MAGNIFICENT MAGNUMS Dry Creek Vineyard’s 50th Anniversary 8
DELICIOUS DELIVERED With Thyme Provisions 12
PUBLISHER
Rosemary Olson
EDITOR
Daedalus Howell
COPY EDITOR
Suzanne Michel
CONTRIBUTORS
Ada Ionesco
Isabella Cook
Kary Hess
PRODUCTION OPERATIONS MANAGER
Zk Bradley
CREATIVE SERVICES
PRODUCTION MANAGER
Deb Fisher
FINDING FOOD
North Bay Foraging 18
BEYOND NATURAL BEAUTY Clean skincare with Benedetta 26
ENGAGING GOLD
Healdsburg’s Katja Designs 32
BEAUTIFUL FUSION Artist Ashwini Bhat 38
SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER
Jackie Mujica
EDITORIAL GRAPHIC DESIGNER
Phaedra Strecher
ADVERTISING DIRECTOR
Lisa Marie Santos
ADVERTISING ACCOUNT MANAGERS
Erin Hansen, Danielle McCoy, Mercedes Murolo, Lynda Rael, Dianna Stone
CEO & EXECUTIVE EDITOR Dan Pulcrano
DIRECTOR OF CREATIVE SERVICES
Cindy Couling
RED HILL Shopping Center
Chase Bank
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CVS
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Get in Shape for Women
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Hot Wok Chinese Food
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marinhumanesociety.org
Lark Shoes
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Mathnasium of San Anselmo
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Peet’s Coffee & Tea
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Pet Food Express
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Pizzalina pizzalina.com
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Precision 6 Haircutting
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Coming soon: Redwood Credit Union!
Come & pick up some of Carol’s World Famous Award Winning
Jeff Bartee Photography
ROAD HOME This time of year is redolent with rain-soaked streets and the industry of warm kitchens.
WINTER WINESONG
Raineth drop and staineth slop
When I was an angsty young man, my fellow malcontents and I were apt to spout half-learned poetry whilst staggering the rain-soaked streets of Petaluma. This was between sloppy slugs of Carlo Rossi Burgundy and the occasional cris de coeur over somebody’s sister or other.
A favorite poem was by Ezra Pound. We hadn’t gotten far enough into Mod Poetry at the JC to learn that the Idahoan-turned-Parisian-expat had overripened into an Axis radio propagandist during the war. Hemingway himself had to testify on his behalf that he was more lunatic than fascist to spare him the firing squad. It was a complicated mess, like the man’s poetry, at least to us suburban plebes for whom “trochaic tetrameter” sounded more
Isabella Cook writes avidly about food and local food-related adventures. She is a regular features writer for the Pacific Sun. instagram.com/north_ bay_area_woman.
EXPLORE THE NORTH BAY 2025
like a social disease than the invisible framework of the poem in question.
Pound called it “Ancient Music”; it was a knock-off of an old English rota, which celebrated spring and got a lot of mileage out of repeating “Cuckoo!” in comic refrains. Per usual, he went in the opposite direction:
Winter is icumen in,
Lhude sing Goddamm, Raineth drop and staineth slop,
And how the wind doth ramm!
Sing: Goddamm.
And that was just the wind-up. After some nonsense about a freezing river and the state of his liver, Pound exhorts, “Damm you; Sing: Goddamm. Goddamm, Goddamm, ’tis why I am, Goddamm,” which was our favorite part (though Pound didn’t know how to spell “damn”). We would get louder and louder, rolling through American Alley toward
Kary Hess is the author of 1912, Poems of Time, Place and Memory, and creator of the SparkTarot karyhess.com.
Western Avenue, where we were eventually apprehended and charged with violating Business and Professions Code 25662—a.k.a., “minor in possession,” which prohibits poets under 21 from possessing an alcoholic beverage in any public place. Goddamm indeed.
Most of us walked because it was our first offense, but it did dampen an already damp season. And frankly, I haven’t been dry since. Call me a case of arrested development (literally), but the best way to greet the season, in my opinion, is with wine, poetry and anarchic abandon of all propriety. This past Nov. 6 was “Samhain”—the cross-quarter day and the actual beginning of winter (don’t let all that Solstice B.S. fool you). So it’s time… Time to sing goddamm, sing goddamm, DAMM!
Welcome to winter.
— Daedalus Howell, Editor
Howell is editor of the North Bay Bohemian and Pacific Sun, and writer-director of the feature film Werewolf Serenade. dhowell.com.
Daedalus
PHOTO BY NOAH SILLIMAN
In the Roadhouse, we are proud to work with world-class artisans and local purveyors bringing their passions to the table along with craft cocktails and live music on Saturday nights. At Good Earth Natural Foods we're making it easy to find your local favorites! Look for our Local icon to find products grown or produced within 100 miles of our stores, and check out our produce signage, where we list the number of miles each piece of produce has traveled to reach us.
GIACO’S VALLEY ROADHOUSE AND INN offers five unique private suites, featuring bespoke interior design, each one with its own unique aesthetic experience including private outside spaces with fire pits.
