Inside Napa Valley - Summer/Fall 2019 by Napa Register

inside

napa valley Summer/Fall 2019

Summer IN THE

vineyards WINTER SPRING 2019

INSIDE NAPA VALLEY | 1

3341 Solano Ave. (Redwood Plaza) Napa, CA 94558 (707) 252-8131 2 | INSIDE NAPA VALLEY

WINTER SPRING 2019

inside

napa valley

‌Summer in the vineyards

Blue Water Day Spa

Beautiful breakfasts

Splendid staycations

Old time baseball

Food Trucks of Napa Valley

Ole Health prospers

Getting to know you, Alicia Hardy

The art of wine labels

Living the life

Neighborhoods: Haunted downtown

Crossword puzzle

Mountain biking Napa

Terry Boyer, an author among us

Where in the Valley

Transformation by education

Exploring Mexican markets

Say yes to Naysayer coffee

Rancho Gordo: More than a hill of beans

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The heat of summer in the Napa Valley N O R M A KO S T E C K A Ad ve r ti s i ng Di re ctor‌

‌S

ummer is in full swing, with festivals and fun all around as the grapes start their final race toward harvest and another great Napa Valley vintage. In this edition of Inside Napa Valley, we’ll visit with the Boys of Summer NORMA from yesteryear, KOSTECKA remembering the long-ago Napa Twilite youth baseball league. We’ll relax in a downtown spa, hit the trails to examine the county’s booming Summer/Fall 2019

mountain biking scene, and we’ll look at ways to treat yourself close to home, with great breakfast options and some standout staycation locales. We’ll visit the Valley’s vibrant Mexican markets, meet a Napa entrepreneur who is resurrecting classic beans and other heritage agricultural products, and we sit down with the county’s newest coffee roasters. We’ll take an unusual spin on our Neighborhoods series, this time looking at the supernatural residents said to be living among us in downtown Napa. We’ll meet author Terry

Boyer and hear how a fourmonth arts school changed the life for one local teen and her new friends. We’ll continue our series of profiles on Napa Valley food trucks and we’ll take a closer look at the expanding nonprofit OLE Health – and Get To Know its CEO Alicia Hardy. We’ll learn what’s going on now in the vineyards, and we’ll take a look at the artists who create those colorful labels that adorn the finished bottles of wine. All of that, and we’ll also bring you a digest of some of the best of our wine and food

coverage from the Napa Valley Publishing family of newspapers. So please join us in celebrating summer in the Napa Valley, with the latest edition of the award-winning Inside Napa Valley magazine. On the Cover: One of our seasonal favorites from the files of former Napa Valley Register Photo Editor JL Sousa: grapes undergoing “Veraison,” the key moment in the summer when the berries change from hard and green to soft, sweet and red. For more on this process, see “Summer in the vineyards,” Page 5. INSIDE NAPA VALLEY | 3

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Summer

vineyards in the

‌I

L AY N E R A N D O L P H

n wine country, the gentle cadence of the seasons grows stronger with each stage, It begins softly in winter when the vines are clipped and bare, and steadily intensifies through the first signs of life at bud break, becomes steady but more urgent during the slow pace of summer, when gloriously green vineyards sway across the valley, marching in time toward the crescendo of harvest. Small, green berries began forming in late spring during fruit set, and now the berries begin to form clusters that will eventually become bunches of grapes. When vines are left to their own devices without trellising or trimming, they have a savage beauty, growing high and wild like the fictional vines of Jack and the Beanstalk. You won’t see wild vines much in the Napa Valley. Instead, today’s viticulturists use science and data to calibrate grape production. With few exceptions, vines are practically identical in each vineyard, adding a sense of symmetry that brings peace to the valley. But there is work being done, although most of it is imperceptible—the fruit is slowly maturing. Mother Nature poses one of the biggest risks to the fruit during this time. Too little rain can be remedied with irrigation, but too much rain can be catastrophic. Too much sun can damage the grapes or cause Summer/Fall 2019

them to ripen too soon. Too little sun and the fruit may not reach its full flavor potential or may be too acidic or tannic. Human hands come into play with the use of vine management techniques. To counter less-than-ideal weather, vineyard specialists use grapevine leaves to regulate heat. If more sun is needed, more leaves are removed to give them every opportunity to soak up the rays. If less sun is desired, the leaves will remain, shading the grapes as much as possible from the heat. Vine and fruit growth can be limited to improve fruit quality, or encouraged, to increase quantity. The extended sun exposure in summer pushes fruit to maturity, while the cool nights help maintain acidity needed for flavor balance. And then, in late July and August, something magical happens in the Napa Valley vineyards—the fruit changes color and begins ripening. This is known as veraison. What started the season as small, green, hard spheres become plump, colorful grapes, red and purple for red varieties and golden or translucent for white varieties. The grape growth slows during this period, the vines begin focusing all their energy into causing sugars in the fruit to increase and acids in the fruit to decrease, showing the first

Jesse Duarte, Star

The first signs of veraison are visible in this cluster of grapes along Fulton Lane.

real indicator of the quality that can be expected from the year’s crop. Veraison is a turning point in the vineyard and begins the final drumbeat to the big finale

of the year. The timeframe differs by grape variety and growing region, but in general, 30 to 70 days from this color change, Napa Valley fruit will reach its peak and be ready to harvest. INSIDE NAPA VALLEY | 5

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Co-owners Veronica Samora, left, and Kimberly McMaster in one of the treatment rooms at Blue Water Day Spa.

Sean Scully, Inside Napa Valley‌

Blue Water Day Spa offers members relaxation and reinvigoration

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spa day may seem like a special-occasion-only event. But for members of Blue Water Day Spa in downtown Napa, being pampered with a massage or facial is something to enjoy every month. Blue Water Day Spa, located at 1763 Second St., offers massage therapy, wraps, facials, couple’s packages, waxing, and nail treatments. Clients who sign up for spa membership receive their favorite treatment each month at a 20 percent discount. The spa is co-owned by Kimberly McMaster and Veronica Samora. “We are a small, boutique location, with local flair,” McMaster said. “You’re welcomed into our space with original exposed wood details and soothing colors of teal and gold, waterfalls, herbal scents of lemongrass, eucalyptus and rosemary along with the soothing sounds of harp and Native American flutes.” Summer/Fall 2019

I S A B E L L E S C H M A LT Z Both women graduated from the National Holistic Institute nearly 20 years ago and have worked in high-end day spas, resorts, and health retreats throughout California. The pair met while working as massage therapists at a Napa Valley resort in 2008. They began operating their own spa after purchasing Napa Massage & Skincare in 2012. At the time, the spa was located on First Street, on the second floor of a 1920 Craftsman-style home, turned commercial space. In 2017, McMaster and Samora decided Sean Scully, Inside Napa Valley‌ to open a second spa location in South Lake Blue Water Day Spa is located at 1763 Second Tahoe. That same year, they changed the St. in downtown Napa. name of their business to Blue Water Day Spa. McMaster is a fifth-generation Napan. In January of this year, the spa relocated Samora is originally from Colorado and to Second Street in a charming shingled came to Napa after service in the Navy as an EMT. Please see Spa, Page 8 INSIDE NAPA VALLEY | 7

SPA From page 7

building that dates to 1883. The new space can accommodate eight guests at a time, with two couples’ rooms and four single-treatment rooms. The First Street location was a shared space, and McMaster said having an entire building to themselves was a big motivator for the move. The new location not only provides more room, but it also offers a private outdoor space where clients can unwind. “Our outdoor seating area is a peaceful place to relax before and after your treatment, with a book, or friends,” McMaster said. “Our upstairs treatment rooms include couples’ spaces as well as individual treatment rooms. While downstairs you’ll find our retail boutique filled with great gift ideas, and amazing skincare lines.” Blue Water Day Spa prides itself on having some of the highest staff education standards in the local spa industry, McMaster said. Their massage therapists have each received a minimum of 750 hours of educational training, she said. “We only hire from specific (massage) schools,” McMaster said. The California Massage Therapy Council (CAMTC), which is a voluntary state certification program, requires 500 hours of educational training at an approved school. Because massage certification is voluntary in California, people who choose not to certify must comply with local requirements for massage permits. To obtain a permit in Napa, applicants must possess a diploma or certificate from a recognized school and provide proof of 70 hours of educational training. McMaster said they decided to operate their own business because they saw a need for a spa where employee training and support was as high a priority as the needs of clients. “Napa was lacking space that took those foundations into account while providing a price point that worked with everyone’s budget,” McMaster said. Blue Water’s massage staff specialize in Deep Tissue, Swedish, and Sports massage, as well as Trigger Point, Pregnancy and Craniosacral therapy, which uses gentle pressure to relieve compression in the bones of the head, lower back, and spinal column. At Blue Water Day Spa, a 90-minute Swedish massage costs $135, and a 90-minute Deep Tissue massage is $145. 8 | INSIDE NAPA VALLEY

Sean Scully, Inside Napa Valley‌

Blue Water Day Spa sells a variety of merchandize in addition to beauty and health products, including jewelry and clothing.

Sean Scully, Inside Napa Valley‌

One of the retail areas at Blue Water Day Spa, which sells a variety of health and beauty products and other items.

Swedish massage is one of their most popular treatments, McMaster said. Clients with a spa membership can receive a 90-minute Swedish massage once a month for $108, or an hour-long Swedish massage for $76. There are no sign-up costs for membership, and clients can receive the same discount at both of the Napa and South Lake Tahoe locations, McMaster said. Members also get 20 percent off any additional services each month and a 10 percent discount on products. In addition to membership, Blue Water Day Spa offers locals’ discounts and monthly specials, which are frequently promoted on the business’s Facebook page. Estheticians at the spa, who perform skin care and nail services, use cruelty-free, organic products without any of the harsh toxins found in other beauty products, McMaster said. One of the skincare lines used at Blue Water Day Spa is from a company called

FarmHouse Fresh, which offers “farm to spa” products that are all certified organic or use up to 100 percent naturally derived ingredients. FarmHouse Fresh also operates a ranch that includes a sanctuary for animal rescues. “Everything we do is as clean as you can find within our industry, never harming animals or our environment,” McMaster said. This past January, when the spa opened on Second Street, it also launched a selection of CBD-based treatments. Studies show that CBD can be beneficial for relieving joint and muscle pain and reducing inflammation. CBD, or cannabinoids, is a chemical compound found in marijuana and hemp. CBD is a different compound than THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), which is the chemical that produces marijuana’s psychological effects. Using a CBD product does not get a person high, but it can still offer relaxation, McMaster said. Client feedback for these new treatments has been positive, McMaster said. Clients have reported feeling like a “limp noodle” after a CBD Signature Massage, and others have told her it has “helped tremendously” with their arthritis symptoms. The spa’s CBD services range from massages and facials to wraps and pedicures. One of the spa’s other popular treatments is a 90-minute massage known as “The Ritual,” which uses Napa River rocks and basalt stones to “melt away” stress, McMaster said. “Our Warm Stone Ritual includes healing scents of citrus, sandalwood, and rosemary to help center the treatment, quiet the mind, while the healing warm stones relax muscles and ease tension,” she said. Blue Water Day Spa is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. seven days a week. The spa accepts reservations as well as same-day appointments. Summer/Fall 2019

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BREAKFASTS Start your day the Napa Valley way JESS LANDER

‌ s one of the most renowned culinary A scenes in the country, it’s no surprise that Napa Valley takes even its breakfast and brunch seriously. From epic buffets to New Orleans-approved beignets, here are five ways Napa Valley goes above and beyond the standard bacon and eggs. After all, it’s the most important meal of the day. THE FINE DINING TREATMENT Fancy, multi-course dinners are all the rage in Napa Valley, but a couple of restaurants are flipping the script. The Acacia House at Las Alcobas in St. Helena offers a three-course brunch ($29, or $49 if you add bottomless sparkling wine) on Saturdays and Sundays. The meal begins with a selection of house-baked pastries and then you choose your main course— the chilaquiles are possibly the best in all of Napa Valley—concluding with something sweet for dessert. FARM at the Carneros Inn makes their Sunday brunch a shared affair, so make sure you bring people with similar palates or diet restrictions. As a table, you’ll choose four items off the menu, like a lobster roll or brioche French toast topped with caramelized pears, honey, candied walnut, and vanilla chantilly. Each dish will be brought out one at a time on individual plates for $45 per person. SAVE ROOM FOR DESSERT Sweet tooth? Donut despair. Boon Fly Cafe’s famous cinnamon-sugar donuts always hit the spot, and while the wait for a table here can be long, they can be ordered to-go when you call ahead. If you’re looking to share, the Sky & Vine rooftop offers its signature Doughnut Wheel—three flavors with three dipping Please see Breakfasts, Page 12

Summer/Fall 2019

ABOVE: The Hot Mess from Lovina. LEFT: The Chilaquilles from Acacia House. Jess Lander‌photos

INSIDE NAPA VALLEY | 11

BREAKFASTS From page 11

sauces for nine doughnuts total—with its Sunday brunch. Get an authentic taste of New Orleans with powdery beignets from Jax White Mule Diner, Farmstead or the Napa General Store, the latter of which stuffs theirs with chocolate. Calistoga’s Sam’s Social Club has churros for weekend brunch, Grace’s Table serves up an epic cinnamon roll the size of one’s head and The Charter Oak rolls over an a la carte pastry cart during its Sunday brunch service (good luck choosing just one). For the ultimate sweet treat, head to Calistoga’s Lovina. The Hot Mess consists of a flourless chocolate brownie topped with salted caramel, white chocolate, toasted coconut marshmallow, cherries and pistachio gelato. ALL YOU CAN EAT These aren’t anything like a cheap hotel continental breakfast buffet, so be sure to arrive very, very hungry. If you haven’t visited Brix in a while, brunch is the perfect excuse to check out their newly renovated digs. Their famous Sunday Brunch Buffet ($49 adults, $29 children) features several tasty stations: a seafood bar with oysters, shrimp, smoked salmon and clams, an omelet station, giant cheese board, selection of salads, dessert bar and then the many mains, which are cooked on the range, in a wood oven and on a charcoal grill. Sky & Vine hosts an al-fresco Sunday brunch buffet. For $45, you get unlimited access to the buffet (stacked with the usual breakfast fixin’s, plus specialty items, like a Dungeness crab orzo salad), your choice of their famous Doughnut Wheel or a cheese and charcuterie board for the table, and the best part: unlimited mimosas and Bloody Marys. The killer, panoramic views are just a bonus. NOT YOUR AVERAGE BREAKFAST COCKTAILS Mimosas and Bloody Marys may be breakfast staples, but these restaurants serve them with a twist. Lovina makes their mimosas with Lillet and a sorbet ball, Jax White Mule Diner has mimosas for men — the Bromosa subs beer for sparkling wine — and FARM at the Carneros Inn recently introduced Bubbles & Beignets, served on a mimosa cart on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. As for Bloody Mary’s, Grace’s Table has 12 | INSIDE NAPA VALLEY

The Sky & Vine Doughnut Wheel.

Jess Lander photos‌

The Davies Vineyards Bubbles & Caviar.

crafted a unique chili-basil version and Downtown Joe’s garnishes theirs in grand fashion on Sundays with bacon and a chicken wing. WINE WITH A SIDE OF BACON While most wineries don’t open their doors until 11 a.m., a few have begun to offer early birds wine with their breakfast.

Take Ehlers Estate, who provides fresh baked Bouchon Bakery croissants with their 9:30 a.m. Start Your Day Tasting. Davies Vineyards’ lavish Bubbles & Caviar Brunch, offered Friday-Sunday at 10 a.m., pairs Schramsberg sparkling wines with a whole ounce of caviar, quiche and smoked salmon. Domaine Chandon also now hosts a family-style Bubbly Brunch on Sundays. Summer/Fall 2019

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Jess Lander photos

The Hotel Yountville pool.

JESS LANDER

Treat yourself close to home at some of the Napa’s best hotels When vacation time, finances and childcare are limited, there’s nothing like a quick staycation to give yourself a much-needed reboot. As a local travel writer, I’ve been fortunate to have the opportunity to play tourist and stay at more than a dozen inns, hotels, and resorts throughout Napa Valley, but some stand out in my memory more than others. From bathtubs the size of my entire bathroom to luxury pools and total tranquility, I’ve rounded up my top five spots for a relaxing staycation. Why not treat yourself?

A bed at the Archer Hotel.

