94903 415.484.3491 | info@deesorganic.com | www.deesorganic.com @deesorganic

diptyque Roxy Khiev Create some holiday magic with signature gifts from diptyque.

What makes your business a leader in the industry, especially during the holidays?

Each year diptyque launches a beautiful and unique limited-edition collection, focused most importantly on the spirit of providing universal holiday gifting. Some of the key products include the highly coveted carousel, lantern, limited-edition scented candles, and the signature advent calendar.

How are you helping patrons make the most out of their gift giving and holiday gathering experience?

To optimize the shopping experience, we have several omnichannel services. Our goal is to make each transaction as seamless and low lift as possible, making diptyque the ultimate gifting destination for everyone. diptyque | 2009 Larkspur Landing Circle, Ste. 18b Larkspur, CA 94939 | 415.666.2107 | rkhiev@diptyque.us www.diptyqueparis.com | @diptyque

marin trendsetters You know who you are — you’re the business owner, director or community member who is always pushing the envelope to make your life and those of your friends and customers better. Nothing changes without trendsetters. As we kick off the new year and embrace 2022, Marin Living will honor you by placing your profile in the Marin Trendsetters advertorial feature. It will allow you to tell our readers what makes you and your business special, how you color outside the lines and how you plan to lead the way in making the new year a truly special one. Nothing changes without you. We will enhance your exposure by promoting your profile in our newsletter, a sponsored article on our website and on social media. Simply provide us with images and copy and we will create a custom profile that will resonate with our readers.

For more information contact Jessica Cline, 707.302.0850 follow us on social @marinlivingmag + subscribe to our newsletter at www.marinlivingmagazine.com/newsletter

www.marinlivingmagazine.com

PROMOTION

Community Minded Helping Spread Joy and Connection Delightful Door Hangers is a website that aims to bring feelings of joy and connection through the act of creating and giving door hangers to others. As a troop of three Senior Girl Scouts, Amnaya, Olivia and Samv created this website for their Silver Award. Project advisors, Jennifer Bowman and Andrew McGrath, of Bowman Real Estate Group, volunteered their time and expertise to help make the troop’s project possible. Go to www.delightfuldoorhangers.com, to find out more about their project.

Bowman Real Estate Group Vanguard Properties 1118 Magnolia Avenue, Larkspur, CA 94939 | 415.755.1040 www.bowmanrealestategroup.com

G Family Construction’s Annual Toy Drive G Family Construction is a family-owned business that believes in giving back to the community. For the past four years we have collected, bought and donated hundreds of toys to give to the children of Rey De Gloria Church in San Rafael. Please join us in spreading joy and giving to the 211 kids in need of toys this year. New, unwrapped toys and Target gift cards for kids aged 1 through 14 can be dropped off at our office through Dec 17.

Happy Holidays!

G Family Construction 1112 2nd Street, San Rafael, CA 94901 www.gfamilyconstruction.com

Where Every Gift Has a Story In a retail world dominated by online shopping, KARL The Store’s goal is to provide a memorable in-person experience where people can shop and share stories. We offer a curated mix of holiday gifts (each item is handpicked by owner Dennis Green) including vintage furniture, home goods, jewelry, clothing and art, and we sell homemade seasonal pies by Slice of Sausalito. Look forward to seeing you over the holidays!

1201 Bridgeway, Sausalito, CA 94965 www.karlthestore.com | 415.729.9009

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72 december 2021 marin living.

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Warmer Waters Ahead

It’s the season — here’s how to catch a glimpse of migrating gray whales that are heading south for the winter.

By Molly O’Brien

74 december 2021 marin living.

MARINITES WON’T BE THE ONLY ONES traveling south to warmer weather with their pod for a break this winter.

December brings the start of the massive southern migration of around 20,000 California gray whales from the Arctic down along the Pacific coast (through Marin waters) and toward Mexico each year.

These gentle giants will swim 5,000 miles south during December and January to leave behind the freezing northern feeding grounds of the Alaskan seas for the comfort of the warmer, more shallow waters off Baja California to birth their calves. For those who want to catch a glimpse of the action, there are a few ways to have the ultimate whale watching experience.

“The Whale Trail” (www.thewhaletrail.org) is a series of sites along the Pacific coast where people can see whales and other marine mammals from land. Whale watching in the Point Reyes headlands is a spectacular show. There’s a network of viewing spots along this trail, from Puget Sound to the coastal waters of the Pacific.

The Point Reyes Peninsula extends 10 miles into the Pacific Ocean, which allows land-based visitors one of the best oppor-

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tunities to get closer to being in the middle of the action on this whale “highway.”

The headlands of the Point Reyes Peninsula offer one of the finest spots to view gray whales along the California coast. Here, the Gulf of the Farallones just offshore acts as a 20-mile-wide lane for the whales to cruise in.

