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Sweet Sounds
The venerable Sweetwater Music Hall emerges from the pandemic with reimagined places for eating and enjoying live music and a new nonprofit arm dedicated to community.
By Daniel Jewett
WHEN MARIA HOPPE joined Mill Valley’s Sweetwater Music Hall (www.sweetwatermusichall.com) as its executive director and general manager last June, she knew she was stepping into an important role.
“When I met with the board there was a gentleman there named Rich Robbins who said to me, ‘You know, we are just stewards of this legacy, this historical landmark, and it’s our obligation to keep it going.’ And he sold me right there,” says Hoppe, who left her own artist management company to take the once-in-a-lifetime role. And joining a temporarily shuttered music venue during the pandemic offered its own set of unique opportunities, as long-held plans to renovate the music space, the outdoor restaurant and start a nonprofit could finally be realized.
Food and Drink
By far the biggest renovation was to the outdoor patio, setting the stage for new executive chef Rick Hackett’s (Bocanova, MarketBar) take on food — especially the meats of Argentina — that he developed while traversing through South America. The Rock & Rye menu adds in a bit of Creole flavor (yes, there is a gumbo) and everything features hyper-local ingredients. “There are so many ingredients and things I’d never heard of that now we get to enjoy here all the time,” Hoppe says. “There is something for everyone on the menu, but now they have a twist with a spice or a sauce you’ve never had before.”
And the drink menu by returning bar manager Josh Fernandez also offers something a little different — cocktails named in tribute to independent music venues nationwide that are reopening after the pandemic. Popular libations include the Red on the Rocks (Red Rocks Amphitheatre) and the FeelMore (the Fillmore).
The Performance Space
The performance space also received a makeover that includes some changes Hoppe thinks people will really like. “I think it’s a beautiful space and I know that most musicians also feel that way about the venue,” Hoppe says, adding that she is excited to see what talent buyer Aaron “AJ” Johnson will do now that he can finally spread his booking wings post-shutdown. “We want to obviously show the proper respect to the original genres of the venue, and the history of this place,” Hoppe says. “But we are interested in also spreading out a little bit with some younger acts, adding some modern psychedelic rock, more straight-up rock, and maybe even a little more singer-songwriter music.”
The Nonprofit
The idea to create a nonprofit at Sweetwater had been around for a while, but had to be put on the back burner during the pandemic. But now that the Sweetwater Arts Fund, a nonprofit that operates as an entity separate from the music and restaurant side, is created it can finally fulfill the mission to “promote arts education, specifically music in the community in the greater Bay Area.”
And when the Sweetwater opened for live music again in September, one of the first concerts presented was a performance by Mill Valley’s Wow! Music Studios featuring young students in its program who were thrilled to take the stage for the first time. The program will partner with Sweetwater and another Mill Valley school called Helix, which supports children with differing degrees of autism, to offer additional music education events and concerts in the future.
Hoppe says many more diverse events and programs are on the horizon. One example was a concert put on last month in conjunction with the Mill Valley Film Festival for the film Song for Cesar. In that documentary co-writers and co-directors Andres Alegria and Abel Sanchez honor activist and labor leader Cesar Chavez and celebrate the songs that uplifted Latino farmworkers who otherwise felt invisible and unheard.
“The part that’s really important to Sweetwater Musical Arts is, in conjunction with the film festival, reaching out to school-age kids, and doing educational events around the film,” Hoppe says. “We have groups of high school students who are currently taking social justice classes coming to have a Q&A with Abel Sanchez to talk about the film, the music and the movement. And that, to us, is the perfect combination of arts and education.”
LONG STORY SHORT
We asked locals about some of their most unforgettable holiday memories — happy, cringeworthy or otherwise. Let’s join them for a walk down memory lane.
By Marin Living Editors
“I had just finished a year of study in France working on and receiving a Master Chef diploma, and I arrived back home in early November just in time for Thanksgiving. I was so jazzed about the holidays and all of my new cooking skills that I invited 12 of my favorite friends and family members for Thanksgiving dinner in hopes of wowing them. I pulled out all the stops and cooked for days, but I was most excited about the roasted butternut squash ravioli, drizzled with brown butter, and sprinkled with toasted hazelnuts and crisp sage. And my guests were so excited about them also, so excited that they ate so many ravioli — some even indulged in seconds — that no one ate the roast turkey, chestnut stuffing, mashed olive-oil potatoes, roasted vegetables, spiced cranberry sauce and homemade pies! Let’s put it this way, I had a lot of leftovers that day, and I was smart enough never to serve pasta as a first course on Thanksgiving again.”
—JOANNE WEIR, chef,
managing partner at Copita, PBS TV host
“It was my first Thanksgiving after being married and we offered to host both sets of relatives in our new home. It was the first time I’d ever made a full Thanksgiving dinner and I had been planning for a month and cooking for days. The table was set perfectly, the food was laid out beautifully to ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’. Just as we all sat down at the table a transformer blew and every light on our street and in the neighborhood went out. I ran around gathering and lighting every candle I had. Surrounded by candlelight everything was so beautiful and we were able to really focus on what was important, our good fortune of all being together. Each person individually called me in the days following telling me it was the best Thanksgiving they had ever had. Success!”