Inn) sits in quite the setting. Surrounded by vineyards, it’s incredibly tranquil with a handful of vignettes for simply hanging out with a glass of wine or eating dinner in. Post up on the deck, by the fire pit, or inside the barn. THE SETTING INN NAPA The latter has been completely VALLEY remodeled with chic furnishings True to its name, The Setting and a massive living wall that Inn (formerly Napa Vineyard reads “These are the days” in gold Summer/Fall 2019

Archer Hotel duckies.

lettering, which feels oh so true while you’re there. The large and luxe rooms of this 1901 farmhouse, each named after a Napa Valley AVA, are clean and modern with a mixture of textures (wood, leather, and woven baskets and rugs) and playful touches in the form of message boards, Yoga mats, and tic tac toe. All rooms have heated floors, a

soaking tub, in-room fireplace and private balcony. In the morning, a basket of Bouchon Bakery pastries is dropped at your door with fresh orange juice. If you’ve always wanted to workout on a Peloton, here’s your chance, or you can take a complimentary electric bike for a spin. Please see Staycation, Page 16 INSIDE NAPA VALLEY | 15

Jess Lander‌

Sunset at The Setting Inn.

Breakfast at the Hotel Villagio.

STAYCATION

downtown Napa, there are dining, shopping and wine tasting options abound. Without even walking a block, you can visit the new Mayacamas tasting room, or grab a glass of wine you’ve never heard of from Compline. But if you want to make it a true staycation, Charlie Palmer Steak and the Sky & Vine Rooftop Bar are just a quick elevator ride from your room (and those with balconies can order curated food and beverage trays right to their door). Also on the rooftop is the fitness center, spa, soaking pool and the farthest-reaching views in all of Napa.

From page 15

Situated in Napa’s Oak Knoll District, The Setting Inn is just steps from the Napa Valley Vine Trail and a short pedal to Yountville. HOTEL YOUNTVILLE Hotel Yountville’s French countryside vibe exudes romance and has the makings of the perfect couple’s getaway. The stone exterior and interior details like four-poster canopy beds, vaulted ceilings, fireplaces, and tranquil patios make your stay extra cozy. Premium rooms have luxury bathrooms the size of a living room, a soaking tub that can easily fit two (I tested it), and a shower that doubles as a steam room—a welcome amenity the morning after cocktails at Lucy. The large pool and hot tub are expertly secluded; surrounded by trees and fire pits, it’s hard to believe you’re in the middle of Yountville, not perched on a country hill. The spa is a recent addition to the resort and boasts an extensive menu of massages, facials and body treatments. Whatever you do, don’t leave without breakfast at the hotel’s Heritage Oak Restaurant. The brioche French toast with vanilla mascarpone, caramelized Asian pears and almond crumble is life changing. HOTEL VILLAGIO Yountville’s Hotel Villagio is worth a stay for the stunning marbled bathroom alone, where right next to the standalone soaking tub sits a Champagne bucket, ready to make all your “Pretty Woman” dreams come true. Formerly the Villagio Inn & Spa, the Villagio Hotel opened in 2018 following a multi-million dollar makeover and the best word to describe it is, simply, “cool.” This vibe is felt immediately upon entering the lobby, which is designed like a high-fashion 16 | INSIDE NAPA VALLEY

The bathroom at the Hotel Villagio.

Jess Lander‌

man cave with a seamless blend of masculine materials — brick, leather, wood, and metal – a fireplace, billiards table and a gorgeous bar serving up original craft cocktails and snacks. Glass doors open up to create an indoor/outdoor space and it’s really no wonder why this is the new Happy Hour hot spot in town. Feelings of warmth mixed with sophistication carry over to the rooms, which have outdoor balconies and decks, mahogany headboards, leather chairs and wood-burning fireplaces. The hotel’s renovations also included an updated pool and a new spa (now one of the largest in Wine Country), but one of the biggest perks of a stay here is actually the breakfast. In the morning, an epic, European-style buffet replaces the lobby’s billiards table and it’s offered until 11 a.m., allowing you to sleep in. ARCHER HOTEL It’s small, but thoughtful details—like his (mustache) and her (lips) slippers and grape cluster rubber duckies—that make Archer a memorable stay. Rooms are contemporary and neutral toned, and if you splurge for one of the dens, you’ll have your own outdoor balcony with a fireplace, a living room area and a wet bar complete with bar tools, microwave, refrigerator and wine fridge (so you might want to make a trip to your cellar before heading out). Conveniently located in the heart of

CALISTOGA MOTOR LODGE & SPA This spot isn’t as luxurious and amenity-filled as the others on this list — or as its neighbors, Solage Resort and Indian Springs — but it definitely wins for most trendy, fun and affordable. Formerly the Sunburst Calistoga, this 1940s roadside hotel completed a serious facelift under new ownership in 2017, reopening as the Calistoga Motor Lodge & Spa. The vintage-chic rooms are minimalist, but also light-filled and far from the stereotypes associated with the standard motel room (for starters, they have walk-in rainfall showers and fresh-ground, organic pour-over coffee). The Great American Road Trip is the theme, carried out in nostalgia-inducing elements like camper banquet seating, which in some rooms converts into a double bed, bulletin boards with maps, analog games and Hula Hoops. With a calendar full of creative and outdoor activities, a stay here feels like attending an adult summer camp. But the best reason for booking is the opportunity to simply relax by the trio of geothermal pools and at the Moonacre Spa & Baths, designed as a hip and colorful play on classic European bathhouses. You can get the usual body treatments, but also modern-day twists on the mud bath or a soothing mineral soak that takes place in a claw foot tub with a rubber ducky at hand. Summer/Fall 2019

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Napa’s youth baseball league shaped lives, fills their memories It was never a field of dreams. Indeed, it broke them. For most of the young ballplayers in the Napa Twilite Major League, it was their last stab at organized baseball. And the ballyard, tucked away in a corner of the Napa Town and Country Fairgrounds a few blocks east of the Napa River, was hardly a jewel. Quite possibly, it was the worst athletic venue in the city, maybe the whole county. Its all-dirt infield sent up clouds of dust during games. The lights were so weak, you couldn’t cast a shadow. And swarms of June Bugs invaded at times. It was no-frills baseball; Summer/Fall 2019

there was no scoreboard, no concession stand, and few fans, among other things. And yet, time’s passage has softened the memories of those who played there. It has been

and 70s, look back fondly on a time and place when they ran like deer, threw pitches with blazing speed and knocked the cover off the ball. And that primitive field? They wouldn’t trade it today for Yankee Stadium. The baseball could be pretty good, but few people turned out to watch. “Some nights there hardly anybody there. Other nights the stands were half full,” said Bill Brazzi of Napa. Brazzi’s teammate, Jerry Davis, said he doesn’t think the lack of fans was bad. It took Submitted photo away a lot of pressure on the players and made playing at the more than half a century since fairgrounds much more fun, the the final out was made in the Clayton resident added. final game at the fairgrounds Former pitcher Bill Monroe diamond. did have blazing speed. Several of those once young players, now all in their late 60s Please see Baseball, Page 21 INSIDE NAPA VALLEY | 19

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Summer/Fall 2019

When the Napa fairgrounds rang with the sounds of baseball JEFF GREEN

Submitted photo‌

BASEBALL From page 19

“It provided character. There was a lot of character there,” he said of games at the sparse field. Monroe lives now near Portland, Oregon. “It was just a good time. I really enjoyed the whole thing,” said Bill Forsythe, currently of Stockton. “We’d show up down there, loosen up a little and play ball. It was good. The baseball was competitive and everybody tried to win.” Forsythe was catching one night when his left fielder uncorked a throw to home that could charitably be called a moonshot. “The ball kept rising and rising,” he remembers. “It flew over the backstop.” Forsythe glanced at the opponents’ bench. Their necks were craned and their eyes looked skyward as the baseball flew by on its way into the dark night beyond the field. “It was such a transition time,” said Davis of the league for boys ages 14 through 17. “Discovering girls, cars, it took away a bit of the importance. Basically, you were growing up.” And because of those teenage distractions, “You weren’t sure you’d have enough players (show up) to field a team.” “I remember how dark it was out there,” said Ray Reaka. “I was in left field one night and I remember standing out there thinking how dark it was, how big that field felt. There was no fence and if the ball got by you, it rolled forever,” added the Grants Pass, Oregon, resident. Summer/Fall 2019

Sometimes you’d see the darndest things during games: hidden ball tricks, bats thrown in anger into the PG&E pole yard behind the third baseline, odd plays and more. Monroe, catcher Charlie Heitz and first baseman Mike Sunnafrank used to pull a hidden ball trick at first base that sometimes worked, Sunnafrank said from his home in Duluth, Minnesota. “It really wasn’t necessary with (Monroe) striking most everyone out and his no-look pickoff move on the rare occasion when they did make it to first.” But those three also had another trick up their sleeves that succeeded. “Usually about the time the clean-up hitter was coming to the plate for the first time, we had this thing we’d do. Bill would start crawling around on the mound, sifting through the dirt. I’d go over to see what he was doing then yell at Charlie to tell him that Bill had lost a contact lens. “Eventually, of course, the ump would tell us to play ball, or we would give up the search on our own. Then the first pitch that Bill would throw would be preceded by a lot of squinting, with Charlie behind the plate mumbling about Bill being as blind as a bat. Then Bill would cut loose with a fast one, two to three feet over the batter’s head and behind him. “No danger of them getting hit, but you should have seen the looks on their faces! Then, of course, Bill sets to work. Most batters simply had no chance at that point. Real bush-league stuff, but that is what we were, kids having a Please see Baseball, Page 23

‌ nce upon a time—back in the 1950s and O ‘60s—there was a baseball field at the Napa Town & Country Fairgrounds. Don’t bother looking for it today. Both the baseball and softball diamonds that occupied the large open space at the southwest corner of the fairgrounds are long gone. Only a lonely, empty field remains. Back in the day, the Napa Twilite Major League boasted upwards of 10 teams of young men age 14 and 18. The air on summer nights at the fairgrounds diamond was filled with the sounds of bat meeting ball, as well as cheers, groans and catcalls from the players. Several of the teams were sponsored by local service clubs. During the 1963 season, for example, the teams consisted of the Moose, Rotary, Native Sons, Elks, 20-30, Teamsters, Realtors, Hamms, Silverado Savings and Loan and Boyer’s Sporting Goods. Ballgames were played on Tuesday and Thursday nights throughout the summer, with a oneweek break for the Napa fair, as the annual carnival occupied the outfield between the two diamonds. The carnival continues to set up in that location to this very day. The games were seven innings long and started at 7 p.m., with opening pitch for the second game usually between 8:30 and 9. The league was split into a pair of five-team divisions. At the end of the regular season, the division champions would play one game to determine the overall league champion. The season concluded with a game between the championship team and a team composed of league all-stars. During the ‘50s and ‘60s in Napa, there were no national organizations like Little League and Babe Ruth League for younger ballplayers. Local boys could play in the Napa Fly League, Twilite Minors and Majors, all sponsored by the old Napa Recreation Commission. Those three leagues were unique to Napa. Fly league teams played their games on diamonds at the elementary schools and kids from each neighborhood joined teams at their schools. As the youngsters progressed up the ladder, they often stayed with their neighborhood friends on the Twilite teams. Several crosstown rivalries emerged that continued into junior high competition. The Twilite Majors inaugural season was 1958 and its last in 1972. In the late 1960s, the league moved its games out of the fairgrounds to the baseball field at Napa Valley College. INSIDE NAPA VALLEY | 21

22 | INSIDE NAPA VALLEY

WINTER SPRING 2019

BASEBALL From page 21

great time messing with each other.” Getting picked off was a baserunner’s nightmare. Don Kleid remembers playing first when lefty Neil Copeland, who had a great pick-off move, was on the mound. “I’d tell the runner on first, ‘he’s gonna pick you off.’ Sure enough, boom, he picked him off,” Kleid, who is moving to the Lincoln area, said. Forsythe, not known for his speed on the base paths, recalls the time he was picked off first by pitcher Jeff Schultz. “The guy that came up after me hit a lot of ground balls and I didn’t want to get doubled up,” he explained. “I had to get as big a lead as I could because I wasn’t the best base runner.” There’s no way they’re going to let me steal, he thought, taking an extra step or two in his lead toward second. Then Schultz struck. “It wasn’t even close. I took one step back (toward first) and let them tag me,” Forsythe said. Copeland, of Grants Pass, lived in San Francisco but moved with his parents to Napa for extended summer vacations. He wasn’t fond of the local ball field. “I just remember I hated that dirt infield. I was used to playing at ballparks with grass infields. I didn’t like playing games at night. The lighting to me wasn’t all that good.” At least two players, Rich Robertson and Warren Brusstar, both pitchers, made it all the way to the Major Leagues. Brusstar has a World Series ring as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies 1980 championship team. But one memory from the fairgrounds haunts him to this day. “I was pitching one night. Between innings I was throwing warm-ups from the mound. He (catcher) wasn’t wearing a mask. I threw a pitch and hit him right in the forehead. He dropped on his face right on the plate, like a cartoon. It really shook me up. I thought I’d killed him,” Brusstar said. The catcher wasn’t seriously injured and later told the Napa resident he’d lost the ball in the lights from the softball field adjacent and northwest of the baseball field. That was one of the few times a ballplayer lost a ball in the lights. East Bay resident Bim Coyle said when he played in the outfield, the fairgrounds’ poor lighting always kept things interesting. “You had no flippin’ idea where that ball was,” he said. “The ball could be hit above the lights,” Bill Hammaker said. “They weren’t very Summer/Fall 2019

bright and the poles were high. You could lose the ball.” The Olympia, Washington, resident had another vivid memory, the resounding boom when a foul ball struck a metal building that stood away from the right field line. “It happened more than once,” he added. Left-handed pitcher Jack Price remembers another sound, that of a ball slamming into the backstop – when he threw to shut up a heckler. “I recall a game when some old guy behind the backstop fence was raggin’ me for the first couple of innings,” Price said.

Pitcher Bruce Graves once threw behind a batter on purpose. The other guy had borrowed something of Graves’ and wouldn’t return it. After the wayward pitch, plate umpire Vic Anderson called timeout and visited the Sacramento resident on the mound. “I know you. You’re better than that,” Anderson said. Graves never threw at a batter again. And then, there were fights and nearhits. “Every now and then there was a fight, not often,” remembers Scott Goldie, now a Martinez resident who didn’t play ball but

Submitted photo‌

“When I went out to warm-up in the third, I cut loose with a hard fastball right at his nose. Didn’t hear anything from him after that.” “And it wasn’t the only time I had to use that subtle reminder that I don’t take kindly to that crap. Did it in high school, too, once actually wedging the ball into the metal wire on the fence,” the Wisconsin resident said. Loudmouths weren’t the only targets. Sometimes, pitchers threw close to hitters to back them off the plate, or send a message. Mike Kerns was a hard-throwing lefty and a good hitter. “I could only throw a fastball but it had a natural screwball, breaking into righthanders and away from lefthanders,” the Petaluma resident said. Kerns’ catcher got mad whenever a batter crowded the plate. He’d signal Kerns with a clenched fist, indicating he wanted him to throw close to the batter to make him move back. “A couple of times it went behind the batter. I wasn’t trying to hurt anybody. I was trying to brush them back,” Kerns said.

watched his friends’ games. “Usually when someone slid into another player. They would roll around in the dirt before they were separated.” One night, Jim Engle tried to throw near a batter, but the ball hit him in the back. Wrong batter. The guy had a reputation of settling things with his fists. “After this game, I’m going to kick your ass,” he promised an embarrassed Engle, who could only laugh, as a way of saying, ‘hey, calm down.’ The two had once been teammates and when the game was over, the batter reminded Engle of that and said his threat was made in the heat of the moment, the Napa resident recalled. There was no fight. Engle, was involved in two other memorable plays. Playing in right field one game, a batter hit a drive that sliced toward center. Engle reached out to snag the ball, thinking the catch was going to look good to the Please see Baseball, Page 24 INSIDE NAPA VALLEY | 23

BASEBALL From page 23

people in the stands. He grabbed it, but his glove fell off his hand. He picked up the ball and fired it toward second. But he was in too big of a hurry and the ball went right to the ground – just 20 feet away. Another time Engle blasted a hit to deep center field. It looked like a sure homer that would fly over a fence on the softball diamond. But his friend Steve Brown, on the opposing team, chased the ball down, caught it and fell over the fence. “I robbed him. It would have been a homer,” said Brown, who lives near Bremerton, Wash. I remember one fight in particular. I was in left field. The outfield grass was at least four inches tall. The annual fair was coming a few days later, and groundskeepers always let the grass grow long until the fair and the carnival were over. There was a runner on first and a sinking line drive came my way. It dropped a few feet in front of me. I pretended the ball was lost in the high grass and started frantically looking for it. The runner saw me, put his head down and ran for third. I picked up the ball and pegged it to our third baseman. We had the runner a good 10 feet or more. Except, he came in sliding like Ty Cobb with his spikes high. He kicked the ball from our guy’s glove, spiking the back of his hand in the process. The infielder jumped on the runner and they rolled around in the dirt pummeling each other until the coaches and umpires broke it up. The runner was tossed out, the third baseman went to the hospital for stitches and I was left thinking: ‘What did I just do? One night, Kerns slid into home but the catcher blocked the plate and he was called out. Kerns threw what he calls a “baseball fit.” The two shoved each other but “I didn’t swing my fists,” he said. Good thing for the other guy because Kerns became a budding heavyweight boxer and later trained for a time in Oakland with George Foreman. Ray Guadagni remembers when the catcher on his team got into a beef with the home plate ump and kicked dirt on his trousers. Napa resident Guadagni was amazed to see the player tossed from the game and the fairgrounds for his antics. “He got kicked out of the game and (leisurely) walked over the pitcher’s mound, through the outfield and beyond. He had to leave,” said Paul Vallerga, one of the league’s best players, now of Bend, Oregon. 24 | INSIDE NAPA VALLEY

Associated Press‌

Major leaguer Warren Brusstar, shown in 1984, was a standout in Napa Twilite Major League youth baseball.

