Inside Napa Valley - Spring 2016

inside

napa valley Spring 2016

A celebration of Mothers

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inside

napa valley

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In this Issue

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19

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Mother’s Day: a history

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A mother to the world

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Getting to Know You: Jill Techel

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Lito: Three generations of customer service

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A soup to remember

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See Calistoga with new eyes

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Napa’s newest music festival

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Blow Dry Lounge brings the heat

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An artist in his own land

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Rocking BottleRock like a local

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Bringing Classical Music to students

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Where in the Valley?

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Spring dining in wine country

A special day for mothers N O R M A KO S T E C K A Ad ve r ti s i ng Di re ctor Mother’s Day is a time to celebrate the most important woman in your life. But how much do you really know about this popular holiday?

In this edition of Inside Napa Valley magazine, we’ll look at the history of Mother’s Day, which is a lot more complicated than you’d Norma Kostecka is the think, and we’ll profile a couple of advertising director for interesting local moms, including one who has become a surrogate the Napa Valley Register. mother to aspiring winemakers across the globe.

But there is plenty more fun to larger-than-life myth to meet the real be had too. We’ll profile Napa artist man and learn his up-from-nothing Gordon Huether, looking behind the success story.

We’ll look at Napa’s newest downtown music event and learn some pro tips to navigate the increasingly popular BottleRock like a local.

We’ll meet businesses old and new, including a three-generation business family that’s setting a new standard in customer service. We’ll meet an Upvalley community anew through a visitor’s eyes and we’ll learn about a program connecting students with the enriching world of classical music.

And we’ll continue with one of our favorite features, a “Where in the Valley” photo spread, testing your ability to identify quirky places

in our community. And we’ll start a new feature, “Getting to Know You,” a personal look at some well-known figures in the Valley.

On top of that, we’ll bring you some of our favorite recent pieces from our Napa Valley Publishing family of newspapers, including in-depth coverage of the Valley’s thriving wine and food scene.

So give your mom a hug and share this edition of Inside Napa Valley magazine.

On the cover: Spring means poppies and delicate grape growth in the Napa Valley. Photo courtesy of Jim McClenahan.

To advertise in Inside Napa Valley, please call us at 707-256-2228 | A publication of the Napa Valley Publishing Company

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Mother’s Day: a history MICHAEL WATERSON

Mom’s holiday was born from American struggles Motherhood is traditionally associated with nurturing and love, not war. But like Thanksgiving, another family-oriented celebration, Mother’s Day became a national holiday in large part because of the American Civil War. It began with one mother’s nurturing efforts for troops both North and South.

Typhoid fever was a scourge for both Union and Confederate camps. It’s estimated more than 80,000 troops died from typhoid and dysentery during the conflict. Since the 1830s typhoid had been known to be an infectious disease spread by unsanitary conditions. In the middle of the war, a woman named Ann Jarvis of West Virginia organized Mother’s Day Work Clubs to improve sanitation for camps on both sides.

Following the war, she created a committee to establish “Mother’s Friendship Day” in order to reunite families that had been divided by the conflict.

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After Ann Jarvis’ death in 1905, her daughter, Anna Jarvis, lobbied tirelessly for a national holiday to honor her mother, and mothers everywhere. She wrote letters to political leaders and magnates of business and industry, and traveled the country for speaking engagements.

Jarvis’ lobbying efforts paid off: In 1914 President Woodrow Wilson made Mother’s Day a national holiday. Jarvis’ wish had been for a simple observance marked by wearing white carnations as a badge of remembrance, visiting one’s mother and attending church. She became appalled at the commercialization of the day by greeting card manufacturers, florists and confectioners. So great was her disgust with the merchandising, late in life she lobbied for repealing the holiday. She died in 1948 without ever marrying or experiencing motherhood herself.

Another woman with ties to the Civil War, Julia Ward Howe, who wrote the lyrics for “Battle Hymn

of the Republic, in 1870 wrote a “Mother’s Day Proclamation,” a call to action that asked mothers to unite in promoting world peace. In 1873 Howe campaigned for a “Mother’s Peace Day” to be celebrated every June 2.

The holiday also has ties to another American struggle, the temperance movement. During the 1870s, Albion, Michigan was the headquarters of the Prohibition National Committee as the battle between the temperance movement to ban alcohol and the “saloonists” was heating up.

According to local legend, on Friday, May 11, 1877, an antitemperance group kidnapped three local boys at gunpoint. One was the son of Reverend Myron Daugherty, a local Methodist minister. Another was the son of local temperance leader Julia Calhoun Blakeley. The boys were taken to a saloon and forced to drink all night before being turned loose in their inebriated state on the busy Saturday morning streets. At Sunday services the reverend was so distraught he was unable to finish his sermon. Reportedly, Blakeley strode to the pulpit to complete the sermon and urge other mothers of the parish to join her crusade against alcohol.

Blakeley’s sons were so impressed by their mother’s strength and

courage, the story goes, they vowed to honor her on that second Sunday in May every year. According to a historical marker that now stands in the city, shortly thereafter Albion’s Methodist Church set aside that Sunday to honor the contribution of all mothers, making Albion the first place in the U.S. to do so.

Another woman who sought to honor her mother was Mary Towles Sasseen (1860-1906). In 1893 Sasseen, a native of Kentucky, authored a pamphlet advocating celebrating mothers on April 20, her own mother’s birthday. She then managed to persuade the Kentucky legislature to recognize the holiday. Sasseen died in childbirth at the age of 46, never getting to see the holiday nationally recognized Although Anna Jarvis would certainly decry it, Mother’s Day has become one of the top revenue generating holidays for retailers. Last year, according to the National Association of Retailers, the holiday generated more than $21 billion in sales, slightly edging out Valentine’s Day. The majority of givers, 80 percent, get mom a card, spending $786 million total, and 67 percent buy flowers, a $2.6 billion payday for florists. And of course, after having eaten all those meals she prepared, lots of good children take mom out for brunch or dinner for a $3.8 billion tab.

The biggest big ticket item is jewelry, an estimated $4.2 billion worth of baubles. Other gifts include personal services, such as spa days ($1.5 billion) and electronics ($1.8 billion).

The NRF says 25- to 34-yearolds spent the most on mom last year, an average of $244.

Since the average cost of raising a child born in 2013 will be $245,000 in today’s dollars, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Mom has earned every penny.

“Napa Mom” touches the world Woman opens home to wine workers from across the globe I S A B E L L E S C H M A LT Z For nearly a dozen young winemakers from Europe and South America, Napa resident Linda Hansen is like a second mother.

During each year’s harvest season, Hansen said, hundreds of international winemakers stay with host families in Napa and Sonoma.

Hansen has been hosting visiting winemakers since 2009 and typically hosts one to three of these interns at a time. Most are in their twenties, and some are fresh out of college. Many refer to Hansen as their “Napa mom” or “Cali mom.”

“It brings great joy to my heart to mentor and welcome them to Napa and into my life,” Hansen said. “Many times this is the first experience to travel and live outside of their respective countries.”

Courtesy Linda Hansen

Florencia Gomez and Linda Hansen snap a selfie

These young interns are hired by wineries for harvest (from the end of July to December), Hansen said, and fulfill various roles in the winemaking process. Most return to their home countries after harvest, but some are offered continued employment.

One of Hansen’s former guests, Antonio, was a Sommelier from Italy with an Oenology degree. He was offered a job in Napa to work as a wine ambassador in a tasting

room, she said.

Hansen, who works in human resources in the wine industry, said finding housing in the Napa Valley can be the biggest challenge the interns face. As someone who loves traveling and experiencing different cultures, it felt like the perfect fit to open her home to these young people.

“I welcome every person into my home with open arms and heart,” Hansen said.

Former intern Florencia Gomez said Hansen takes on a motherly role for everyone who stays with her. Visiting a foreign country is full of challenges, Gomez said. To have a “sweet” and “amazingly loving” woman like Hansen to share in all of those new experiences, “becomes a significant highlight in your life,” she said.

“I know for sure, that for all of those who have lived in her house, she has been that person who took care of us when everything was unknown,” Gomez said.

Hansen, who grew up on a farm in Minnesota, traveled extensively before settling in Napa in 2008 to fulfill her dream of working in the wine industry. Over the past several years, she’s hosted 10 international winemakers, mainly from Argentina and Italy.

“All of the interns have a different personality, and we always get along,” Hansen said. “Communication and compromise are essential in any living situation. We become family and a part of each other’s lives for life.”

Hansen makes sure her guests experience American traditions like Halloween and Thanksgiving. During December, Hansen said many of the winemakers visit Oregon to stay with her extended family and celebrate the holidays.

Hansen gets paired with her guests based on applications and questionnaires they’ve filled out to find a good match. Hansen

Courtesy Linda Hansen

Linda Hansen and wine intern Florencia Gomez share a balloon ride over the Napa Valley.

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I am a very curious person and love to travel. I have a great appreciation for wine, and it is always fun to live vicariously through the winemakers.”

Linda Hansen

also networks with the wineries and receives referrals from former interns.

Besides the language barrier, many of these young winemakers need guidance as they experience day-to-day life in America, Hansen said. She helps them with transportation, opening bank accounts, buying food and other daily tasks.

For Hansen, the time spent caring for these young people and helping them navigate life in America creates a lasting bond that extends well beyond harvest season.

As a group, they share dinners and wine tastings and bond through their conversations and shared experiences traveling around the Bay Area. Hansen has even

joined Gomez on a hot air balloon ride and a tandem skydiving trip.

“I am grateful to have this amazing cultural exchange and experience in my life and hope to continue each harvest season,” Hansen said. “And, I hope this year to visit some of my extended family in Argentina.”

Hansen said she enjoys being an ambassador for the U.S., the Napa Valley, and the wine industry. She hopes all of the interns she hosts have a “wonderful, unforgettable” experience.

“I am a very curious person and love to travel,” Hansen said. “I have a great appreciation for wine, and it is always fun to live vicariously through the winemakers.”

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Getting to Know You: Jill Techel Inside Napa Valley magazine spent some time recently getting to know Napa Mayor Jill Techel a little better as part of a new series looking at the private side of well-known figures in the Valley. Here are some of the things we learned.

Last Vacation In February I went to Aulani Disney resort in Hawaii with my son Eric and his wife and my three grandsons. It was such a treat to spend a week with them and the resort had lots of things to entertain the boys, a favorite was the Lazy River.

Last time I was nervous I was very nervous after the 2014 earthquake. There were so many unknowns right away and so many challenges. The community came together and everyone helped Napa recover. I relearned how important it is to have a great community spirit behind you as you recover from a disaster.

Personally I was nervous to go skiing in Utah in January. I hadn’t skied for over 30 years. I took lessons and enjoyed the challenge and am ready to go again.

Last thing I lost My phone. I used the find my iPhone app on my iPad and was able to find it. Technology is so amazing these days.

Last time I played sports Locally I played wheel chair basketball a few years ago. The city was challenged by a team from the spinal care network. It was such a challenge to shoot sitting down, let alone maneuver the wheel chair. They let me shoot unguarded about 10 times and I never got it in the basket.

I played on a Broomball team in college at the University of North Dakota. This is a “game” that you play on ice in your boots and use a broom to hit the ball into the goal.

I was selected to the all campus Broomball team!

Last stranger I helped A tourist was looking confused downtown so I stopped and was able to give directions. That is almost a daily occurrence as I walk around town.

Last thing that made me laugh hard I really enjoy my work with Leadership Napa Valley and when they do role-play exercises they really get creative and that cracks me up!

Last time I splurged I bought a new hot tub for the backyard. It even has speakers so you can hook up to Pandora and I usually listen to the “oldies” from the ‘60s. I also splurge on my personal trainer Beth. She keeps me active and moving and ready for the dayto-day challenges I face.

J.L. Sousa/Register

Napa Mayor Jill Techel.

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CITY OF NAPA PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT SUMMER CAMPS Create your own awe-inspiring journey this summer at City of Napa Summer Camps! Choose from our variety of incredible camps being offered this summer. We’ve got something to spark every child’s imagination!

CAMP SPF (AGES 6-11) WEEKLY CAMPS – JUNE 20-AUGUST 5 Enhance your child’s summer with our most xible camp experience located at Redwood Middle School.

Camp SPF makes it convenient for you to register your child in a variety of custom enrichment camps and also have the option to continue the day with our traditional camp. Standardized session times make it easy to get the childcare and peace of mind you need while ensuring your camper has a fun and exciting week at camp.

GREAT OUTDOORS CAMP (AGES 7-12) WEEKLY CAMPS – JULY 5-29 Join us for this unique camp located in the Napa foothills at the beautiful Skyline Park. Campers will , archery and other outdoor activities. This camp up fast experience activities including hiking, so sign up early!

Lots of other fun summer camps include: • Rob Skate Academy camp - www.robskate.com • National Academy Of Athletics sports camps – www.nationalacademyofathletics.com • Skyhawks Sports camps - www.skyhawks.com • Camp Ursa Major - www.campursamajor.com • Fencing camps • Indoor & Beach Volleyball camps by Kelly Van Winden • Theater and music camps by Studio G School Of Music – www.studiognapa.com

• Art camps by Dive Into Color, Kathy Dewey & Color My Summer • Horseback riding camp by Hilltop Stables • Scientopia Discovery Center camps offered at Las Flores Community Center and Camp SPF • Math, robotics, and Lego camps by Sylvan Learning Center • PGA Junior Golf Camps at Napa Golf Course

Enjoy the complete Summer Camp Planner Guide in the Summer Activity Guide.

For more information on all of our summer camps, please call 707-257-9529 or go to www.naparec.com A7

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SHOP FAMILY FOCUS

Lito Auto Body is proud to announce that we are recognized as the #1 Auto Body Repair Shop for Customer Service in the 11 state Western Region of the United States by NATIONWIDE INSURANCE!

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Gigi Lichau with Lito Auto Body’s “Top Performer” prize plaque. The three-generation company received an award from Nationwide Insurance.

Lito Auto Body: three generations of service

Tim Carl

Compassionate approach nets business major customer service award

TIM CARL Gigi Lichau intended to step in to help out at Lito Auto Body just for a short time, while the business owner, her father in law, was in the hospital. She figured she was back to being a busy stay-at-home mom, raising her two boys, in no time.

Three decades later, she’s still at work and at the heart of the business.

“When I got in there what I found was that it was pretty disorganized and there were just so many changes that needed to happen — the guys were even still smoking in the office,” she recalls.

“I came in and said, ‘Oh my God, you can’t be doing that and service customers at the same time.’”

When her father in law returned

to the office, “He thought many of the changes I was making were very good,” she said. “We were getting cleaned up, organized and gaining a new level of professionalism. I think that’s what I brought to the company at that time and continue to bring to the company even today.”

Those changes she made so many years ago seem to be paying off.

“We’re excited that we just won the Top Performer for Showmanship of Excellence, Outstanding Customer Service,” she said. “That was out of 664 shops in the western claim zone. The award is a really big deal. To make this business or any business work you have to be

100 percent committed and wake up every day trying to make people’s lives better.”

Lito Auto Body is now a three-generation Napa Val ley business, with 48 years in the community.

It was started in 1968 by her husband’s father, Chuck Lichau.

Her husband Randy started working at that time, helping his dad around the shop, and by 1987, he’d become a partner in the business.

“I started sometime in 1990 or ’91,” she said. “I can’t really remember and I don’t have my start date documented because I never started an employee file on myself — I really didn’t think it was something I would stay doing for very

long … But when I got in there I realized that the place needed a woman’s touch to help improve the body shop.”

And she knew times were changing.

“We were having women adjusters, everything was going electronic, everything was just starting to evolve and Lito Auto Body needed a new look.”

She describes herself as “a bossy little thing” who changed a lot around the business.

Gigi believes that part of Lito’s success has been bringing a more compassionate approach to customer service.

See Lito, Page 11

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LITO From Page 9

“Just being here in the office and listening to our customers’ stories, listening to what they’ve gone through and just putting their minds at ease that everything’s going to be OK is very important,” she said. “And I think a woman can bring that to a business. I just think we have those touches — that compassion — inside of ourselves.”

In 2002, Chuck retired and Gigi and her husband bought the company and moved to their current larger location at 1725 Action Ave. “When we moved to our new location we had a chance to build it our way,” she said. “And the space is great. It works, so we’re really happy with it.”

Gigi’s success in Napa is nothing new in her family: She grew up as a third-generation Napan, Her great-grandfather owned his own business, a small grocery called Martini and Sons on Third Street.

Her father was a local football star.

“We lived where all the Italians lived in Napa at that time: We were the Martinis from Third Street. My father was Jimmy Dykes and was well known for his sports. He’s

Tim Carl

Tim Carl

Lito Auto Body co-owner Randy Lichau is the son of the founder of the business. His own son has joined lately, making Lito a three-generation legacy.

still in the Hall of Fame at Napa High,” she said. “He worked with his father at the store, which was at the bottom of a two-story building.

It was next to the train station and so they’d rent the rooms on the top floor to travelers. A lot of people rented rooms at that time. Back then Napa had lots of industries; it wasn’t always just vines.”

One of the legacies of her family’s heritage is a deep commitment to the community.

“Between my family and my husband’s family being in the auto-shop business for generations, we’ve touched a lot of people,” she

Randy and Gigi with their son Chad (Left).

said. “We have two boys and they grew up and went to school here in Napa, so that’s the fourth generation and I have great-nieces and -nephews and that’s the fifth generation. And for our customers, we’ve seen generations coming in to Lito Auto Body: First we saw the mom and dad, and now we see their kids and grandkids. So we’re just one great-big family.”

Lito Auto Body’s success has translated into benefits to the broader community.