—HEATHER HARDCASTLE,
chef and founder, Flour Craft Bakery
“When I was a little girl, as we were opening presents on Christmas Eve with our immediate family, my father would ask us a series of questions. Some of the questions included, ‘What are you thankful for? What do you hope to get for Christmas?’ Among the seven of us in our family, we would fight over the microphone. But the best part was that we all listened to what we each wanted the previous year. Which always made us laugh about how we each changed and grew.”
—KARA GOLDIN,
founder and CEO, Hint Inc.
“Every year in December and leading up to Christmas Day, the elf on the shelf comes to visit us. The elf flies around from spot to spot and sometimes settles in some very unique locations, but usually he likes to land in places that are high up. One day, the elf decided to land in a spot that was at eye level and one of my boys asked, ‘Mom, why does the elf on the shelf have a bar code attached to it?’ ”
—CAROLINE PACULA,
fine art photographer, Caroline Pacula Prints
“Our Christmas dinners were chaos. A jovial mix of family and friends where holiday traditions were played loose. One particular Christmas, my Aunt Mollie, then 95 years old, insisted on contributing to the dining table. How could my mother exclude her? Papyrus records show families going to war for less. Thus, Mollie prepared mashed potatoes. She arrived with her CorningWare filled. My mother took the offering and asked about the pepper. ‘Pepper?’ Mollie questioned. ‘I didn’t use pepper.” My mother stared blankly into the bowl. Black flakes, like sprinkles on a doughnut. If not pepper, then what? She pushed the bowl into my hands — do something. To this day, my stumble and the explosion of mashed potatoes across the floor remains a family legend.”
—MITCHELL SAM ROSSI,
writer
“Growing up in a multicultural family, my favorite holiday tradition was each Christmas Eve day when the Mexican-American side of my family gathered for a ‘tamalada,’ a tamale-making party. I loved this family gathering so much that I featured it in my latest children’s picture book May Your Life be Delisioso (Cameron Kids/Abrams). In this story Abuela shows her granddaughter, Rosie, how to make tamales and also imparts some wishes about how to have a delicious life. This tradition is all about family, storytelling, heritage, and of course, the joy of feasting on those delicious tamales!”
—MICHAEL GENHART, Ph.D., clinical psychologist and picture book author
“I didn’t expect I’d end up having a large holiday feast when I booked a trip to India over Thanksgiving to see a friend. I brought a can of pumpkin puree, though, just in case. But as my friend waited for me at the airport, she met a stranger-turned-friend who then invited us to his sister’s wedding a few days later — on Thanksgiving! And so a large feast we had, filled with pav bhaji, pakora and savory samosas, as well as Indian families who welcomed us warmly. And, of course, an unopened can of pumpkin puree.”
—ERIN RIDLEY,
PRMRY Extra Virgin Olive Oil co-founder
“My father-in-law was an avid game hunter. He and my mother-in-law returned from an otherwise unsuccessful trip with his first snow goose, which had flown over them just as they were packing up. He asked me to cook it for him. He was more of a father to me than my biological one, and I wanted to make it memorable. I served the breasts seared on fresh greens, made confit from the legs as an appetizer, created a sweet potato hash, and roasted the bones for a consommé. He talked about that holiday meal for the rest of his life.”
—THANE KREINER,
Marin Agriculture Land Trust CEO
“At the time I was living in a VW van during a one-year surf trip across Australia with my best friend from college. I was surfing on Christmas Eve at Cactus Beach — some of the sharkiest waters in South Australia — catching some of the best waves of my life. The waves got big really quick, and I took a nosedive onto the reef, which cut my foot down to the bone. I ended up in the hospital because I had a staph infection with a red line going up my leg and spent Christmas Day hooked up to an IV. I am thankful I didn’t lose my foot and grateful to be alive.” —MIKE RALLS, founder and CEO,
Addictive Coffee Roasters
“As a founding member/keyboardist of the groove band Vinyl (formed in Mill Valley in ’95), we had the great honor of playing the original Sweetwater on Throckmorton Avenue many times over. Our annual “Black Wed” party the night before Thanksgiving became a tradition (now 25 years running) as did Vinyl Sweetwater shows on New Year’s Eve. In 2005 we were booked on NYE at Sweetwater but first played a December 30 show in Reno. The next morning we woke up to a major storm — Interstate 80 was closed and, as we crammed in our breakfast, we realized we were screwed. We started out at 9 a.m. by driving south, but immediately encountered flooding and detoured East through Virginia City. We were now two hours farther away from our destination. Somehow, we made it to Lake Tahoe as they closed Highway 50 behind us. With chains on we crawled around the unplowed lake roads. I remember that at some point the road cleared and we actually got a speeding ticket! We finally made it to the 101 around 9:30 p.m. I think we got to Sweetwater at 10:45 p.m. We loaded in as fast as possible, played a few songs and went right into the NYE countdown. We ended up having a great show — the crowd was pumped. The power went out just as we finished. It was one of the craziest travel days ever — a 13-and-a-half-hour drive. We had never been so glad to make it to a gig or to be back home in Marin.”