It’s similar to how cars drive on U.S. roadways running north to south — the giants travel in the western lane (which is farther out to sea) as they migrate south past Point Reyes in December and January and in the eastern lane (closer to shore) as they migrate north past Point Reyes in March, April and May. Chimney Rock and the Point Reyes Lighthouse are crowd favorite spots for whale sightings. Mary Beth Shenton, a ranger for the National Park Service at the Point Reyes National Seashore (www.nps.gov/pore), knows the best spots to view these mysterious, majestic creatures.

“One of the most reliable spots to see some whales is on the lighthouse observation deck,” says Shenton. “It’s the westernmost part of our park, as the whales are traveling north to south or south to north on their migrations.”

But you don’t just have to watch from land; whale watching boat tours are also a fantastic way to get up close on the water. San Francisco Whale Tours (www.sanfranciscowhaletours.com) owner and head captain Joe Nazar knows how profoundly impactful a whale watching experience can be.

The headlands of the Point Reyes Peninsula offer one of the finest spots to view the gray whale along the California coast.

“Every trip is different,” says Nazar. “There’s a certain curiosity and passion about these animals — they evoke a lot of emotions. I think whales are some of the most unique, intelligent creatures and we still have lots to learn from them.”

Luckily, these gray whales aren’t in a rush — for them, it’s all about the journey. They travel on average just five miles per hour during migration and can stay submerged for up to 15 minutes at a time. So, keep an eye out for the water spout!

“It’s wonderful to watch them; I look forward to my next trip every day,” says Nazar. “I’m always trying to promote the educational side of getting out to see whales — they’re amazing animals.”

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A diving gray whale in San Ignacio Lagoon in the Sea of Cortez

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Party, People!

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SAN RAFAEL NATIVE Mimi Cunningham knows how to throw a great party — after all, they don’t call her the Party Queen for nothing.

Cunningham’s background is in interior design and she cut her teeth in event planning under Solomon Rosenzweig at Event Technologies. Over the years, she has worked on prestigious events for Lucasfilm, the San Francisco Ballet and the notorious Black and White Ball, and she currently produces the opening and closing night parties for the Mill Valley Film Festival, among other local happenings. What makes a great party planner? “Creativity, organization, the 80 december 2021 marin living.

ability to stay calm, treating your crew and vendors well and never thinking the party is about you,” says Cunningham.

And just in time for this season of party throwing and home entertaining the Party Queen (www.thepartyqueen. com) is offering some sound advice for making sure your gathering is one friends and family will remember — and talk about — for years to come.

The Invite List

Finding the right mix of people to make a gathering successful can be tricky.

But Cunningham says, “Invite people you are going to feel comfortable

hanging out with. If you have many diverse groups of friends that you do not feel comfortable mixing together — don’t.” She adds, “Better to have several smaller parties with the groups you enjoy being with than having one big one that you will be nervous about.” And if you are going to throw multiple parties for different groups of friends, why not mix it up? Brunch, lunch, cocktail mixers, dinner — so many options, so little time.

Play With Themes

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Create a Dramatic Entryway

“A dynamic entry not only welcomes your guests and makes them feel special, it also signals, ‘there is a party here!’ And that gets the evening off to a great start,” says Cunningham.

She suggests using a front gate or the walkway to the front door and incorporating plenty of festive lighting.

Try using fabrics or premade curtain panels in doorways to set the mood.

The entryway decor should be moody and dramatic — it’s an easy way to set the atmosphere from the minute your guests arrive.

Don’t Forget About the Lighting

Everyone agrees: the best way to create an atmosphere for a party is with proper lighting. “The rule of thumb on good party lighting is very simple — you have to have something you are lighting,” Cunningham says.

“If you place a light in the middle of a patio, then you have a white dot on a patio. But if you place it at the base of a palm tree then you have an accented feature.” According to the Party Queen, uplighting is the best party decor lighting style, whether in your home, in the garden or in a ballroom. “Look for things with texture — corrugated metal walls, breeze blocks, stack stone, tile — they pick up the color and the lighting

accentuates the texture,” she says.

You can even coordinate the color of the lighting with the party theme, but Cunningham prefers soft, warm white lighting outdoors (especially on plants and trees) and sticking to warm colors (she prefers a warm amber) inside. And when it comes to food, always opt for a soft white.

Let It Happen You’ve spent weeks poring over every detail of your holiday gathering — the food, guest list, decor, and now is the moment for everyone to have a great time. How can you guarantee that? You can’t. “When the doors open, my job is done. The experience that guests have is beyond my control — some will love what I have done and some will hate it. I make sure all things are executed correctly, but their experience is not for me to second-guess,” says Cunningham.

The Queen has spoken.

Pick festive decor with a theme

82 december 2021 marin living.

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scheme and menu, it definitely gives a party that extra “wow” factor.

“Moroccan decor is lovely this time of year with rich jewel tones, gold beads and Moroccan lanterns. It exudes holiday festivity without being traditional,” says Cunningham, who also loves both masquerade and under-thebig-top themes. “Many times, a holiday gathering is the biggest party most will attend all year — so make it fun and nonconventional,” she says. “Guests will dress fancy or in costume even at a holiday party. Anything that lends itself to over-the-top elegance works.”