Then there was the night Larry Tronstad pitched five innings of perfect ball, only to be taken out of the game by his coach. The 6-foot, 5-inch hurler injured his back after weightlifting a week before. Tronstad couldn’t throw a fastball due to the pain, but could toss roundhouse curves sidearm, which batters couldn’t touch that night. His dreams of pitching a perfect game ended, however, when coach Clarence Tye pulled him after five innings. “You looked like you were going to fall over out there,” Tye said. Twilite Majors wouldn’t have worked without the hours put in by many dedicated adults. There were coaches like Tye, Chet Mistak, Bob Bias, Hal Lunceford, Bob Lopez and others. George Fimby kept score for most, if not all, the games. Then there were umpires such as Anderson, Terry Hunter, Marion Snider and others. A physically disabled man, Snider did not let that stop him from umpiring in leagues throughout Napa. “In the pantheon of legendary Napa characters in those days, perhaps none rivaled (him) for instant recognizability,” Sunnafrank said. “Whenever we saw his one-speed bicycle next to that backstop, we knew Marion would be umping for us that night.” Snider was a pretty good home plate ump, several players recall. “He was challenged in many ways. He was a good umpire,” Heitz said. Forsythe agreed, adding Snider never called a strike on a pitch above a batter’s belt. And he always asked Forsythe how his father was doing.

Fimby, who had a disability and walked with a crutch, played a key role by getting scorecards to The Napa Register. The following day, a roundup of games and box scores would appear in the paper. “You couldn’t wait for the Register if you had a good game,” Heitz, now living in Fairfield, said. Walt Price, another current Fairfield area resident, recalls a post-season team dinner on the second floor of the Native Sons Hall in downtown Napa. The salads came with garbonzo beans, which Price had never before eaten. Curious he spooned several onto his salad. “Don’t eat those,” the late Joe Minenna said. “Why not. They’re beans,” Price replied. “They’re ammo,” the mischevious Minenna said, scooping up beans from neighboring ballplayers, then flicking them with a fork out an open window toward passersby on the sidewalk below. “After the salad, they closed the window,” Price said, laughing. “As I moved on to high school and American Legion ball, I missed the simplicity of Twilite Majors,” Graves said. “As the stakes were higher, we smiled a lot less.” Decades later, he said he can still hear the drone of the June Bugs, the sound of the ball hitting the catcher’s mitt and words of encouragement from the faithful few in the stands. “It was something I wished everybody could have experienced,” Forsythe said of baseball at the fairgrounds. “For me, it was one of those rite of passage things. It was something good to do.” Summer/Fall 2019

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FOOD TRUCKS OF THE NAPA VALLEY

Cindy and Juan Diaz Maria Sestito photos

TACO

ADDICTION MARIA SESTITO

What you’re eating: It all starts with handmade tortillas. Taco Addiction always has a variety of guisado (marinated meat) tacos on the menu including, birria – marinated beef with a recipe originating from Jalisco, Mexico – as well as asada (beef ), pastor (pork), and tinga (chicken). The tacos are then topped with fresh lettuce, tomato, onion and cilantro. Occasionally on the menu are tamales, corn on a stick, and enchiladas. Who’s making your food: Just one year after taking over Taco Addiction, a popular food truck specializing in – you guessed it – tacos, the truck is nearly paid off and the new management couldn’t be more excited. Juan Diaz is the official owner but his wife, Cristina – a Napa High School graduate – is the face of the business. They’ve been together since they were teenagers. “He’s really shy,” she said, but he’s passionate about cooking. Family and friends would always ask him to bring a dish or cook at their events, so the couple decided to invest in a taco cart. “We were booked April through September,” she said. The extra income they earned from the cart was used to fund their annual family vacation 26 | INSIDE NAPA VALLEY

to Mexico. During this time, Juan was working for a landscaping company and Cristina was cleaning houses. “His dream was to get a taco truck,” she said, but with four children to take care of, they had to wait until the moment was right. That moment came when the former owner – a friend of a friend – decided to sell. Now running the taco truck is their full-time gig, each of them putting in between 16 and 20 hours a day, six days a week. “We cook how we cook at home,” she said. “It’s all family, so we just have fun with it.” Cristina said that giving back and making a positive impact on others is important to

her. She previously volunteered at the water station at the ZERO Prostate Cancer Run/ Walk in Napa and this year, since she has the truck, she’s giving away 400 free burritos to participants. Don’t leave without trying: It’s a tie between the birria and the “puffy taco” – a hand-made tortilla that gets deep fried with Monterey Jack cheese and stuffed with your choice of meat, including birria. The birria taco gets crisped and comes with broth for dipping (like a French dip). Pro Tip: Vegan and gluten-free options are available, including soy chorizo with papas (potatoes) and zucchini stir-fry. Price Range: Tacos start at $2, Quesadillas at $6 and burritos at $8. The popular “puffy taco” is $3. Where to find it: Taco Addiction’s regular spot is in the parking lot of The Home Index at 835 Lincoln Ave. They’re usually there Monday through Friday 11 a.m. until 8 p.m., or when they sell out. Word to the wise: Although the truck does have regular hours, special events can take it elsewhere, so check Taco Addiction’s Facebook page (or call ahead) to see exactly where the truck is. Summer/Fall 2019

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Bryan Gray‌

OLE Health co-founders Placido Garcia and Hope Lugo, OLE Health CEO Alicia Hardy, OLE Health co-founders Lou Flores and Aurelio Hurtado at OLE’s new building ribbon cutting.

OLE’s new

HEALTH CENTER

Marty Orgel photo.‌

Cynthia Macias, a slimmed down Omar Macias, and Ali Macias.

M A RT Y O RG E L

Changing lives, sending a message that patients deserve the best

‌F

ootball, for Omar Macias, proved to be the final straw. While trying out for a community football team, The Saints, Macias realized he had to quit because at 300 pounds he just too heavy to fit into his uniform, which was the largest the team had. While disappointing, his decision proved to be a decisive moment. It became the motivation Macias needed to change his entire life—at just 13 years old. Summer/Fall 2019

“I tried to play,” the soft-spoken Macias said. “I couldn’t keep up with the team. I told my mom I can’t do this anymore. I have to lose weight.” And he has. In dramatic fashion. Now 14 and heading into eighth grade at Vintage High School, Macias shed almost 50 pounds this past year and weighs in at a relatively fit and svelte 252 pounds. And his new physique blends well with the huge Afro he sports, which must be the envy of everyone who sees it. He hopes to slim down even more. Macias credits his ability to lose weight and keep it off to the support he received from his family and OLE dietitians. He now eats smaller and healthier portions of food at meals. And he looks forward to his health care

appointments at OLE. “I like OLE,” Macias said. “The people there are really nice.” The now-healthier Macias could be the poster boy for OLE Health’s new Napa Valley Vintners South Napa Campus building; a $32 million health care center in the South Napa Century Center. He embodies the resolve, fortitude, and execution that OLE Health would like to see in all the children they treat. “We take care of 8,000 children a year,” said Alicia Hardy, chief executive officer at OLE Health, with 40 to 45 percent of these kids being obese. “It is an “epidemic,” she said. OLE’s new building was specifically designed to provide the best care possible for Please see OLE, Page 30 INSIDE NAPA VALLEY | 29

OLE From page 29

patients, especially for the childre, she said. Our care here is “under one roof, in a setting that was planned to be calming, peaceful, and reflective,” Hardy said. “This is a state-ofthe-art building.” SENDING A MESSAGE‌ OLE’s Director of Behavioral Health Jamie Bongiovi says that the building itself sends a message to patients. “The space has positive effects,” she said. “There is a lot of light and high vaulted ceilings that provide natural space.” Looking outside the windows, patients and staff see marshes and ducks. It is naturally calming and, Bongiovi explained, being exposed to sunlight is a natural anti-depressant. Designed and built over the past two years with major grants from the Napa Valley Vintners and others, Bongiovi said, the building sends a message to patients that “we care about you and you deserve the best.” Napa Valley Vintners was the major funder of the new OLE building. The Vintners help people by providing free or low-cost health care through OLE. “OLE is our single, largest grantee and partner,” Linda Reiff, President and CEO of Napa Valley Vintners said. “It serves one in every six adults and one in every four children in Napa County.” TEACHING CHILDREN TO TAKE CARE OF THEMSELVES‌ “Napa has one of the nation’s highest rates of obesity,” said Macias’ mother Cynthia, who is now a proponent of health care for children after witnessing Omar’s dramatic weight loss. “People don’t always see the big picture, or understand what obesity is,” she said. “Children need to start early and be taught and learn how to take care of themselves.” Omar is a case in point. He now cooks for himself. He eats a lot of fruits and vegetables, and he said, he loves cucumbers. Perhaps Macias’ greatest transformation now that he has his weight under control is his new sense of self confidence. “I was teased in elementary school about my weight,” he said. Now, heading into the eighth grade at Vintage High School, the hurtful comments have stopped. With a wide grin, he said, “I don’t get teased anymore.” 30 | INSIDE NAPA VALLEY

OLE Health’s new $32 million south Napa campus.

A garden area at the new OLE Health south Napa campus.

Jennifer Huffman, Register‌

The new OLE Health campus near Hartle Court in south Napa, under construction n 2017.

Summer/Fall 2019

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GETTING TO KNOW YOU

OLE Health CEO Alicia Hardy Best day off? Connolly Ranch with my kids, followed by a couple hours of self-care at the spa. Best day at work? Definitely May 22, the day I cut the ribbon to mark the opening of our new location, the OLE Health Napa Valley Vintners South Napa Campus. Why health care? Everyone deserves access to high-quality care, and that belief is behind every decision I make as CEO of OLE Health. Best run you’ve ever taken? The Big Sur International Marathon – so beautiful! Why running? It gives me time to think. Last movie you saw? “Toy Story 4.” I have three kids. Favorite beach read? A classic favorite has always been “East of Eden” by John Steinbeck. And I’m looking forward to reading a recommendation from a co-worker, the biography of Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson. Best vacation ever? Hiking through Machu Picchu in Peru. What did you enjoy in school? Philosophy and literature. Cats or dogs? Dogs. Special-occasion meal? The Seared Salmon Filet at Bistro Don Giovanni. Everyday, go-to meal? My kids’ leftovers. Sean Scully, Inside Napa Valley

32 | INSIDE NAPA VALLEY

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outside Art on the

Label designers work hard to match the wine artistry inside the bottle JESSICA ZIMMER

‌Much like the people who make the wine inside the bottles, graphic designers craft wine labels on the outside with years of experience and in close association with printers, artists, and wineries. They see their job as an opportunity to create an image for the wine that is tailored to the beverage’s price and customers’ interests. “Creating a label is very hands-on and very personal. I always consider myself part of my client’s team. I get into the project with them to connect their vision for the wine with their brand,” said Tina Carpenter, owner of Carpenter Creative, a Napa-based graphic design firm. Carpenter said she begins the process by meeting with the core team members and evaluating their project objectives and strategic goals. “For a line of single-vineyard California appellation Pinot Noirs priced between $20 and $50, the original label showcased a painting of a big cherry pie that the winemaker owned. For the brand Rocco Ceselin‌ refresh, I took the Tina Carpenter cherry pie, isolated it, and created a marquee image for the brand,” said Carpenter. Carpenter said she also designed branding details for the wine’s packaging to emulate “a seal that you would find on your pie box from the corner bakery.” “This gave the wine a sense of Americana and a ‘county fair’ feeling,” said Carpenter. DESIGNERS NEED TO KNOW INDUSTRY “SPLURGES” AND THE BASICS Tracey Nauright, owner of Round Like a Circle, a graphic design firm based in American Canyon, said knowing how the label is printed is important. “I handpick my printers based on the design, quantity, and budget for the label. You can add a Summer/Fall 2019

The new design for Cherry Pie Matt Armendariz‌

The old design for Cherry Pie Dan Mills‌

Courtesy of Round Like a Circle‌

Tracey Nauright of Round Like a Circle.

INSIDE NAPA VALLEY | 35

feeling of luxury with certain features, such as a beautiful foil stamp, embossing, and varnish. These have an extra cost, which you need to determine beforehand,” said Nauright. Nauright said her years of experience and knowledge of wine industry regulations help her make sure the label’s wording fit specifications for the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB). “The size of the font, its visibility, its readability, and the wording all need to be in line with regulations. There are things you just cannot say on a wine label, like, ‘This is the best’ or ‘This tastes like Coca-Cola™,’” said Nauright. Before starting her own firm in 1999, Nauright worked for Domaine Chandon and Chapellet Winery. “Since then, word of mouth created opportunities at Nicholson Ranch Winery, Mumm Napa, and Kent Rasmussen Winery,” said Nauright. Cynthia Sterling, creative director of Affinity Creative Group, a Mare Islandbased studio, said package design for the wine industry is highly specialized. Designers develop specialized expertise once they have experience in the category. “I’ve been designing wine labels since the late 1980s. Wineries usually change their labels every five years,” said Sterling. Sterling said she, as many graphic designers who create wine labels, has a Bachelor of Arts in graphic design. Typically, graphic designers in this category work with Adobe Creative Suite, particularly Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop. “I’ve been told my style is classic modern with a lot of attention to detail. I like to create labels that catch the eye. Also, Napa Valley wineries often want a “classic” wine label, which means a fresh version of a classic European wine label,” said Sterling. PRODUCING A UNIQUE LABEL REQUIRES RESEARCH Visiting a supermarket or beverage store is a key part of creating a good label, said Sterling. “You need to see what customers want and what the competition looks like on the shelf. You want to carve out your territory,” said Sterling. Nauright said research also involves drinking wine and examining labels. “My forte is a clean, clear label that doesn’t hide the information and is not too busy. When I present a label to my clients, I want to create a design that gives them a ‘warm fuzzy’ effect. That’s when a customer’s 36 | INSIDE NAPA VALLEY

Bryan Gray‌

The new design for Evidence. INSET: The former design for Evidence.

shoulders release and they seem calm and happy. I have given them what they’ve dreamt of,” said Nauright. Carpenter said she keeps up to date on the costs of certain elements of a label, including the cost of paper and inks. “A gloss varnish over red ink can make (the red seem) like lip gloss. I always come to the press to make sure the colors look right. I can be on press for 10 hours until the job is done,” said Carpenter. Carpenter said her work sometimes involves “repositioning” a wine to show an upgrade in quality or price. “For one project, Evidence Wines made by Jason Court, the recent vintage was made from 100 percent Cabernet Sauvignon grapes from Mount Veeder. The winery made only 300 cases,” said Carpenter. To capture the investigative look and feel of evidence, Carpenter chose a tall grey tapered label with cryptic typography. “The front label is minimal to reflect the new price point of this wine. The back label has the appearance of a case file with details such as numbering of each bottle and pick date information,” said Carpenter. The original wine was offered at $20 with a California appellation. The new vintage is $90 a bottle. “(The new design) reflects the vineyard-specific appellation and higher quality, smaller batch grape source,” said Carpenter. “NO TYPICAL JOB” AT THE PRINTERS A local printing press allows the graphic designer to be on hand to make sure the labels look and feel right. Dustin Mertens, sales manager of

Eurostampa, a worldwide printing press with a facility in Napa, said the 80,000-square-foot facility can create a few hundred to a few million labels in a few days. “There’s no typical job. We work with many West Coast wineries, those in Napa and Sonoma counties and those in Oregon, Washington, and even Texas,” said Mertens. Mertens said the cost of a single label can range from a few cents to several dollars. Factors include the cost of the paper or other label material like veneer, specialized processes like die cutting, embellishments like foil, and ultraviolet (UV) coatings that protect the labels from scuffing. “A lot of the cost is setting up the equipment. The paper also represents a significant portion of the cost. That’s another reason smaller labels are cheaper. For example, on some smaller labels, you can fit four instead of three across on the paper web,” said Mertens. Mertens said when a label is finished, printing can be done in a single day. “In order to get to that point, you go through a lot. The printing press works with the graphic designer and the winery’s procurement team. We discuss colors and addons like foil. We do tweaks, change the ink as needed, and make sure the image looks correct before we go to press. If something doesn’t look right, we make a new plate for a new label,” said Mertens. Nauright said although creating labels can involve multiple trips to the digital drawing board, she likes the fact that such projects have multiple components. “It’s like you’re working with a big puzzle. Although it can be demanding, living here for 25 years, I still get choked up (about) every single one of my projects,” said Nauright. Nauright said her passion for wine dates to her early years as a graphic designer. She even worked for free for a New York wine store just to learn more about wines and the wine industry. “When I lived in New York City, I had The Napa Valley Register sent to me by mail all the way on the East Coast to get a sense of the region. I found my job in the wine industry by sending letters to then-400 members of the Napa Valley Vintners. For me, it’s a dream come true. I’m a kid from Connecticut living in wine country, working in the wine industry. The end!” said Nauright. Summer/Fall 2019