Conveniently located adjacent to our restaurant, our suites are designed to fit any type of traveler from groups, to couples to an adventurous individual.
BIG LEAGUE The 50th Anniversary magnum, featuring pewter labels imported from France (because why not?), makes a beautiful gift.
THE BIGGER, THE BETTER
Dry
Creek Vineyard’s 50th Anniversary Cabernet Sauvignon magnums
BY ADA IONESCO
For those looking to up their holiday hosting game, make this a mantra: Go big.
Dry Creek Vineyard has just uncorked the ultimate conversation starter—and it comes in the form of a limited edition, 50th Anniversary Cabernet Sauvignon magnum. At 1.5 liters, these show-stopping bottles are twice the size of a standard wine but carry more than just extra ounces. They embody the rich legacy of a family-owned winery holding down the fort in Dry Creek Valley for half a century.
These magnums hold the crème de la crème of the 2019 vintage. President and second-generation owner Kim Stare Wallace sums it up best: “This is a wine that not only celebrates where we’ve been as a family and a winery over two generations; it’s also a wine that will age gracefully, making it a beautiful addition to any collection.” In other words, this magnum is the gift that keeps on giving—long after the holiday glow has dimmed.
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TIME IN A BOTTLE Dry Creek Vineyard has been a mainstay of Sonoma County’s wine scene since its founding in 1972.
»» At $220 a pop (or $240 if one wants it dressed in a commemorative gift box), these magnums are available through the winery’s tasting room and website—and do a lot of gifting heavy-lifting, literally, but also in terms of signaling a whole lotta love for the lucky oenophile who receives it.
Director of winemaking Tim Bell isn’t one for hyperbole, so when he says, “This is the best cabernet we’ve ever produced,” one knows it’s time to pay attention—the 2019 season treated Dry Creek Valley’s grapes to a long, mild growing period that stretched the harvest across nearly 70 days, allowing every vineyard block to hit peak ripeness. The payoff? It is a balanced, complex wine with flavors that dance between black currant, plum and blackberry, wrapped in whispers of chai spice, mocha and that “just-ground” coffee aroma that produces olfactory bliss.
“Our magnums are perfect for those memorable gatherings around the holidays with friends and family,” Wallace notes. “Wine has a unique way
of bringing people together, and we are so proud to share a piece of our family’s history.”
The sentiment might sound familiar. But with a 1.5-liter bottle, there is more than enough to toast to tradition and maybe even that uncle whose outré political views will have him banished before dinner.
A QUICK SIP OF HISTORY
Dry Creek Vineyard is no newbie on the block. Founded in 1972 by David S. Stare, the winery has been a mainstay of Sonoma County’s Dry Creek Valley. Today, Kim Stare Wallace continues her father’s legacy, overseeing 185 acres of sustainably farmed vineyards. Whether one is into their crisp dry chenin blanc or their powerhouse cabernet sauvignons, there’s a reason this winery consistently finds itself on Top 100 lists and earns nods for its tasting room experience.
Our recommendation: If one is going home for the holidays, go big with this exemplary wine. If one is gonna take a cab home anyway—this is the one.
Wine has a unique way of bringing people together, and we are so proud to share a piece of our family’s history.
— KIM STARE WALLACE
Awarded “Best Event Site in the North Bay” since 1986, Marin Art and Garden Center is the premier location for your event.
The Marin Art & Garden Center in Ross is a special gathering place that sits on 11 acres of beautiful, expertly maintained gardens. Our awardwinning indoor and outdoor locations o er a peaceful garden setting to perfectly accommodate your milestone events, corporate meetings, and
place celebrate
We are also home to many vibrant programs including Yoga in the Garden, summer concerts, cultural programming, art exhibitions, and The Garden School.
Visit maringarden.org to learn more!
the North Bay” since 1986, Center is the premier location
Ross is a special gathering place that expertly maintained gardens. Our awardlocations o er a peaceful garden setting to milestone events, corporate meetings, and programs including Yoga in the programming, art exhibitions, learn more!
A place to celebrate
Awarded “Best Event Site in the North Bay” since 1986, Marin Art and Garden Center is the premier location for your event.
Awarded “Best Event Site in the North Bay” since 1986, Marin Art and Garden Center is the premier location for your event.
The Marin Art & Garden Center in Ross is a special gathering place that sits on 11 acres of beautiful, expertly maintained gardens. Our awardwinning indoor and outdoor locations o er a peaceful garden setting to perfectly accommodate your milestone events, corporate meetings, and retreats—whether large or small.
The Marin Art & Garden Center in Ross is a special gathering place that sits on 11 acres of beautiful, expertly maintained gardens. Our award-winning indoor and outdoor locations offer a peaceful garden setting to perfectly accommodate your milestone events, corporate meetings, and retreats— whether large or small.
We are also home to many vibrant programs including Yoga in the Garden, summer concerts, cultural programming, art exhibitions, and The Garden School.
Visit maringarden.org to learn more!
We are also home to many vibrant programs including Yoga in the Garden, summer concerts, cultural programming, art exhibitions, and The Garden School.
Visit maringarden.org to learn more!