“They’ve always been huge supporters,” said Brianna Neim, former marketing and events

coordinator of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Napa Valley. “She is a really generous and nice woman who does not forget a face. Gigi and her husband are dedicated supporters of the community and wonderful people.”

“We’re like sisters,” said Celeste Carducci, owner of McClelland Priest Bed and Breakfast Inn and Uncorked in Napa. “Her strong work ethic, consistency, stamina and dedication to excellent customer service have helped create a successful, locally owned small business. She also has deep roots in Napa and, with her husband, brought the company to the next level: growing, evolving and adding services. Beyond that, a part of their success is certainly due to her being so giving and caring.”

Lichau said the business supports 40 or 50 worthy local causes every year.

“You don’t sit there when you’re a little girl and go, ‘Oh, maybe one day I want to run a body shop,’ but it’s a family business that we’ve helped build into something special,” she said, “and I’ve become very proud of it. And because it has been a successful business we’ve gotten to be proud of what we have given back to the community, too.”

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A Soup to Remember

Napa mother says Cole’s lobster bisque is the answer to pregnancy’s discomforts VALERIE OWENS It has been said that the people who say the last few weeks of being pregnant “will just fly by” have never been pregnant. It is only those expectant warriors who exemplify strength within the last trimester who truly know.

For some, pregnancy is an extraordinary experience. For others, months have felt like years and labor is the light at the end of a very elongated tunnel. Regardless of experience, the end of the third trimester seems to unify all.

When comfort becomes a luxury, or perhaps a due date passes by, new plans tend to emerge and exit strategies come into focus.

Over the years, many advisors have been sought and old wives tales have been read. Yet, when researched, not one solution stands out as “the one.”

Thus the question remains, is there a perfect natural remedy to induce labor?

Local mother of two Lindsey Altamura may have found the key to what so many women have been searching for: just one bowl

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The main dining room at Cole’s Chop House.

Register photo

of soup. own Cole’s Chop House on the Pregnant with her first daugh- night of her due date. ter, Emery, Lindsey and partner “I ordered the lobster bisque Casey Wedding made the fateful and my water broke four hours decision to dine later. Everyone teased me at Napa’s that next year that it was the lobster bisque that put me into labor,” recalls Altamura.

Though Lindsey’s experience with Cole’s bisque may have provided an inkling that she had found a hidden gem, it was the birth of her second daughter, Alice, that convinced her.

“When I was pregnant with my second daughter I was going to be induced on the 10th. So on the night of the 9th we thought it would be funny if we went into Cole’s and tried the soup again,” she said. “We also sat upstairs again in case that was a factor but sure enough, my

water broke within a few hours of being there.”

So what propelled Lindsey into parental bliss?

According to principle owners Eric and Heather Keefer, “The lobster and shrimp bisque at Cole’s Chop House is a velvety rich and creamy soup garnished with rock shrimp. It’s made from a rich cold water Maine lobster and shrimp stock which helps provide a rich shellfish flavor. Prior to serving, it’s topped with puff pastry and baked until it creates a golden pastry dome which is light and flaky.

Bisques are most often thickened with rice and finished with cream and they originated in France.”

Thus, could it be the decadent lobster and shrimp combination or the full bodied richness of the cream that has finally provided a remedy that we can count on?

Only time will tell.

Regardless, whether it is oils, teas, exotic foods or romantic escapades, Lindsey’s advice to all expectant mothers is to look no further than a bowl of Cole’s lobster and shrimp bisque soup.

“The last month of pregnancy is the hardest month. When your due date approaches- it’s not only the aches, pains, and exhaustion, but it’s also the anticipation that drives you nuts. If you want to jump start the labor process, and you think you’ve tried everything recommended by your doctor, why not try a less traditional and more fun approach? Go out for some of that lobster soup,” she said.

“Anything is worth the try,” she adds. “It worked for me – twice.”

Calistoga: A vacation in your own back yard PAT R I C I A C O R R I G A N

The hot tub at Calistoga Spa Hot Springs.

Patricia Corrigan photos

Castello di Amorosa

A bedroom in the original Sam Brannan cottage attached to the Sharpsteen Museum.

Editor’s Note: Writer Patricia Corrigan decided to explore a closeto-home destination and report back to her fellow Napa residents, travel magazine style.

You already know that Calistoga is that pretty town of 5,000-plus perched on the northwestern edge of Napa County.

But did you know that some 1.2 million people visited there in 2014 to grab time off the grid, get out of the routine, groove on the casual vibe?

Calistoga draws visitors from all over the world who want to mellow out in mineral pools, tour world-class wineries, meet artisans crafting unique products, shop for clothing not found in malls and eat delicious meals.

Living where you do, you can easily make the trip for a day, a long weekend or even a week. Here are highlights of a four-day trip to Calistoga late last year.

If what you have in mind is doing a lot of nothing, you will want to do some of that in the four mineral pools (including a huge hexagonal hot tub with jets) at Calistoga Spa Hot Springs. The spacious pools are filled with warm mineral water that contains phosphorous, sulfur (with no odor) and magnesium, all sources of rejuvenation. This comfortable boutique hotel, with kitchenettes in every room, also offers a wide range of spa treatments. (For current room rates, special packages and details on spa treatments, see calistogaspa. com) Once you’re feeling like pampered royalty, drive to Castello di Amorosa, a winery tucked inside an authentically styled 13th century medieval castle just south of Calistoga. As we walked in, a man leaving after a tour remarked to his companion, “That was amazing.”

And it is.

A massive 121,000-square-foot

building, the castle boasts five towers, 107 rooms, a drawbridge, a moat, a torture chamber and even secret passages. In spite of the rustic feel, the winemaking is completely state of the art, with triple-jacketed fermentation tanks. What’s in the tanks? More than 15 different wines. (For a virtual tour of the castle, more about the wine and current prices for tours and tastings, see castellodiamorosa.com.)

New to the Calistoga area is Coquerel Family Wine Estates, which specializes in small batches of Sauvignon Blanc. Clay and Brenda Cockerell don’t yet have a tasting room, but you can keep apprised of their construction schedule — and learn more about their wines — at coquerelwines.com.

While you’re out, stop by Wine Barrel Furniture, just 10 minutes from the center of town. Artist Paul Block’s story is a good one. A chef at a winery in the ‘90s, Block asked for some of the empty barrels. His degree from the Parsons School of Design served him well, and in 1997 he made his first piece of furniture. (Have a look at his work at barrelrecycling.com) “Now, the idea of wine barrel furniture is huge, and it’s hard to get the barrels,” Block told us.

Recently, he has turned to working with desiccated grapevines to make unique candleholders, sconces, chandeliers and table bases. Block said, “It’s the hardest wood I’ve ever come across.”

Block always needs more vines for his work. And what about those vines and cuttings that don’t lend themselves to re-purposing?

“People can use them for fuel in winter,” said Block, a committed environmentalist. “I set up a bin at the Cal-Mart grocery in town for recycling, where people can get the vines for free.”

See Calistoga, Page 15

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Artist Paul Block specializes in creating pieces using the cast-offs of the wine industry—used barrels and, more recently, old vines.

CALISTOGA From Page 13

Sally and Jeff Manfredi, proprietors of Calistoga Pottery, make use of local grapevine ash in one of their glazes, crafting beauty from destruction. Potters for more than 30 years, the two make bowls, plates, cups, mugs, platters and several styles of serving pieces. (See their work at calistogapottery.com). Some of their pottery is in use at local restaurants, inns and wineries, a great example of local supporting local.

Hungry? Head to Brannan’s for oysters and cocktails, the Hydro Bar & Grill for a burger or BLT, Buster’s Original Southern Barbeque for the pulled pork or Bosko’s Trattoria for pizza or pasta. Evangeline and Sam’s Social Club are the new eateries in town. In need of something sweet? Bella Bakery is the place to go. The Calistoga Roastery also offers tasty baked goods and San Marco Coffee sells delicious cannoli and

Patricia Corrigan

Calistoga Pottery not only sells pieces with a Wine Country vibe to the public, they also supply unique creations to many area restaurants, inns and hotels.

ice cream.

The Sharpsteen Museum is a worthy treasure for history buffs. There, you’ll learn about Sam Brannan, who opened the first spa in Calistoga in 1862. One of his original cottages is attached to the museum. You also will learn about Ben

Patricia Corrigan

Sharpsteen, an animator, producer and director for Walt Disney Studios who, with his wife Bernice, established the museum. His Academy Award is on display there. (See sharpsteenmuseum.org) Shopping enthusiasts will want to browse the many stores and galleries along Lincoln Avenue. Personal favorites are Azusa for shoes and fun accessories, Funke’s and Zenobia for great clothing, Ca’Toga Galleria D’Arte for fine art from muralist Carlo Marchiori, Sugardaddy’s Consignment for delightful surprises (we found three tall coffee mugs from Siena, Italy) and high-quality T-shirts at Chateau Ste. Shirts.

So that’s Calistoga. Some come for the spas or the wineries. Others book a balloon ride over the vineyards or take the kids to Safari West. For more ideas on what to do, see VisitCalistoga. com, brought to you by the Calistoga Visitors Center and the Chamber of Commerce.

After all, 1.2 million visitors a year can’t be wrong. And why should they have all the fun in your backyard?

15

Napa Live:

Inside and Out FOR INSIDE NAPA VALLEY

A music crawl featuring 30 venues, June 5, Noon to 6 p.m.

Downtown Napa’s newest event is all about music. It features live band performances at 30 different venues, some indoors and some out.

From solo acts to full bands – expect music in many genres. Attendees can check out everything and return to their favorite performer. Or listen to one for as long as you like, then move on to something completely different.

Outdoor venues include those you would expect—Veterans Park, Dwight Murray Plaza and the Opera House Plaza, where music plays from Noon to 6 p.m. Other outdoor spots include the Oxbow Market, Anette’s Chocolates, the back patio of Silo’s, Sidestreet Cigars and “The Big Chair” in the Riverfront Building, and The Eye Works. Simultaneously, several dozen businesses will feature indoor performances. Like all events hosted by the Downtown Napa Association, this one is free. Attendees can get a map of all the locations and bands at DoNapa.com, or by visiting the participating businesses, also shown on the website.

The inspiration for this event came from a changing downtown.

The busier it is here, the harder it is to close streets, since that can mean a slow day for some businesses, and inconveniences for Napans who are just trying to get from point A to point B. Downtown has been known as a haven for entertainment for over 25 years now, and the board members of the Downtown Association were challenged to keep the music going and the streets open at the same time.

Finally, someone hit on this idea, and an event was born.

“Change is hard, but this event is a classic case of making lemonade 16

out of lemons,” said Tom Finch, the association’s president and owner of Filippi’s Pizza Grotto on First Street.

“This way we’ll have a ton more bands than we could have before, and people can self select who they want to hear.” Filippi’s will feature The Smart Fellas, a longtime Napa favorite, from 1 to 4 p.m.

“We are really looking forward to this,” said Becky Berger, owner of

Yo Belle Yogurt, where attendees can listen to The Core from 1 to 4 p.m.

“The last time we had music inside Yo Belle, it was a blast, and everybody loved it.”

The owners of the newly opened Whirlwind Blow Dry Lounge, located in the Opera House Plaza, are using Napa Live as a chance to meet new people. “We’ll have the doors open so people can come in

and enjoy the retro vibe of Whirlwind,” said co-owner Shannon Hunsaker. Otis and the Smokestack will be playing there from Noon to 3 p.m., followed by Full Chizel from 3 to 6 p.m. Bounty Hunter will serve their amazing ribs, and there will be plenty of ice cold beer to enjoy with them.

Sponsored by Blue Moon and Lagunitas, Team Superstores, Bank of Napa, Napa Valley Marketplace, The Napa Valley Register, and KVON/KVYN. Without their generous support, the event would not be possible. Visit DoNapa.com for full details.

Mark your calendars for Napa Live Sunday, June 5 for this event, and don’t forget the upcoming events, the Main Street Reunion Car Show, Aug. 19 and 20, and Blues Brews & BBQ, Aug. 27. It’s going to be a fun summer, and you are invited.

Blow Dry bar makes a stir in Napa FOR INSIDE NAPA VALLEY When the Mayor tells people to “Go to Whirlwind Blow Dry Lounge and get yourself fixed up,” as one of her insiders’ tips on what to do in Napa, you know the place is a winner. And apparently it is – according to owners Shannon Hunsaker and Stacie Harrold, business just keeps getting better every month.

Hunsaker and Harrold have been friends for 20 years and met while working in advertising at Goodby, Silverstein and Partners. They loved the idea of opening a Blow Dry Salon in Napa.

Blow Dry bars are big in larger cities, but there was nothing like it here. The partners knew the creative concept would be well received in this community. Chris Bell from Mod Pod Salon helped their efforts by consulting and

WE DELIVER

creating the salon’s style that is reminiscent from the ‘50s and ‘60s. There was something glamorous about that era and it was a weekly treat to have your hair set and styled. “There’s nothing that a glass of wine and a blow dryer can’t fix,” said Hunsaker, a twinkle in her eye.

The mission of Whirlwind Blow Dry Lounge is to bring back the glamour days, when ladies would relax at the salon and get their hair and makeup done before a special night on the town or just to have the luxury of having a blow out once or twice a week. Whirlwind has a retro vibe combined with the latest products and a team of amazing creative stylists. The owners are committed to providing a red carpet experience without the red carpet prices. The

lounge is both urban, modern and a fun place to be. “This is where the party starts,” said Hunsaker.

“Women come here before a dinner engagement, wedding, girls’ night out, or just because,” said Harrold. “Whether it’s for an event at the Napa Valley Museum or Bottle Rock, Whirlwind is the place to begin.” The private back room caters to parties, allowing groups to enjoy a more intimate setting while they are enjoying a blow out and makeup.

One thing that has surprised the partners is the interest in Little Miss parties. “We get girls in here from 4 to 14 years old who want to experience what it’s like to have their hair and makeup done.

For them, the back room is a very Kardashian-esque experience,” said Hunsaker. After getting fixed up, many Little Miss groups have dinner downtown. “And it’s not just women and girls,” said Harrold.

“We do Bro-Outs as well.”

Whirlwind is at the Opera House Plaza on the Napa Creek at 1000 Main Street, directly behind Yo Belle Yogurt and across the street from Bounty Hunter. Reservations are accepted at 707-690-2028, whirlwindblowdry.com, or you can drop in. Wednesday nights are locals’ night, and Happy Hours, with wine and champagne, happen often, sometimes spontaneously. Open Wednesday through Monday, closed Tuesdays.

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An artist in his own land Huether carves out larger than life space in art world and hometown alike S E A N S C U L LY sscully @n ap anews.c om In a sense, the artist Gordon Huether was born on the dining room table in his father’s St. Helena home.

At 16, he was lost – his parents had split, he had left school, and he’d been running with the wrong crowd in San Francisco, so much so that he’d done a turn in juvenile hall.

His father had reluctantly taken his wayward son in and, desperate to find him something constructive to do, he gave the teen a stained glass-making kit.

“And on his kitchen table I made my first stained glass window,” recalls Huether, now 56. “And then I made second one, a little bit bigger, and I leaned it on the window in the living room and I just fell in love with color and light and the idea of something coming from here and here” he said tapping his head and his heart, then spreading his hands, “and coming out your fingers and crafting and making something.

“So I was about 16 years old, and I decided that someday I would do large scale work all over the world that would have a lasting positive impact on people,” he said.

Four decades later, Huether seems to have found that place—and established a larger-than-life, and sometimes controversial, position in Napa.

Establishing himself Huether has climbed from that smalltime, hood-in-the-making to a worldknown artist, doing major public art projects across the United States and overseas.

His latest, and by far largest, project is a multi-million commission to decorate the new $1.8 billion terminal at the Salt Lake City International Airport. The project will transform the new terminal into a space designed to reflect the swooping, swirling lines of Utah’s famous slot canyons.

“I never even knew jobs of that size, projects of that size even existed on this planet,” he said. “And it might be an

J.L. Sousa/Register

Napa-based artist Gordon Huether photographed near a scale model of “Hand of the Land,” a sculpture he See ARTIST, Page 20 had proposed for the Archer Hotel project in downtown Napa.

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ARTIST From Page 19

anomaly. And if it is, cool, great. I feel very humbled and appreciative that I would be the one. But everything I have done up to this point prepared me for that moment, and that’s why it’s going to be so successful artistically, for sure.”

In addition to establishing himself as an artist, Huether has become a force in politics and land use in Napa, using his seat on the city Planning Commission to push for a more thoughtful approach to design in buildings – a role that has sometimes made him the target of critics and developers alike.

“Well, one could say, ‘Hey, planning commission, that’s none of your business; let them build whatever they want to build,’” Huether said. “Fair enough, but the whole point of having a planning commission is design review. And I’m getting paid a hundred bucks a meeting to give you my opinion.

So I think my ‘opinion’ is very much an informed one.”

Along the way, Huether has acquired something of a reputation for a larger-than-life personality.

He’s been accused of a variety of faults, including excessive ego and ambition, and of dominating all the space for public art in Napa. Critics point to his works that occupy central spots downtown, including the 9/11 Memorial on Main Street and his famous (or infamous, depending on who’s talking) hubcap-based design on the city parking garage by the downtown library.

“It seems as though whenever there is significant public art to be commissioned, Gordon is always at the front of the line … No one is questioning Gordon’s bonafides as an accomplished artist — that is really not in question,” city resident Daniel Cutright wrote in a 2015 letter to the editor in the Napa Valley Register. “The question for me is why do all these public projects fall to him?”