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Primitivo grapes in the vineyard Colin MacPhail

C O L I N M AC P H A I L I’ve never bought a lotto ticket. People ask why not. I tell them it’s because I’m scared I’ll win. If you read about the lives of people who have suddenly become very wealthy, it usually seems to damage them, and those they love, permanently. Then we all have that other jackpot daydream, the “big idea.” They never work out because great ideas are a lot easier to come by than the grit and determination that it takes to see them through. But we do love our speedy rags-to-riches stories. The seem to be a part of our American birthright. I try to help wineries to become their better business selves, and it’s tempting to write down your big ideas for quick success and then hand in the report, pat yourself on the back, and leave. That’s what I did at first, but the only places I feel I have truly helped, involved me sticking around and slowly influencing change from closer range. This meant those ideas got advocated for, nurtured, and adopted. The ‘millionaire idea’ will rarely happen, so normally it’s a lot of small good ideas in our lives all re-aligned and done right time after time. That desire to provide a quick fix is not easy to dispel. Just lately someone sent me a PDF for their new wine business. I noticed the pitch and the content were discordant, so I started to edit it for them. It’s like an annoying tick or a compulsive habit I have. Luckily, I was able to stop, close the file, and send an encouraging e-mail just offering to help. If they want input let them ask. If they 38 | INSIDE NAPA VALLEY

do, they can have skin in the game and feel that their effort produced results. Nobody likes a knee-jerk Smart Alec. Having said all this, I’ve had my millionaire’s moment in the wine business. In May 2006, California state senators voted to make Zinfandel the official “historic wine of California.” Senator Carole Midgen had proposed it as the “official state wine” but that got watered back. In the end, Governor Arnold “I’ll be back” Schwarzenegger vetoed the bill and nothing came of it all. The idea of Zinfandel has value in California. My millionaire connection to Zinfandel occurred four years earlier. Dr Carole Meredith of UC Davis and some fellow researchers in Croatia were on the hunt for the origins of Zinfandel. Many felt it was the All-American grape but the thinking when I got in the business was that it was originally a grape called Primitivo from southern Italy. This suited the ‘Italians in California’ narrative so it was enthusiastically repeated. But a few, like Mike Grgich of Grgich Hills, believed Zinfandel might originate somewhere on the Adriatic Coast. The genetic detective work continued. There were enough exciting near hits, dead ends, blind alleys, shock parental revelations, and other dubious close Zinfandel relatives to make a 23andMe executive salivate. Plavich Mali, Grk, Plavina, Vranac and Babica, all featured in this genetic whodunnit. Finally, a vine known locally as “Crljenak” provided an exact DNA match in the laboratory. In 2002, Dr. Meredith sent out a press release declaring the origins of Zinfandel

located. I got the e-mail and immediately went online and registered www.crljenak.com. Couldn’t believe it hadn’t been snapped up in advance. I made sure my ownership information was made public and my details attached. I went home from work with a big smile on my face and said, “Get the new washing machine, buy the new car, we’re about to make it big!” As they days went by, I was spending the cash in my mind on various luxury items. Surely Ravenswood, Ridge, Grgich, Turley, Biale, Constellation, Sutter, Treasury, or someone, would come a-running! Soon I’d be sitting with a big fat check in hand. It turns out that if you were going to find the original name for Zinfandel, God’s gift to wine puns, then Crljenak was probably the least marketable name for the U.S. consumer that you could ever have come up with. In the meantime, they found an earlier version of Zinfandel in the same region that had been first mentioned in the 1300s. It was even less appealingly named, Tribidrag. No millions ever came my way. I let the Crljenak web address name lapse after a few years. Its value now is that it makes for a good story when I help some friends show their Primitivo barrel futures in Healdsburg each year. My only other consolation is imagining the sheer joy that some Croatian in Dubrovnik felt one day when he or she typed in www.crljenak.com and realized to their amazement that it was available. Colin MacPhail is a wine consultant and writer who lives in Calistoga. Summer/Fall 2019

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INSIDE NAPA VALLEY | 41

NEIGHBORHOODS

downtown A haunted

K I R K K I R K PAT R I C K

With Halloween on the horizon, little ghosts and goblins will take to the streets of Napa in search of candy and other goodies. If you believe in ghosts or other things that go bump in the night, you might imagine it’s a time of year when the spirits of the departed are more likely to be up and about. But in fact, local ghost hunters and experts on all things paranormal would have you believe that the ghosts that haunt buildings in the downtown Napa area don’t take any nights off. Ellen MacFarlane, assisted by Devon Sisk, will be glad to not only show you where the ghosts are, but also let you have a conversation of sorts with the departed. MacFarlane’s company, Napa City Ghosts and Legends, runs ghost tours in Napa,

42 | INSIDE NAPA VALLEY

Vacaville and Sonoma. The tours are an informative and entertaining combination of ghostly history, visits to haunted places, conversations with spirits and stand-up comedy. You get the sense the pair definitely enjoys their work. MacFarlane and Sisk recently offered a private tour of the old courthouse area in downtown Napa. “The courthouse is a beacon and a battery for spirit activity due to the events in and around that area,” MacFarlane said. Not surprising since many executions, including the last public hanging in California, took place in the Napa courthouse square. The infamous Billy Roe, who was convicted of killing Lucinda

Greenwood during a botched robbery attempt at her home in 1896, was hanged in a public execution on January 16, 1897. You can see the actual gallows used at the Napa County Sheriff ’s Museum on Airport Boulevard. The Greenwood mansion is familiar to most area residents, it’s the old house to the west of Highway 29 off Airport Boulevard. Of course, at the time of the murder in 1896, the house stood on a hill across the highway just south of Jamison Canyon Road where The Doctors Company stands now. Roe was the first known serial killer in the Napa area, confessing to 26 murders after his arrest. “We actually think the

WINTER SPRING 2019

number is much higher,” MacFarlane said. While Roe didn’t have a lot to say the night of the tour, he indicated his presence via dowsing rods held by Sisk. According to Sisk, the rods, also called divining rods and used to locate water as well as spirits, are a popular way to locate ghosts and even converse with them. The evening’s tour actually began earlier on the steps of courthouse facing Coombs Street. It was here that a one-time Napa judge made his presence known. Sisk used his divining rods to determine that the ghost’s initials were G.G. and that its first name was George. And sure enough, there was a George Gildersleeve, who served as a justice of the peace in Napa for many years in the early 1900s. “One night we were doing some investigating here and we encountered this spirit who told us that he had been a judge and that he was guarding the building,” MacFarlane explained. “Then he said he wasn’t an earthbound spirit which meant technically he wasn’t a ghost. He was able to go to the other side and come back. “He said his initials were GG,” MacFarlane said. “And his first name was George. When I returned home I got out my 1908 Napa directory and it has all the prominent people of the town, the judges, the mayor, it also has everyone’s phone number, occupation. I’m turning the pages and then I gasped. There is Judge George Gildersleeve, justice of the peace.” Sisk said he and MacFarlane had also encountered two ghosts involved in an infamous murder suicide at the courthouse in 1871. There, Fred Coombs murdered his wife, who had filed for divorce. After the proceedings, Coombs asked his wife to walk with him and then he drew a pistol and shot her twice before turning the gun on himself. His wife died outside shortly after. Coombs was the brother of Nathan Coombs, a name most Napans will recognize, who was Summer/Fall 2019

Kirk Kirkpatrick‌

The former Hotel Alexandria on Second Street in Napa, where murders occurred, is a very active paranormal site according to MacFarlane and Sisk.

Submitted photo‌

County Sheriff George McKenzie prepares Billy Roe for his public hanging.

the founder of the city of Napa. The tour then moved to the southeast corner of the building where there is a large grinding rock that was once used by the Wappo Indians who inhabited the Napa area before the arrival of the Spanish. I have been to the courthouse many times and had never noticed this large rock. “The rock was put here in the 1940s as a decoration,” said MacFarlane. “It was sacred to the Indians and there are Indian spirits here who are not happy that the rock was moved from its sacred location near the Napa River.” MacFarlane then pointed to a large tree nearby and reported that there was an Indian spirit standing there. “We call him ‘Chief,’” she said. “He never speaks to us but sometimes we hear horses or Indian drumming and chanting.”

The large boulder has also been the source of other strange anomalies. “One night, we saw a blue light in the rock and another time a red light,” MacFarlane said. Then we arrived at the approximate area where Billy Roe was hanged. In addition to the diving rods, Roe indicated his presence via an “REM Pod” and MacFarlane said, “Thank you, Billy.” A REM Pod is another of the tools paranormal investigators use to locate spirits. The device radiates its own magnetic field and will beep when that field is interrupted or influenced. Then MacFarlane shared an old story about the disposition of Roe’s body. “Billy Roe wanted to donate his body to science,” she said. According to the tale, his body was dried on the roof of a

downtown building and then was donated to the biology department of Napa High School. Even weirder, according to the widely circulated story, Roe’s skeleton was stolen in 1965. Roe said via the divining rods that he knew who had stolen his body but he wasn’t going to reveal the name. “He really doesn’t care what happened to his body,” Sisk said. MacFarlane and Sisk’s ghost tours cover other areas of Napa, what are some of the other haunted places in Napa? Lovers of the “rebob” legends will be delighted to know that Partrick Road was first on their list. “As far as Partrick Road is concerned, there is something distinctly paranormal going on in that area,” MacFarlane said. “It is our belief that there is some kind of portal in that area that draws spirit activity. I don’t believe in Rebobs, but I do believe in locations that harbor activity. There is something there but I don’t believe it is flying monkeys. “That particular road, like Mt. Veeder/Redwood Road, was a Pony Express stop leading to Sonoma, which is where the ‘Trail of Tears’ type massacre happened,” she said. “Also, Buena Vista Winery is close by, and that winery is one of the most haunted locations I have ever worked in,” she said. Please see Haunted, Page 44 INSIDE NAPA VALLEY | 43

HAUNTED From page 43

In my high school years, I cruised Partrick Road for one reason or another as did many of my generation. The old Partrick Cemetery lies halfway up the road, which you could visit then (it’s now on private property), but I never saw any ghosts, or rebobs for that matter. Without elaborating, MacFarlane said the grounds of Napa State Hospital, to no one’s surprise, are haunted. Also the road that leads to Soda Canyon, once the home of a renowned resort named Jackson’s Soda Springs. MacFarlane said that she and Sisk once saw a full body apparition on this road, which is rare. “Devin and I were driving along this road and observed what looked like a teenage boy all dressed in white walking down the road about 2:30 a.m.,” MacFarlane said. “What was odd was that he was walking slowly backwards, and glowing as if he had his own light. We stopped to look for him but he had disappeared. We have heard stories about a teenager that died while on this road in the last 20 years.” Another haunted place is Fagiani’s on Main Street, which is currently undergoing renovations. “We believe that the family still visits this location on occasion,” MacFarlane said. “But that they are not truly ghosts. What is left also is a residual memory of what occurred in this location, the murder of Anita Andrews in 1974.” MacFarlane said that long before this, Fagiani’s was called “The Thomas,” which had a boarding house upstairs. “We have picked up spirits from that a era, and it is my opinion that more than one suicide occurred in the building,” she said. The Noyes Mansion is another well-known building downtown that is haunted, said MacFarlane. “Years ago, I picked up recordings of disembodied voices. It was vacant at the time and we were allowed to conduct an investigation by the Realtor.” The Beasley House on First Street, now a bed and breakfast, was also investigated by MacFarlane and Sisk. “Our investigation uncovered not only ghosts, but a strange account of the all the owners that have lived in the home. The first was a doctor from New York, he worked at Bellevue Asylum. He had the home built for his wife, though they later divorced. He was also the county doctor and worked at Napa State Hospital, we found the ghosts of 44 | INSIDE NAPA VALLEY

Kirk Kirkpatrick‌

The iconic Migliavacca Mansion on Fourth Street in Napa, MacFarlane encountered a female apparition hanging from the ceiling.

Kirk Kirkpatrick‌

The actual gallows where murderer Billy Roe was hung in the museum at the Napa County Sheriff’s Museum.

children in the home,” MacFarlane said. The iconic Migliavacca Mansion on Fourth Street was the site of another full body apparition, according to MacFarlane. “I was 11 at the time and at an appointment. I was upstairs in the ballroom, and there was a woman hanging from the ceiling. Most likely the nanny, who they say committed suicide,” MacFarlane said. There are many other haunted locations in the Napa area. These include: Carpe Diem, which was once the Hotel Alexandria, Tulocay Cemetery, Sawyer’s Tannery, the Veteran’s Home, the Sharpsteen Museum, Flora Springs Winery, Castello di Amorosa, Villa Romano the Napa County Sheriff ’s Department, the Greenwood Mansion, the Palmer House, Chateau Montelena Winery, Trefethen Winery, Frog’s Leap Winery, Stag’s Leap Winery and Monte Le Salle. MacFarlane and Sisk have worked with several television shows and movies including the Animal Planet, Discovery Channel, Travel Channel, Creature Features, Monsters & Mysteries, Ghost Adventures and a film recently released called “The Haunted Wine Country.” MacFarlane described herself as a paranormal investigator and says she has been working in the field for about 25 years.

“I’ve also spent my life working as a medium, meaning that I can converse with the dead,” she said. “I’ve worked on several cold cases finding people that are missing. I don’t charge for my work as a medium, it’s to help families and the community.” A Napan, MacFarlane says her encounters with the paranormal began when she was a child. “My experiences began when I was four or five and I realized that the people standing around my bed were not living,” she said. “I come from a long line of mediums, my family is right off the boat from Ireland, and both sides of my father’s family have this ability.” “I lost my mother suddenly when I was 10,” MacFarlane says. “Soon after that, I began to try to reach out to the other side to find her. Since then, I have helped many families finding lost loved ones, helped law enforcement on cold cases, and have worked side by side with the Vacaville Heritage Council in finding information on unsolved cases,” she added. Sisk started life as a stand-up comedian at age 5, when he discovered his need to make people laugh. Sisk peppers the ghost tours with jokes and anecdotes. He began his journey into the paranormal after a near-death experience in 2003, in when he died in the emergency room and was on “the other side” for nearly 17 minutes. During that time, Sisk says he experienced what it was like to become a ghost, as he tried desperately to communicate with his family before going through the “tunnel” of light. From that day forward, he says his life drastically changed, and he began to delve deep into the paranormal world for answers. A paranormal investigator for 17 years, Sisk has explored all realms of the field, including ghosts, cryptids (Big Foot, the Loch Ness Monster and the like), UFOs, and has studied ley lines and life energy theories. Sisk went on to create a series of popular Ghost Walks in the Bay Area, as well as helped to organize and present paranormal events at haunted locations. In 2011, he met MacFarlane at a paranormal event, and the two became business partners and opened their first interactive ghost walking tour in 2014: Napa City Ghosts & Legends Walking Tours. The pair have since opened two other walks, Sonoma Plaza Ghost Walking tour, and Haunted Vacaville Ghost Walk, which is also led by the Vacaville Heritage Council. If you want to visit haunted places and say hello to the ghosts and spirits of Napa, contact the Napa City Ghosts & Legends Walking Tour at (888) 298-6124, or visit their website www.napaghosts.com. Summer/Fall 2019

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ACROSS 1 Criminals break them 5 Japanese form of wrestling 9 Stick a toothpick through 13 “Oh, OK” 14 Muslim’s holy book 15 Untouched 16 Laundry heap, e.g. 17 Bad news for a tax cheat 18 A single time 19 “The Satanic Verses” author (born in 1947) 22 Science Guy Bill 23 Sushi fish that’s always cooked 24 CBS and Viacom mogul (born in 1923) 32 Foundation 46 | INSIDE NAPA VALLEY

10 Adjust the pitch of

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33 Sweeping basketball shot 34 “Don’t delay!” 35 “Jeopardy!” host Trebek 36 Hip part, or a hip spot 38 Alpha, ___, gamma 39 Catch on to 40 Adjective follower 41 Interrupt at a dance 42 Former lead singer of The Miracles (born in 1940) 46 Word with “neither” 47 NYC’s Lexington, for one 48 One advanced in years, or a hint to the initials and life stage of 19-, 24- and 42-Across 55 Excessive publicity 57 Duckling’s daddy

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60 Roof overhangs

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62 Welcoming floor coverings

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DOWN 1 “Loose ___ sink ships” 2 Where over half the world lives 3 In good health 4 Appear to be 5 More vinegary

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(’50s sitcom) 38 Greyhound vehicle 40 “Open all night” sign, maybe 41 Tech news source 43 Prepares to be knighted 44 Assisted financially 45 Wall-climbing plants 48 Tiff 49 Not written, as a test 50 Wild party 51 24/7 pancake chain 52 The “Z” in DMZ 53 Birds that can be 6.5 feet tall 54 Wasps’ home 55 “Let me consider that ...” 56 House support?