THYME ON THEIR SIDE
Alanna DeSalvo and Seth Johnson’s With Thyme Provisions
BY ISABELLA COOK
With Thyme Provisions is a new North Bay business that delivers professionally prepared, downright delicious meals made with local ingredients and a nutritionally informed mindset. When life gets busy, which is just about always, With Thyme Provisions is here to offer a healthy, easy and tasty solution.
Alanna DeSalvo and Seth Johnson are the co-founders of With Thyme Provisions. This culinary duo combined their expertise in the food industry to bring top-notch, nourishing meals straight to the doorsteps of their customers.
DeSalvo was born and raised in Marin County and is a board-certified holistic nutritionist by trade. She graduated with a B.S. in hospitality business management and entrepreneurship from the University of San Francisco and then went on to earn her nutrition certification from Bauman College in Berkeley.
“I worked in the hospitality industry for about eight years or so,” explained DeSalvo. “I decided to go back to school to study nutrition because I have always loved food, serving people and culture, and I wanted to highlight the abundance we have here in Northern California. I also wanted to learn how what we eat affects our bodies and, through that, address my own health through food, too.”
“I remember what it was like growing up in the ’90s diet culture, so being able to see and understand for myself what nutrition really is and what it means was a huge driving factor for me,” DeSalvo continued. “In my early 20s and teens, I started having food sensitivities; I was sensitive to gluten and would break out in hives. Then, in my early 20s, I had heartburn, which felt really abnormal for a 20 year old. I thought I was having maybe a heart attack or something and was told it was only indigestion and to take Tums…”
Having been raised in a more holistically-minded Marin County household, DeSalvo’s upbringing helped to give her a bit of perspective and a leg
up in the world of nutrition. Her family largely ate organic foods and prioritized quality ingredients over processed items. And now, DeSalvo is bringing that same mentality into her nutritional coaching career at her first company, With Thyme Nutrition. This naturally carries over to the prepared meals at her second sister company, With Thyme Provisions.
“For the last five years, I’ve been running my own nutrition practice and helping people do the same and to get to the root cause of mostly their hormone and digestive issues,” DeSalvo said. “One of the biggest challenges I found for myself as a foodie and for my clients is that having an easy, healthy option (which is not what you’ll get at your average restaurant)…I
wanted to be able to serve people in a way that could help them enjoy food while knowing that they’re nourishing their bodies and getting true nutrition out of their food at the same time.”
DeSalvo’s nutritional background and passion for eating well for health ties into her other job as a nutritional consultant and coach. In her practice, she assists clients in solving diet-related issues such as hormone imbalances, digestive difficulties, food sensitivities, cravings, bloating, inflammation and more.
Through founding With Thyme Provisions, DeSalvo discovered an outlet to pour her lifelong passion for nutrition, food and hospitality into a business to feed locals with meals that satisfy not
I remember what it was like growing up in the ’90s diet culture, so being able to see and understand for myself what nutrition really is and what it means was a huge driving factor for me.
— ALANNA DESALVO
PHOTOS
REAL DEAL Co-founder Alanna DeSalvo is a board-certified holistic nutritionist.
TRIFECTA With Thyme Provisions combines DeSalvo’s passions for nutrition, food and hospitality.
SOURCE Each meal is made using produce procured from local farmers’ markets.
only one’s taste buds but nutritional needs as well. She believes strongly in the interconnectedness of health, well-being and the things one eats.
“I talked to my partner, Seth, last year— he’s a chef and has worked for decades in the industry,” DeSalvo explained. “We got to talking and, well, we eventually built With Thyme Provisions to be able to serve people healthy meals with their nutrition in mind. Instead of getting takeout and fast food, [our customers] can have a reliable source to nourish their bodies and still have time to spend time with family and loved ones and do all those other things that our busy modern lifestyle makes leaving room for more difficult.”
With Thyme Provisions co-founder Seth Johnson’s interest in ingredients, food and cooking began in his youth; he spent the mornings he was not in school in front of the television, learning from and being inspired by the cooking shows on the silver screen. This innocent pastime turned into a profession that would take him across the globe.
Johnson honed his craft in Manhattan and trained under renowned chefs such as Daniel Humm at Eleven Madison Park and Marco Canora at Insieme. After his spell in Manhattan, he left to travel the world and eventually put down roots in Nairobi, Kenya, where he worked for three years as a restaurant consultant. When Johnson returned to the States, he trained further in wine and beverage management and became a graduate of St. Helena’s own Culinary Institute of America.
Locals may also know Johnson (and his cooking) from Sonoma’s Wit & Wisdom, which he opened with the helpful hand of Michael Mina, a well-known Michelin-starred chef.
At With Thyme Provisions, “the menu Seth and I develop changes every week, and we do have fun with different kinds of cuisines,” said DeSalvo. “This week, we had a Middle Eastern-inspired chicken and rice bowl, an Italian salsa verde and meatballs with mashed potato and cauliflower. Our menu definitely varies in terms of our focused cuisine…I’d call it primarily California cuisine though, since we always prioritize whatever ««
With Thyme
Provisions co-founder Seth Johnson’s interest in ingredients, food and cooking began in his youth; he spent the mornings he was not in school in front of the television, learning from and being inspired by the cooking shows on the silver screen.
ingredients are in season and use what’s local to us, and we build our meals around that.”