—JONATHAN KORTY,
musician/producer/ fisherman-at-large
—ANDY NAJA-RIESE, CEO, Agricultural Institute of Marin
“One of my happiest holiday experiences was New Year’s Eve the night of the millennium. I was pregnant with my second child. We gathered with friends and family on a snowy night at my husband’s tiny family cabin deep in the forest near Big Sky, Montana, playing games and singing songs around a roaring outdoor fire while giant snowflakes fell. Being in the quiet but formidable presence of Mother Nature in winter, surrounded by loved ones, was the perfect way to welcome a new century.”
—MERRIAM SAUNDERS,
LMFT, psychotherapist and author
“I had just graduated from San Jose State in 1987 and I landed a job working for a tech company in Redwood City. It was Christmastime so my mother prepared a leftover lunch. And it wasn’t any ordinary PB&J American lunch. This was as ethnic an Italian Christmas specialty as anyone could ever find. It’s called baccala, which is a salted cured codfish, reconstituted overnight with water and baked in tomato sauce with garlic and onions. When warmed up, this meal has just the right elements you’d need to clear a building within minutes. And, warmed in the company kitchen microwave, it was more like a sarin gas release in a subway. Suffice it to say the fish stench permeated the entire building and my colleagues acted as if anthrax was just released. From then on, a new policy was implemented, ‘No funky leftovers allowed in the kitchen!’ I somehow escaped the blame.”
—FRANK POLLIFRONE,
chief marketing officer and co-founder, The Record Factory, Sausalito
“Some of the happiest holiday memories occurred on our farm at our grandparents’ home. All of the family members would arrive from near and far, and the cousins would have an absolute blast together. We had a special kids’ table where all of the children ate on the side porch and we’d hatch a plan to scare the parents or the oldest cousins, which was never successful. Later, we’d play outside with the ranch dogs, take turns riding the horses, and get chased by my grandma’s chickens. Our parents would exchange the latest stories about their kids and we’d end the evening with lots of family pictures.”
—JACQUELINE TAYLOR, co-founder of Le Prunier
“I remember one year my sister, Jacque, prepared a beautiful vegan dessert for Christmas and our family drove to our relatives’ home that evening. Unfortunately, when we arrived someone forgot to close the car door (likely due to the excitement of seeing everyone). When we noticed the car door was open an hour later, we went back out to find the family dog had devoured the vegan tart that was also forgotten in the car. My sister was not too pleased, but hey, at least we knew it was a tasty dessert!”
—ALLISON TAYLOR,
co-founder of Le Prunier
“One year, all of the kids wanted to help trim the tree. Unfortunately, I prefer glass ornaments and the little ones dropped and broke about 40 percent of them. But the kids were adorable regardless. Another year, the dogs got overly excited and knocked the Christmas tree over, taking out like 10 percent more of the ornaments. Luckily, I also enjoy ornament shopping and have been gifted many ornaments since.” —ALLISON TRYK, Floramye founder
CHEF
From dinner service at talk-of-the-town restaurants to family holiday parties, chef Gordon Drysdale has mastered the recipe for hosting a successful gathering.
By Sarah Weinberg Gold Photographs by Rachel Weill
KNOWS
BEST
GORDON DRYSDALE’S regular customer isn’t the high-profile politico type; the chef’s Northern California restaurants tend to attract a different crowd. But on New Year’s Day several years back, he found himself catering to exactly that demographic— D.C. bigwigs. Hundreds of them. Drysdale, his wife and their sons were in Alexandria, Virginia, celebrating the holidays with his sister, brother-in-law and their kids. For the January 1 party, they needed a snack to serve. “They enjoy food, but ...” Drysdale pauses. “My sister does not like to cook.”
Which is how the chef found himself in charge of truffled toasted cheese sandwiches, slowly spelling P’tit Basque over the phone to his shopping sister and brother-in-law before showing them how to grate the cheese, add truffle butter to slices of bread and toast everything on little electric griddles, then repeat the process tens of times.
“My brother-in-law, Steve, who had probably never held a spatula in his life, was just bursting with pride when he figured out that he himself, alone, could make truffled toasted cheese sandwiches,” Drysdale says with a laugh. “To see all these people who are so not in my world coming up to Steve saying ‘Oh, these sandwiches are amazing’ tickled me so much.”