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Adventure

two wheels JESSICA ZIMMER

The rewards of mountain biking in Napa Valley -- best parks, trails, and tips

apa County offers a wealth of parks and trails for new to experienced mountain bike riders, including Skyline Wilderness Park, Oat Hill Mine Trail, Moore Creek Park, and Pacific Union College’s Los Posadas forest. The North End Trail at Lake Berryessa Wildlife Area is also a good option, with its rewarding feature of 12 stone arch bridges. “The variety of trails in Napa County is really fantastic. You have everything, technical riding, climbing, downhill riding,

48 | INSIDE NAPA VALLEY

simple flow, and even jumps,” said Debbie Bloomquist, executive director of Redwood Empire Mountain Bike Alliance (REMBA). “Technical riding” refers to parts of a trail that offer challenges, like a rocky creek bed. The higher sections of certain trails in Skyline and Oat Hill Mine Road provide expansive views of Napa Valley. “At the meeting of the Silverado Trail and Highway 29 is the trailhead of Oat Hill Mine Trail. There you’ll find an old wagon road where you can see the wagon trail cut into the rock. You have 4 ½ miles of climb that take you to Holms Place (where) you can see what’s left of an old homestead and apple orchard. The trail continues for another 4 miles, with caves at the end,” said David Pruett, head bicycle mechanic at Bicycle Works.

Pruett is also the caretaker of Moore Creek Park, tasked with maintaining the park’s mountain bike trails. Some remote sections of Napa Valley parks, including Oat Hill Mine Trail, may be closed in early August due to fire danger and hunting season. The most accessible park is Skyline Wilderness Park, located in the city of Napa. Yet this park also contains extremely challenging trails, with “advanced, steep climbs,” said Pruett. “Los Posadas has narrower, slower, winding trails. It’s the best for beginners and intermediate riders. Moore Creek Park has flowy, not steep, and not too rocky trails for beginning and advanced riders. Oat Hill Mine Road and Skyline are advanced, although there are some trails for beginners at Skyline,” said Pruett.

WINTER SPRING 2019

Andrew Brooks, president of the board of directors of Skyline, said new and intermediate riders should be aware of their limits. “I often ride at Skyline a few times a week. I’m careful not to ‘ride over my head.’ Manzanita Trail and Bayleaf Trail can be very rocky and challenging. I always wear a helmet, carry an emergency kit, and take a basic bike toolkit with me,” said Brooks. Jake Scheideman, owner of St. Helena Cyclery, said mountain biking is safer and more fun with a group of friends. “You should stay hydrated and bring a good bike. The better the bike, the more it will help you to enjoy your ride. That way, as you improve your bike-handling skills, there will be fewer places where you’ll have to get off your bike. You’ll be able to ride through the tough spots,” said Scheideman. Two new trails are coming to Napa Valley this summer. Chris Cahill, lead planner at Napa Open Space District, said Conn Peak Trail, a 1.5mile trail that starts from Old Man’s Beard, and Whiskey Ridge Trail, both at Moore Creek Park, is supposed to open this summer. “These trails connect to each other at Lake Hennessey, running from the Shoreline Trail to the Alta Hennessy Trail. By winter, a new, one-mile mountain bike-optimized trail, the Catahoula Trail, will be under construction at Moore Creek Park. By spring 2020, over three miles of new single-track trail will open at Moore Creek Park’s Lake Hennessy unit,” said Cahill. Cahill said Napa Open Space District is also planning mountain bike trails for Suscol Headwaters Preserve directly adjacent to Skyline. “The trails will be on the ridge above Skyline, with a new trailhead planned at Jameson Canyon. We are currently negotiating with different neighbors over access. We hope to open this area in 2020,” said Cahill. Napa County Supervisor Ryan Gregory said he is raising money to build a pump track at Skyline. “It will be a very short, compact skills course comprised of banked turns and rollers (rollers being a series of humps in a trail). We’d like to put it near around the disc golf parking lot, to the left of the main gate. The issue is that the state owns the land at Skyline. This project would have to go through a lot of hoops to get done,” said Gregory. If Napa County is able to end its lease of Skyline with the state and purchase the Summer/Fal 2019

Ana Pimsler‌

park, the county would be better positioned to make park improvements such as the pump track. Gregory is looking forward to the overall growth and improvement of the Valley’s trail system. “The Bay Area Ridge Trail is planned to connect all of the ridgelines in Napa with continuous trail. A current project is to connect Moore Creek Park to the PUC/ Angwin area. There is so much potential for new trails in Napa,” said Gregory. Cahill said the effort to create this long system requires getting easements from property owners for the connections. “We are in active negotiations with PUC about formalizing public access through the PUC property,” said Cahill. Riders can help keep current trails open and in good condition by riding them responsibly. “You shouldn’t ride when it’s very wet. It doesn’t take much to trash a trail when it gets saturated,” said Cahill. Deep ruts can erode a trail, making it harder to turn and brake in grooves or soft dirt. Brooks said riders can learn what makes a trail safe and how to fix a worn trail by joining a volunteer trail repair group. “We go out together to insert drains and lens-shaped depressions that allow water to run off the trails. We also restore the land if there are tread cuts across the hillside,”

Jake Scheideman‌

said Brooks. Cahill said groups of eight- to 15-member volunteer crews spend half a day on the weekends restoring 20-yard sections of Open Space District trails. “We generally don’t hire contractors to make these repairs. Dedicated riders make the changes. They help save the district money and learn how much work goes into keeping trails rideable,” said Cahill. Pruett said he has learned a great deal from rebuilding trails, and sees it as a fun way to connect with other mountain bikers. “(Repairing helps you) develop a better understanding of the trail. You see that there’s a vision behind the way a trail is built,” said Pruett. INSIDE NAPA VALLEY | 49

Tim Carl Photography‌

Terry Gamble Boyer at the family’s Napa Valley ranch

An author

in our midst Terry Gable Boyer brings deep family history, love of place, to her stories TIM CARL ‌One of Terry Gamble Boyer’s favorite books when she was growing up in Pasadena was “The Secret Garden,” the story of a wealthy young girl whose parents die and leave her orphaned and lonely. Eventually, she finds solace and friendship within a hidden oasis. Today, Boyer, now an author and philanthropist, and her artist husband, Peter, have built their own secret place. Within the natural splendor of their Napa Valley ranch they have created a space where they and their family and friends can gather to become rejuvenated and inspired. But on Sunday, Oct. 8, 2017, flames surrounded the pristine retreat. Peter had left earlier that day, heading back down to their other home in San Francisco, as had their grown children who had visited for the weekend. 50 | INSIDE NAPA VALLEY

“I woke to the phone ringing,” Boyer said. “It was our friends telling me to get out now. I grabbed my wedding ring, a few family photos, my computer and jumped in the car.” Like many on that night, Boyer sped through fields alight only to look back toward an advancing wave of fire. “I called Peter and told him I don’t think the house is going to make it,” she said. “As I was driving that night I thought that everyone affected by that travesty is faced with a radical version of letting go.” Days later, they would find that the house had survived, but their relief was short-lived. Two weeks later, they learned Peter had cancer. Filled with equal parts sadness and resolve, Boyer had no question as to why she’d grabbed those particular items when she’d fled the fire.

WHAT MATTERS The question of what to take and what to leave behind is something that people who have faced advancing fire understand all too well. Many are forced to flee empty-handed, but those fortunate enough to have a few seconds often reach for a photo, a memento of a loved one, a family heirloom, pets and perhaps their computer. For Boyer, family and loved ones are at the top of the list. A cousin of the Napa Valley vintner family, Tom, Jim and Aimee Gamble, Boyer, too, is linked to the Procter and Gamble legacy. THE GAMBLE FAMILY Boyer’s father, James Neare Gamble, the great-grandson of James Gamble, the co-founder of Procter and Gamble, served in World War II as a member of the U.S. Army, fighting in the Battle

of the Bulge, where he earned a Bronze Star. Procter and Gamble was started in 1837 by an English candlemaker, William Procter, and James Gamble, a soapmaker born in Ireland, both of whom had emigrated from the United Kingdom and settled in Cincinnati. The company started small but grew quickly, eventually making soap and candles for the Union Army during the Civil War. By the 1890s, the Gamble family had built a large summer retreat in the resort town of Harbor Point on the shores of Lake Michigan. There the family spent the summers with many of the leading industrialists of the day. They summered alongside one of the largest populations of Native Americans in the state — mostly of the Odawa tribe — and a Please see Boyer, Page 52 Summer/Fall 2019

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BOYER

Northern Michigan, the story follows Rachel, an orphaned Native American from the Odawa tribe, From page 50 who is taken in as a charity case community of artisans who had by the wealthy March family. come to the area to service the The story is reminiscent of “The building and maintenance of the Secret Garden” and touches on resort destination. issues of social class, fairness, genIn 1906, Boyer’s grandparents der roles, love and the devastation moved to Pasadena, where their of war and its aftermath. home was designed by the Greene The second, first published in brothers and built by the Halls, all 2009, “The Good Family,” again of whom were at the forefront of is set at Lake Michigan, this time the Arts and Crafts architectural at a retreat for the old-moneyed movement in the United States at Addison family who summer on that time. Sand Isle. As an adult, the youngest family member, Maddie, loses an infant and is plagued by addiction, a failed marriage and a heavy burden of family expectations. Later, as her mother lies dying, Maddie returns to Sand Isle and confronts her and her family’s past. The most recent, “The Eulogist,” was released earlier this year. Unlike the others, this one is not set in Michigan but instead in Cincinnati and follows the Givens family who, cheated out of their family estate in Northern Ireland after the Napoleonic Wars, arrive in America in 1819 and settle on Tim Carl Photography‌ the banks of the Ohio River. The novel explores family dynamTerry Gamble Boyer in her writing studio. ics, political populism, religious Boyer’s mother, Harriet Seaton, Part of her observation was evangelism, industrial capitalism, and her father met as teenagers exploring the property looking for women’s rights and the struggle in Harbor Point and married in clues to her family’s past. for emancipation. 1946. By 1956, her father had “There is such a layering of established the Southern Califor- family history there,” she said. A TESTIMONIAL nia investment firm that became “I’d spend hours reading my TO GHOSTS Gamble Jones Investment Coun- great-grandmother’s letters and Boyer sees finishing a novel — seling. diaries. It was like family archae- much like the fires — as an act of The Gambles’ historic home ology.” letting go. was the only remaining fully intact “Finishing a book feels like example of Greene’s and Hall’s WRITERS WRITE having your children leave,” work, and in 1966 they gifted it Besides exploring, Boyer also Boyer said. “You have watched to the City of Pasadena and the found that she enjoyed writing, your characters grow, suffered University of Southern Califor- and she completed her first short through their agonies, loved nia. Now known as the Gamble story in fourth grade that she them, forgiven them and even House, the national historic site is titled “Bertha the Beetle.” learned from them. In that sense, visited by nearly a million people Eventually, Boyer’s rich family every novel is a eulogy — a testieach year and was the fictional history, a keen eye for observa- monial to our ghosts.” home of Doc Brown in the 1980s tion and her early experiences Beyond exploring the past, movie “Back to the Future.” informed and inspired each of Boyer and her family support When she was growing up, her three novels. environmental efforts that look Boyer spent time at the Gamble T h e f i r s t , “ T h e Wa t e r to the future. House but recalls that she “didn’t Dancers,” published in 2004, “It is more important than realize the house was that special explores the lives of two families ever that people who have the until later, although I loved the from 1945 to the 1970s. Set in time, talent and resources stay 52 | INSIDE NAPA VALLEY

sleeping porches and the fish pond.” She also spent summers at the Lake Michigan retreat as a child, and by the 1960s she and her many cousins were continuing the family tradition. “It’s a magical place,” she said. “Being there was like going back in time. As a child, there was no TV. We played games, cards, explored outdoors and I read. I benefited from being the youngest of 17 cousins — I was so invisible that I was always watching and observing, learning.”

involved, looking for solutions to what can seem like the daunting problems of our time,” she said. “Even small steps can make a big difference.” FIRE CONTROL On their own ranch, the Boyers employ organic practices, use Don Watson’s “wooly weeders” sheep and goats for weed control, and have left hundreds of acres as open space for oaks, native grasses and animals to live and thrive. “Initially we brought them [goats and sheep] on as a way to beautify the property and improve carbon sequestration of the land,” Gamble said. “But Don’s focus, even back then, was to highlight the benefits of fire control. And he was right. By removing much of the taller grass and bramble the fire was not able to spread quickly or reach the structures, but it was also unable to spread upward into the trees, which is what saved most of our oaks.” THE FUTURE BURNS WITH HOPE Involved in broader philanthropic efforts for decades, in 2015 the Boyers launched their own Caldera Foundation, to support environmental concerns. Since then, they have helped fund studies exploring improving the electrical grid, advancing science education and exposing the plight of veterans. “I feel such deep appreciation for this place, our family and this community,” she said. “The fire and Peter’s illness have put everything in perspective. He is doing well — the treatments have been successful — and nature is rebounding from the fires.” And as if going back to the beginning, Boyer is now reading more, taking more time to notice while she savors time with those whom she loves. “Letting go doesn’t mean the end,” she said. “Instead it can mean knowing the poignancy of each moment. None of us are permanent residence here, but we can each do our part. Everybody has something to offer.” Summer/Fall 2019

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Bonding OVER ART

The 2019 Oxbow School art program students, including author Zoé Murphy

Submitted photo‌

Zoé Murphy‌

2019 Oxbow School art students Lucy, Shira, Bailey, and Brie

Zoé Murphy‌

Oxbow School art students Bailey and Marly on an outing. Summer/Fall 2019

How four months at the Oxbow School changed our lives ZO É M U R P H Y

‌O

n a warm May morning in Napa, 44 students stood shoulder to shoulder across an expanse of bright green grass. All dressed in their most fashionable attire, their hair styled, and faces sufficiently buffed, the students whispered among themselves as the voices of happy parents, uncles, aunts, and grandparents hummed softly in the background. The culmination of these students’ efforts over the past four months finally came to fruition. After experiencing the innovative academics, launching into the intensive research, and diving into the vast world of art offered at The Oxbow School, the students each produced a distinct piece of art for their final project. A week of installations later, the art hung proudly in galleries, ready to be viewed by family, friends, and locals. After an emotional speech by the head of school, the faculty began introducing themselves and passing the microphone down the line of students. A shy introduction here, a boisterous introduction there, the students introduced themselves and where they came from: Texas, Rhode Island, Maryland, Vermont, Minnesota, Colorado, Georgia, two Maines, two New Hampshires, two Virginias, three Massachusetts, three New Mexicos, a few New Jerseys, a couple New Yorks and a handful of Californias later, the students started filing into their respective gallery spaces with their families following close behind. Presentations and lunch followed before the galleries finally opened to the public. As the audience trickled in, students could be seen standing proudly by their work ready to answer any Please see Bonding, Page 59 INSIDE NAPA VALLEY | 57

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BONDING From page 57

questions on their art and topic of research. Let’s backtrack to clarify a few key terms. What is The Oxbow School? The Oxbow School, located in Napa, is the only art-focused semester boarding program for high school students in the United States. According to the Oxbow website, their mission is “to create an interdisciplinary student experience that fuses the life of the mind with the skills of the hand, leading to habits of lifelong learning that cultivate and empower productive lives.” What is the final project? The final project is the chance for students to create an artwork based on in-depth research on a subject of their choice. The goal of the final project is to foster an ongoing dialogue between inquiry, research, writing, and art-making. Now back to the story. That warm May weekend will forever be a special memory. It marked the end to lively discussions about “What is Nature?” It marked the end to creating art in Oxbow’s large studios. It marked the end of being surrounded by the supportive faculty of The Oxbow School. It marked the end of the impromptu musical performances by the students. It marked the end of the late-night dance parties in the dorms. It marked the end of so many beautiful memories, and yet two fundamental aspects remained: our community and the change we instilled in each other. The theme of “family and home” found by the students at the Oxbow School was a strong influence throughout the semester. Emma C-H., a student from San Francisco, explored the theme of home in her final project. In her research paper, Emma states her meaning of home as “safety” and “comfort” and explains how she found a “second family” at Oxbow. She elaborates by stating that Oxbow created such a robust community because “we are bound by where we live [the Oxbow Summer/Fall 2019