The way this healthy, wholesome meal delivery system works? Well, it begins with the sourcing of ingredients—at With Thyme Provisions, each meal is made using produce procured from local farmers’ markets. The menu rotates each week to reflect the seasonal offerings of the North Bay Area.
Those who want to order one of With Thyme Provisions’ prepared meals may do so by placing an order by Thursday evening. One may also subscribe to the meal plan and automatically receive weekly deliveries. Whatever method of
ordering one decides to use, the options are the same: Choose between two unique and delicious entrees for a total of four servings or three entrees for a total of six servings. Patrons will also receive four individual portions of With Thyme Provisions’ snacks to nibble on throughout the week.
After that easy-as-pie one-two-step process, the With Thyme Provisions team will chill and deliver those tasty meals right to the customer’s door (in an insulated bag) on Tuesday. Then, it’s up to the recipient to reheat as instructed and enjoy as desired.
“I have a spinal injury and, when I broke my neck when I was 15, the local community was such a huge support for
me,” said DeSalvo. “I know what it’s like to have a hard time cooking for yourself and wanting to find healthier options from somebody that you trust. So, I want to serve the community by providing food for the community.”
“[With Thyme Provisions] is very much a passion project for me and something I’m very excited to be able to offer to the community to pay things forward for the support they’ve shown me,” DeSalvo concluded.
To learn more about With Thyme Provisions, see its weekly menu and become a recipient of their recipes, visit the website at withthymeprovisions.com.
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CHEF Co-founder Seth Johnson studied under renowned chefs in Manhattan before launching Sonoma’s Wit & Wisdom.
DeMello Roofing
PURPLE HAZE The common wood blewit grows bright purple and can taste a bit like orange concentrate.
TGOOD GATHERING GOOD GATHERING
GOOD GATHERING
Foraging in the North Bay
BY ISABELLA COOK
he North Bay Area is renowned for its nature and its beauty, but what about its natural bounty?
Driving up along the winding cliffside roads of Highway One is and will always be a singularly scenic experience rife with unparalleled ocean views and beaches gorgeous enough to take one’s
breath away. The same can be said for the sprawling local landscapes that are threaded by meandering hiking trails that lead those who wander but hopefully are not (too) lost to the most idyllic places imaginable: underneath the boughs of towering redwoods, to and through flowery meadows, summiting high-up peaks and
descending into sea-level valleys. Yes, California’s central coastline is undeniably visually exquisite. The flora and fauna, which local conservationists have carefully preserved and protected through no small amount of time and effort, reflect a deep appreciation and even awe for this wild corner of the world many call their home. But to
PHOTO S BY ISABELLA COOK
Before the development of modern agriculture and industry, thousands of years passed and saw through an era in which mankind lived in a sustainable, symbiotic relationship with the earth.
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only appreciate the visual appeal of the vast array of diverse scenery that comprises most of Marin, Napa and Sonoma is…well, almost superficial.
Good looks are one thing, after all. But to truly understand and appreciate the substance and value held within these coastal counties, one must seek to see that which is somewhat more hidden. In fact, one could say the true treasures of the North Bay are all but invisible to the naked, untrained eye.
Only those who look a little deeper into the world around them can begin to behold the true richness embedded in and through the local landscape’s beauteous biodiversity. These treasures are of the priceless variety, and they are often not seen so much as they are found—or, more accurately, foraged.
For as long as humans have existed, knowing how to forage from the land has been an essential skill set. Before the development of modern agriculture and industry, thousands of years passed and saw through an era in which mankind lived in a sustainable, symbiotic relationship with the earth.
People would learn from their ancestors the secrets of survival. And, in time, civilizations grew and thrived on very different resources and systems than they do today. The North Bay is no exception to this mutual human experience that can be traced back to
LION’S MANE Also known as hericium erinaceus, lion’s mane is renowned for both its health benefits and delicate taste.
Only in the very recent past has this hunter/gatherer tradition fallen to the wayside. And knowledge as old as the homosapien species itself feels all but lost in many ways.
Often seen in coastal Californian woodlands, chanterelles are sumptuous when seared in butter.
the shared starting point where all of humanity began: hunting and, of course, gathering.
Only in the very recent past has this hunter/gatherer tradition fallen to the wayside. And knowledge as old as the homosapien species itself feels all but lost in many ways. While procuring food for oneself and for one’s family is now as easy as taking a quick trip to the grocery store or to a restaurant, there is something inherently human about taking what one needs (and only as much as one needs) from the very earth beneath one’s feet.
To bring the topic back to the North Bay and its rich historical culture of foraging, one need only look to those who occupied this Central Californian coastline long before America was so much as a glimmer in the British Empire’s eyes. Here in this very area, Indigenous peoples lived off of the natural bounty of the land they lived on and the ocean that bordered it.