“There are hundreds of artists in the Napa Valley, but the only one whose name stands out in almost 20

J.L. Sousa/Register

Examples of glass work by Napa-based artist Gordon Huether at The Hay Barn, his studio and gallery on Monticello Road.

J.L. Sousa/Register

The Hay Barn, Gordon Huether’s studio and gallery on Monticello Road.

every newspaper delivered to my door is Gordon Huether,” agreed reader Margie Crotty in a separate letter. “I fear if I live much longer my address will be ‘Huetherville.’”

But at the same time, Huether has received high marks from his critics and friends alike.

“He’s an artist; he is creative; he looks at things in a creative way all the time,” Napa City Council member and architect Juliana Inman said. “That’s not to say you

always agree with him.”

But, she said, it is good to have that kind of alternative point of view on a board. “Otherwise, you can really get stuck in the groupthink mode.”

The Hand of the Land Despite his growing artistic profile, and his long service on various local commissions, including the city planning commission, Huether was probably not well-known to many Napa residents until last

summer, when he unveiled a proposed piece of art known as the “Hand of the Land.”

The 18-foot-tall hand would have stood outside the new downtown Archer hotel. It was on private land, paid for by the Archer’s developers, but under the city’s public art ordinance, developers of major projects are required to devote a portion of the construction cost to add some art element.

The hand – gripping a large glass globe, representing a grape, between thumb and forefinger – would symbolize the loving work of the vineyard workers and winemakers who had made Napa Valley famous, Huether explained.

Within hours after news of the proposal was posted on the Napa Valley Register website, there was a full-fledged uproar. The following days and weeks featured scores of letters and hundreds of comments, many blasting the art and many more attacking Huether himself, calling him overexposed or accusing him of benefiting from his position on the planning commission, even though he had recused himself from any discussion or vote on the Archer project, as required

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by state law.

The controversy seemed to take Huether by surprise, even with decades of experience under his belt.

“I am overly sensitive to criticism of any kind — defensive,” he admits now, almost a year after the Archer developers withdrew the proposal and replaced it with more understated Huether creation.

“It doesn’t happen actually very much, especially outside of Napa.

Usually, I’m embraced and appreciated, and people are very thankful for my little contribution to their world, right? When it comes to my own community, I guess I hate to admit it but I’m admitting it, it’s very bothersome.

“I think most communities would embrace their native son or native daughter [who at first didn’t] have two nickels to rub together and now are doing these amazing things all over the country and in different parts of the world … instead of complaining that there is art of Gordon downtown, [saying] ‘how awesome is that that we have art from Gordon downtown,’” he said. “It’s just confusing to me.”

Indeed, reactions elsewhere do not appear to have been as critical and personal as the fight over The Hand.

“He has inspired us to continue elevating the conversation about public art in our community,” said Edith Ramirez, economic development manager of Morgan Hill, where Huether’s proposed sculpture of a large spider (a common sight in that part of Santa Clara County) survived some mild controversy to become a tourist landmark on the side of a downtown parking garage.

“It’s incredibly beautiful … it’s even more beautiful than I knew it would be” based on the designs, she said of the spider, made of metal and the headlights of old cars. Although it has only been in place a few months, “People are driving through downtown and stopping to take pictures.”

Path to success Huether credits his rise to a combination of luck, hard work, and the drive that comes from being part of an immigrant family.

His parents met in the early

Lips, a stainless steel and glass sculpture by Napa-based artist Gordon Huether.

1960s while they were emigrating from Germany, still struggling to recover from the destruction of World War II. They spent a few years in Rochester, New York, where Huether was born. But when he was a toddler, the family moved to Napa.

His father worked as a window decorator in Napa’s downtown department stores, and ran a traditional German house, sending his kids off to learn the mother tongue while “wearing lederhosen,” Huether recalls. “It was really ridiculous. I had to go to German school every weekend.”

By the time he was 10, his parents had split up and his mother took Huether and his siblings to San Francisco, while his father remarried and moved to St. Helena. In the big city, Huether ran into trouble, though he declines to discuss the specifics.

“It was all very scary and I wouldn’t trade it for anything anymore,” he said. “It helped form me.

I have a certain scrappiness, street smarts about me that comes from that period.”

But he knew he had to get out, so he coaxed his reluctant father to take him back. And in his father’s

house, he found art.

“My dad was very creative, so I was always sort of artsy-craftsy, but I always knew that I had the heart and soul of an artist, but I didn’t think I had any talent,” he said of his youth, before discovering stained glass. “It was like God was playing some sort of cruel trick on me.”

His father got him a job in sales in downtown department stores, but Huether worked on art projects on the side, even selling some in local shops. Eventually, he found his way to the Calistoga glass shop of Ray Centanni, who specialized in home and church projects.

Centanni remembers Huether as hard-working and creative, but eager to break out of the kind of work his shop tended to do.

“He was very, very creative, probably one of the most artistic, forward-thinking guys we’ve had here,” Centanni said. But even three decades ago, Huether “had greater aspirations of being a more famous artist … his creative juices were flowing at a really early age.”

Huether made his way to Europe, apprenticing in commercial glass factories in Germany, which he said taught him practical

J.L. Sousa/Register

lessons about materials and processes that still serve him.

“I simply immersed myself, and there wasn’t a day, wasn’t an hour of a day, that I wasn’t thinking about what I could do to move me toward the goal of doing large-scale work all over the world that would have a lasting positive impact on people,” he said. “Was not one day.”

Moving back to Napa, he first worked for a commercial window company. But he took a leap of faith and left with no specific job or plan to fall back on, hoping to expand his artistic horizons. He began to hustle for commissions, working on private projects in homes and businesses, but relentlessly applying for monumental public art commissions.

In the 1980s, he set up a small studio in the old tannery south of downtown. “I just kept pushing and pushing and pushing, and I actually started getting good as an artist,” he said. “But it’s not good enough to be good as an artist.

You actually have to have some sort of entrepreneurial sensibility.

You have to be willing to fail and fail over and over again. And be See ARTIST, Page 73

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Navigating BottleRock like a pro JESS LANDER BottleRock is back and tickets are already sold out. But if you’re one of the lucky ones to attend Napa Valley’s hottest new attraction this Memorial Day Weekend, here are some tips from one who’s been there.

Rock it like a local With three years of BottleRock under their belts, Napa residents are now experts at navigating the weekend for optimal fun. Follow these four tips to rock like a local and don’t be surprised if someone asks you for directions.

Pack a jacket. Unlike San Francisco’s annual Outside Lands music festival, which often occurs under the city’s usual thick layer of grey and fog, BottleRock’s short history has featured strictly tank top weather. In the festival’s first year, temps even reached into the 90s, but as soon as the sun goes down, locals know that those numbers drop rapidly with it. If you’re staying for the big headliners, pack a sweater or jacket so you can truly enjoy the show.

Pick a meeting spot. If you’re going with a big group of friends, you’re likely to all split up throughout the day as you check out different stages and break for the bathroom, beverage tent or food court. But before you all run off in different directions, choose an easily-identifiable meeting spot in case you struggle to reunite. Due to thousands of people using their phones at once, cell service inside the festival is spotty at best, and text messages often come through late, or not at all. Plus, you’re likely to drain your battery with all the videos you’ll be filming.

Bring a non-disposable water bottle. You’re not allowed to bring liquids past the gates and security does check, but it’s definitely advisable to pack an empty bottle for the free fill stations so that you’re not overpaying for bottled water.

But instead of carrying any old plastic bottle, invest in a stainless steel insulated bottle, which will keep your liquid—be it water or something harder —cold all day.

TIP: When purchasing alcoholic beverages, grab two at a time

Raphael Kluzniok/Register

The crowd watches Trampled by Turtles during the last day of BottleRock at the Napa Valley Expo in 2015.

Raphael Kluzniok/Register

A festivalgoer dances to music in her headphones at the Hush Concerts Silent Disco during the last day of BottleRock at the Napa Valley Expo in 2015.

and pour one into your bottle while you sip the other. This will save you extra time waiting in line and prevent your extra drink from getting warm.

Fi n d t h e s h o r t e s t l i n e s .

BottleRock’s signature standout from other popular music festivals is its access to some of the best wine in the world. The festival features dozens of Napa Valley’s best vintners, and as a result, the lines

to purchase wine are often long.

If you’re not all that picky or are simply in search of something different, the lines for beer and cocktails are typically much shorter and quicker (and the cups are bigger).

For bathrooms, the busiest ones are at the main stage; for food, you’ll be able to find a few spots outside of the main cafeteria-like area with shorter waits.

Rock it on the cheap If you’re attending BottleRock, whether it’s for all three days or just one, you’ve already spent plenty on the tickets. Factor in food and drink, parking and souvenirs at festival prices and that cost can add up. But it is possible to rock out without bottoming out your bank account. Follow these four tips to keep your day-of BottleRock expenses to a minimum.

Skip the parking pass. Parking passes go for $30 a day (with advanced purchase) and $40 day See Pro, Page 25

23

Tim Carl

Volunteers (left) Tom Abbey and Napa Valley winemakers (right) Dawnine Dyer and her husband, Bill, greet audience members at a recent Chamber Music in Napa Valley concert at Napa’s First United Methodist Church. The concert featured world-renowned pianist Garrick Ohlsson with a portion of the proceeds help support the Student Outreach Program.

Chamber Music in Napa Valley Opening the eyes and ears of Napa Valley’s young people TIM CARL Tom Abbey prefers music and art when it comes to teaching life’s most important lessons.

“I retired from teaching kids in Calistoga in 2010 after 39 years,” he said. “The greatest pleasure of my work was teaching junior high kids humanities and then seeing the same kids in the 11th and 12th grades. Humanities is that wonderful intersection of history, English and the arts that gives kids a meaningful context to understand those disciplines.”

Since retiring, Abbey has not been idle. Instead he’s taken his passion for music and become involved with the Chamber Music in Napa Valley not-for-profit organization, managing their Student Outreach Program.

24

“I do not play a musical instrument myself and neither did most of my Calistoga students, but we listened to a lot of music,” he said.

“Music is a different and common language, and providing students access to this language allows entry into a whole new world of opportunity and appreciation. The CMNV provides the students of Napa Valley with unprecedented access to some of the finest musicians in the world.”

The CMNV was founded in 1980 by local lawyer Dick Lemon, who represented French-owned Clos du Val winery. In 1995 Napa vintners John and Maggy Kongsgaard began leading the program, and since 2003 the Student Outreach Program has become an

essential element of classical music education in schools throughout Napa Valley.

On April 6, 2016, two esteemed artists performed for a small group of students at St. Helena High School.

“Providing our young people with access to music is building the audiences of tomorrow,” said John Kongsgaard before the concert.

“For example, today we have one of the finest soprano opera singers from Europe, Christina Karg, performing alongside perhaps the greatest accompanist in the world, Scottish pianist Malcolm Martineau. They are performing for the students just days before their debut at New York’s Carnegie Hall.

It’s hard to understate the impact of such an event.”

“We’re performing for the children because this is our future, both in terms of audience but also as musicians,” said Karg. “If we don’t educate the students and get them at a very early age, we may lose them forever. So this is our duty.

I speak to young people from all over the world and explain to them what I do, and sometimes they ask

me, ‘Yes you sing, but what do you do to make a living?’ Of course I tell them that this is my living. If there is only one child here today that we can help find their musical life, then we’ve succeeded.”

For St. Helena High School’s director of band and choral activities, Alba Gonzalez-Arredondo, the program has been a wonderful addition to the curriculum.

“Four years ago Tom Abbey reached out to me and proposed this amazing program,” said Gonzalez-Arredondo. “I said yes because it’s wonderful to bring music to the students, and coming from world-class professionals makes it even better. Music provides a common language for the students to access. Being able to be so close to the musicians and ask questions is another aspect of the program that is wonderful.”

Beyond his work with music, Abbey believes that visual arts can provide students entry into a broader world.

“I’ve received two grants from the Napa Valley Community See Music, Page 25

MUSIC From Page 24

Foundation and a Capacity Building Grant Program for Arts and Cultural Organizations in Napa County to take Napa Valley kids out to the Hess Collection and the di Rosa Preserve as well as museums and galleries in San Francisco and Berkeley. Using the humanities model of giving cultural context to both visual art and music, kids begin to see a wider role for both art and music.”

Beyond the pleasure of listening to beautiful music, the program is having an impact on local students’ lives.

“While I have the undeniable pleasure of spending a couple of days listening to music, chatting with musicians and talking with kids about music, what gives me the most satisfaction isn’t just one thing,” Abbey said. “One day I was listening to the local radio station KDFC and to my surprise one of our students called in to the station and asked that they play more string quartets each day. And while I was standing in front of the huge William Wiley triptych paying homage to the di Rosas, I’ve heard kids explain the painting in terms of a Bartok quartet as visitors listened and scratched their heads.”

For Abbey art is a critical component of a student’s education.

“For me the arts play a central role in education,” he said. “It’s through the visual arts and music

that we express those ideas that give meaning and importance to our lives. Their place in today’s schools is diminished because they are difficult to test and measure and are dismissed as frills. This is such a shortsighted and narrow view of education. The arts open a wide vista to the world and offer kids the opportunity to see how things fit together. Without some context, information becomes fragmented and disjointed.”

“I really have enjoy the program,” said Malick Koly, a St. Helena High School senior and jazz drummer who attended the Karg performance. “Not only because I believe that classical music is one of the foundations of the contemporary world, but also because it has allowed me to witness the direct influence of this music on today’s music.”

“Watching and listening to a string quartet play classical and contemporary music in the classroom is a perfect model of what education should be, both illuminating and disruptive,” said Abbey. “Making music and listening to music is hard work. Kids understand that and welcome the challenge.”

“Kids have the greatest powers of understanding about what’s real and important and what’s just ordinary. Bringing the best musicians into classrooms and playing the best music causes kids to pay attention and to realize that the world really is bigger than they imagine, and it’s just there for the taking.”

Tim Carl

Tom Abbey looks on as John Kongsgaard addresses a group of patrons at a recent Chamber Music in Napa Valley concert at Napa’s First United Methodist Church. The concert featured world-renowned pianist Garrick Ohlsson. Such concerts help to support the Student Outreach Program.

Raphael Kluzniok/Register

Snoop Dogg fans sing along from atop the crowd during the last day of BottleRock at the Napa Valley Expo in 2015.

PRO From Page 23

of. Instead of coughing up the extra dough, choose one of three, free alternatives. You can “Ride the Vine,” which was free last year exclusively for BottleRock weekend, get dropped off steps away from the gates and eliminate the need for a designated driver (or an Uber). If you’re within biking distance, there’s always complimentary bicycle parking near the festival. Set on driving? You can find plenty of free street parking on the outskirts of downtown Napa if you’re willing to look and trek a bit.

Fill up beforehand. BottleRock brings in the best of the Napa Valley culinary scene, so world-class that they even have a Culinary Stage, but it all comes with long lines and a hefty price. If you’re a local, save these gems for a special occasion where you can actually sit down at the restaurant and enjoy the full experience.

You can’t bring in outside food or drink, and yes, they do check, so look at the day’s schedule before you head out, as the most sought-after bands don’t hit the

stage until later in the afternoon.

If you won’t feel like you’re missing anything, delay your arrival and fill up on a big and hearty late lunch.

This way, you’ll hopefully only need to fuel up once more for a small dinner.

TIP: Find the Kind Bar tent. If the kind folks at Kind Bar are back again this year, they’re always passing out free bars, which make the perfect healthy snack to hold you over and keep your energy high.

Go light on the merch. An official BottleRock T-shirt will set you back at least $25. If you absolutely feel that you need one to memorialize the occasion, keep an eye out for unofficial vendors outside the gates, who may be selling cheaper items.

Use your in-and-out privileges.

If you splurged on a 3-day pass, you’re allowed to leave and re-enter the festival as you please. You can limit what you spend on food and drink inside by taking a break in between bands to head back to your accommodations (or a nearby friend’s place), where you’ve stored food and drink that you purchased at a reasonable price. Even hitting up a local restaurant or food truck will likely give you a value meal, and there are plenty within walking distance.

Juan Guerrero listens to a live DJ through headphones at the Hush Concerts Silent Disco at BottleRock in 2015.

Raphael Kluzniok/Register

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Where in the Valley?

How keen is your eye for Napa landmarks?

But it can be surprisingly hard to identify these Our photographer J.L. Sousa travels a lot of miles places when you zoom in just on the details, even if in pursuit of his images and along the way he’s taken you pass by the spots every day. How many of these some shots of interesting, quirky, and unusual objects, Napa County places can you identify? many of them in plain sight from major roads.

Answers are on Page 54.

36

Submitted photo

The new Goosecross Cellars winery.

Coors heir transforms Goosecross Cellars PAUL FRANSON

As heir to the Coors Brewery family, Christi Coors Ficeli could probably have built a grandiose temple to her ego. Instead, she vowed to make great wine and created a modest, but efficient, place to do so with the help of a respected winemaker.

Part of the reason for the tack she took is precisely because she understood the beverage alcohol business: Not only was she born into the beer-making family, but she worked for Coors and sat on its board of directors. She also “graduated” from that great university for the wine industry, E&J Gallo.

Coors Ficeli and her Coors family bought Goosecross Cellars on State Road outside Yountville in May 2013. The property was ready for rebirth. “It was sort of rundown,” she admitted.

The previous owners had started as growers, and then began making wine as often happens. They had a modest house on the property plus a tired barn with basic winemaking equipment.

Coors Ficeli replaced the house with a compact, but welcoming, tasting room and offices. “I toured a lot of wineries,” she said. “I liked small, not ornate.”