Maria Sestito/Register‌

Bryan Meehan, a parent, speaks with Eloise Janssen, 16, of Florida, about her painting during the fall student show at The Oxbow School in Napa in 2015

campus] and our similar interests, because we influence each other, and because we have maintained a balance of sharedness, humility, and honor.” Another student, Jill N. from New Jersey, defined home as a space where she felt “supported and happy” with herself. When asked if she found a home at Oxbow, she answered that she “found a strong home here because of the people and the faculty.” These two students are not alone. Ayla K. recalls calling Oxbow her home when she was back in Santa Cruz for spring break. I, for one, believe that the phenomenon of finding a home and family at Oxbow does not merely stem from the fact that we lived nearby and ate together in the same dining hall. I, like Jill, hold that it goes further than just the students. The Oxbow program and its faculty deserve credit. From the myriad creative team-building exercises at the beginning of the semester to the engaging classes presented throughout the semester, the faculty of The Oxbow School work hard to create a happy and safe place for their students. I remember the very first full day at Oxbow. The faculty had set up large pieces of paper atop the tables in the sculpture studio, along with boxes of oil pastels. They then asked us to walk around the tables while creating marks as they gave various additional instructions. An hour later, we completed three masterpieces which hung on the wall. The exercise not only showed us our capacity to create, but it also opened communication

between the newly arrived students. From “Can you pass me the blue?” to “How should we arrange our paper on the wall?,” we started to become more comfortable with each other, thus completing the first step to creating a healthy community. The classrooms were just as enriching. Instead of lengthy lectures where only the teacher speaks, questions and discussions form the culture of the classroom. The questions and ensuing discussions allow each student to speak their mind on a subject, enabling them to not only to dive deeper into the ideas being explored, but also to improve their communication skills, thus allowing them to get to know each other. Through these and various other ways, Oxbow created a place of trust and safety and a community that every student who has attended Oxbow will carry with them forever. The community, the new people, the different ideas, they supported each student while also pushing them to grow. Jill N. said, “I became more confident with myself and my art skills” throughout the semester. She adds that Oxbow taught her the “importance of happiness” as she reminisces of the late nights in her dorm and the days out at the local swimming holes. Ayla K. echoes Jill in saying that her confidence has grown, reinvigorating herself to go after what she wants. Ayla says that she learned at Oxbow that “You don’t have to settle for less than what you want to do. You can always work towards what you want.” Bailey T. adds a thoughtful and

accurate comment. She explains that Oxbow showed her a snapshot of “all the different kinds of people that she will see, meet, and connect with” as well as taught her to be “super open to everything.” Ayla adds to this by stating that she “understands people better” and can see “different perspectives” after her semester at Oxbow. I find the last statements incredibly accurate. To be able to spend a semester close to people from around the country opened my eyes. I was used to “the bubble” of a small town. There is a sameness that permeates small towns. Our slang is the same; the teenagers try to achieve the same style; we all have similar habits. Oxbow allowed me to see outside of the bubble. I learned new phrases, explored different styles, and acquired new habits. From expressions such as “word?” replacing “for real?,” midi dresses taking over short ones, and going to grab a coffee, changing from the hangouts at the “Big Target,” I stepped out of my habits and opened my eyes to see beyond the small town. As the semester passed, I grew both inside and out due to the diverse people that surrounded me. At The Oxbow School, I found a family of different, yet like-minded, people. I now have and am part of a support system that stretches across the United States and encompasses all Oxbow students past or present. At The Oxbow School, I found people that helped shape me into a better more open person. From the supportive staff to the incredible student body, they built me into a better version of myself. Oxbow pushed me out of my comfort zone and showed me a whole new world. I would not be the person I am right now without this experience. Because of Oxbow, that warm May morning will forever remain in my memory. It marked the end of the most magical semester of my life, but it also marked the beginning of a life that Oxbow taught me to live the fullest. A life I now live outside the bubble surrounded by a strong community. INSIDE NAPA VALLEY | 59

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Gran Eléctrica’s Chef Ignacio Beltran is a regular shopper at the area’s many Mexican markets

NAPA VALLEY’S

Tim Carl Photography‌

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MEXICAN MARKETS

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here is a theme that rises to the top when you walk through the front door of Mexican markets scattered across Napa County. Everything, it seems, tastes better than big-box, corporate supermarkets. Especially the avocados. “I come here about every two weeks, many times just to buy avocados,” said Eden Ortega, shopping at the Azteca Market at 789 Main Street, in St. Helena. “I buy them for cooking.” Avocados, it appears, are one of the major draws at Mexican markets. Avocados in the big grocery stores, Ortega said, are small. “Here, they are huge. And they are cheaper. You don’t have to go to Safeway and pay full price.” The avocados he is buying today will be taken home where Ortega will 64 | INSIDE NAPA VALLEY

M A RT Y O RG E L simmer them in a tasty marinara sauce and then serve them with pasta. It will also be hot. Very hot. “I like it spicy,” he said. “More heat!” At the Valencia Market and Taqueria at 1725 West Imola Avenue at Jefferson, Juanita Saldivar enjoys lunch, and talks about her tacos between bites. This, she said, is not fast food. “I know these are made in house.” Referring to genetically modified organisms that are known to cause health risks, she added, “There are no GMO’s. I come here because I know it is healthy,” she said. Saldivar enjoys both the flavors of a Mexican market and the community. Born and raised in St. Helena, Saldivar spent a childhood where Mexican businesses were always a part of the picture. Yet, she said, the growth of Mexican markets across Napa is a fairly

recent occurrence. They were not prevalent in the 1980s when she was growing up, and now, “Mexican markets are all over town.” Alan Ramirez was one of several workers inside Puerto Vallarta Market at 1009 Foothill Boulevard in Calistoga. The market was busy, yet no one seemed to be waiting. There was constant motion. People came and went, and came and went, this busy lunch hour. Ramirez, leaning against the counter while answering questions, took it all in. His eyes scanning the market watching what was going on. Because a lot of business comes from word of mouth, “Customer service is a priority,” he said. “We focus more on our customers than workers do at other stores. Customer needs come first.” The pace of everyday life really does Summer/Fall 2019

seem to slow down once a customer walks through the doors of a Mexican market. Everyday tensions seem to melt away. Patrons are greeted by employees who know them. Conversation flows freely. Customer Kelsey Hertig of Yountville knows it. She came to Puerto Vallarta Market to meet her friend for lunch. Hertig said the feeling of community could not be beat. “I come here so often I know who works here. The familiarity is wonderful, and the food is great,” she said. Hertig had just finished lunch on the busy patio with her friend, Jean Filipelli of Calistoga. Both women work in the wine industry. “The food here is amazing,” Filipelli said. Along with great prices, Filipelli called out – really, of all things – the avocados. “I wish I would have bought my avocados here, instead of more expensive ones at the supermarket,” she said. “The price is great. And the ones here taste better.” Like any food industry calling Napa home, Mexican markets are becoming integrated into the fabric of everyday Napa life. They usually offer lower prices, convenience, and many times, even easier parking, which is a factor to anyone who has ever wanted to get into and out of a market quickly. Juanita Saldivar enjoys fish tacos at Valencia Eden Ortega, who was shopping earlier Market and Taqueria on West Imola Avenue. at the Azteca Market in St. Helena, is one Marty Orgel photo.‌ such person. The market’s large parking lot in the back is a major draw. “It is really easy to pull in here, get what I need, and leave. Parking is not a hassle here.” Mexican markets are also a mainstay for some Napa chefs. Chef Ignacio Beltran, at Gran Electrica at 1313 Main Street in Napa, comes to Mexican markets all the time for restaurant needs. He especially likes La Morenita Market at 2434 Jefferson at Lincoln Avenue, mostly for dry spices. He too has an avocado connection. Beltran buys avocado leaves for the restaurant specifically at this market because of their quality. He toasts the leaves, pulverizes them and stirs the mixture into his guacamole. Beltran also turns to Mexican markets for Marty Orgel photo.‌ more than avocado leaves when he is short Eden Ortega likes Azteca Market in St. Helena’s of other produce. He likes the extensive avocados and ample parking. selection of dried and fresh foods at Mexican markets, from spices to cactus petals, and fresh melting cheeses to, yes, avocado leaves. It seems customers always find a great mix of community, taste and especially fresh products at Mexican markets. As Ramirez at the Puerto Vallarta Market in Calistoga, Marty Orgel photo.‌ points out, “People come here specifically Customer service comes first for Supervisor from our produce.” Carla Arvalos and Alan Ramirez at Azteca Market in St. Helena. Especially, it seems, avocados. Dinorah Alejandra Arizpe Valdés, Dreamstime.com‌ Summer/Fall 2019

INSIDE NAPA VALLEY | 65

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For the

love of coffee TIM CARL

Napa couple bonds over the beverage of their dreams

‌H

earing Napa native Chris Vecera and his wife, Beth, talk about roasting coffee is surprisingly similar to hearing winemakers talk about making wine. A winemaker extols the virtues of how and where the grapes were grown, the fermentation process and which oak barrels were used, while the Veceras, owners of the specialty coffee-roasting company Naysayer, focus on where their beans were grown; how the “fruit” was harvested, dried and stored; and controlling temperature at every stage of the roasting process. Unlike some other local coffee roasters who have coffee shops — Napa Valley Coffee Roasting Co., Calistoga Roastery, Yo el Rey Roasting and others — Naysayer beans are currently available only through online subscriptions, wholesale accounts and special events (including the St. Helena Farmers’ Market). Customers and up for the adventure can pick up beans — whole or ground to order — at the couple’s small warehouse located on the southern outskirts of Napa. A SMALL FAMILY COMING HOME The couple met while attending Concordia University Irvine in Southern California. Chris had graduated from Napa’s Justin-Siena High School in 2007 and Beth grew up in Rocklin. In college, she studied theology and he studied philosophy. But coffee became their common interest. “Chris ended up working at Bodhi Leaf coffee roasters, but during college we both worked at Peet’s and found that we loved the camaraderie and craft of making and serving coffee,” Beth said. “We always talked about someday owning our own place.” After college, the couple married and started their family. They lived and worked in Southern California, where he taught and roasted coffee and she worked as an administrative coordinator at their local church. After their two children — Jaicee and Seamus — were born, the couple was at a crossroads. Should they continue on the safe route or take the risk of starting a new business? Summer/Fall 2019

Tim Carl Photography‌

Chris and Beth Vecera, have recently launched Napa’s Naysayer Coffee Roasters, a family-owned specialty coffee roastery. Their children are Jaicee and Seamus.

RIGHT: Chris Vecera holds a “cupping” class for coffee-lovers who desire to learn more about the complexity of coffee flavors and aromas.

“It wasn’t an easy decision, but it was really the only decision in the end,” Chris said. “We tried to get help initially with a Go Fund Me campaign but our goal was pretty aggressive and it never fully funded, so we ended up taking out a small business loan instead.” Then he added with a laugh, “We’re from the millennial generation, so what’s another loan to us anyway?” With their loan in hand they moved back to Napa, rented space and used their existing contacts in both Southern California and the Napa Valley to begin building their business. Less than two years later, they are fully functioning and receiving high marks from their expanding list of customers.

includes caramel, toasted graham crackers and even bittersweet chocolate flavors, which might be comparable to a winemaker’s adding a ton of oak to a wine. Chris said dark-roasted coffees can produce strong and intense aromatic profiles, but nearly anything reminiscent of the concept of “terroir” (where the beans were grown) is lost in the process. In contrast, lighter roasts result in brighter fruit flavors and can even have floral or herbal aromas. “We love a roast that allows the beans to show where they originated from,” he said. “As you roast a coffee darker, it pushes oil (gets dark and shiny), which tends to eclipse terroir.”

ROASTING COFFEE FOR NUANCE While many coffee drinkers lean toward A COFFEE STYLE CREATED WITH thick, black brews, Naysayer blends are lighter THE NAPA VALLEY IN MIND and often more nuanced in flavor and aroma “Coffee, like wine, can be many things, than traditional roasts. According to Chris, super-dark-roasted beans result in a coffee that Please see Coffee, Page 68 INSIDE NAPA VALLEY | 67

COFFEE From page 67

and everyone has their preference,” Chris said. “And when people — especially people in the Napa Valley who often have a great appreciation for flavors and aromas — get a chance to try our coffee, we think they will be pleasantly surprised.” To roast a coffee to keep its subtle nuances, temperature control is critical. As temperature is increased during roasting, coffee beans (like anything being cooked) go through a complex series of stages, each of which produces different flavors and aromas. Of particular importance is the Maillard reaction, named after French chemist Louis Camille Maillard who first described it in 1912. As a protein-based item cooks (beans, meats, marshmallows, etc.) its chemical makeup changes. For coffee beans, as the temperature increases, water is forced out along the way, gradually reducing the amount of caffeine and increasingly shifting away from the “original” flavor profile. “Controlling temperature during roasting is critical and so we use a high-tech roaster from a local company — the Loring S15 Falcon coffee roaster,” Chris said. “Not only are they one of the best roasters out there, but they are also local and much more environmentally friendly than many.” The Loring Smart Roast was founded in Santa Rosa in 2003 by Mark Loring Ludwig. According to the company’s representative, Angie Sparks, Ludwig developed the roaster in response to an unreliable and inefficient coffee roaster. Today, the company’s products are found in 60 countries, but they are still made in the Sonoma County headquarters, where they employ dozens of welders, engineers, fabricators and office staff from the area. “Artisan roasters like Chris Vecera at Naysayer tend to [use] Loring roasters because they are a streamlined system, provide precision temperature control, use up to 80 percent less fuel than traditional machines and produce drastically lower greenhouse-gas emissions,” Sparks said. THE COFFEE Naysayer coffee beans are sourced from small farms and producers around the globe. “All of our coffee is direct trade, which is basically a better version of fair trade,” Chris said. “[Direct trade provides] a flat rate that goes to the farmer, something like $0.45 per pound above the current market price.” He said that although they pay more for their coffee, it’s equivalent to paying more to 68 | INSIDE NAPA VALLEY

Beth

grape farmers who have and Chris Vecera and their small vineyards but are daughter, Jaicee, hold using the finest farmsome unroasted coffee ing techniques and beans. growing grapes that Tim Carl are often the base of Photography‌ the finest wines. Green coffee beans are delivered in small quantities to the couple’s warehouse, where they are roasted, blended and packaged for wholesale or for individual customers who order single bags or have subscriptions. Other local businesses And although there are light, are taking notice, too. Stone medium and dark blends availBrewery uses Naysayer coffee to able, all of the coffees have the make a Hoppee Beans Coffee IPA characteristic “light” roast, each with ($7.50 a pint with only eight barrels a complexity of flavors. made). Like a Napa Cabernet lover who first tastes “Naysayer and Stone share a thirst for qualone of the more delicate examples of a Bur- ity that comes through in our products,” said gundy Pinot Noir, the experience can be a little Matthew Faulkner, assistant brewer at Stone perplexing at first. The lightest roast, Punchline Brewing Napa. “Taking ingredients in a new ($17 for 12 ounces), has flavors and aromas of direction to surprise people is one of my favorstrawberry, cinnamon and roasted pineapple, ite parts of the job.” whereas the medium roast, Realistic ($17), And surprise people he has. The resulting tastes of ripe cherries covered in chocolate and IPA is rich and complex with myriad flavors dried mint. Their darkest roast, Ease Up (a and aromas that would have any beer (and playful nudge to get people to take small steps even wine) aficionados scratching their heads away from more typically dark-roasted coffee) in delighted astonishment. The amber-colored is smooth and has hints of milk chocolate, ale does have a resemblance to coffee with raspberries and hazelnuts. sweet malt, caramel and espresso aromas, but on the palate this beer has elements of fresh SOMETHING’S BREWING tobacco, sandalwood, maple syrup and dried The Naysayer approach to coffee brewing goji berries, finishing with a satisfyingly savory is not necessarily unheard of, but it is not dark-chocolate finish. common. And because of its adherence to Beyond these two venues, also look for focusing on the quality and subtle differences Naysayer coffee at Contimo Provisions, Louis in flavor and aroma, their coffees — both hot- Martini Winery, Forge Pizza, Silver Trident and cold-brewed — are becoming a welcome Winery, Tannery Bend Beerworks, Browns Valaddition to many local eateries, such as Napa’s ley Market, Shackford’s and Rockzilla. It will Bib Gourmand-Michelin-rated Gran Electrica soon be at Basalt, Velo Pizza, and Boardgarden. that serves three different roast styles, including a nitro-brew on tap as their iced coffee. STARTING A CONVERSATION “We are obsessed with it!” said Gran ElecWhy did they chose the name Naysayer? trica co-owner Tamer Hamawi, “We love to Chris looked at his wife and two children. support local business, first and foremost. If Surrounded by a tin-walled warehouse filled the product is of high quality and its hyper-lo- with the smell of roasting coffee and views of cal like Naysayer, it’s a win-win. The fact that a sparkling high-tech roaster and a few burlap Naysayer is also run by the loveliest husband- sacks of coffee beans from around the world, and-wife team made it a no-brainer for us.” he grinned and reached out to grab his daughBeyond the team and the general quality ter’s small hand. of the product, Hamawi also points to how “There are a lot of naysayers out there — the Naysayer coffee profiles fit with their food sometimes even in our own heads,” he said. concept. “Our goal is not to say that our coffee is better “We like its fresher, fruity and citrusy than any others out there,” he said. “We just notes,” Hamawi said. “It’s light but full of fla- want to be a voice in the room — to have a vor. It’s not like your typical dark-roast heavier conversation and let each voice be heard.” chocolatey style, but it has a higher acidity To learn more or buy coffee there, visit which lends itself to our cuisine.” https://naysayercoffee.com. Summer/Fall 2019