Now those sandwiches remain a standby at that annual party, Drysdale’s attendance optional. It’s fitting that one of his favorite entertaining memories resulted in a tradition he’s no longer even a part of. Drysdale is very much of the “teach a man to fish” school, ever ready to share tips on how to make any event a success. And he has plenty of practice, having opened, headed or revitalized nearly a dozen restaurants in his decades-long career.
Spoiler alert: It’s not just the food that matters.
“For me, a great experience in a restaurant or home comes from lighting, attractive lighting,” Drysdale says. It all goes back to Auguste Escoffier, he explains. The famed French chef allegedly once said if women look beautiful in your restaurant, it will always be full. At home, Drysdale and his wife have landed on a soft orange glow as their signature hue. Little orange bulbs are peppered across the yard, and you’ll find some inside the house.
The music is important, too. Drysdale has been making tunes with this, that or the other instrument for decades; about once a month he hosts a music night under the big Meyer lemon tree in his backyard, and his bandmates are regulars at other casual get-togethers he arranges. But he always considers the crowd’s taste: since “music is essential for setting the tone for the experience to come,” he says, “if you’ve got a bunch of upbeat and lively people and you’re playing Bach concertos,” it might not go over so well.
And that’s what it all boils down to. “People want connection. People want comfort,” he says. Drysdale always tries to stack his invite lists with people who’ll mesh on different levels, to promote easy conversation. When everything comes together, it’s nothing short of magic. “I can recall the moment at Gordon’s House of Fine Eats about eight or nine months after we opened,” he says. “We had a fantastic band playing up on the mezzanine, the lighting was perfect, the food coming out was perfect, the roar of people enjoying themselves was perfect. I thought, ‘There, I did it. I’ve been striving to hit this kind of moment my entire life.’ ” Bustling restaurant or intimate gathering at home, those are the times you never forget.
Balsamic Braised Short Ribs
Serves 8
“Braised short ribs — it’s a dish I frequently make on Christmas Eve,” Drysdale says, “with truffled mashed potatoes and wild mushroom ragout on top.” The extra touch: “Add truffle oil, and I like to add truffle salt as well, to your taste. The best truffle oil/salt I have found comes from Connie Green’s amazing Wine Forest Foods out of Napa.” (www.wineforest.com)
Ingredients
8 beef chuck flap portions (4 to 5 pounds) 1½ quarts (from about two, 28-ounce cans) chopped canned
San Marzano tomatoes 1½ quarts medium diced onions 1 tablespoon fresh minced garlic 2 teaspoons finely minced fresh rosemary leaves ¾ cup balsamic vinegar 1½ quarts good chicken stock 2 bay leaves
To Make 1. Lightly salt the short ribs and let sit out for a couple of hours, to come up to room temperature. 2. Measure out 1½ quarts’ worth of San Marzano tomatoes and reserve the rest for other uses. 3. When meat is room temperature, pat it dry and sear it in smoking oil. Caramelize well, but be careful; the meat burns easily. When beef is nicely browned on all sides, place in a roasting pan and set aside. 4. Wipe out the dirty oil from the searing pan, but avoid scrubbing the pan unless it is terribly burned; the caramelization will add flavor to the braise. 5. Heat fresh oil to smoking and caramelize onions. When nice and brown, add the garlic and rosemary and let cook 1 to 2 minutes. Add the balsamic vinegar, chicken stock and tomatoes, bring to a boil, then add seared beef. 6. Bring all the ingredients in the pan to a final boil, cover and cook in a 275° F oven with no fan on for 2½ to 3½ hours; meat should be very tender when pierced with a knife, but not falling apart (that would be overcooked). Remove meat from the hot liquid to cool at room temperature for 30 minutes. 7. Strain the braising liquid and set over a medium flame. When the mixture starts to boil, lower heat to a slow boil. Fat will start to accumulate; skim that off and strain into a tall, clear container, discarding foam and burnt particles but saving the clean fat. 8. Reduce the braising liquid in the pan by about one-third — it should be full-flavored and tasty; if not, continue to reduce, but take care not to let it get too salty. Meanwhile, place reserved clean fat in a small pot and heat. When hot, add a small amount of flour and stir with a whisk to incorporate. Continue adding flour bit by bit until the fat-flour mix resembles wet sand. At this point cook over low-to-medium heat for 5 more minutes to make a roux. 9. When the braising liquid is tasty and the roux is cooked, keep the liquid hot over a low-to-medium flame, stir a small amount of the roux into the liquid and let cook 1 to 2 minutes. Continue to stir in more roux bit by bit until the sauce is the texture of a nice gravy. Cook for 5 more minutes and strain through a fine strainer (a bouillon strainer if you have one). 10. If you’re preparing this dish a day ahead (the ideal method), pour cleaned (thickened and strained) sauce over short ribs and chill uncovered until completely cold. When ready to serve the short ribs, slice, cover with more sauce, bring to a boil and heat over low heat until the meat is hot.