The resulting tasting room is airy and open, with a large bar and high ceiling as well as windows bringing the adjacent vineyards inside. The large window behind the bar can completely open, allowing those on the spacious deck to taste outside under a tree.

She built a new barn-like structure, keeping the same footprint and even the existing, slightly worn tanks plus the press, destemmer and other equipment. “We’re not throwing around money,” said Coors Ficeli.

“We want to do things that enhance the wine.” Ironically, the tanks were a find. “Tall and thin, they contribute to wine style,” she said.

AN ENTREPRENEURIAL BACKGROUND Coors Ficeli inherited her spirit of entrepreneurship from her great-great-grandfather, Adolph Coors. She was raised in a family that put a premium on realizing dreams through vision, dedication and collaboration.

She learned the wine business — production, distribution, promotion and sales — working for Gallo in Modesto after graduating from college. She also met her

Bryan Gray Photography

Christi Coors Ficeli, the new owner of Goosecross Cellars, and winemaker Bill Nancarrow.

future husband, David Ficeli, there.

He remains in the wine business, but isn’t active in Goosecross.

After Gallo, Coors Ficeli enrolled in business school and got her MBA, then joined the Coors family business as a district business manager in 2002.

A new job for her husband and a

new sales territory in California for Christi prompted a move to Napa Valley where they lived from 2002 to 2005.

The couple loved the foods and wines of the region and the sense of family at the heart of Napa’s See Heir, Page 44

37

Napa confidential

Irina Opachevsky/Dreamstime.com

What happens in tasting rooms stays in tasting rooms, pros say ROSEMARIE KEMPTON What stories are hidden within the walls of Napa’s wine tasting rooms? Probably hundreds of thousands. There might even be a pent up desire to tell spicy tales and talk about hosting the rich and famous, but a collective unwritten code keeps many winery owners and their staff from talking about such things.

Tasting rooms that protect the privacy of their visitors will draw more VIPs in the future so every effort is made to create an atmosphere of convivial acceptance, where people from all walks of life can gain temporary freedom from their customary roles while sampling fine wines.

Politicians and other public figures can remain incognito if—when recognized in a local winery—they simply smile and say they have often been mistaken for that person.

“You have to be careful when you 38

talk about the guests who come to a winery. You have to respect their privacy,” said Clos Du Val tasting room hostess Drew Tomasyan.

In spite of refusing to share tasting room stories that might reveal anything about world famous visitors, Tomasyan was willing to talk about the winery’s canine visitors.

“We are dog friendly here at Clos Du Val. Like many of the wineries, we welcome dogs,” Tomasyan said.

“It is really a pleasure for an animal lover, like me, to see so many cute dogs.”

“The most unusual dog we had come in here was Bruno, a 235pound Mastiff. He was a therapy dog who belonged to a club member,” Tomasyan said. “I’ll never forget seeing this huge dog who looked like he was the size of a horse, lying on the tasting room floor.”

Clos Du Val keeps doggie treats

around for their four legged visitors and also sell “Ruff Rewards,” their bone shaped treats, in wine bottles.

Tours and tastings at Charter Oaks Winery are by appointment only. A sign outside this unique family owned boutique winery in St. Helena says “Artist is In.” Wearing her daily uniform, one of her husband’s white shirts stained with paint, a friendly Fanucci greets her visitors. Her down to earth manner belies the success of this local artist whose layered cityscapes are sought after by collectors.

She has been the subject of several books and magazines and her art, coupled with wine made the old fashioned way, have brought CNN’s “Today Show,” NBC Headline News and other television media to the charming vintage winery.

She guides guests past her enormous wet paintings, on the way to

a small kitchen, where they sample wine.

Fanucci’s husband, Robert, became a winemaker, following in the footsteps of his grandfather, Guido Ragghianti, who, along with his wife, Matilda, started Charter Oaks Winery in the 1920s on the same property it is on today.

Besides passing along his winemaking secrets and tools to his grandson, Ragghianti gave him a blueprint for living a long and healthy life.

On the same table that her husband’s grandparents served large, healthy meals and wine to their guests, Fanucci pours the wine and tells visitors about the family heritage.

“Robert’s hardworking grandparents lived to be 98 and 99 years old.

See Tasting, Page 44

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Chinese take increasing interest in Napa Valley TIM CARL

Yao Ming tasting room only one of many draws for Chinese tourists After a decade on the court as a professional basketball player, China’s Yao Ming is having a second act as head of a new Napa Valley Winery, and a symbol of his country’s growing interest in the Wine Country for both tourism and investment.

“I’m very proud to have a winery in Napa Valley,” Yao wrote in an email from his home in Shanghai. “When I first visited, I knew I wanted to be a part of the community. It is one of the most beautiful and peaceful places I’ve ever been. Now that we have our hospitality center open, we can meet more people and become a more visible member of the community.”

In 2011, 7-foot-6-inch-tall Yao Ming retired as a professional basketball player. He’d played in the NBA for the Houston Rockets for more than 10 years, and during his career he’d been widely regarded as one of the superstars of the game. He went to the AllStar Game eight times and was named to the All-NBA Team five times.

Now, Yao spends his days as a global humanitarian and owner of Yao Family Wines. Yao’s wine is made in collaboration with veteran Napa Valley winemaker Tom Hinde (Cardinale, Lokoya, Verite).

“Yao Ming and I hit it right off,” said Hinde. “We both have a common philosophy when it comes to wine — each should be sophisticated, balanced and exhibit harmony. Besides it’s really an honor to be involved with someone that is making a positive 42

Submitted photo

Former basketball star Yao Ming greets guests at the February opening of his new tasting room in St. Helena.

impact through his work with the Special Olympics, at-risk youth and animal welfare efforts.”

To open the tasting room, located at 929 Main St. in what had been the old Bello’s Family Winery tasting room, Yao reportedly engaged with his many fans in a crowd-sourcing campaign that raised an undisclosed sum.

Visitors may be lucky enough to find Yao making the final blending decisions for his wines with Hinde. Or more likely, guests will be greeted by Sheila Thomas or Jeff Zhang, both of whom are tasting room associates, or Karen Rivers, director of hospitality.

“I am thrilled to be a part of this winery,” said Thomas. “The wines are stunning and have received high scores from Robert Parker. People really seem to enjoy

the wine and the tasting experience. We have many options to choose from and private tasting suites where guests can come in and relax as they enjoy the wines and perhaps a seasonal selection of artisanal cheeses and charcuterie.”

The excitement goes beyond those working with the wines, including KC Chen, who has been working as the food and beverage supervisor at Solage Calistoga for the last year. Chen comes from Shenzhen, China, which is just outside of Hong Kong.

“Yao Ming is one of our country’s superstars,” said Chen.

“I haven’t been to his winery yet myself, but I do plan to go soon. I am sure he is producing great wine. The news of his new winery has spread through social media and other outlets, and since

he is a major star in China, a lot of people want to come to take a look at his winery.”

Chen’s prediction seems likely.

“We are seeing big jumps in the number of Chinese visitors to the Napa Valley,” John Stallcup, co-founder of Napa Seasoning Co. and a wine-business consultant, often advising wineries on how to better engage with visitors from Asia, wrote in an email. “So if you understand the Chinese tourism business, speak the native language of China (Mandarin) and have connections in China, you’re all good.”

Visitors from China represent the third largest national group in Napa Valley, according to the Visit Napa Valley 2014 Visitor Profile Study, “but keep these numbers in context,” said Patsy McGaughy,

communications director of the Napa Valley Vintners. “Visitors from the USA made up 87 percent, visitors from Canada were next at 3 percent and visitors from China are third and make up 1.7 percent.”

Yet, according to Angela Jackson, director of media relations for Visit Napa Valley, the state’s tourism marketing board, Visit California, has recently made China their primary target (previously fifth on their list) for tourism marketing due to increases in both existing and forecasted visitors and spending.

Companies beyond wineries are emerging to provide services for the expected increase of tourism.

“There are lots of numbers floating around out there about the number of visitors, but I can tell you that some of the most popular wineries in the valley saw thousands of Chinese guests last year, and our business is growing,” said Sonoma-born winemaker Adam Ivor. Ivor and his partner co-founded Gliding Eagle, a company that facilitates the shipment of wine to China.

“At the moment, many wineries still can’t ship directly to China. So, no matter what the number of visitors, if you are not servicing all your winery guests then that’s not great customer service. As a business person, you want to understand exactly who your customers are, which segments are growing, and how best to remove any barriers to their experience.”

A few wineries are taking Ivor’s advice.

“We are excited that many of our guests come from Asia and more and more from China,” said Henriette Steinrueck, vice president of operations at Castello Di Amorosa. “We’ve hired Mandarin-speaking tour guides, created Mandarin menus and have special programs to help with shipping. We’ve found that many of these guests prefer our small-production red wines, which they’ve told us are often given as gifts back home as a sign of health and prosperity. No matter where our guests come from, we want to ensure that each of them feels well cared for with exceptional personalized service.”

Other wineries that have Mandarin tours: Robert Mondavi Winery, Beringer Estate, Kieu Hoang Winery,

The Yao Ming wine label features a hand-drawn illustration of the Napa Valley with the ancient Chinese character for “Yao,” representing both the cultures in which Yao Ming has made his home. Tasting room associate, Jeff Zhang, stands in the background.

My personal tasting of two of the wines included the 2012 Napa Crest red blend wine and the 2012 Yao Ming Cabernet Sauvignon, and I echo V-Wine Cellar’s excitement.

The 2012 Crest ($48 per bottle) is an approachable blend of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petite Verdot that was dark in the glass with ruby edges.

The aromatics included blueberry, dark cherry and lightly smoky oak. Flavors of plum and raspberry cola were accompanied by chewy tannins. The 2012 Yao Ming Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($100 per bottle) was opaque in the glass and had aromas of candied violets, black cassis and dried lavender.

On the palate the wine was rich, layered with echoes of the aromas but finished with luscious blackberry, anise, thyme and vanilla.

Of course, my description of these wines is based on my particular palate and cultural context, as my friend John Mini has pointed out.

Mini is a St. Helena native who has been an accredited Chinese medicine specialist for more than 30 years and who practices in Marin.

“I’ve written about the complexities of translating wine terminology.

There is really no exact translation for many of the terms we use to describe wine,” he said. “Even the word ‘flavor’ (in Mandarin wei dao) also means ‘smell.’ There are other words for ‘flavor,’ too. And blackberry is not very common, so using mulberry (sang) might be a better alternative.”

However you describe it, visitors to Yao Family Wines’ new tasting room are likely to be pleasantly engaged by their experience, walking away with a smile that can be translated to any language.

Yountville’s V-Wine Cellar highlight the quality of the wines by writing an email, “A Slam Dunk Napa Cab for the money! We would normally shy away from promoting a celebrity wine project for the obvious reason: They don’t really need us. That said, we got the opportunity to taste the newly released Yao Ming’s 2013 Napa Valley cabernet sauvignon earlier this week and we were all unanimous: It’s a truly impressive effort which certainly deserves all our attention (and yours).”

Yao Family Wines can be found at fine wine shops around the valley, including V-Wine Cellar in Yountville. The tasting room is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. In addition to the main tasting area, there are also three private tasting rooms and an outdoor patio area. Tasting packages range from $35 to $80. Wines are also available by the glass. For appointments, visit the website, yaofamilywines.com or call 968-5874.

Tim Carl photo

Sheila Thomas is a tasting room associate at the recently opened Yao Ming hospitality center, located at 929 Main St. in St. Helena.

The Napa Valley Wine Train. Hall Wines is reportedly going to start Mandarin tours this May. Other reasons to believe that visitations will continue to increase: In 2014, at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting, Chinese President Xi Jinping and President Barack Obama extended the tourist-visa period to 10 years and student visas to five years. And according to a recent ChinaDaily USA report, these changes have led to a 68 percent increase in visa issuance in the last two years. According to the same source, Chinese tourists are the most desired international shoppers, spending an average of $6,000 per person per trip to the United States, which is higher than any other visiting group.

“There are plenty of reasons to believe that visitations from China, and Asia more broadly, will increase,” Stallcup wrote. “This includes a growing middle class and more interest in wine in the popular culture.”

As an example, Stallcup described the popular Japanese adult comic books, “The Drops of God,” that focus on authentic wines of the world. “’Drops of God’ was translated into Chinese about six years ago,” wrote Stallcup. “If you put a timelapse camera in the Napa wineries that were listed in the New-World issue (Vol. 22) you would definitely see the impact.”

But in the end, no matter where you come from, you’ll find the wines from Yao Ming to be excellent examples of what the Napa Valley has to offer. Even the finicky palates at

Tim Carl photo

43

TASTING

HEIR

From Page 38

From Page 37

Besides making their own wine, the couple had a garden, 70 fruit trees and raised chickens. The only thing they needed was milk. Guido could work in 105-degree weather without complaining and he worked until he died.

Fanucci tells visitors that the wineries’ founding couple drank their own wine everyday—but in moderation.

“Drinking wine, like everything else is best done in moderation. It is heart healthy to drink one or two glasses a day.”

“I made the mistake of bringing wine over the first time I met Robert’s family They told me to get rid of it. I made a bad first impression,” Fanucci laughed. “They only drank their own wine, which was far superior to what I brought.”

Fanucci loves getting to know the guests that come to the family’s winery from all over the world. She tells them her stories and they tell her theirs.

She will never forget the conversation with a couple who saved wine instead of drinking it.

“The woman said her husband had always gone around to a lot of wineries buying wine, Fanucci said. “The only problem was that they could never drink it because the husband wanted to save it for years.”

“This had gone on for about 25 years. Finally, the wife told her husband that she had a dream,” Fanucci continued. “In the dream, the couple was up in heaven, looking down and the wife saw all these people going into their wine cellar and drinking all their wine.”

After hearing about his wife’s dream, the husband stopped “hoarding” their wine and the couple began drinking “some of it – but not all.

The husband couldn’t change that much.”

Fanucci loves answering questions during a wine tasting. Among the most memorable are those from children who accompany their parents.

“A family from India brought two young children, ages 8 and 12. They couldn’t taste the wine, of course, but the family wanted them to smell it,” she said. “The parents said they wanted their children here because they wanted them to understand the process of making good wine.”

“The younger boy raised his hand and asked ‘at what point do you get drunk? I’m asking because I think I am.’ He had smelled three wines,” Fanucci laughed.

If you visit some local wine tasting rooms it is possible to see royalty and movie stars. It is more probable, though, that you will find other people much like yourself, enjoying the nectar of the gods.

What about the stories? Well, as a rule, what happens in Napa tasting rooms, tends to stay there.

agricultural community. The experience remained with them as new responsibilities took the Ficelis to Chicago and Colorado over the next six years.

As their family grew, their dream of returning to Napa Valley with their two children, Luke and Lucy, intensified.

44

outside Napa Valley, but Narcarrow and Coors Ficeli plan to focus on what they do best. That includes four whites, chardonnay, sauvignon blanc and viognier as well as riesling from 46-year-old vines on Manley Lane fermented in a (used) concrete egg, and a blend called Anser.

The reds will include pinot noir, merlot, cabernet france, Howell Mountain and estate State Lane cabernet, mountain petite sirah, syran, and some blends. “Blends are on the rise and we’re trying to have fun with some,” Coors Ficeli said.

Narcarrow picks and ferments in many small lots, some in barrels as well as the egg.

The focus is authentic, approachable and food-friendly wines. All the wines are moderate in alcohol, another trend, most under 14 percent.

Narcarrow is also sensitive to texture. “The biggest problem of Napa wines is the balance of texture,” he said. The winery’s top wine is $150 Aeros from estate vines.

A RETURN TO NAPA In 2012, Coors Ficeli developed a business plan, and with funding from the Coors family’s Golden Equity Investments, she began looking for a Napa Valley winery in early November.

When she found Goosecross, she knew her quest was over. “l sat on the back terrace overlooking the vineyards and tasting Goosecross wines as the sun moved across the autumn sky.”

She closed the deal and immediately developed plans to raze and replace the existing buildings.

She also hired winemaker Bill Nancarrow, who was at Duckhorn Winery. Nancarrow is a native of Hawkes Bay New Zealand, the oldest wine grapegrowing region in New Zealand, and has studied and working in hospitality and winemaking across four continents.

“It was time for a change after 12 years,” he said. “I never wanted to work for a large company.” Duckhorn had grown by a factor of 10 during his tenure, and the vast growth had impacted the wines and his work. “At a large company, you’re very departmentalized. I wanted to get back to winemaking. I wanted to hand-prune vines. I wanted to get my hands dirty.”

At Goosecross, everyone, even Submitted photo office and hospitality staff helped in The view from Goosecross, located on State Road outside the winemaking.

Yountville.

THE ESTATE VINEYARD The winery owns 9.4 acres of estate vines at State Lane. It’s mostly cabernet sauvignon, with some other Bordeaux varieties cabernet franc, merlot and petite verdot. Located in the transition between warm and cool Napa Valley, it was planted in chardonnay until 2003, but produces elegant Bordeaux wines. It receives a cooling breeze in the afternoon.

Narcarrow is also working to balance the vines, which may have had too much canopy.

He’s also determined different soil conditions and adjusted vine management accordingly.

The winery buys grapes from a number of growers.

LEARNING A NEW SKILL Coors Ficeli had a strong background in the wine business, but her expertise was in traditional three-tier sales and marketing. Goosecross is largely direct-to-consumer and depends on visitors to its tasting room, its wine club and personal outreach for sales.

Production is small, however, and the wines are sold in a few states as well as by Young’s Market in California.

Most of all, they’re having fun. “I came from very corporate environment,” said Coors Ficeli, and Narcarrow said that Duckhorn was headed that way.