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INSIDE NAPA VALLEY | 69

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WINTER SPRING 2019

HEIRLOOMS in a bowl TIM CARL

‌T he year was 2003. Steve Sando had spent the previous few years mostly idle at his Yountville farmers market stand. At the time, his collections of colorful and oddly shaped heirloom dried beans were more a curiosity than a product people wanted to purchase. To entice would-be customers he took to placing an assortment of beans into a bowl. He found the prop nearly irresistible to passersby who’d stop, grab handfuls of the small, hard-as-rock fabiforms with colors that ranged from porcelain white to midnight violet, each textured differently,

from slippery to wrinkled and ranging in size from tiny BB-like spheres to those looking more like golden doubloons. But even with this new i n t r i g u e , s a l e s we re r a re . Although they were beautiful, no one seemed to know exactly what to do with a bag of uncooked dried beans that had unfamiliar names such as Wren’s Egg, Nightfall, Good Mother or Yellow Indian Woman. Or worse still, they might confuse them with other products. “Some people would walk by and say, ‘Oh look, roasted nuts. I just love nuts,” Sando said. “I’d

Steve Sando, founder and owner of the Napa-based Rancho Gordo Co. Summer/Fall 2019

watch in horror and try to stop them when they tossed a few into their mouth.” One day in 2003, Thomas Keller, who would eventually become Napa Valley’s first threestar Michelin chef, strolled through the market, pausing and pondering the bowl of beans. “He purchased a few bags of Vallarta beans that day — tiny and delicate and nearly extinct at that time — and then the next week he bought a few more bags,” Sando said. “As soon as he left, I was swarmed by people wanting to buy beans.” Eventually Keller served

Sando’s beans at all of his restaurants, which led nearly every other chef in the country to follow in his footsteps. “To have my beans served at the finest restaurants in the world gave the beans (and me) validation,” Sando said. “One day, Keller came to my stand, leaned in and told me that what I was doing was important. What a thing to hear!” That year, Sando sold 200 pounds of dried beans. By 2018, his Rancho Gordo brand was selling 600,000 pounds of Please see Heirlooms, Page 72

Tim Carl Photography‌

INSIDE NAPA VALLEY | 71

HEIRLOOMS From page 71

roughly 35 different types of specialty heirloom beans. Sando has not only grown a successful Napa Valley-headquartered business, he’s also transformed the way thousands of chefs, cooks and “bean freaks” think about sourcing, cooking and serving legumes. But Rancho Gordo almost never happened. STEVE SANDO Sando grew up in Marin in the late 1960s. His mother, a nurse, and father, a former illustrator at Disney, divorced early. Neither initially embraced the revelation that their son was gay and pudgy in a time when both were often considered more akin to a subjective character flaw to fix rather than an objective reality to welcome. After a few start-and-stop college attempts, he left home seeking direction and companionship. Time in San Francisco led him to a spiritual six-month trek in India, followed by Santa Fe, London and back to the Bay Area in 1982, where he found his first successful career at the newly launch Esprit clothing and apparel store. “Esprit had a big impact on how I think about brands and running a business,” he said. “By the time I was 22, I was overseeing million-dollar purchasing decisions and also how a company can run smoothly when employees are given respect and encouraged to be who they are.” The company also provided free Italian language lessons and had an office in Milan that inspired Sando onto his next adventure. “After five years, I moved to Italy with the intention of working at Esprit, but that didn’t work out,” he said. “But it did get me into radio.” On a whim that highlights Sando’s fearlessness and his heuristic method of self-discovery, he called Milan’s local radio station — 88.3 — and pitched a new 72 | INSIDE NAPA VALLEY

program that played American jazz and discussed cocktail mixology lore. To his surprise they accepted, and days later Sando’s voice could be heard over the Italian airways. “Had I ever been on the radio? No,” Sando said. “Was it something I’d completely thought through? Not exactly, but it was fun and people responded with enthusiasm.” After six months, Sando headed back to San Francisco but was “penniless” and again unsure of his next move. Bouncing from job to job he built a resume that’s comparable with many who lived in the Bay Area during the 1990s: a few tech startups, his own web design company, a music-review business and magazine, a new diet concept with beans as the key food, and various other fits and starts as he traveled headlong toward his 40s. “I was getting a little desperate,” he said. “I was having some successes, but nothing seemed to stick. At one point I just said, ‘Screw this, I’m moving to Napa. I’ll grow a small garden and work at Target.’” During those years, he also married, had two boys, divorced amicably and found a growing interest in heirloom vegetables. “When I got to Napa in around 2000, I planted some seeds that I’d ordered from the Seed Savers Exchange,” he said. “That year was nearly perfect and everything just grew. I thought my success was my innate skill as a gardener, but it wasn’t. It was just that in this place anything will grow. In reality, over time I learned I am not all that great a farmer.” That year, with an overflowing harvest of heirloom vegetables, he wanted to open a farmers market stand. First he tried unsuccessfully to procure a spot at the Napa market, but they had no interest in this new upstart with no track record. “It’s closed now, but Yountville was the scrappy cousin of the Napa and St. Helena farmers markets,” he said. “They took

me in with open arms, but once I’d sold out of all my tomatoes I was wondering what I could sell through the winter. So I put some dried beans I’d been growing into a bag and used Photoshop to make some labels with the image of a 1940s Mexican starlet and called it Rancho Gordo.” (he had purchased the web address and name for his failed bean diet idea years earlier).

some of the most obscure and rare beans are being imported from Mexico. Sando has found many of these uncommon products in small villages, and to help locate and navigate the challenges of importation, farmer relations and bureaucratic red tape he has partnered with XOXOC, a Mexican company that specializes in procuring and exporting heirloom products.

Tim Carl Photography‌

A bowl of Rancho Gordo beans that customers can touch is a popular attraction.

Through his partnerships and his own initiative, beyond beans, over the years Sando has published a half-dozen cookbooks and now sells herbs and spices, grains, rices, special salt to help soften beans, chilies and hot sauces. Other offerings include chocolate made the traditional way from cocoa beans — roasted on clay pans before being stoneground along with soft-bark cinnamon — or heirloom white-corn posole (hominy); Azul; sweet-sour or salty versions of dried prickly pear; and earthen clay bean pots that have been burnished by hand using quartz stones. “It’s really difficult to import anything other than bland hybrid crops grown for international markets,” Sando said. THE MEXICO “It seems to me trade policies CONNECTION often discourage genetic diverThe majority of beans Ran- sity and local food traditions, cho sells are grown on the West Coast of the United States, but Please see Heirlooms, Page 74 ‘BEAN FREAKS’ Since its launch, Rancho Gordo has grown into a bean phenomenon that has thousands of fans whom Sando refers to lovingly as “bean freaks.” Over the years, he’s found that his most adventurous customers are always on the hunt for the new and rarest of beans. “A few years ago we started a bean club — sort of like a wine club — almost as a joke,” he said. “But it took off so fast — up to 5,000 — that we had to cut it off, and now we have 1,200 on the waiting list.” Members of the bean club receive products and beans that are not available to the general public, often because of limited quantities.

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WINTER SPRING 2019

INSIDE NAPA VALLEY | 73

Tim Carl Photography‌

HEIRLOOMS From page 72

but by partnering with XOXOC we work directly with the local farmers so they can continue growing heritage crops. The way I look at it, by creating a market for these products we’re encouraging the preservation of local traditions.” HIS OWN TARIFFS For the products sourced from Mexico, Sando has recently increased prices 5 percent. Writing in his blog, he explains: “Our government recently decided to threaten a 5 percent tariff on imports from Mexico, with the fees escalating up to 25 percent. Five percent doesn’t sound like much, but you have to realize the beans are a food crop. They’ve been growing for six to nine months, followed by cleaning and packaging, and they’ve been planned long before that. It’s taken us years to develop these relationships, and these actions have [already] taken their toll. “ In re s p o n s e … [ R a n c h o Gordo] is adding a 5 percent charge to all of our Mexican imports and donating this money, 100 percent, to No More Deaths, a nonprofit that provides humanitarian aid to migrants and refugees, focusing on the deadly Arizona border.” THE BEANS Writing in his first book, “Heirloom Beans,” Sando extols the many benefits of the humble 74 | INSIDE NAPA VALLEY

bean but recognizes that if they didn’t taste good he’d have no interest: “ … h e i r l o o m b e a n s a re romantic, beautiful and good for the soil and the body. What’s not to like? The reality is that if they tasted ordinary, none of this would much matter to me. I’m happy to eat healthy food, but if it tastes like dirt…there’s not much point. The real magic of these beans is the flavor.” Bucking the current pressure-cooker “Instapot” trend, Sando says that using one reduces the quality of the “pot liquor” (broth) and suggests cooking beans in a slow cooker set on high for four to six hours, covered with 2 inches of water, a dash of salt, a sautéed chopped white onion with minced garlic, oregano and olive oil is all that is needed. Others add in lard, bay leaf (or avocado leaf ), spices and a host of other additions. As an experiment, I cooked various beans using a host of techniques and recipes. My results suggest that Sando is correct regarding the bean broth. My Instapot is just too fast (26 minutes) to produce the viscous and intensely flavored liquor that results from hours on the stove (set on low for five to six hours) or my slow cooker (set at high for five to eight hours, depending on the size of the bean). Unlike most store-bought beans that have languished in storage or on a store shelf for years, Rancho Gordo beans are little more than a year from their harvest, so soaking the dried beans in water for an hour before

The Rancho Gordo team prepares dried beans at Rancho Gordo Napa’s warehouse.

cooking is optional. After a dozen experiments and taste tests with family and friends, I found it a little hard to accept that the best method for any of the beans tested — the chewy-chocolaty Rio Zape, creamy Corona, the barbecue-ready white lima, super-tender Marcella (actually Sorana, which is a cannellini, but Sando named this after his deceased friend and inspiration, Marcella Hazan, the author of “Classic Italian Cooking”), or the pinnate-flavored and fluffy Yellow Indian Woman or the dense and earthy Moro — is to simply soak them in clean cold water for one hour, rinse thoroughly, add 3 inches of water over the beans and cook for six to eight hours on high in a Crockpot. The result is a surprisingly rich bean broth and plump beans that have nuanced flavors and a mind-boggling range of textures — from whipped-cream fluffy to beefsteak chewy depending on type. When I served the beans to my family, they, too, were surprised. My millennial daughter, who is equally concerned about the environment and frivolous spending, was particularly intrigued. “This might be my favorite,” she said, thoughtfully chewing on a large Corona bean that I’d added into our stir-fry instead of another type of protein. My wife and I nodded in agreement. “You know that if everyone switched from eating beef to eating beans the U.S. could almost

meet greenhouse-gas emission goals,” she said. We ate for a while in silence, pondering her words, and I was equally surprised by the interplay between flavors — soy sauce with beans and bok choy, delicious. “How much do these cost,” she asked. I explained that most Rancho Gordo beans cost around $6 a pound, which, according to Sando, makes 6 cups of cooked beans. “Wow — we should eat more beans,” she said, almost exasperated. “If we did, we’d cut down on our grocery bills, eat healthy, tasty food and help improve our environment with one simple dietary change.” And Thomas Keller seems to agree. In the forward to “Heirloom Beans,” Keller writes: “Beans have sadly not reached the same fervor and acceptance in the United States [as other food products], which I find unfortunate. This is why I give my support to Steve and his pursuit of bringing heirloom beans to the fore. His efforts make me feel hopeful on several levels: 1) that his work will help beans find the rightful niche in our culture that they deserve; 2) that on the agricultural level he will continue to generate more attention to the importance of sustainable farming…; and finally, 3) that after reading ‘Heirloom Beans,’ his readers will come away with an understanding of why we are committed to helping him spread the word and why we give Rancho Gordo beans a place of honor at our restaurants.” Summer/Fall 2019

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WINTER SPRING 2019

A family

collaboration JIMMY HAYES / JBH Photo

Ann Baker, Larkmead Vineyards

Parents, daughter work together at Larkmead Vineyards JESSICA ZIMMER j es s i cazi mm e r uf @g m ai l. com Larkmead Vineyards, located at the southern end of the Calistoga AVA, produces smooth, complex wines in an idyllic setting enhanced by landscape architect Ann Baker, daughter of vineyards and winery co-owner Kate Solari Baker. For 20 years, Baker has worked with her parents’ blessing to improve the ecology and soil on Larkmead’s 110 acres of vineyards and surrounding landscape and gardens. As a child, Ann Baker spent summers at Larkmead and said her relationship with her parents has been a factor in creating a healthy and diverse estate. Now, the vineyard is moving toward Summer/Fall 2019

organic certification, and the vines are thriving without harmful pesticides and herbicides, she said. “I love this landscape that I grew up with,” Baker said. “My readings in historical ecology, a field that focuses on humans and their interaction with the natural environment over time, have taught me that the Napa Valley has this incredible fertility. For years, farming practices harvested that fertility. Now we’re putting that fertility back into the soil. Things are starting to work together naturally.”

estate cut through by the Napa River and Selby Creek, began as a stone winery built in 1884 by S.P. Connor. It was purchased in 1892 by Lillie Hitchcock Coit, for whom Coit Tower in San Francisco is named. In 1903, the Salmina family from Switzerland bought the winery and vineyards, but abandoned the winery in the early days of Prohibition. Larry Solari, from Italy, purchased the winery in 1948. In 1993, Kate Solari Baker and her husband Cam Baker took over the property. They realized many of the vines, like the Chardonnays, were inappropriate for LARKMEAD BEGINNINGS the climate. Larkmead, a valley floor “We changed virtually every

block on the property,” said Solari Baker. “Over time, we found that Larkmead is the perfect place for Bordeaux varieties.” Ann Baker continued visiting Larkmead as her parents were replanting the vineyards. In 1995, she earned a Master’s of Landscape Architecture at UC Berkeley. “During and after school, I got a job in Golden Gate Park doing erosion control and restoration of natural areas,” Baker said. The experience taught her how to preserve Larkmead in the late 1990s. “At the part of the vineyard Please see Family, Page 78 INSIDE NAPA VALLEY | 77

JIMMY HAYES / JBH Photo‌

Panoramic view of Larkmead Vineyards in Calistoga

FAMILY From page 77

where the Napa River and Selby Creek come together, there were a lot of non-native plants, which allowed the blue-green sharpshooters to pass through the winter,” Baker said. “(The insects would then) bite the vines, infecting them with Pierce’s Disease.” Baker, who was then working at her own landscape design firm in Oregon, started coming down to Larkmead with work crews. “We had maybe 1,100 dead vines that had to be removed,” said Kate Solari Baker. Solari Baker and husband Cam employed their daughter as a consultant for this project. They also asked her to take out the invasive plants along the waterways and plant native plants. Along the way, Baker remade the banks of the Napa River to improve erosion control. In 2005, Baker began the Selby Creek restoration projects with key neighbors Laurie and Tom Shelton and Chris Johnson. “We organized 13 neighbors into a larger project called Selby Creek Watershed Partners. We restored the reach of Selby Creek along the valley floor for steelhead habitat and native plant species. Ornithologists gave us direction on how to improve bird habitats,” Baker said. NEW WINERY BUILT‌ Also in 2005, Cam Baker and Solari Baker decided to build a winery. They hired their daughter to design and manage the 78 | INSIDE NAPA VALLEY