Serves 8
Ingredients
thin lasagna sheets or wonton skins ravioli filling (recipe below) egg wash (beaten whole egg with a little touch of water) brown butter sauce (recipe below) sliced fresh sage leaves lemon zest wild arugula toasted chopped pecans chopped dried cranberries aged balsamic extra-virgin olive oil
To Make 1. Open lasagna sheets or wontons package and cover them with a lightly moistened tea towel. 2. Lay out 6 of the skins (or lasagna sheets cut into 3-inch squares) and place a spoonful of filling in the middle of each. With a clean paintbrush, place a half-inch rim of egg wash around the perimeter. Place a fresh skin on top and press down around the edges, leaving one little spot open in each to let excess air escape, then press down that edge as well. Seal the edges with light pressure from the tines of a fork. 3. Lay out the ravioli one layer deep and either freeze or cover with a lightly moistened tea towel until ready to serve. 4. Place a large pot of heavily salted water over a high flame and bring to a boil. Add the ravioli and cook until the edges are tender; then, with a skimmer or slotted spoon, carefully remove from the water onto a tray lined with another towel. 5. Gently toss the hot ravioli with a bit of the warm brown butter sauce, place them on a plate, then sprinkle with thin ribbons of fresh sage and fresh lemon zest (use a microplaner to make these if you have one). 6. Top with the salad of wild arugula, toasted pecans and dried cranberries tossed with aged balsamic and extra-virgin olive oil. Serve immediately.
art credit Brussels sprouts salad
Butternut ravioli with sage and brown butter sauce
Butternut Squash Ravioli Filling
Ingredients
6 cups roasted butternut or other full-flavored squash 6 cups whole-milk ricotta cheese rice oil, for moistening salt and fresh black pepper to taste
To Make 1. Peel the butternut squash, slice it thin, toss with a little rice oil, salt and pepper and roast in a 350° F degree oven with the fan on (if your oven has one) until the thickest pieces are tender. A little deepening of color is OK, but don’t let it get too dark. 2. Let the squash cool to room temperature; then either place in a food processor and process until smooth or mash by hand with a handheld blender or potato masher. 3. Add ricotta and process or mash to thoroughly mix. Season to taste and either utilize or refrigerate immediately.
Brown Butter Ravioli Sauce
Ingredients
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice ¾ cup sauvignon blanc or other crisp white wine ½ cup minced shallots 1 pound cold butter, cut in pieces 1 pound frozen browned butter (see instructions below), cut in pieces 1 tablespoon lemon zest (from roughly 2 lemons)
To Make 1. Place lemon juice, wine and shallots in a small pot, bring to a boil and turn down to medium high. Reduce to a syrup. 2. Over medium heat, add cold, unsalted butter, several pieces at a time, whisking continuously (being sure to add new butter before old butter completely melts into sauce). When the cold, unsalted butter is gone, continue with cold browned butter. To make browned butter: Place cold unsalted butter in a pan over medium heat and cook, swirling occasionally, until color starts to show. Continue cooking until butter looks brown but not burned, pour into a metal pie tin or storage pan and place in the freezer. Wrap in plastic wrap once it’s frozen and store in freezer for up to several weeks. 3. When all butter is melted, remove pan from heat, whisk in lemon zest, adjust seasonings and hold sauce for service bain marie (covered, over warm water, to keep sauce from “breaking” or separating). Use a thermos preheated with hot water if you have one.
Brussels Sprouts Salad
Serves 4–6
“Thanksgiving is held at chef Bob Helstrom’s house and every year, my responsibility is a vegetable,” Drysdale says. “I had a very popular dish at Gordon’s House of Fine Eats called warm Brussels sprouts salad. Probably the most popular thing I’ve ever made. In the 20-something years since we first created the recipe, there have been literally millions of orders of this. It’s a signature dish. It’s a challenging dish, but so rewarding when you get it right.”
Ingredients
Salad: ½ pound slab bacon 2 tablespoons rice oil, plus 3 tablespoons for salad 2 medium onions, peeled and sliced 6 slices country-style bread, crusts removed, torn in ½-inch squares 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 6 large eggs 3 to 4 pounds brussels sprouts (about 40 good-size sprouts)
Vinaigrette: 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar 1 large clove garlic, minced 1 large shallot, minced 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves ½ cup rice oil (or other neutral vegetable oil)
1. Early in the day, prepare the mise en place: cut bacon into half-inch squares and cook over low heat until almost crisp, drain off most of the fat and reserve. Heat 2 tablespoons of the rice oil until just smoking and cook sliced onions over medium-high heat until golden brown. Drain and set aside. Toss cubed bread with extra-virgin olive oil and toast in a 300° F oven until golden brown and crispy (about 20 to 25 minutes). Let cool to room temperature and set aside. Cover the eggs with cold water, bring to scald, and let sit in scalding water for 9 to 10 minutes, until yolk is firm but a little undercooked. Run cold water over eggs to stop cooking, peel, and cut into eighths. Cover and put in the refrigerator. 2. Also early in the day, prepare your vinaigrette: soak the garlic, shallots and thyme in the vinegar for 45 minutes and then slowly whisk in the ½ cup rice oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper and reserve, covered, for service. 3. While soaking and cooking the other items, clean the sprouts. Remove the first few dark leaves and discard. Cut off the stems and separate out the leaves one by one (this is not particularly fun). When you get to the light green center and can’t pull off the leaves you are done — you can save the heart for other uses. 4. To cook the salad (finally!): in a large sauté pan heat remaining 3 tablespoons of rice oil until almost smoking and add leaves. Toss until wilted (about 3 minutes), season with salt and pepper, then add reserved onions and bacon and warm a little more until hot. When hot, add well-stirred vinaigrette, toss to distribute and taste for seasoning. Season with salt and pepper, add croutons and eggs, toss and serve.