She added, “My family has been very TRIMMING THE OFFERINGS supportive about my returning to our entreThe previous owners offered a wide range preneurial roots. I want to make a name of wines, including some using grapes from for myself.”

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ou don’t need to stand in front of the Vallerga’s Market packaged meat case and wonder, “Is this meat as fresh as in the glass case?”

“It’s absolutely as fresh,” say co-managers Randy Erickson and Ron Orta (left and right in photo). “We know, because we trim and package it all ourselves.”

It’s all Black Canyon Black Angus meat (Select and Choice) from Kansas City, except for the Prime beef from Niman Ranch.

And all those trimmings, from steaks to roasts, are ground up into Vallerga’s own hamburger.

“That’s why it’s so good,” says Erickson. “It doesn’t come in a log. We know what the meat is, and it’s the best.” And that

hamburger is never reground later with newer meat. It is always fresh.

Pricing is right in there with Lucky’s and Safeway’s. Both men visit the other stores and watch the ads and know exactly what is being charged for what.

“We are usually very close to the price—five or ten cents more,” says Orta, “and the meat at Vallerga’s is so much better.”

Vallerga’s meaty matters: 1. The meat is just as fresh whether it’s in the full-service glass case or the display case of packaged meat. So grab-andgo and feel good about it.

2. Nothing arrives prepackaged. All fresh meat is trimmed and packaged behind the counter, all of it.

3. There’s some steak in those burgers: the fresh trimmings from that preparation goes to make our house hamburger— the best in town.

4. If you don’t see it or not enough of it, just ask—there is always more in the back.

5. Meat is delivered 4 days a week: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday.

6. Seafood is delivered fresh every day except Sunday.

7. There is no minimum order for seafood, so order that two dozen clams for chowder or a beautfiul sea bass for dinner.

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45

Spring dining in the

Napa Valley 46

TOP: A sample of desserts on the menu at the Bardessono Hotel.

BOTTOM: A brioche bread basket is chef Lindsay’s take on the traditional Caesar Salad.

Submitted photos

Nate Lindsay, a native of Enfield, Connecticut, is the new executive chef at the Bardessono Hotel in Yountville.

Young East Coast chef takes the reins at Lucy L. PIERCE CARSON lpcarson@napanews.com Eager to embrace the Left Coast culinary world and perhaps the climate, Nate Lindsay left the snows of the nation’s capital a few weeks ago to take charge of the food scene at the eco-friendly Bardessono Hotel in Yountville.

The Enfield, Connecticut, native is not undone by cold weather. “Give me a winter storm … I love it. I talked to my grandmother the other day and she said the record-setting high was minus-24 degrees. Guess I won’t expect that here.”

When he learned that his employer, Remington Hotels, was adding Bardessono to the roster of

independent properties in its luxury division, Lindsay checked out both hotel and Napa Valley. He liked what he saw and expressed an interest in relocating from the 240-room Melrose Georgetown Hotel in Washington, D.C., to the 62-room property in wine country. He got the job.

Trained and employed on the East Coast up to now, Lindsay is excited to be putting his stamp on the field-to-fork program at the upscale Yountville property.

Acknowledging he inherited a first-rate garden on-site and that product raised and grown in this area is topnotch, Lindsay said his

focus in the restaurant, Lucy, is on “presentation … I know the flavor is going to be there.”

The building blocks of good cooking are basic French techniques, Lindsay noted during a late-morning talk in the property’s well-groomed garden.

His mantra: “simple food done right. You start with basic stocks and sauces. Playing with presentation will set you apart from anybody else. You start with familiar ideas, then do a spin on them.”

Amazed that spring has already arrived, Lindsay said Napa Valley weather definitely will impact

menu planning.

“In D.C., there were distinct seasons … as we moved from one to the other, I would do a complete menu change … about 20 new dishes all at once. I don’t want to do that here. I think I’ll do it dish by dish, so that the menu is constantly evolving. This amazing garden helps me accomplish that.”

Lindsay reflected on the history of dining out. “Back in the day, people went to hotels for good meals.

Then we had the era of freestanding restaurants … hotels generally See Chef, Page 49

47

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CHEF From Page 47

weren’t acceptable. But now, thankfully, the dining public is returning to the hotel dining room, willing to embrace what hotel chefs are doing.”

As with many chefs, Lindsay has fond memories of preparing meals with family. “I grew up cooking with my mom and grandmother. My grandmother grew up on an Arkansas farm … the boys slaughtered the cows and chickens, the girls turned them into meals.

“Seems my grandmother was always cooking … (and) I was curious about what she was doing. She was surprised that I ate broccoli — I called it ‘trees.’ Growing up I had an open mind and an accepting palate.”

A favorite dish from grandmother is sausage gravy and biscuits. “No one could duplicate her country gravy,” Lindsay said. “My brother and I asked her to write down the recipe. It was always a dash of this, brown that, add the milk, turn it down … eventually we got the recipe but I’m not sure it’s right.”

There was never any doubt that Lindsay would end up cooking for a living. He chose to stay close to home for formal training at the Connecticut Culinary Institute in Suffield.

For his externship, Lindsay was sent to Amelia Island Plantation, a huge Florida resort north of Jacksonville, where there’s a wide range of dining opportunities, from fine to family dining rooms, plus a pub, pool bar and a banquet kitchen.

“There were all different styles — from doing 40 covers a night in fine dining to 300-plus for the family-style restaurant; then there was the restaurant catering to the property owners, where they had special menus, like prime rib Thursdays and so on.

“The training I received was amazing. To have been able to work in every outlet was really beneficial … to be able to get that kind of experience.”

Lindsay was asked to join the staff at Amelia Island Plantation where he spent two fulfilling years. He was working in the fine dining kitchen when the chef de cuisine left to open One Ocean Resort & Spa in Atlantic Beach, just south of Amelia Island, also a property in Remington Hotels Luxury Division.

“I took over as chef de cuisine … (then) I was offered the job of sous chef for Amelia Island. I turned it down to be a line cook at One Ocean Resort — it was the best decision of my professional career.”

One Ocean Resort & Spa is the flagship of the luxury division, Lindsay pointed out. It’s a beachfront property with 193 rooms, with personalized guest service that includes butlers on each floor. Management spends considerable time searching for top hospitality industry employees in its recruitment efforts, he added.

Caesar Salad

Ahi and Spot Prawn Carpaccio

N AT E L I N D S AY, EXECUTIVE CHEF Lucy at Bard e s s ono

NATE LINDSAY, EXECUTIVE CHEF Lucy at Bardessono

Caesar Dressing: 4 whole anchovy fillets 2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard 1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce 2 cloves fresh garlic 1/2 lemon, juiced 1/2 cup olive oil 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus more for shaving 1 dash salt For the croutons: 1 loaf brioche 1 one-inch ring mold 1 one-and-a-half inch ring mold Head or two of Romaine lettuce Additional anchovies, for garnish Place anchovies into a blender or food processor. Throw in your Dijon mustard, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic and lemon juice. Pulse the processor or blend on low speed for several seconds. Scrape down sides.

With the food processor or blender on, drizzle the olive oil into the mixture in a small stream. Scrape down the sides. Add the Parmesan, and salt. Pulse the whole thing together and mix until thoroughly combined. Refrigerate the dressing for a few hours before serving. It only gets better.

Slice the brioche loaf into 1/4-inch slices. Using the 1½-inch ring mold cut out circles from the middle of the brioche slice. Follow that up by cutting rings with the 1-inch ring mold.

To put on a plate, lay one brioche ring in the center of the plate. Toss the Romaine hearts with your Caesar dressing and layer them one on top of each other.

Slide your stack of dressed Romaine leaves through another brioche ring and place on top of the ring on the plate, at an angle.

Garnish with a little shaved Parmesan and an anchovy.

Yuzu Ponzu sauce: 2 cups soy sauce 1/2 cup yuzu 1/4 cup sake 1 cup rice wine vinegar 1 Tbsp. sesame oil 1/8 cup chopped cilantro 1/2 Tbsp. red pepper flakes 1/8 cup sugar Ahi carpaccio: 2 pounds sushi grade ahi tuna 1 pound fresh blue spot prawns 1 Tbsp. togarashi spice Place soy sauce, yuzu, sake, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, cilantro, red pepper flakes and sugar into a bowl. Stir everything together until sugar is dissolved. Place in the refrigerator.

Slice your tuna into 2-ounce pieces. Wrap slices in plastic wrap and place on flat surface. Pound out fish with a mallet or heavy bottomed pan until completely flat.

Cook your prawns in boiling water until just pink. Remove from boiling water and place into an ice bath. Once cool, about 10 minutes, remove from water and remove the shells. Small dice the prawns.

Unwrap the pounded ahi tuna leaving one side of the fish on plastic wrap. Sprinkle the ahi with a pinch of the togarashi spice. Place about 1 tablespoon of the diced prawns in the middle of the carpaccio and using the plastic wrap to keep it tight, roll the ahi around the shrimp. Place in the middle of a plate and pour your ponzu into a small pool around the carpaccio. This dish should be served cold.

He spent 4½ years at One Ocean Resort, working his way up to executive sous chef from line cook.

When the Melrose Georgetown Hotel in Washington, D.C., was added to the luxury division, Lindsay was asked to serve as the hostelry’s executive chef.

“There’s a huge difference between a freestanding restaurant and a restaurant in a hotel,” he observed. “What I enjoy about a hotel is that there’s always something going on. Not only is

there breakfast, lunch and dinner, but there are banquets. Then you have to develop a menu for the bar, plus pool food and the like. There’s so much going on it keeps you stimulated. There’s never a dull moment.”

Prior to moving to the Napa Valley, the 32-year-old New Englander was executive chef at Jardenea Restaurant in the stately Pennsylvania Avenue Melrose Georgetown Hotel, recognized as one of the top restaurants in Washington, D.C., for its regional cuisine.

Lindsay is getting to know not only Yountville but the entire valley. “I hope to make the dining experiences for our guests at Lucy exceptional,” he said.

Lucy serves breakfast, lunch and dinner daily.

The hotel is located at 6526 Yount St., Yountville. For reservations, call 707-204-6030.

49

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Partners Kostow and Dorn plan to open The Charter Oak in St. Helena TIM CARL tfcarl@gmail.com Chef Christopher Kostow is best known for his Michelin threestar-rated The Restaurant at Meadowood. But soon he’ll be opening a new restaurant, The Charter Oak, a less formal dining establishment, in what was the old Tra Vigne in St. Helena. But he’s not doing this new venture alone. He’s joined by his family and friends.

“We want to create a casual place where locals, visitors and even our own families can come and enjoy any occasion,” said Kostow.

“And although The Charter Oak is a completely separate entity from Meadowood, both restaurants will remain tethered culturally.”

Part of that tethering includes his partner in the project, Meadowood’s front-of-the-house director, Nathaniel Dorn, and they are also bringing with them Meadowood’s chef de cuisine, Katianna Hong.

“Nathaniel is both my friend and a true visionary when it comes to design and service,” said Kostow.

“And Kat will be the chef at The Charter Oak, while her husband, John, will take her place as chef de cuisine at Meadowood.”

Hong has been with Kostow for more than five years at Meadowood and has worked her way up through the kitchen, last year earning the coveted title of chef de cuisine, making her the only female to hold such a title at the time at any of the 12 Michelin three-star restaurants in America.

“It’s been a real experience working with Christopher,” said Hong. “He is intense and fast.

And the new restaurant is exciting because it is totally different and we’re starting from the ground up.”

The food will have local ties.

“The bone-in local-beef short ribs are smoked over cabernet barrels, glazed in Saba and served with beets that have been roasted and dried over the fire,” Kostow said. “We also will be including a bunch of other vegetable-centric dishes, many that will be sourced

ABOVE: Chef Christopher Kostow in the kitchen at The Restaurant at Meadowood.

Kostow is co-owner and operating partner of the new The Charter Oak restaurant, both of which are located in St. Helena.

LEFT: Nathaniel Dorn, director at The Restaurant at Meadowood and co-owner and operating partner of the new The Charter Oak restaurant, both of which are located in St. Helena.

Tim Carl photos

from our large garden that we will continue to operate for both restaurants.”

The garden is extensive and full of freshly grown vegetables, but it also is a farm with goats, chickens and a resident llama that helps keep the coyotes away. The entire 2-acre garden and farm are located directly behind the St. Helena Montessori school.

The wine program will focus on wines of the Napa Valley.

“The foundation of the wine program will comprise both up-and-coming and established vintners in the valley,” explained Dorn. “Our goal is to highlight the true DNA of what the Napa Valley is – those key vineyards you drive

past every day, the workers in those vineyards, the people that we’ve garnered relationships with over the years and the talented young winemakers who are paving the way for the next generation. There will be no corkage fee for bottles from the Napa Valley.”

Kostow said, “This will not be just a diluted Meadowood experience, but, instead we wanted to do something different. We want to respect the space, understand what it means to the community.

Building trust and celebrating with our friends and neighbors what this place has to offer. This place will be for everybody.”

“Service will be attentive but certainly not overly intrusive with

a lot of interruptions,” said Dorn.

“We want to reinvent what casual dining means, and we want to do it right.”

In terms of what a new restaurant might mean to the broader valley, Kostow paused for a long while before answering.

“We are at a crossroads,” he said finally. “Every time someone builds a new winery, opens a restaurant or shop, that person is helping define the future of the valley. For us, we want to fight the good fight. We want to empower people. That’s what we’re doing. And we’re doing it together.”

The Charter Oak is currently being remodeled and is scheduled to open later this year.

53

The answers

Here are the answers to our Where in the Valley quiz from Page 36.

TOP LEFT: The Napa County Juvenile Justice Center, located at 212 Walnut Street.

TOP RIGHT: Beau Fleurs on Silverado Trail.

BOTTOM LEFT: Joey’s Bakery, located at 2556 Jefferson Street.

BOTTOM RIGHT: Oxbow Public Market.

J.L. Sousa/ Register photos

1106 First Street, Downtown Napa

707-252-4707 Open Everyday 11am-10pm

Happy “Day” Thank you for your ongoing support.

We look forward to serving you at our new location in Downtown Napa

54

11am-6pm

Atlas Social Tastes from around the world in Napa’s gastropub PAU L F R A N S O N As Atlas Social celebrated its first anniversary earlier this year with specials for all visitors, co-owner Michael Gyetvan talked about the idea behind his hip, modern downtown Napa restaurant.

For this, his third eatery in Napa, Gyetvan said he turned for inspiration to “the charming local restaurants in Spain and Italy and France where people can stop in and just have a dish or two with wine.”

He admits to being surprised when he found people were choosing the casually elegant restaurant as a special occasion destination. But whether they are coming in to celebrate an anniversary, stopping in for lunch, or dropping by for a glass of wine and a quick bite after work, they are equally welcome.

This week, all guests will be treated to “a glass and a bite” as a thank-you for their support.

Gye t va n a n d c h e f Ni c k Ritchie draw on global inspiration for their menu, which designed around small plates, with extended hours on weekends for the late-night crowd. It’s a place to experiment and sample dishes that don’t typically turn up on Napa restaurant menus. Some of their most popular hot dishes include grilled cauliflower steak with Béarnaise sauce, ricotta and smoked mozzarella dumplings with tomato sauce, rabbit pot pie, masala-spiced chicken skewers and pork belly tacos al pastor.

Except for a charcuterie plate at $18, everything is $3 (oysters) or $4 (crispy fried egg) to $10.

You can try a number of them for what one larger entree costs

J.L. Sousa/Register

Atlas Social proprietors Michael and Christina Gyetvan, second from right and right, with general manager Pat Jeffries, left, and executive chef Nick Ritchie.

in most local restaurants.

Chef Ritchie rotates the menu on a seasonal basis, but some items have proven so popular for diners to share that they’ve become more or less permanent.

They include smoked trout rillettes, crab toasts, herb leaf fries, and crispy fried farm egg with bacon jam.

The other dishes are designed for one person. Here, favorites include cold dishes like ahi tuna crudo or another raw fish selection and “angry” shrimp cocktail.

The chalkboard also features specials each day, both food and beverage. These include a “Daily Bread” special that is Atlas’ take on bruschetta. Now, it’s curried carrots with herbed salsa For a beverage, you can get a Tecate for $3, a Pabst Blue Ribbon, or a Bud or Coors Light for $3.50, or a variety of craft beers for $6 to $8.

The wine program is oriented

toward locals. Although they originally considered going ABC (anything but chardonnay/cabernet), they relented, but most of the wines are off-beat European varieties from California. “These wines go better with this global food than a typical Napa cab or chardonnay,” said Gyetvan.

Even so, half the wines are from Napa producers, qualifying the restaurant for the Napa Valley Vintners’ recommended list of restaurants.

The most popular whites include Y. Rousseau Old Vine Colombard, Trefethen Riesling, Hendry Albariño and any sauvignon blanc. “It goes so well with food,” said Gyetvan.

Other whites include gewurztraminer, vermentino, cortese, pinot gris, chenin blanc, trousseau, grenache blanc, ribolla gialla, viognier and blends. They do offer five chardonnays.

Among the reds, pinot noir

is the most popular variety by far, but Grenache and syrah are also very popular, he said. Other reds they offer include carignan, mouvedre, refosco, sangiovese, zinfandel, tempranillo, malbec, petite sirah, merlot and of course cabernet sauvignon.

The only imports are some sparklers, so you can celebrate with Billecart-Salmon Brut or Ruinart Blanc de Blancs if you want (both are about $100 per bottle).

They ser ve wine by the 6-ounce glass, in 500-ml carafes or bottles. Prices are $8 to $11 for still whites and $9 to $14 for reds. “We price wine reasonably,” said Gyetvan. “We want to sell it.”