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stepping out.

Let the Music Play The San Francisco Symphony (www.sfsymphony.org) and Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen kicked off their second season together with the celebratory Re-Opening Night on October 1. The night’s celebrations began with an elegant sparkling wine welcome and continued with the festive outdoor after-party following the concert. Proceeds from Re-Opening Night benefit the symphony’s myriad artistic, education and community programs.

Daniel Veatch, Jeremy Gallaher and Andres Wydler

Christine Mark-Griffith, Tracy Lee and Richard Lee

84 december 2021 marin living.

Natasha Dolby, David Dolby and Dagmar Dolby

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Yountville business leaders reconnecting at the event

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Happy Anniversary!

Hosted by the Yountville Chamber of Commerce and mayor John Dunbar, guests were treated to a ribbon cutting and a grand opening ceremony as Cornerstone Cellars (www.cornerstonecellars.com), celebrating its 30th anniversary, and women’s travel lifestyle clothing brand TINA Stephens (www.teesbytina.com) moved into their new shared space in Yountville’s historic train depot.

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marin living. december 2021 85

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For more information, contact Jessica Cline at jessica@marinlivingmagazine.com, 707.302.0850 follow us on social @marinlivingmag + subscribe to our newsletter at www.marinlivingmagazine.com/newsletter

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drawn together.

Nourishing Body and Soul In August, Marin-based ExtraFood rescued its 5 millionth pound of food, a significant milestone for the nonprofit in the fight against hunger.

By Daniel Jewett A CALL FROM NUGGET MARKETS in Corte Madera quickly turned a regular summer day for the team and volunteers at the county-wide food recovery nonprofit ExtraFood (www. extrafood.org) into an extraordinary one. In the blink of an eye volunteers had picked up and brought the donation to Marin Community Clinic’s San Rafael Health Hub, which provides food distribution and other services to low-income Marin residents, that marked the organization’s record accomplishment.

“One of the best things about my job is that I stand in the middle of many rivers of generosity that enable us to make an impact 365 days a year,” says founder and departing executive director Marv Zauderer (Will Dittmar has just been named as his replacement). “ExtraFood is about sharing abundance here, so all can thrive.”

The Kentfield-based nonprofit got its start in 2013 when Zauderer, who began his career in technology and pivoted to psychotherapy, launched a move to get food to the one in five Marinites who worry about where their next meal will come from.

“Hunger breaks my heart and the climate crisis terrifies me,” says Zauderer, adding that the emissions from food waste in the world is twice the amount generated by all the cars in the U.S. and Europe and that rescuing food lowers 88 december 2021 marin living.

those emissions. “If people have the food they need, children can learn, adults can find jobs to lift themselves out of poverty and seniors can age in place with dignity.”

But none of that can happen without the more than 750 volunteers who have donated some 60,000 hours since ExtraFood began to get nourishing food into the hands of 8,000 hungry people per month. “One of the most frequent things I hear when I ask volunteers what they like about the job is that they get a hug when they deliver,” Zauderer says, adding that volunteers complete whichever deliveries fit into their schedule. “They feel the triple impact of our work: the impact on hunger, the impact on the climate crisis as they’re reducing food waste, and they feel the impact on systemic change in our community.”

The operation works with military-like precision because fresh food can’t wait. First, the staff indentifies regular and spontaneous donations of excess fresh food — prepared food, fresh fruits and vegetables, dairy products, eggs, meat, baked goods — and matches those with the needs in the community, often reaching out to nonprofit distribution partners like senior housing centers, after-school programs and homeless shelters and food pantries. When a match is found, it is posted to a web portal and then staff or volunteers grab the assignment, hop into a refrigerated truck and deliver it free of charge. “Those are our marching orders,” Zauderer says.

The job is full of powerful moments, but one that really stood out for Zauderer was when he visited a senior housing center that ExtraFood delivers to and encountered a woman who had lost her home in the financial crisis.

“At that point, I lost my faith in this community,” the woman told Zauderer.” Being part of this food program has restored my faith.”

To make a financial gift visit www.give.extrafood. org; businesses and schools can donate extra food at www.goingplaces.extrafood.org.

Courtesy of ExtraFood

From left: Kathy and Josh Margolis and Marv Zauderer

ART IS EVERYTHING.

Now showing: Patrick Rubinstein Marilyn Power Original Kinetic Artwork on Panel, Black Glitter 55 x 43 in 140 x 110 cm

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New Year’s Eve with Darren Criss DEC 31 7:30PM Before the ball drops, kick off your New Year’s celebrations with a spectacular evening of music with the San Francisco Symphony! Award-winning actor, singer, and songwriter Darren Criss—a San Francisco native famed for his roles on television’s Glee and American Crime Story—takes to the stage to ring in 2022 with a bevy of hits sure to get you in the festive mood.

sfsymphony.org/holiday

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