Consider the oyster, for instance, and all
the other shellfish the Pacific Ocean offers up along its shores. Nowadays, digging up clams and prying mussels from rocks is considered a cool, if eclectic, hobby. What was once a way of life has quickly (d)evolved into an interesting pastime at best…albeit one that could result in illness for those who do not know about the toxic red tides and other such foraging don’ts.
Harmful algae blooms aside, another dangerous dynamic tied to the almost lost knowledge of foraging and living in tandem with the land can be observed in the beloved local black abalone (or lack thereof). Due to the current trend of immediate access and gratification in resource allocation, the famed abalone species has been all but decimated. This began in the late 1960s when the first commercial fisheries overpicked the abalone to the point of near extinction.
And then there’s “withering syndrome,” an oceanic disease that recently emerged and has since led to staggering rates
of abalone mortality. As withering syndrome flourishes in warmer waters, the consumptive culture and subsequent onset of global warming only worsened the situation. Therefore, the abalone that the North Bay’s earlier populations foraged for countless generations is now considered endangered. Today, one cannot casually forage for these abalone and may only illegally poach them (which is another foraging don’t).
On the topic of poaching and foraging don’ts, those interested in taking up this ancient skill set should follow a few golden rules.
Number one: When in doubt, spit it out. Number two: Don’t take more than is needed. Number three: Learn from an expert or trusted source before picking, plucking or otherwise foraging for food, dyes and other such natural resources. Until one has a grasp of what they’re gathering, when to gather it, where to gather it from and why they want to
CHANTERELLE
When it comes to Mother Earth, it’s best to use restraint until one is entirely sure of the nuances and consequences of one’s actions.
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gather it at all, it’s best to window shop plants, fungi and shellfish with a curious eye instead of foraging willy-nilly.
Untrained foragers taking their first forays in the North Bay are nearly always well-intentioned and simply excited to explore this fascinating, incredibly fun new hobby. But when it comes to Mother Earth, it’s best to use restraint until one is entirely sure of the nuances and consequences of one’s actions. This is not only for the health and safety of the planet, but for the foragers themselves, since some forgeable items can have lethal lookalikes or may contain pollutants from a nearby source. Plus, foraging is only legal in certain areas at certain quantities, possibly during certain times of the year.
But once one opens their eyes to the lush forage of the North Bay, the
entire world opens up as well, and it is impossible to see the landscape the same way. Hikes that were enjoyable before suddenly become treasure hunts with loot, including local fungi like chanterelles, lion’s manes, black trumpets, blewits and candycaps. All sorts of shellfish, of course, and seaweed too.
Then there are the wild strawberries and elderberries and herbs such as yerba buena. There are even forgeable items that can be used as dyes or that carry medicinal properties. All of these and so, so much more could be right under one’s nose, all but invisible unless one knows what to look for.
Today, a whole lot of households, local and otherwise, share in the same struggle of trying to decide what to have for dinner, choosing from the million and
one options laid out at their fingertips a la smartphone. Imported fruit such as the pineapple, which was an expensive and luxurious rarity in centuries past, is currently a commonplace commodity that anyone can take home and enjoy.
Cuisines from cultures spread out all across the globe can be delivered to just about any local doorstep with the touch of a screen. While convenient, this 24/7 accessibility to anything and everything can often lack the most important ingredients in any meal: effort followed by reward and, ultimately, gratitude.
So, the next time one finds themselves trawling a beach for seashells or walking through the woods on their way to a picnic, consider stopping for just one second to look at not only the beauty of the North Bay, but the bounty too.
MINER’S LETTUCE A common forgeable, miner’s lettuce has thick, tender leaves that make for a great salad or garnish.
Grass RegenerativelyFinishedRaisedNATURAL BEEF
FOUNDER Julia Faller’s journey toward an authentically natural approach to skincare began as a licensed esthetician and clinician in the ’80s.
ABOUT FACE
Benedetta skincare embraces the timeless, not trends
BY DAEDALUS HOWELL
Clean skincare is more than skin deep. Julia Faller, founder and president of Benedetta, a Petalumabased skincare company, should know. She’s been at the forefront of natural, botanical skincare since launching her line in 1996.
Long before “clean skincare” became a buzzword, Faller was challenging the cosmetic industry’s standards and creating products crafted from botanicals alone, without petrochemicals, preservatives or synthetic ingredients, far ahead of the trend cycle. Hers is the
first and only skincare line formulated with 100% botanical, certified organic and biodynamic ingredients.
“A lot of it is based in ancient practices; moreover, it’s about what we can procure now,” Faller explains.
Reflecting on the early days, she says, “I would say in the late ’70s, ’80s, people referred to ‘natural skincare’ as anything that didn’t have a mineral oil in it, but it was loaded with chemicals. Fast forward another 30-35 years, and it’s really about the lack of petrochemicals and the preponderance of botanical ingredients. That’s great.”
CONCEPT TO CREATION
Faller’s journey toward an authentically natural approach began when, as a licensed esthetician and clinician in the ’80s, she was disillusioned with the industry’s trend of labeling chemicalladen products as “natural.” Seeking a genuinely holistic approach, she began designing customized treatments that led to the birth of her first product, the Crystal Radiance Hydrating Elixirs, predating the conception of Benedetta by a decade.