They use Coravin wine taps to offer some expensive wine specials as well. Corkage is $15 for a 750ml bottle.

On Tuesday, bottles are 30 percent off.

Social Experiment (Happy Hour) is daily from 3 to 6 p.m. with herb leaf fries for $3.50, Masala chicken skewers for $3 each, crab toasts for $1.50, oysters on the half shell for $1.50 and pork belly tacos al pastor for $4.50.

During happy hour, selected sparkling and white wines are $5 a glass, red wine $6 a glass and draft beer $5 a pint.

The Atlas Social crew is looking both to the ending of construction and the opening of the Archer hotel a block away, and to the redevelopment of Dwight Murray Plaza, their front yard.

They — and the other three restaurants on the plaza — are hoping to enjoy expanded patio seating when that happens.

55

much of the business aspects for all three restaurants.

A FOCUS ON LOCALS Atlas Social is the third restaurant Michael and Christina Gyetvan have opened in downtown Napa. The others are Azzurro Pizzeria and Enoteca and Norman Rose Tavern. Like Atlas Social, they are aimed at locals, offering fresh, locally sourced, satisfying and unpretentious food and drink at reasonable prices.

They also attract many visitors, probably most after recommendations from locals.

The couple met at Tra Vigne in the early 1990s, where Michael was chef de cuisine, and partner and Christina worked at the door.

They opened their first restaurant, Pizza Azzurro, at its original location on Second Street in downtown Napa on Sept.

20, 2001. They had intended to open a week earlier, just after the terrorists attacks on Sept. 11.

Fortunately, they overcame that beginning and eventually outgrew the Second Street space. In 2008, they developed an expanded space 56

J.L. Sousa/Register

Shaved butternut squash and avocado salad with quinoa, sunflower seeds and Meyer lemon by Atlas Social executive chef Nick Ritchie.

on Main Street and renamed the restaurant Azzurro Pizzeria and Enoteca.

In late 2009, Michael and Christina opened their second

restaurant, Norman Rose Tavern, in the West End District on First Street.

They opened Atlas Social in January 2015. Christina handles

A HOMETOWN BOY Atlas Social chef Nick Ritchie is a native of St. Helena who began his culinary career in the Tra Vigne kitchen in 1994 under chefs Michael Chiarello and Carmen Quagliata. In 1999, he went on to complete his associate degree in culinary arts at the CIA Hyde Park, New York, then had an internship at Sazerac in Seattle with chef Jan Birnbaum.

In 2001, he traveled to Italy working for one year at La Campagnola di Salo on Lago di Garda.

Returning to the States, he worked once again under chef Carmen Quagliata, this time at The Vault, in Boston until 2003 when he moved to Seattle for a sous chef position with chef Kevin Davis at The Oceanaire Seafood Room. To round out his time in the Seattle area, he also worked for Daisley Gordon at Campagne and Café Campagne, eventually returning to Napa Valley in 2006 to take the chef de cuisine position for Michael Chiarello’s NapaStyle.

In 2008, Nick helped open Bottega as chef de cuisine and was named a Rising Star Chef in 2009.

In May of 2011, Ritchie left Bottega to open Alex Italian Restaurant in Rutherford, until joining the private chef team at Winery Chefs in the spring of 2013.

Manager Pat Jeffries is a lifelong Napan and a fixture in the Napa Valley restaurant scene, having more than 32 years of experience at Mustards Grill, BarbersQ, Cole’s Chop House, Zuzu, Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen, The Wine Spectator Restaurant and Celadon.

He previously worked with Michael and Christina Gyetvan as opening general manager at their Norman Rose Tavern.

Atlas Social, at 1124 First St., Napa, is open noon to 9 p.m.

Sunday through Thursday and until 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Its patio is open in good weather.

The phone number is 258-2583, and the website is AtlasSocialNapa.com.

‘Johnny’s’ restaurant blends cultures

‘It’s a new type of menu here in the valley’ says patron TIM CARL tfc a rl @gma il .c om March brought the opening of an eatery that offers a tribute to an original community leader and revives his namesake restaurant while providing the community a new and exciting place to hang out.

On March 28, Michael Dunsford and his new business partner, Nicolas Montanez, opened Johnny’s Restaurant and Bar in the Mount View Hotel on Lincoln Avenue.

Johnny Ghisolfo opened the original Johnny’s restaurant in the 1920s. Now Dunsford, the co-owner of the Calistoga Inn, and Montanez, Calistoga Inn’s executive chef, have set out to re-create and reinvigorate what had been a local hangout for 50 years.

“We’re excited to be resurrecting Johnny’s,” said Dunsford.

“We want to make a really good first impression. When guests walk in the door we want them to feel welcome and have a great

experience by comfortably enjoying great food, wine and beer. There’s a lot of details to get right, but it has come together and we’re all really excited.”

The restaurant consists of two distinct areas: a bar side, located in what was formally Barolo, which is open for breakfast from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. daily and then serves a bar menu from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. On the other side, in what was JoLe’s former location, the table side of Johnny’s serves dinner from 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. daily.

James Cerda worked as the general manager for JoLe and is now general manager of Johnny’s.

“It was a shock when JoLe left, but I am really happy to be here helping manage this new venture. I am excited for this new challenge,” said Cerda. “I like how the concept is a throwback to one of the most successful restaurants in Calistoga’s history. Johnny had it for

TOP PHOTO: From left to right: James Cerda, general manager; James Richmond, chef de cuisine ; and co-owners Michael Dunsford and Nicolas Montanez prepare for the opening of Johnny’s restaurant and bar in downtown Calistoga.

BELOW: Brent Riedberger and Chris Johansen, proprietors of Luxe Calistoga, celebrate the opening of Johnny’s in Calistoga.

Tim Carl photos/Weekly Calistogan

50 years, and it was really a local watering hole. Hopefully we can do the same and make this a nice place for locals to come in and feel comfortable and well taken care of — we want to be a good part of the community.”

Dunsford’s partner in the project, Montanez, oversees the food operations, but Johnny’s chef de

cuisine, James Richmond (the former executive chef of Bistro Jeanty in Yountville), manages the day-today kitchen.

“It’s an exciting new adventure,” said Montanez as he prepared for the opening. “We put our heart and energy into this to make it See Johnny’s, Page 60

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The competition is fierce and only growing in the Napa Valley restaurant scene.

Tim Carl photo

Food fight: Will Yountville remain premier destination?

TIM CARL For the past 20 years, Yountville has arguably held the singular title of being the Napa Valley’s premier food destination, but that might be about to change.

First, it’s a known fact that everything changes. Second, St. Helena, Napa and Calistoga are adding a dozen or more new restaurant options in the coming year or so, and finally there is a great amount of prestige to be gained by any town that can capture or share Yountville’s coveted title.

Will Yountville go quietly?

Hardly. With Thomas Keller’s renovation of the French Laundry kitchen and the popularity of the Italian restaurant Ciccio, they will fight the good fight, but it’s not going to be easy. The competition is fierce and only growing.

“Competition in the restaurant space is tough and finding enough help is a dilemma, but there is always room for a good place,” said Claude Rouas, owner of Auberge du Soleil of St. Helena. “I think we are getting better and better.

This is only the beginning for the Napa Valley.”

The magic of creating and sustaining a successful restaurant seems to depend on at least four key factors: quality food, local support, the draw of tourists, and obtaining and maintaining a friendly, effective staff.

The bar for producing high-quality food seems to constantly go up. Part of this is because we live in a place that has nearly unlimited access to some of the freshest and best produce, dairy and animal products in the world, and the list of world-class chefs in the valley is long and growing longer every day. It goes without saying that our wine is world-class.

Obtaining local support for a restaurant is trickier. Ask restaurant owners what the Holy Grail is for their success and they will consistently talk about making their establishment one in which the locals come and spend their time.

Locals support during the slow season and draw in tourists who love

to eat at the spots they frequent.

Throw in a couple of local celebrity family members (Mondavi, Davies, Cakebread, etc.) and a few flannel-shirt-wearing, wine-stained winemakers drinking locally made craft beer, and it’s a pretty safe bet the restaurant will survive. Locals frequent where they feel comfortable and taken care of and where they are remembered.

I have a three-strikes rule: I give a new restaurant three chances, but if by the third visit the staff remains unfriendly, the food remains unexceptional, or if there was something else that continued to be of issue (strange smells, too loud, etc.), I will just not go back. There are too many alternatives, and I know lots of locals who feel the same way.

But even with great food, friendly staff and local support, to really thrive, tourists need to want to go to a particular restaurant. They also need to be able to get there.

“Having a quality food product is everything, but even if you have

that, people still need to be able to get to your restaurant,” said Fred Hipp of St. Helena. Hipp is a former CEO of many popular chain restaurants, including Houlihan’s and California Pizza Kitchen. “The thing that the city of Napa has in its favor is its proximity to the Bay Area. People can get in and out of Napa easily, but as you travel further and further up the valley, the traffic flow becomes a limiting factor.”

The impact of traffic on businesses in the Napa Valley is nothing new, and one way around the traffic juggernaut is to increase the number of hotel rooms. In this battle, Calistoga and Napa have taken the lead, each with multiple hotels under construction or in the advanced-planning stage. St. Helena is working to catch up.

The popular Airbnb also provides an avenue for the rental of guest and vacation homes, but for years ad-hoc rentals have been See Food, Page 60

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FOOD

JOHNNY’S

From Page 59

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a va i l a b l e i n t h e va l l e y.

Recently, the city of Calistoga put a ban on the rental of homes for less than 30 days in all residential zoning districts, and Yountville’s Town Council approved subpoenas of Airbnb to help find lists of Yountville homes being offered and cite them as illegal. Given supply-and-demand dynamics, however, it is likely that this type of private rental will continue, even if under the radar.

Employees also need to be able to get to the establishment where they work. With the cost of living and competition for jobs increasing, restaurants are finding that they must go farther away to find staff, so towns are exploring ways to attract and transport workers. To address this growing concern, Calistoga has developed a shuttle service that will begin free transportation between Santa Rosa and Calistoga starting in May. The innovative service was the brainchild of Calistoga Mayor Chris Canning, and will allow Santa Rosa residents to help ease the shortage and lessen the impact on traffic.

At present, Napa Valley has roughly 200 eateries with more on the way, so it is likely that the competition for customers, staff and ways to attract attention will only intensify, be it through celebrity chefs or innovative enticements.

Who wins in all this? Will one town or city take the title? It may end up that each town becomes its own sort of specialized food destination.

Whatever the case, it is for sure that a few restaurants will stand out. Which ones? Only time will tell. But it is certain that customers, both tourists and locals alike, are looking forward to being wowed – and to finding a parking spot.

happen. I hope everyone can come in and enjoy what we’ve created.”

“Before working at Bistro Jeanty I was at Windsor’s Mirepoix,” said Richmond. “With the menu we are trying to showcase the cultural heritage of the Napa Valley, including the influence from Italy, Germany and even a little bit of Mexican culture, showcasing the people of the valley. My culinary background is French, but this has been fun so far. I’m excited.”

For breakfast the bar-side offerings include standard omelets and egg dishes as well as Huevos Motulenos, described as crispy tostadas topped with refried black beans, ham, peas, sunny-side-up egg, roasted tomato-habanero salsa and fried plantains ($14).

It s a f t e r n o o n and evening menu options include an eclectic mix of duck carnitas tacos ($12), a selection of sliders (beef, chicken, pork and mushroom—$8 for any two) and “Schupfnudeln” (seared German dumplings) with sauerkraut and bacon ($16).

The bar also serves a few s l i g h t l y m o re standard items Tim Carl such as a kale Calistoga Mayor Chris Canning, left, chats with Doug and Barb Herrmann during the opening a n d r o m a i n e day festivities of Johnny’s Restaurant and Bar. Caesar salad ($12) and Buffalo wings ($13).

Barb Herrmann. unique spin, and Johnny’s will cer“We had the sliders and found “It was great,” said Barb. “We’re tainly be one of those trademark them to be wonderful — maybe just happy that this beautiful kind of places that people want the best in Calistoga,” said Tom building and space is reopened. to visit — Dunsford and crew are Abbey, a retired Calistoga teacher Everything we tried was excellent, putting their own special mark on who came in for a quick bite with and we are really happy with the what it means to be a food destihis wife, Peggy. “The price was way the place feels.” nation in the Napa Valley.” right, too. We also appreciated “We were having a hard time Johnny’s is located at 1457 Linthat wines offered included many picturing the menu when we read coln Ave.

60

non-Napa options and could be purchased by the glass, ‘pitchet’ or by the bottle. We chose the pitchet because that gave us just the perfect amount of wine for two glasses.”

As for must-haves for dinner Richmond suggested guests try the Creekstone beef filet with horseradish potatoes and oakroasted mushroom sauce ($42), or the pan-roasted Bronzino filet alla Livornese with skordalia (mixture of whipped potatoes and nuts), olives, basil, tomato and white wine ($32). As a starter Richmond suggests the “Flammkuchen,” a German flatbread with formage blanc, bacon and onions ($14).

The first diners at the newly opened restaurant were Calistoga residents and self-titled lovers of all things Calistoga, Doug and

about it,” added Doug. “But we now get it and are ready to come back and explore what is really a new type of menu here in the valley — there are many things that we don’t see very often, and we want to try many of them. We’ve had flammkuchen before, and this version tasted authentic.”

“I think this is a fantastic concept,” said Chris Canning, mayor of Calistoga, as he enjoyed a glass of wine at the bar before dinner.

“Bringing back one of Calistoga’s first restaurants and honoring the tradition and authenticity of the early stages of our culinary history is fantastic, but then allowing it to evolve so as to celebrate the future is what Calistoga is all about. As the valley continues on its path to becoming one of the world’s culinary meccas, Calistoga has its own

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Dining out remains popular despite sluggish economy TIM CARL Even during the recent economic turbulence, dining out continues to rise in the Napa Valley and beyond.

In 2014, restaurants in the Napa Valley brought an estimated $367 million into the local economy, according to the Napa Visitor Industry Economic Impact Report. According to the report, restaurants are the third-largest driver of revenue to the region, right behind lodging and retail sales. The same report estimates that restaurants are the largest employers in the valley, making up 4,567 of the estimated 11,766 workers.

At present, there are roughly 200 eating establishments (restaurants, cafes, coffeehouses and other places to get a meal) throughout the valley, and more are being opened almost monthly, with three or four new restaurants slated for Calistoga, at least three in St. Helena and as many as eight coming to Napa in the coming year or two.

Nationally, according to a Bloomberg Business report, 2015 was the first year that spending on dining out at restaurants and bars outpaced spending on groceries, indicating that Americans are cooking less at home.

This trend is likely to continue as older generations are replaced by the younger “Millennials,” who are more likely to eat out than cook at home, according to a Pew Research report.

And according to population projections released by the U.S. Census Bureau, 2015 marked the year when Millennials (defined as being between ages 19 and 35) surpassed the Baby Boomers (ages 52 to 70) as the nation’s largest living generation. The Gen X population (ages 36 to 51) is projected to outnumber the boomers 62

Tim Carl photo

The panel at the Flavor! Napa Valley talked about restaurant trends in the North Bay. From left, Michael Gyetvan, owner of Napa Valley restaurants Norman Rose, Atlas Social and Azzuro Pizzeria; Joel Riddell, host of “Dining Around With Joel Riddell” on radio station KKSF; session moderator Liam Mayclem, “Foodie Chap” and “Eye on the Bay” on CBS 5; Andrew Freeman, president, Andrew Freeman & Company Hospitality PR and Marketing; Ryan Cole, partner and general manager, Hi Neighbor Hospitality Group; and Paolo Lucchesi, food editor, San Francisco Chronicle.

by 2028.

“Our generation sees dining out as part functional and part social,” said AnnaSara Purcell from San Francisco, who was visiting Napa Valley with her friend. “I probably spend five times as much money going out than I do on buying groceries.

Many Millennials work a lot, so they don’t have much time to cook. A lot of companies will pay for dinner to be delivered to the office, so we’ve gotten out of the habit of buying groceries and if you’re not working late, then you want to have fun and go out.

There have so many options here that it makes it especially easy. Of course, it has to be a great experience, too.”

To understand what it takes to make such a great experience, restaurateurs and food-service professionals are faced with the daunting task of providing their customers with high-quality food and service, while at the same time looking for ways to innovate, all

within what can be a hyper-competitive environment.

“The valley can be brutal when it comes to maintaining a successful restaurant. You’ve got to nail the food product, but you also can’t have any negative points,” said Fred Hipp of St. Helena.

Hipp is a former CEO of many popular chain restaurants such as Houlihan’s and California Pizza Kitchen. “Other musts include cleanliness and a friendly staff.

And here you have to do this with lots of competition, restricted traffic access to Upvalley, difficulty finding and keeping staff, all while maintaining a price point that locals can keep supporting through the off-season.”

Hipp is not the only one highlighting these concerns. Flavor!

Napa Valley is an annual fiveday food and wine festival which showcases world-class wines and culinary talent. One of this year’s sessions focused on restaurant trends.

According to the experts,

staffing restaurants will continue to be a challenge.

“Napa Valley has always been a great place for food and wine, and I feel that ours has never been better, but one of our biggest challenges is staffing,” said Michael Gyetvan, owner of the Norman Rose, Atlas Social and Azzuro Pizzeria restaurants in Napa.

Joel Riddell, host of “Dining Around With Joel Riddell” at radio station KKSF in San Francisco, echoed his sentiment.

“We are seeing the same thing in the Bay Area — restaurants are working hard to get and then retain top talent.”