Holidays COZY FOR THE
Whether you are shopping for friends and family or buying a little something special for yourself, these gifts are sure to bring joy this holiday season.
Photographed by Marisa Sanchez-Dunning/ If Only Creative
By Casey Gillespie
Add a little light with these luxurious favorites. Diptyque
190g limited-edition holiday
candles in biscuit and sapin, $78 each, available at Diptyque Marin (2009 Larkspur Landing Circle, Unit 18B) and www.diptyqueparis.com
Perfect for anyone who tends to spend way too much time staring at digital devices. Caddis Eye Appliances blue light blockers, D28 Reading Glasses in bullet coffee, $95, available at www.caddislife.com
Just add a crackling fire and holiday tunes to bring more hygge into your life.
Heath Ceramics studio mug
in dawn, $53, and rim mini plate in dawn, $28, available at Heath Ceramics, 400 Gate Five Road, Sausalito, and www.heathceramics.com. Pendleton 64-by-80-inch Silver Bark blanket, $269, available at Pendleton (103 Corte Madera Town Center) and www.pendleton-usa.com
Selenite is thought to have properties of purification, protection and positive energy, making it a thoughtful gift for anyone on your list. Pollen and Wool selenite bundle, $65, available at Pollen and Wool (211 Corte Madera Town Center)
Still wondering what to get for the man who has everything? We found just the thing. The Karl the
Store Pig & Hen Sharp Simon
Leather bracelet in cognac, $109, and Pig & Hen Bombay Barry bracelet in navy and sand, $99, available at Karl the Store (1201 Bridgeway, Sausalito) and www.karlthestore.com
Timeless pieces for the holiday season and beyond. Pendleton 64-by-80-inch Crescent Bay blanket, $269, and men’s Shetland
washable wool crewneck
sweater, $99.50, available at Pendleton (103 Corte Madera Town Center) and www.pendleton-usa.com
The holidays are made for family game days and nights, and Toy Crazy has the ultimate selection — this is our new favorite. Front Porch Classics Shutthe-Box, $24.99, available at Toy Crazy (2211 Larkspur Landing Circle) and www.gotoycrazy.com
Designed by Mill Valley influencer Chantelle PaigeMulligan (@ChantellePaige), these matching mommyand-me separates (matching joggers also available) are a no-brainer. Senna Case Rayne pullover, $36, available at www.sennacase.com
medical, health + beauty innovators
This month Marin Living magazine honors the Bay Area’s top medical, health, wellness and beauty Innovators. Join us as we take an insider’s look at the people and businesses who are making a significant impact in the Bay Area through the state-of-the-art practices and products. These are the foremost trailblazers in their respective fields and they are leading the charge in medical, health, wellness and beauty innovation.
medical, health + beauty innovators
Chris Bacchi, M.D.
Marin Medical Aesthetics has new treatments to ensure you look your best this holiday season.
Do you offer any new and innovative procedures that would be great for patients to get right now?
We are proud to be the first medical practice in Marin to offer services with Obagi’s novel Skintrinsiq device. Our protocol allows for a comfortable, no downtime, yet effective high-tech facial. Treatment involves both extractions and customized product infusion into the skin. Marin Medical Aesthetics’ regimen utilizes both red and blue light therapy and our medical aesthetician can provide corrective and rejuvenating benefits in a single session. We recommend getting this service monthly during the holiday season to look and feel your best.
Why should clients consider you for their next procedure or visit?
Our mommy makeover is nonsurgical and comprehensive. We welcome new moms as well as women that have been moms for years. We know how busy moms can be, so we pride ourselves on a one-stop shopping approach.
What do you want people to know about your business?
We are thrilled to announce our plans to move and grow as we relocate to beautiful downtown San Anselmo. We are under construction at 100 Sir Francis Drake. Look for our new location in the new year!
Marin Medical Aesthetics | 807 D Street, San Rafael, CA 94901 | 415.785.4604 marinmedicaloffice@gmail.com | www.marinmedicalaesthetics.com | @marinmedical.aesthetics
medical, health + beauty innovators
Dr. Cat and Randy Gibson LAc
9 CORNERS Med-Cryo-Spa uses science to produce exceptional results.
What is it that makes you a medical, health and wellness expert?