“Clean skincare is more than avoiding mineral oils and chemicals,” she
««
emphasizes, pointing out that some brands sometimes combine ingredients claiming to be “clean” with little heed to their results. “You can take a bunch of fatty oils and then throw in a bunch of essential oils, really even at a hundred percent, and call it a clean skincare product. But how is it going to affect your skin?”
STANDING OUT
With over 15 years at San Francisco’s Ferry Building and a brick-and-mortar store in Petaluma, Faller is doubling down on a direct-to-consumer approach to serving her market, favoring personal interactions that allow her to educate and engage with her clientele. “Having a brickand-mortar store allows us to actually talk to people and see what their needs are and
not try to oversell them—and just take care of them,” she notes. Her approach is, in a sense, akin to the farm-to-table philosophy of area chefs. A local paper once compared her to a chef—a metaphor that resonates. “They’re picking from their gardens like Alice Waters at Chez Panisse. I appreciate that,” she says. “Of course [we] focus on certified organic and biodynamic ingredients. It’s the clean, the best of the crop, the most sustainable, but the be-all and end-all is formulation—what’s important, first and foremost, is function.”
FOCUS ON FUNCTION, NOT FADS
Faller is particularly wary of trends that prioritize popularity over purpose. Reflecting on fads, she asks, “Remember
when kale was popular, and every restaurant had kale on the menu?” She underscores that her commitment to functional skincare isn’t about profit or trends; it’s about honoring the natural world and her clients’ needs.
All Benedetta products are microbatched in Petaluma, a process with which Faller is intimately involved.
“I’m part of that process. I really get in tune with those botanicals,” she says. Faller also documents her process in blog posts and magazine articles. “I don’t just recycle everybody's message… It’s really different to be an authentic formulator with something to say, and I do my best to say it.”
Faller’s deep knowledge of botanicals and the science behind them, along with certifications in Jin Shin,
LOCATION Benedetta is located at 18 Petaluma Blvd. N., in Petaluma.
PHOTOS BY MARIE ARAGO
«« aromatherapy, nutritional consulting and biofield tuning, makes her more than just a skincare entrepreneur. Her years as a clinician inform her belief that skincare should “work in tandem with others to achieve many holistic factors,” supporting the skin’s natural functions for truly transformative results, according to her website (benedetta.com), which itself is a font of knowledge.
THE BENEDETTA EXPERIENCE
Faller’s vision for Benedetta reflects her uncompromising approach: “My intention for all Benedetta formulas and system has always been to create preparations that are as close to our earthly source as possible, with reverence and respect for the intended user.” To her,
“clean” ingredients should be a given, not a marketing tactic.
With around 60 SKUs, Faller currently maintains a streamlined selection that emphasizes the formulation’s integrity over sheer variety. “The formulation matters,” she explains. “That’s my loud message when people come into the store and try to figure out what separates us, what makes us different. I would say it’s been more challenging since it’s become more trendy.”
That said, Benedetta’s commitment to sustainable, effective skincare reflects Faller’s uncompromising vision. It’s a brand that combines tradition with science, proving that function, when done right, never goes out of style.
Visit benedetta.com.
My intention for all Benedetta formulas and system has always been to create preparations that are as close to our earthly source as possible, with reverence and respect for the intended user.
— JULIA FALLER
SMELL GOOD Benedetta also has a line of plant-realized deodorants.
AUDACIOUS A collection of 24 karat gold on sterling silver rings with peridot, aquamarine, ametrine, blue topaz and yellow tourmaline gemstones is by Katja Designs.
FORGED WITH PASSION
Master goldsmith and jewelry designer Katja Whitedeer of Katja Designs creates with connection and spirit
BY KARY HESS
In Healdsburg, among the vineyards and hills of Sonoma County, master goldsmith Katja Whitedeer creates original jewelry inspired by spiritual connection and story.
Known for her organic, handmade designs, she captures the essence of her materials: precious metals like gold, silver and platinum, as well as stones that have journeyed through time to arrive today in her hands. She describes her process as a collaboration with the metals and gems, manifesting pieces that embody
the materials’ spirit and the personality of those who wear them.
“I let my mood and the gold and gems decide what we are creating together, and it’s always very exciting,” she says of her process.
Whitedeer’s journey as a jeweler began as a 12-year-old girl growing up in Germany. She was captivated by the tale of Madame von Scuderi, an 1819 German novella by E. T. A. Hoffmann—and one of the earliest stories of detective fiction—where the protagonist interacts with a goldsmith named Cardillac, who crafts exquisite jewelry with such
passionate devotion that he is loath to deliver the commissions to his clients.
This character sowed the seeds for Whitedeer’s lifelong fascination with goldsmithing. By 18, she had taken her first steps into the craft, studying for five years as an apprentice under master goldsmiths in Regensburg and Munich, Germany. After her apprenticeship, she studied sculpture and honed her artistry at the Art Academy in Nuremberg and Berlin for four more years. There, she developed a deep appreciation for form, structure and composition.