“Building a working environment that is healthy and supports our staff is more important than ever,” said Ryan Cole, partner and general manager of Hi Neighbor Hospitality Group, which owns four restaurants in San Francisco.

“We give our staff a lot of perks, including trips to wineries so that they can get time away and learn about wine. It’s critical to build a strong culture of community.”

“Whatever you’re doing, you must create an environment that people want to return to and where people want to send their friends to,” said Riddell. “This is especially true here where a lot of the recommendations on where to eat come from the folks at hotels and tasting rooms.”

Other topics discussed included the trend toward restaurants becoming non-tipping establishments, with the service included in the cost of the meal or in a service fee.

“As a diner, I love no tipping,” said Paolo Lucchesi, food editor at the San Francisco Chronicle.

“That said, I know it’s a dicey topic and can be a challenge to make work.”

See Popular, Page 65

Tra Vigne staff opens new Brasswood restaurant Cairdean Village reimagines itself TIM CARL t f carl@gma il .c om Cairdean Estate owners Edwin and Stacia Williams continue to refine their vision for their winery and market “village” just north of St. Helena.

Adjacent to their 50-acre winery and vineyard are 7 acres of what they refer to as the Cairdean Village. The village is comprised of outdoor picnic areas and shops that include an upscale deli-bakery, tasting room, boutique clothing shop, art gallery and recently reimagined, renamed and reopened restaurant, Brasswood Bar and Kitchen, formerly The Farmer and the Fox. “Our initial idea was to have a small vineyard estate and make a little wine,” said Stacia who is also the winemaker at Cairdean. “But our dreams have evolved over time and now include making a place that’s comfortable for locals and where visitors can come and get a sense of what it’s like to live in this beautiful valley. Opening the new restaurant under the guidance of Marcus and having nearly the entire crew from Tra Vigne join us goes a long way to fulfilling that dream.”

Stacia was referring to hiring their new general manager, Marcus Marquez, partner and former general manager at Goose & Gander in St. Helena.

“In a way it was really difficult for me to step away from the dayto-day at the Goose & Gander,” said Marquez, “but when I met Edwin and Stacia and learned about what they’re attempting to accomplish, it was just too exciting to pass up. Plus I love a good challenge,” he added with a smile.

To create a new restaurant in the Napa Valley that has a strong local following is the holy grail of success, keeping the lights on during the slower season and helping to draw in tourists who

Tim Carl photos/Weekly Calistogan

Brasswood Bar and Kitchen restaurant recently opened in the Cairdean Village off Highway 29, just north of St. Helena.

Tim Carl/Weekly Calistogan

Ron and Sue-Marie Haber, owners of St. Helena’s Haber Family Vineyards, are some of the newest clients making wine at Cairdean’s winery. As a perk they are able to have their wines poured by the glass at Brasswoods Bar and Kitchen restaurant and share wine with their clients at the on-site tasting room.

want to meet the locals. Only a few places have accomplished this lofty goal, one of the best being the recently closed Tra Vigne, where locals could be found dining or entertaining friends several times a week and where many of the crew members had been employed for years, which is nearly unheard of in what can sometimes be a high-turnover business.

“When I learned that one of the most established and high-performing restaurant teams in the

valley were being released, I knew it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said Marquez. “And when the majority of the team eventually agreed to come join us, we knew we had something unique.

The recent opening of Brasswood has proven that to be true — the food, wine and energy here have been exciting.”

“When the crew first learned of the closing we all sort of went through the five stages of grief,” said Jennifer Bohr, general

manager of Brasswood and former general manager at Tra Vigne. “It was a special place. Eventually we all just came to accept the ending of a great run, and then we all just felt deep gratitude for having been a part of it. When Marcus told us about the vision at Brasswood, little by little nearly the whole crew decided to make the switch. We all miss chef Nash Cognetti, who isn’t here with us, but we know he’ll continue to do fantastic work in the valley. All of us who came over will strive to create a second home for locals with an environment that is comforting and polished but not pretentious, a place where people feel cared-for and respected and where the food and service are excellent.”

Echoing Bohr’s enthusiasm was a longtime Tra Vigne customer and Napa Valley winemaker and owner of Bevan Cellars, Russell Bevan.

“Tra Vigne was one of the great restaurants of Napa Valley,” said Bevan. “I remember growing up in Minneapolis and hearing commercials on the TV: ‘You can go to Napa Valley. You can try See New, Page 65

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“I’m waiting to see a non-tipping model that actually works before I decide if we’ll change,” said Gyetvan.

Other trends discussed included “fast casual” dining, where food is ordered at a counter and then picked up, thereby reducing the need for staff. Examples include Heritage Eats in Napa and Whole Food Market.

As special dietary needs or desires become increasingly common, fast casual may also address another trend: diners’ desire to custom-build their meals. Even higher-end restaurants are designing what they call “flexible menus” that can accommodate special requests such as gluten-free, vegan and other special preferences.

“It’s a challenge, but it’s a reality,” explained Gyetvan. “We design our menus so that we can easily modify most dishes; allowing them to be made without dairy, gluten free or vegetarian is just the way it is now.”

“Diners, in some ways, are writing the menus,” added Riddell.

Beyond special menus, social media has become a normal and important element of the restaurant business.

“There are some places that have special lighting that is designed for better Instagram

NEW From Page 63

the world’s greatest wine. You can eat at Tra Vigne but you can’t pay with American Express.’ It was iconic to me before I even moved here. And when I got here, it was even better than that — it was a place where the locals could come, feel at home, get great service and fantastic food. The building, the people and the energy made it one of the special and unique places in the valley. When I heard they were closing, it was like a little piece of me died, but when I heard they were all coming over here, it was like I’d been given CPR. I was looking for my home again and I think I just found it.”

As for the food, the menu is an eclectic mixture of old and new

photos,” said Andrew Freeman, president at Andrew Freeman & Company Hospitality PR and Marketing Group.

“If we don’t put a picture of our daily specials on social media every day we’re going to hear about it from our customers,” said Gyetvan. “My wife spends much of her time each day managing social media for our restaurants — it’s important.”

Customers also want locally sourced and sustainable farmed food.

“It’s what people expect now,” said Riddell. “Besides, it’s the right thing to do.”

“We’re surrounded by some of the most amazing products on earth,” added Gyetvan.

“Why not use them?”

Beyond food, beverages continue to be an important draw for guests, and the prediction is that wines on tap and craft beer will continue to grow.

“Beer is super hot,” said Cole. “It’s crazy how fast we sell out of beer. It’s hard to even keep it on the menu sometimes.”

“Wine on tap just makes sense,” said Marcus Marquez, general manager of St. Helena’s new Brasswood Bar and Kitchen in a conversation outside of the event. “The wine is kept in pristine condition without the risks associated with open bottles. The cost is cheaper to produce so we can keep the price down, and for us we source our wines on tap directly from our own winery.”

Food-related technology will continue to evolve.

“In San Francisco there are lots of apps

with a distinct Italian leaning.

“Our style is California comfort food, but we also draw a lot from our culinary roots,” said Bohr.

“On the menu we have mozzarella-stuffed risotto aranchini, but we also have Dungeness crab cakes, herb-crusted lamb chops and juicy, house-made rib-eye burgers.”

The wine list is Napa-focused with an extensive wines-by-theglass selection that includes seven Cairdean wines on tap and 10 wines made by winery clients.

“Our liquor and spirits program is anchored with an extensive selection of scotch and whiskey from around the world,” said Joshua Fisher, Brasswood’s sommelier.

“And our wines by-the-glass tap program are exclusively from wines made by owner Stacia Williams.

Our by-the-glass list is also complemented by the wines of 10 other winemakers who make their wines

now that allow customers to order food directly from my restaurants’ menus and have it delivered to them within minutes,” said Cole. “The new Uber Eats app allows food to be delivered really fast. Sometimes I have to admit that when I’m at home I’ll order food from a restaurant that’s just right down my street when I want to just stay home and relax.”

Delivering food is one way to lessen the need for restaurant staff, but it could have an impact on traffic. Uber Eats is not yet available in the Napa Valley.

Chefs are also exploring ways to reduce the need for staff in the kitchen. A chef friend not at the event brags about cooking hamburgers using the “sous-vide” method (“precooked food kept in airtight plastic bags and placed in a water bath or in a temperature-controlled steam and then flashed on the grill when needed”). According to this chef, the product can actually be safer and produce more tender food than when cooked using the normal method.

No matter what trends come and go, the quality of the food will always remain central to a restaurant’s success.

“Here’s the thing,” said Hipp after the event. “You can spend a lot of money on your design and make your space look like it’s right out of Vegas. You can even have all the fancy bells and whistles, but if you don’t produce food that people dream about when they’re back at home, then you will probably fail. Especially here in Napa Valley.”

entirely at the Cairdean winery.”

“We are thrilled to be making our wine at what is one of the most cutting-edge, high-tech wineries in the Napa Valley,” said Ron Haber, owner of St. Helena’s Haber Family Vineyards. “Not only are we able to make our wine at the Cairdean’s fantastic facility, we are also able to taste our wines with clients on-site and even have our wines poured by the glass here at the restaurant.”

The first few days of a restaurant opening can be challenging, but given the crew’s cohesiveness and familiarity, the guests on those nights seemed hardly to notice that only three weeks prior the restaurant didn’t even have a crew.

“The meatballs were a big hit,” said Stacey Radinger, vice president of sales at Dancing Hares Vineyard. “And the pan-seared flounder with shiitake mushrooms and tomato-lemon butter is delightful

— flaky and light. We used to eat at Tra Vigne once or twice a week, and we’ll really miss it. But we’re happy the crew is still together and obviously still producing excellent food and service. They’ve always made us feel like family.”

“The energy since the opening has been amazing,” said Edwin Williams. “It’s exciting to see so many people come in and enjoy themselves like they’re old family friends. It’s encouraging, and we hope that people come out and enjoy what we’ve built for everybody.”

Brasswood Bar and Kitchen is open Wednesday through Sunday, noon to 9 p.m. Reservations can be made either through their website, CairdeanEstate.com, calling 707302-5101 or emailing jen@cairdeanestate.com. Corkage is waived for the first bottle and is $20 for each additional bottle.

65

Argentine chef brings Latin flair to Auction Napa Valley L . P I E RC E C A R S O N lp ca rso n @ n ap an ews.c om One of South America’s most celebrated chefs, Argentina’s Francis Mallmann, will serve as guest chef for Auction Napa Valley 2016, on June 2-5.

Recently featured in the Netflix “Chef ’s Table� series, Mallmann will oversee every aspect of the culinary design and cuisine that will be prepared for 800 guests throughout Saturday’s live auction at Meadowood Napa Valley.

Mallman will draw on his talents with wood fire and cast-iron cooking, along with his training in fine French cuisine, to create a dramatic experience for auction guests.

He and his team will prepare small bites for bidders as they vie for lots under the big tent. Afterward, on the fairway at Meadowood, they will serve guests an alfresco dinner

Michael Grimm photo

South American chef Francis Mallmann will be guest chef for Auction Napa Valley 2016.

inspired by the fire and aromas of Mallmann’s style of cooking. “We could not think of a more perfect headlining chef for this year’s Auction Napa Valley than

chef Mallmann,� said Agustin F. Huneeus, proprietor of Quintessa and honorary chairman of this year’s event. “Our shared love for South America will not only shine through Francis’ food and innovative preparation but also throughout the week’s lively events.�

Mallmann grew up in Patagonia on a cliff overlooking Lago Moreno, where cooking by fire became a major influence that helped define him and his techniques. When he was just 19, Mallmann opened his first restaurant in Bariloche, Argentina, where he began to gain loyal supporters. After a few years of success, he jumped at the opportunity to open a restaurant in Uruguay and continued to build his following.

Mallmann would close his restaurants in the off-season to travel to Europe and work in world-renowned kitchens in France

under the direction of Alain Senderens, Roger Verge and Raymond Oliver.

Today, his restaurants include 1884, Garzon, Patagonia Sur, Los Fuegos at the Faena Hotel Miami and Francis Mallmann’s Siete Fuegos at The Vines Resort & Spa in Mendoza.

He has two cookbooks — “Seven Fires: Grilling the Argentine Way� and “Mallmann on Fire� — and has a cooking show in Argentina on the gourmet channel.

Illustrating chef Mallmann’s culinary style, his recipe for Tournedos Wrapped in Bacon and Sage is included in today’s Register.

Saturday’s live auction is the centerpiece of Auction Napa Valley offerings, which also includes dinners, parties, outdoor activities and the Napa Valley Barrel Auction on Friday, June 3, taking place this year at Robert Mondavi Winery.

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66

Wine, food, music will be part of

Safeway Open Ticket information

Associated Press

Justin Rose is shown on the 18th green on the Silverado Resort and Spa North Course during the final round of the Frys.com Open golf tournament last October.

October tournament hopes to raise $2 million for charities MARTY JAMES mjames@napanews.com The Safeway Open, a $6 million event at Silverado Resort and Spa in October that kicks off the PGA Tour’s 2016-17 season, will be more than just a week of golf on the very challenging North Course.

Befitting the tournament’s Napa Valley location, organizers of the event that runs Oct. 10-16 will make food, wine and music a bigger part of the nationally televised event.

“We believe that when we stage golf tournaments, it’s got to be more than a golf tournament,” said Jeff Sanders, executive vice president for golf events for Lagardere Sports and Entertainment, which is managing the tournament.

A 27,000-square-foot Safeway Food and Wine Pavilion will be built behind the No. 1 green. Organizers are expecting to soon announce the names of local restaurants that will be at the pavilion, which will also feature 25 local wineries. Spectators can purchase food and wine in the pavilion, which will be air conditioned and feature TVs and seating.

“It’s going to be a wonderful place

to take a break from watching golf, to go in and get a taste of Napa as it relates to all the wonderful food and wine,” said Sanders, a former PGA Tour player, who will be the executive director of the tournament.

Food carts and other concessions will be located around the course.

Many members of Napa Valley Vintners have already signed up to participate in events leading up to and at the tournament, according to Patsy McGaughy, communications director for Napa Valley Vintners.

“We are excited the Safeway Open is coming to Napa Valley this fall,” said McGaughy. “Having a world-class golf tournament in Napa Valley further establishes our region as a leading destination for wine, cuisine and exceptional events.”

Latitude 38, the company that produces BottleRock, is working with the Safeway Open on securing bands that will play after the tournament’s first, second and third rounds.

This will be in the area near the Silverado mansion.

This will be the third consecutive

Safeway is offering savings of up to 50 percent off gate prices to its customers and Just For You shoppers. Spectators can save $20 on good-any-one-day tickets and $50 on five-day tickets by purchasing tickets online using promo code SAFEWAY. There is an additional savings for Safeway-Just For U shoppers.

All ticket buyers receive a $10-off Safeway coupon as a thank you for buying any type of Safeway Open tickets.

Private sky box hospitality suites are also available on holes 17 and 18.

For ticket information, contact Ryan Fowler of Lagardere Sports at 503-924-6222.

For information about skybox hospitality suites, contact Randi Schreyer of Lagardere Sports at 503-924-6201.

year of the PGA Tour at Silverado, which has a history of hosting professional tournament golf, dating back to the late 1960s. The PGA Tour announced last year that Safeway is the new title sponsor of the Safeway Open, formerly known as the Frys.com Open. The new fiveyear agreement runs through 2020 with the event, which is part of the FedExCup schedule, remaining at Silverado for the duration.

The Wednesday, Oct. 12 Pro-Am is already sold out, but spots are still available for the Monday, Oct. 10 Pro-Am. Silverado has a long history of hosting professional tournament golf. The Kaiser International Open Invitational, a PGA Tour event, was played from 1968-1976. The Anheuser-Busch Golf Classic, also a PGA Tour event, was held from 1977-1980. The Transamerica, a Champions Tour event, was played from 1989-2002.

“We are delighted to have Safeway involved with the PGA Tour starting in 2016,” PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem said in a news release.

Organizers hope the tournament can raise at least $2 million for charities.

The winner’s circle here includes Johnny Miller, Jack Nicklaus, Tom

Watson, Ben Crenshaw, Lee Trevino, Tom Kite, Dave Stockton and Billy Casper.

Johnny Miller, who is one of Silverado’s owners and a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame, captured Kaiser titles in 1974 and ’75.

“To get the Safeway Open, it seems like it was meant to be,” said Miller. “The players just love coming to Napa Valley and to Silverado.

I think we’re going to have pretty good fields in the future.”

The winner of the Safeway Open, which will be televised by Golf Channel, gets an invitation to play in the Masters, the first major of the year, in April of 2017.

“We’re working hard to get some of the best golfers. I think we have a good shot at it,” said Bob Miller, the chairman and CEO of Albertsons Companies, LLC. Safeway had an LPGA Tour event in Oregon and Arizona for a number of years. This is the first time that Safeway has been the title sponsor of a PGA Tour event.

“We want to have a big kickoff,” said Bob Miller. “With the size of our company, I wouldn’t be surprised if this tournament goes for many, many years, like a lot of them do. We’ve got to get the world’s best golfers. If we do that, we’ll have everything else set up to have a great event.”

Clay Gregory, president & CEO of Visit Napa Valley said, “It is great to see the PGA Tour returning to the Napa Valley. The Tour attracts fans that share very similar demographics to the majority of visitors to the Valley. The television coverage provides beautiful images and can’t help but inspire folks to visit.

The Safeway Open already has 700 volunteers signed up, but 500 more are needed. The tournament is providing the volunteers with Nike gear at no cost.

For more information about volunteering, contact Ryan Fowler of Lagardere Sports at 503-924-6222.