For 23 years we have delivered over 100,000 successful treatments to our wonderful clients. Our areas of expertise include weight loss, pain relief, sleep disorders, stress reduction, allergy relief, performance, vitality and longevity.
What are you doing now that is unique in your health and wellness approach?
We are next generation health care. Our hi-touch, hi-tech treatments activate the body in desired directions from the inside-out and outside-in. Clients receive sciencebased, custom programs combining acupuncture and massage, with cryo therapies, infrared saunas, bio coding and nutraceuticals. Results are exceptional.
What are you doing that nobody else is?
Our preeminent Lean & Clean Programs help clients get leaner while reducing damaged cells, toxins and inflammation in just a few weeks. Clients are looking and feeling younger than they have in years. It’s exciting to see and hear their success stories.
What new innovation do you offer?
We are first in Marin to deliver next-level body sculpting using the Pagani T-Shock with Static Pad system from Italy. It’s the ultimate noninvasive, socially distanced and painless treatment to evenly melt away fat and cellulite.
9 CORNERS Med-Cryo-Spa 208 Vintage Oaks Shopping Center, Suite K29 Novato, CA 94945 415.209.9600 www.9corners.com
medical, health + beauty innovators
Howard Kornfeld, M.D., and Associates
Recovery Without Walls is focusing on their clients’ relationship to alcohol during the holidays.
What is it about you that makes you a medical expert?
I am board certified in three specialties with decades of experience in the treatment of alcohol problems, addictions and pain conditions. The phrase “recovery without walls” describes a philosophy unencumbered by either reductionist thinking or the need for the walls of a residential facility. We have maintained this open mind toward alcohol issues, treat most patients privately in our office, and utilize the best “rehabs” when needed.
What is your emphasis with problem drinking and overall health?
As we come out of the pandemic and enter the holidays, many people are finding that their relationship to alcohol has changed with more consumption than before, and this is especially true for women. Targeted medication, psychotherapy, and peer support are often essential to restore balance and reduce the physical and emotional distress associated with withdrawal, anxiety, insomnia, compulsive behaviors and depression. We are on the cutting edge of introducing medication strategies years ahead of other practices in the region.
Howard Kornfeld Recovery Without Walls 3 Madrona Street, Mill Valley, CA 94941 415.383.2949 office@recoveryww.com www.recoveryww.com
medical, health + beauty innovators
John Krueger
JK Medicare Solutions matches Medicare plans to your current health and budget needs.
What is the most common mistake people make when it comes to Medicare?
All too often, people enroll in Medicare and then just “let it ride” from year to year. The fact is that our health and needs along with premiums, plans and prescriptions can change significantly as we age. It’s important to review your coverage annually to make sure it is meeting the needs of both your health and budget. I provide a free comprehensive review.
How do you help someone approaching age 65 navigate the Medicare maze and enrollment process?
My focus is on education. I provide a Medicare 101 seminar to help clients understand Medicare (Parts A,B,C & D). I listen to and understand an individual’s needs and budget so we can narrow down the options. Together we complete the complimentary Medicare enrollment process.
John Krueger | www.JKmedicaresolutions.com jkmedicaresolutions@gmail.com | 510.918.2191 | Lic #0D83351
Kim Manley and Bonnie Campbell
KM Herbals offers gentle botanical skincare, inspired by family.
What is your unique approach to beauty that sets you apart in the industry?
As a mother, I was first inspired to make gentle formulas for my daughter, Bonnie. Now a mother-daughter team, we seek to share the revolutionary power of botanicals with our community by promoting self-care as a step toward self-love.
What are you doing in business that nobody else is?
In contrast to most skin care brands, all our products are handcrafted with care, locally. We grow and harvest herbs from our on-site permaculture garden for our botanical personal care line, allowing us to put hands-on intention and care into every step of the formulation process.
KM Herbals Skincare | 707.878.2980 | shop@kmherbals.com www.kmherbals.com | @kmherbals
medical, health + beauty innovators
Kevin Perrott , Ph.D., CEO
OpenCures is a new kind of company that allows clients to scientifically track their health.
What is it about you that makes you a health expert?
Becoming a cancer survivor pushed me to get a Ph.D. studying aging at the Buck Institute where I learned the power of science to optimize health and created OpenCures.
What is your unique approach to health and that sets you apart?
OpenCures helps nonscientists access scientific tools to optimize health. For instance, the ProdromeScan is an inexpensive “smog check” that uses mass spectrometry to measure hundreds of health biomarkers in a small blood sample with any non-optimal levels easily modifiable. We have other offerings for self-directed health researchers, including a personal CryoBank, cutting-edge supplements, functional testing and online software to help share results and biospecimens to accelerate development of cures for disease.