While she considered a career in sculpture, fate led her to San Francisco. She eventually gained recognition for her jewelry across the Bay Area and grounded herself in California’s artisan landscape.
For Whitedeer, art is an expression of history, connection and deep respect for materials. “All materials are alive and full of spirit and knowledge,” she explains. “The high energy of pure gold and its power to withstand corrosion and radioactive influences has always
fascinated me, and this fascination has guided my work.”
While the materials themselves are a dominant inspiration, the architecture, art and heritage of her native Germany also profoundly influence her style.
Growing up in an ancient town with layers of Roman, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, Art Nouveau and Modernist architecture shaped her artistic sensibility. She remembers being enchanted by “the very smallest detail” in the design of these historic spaces. Every arch, stone and ornament filled her with an awe that today shines through in her work.
Whitedeer began her jewelry career working with galleries and shops in the San Francisco Bay Area. She was soon recognized for her innovation as the first jeweler in the U.S. to create a platinum and high-karat gold ring shank, a process she describes as “painstaking, laborintensive and audacious—and it created a sensation in the jewelry world.”
Her bold approach to jewelry attracted celebrity clients, including Diane Keaton,
Catherine Zeta-Jones, Michael Douglas and Thandie Newton, who have enjoyed her pieces both on- and off-screen. But it’s the process of making, the collaboration with her materials and the creation of pieces that people connect with and love that resonate with Whitedeer most.
CUSTOM CREATION PROCESS
In crafting custom jewelry—including engagement or wedding sets—Whitedeer begins by getting to know the client. For her, each bespoke piece starts with observation and listening. She takes the time to learn about a client’s style, preferences and interests, as well as their work, hobbies and favorite colors, so she can create something that is beautiful and reflective of their uniqueness. This process allows her to connect deeply with the wearer and helps her fashion jewelry that will reflect their personality and spirit and even become a treasured heirloom.
Whitedeer approaches her work in a unique, almost mystical way.
I let my mood and the gold and gems decide what we are creating together, and it’s always very exciting.
—KATJA WHITEDEER, MASTER GOLDSMITH AND JEWELRY DESIGNER
NATURAL BLUE A handcrafted 18 karat gold ring has a natural blue zircon.
She sees her craft as a collaborative relationship with metals and gems.
“My love for fine metals, gold, platinum and silver grew out of mastering and understanding the structure of the metals and how the metals want to perform. All materials are alive and full of spirit and knowledge,” Whitedeer explains.
Her designs are also deeply rooted in her love for the natural world. She acknowledges nature as her greatest inspiration. And one can see allusions to the earth’s landscapes in the details of her work. For Whitedeer, nature is both a muse and a reminder of the eternal; it’s where “everything has its beginning.”
Her understanding of gemstones reflects this reverence for natural history. Each stone, she notes, carries within it a story of millions of years, embodying a transformative energy she seeks to honor in her designs. Her pieces are meditations on time, resilience and beauty—qualities she believes each wearer brings to their chosen piece.
She prefers to work directly with metals, avoiding castings and wax pieces that aren’t conducive to the connection and dialogue she shares with the materials. “There is no direct connection
GOLDEN Katja Designs’ handcrafted pink tourmaline ring is in peach gold, 18 karat gold and white gold with two imperial topaz gems.
and communication with castings,” she explains. Working directly with metals enables her to retain the spirit and energy of each element.
VISITING KATJA DESIGNS
Whitedeer welcomes visitors to her gallery, Katja Designs, where clients can discover the many facets of her art and craft. Personal connection is at the heart
of her work; she believes each piece of jewelry carries her love and passion, which becomes part of her clients’ lives. Whitedeer says her mission is to create beautiful jewelry and craft pieces that feel alive and infused with spirit.
“I believe precious metals and stones have a spirit, a soul, a unique personality all their own, and that is where my love for my craft shines through,” she says. “I do not ‘manufacture’ jewelry; I create one-of-a-kind, organic works of art, art that enhances the spirit, the soul and the one-of-a-kind personality of the discerning woman or man who wears them.”
For Whitedeer, jewelry is an ongoing conversation with story, nature and spirit. Her work invites the wearer to experience jewelry as something more than ornamental—as a tale that unfolds on the wearer’s own terms. With each piece, Katja invites her clients to engage with their jewelry as they would a cherished friend, carrying memory, intention and timeless elegance.
Katja Designs, 122 North St., Healdsburg. Instagram.com/bykatjadesign.
SCULPTING STORY
Transdisciplinary artist Ashwini Bhat’s geography of place
BY KARY HESS
Transdisciplinary artist
Ashwini Bhat works in sculpture, ceramics, installation and video, shaping a visual language all her own. Her work illuminates connections between and deepens our understanding of the familiar and unknown qualities of the places we inhabit.
After three and a half decades in Southern India, Bhat now lives and works in the foothills of Sonoma Mountain. She arrived in 2017, during the upheaval of the Tubbs Fire, where she witnessed the devastation and regeneration of the landscape along with the collaborative
community that came together during the tragedy. What she experienced during that time has influenced her current art practice, in particular an ongoing series: Assembling California, a body of ceramic pieces that documents and reflects the current California landscape in changing times.