67

Sinegal opens tasting room at historic site PAUL FRANSON

Inglewood property now home to stateof-the-art facility Sinegal Estate Winery in St. Helena has recently opened its new tasting lounge and terrace, wine caves and Estate Room to the public.

The state-of-the-art facility was designed by Signum Architecture of St. Helena, whose previous work includes Hall winery, Cade and Brand Napa Valley.

Although Sinegal is one of Napa Valley’s newest wine destinations, it inherits a long tradition at the St. Helena property it now inhabits.

Owners David and Shelley Sinegal are also new to winemaking, but he comes from an extensive background in supervising wine, beer and spirits sales at the giant Costco chain founded by his father.

The Sinegals reportedly paid $17 million in 2013 for the 30-acre property southwest of St. Helena historically known as the Inglewood Estate. (It has no relation to Inglenook Vineyards.)

The Inglewood Estate began when Alton Williams bought the property in 1879 for $7,500.

It was first planted with vines in 1881, and Inglewood Estate’s first harvest was in 1884. Williams planted 25 acres and built a 24-by-60-foot frame wine cellar with a stone foundation that could produce 20,000 gallons annually.

More recent owners of the property were William and Lila Jaeger, who were co-founders of Freemark Abbey and founders of Rutherford Hill wineries, who bought it in 1965.

Doug and Jane Wolf bought the property in 1996. The Wolfs began producing wine under the Wolf Family Vineyards label in 1997.

68

David Sinegal of Sinegal Estate Winery in St. Helena outside the 1881 house where he and his family live.

bring exceptional experience to the process.

Jim Barbour, who manages the Sinegal vineyards as well as many other properties, is a respected and experienced name in wine country.

At least at present, all wines are estate-grown. The property lies on the south side of St. Helena and at the western edge of the valley where the bench meets more rugged hills.

It includes 9.5 acres of diverse vineyards planted in cabernet sauvignon (4.5 acres planted in 1997 in clones 337 and 7), cabernet franc planted in the 1970s, petite verdot, malbec, THE VINEYARD semillon, sauvignon blanc and sauMAKING THE WINES Since Sinegal only bought the vignon musqué grapes. Some are The winery came with a permit property in mid-2013, the Sinegal new or replanted. for 13,200 gallons annual produc- winemaking history is short, but its tion, but Sinegal Estate has since vineyard manager and winemaker See Sinegal, Page 69 A NEW ERA According to the Wall Street Journal, the Sinegals invested $8 million to refurbish the property, including revamping hospitality spaces, expanding and re-equipping the production area and digging much larger caves for wine storage.

They hired a high-profile vineyard consultant for their 9.5 acres of red and white Bordeaux grape varieties, and both a winemaker and a wine consultant with long experience from Napa Valley wineries, including Plumpjack and Joseph Phelps.

received permission to process 60,000 gallons (25,000 cases).

The first Sinegal vintage of 1,500 cases in 2013 was produced at Hourglass winery since the Sinegal winery wasn’t ready. Winemaker Tony Biagi, who also makes Hourglass wines, made the wines there.

In 2014, wine production returned to the property while other construction and renovation continued. The earlier caves on the property were cut-and-cover cellars, but the new caves are 6,000 square feet dug into the hill behind the winery.

J.L. Sousa/Register

SINEGAL From Page 68

The vineyards are CCOF-certified organic; the estate also keeps chickens on the property, along with culinary and ornamental gardens, and has goats to help with weeding.

“We’re trying to restore the vineyards to what they were — or what they could be,” said David Sinegal.

He may plant additional vineyards and even eventually buy other grapes, too, as he intends to increase production over time.

The property has two irrigation lines running along each row for flexibility in giving different amounts of water to different vines.

A 25-acre lake on the property is a reservoir that collects surface water, but Sinegal also has wells to draw from if needed.

Winery wastewater is treated and used for frost protection and irrigation.

WINEMAKERS Like vineyard manager Barbour, Sinegal’s winemaker Tony Biagi has extensive experience. He long made wine for PlumpJack Vineyards in Oakville and Cade Estate on Howell Mountain, as well as overseeing the rebirth of what is now Odette Winery in the Stags Leap District. He became winemaker at Hourglass in 2012 and continues in that role.

Craig Williams, the longtime winemaker at Joseph Phelps, serves as a blending consultant. His specialty has been Bordeaux-style wines, including Phelps Insignia like those Sinegal is producing.

“I was always interested in the (Sinegal) property,” said Biagi.

“Vineyards along the western edge of the valley tend to produce intense wines.”

He worked collaboratively with David Sinegal on the first vintage made at Hourglass, then crushed the first grapes on site in 2014. “It was a great harvest,” he said. “We crushed 20 to 30 percent of the berries, but it was mostly whole grapes. We kept it warm, even hot at first, to make sure of complete

extraction.”

The grapes were divided into 2-ton lots from specific blocks, so they could be harvested at optimum conditions.

Biagi is a big believer in monitoring phenolics to help guide picking decisions and winemaking choices. His team collects grapes for ETS Laboratories to analyze, intensifying that program once harvest began. Biagi said that the ability to monitor phenolics during the growing and winemaking process has ushered in a new era of winemaking. “We can gather good information that allows us to optimize the process.”

Associate winemaker Ryan Knoth formerly worked with Scott McLeod, a leader in using phenolic measurements in winemaking first at Francis Coppola’s Rubicon/ Inglenook, and now at his own consulting company Wine X Ray. The winery also has automated pump-over systems that allow them to program short pump overs five or six times a day for best extraction and to keep the cap wet.

“In the past, many winemakers pushed winemaking too far,” Biagi said. “You can go too far in the vineyard and end up with raisin flavors. Now we can get a much better look at the grapes, not just sugar, acid and pH.” “We’ll never get away from alcohols of 14 to 15, but we won’t see them in the 15s or 16s.”

Biagi follows the Bordeaux model of concentrating on a few coopers and likes medium-toast houses.

He also compliments his boss.

“David wants to do the right thing.

It’s very different working with a proprietor who lives on the property. If I have a question, I can just go knock on the door.”

Sinegal has taken courses in viticulture and winemaking, and is deeply involved in both processes.

He has compiled a list of 1,403 steps taken or decisions made during the whole winemaking process. “He stopped at 1,403 because it was getting unwieldy,” Biagi said.

Sinegal turned to his estate’s front door for its logo. The original lock and skeleton key inspired the drawing on every bottle.

The son of James Sinegal, the

co-founder of Costco, David Sinegal supervised the beverage alcohol operation at the company. Since leaving Costco, he has consulted with consumer products companies. The winery is his major focus now.

RESULTS SO FAR Three wines from the winery’s first vintage received ratings higher than 95 on wine critic Robert Parker’s 100-point scale. “The ‘14s are even better,” Sinegal said.

The winery currently produces four wines: sauvignon blanc ($45), cabernet sauvignon ($95), cabernet franc ($240) and reserve cabernet

Barre dance exercise studio in Napa’s Bel Aire Plaza.

The Sinegals live in the main home, a 19th-century restored Victorian of approximately 6,000 square feet that includes three stories with five bedrooms, three full baths and two half baths, and a covered porch.

The property also includes a large two-bedroom guest house, pool, tennis court, sports field, a carriage house that had been turned into an exercise studio, an olive orchard, culinary and ornamental gardens, the stone winery with tasting room and a 25-acre lake shared with Flora Springs Winery.

ABOVE: Lake Sinegal at Sinegal Estate Winery is home to smallmouth bass and blue gill.

LEFT: A trio of conical fermentation tanks at Sinegal Estate Winery in St. Helena.

J.L. Sousa/Register

sauvignon ($195).

The winery can host up to 21 visitors a day by appointment only as well as hold a few bigger events.

David Sinegal said that it’s been an adjustment to move from Seattle to the rural environment of his new wine venture. But, he said, “I love it. We’re committed to the community and life here.”

His wife has franchised a Pure

The property also contains a stream, oak grove and other wild areas. Sinegal promises to never develop the oak grove even though he says that it is the best land on the property – not that the rest is lacking.

Tastings are by appointment only to 244-1187.

Sinegal Estate is at 2125 Inglewood Ave., St. Helena.

69

Food and love: Rogelio Garcia prepares classic French dishes for romance at Angèle PAU L F R A N S O N Few would dispute that French food is the most romantic of all cuisines. And Angèle in Napa’s historic mill complex is romantic, even for a French restaurant.

The intimate space of the 13-year-old restaurant hides its origins as a boathouse well, and though the adjacent patio is delightful during the summer, it’s comforting to enter the compact dining area when it’s cold and raining.

And the food complements the atmosphere. It’s classic French cooking tempered with some individual local touches from executive chef Rogelio Garcia.

Garcia has an impressive résumé for a 29-year-old.

He was born in Mexico City but came to the United States when he was only 2 years old. He was raised in the Los Angeles area and Napa.

Although he helped his mother, a professional chef, he started his culinary career during high school as a dishwasher in an Italian restaurant in Yountville when he was 15.

He was more interested in making money than learning about the restaurant business, he said, but his curiosity soon inspired him to follow the time-honored apprenticeship path to becoming a chef.

He started modestly: He asked the cooks to teach him to chop parsley.

That led to informal tutorials on

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J.L. Sousa/Register file photo

Rogelio Garcia is the executive chef at Angèle Restaurant in downtown Napa.

preparing Italian cuisine. In 2003, he moved to Hurley’s Restaurant & Bar, where he built his culinary foundation under Bob Hurley, who had been the chef at the elegant Domaine Chandon restaurant.

Garcia was also intensely curious, and read widely on cooking.

He spent three years at Hurley’s as a line cook.

Garcia was hired at Angèle the first time around in 2006. He spent four years as a line cook, and was then promoted to sous chef as he mastered the intricacies of French cuisine as well as using ingredients from local farmers markets and farms.

He spent days off “staging” (working without pay) at Yountville’s Redd and San Francisco’s Michael Mina until Angèle owner Bettina Rouas realized he wanted to learn more. She helped him get a position as a saucier at the renowned Cyrus restaurant in Healdsburg.

Garcia worked at every station in the kitchen at Cyrus, building his expertise at a top kitchen, but after a year and a half, he decided to work closer to home. He took a sous chef position in the private restaurant at Calistoga Ranch.

There, he learned more about the hotel side of the hospitality industry.

His next step was as a chef de

partie at Thomas Keller’s famed French Laundry.

Garcia returned to Angèle 3½ years ago. Intertwined with the classic French techniques, he slips in some innovation, like using burrata, quinoa and baby mustard greens, ingredients more popular locally.

He continues to do a lot of research to improve his cooking.

For Valentine’s weekend, Garcia is serving a special menu with four choices for each course.

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ARTIST From Page 21

rejected over and over again.”

A few commissions began to roll in, starting with a small one for the University of Alaska Geophysics Institute in Fairbanks. “It was a glass wall and the budget was $13,000, which was really big in those days … and I probably spent $13,000 doing it because I just went all the way, all the way,” he said. “In the early days, you don’t have a portfolio, it’s hard to get the next project if you can’t show you’ve done anything.”

Larger projects followed, including work for Stanford, expanding throughout California, then across the country, and even internationally. His work can be seen today at the Richmond Civic Center, outside the Sacramento Regional County Sanitation District offices, along Historic Route 66 in Arizona, in the Tokaido Hiroshige Art Museum in Tendo, Japan, at the LBJ Presidential Library in Austin, Texas, and outside the headquarters of manufacturing company Arburg in Lossburg, Germany.

Huether’s work is diverse and aesthetically pleasing, said Haig Khachatoorian, a professor in the College of Design at North Carolina State University who was on the board that selected the artist for a project in the town of Chapel Hill, North Carolina. He had a good eye for the setting and was easy to work with in meeting the selection board’s needs.

“He wasn’t constrained by a singular style, but rather [he was] a problem-solver, who was stimulated and challenged by the limits of his given commission,” Khachatoorian said. “He had a thoughtful design process that allowed the board various inputs along the project’s milestones.”

Expanding range Since those early days working on glass, Huether’s work has evolved. Rather than being constrained by one material, he said, he wants to be able to use whatever materials fit the project and

ARBURG GmbH Co KG

Gordon Huether’s “Sphere,” outside the headquarters of manufacturing company Arburg, Lossburg, Germany.

its setting – many of his projects include metal and wood and other materials. Lately he has ventured into realistic figures – normally he favors abstract shapes but he is now using a 3-D printer to create human figures based on scans of real people for another project in North Carolina.

That diversity of material, however, has forced him to abandon the idea of an artist struggling alone in a studio and to embrace a larger team. Huether today conceives and designs the projects, building the models with his own hands, but the actual construction of his vision is left to a team of dozens who work in his studio, now relocated to a former hay storage barn east of downtown.

“I don’t cut, grind, weld, use the kilns, any of those kinds of things. I am not very good at it.

I am too impatient,” he said. “I have too much impatience to be a really good craftsman, even though I understand craftsmanship because that’s where I started.

Submitted photo

The “Aluminum Yucca,” in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Huether used salvaged See ARTIST, Page 74 fuel takes from F-16 fighters to suggest the lines of the iconic western desert plant.

73

ARTIST From Page 73

So I have surrounded myself with people that are really good at different things that maybe I have a good understanding of but am not good enough to do myself.”

That broad team is expensive to maintain, he said, but it also allows him the freedom to have dozens of projects in the pipeline, from application through construction.

“I always knew that if I were to do everything myself, I would be able to do one or two projects a year and I would go crazy,” he said. “So my creative capacity is far larger than even the opportunities I can find to do, and we’re busy, you know?”

Former employees recall a freewheeling and creative atmosphere in the studio, where they were encouraged to explore and grow and develop their own projects in down time.

“It was good – it created an environment for a lot of support for creativity, to be able to develop your potential,” said Hope Morgan, who, along with her now-husband, worked for Huether as a graphic designer in the early 2000s.

Napa County-based photographer Israel Valencia, who spent about eight years in various jobs for the studio, said Huether not only encouraged his art, but twice gave him a chance to get back to work after long periods recuperating from bone marrow transplants.

“He made it pretty friendly and invited us to sort of apply our work ethic and vision” to the projects, he said.

Expanding public role While he was developing his art, Huether also developed his profile as a local public figure in Napa. It started with his outspoken criticism of the original design proposed for a Ritz Carlton hotel – he compared it unfavorably to an “Italian birthday cake.” That kind of outspoken analysis led him to serve on several city design panels, including one considering plans for riverfront development, and eventually to his current seat on the planning commission.

74

Adrián Gregorutti

A digital rendering of Gordon Huether’s project for the $1.8 billion new terminal at Salt Lake City International Airport, inspired by the swirling lines of Utah’s famous slot canyons. The installation is set for 2020.

Huether has developed a reputation for pointed, yet often humorous, critiques of design. His view combines an emphasis on modern design with a respect for Napa’s past, including its roots as a blue-collar industrial and farming town, but with elements of gracious Victorian and Craftsman architecture.

“It has been a continual drum that I have been beating on — quality design. Quality design, intelligent city planning is what a community is – or isn’t – right? So how do you hold onto your cherished past?” he said. “Sometimes, it’s an illusion and what we think what it used to be like really wasn’t that great after all ... So you hold onto that, but at the same time you want to take a step into the future and embrace what we want to be and what we might become.”

Huether said he grounds his outlook in the shock he felt upon returning to Napa from his rough years in San Francisco. He was gone during the key years of the early 1970s when redevelopment changed the face of the city – removing old buildings and replacing them with features that quickly became dated and dysfunctional.

“So I thought there’s not going to be any way that we’re going to repeat those mistakes,” he said. “Not if I have anything to say about it.”

The myth and the man For as large as Huether’s

reputation is, in person, he is surprisingly understated. He’s trim and compact, with a soft voice and quick, intelligent eyes that often convey a sense of quiet amusement.

He favors casual clothes and is often seen in his signature backwards cap.

While it would be hard to call him humble, he seems genuine in his interest and concern with whoever he happens to be talking to.

“He’s not the myth – he’s a sweet, caring human being,” said longtime friend Kevin Teague, a lawyer and developer who has worked with Huether often – and whose projects have occasionally been on the receiving end of the planning commissioner’s criticism. “I think there is this image of this Machiavellian artist putting his works everywhere, which isn’t true … he’s brash, he’s outspoken, but he’d give you the shirt off his back and take care of you.”

Even in the midst of the blowup over The Hand, Huether managed to win over at least some of his critics. Register reader George Van Grieken, for example, wrote a withering critique of the process by which The Hand was being proposed – and expressed no great love for the sculpture either.

Huether later invited him to his studio where they discussed the sculpture, and the broader nature of art – and found common ground. While Van Grieken remains

“bothered” by the sculpture, he’s revised his opinion of Huether and his artistic efforts.

“Like every effective artist, Gordon Huether has figured out how to share his imagination and creativity with others in such a way that they pay attention to things that they would otherwise never notice. And sometimes it bothers them, which is not such a bad thing,” Van Grieken said. “We need to be jarred into reflection or self-examination now and again. That’s what friends are for, and Gordon may be such a friend of the imagination for us.”

Huether agrees that strangers often seem surprised to find that there is a person behind the public persona.

“So that’s mythology,” he said. “I am not sure exactly how other people [see me], but I am most certain it’s not how I see myself.”

How does he see himself? As “somebody that was able to take advantage of what’s called the American Dream,” he said. A person “that was fortunate enough to grow up in a place where one can dream and anything is possible.”

In his art, he likes “to do things in such a way that it might reveal itself in layers over time and draw you in and make you think about it a little bit,” he said. “I think that one of my missions in life is help my fellow humans expand in the way they see the world around them.”

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