OpenCures | 823 B Grant Avenue, Novato, CA 94945 415.500.1377 | kevin@opencures.org | www.opencures.org
advertise with us.
Let us help you evolve, grow and promote your brand. For more information, contact Dina Grant, advertising director, at dina@marinlivingmagazine.com, 707.238.2030.
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wine, dine + gifting
In the December issue, Marin Living magazine will showcase the Bay Area’s wineries, retailers and restaurants that offer holiday ideas and solutions for gifting and entertaining. This special section will provide readers an inside look at local products, services and retailers, and what sets them apart in their industry. These pages allow our partners to tell their stories in their own voices, and offer readers a look at holiday dining and gifting ideas. Our readers enjoy the best wineries, restaurants and local gift purveyors, and this is the perfect place to reach them. We will enhance your exposure by promoting your profile in our newsletter, through a sponsored article on our website and on social media.
What Matters Most in Real Estate
The nuances of real estate are numerous and knowing each one is what sets a great agent apart from the rest. Nick Svenson brings his intimate knowledge of the buyer pool, timing, design, marketable characteristics and pricing to the table in a way that is easy to understand and act on. By leaving no stone unturned, buyers and sellers are sure to be very well positioned in the market. Nick Svenson has used this approach to become a top producer in the business and is currently one of the top 15 agents in Marin County.
Nick Svenson | nick@marinsfhomes.com www.marinsfhomes.com | 415.505.7674 DRE #01918616
Community Minded
Let’s Go Get Your Home
Beyond being real estate professionals, we’re community members, family people and friends who are on a continuous adventure to enjoy everything around the Bay Area. You can often find us dining around town, having picnics in the park, hiking Mount Tamalpais, driving out to Tomales Bay for oysters, and drinking really good wine from our neighbors in Napa and Sonoma Counties. As Marin natives, we have a different view of what it means to live in Marin. The unique benefits of living in the region, with its unmatched natural beauty and wealth of outdoor opportunities, allows us to help our buyers and sellers achieve their goals and the lifestyle they desire. At Own Marin, we’re as passionate about the Marin lifestyle as we are about helping you create your own.
www.ownmarin.com | @ownmarin info@ownmarin.com | 415.737.5663 DRE #01478074
j o in our inner circle.
let’s be friends.
For an inside look into our obsessions and adventures in Marin County and beyond, subscribe to our newsletter at www.marinlivingmagazine.com/newsletter.
follow us on social @marinlivingmag
Five star customer service. It’s what I’m known for.
The quality of your home environment has never been more important. I always enjoy helping my clients find homes that enhance the quality of their lives and make lucrative sales that maximize the value of their properties. I’d be honored to help you discover your place in Marin.
SOLD SOLD SOLD SOLD
GREENBRAE KENTFIELD CORTE MADERA GREENBRAE
415.302.7173 Susanvl.com DRE#: 01323865
We use Recycled Water. Now open as a Funeral Home! All of your needs at one location
On-Site Crematory Natural Green Burial & Traditional Crypts & Niches Chapel & Reception Center Pre-Planning Available A Member of the Community Since 1960
Payment Plans Available — Pre-Arrangement Planning for Future Funeral Expenses and Cemetery Property
415.897.9609 | www.valleymemorialpark.com 650 Bugeia Lane, Novato, CA 94945
info@valleymemorialpark.com
going places.
Real Horsepower
Discover stunning Marin homes with a history, luxury equine retreats and learn more about the newest EV you are seeing around town.
Miravel Arizona Resort & Spa’s equine experience
CREATE YOUR DREAM OUTDOOR LIVING SPACE
Modern Era specializes in the installation, maintenance, renovation, and design of interlocking paving for your driveway, walkway/ pathway, outside living area, and more.
SPECIALTY SERVICES: driveway | walkway | patio | pool deck concrete deck overlay | sitting and retaining wall | artificial grass installation pergolas and gazebos | outdoor kitchen fire pit | water features
LUCAS TARSO SILVA (CEO) | 415.250.9700 | WWW.MODERNERADEVELOPERS.COM | LT@MODERNERADEVELOPERS.COM
Gilbert Carrasco, Executive Director
For 100 years Aldersly Retirement Community has provided the ultimate in memory care.
What is your unique approach to health that sets you apart in the industry?
Aldersly’s approach is unique because our Memory Care Center is focusing on “What remains is more important than what is lost.”
What do you want people to know about your business?
Aldersly is celebrating its 100-year anniversary in San Rafael by hosting several events in 2022 and we invite the Marin community to join us.
What is it about you and your business that makes you a medical health expert?
Aldersly trains our memory support care partners to provide excellent resident-centered care, helping residents do as much as possible and providing them with a sense of control and feeling of success.
What are you doing in business that nobody else is?
Aldersly is embracing innovative technology like circadian lighting, virtual reality and even voice/video assistants, improving the well-being of residents, particularly those living with memory loss or dementia.