Her art is a beautiful fusion of body and nature, self and other, drawing on the mysticism of syncretic shrines (shrines in India that express combinations of faiths) and non-Western ideas of empathy for the non-human. A rich background in literature and classical Indian dance informs her practice, with her sculpture and ceramic constructions
visibly benefiting from this. The ongoing artworks manifest a journey into uncharted territories of consciousness, each piece adding to a growing map of transformative place-based experiences with its gesture-forward form.
Bjat is represented by Shoshana Wayne Gallery in Los Angeles and Project 88 in Mumbai, India.
Kary Hess: Your work often incorporates elements of nature—how has living in Sonoma specifically influenced your current thinking and creating?
Ashwini Bhat: While I live now in Penngrove, Sonoma County, California,
SPIRIT This 2022 installation, ‘Ritual Encounters (Assembling California),’ is on view at the Mondavi Center, University of California, Davis.
«« I grew up in a small, rural, South Indian town and spent 35 years of my life there. In 2017, I moved to Petaluma, and my introduction to the community was through the Tubbs Fire. While it was terrifying, I was deeply moved by the way the community came together to help one another. This played a big part in my decision to grow roots here.
My current and ongoing body of work, called Assembling California, is a documentation of my personal, artistic field survey of California’s ecology in this time of climate change. As a new immigrant to California, deeply touched by its diverse and fragile natural environments, I’ve found myself and my studio practice drawn—historically, culturally, physiographically—to this region’s topographies. Some of my research has taken place in the company of biologists and poets documenting species re-inhabiting post-fire sites in the Sierras, Yosemite, Mono Lake, Lassen Volcanic Park and all around Sonoma.
One of my most recent installations from the Assembling California project is titled, “What Will It Take, For Us To Awake?” This work, acquired by the San Francisco Asian Art Museum, sits on the third floor entrance to the South Asian galleries of the museum. With its bell motif, “What Will It Take…” references the emergency alerts of the wildfire season. The large bronze bell, in the form of a calla lily, functions as a symbol of regeneration and resilience, metaphorically suggesting a wake-up call, focusing attention on our climate and ecological emergency.
KH: How has your identity or heritage and your background in literature and dance influenced your work?
AB: Back in southern India, I was raised in a community called Havyaks. The word means “those who worship fire.” Coincidently, I now find myself drawn to materials such as clay and bronze that require fire for transformation. My initial training is in literature, translation, and for 17 years I was trained in Bharatanatyam, a southern Indian classical dance form. So much of this training and muscle memory continues into my current studio practice. I was always drawn to sculpture, as I find its close connection to my own and the viewers’ bodies fascinating.
I think I return to poetry, and I often
go on arduous hikes before I begin a new body of work. I create radical yet somehow familiar forms that suggest a complex interplay between landscape, the human and the non-human. Each sculpture is often a response to either a vibrant trail or a burn site or a post-fire forest. I work with soft clay slabs and stretched clay coils, and this material allows me to utilize my background as a dancer, working so that my whole body is involved in the making.
Each biomorphic component of these complex forms—the density, the folds, the stacks, the twists and the movement—is
meticulously crafted and choreographed. I often use thread—which in India conveys sacrality to objects and spaces. The scorched rocks included in some of my sculptures survived the Atlas Fire (Napa, 2017) and once belonged to the late poet Jane Mead.
KH: What do you hope people experience when they interact with your art?
AB: I’m passionate about sharing my work with the larger community. When I’m documenting on the trail—recording a video, drawing quick watercolors
WAKE An installation from 2024, ‘What Will It Take, For Us To Awake?’, is on view at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco.
I return to poetry, and I often go on arduous hikes before I begin a new body of work. I create radical yet somehow familiar forms that suggest a complex interplay between landscape, the human and the non-human.
—ASHWINI BHAT
«« or talking to a banana slug—people pass me by, and many of them pause to ask what I’m doing. To me, this curiosity is what leads to conversations and new trajectories.
My audience is composed of the curious: those who have an interest in ecology, art, philosophy or just the local. Those who might be excited by new approaches to old questions. Those who like to participate, those who like to watch. I’m not interested in creating perfect objects—if what defines an
object is our removal from it. Instead, I’m searching for gestural links that emphasize what we share with the nonhuman world.
I’ve been investing in my community here in Northern California. In 2023, I became a certified naturalist at the Osborne Preserve in Penngrove, a research site for Sonoma State University’s Center of Environmental Inquiry.
I’m moving towards large scale installations, public art and interactive
public performances. These projects help me to invite the audience to contribute to the exploration. Instead of passive viewing, I’m emphasizing active, imaginative participation. I see my role as an artist in raising awareness about our ethical responsibility to better understand the immediate land and community we live in.
For more information and to follow Bhat’s work, visit ashwinibhat.com.
PHOTO BY JOHN JANCA
PAUSE Transdisciplinary artist Ashwini Bhat takes a moment with her work.