JIMMY HAYES / JBH Photo‌

Kate Solari Baker and Cam Baker, Larkmead Vineyard

tasting room gardens and winery landscape. “When Cam and I built the winery in 2005, it was very important to us that the garden reflect our philosophy and our location, where we are in the valley,” said Solari Baker. “We wanted to use native plants. Ann was clearly well informed about that. I love working with her. It was lovely to have a family member participate in the business.” Baker said the restoration and hedgerow plantings she started in 1999 have continued. They have evolved into an ongoing effort to reduce water use, plant the vineyard avenues with native grasses, and plant insectaries. Insectaries are spots that contain vegetation for beneficial insects that prey on crop pests. “Native grasses act like a filter. They reduce runoff of nutrients before the water makes its way to the Napa River and Selby Creek. I planted ditches like the

one on Larkmead Lane with native grasses, sedges, and rushes. I also increased insectary plantings along the edges and borders of the vineyards, lessened tilling, and transitioned away from glyphosate, a pesticide,” said Baker. She credits her parents with giving her the chance to learn from the land. “One of the nice things for me professionally … is that I’ve been able to engage with this landscape for over 25 years. My family’s really given me the leeway to experiment with a lot of things,” she said. FOUR GENERATIONS‌ As Kate Solari Baker continues to work with her daughter at Larkmead, she draws on her own mother’s writings to create innovative art pieces. Her newest series is called “Keeping Accounts.” These recent pieces are based on her mother’s old account

ledgers. Kate’s mother, Polly Solari, was Larkmead Vineyards’ manager in the 1950s. “She kept all the books,” said Solari Baker. “She wrote the accounts in these big beautiful cloth-bound ledgers, with names of the people who worked on the property and their hours and wages. Mother was big on the bottom line.” Over time, Polly Solari’s ledgers found their way to the “designated junk drawer” in a back bedroom of the family house. Solari Baker found the ledgers one day by accident. “I’m now using them as a basis for collaging,” she said. “I go online and print a Google map of the Napa Valley. Then I’ll take a portion of that map and recreate it with chalk pastels. I use mixed media in the ledger works, stamps, collage, acrylic and watercolor paint to remake a Google map image on Mother’s ledger paper.” Solari Baker, who has also worked in oil paint, said she thinks her mother would be “totally tickled” by the series. “My mom was always very enthusiastic about my artwork. I think she’d get a big kick out of it, because it’s her work as well as my work,” she said. Solari Baker said the generational bonds at Larkmead continue to strengthen. “Ann brings her daughter up here, who is only 10,” said Solari Baker. “My sons’ children, who are in their 20s, have worked here in the summers. All of them are very interested in Larkmead. Cam and I are very happy about that.” Summer/Fall 2019

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BROTHER AND SISTER ACT David Eakle and Diana Hawkins run wine operation in Pope Valley D AV I D S TO N E B E RG e d i tor @s the le nas tar. com‌ ‌David Eakle and his sister, Diana Eakle Hawkins, are pretty busy — they run two companies and a winery, all in Pope Valley. Their father, Sam, is the sole owner of Eakle Construction & Trucking, which he established in 1974. He runs it with David and Diana. David and Diana started Eakle Vineyard Management LLC two years ago, to provide vineyard management and farm labor to remote areas of Napa County, and to Lake and Solano counties; Also in 2017, Sam, David and Diana bought out family partners in the Pope Valley Winery, which was established more than 120 years ago. David and Diana are third generation from Pope Valley and the fifth generation in the Napa Valley. David is director of production. Diana is general manager. “I remember being at this winery under a previous owner as a little girl, about 4 or 5, running around in the cellar,” Hawkins said. “To us, growing up here, being stewards of the history and this valley, it’s nice (for the history) to be showcased. And we are showcasing the grapes, terroir, vineyards and the experience to other people.” First stop on a recent spring tour was in the cellar, hand-dug into a hillside. Swiss immigrant Ed Haus, a blacksmith by trade, bought a farm in Pope Valley in 1882 and opened a blacksmith shop. It took Haus nine years to dig the cellar and build the winery. In 1897, he and his wife established Burgundy Winery & Olive Oil Factory. “It was set up as a three-story, gravity flow winery,” Hawkins said. The grapes were hauled to the top story and crushed there. They went down a chute to the second story, where the wine was fermented in big redwood tanks and the grapes went down another chute to be put in barrels for aging. HUGE BEAMS USED‌ The cellar and winery includes huge beams that were brought by wagon from the Oat Hill Quicksilver Mine, which borders Napa and Lake counties. The 40-by-60 foot cellar was seismically retrofitted in the early 1990s. “This is where they barrel-aged their wines and where we still barrel-age them today,” Summer/Fall 2019

Bob Rider photo‌

Diana Eakle Hawkins is general manager. Her brother, David Eakle, is production director at the Pope Valley Winery, which they bought with their father, Sam, about two years ago. The sister and brother, who are 17 months apart, have always been close.

If you go Pope Valley Winery 6613 Pope Valley Road Pope Valley 965-1246 Popevalleywinery.com Hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily; closed on major holidays

Hawkins said. Eakle said it’s always challenging to make wines with an older facility, although as a 100-year-old building, the temperature stays pretty consistent at 58 degrees. “Right now, we are just getting the wines through ML (malolactic fermentation) from the last harvest, because the cellar is so cold,” he said. “In the winter, it is even colder.” On that spring day at the end of May, they had pulled barrels out from the cellar to warm them up, so the malolactic fermentation could finish. The cellar holds 300 barrels and the 2017

vintages of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Sangiovese will be released in some 18 months, after being bottled and aged. The 2018 vintage wines, also in barrels in the cellar, will be racked and then aged in barrels, before being bottled and aged. Today, total production is just less than 5,000 cases a year. The winery’s holdings include two estate vineyards in Pope Valley planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Zinfandel, Sangiovese, Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc and Petite Verdot. During a luncheon and wine tasting, Eakle poured estate wines, either from the four acres of grapes grown on the 40-acre property on Pope Valley Road, or from the Eakle Ranch on Hardin Road, which has 60 acres of grapes planted. “The cool thing about us is we have our own trucking company and people to harvest our fruit, so we literally call the pick. We Please see Pope Valley, Page 82 INSIDE NAPA VALLEY | 81

POPE VALLEY From page 81

pick the next day, or that night, drive it down the road five miles, process the fruit there, ferment it and then after that, we have our own bottling facility here, so we are very streamlined in our production,” Eakle said. It gives them David Stoneberg, Star‌ “the ability to do things when we A massive oak tree towers over the 120-year-old buildings that make up want to do them, when it is best the Pope Valley Winery, first established in 1897 by Ed and Bertha Haus. for our wine, which makes it unique,” he added. Hawkins jumped in, “We farm not only for ourselves but for other companies as well. We created the company (Eakle Vineyard Management LLC) because we found we were needing more good labor and more reliable labor.” She added that the end product, the wine, is dependent on how the grapes are farmed. BLACKSMITH SHOP‌ The next stop on the tour was Ed Haus’ intact blacksmith shop, complete with tools on the walls. “This is the place where if your wagon wheel broke, or something broke around the winery, you’d fix it,” Hawkins said. The smithy had to forge iron to make the repairs. “We’re lucky enough to preserve that history and keep it for other people to see,” she added. “This year, we’re hoping to bring in a blacksmith to do our own demonstrations, once or twice,” Hawkins added. “We have a list of different blacksmiths.” Unusually, Pope Valley has another historic blacksmith shop, owned and maintained by the Napa County Historical Society. It was opened more than 100 years ago by Ed’s brother, Henry, and is next to the Pope Valley Garage and across from the grocery store. BOOTLEGGERS‌ With a winery that’s 122 years old, there are bound to be family stories. One of them is from Prohibition. Ed Haus’ son, Sam, served in the military and was friends with Chicago gangster 82 | INSIDE NAPA VALLEY

Submitted photo‌

The brother-and-sister team of David Eakle and Diana Eakle Hawkins own and operate the Pope Valley Winery, which was established in 1897. They produce about 5,000 cases of wine per year, primarily from two Pope Valley vineyards.

Al Capone. The winery used a horse cart to transport its wines to Napa, where it was put on a train and shipped to Chicago, to be served in Capone’s speakeasies and brothels. Hawkins said Haus sold wine to Capone for a while, “then he realized it was not the best life choice to continue bootlegging for the Capone family.” POPE VALLEY NATIVES‌ Hawkins and Eakle grew up in Pope Valley and are 17 months apart. Both went to California State University, Chico, graduating with bachelor’s degrees in Agricultural Business. Diana is a 2006 grad, David graduated a year later. “We were always very close growing up,” Eakle said. But, as with all children, the two had squabbles. “I think my dad had had it one day and he said, ‘Just so you know, when I’m gone,

your sister is going to be the only person you can rely on. You can have friends, you can have other people in your life, but the only person you can really, 100 percent rely on, is your sibling.” Sam’s advice has stuck with them both. “I remember it to this day,” Eakle said. His sister adds, “I tell it to my kids.” Hawkins lives in Middletown with her husband Justin, a Cal Fire bulldozer operator, and three children: Jon, 11, Owen, 9, and Grace, 4. Eakle lives a short drive from the winery with his wife Kilee Lockwood, their daughter Ryen, 6, son Chet, 5, and dogs KC and Gus. ENJOY YOURSELF AND RELAX‌ Pope Valley Winery is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., seven days a week, and no appointments

are needed for general wine flights. Hawkins said they offer seated experiences in the second story of the cellar, where wines are paired with cheeses, for example. “We encourage people to bring a picnic lunch, come out, eat, play a game of bocce, grab a glass of wine, and really enjoy themselves, the surrounding vineyards, the history and the experience,” Hawkins said. “I feel like we’re the embodiment of how the wine industry started, where you can take a glimpse of how everything began in the Napa Valley. Enjoy yourself, relax, learn about the wines, the grapes and experience the wine and terroir. Experience everything that embodies Napa Valley.” The two are creating a boutique winery, which Eakle defines as making less than 10,000 cases. They work closely with their small staff, which includes Garrett Cosenza, winemaker; Sam Theodorou, tasting room manager; Kenny Werle, wine club manager and Elizabeth Phillips, national sales and marketing director. From 2008-2015, Eakle was acting winemaker, learning from winery consultant Shaun Richardson. To him, making boutique wines is attractive “because you’re making smaller lots and you have your hands on every lot. You get any bigger than that and you’re losing touch,” he said, bringing up questions: Where are the barrels and what fruit is being brought in? Being smaller, Eakle said he has control over the products. “It’s nice to focus on specific lots and specific programs and make that wine to go into that program.” For Hawkins, a boutique winery is about having connections. “We have wine club members who have been members for 10-12 years,” she said. “They have seen the winery grow and David and I grow along with the winery. It is an amazing thing to have these connections with people who support you and love your wine.” Summer/Fall 2019

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4IN ONE restaurants

A visit to St. Helena’s Goose & Gander TIM CARL

Since taking over St. Helena’s Martini House restaurant space in 2012, Goose & Gander has consistently provided Napa Valley residents and guests with cozy digs in which to enjoy nonfussy, rustic American pub-style fare with an exceptional cocktail menu. Two years ago, Nic Jones came on as executive chef and has since slowly evolved and elevated the food, while at the same time maintaining crowd favorites such as the creamy mushroom soup and what just may be the most decadent bone-marrow-slathered hamburger in the valley. Goose & Gander has never been a single-focused eatery, having instead three distinct ambiances to share. Beyond having one of the most charming subterranean bars in Northern California, there is also an expansive outdoor garden dining area and an inside main dining room reminiscent of an aristocrat’s country home library. And now Jones and team have created a fourth experience, a participatory Chef ’s Table culinary journey that includes just-picked items from their own organic farms and paired libations from the extensive drink menu. “We want to provide our guests with a range of options that allows us to showcase what Goose & Gander is all about — from just grabbing a burger to having a more sophisticated, multi-course tasting experience,” Jones said. “The Chef ’s Table menu provides a chance to spread our wings a bit.”

Summer/Fall 2019

NIC JONES, CHEF Before joining Goose & Gander, Jones spent five years as sous chef under the helm of executive chef Stephen Barber at St. Helena’s Farmstead at Long Meadow Ranch, where he honed his craft for whole-animal butchery and house-made charcuterie. Prior to that, he’d been chef Nic Jones de cuisine for Abruzzi Restaurant in Humboldt County and sous chef at Wine and Roses in Lodi. In 2013, he completed the accelerated wine and beverage program at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone and became a certified sommelier through the Court of Master Sommelier. Jones has always known he wanted to be a chef. Raised in Southern California, he had his first kitchen job by the time he was 16. “Growing up, I was always in the kitchen,” Jones said. “My mom likes to joke that my first words were ‘Italian sausage.’” Graduating from high school early in 2000, Jones entered Le Cordon Bleu in Pasadena. For experience and spending money, he also worked for Wolfgang Puck at Spago Catering, learning from one of the masters of California cuisine and gaining a taste for the fast pace of the cooking life. “I was sort of a punk-rock kid and I didn’t really fit into any other job,” he said, “but I clung to kitchens. It felt like our crew

was a bunch of disciplined, hard-working pirates going into battle every night.” Like many others drawn to a career as a cook, the rush of getting ready for service followed by hours of intense preparing and presenting artistic creations became addictive. But whereas chefs of old might have thrown a pan across the room while screaming epithets for even the slightest mistake, according to Jones, that is no longer acceptable behavior. Artisans are slowly replacing pirates. “Like many chefs, I’ve learned how to adapt,” he said. “[This is] actually a very good thing because the other way just wasn’t sustainable and actually stifles creativity.” Additionally, Jones explained that labor laws have been updated. In the past, cooks might have worked at a single restaurant — spending 12 to 15 hours a day, often only making a base hourly wage — because of strict overtime rules and higher base wages. Now cooks might work the same total number of hours per day but at two or three different restaurants, eliminating overtime at any one establishment. “This is a big change in kitchen culture,” he said, “because whereas we used to spend all day nearly every day together with the same group, now there can be a lot of moving

Spring lamb cooked in duck fat and dusted with nori and served with miner’s lettuce and white asparagus. Tim Carl Photography

Goose & Gander: 4 stars is an “Excellent” rating Food: 3.5 Service: 4 Ambiance: 4 Sustainability: 4 Staff equanimity: 3 Price: $31/$14 Food: quality, execution and creativity Service: professionalism, attention to detail and friendliness Ambiance: sound level, cleanliness, beauty Sustainability: locally sourced items, dietary options, environmental-friendly practices Staff equanimity: gender ratio, culture, diversity Price: average price for dinner entrees/cocktails 1 = poor, 2 = good, 3 = very good, 4 = excellent, 5 = outstanding Beyond food, service and ambiance we also include sustainability and staff equanimity in our evaluations because these aspects are important considerations for many of our readers. Like any qualitative system of scoring, these categories are meant as snapshots of numerous experiences in an attempt to provide helpful guidelines.

around.” According to Jones, another change in kitchens is that in the past most had distinct hierarchies — with designated titles Please see Restaurant, Page 86 INSIDE NAPA VALLEY | 85

RESTAURANT From page 85

and roles — while today many restaurants are finding that a flatter organization works well. “After our last sous chef left, I noticed that everyone just stepped up and got the work done,” Jones said. “Now we don’t really have many titles, and I think the food coming out of the kitchen has never been better.” THE GOOSE & GANDER‌ Since 2012, the restaurant has been owned by Andrew and Trisha Florsheim. The duo is well versed on what it takes to run a successful eatery. Andrew has spent more than 30 years in the industry, much of that working with his family’s well-known Levy Restaurant Group in Chicago. Goose & Gander’s main dining room is on the second story of a renovated Arts and Crafts bungalow. Directly in front of the open kitchen are two booths where Chef ’s Table diners sit. Outside, trees and shrubs border a lush garden patio, making the space one of the most private outdoor eating locations in the Napa Valley. Downstairs, in what amounts to a half-submerged basement, the pub-style bar feels as if you might just bump into some old pirates. Many of the “designer” cocktail options included on the seven-page list were originally created by local mixologist Scott Beattie. Today, trained chef-turned-bar manager Emma Kreis, along with general manager-partner and wine director, Jason Savage, are continuing the tradition of making fun and expressive cocktails while also expanding the wine list, with a focus on highlighting local vintners. “If you haven’t been to Goose & Gander for a while, just go. Over the last couple of years it has catapulted into being one of the best food and wine stops anywhere,” said Cathy Corison, winemaker and owner of Corison Winery and one of the restaurant’s highlighted vintners. “I haven’t had anything at the Goose that wasn’t creative and delicious. It was such an honor to have our wines featured there for a couple of months.” Beyond the eatery’s compound, four private organic gardens located throughout the valley provide 30 percent of Goose & Gander’s produce throughout the year. Shelley Kusch, who is a master gardener with a horticulture degree and has worked at the restaurant as a server since it first opened, manages all of the gardens. 86 | INSIDE NAPA VALLEY

Tim Carl Photography‌

Goose and Gander, which opened in St. Helena in 2012, offers several distinct dining experiences.

Tim Carl Photography‌

Shelley Kusch harvest garden items for the night’s Chef’s Table experience.

THE FOOD‌ ‌Depending on what you order and in which dining area you find yourself, you’ll be experiencing one of Goose & Gander’s four different personalities. Having the crunchy peas and carrots risotto with creamy burnt burrata and tangy mint salsa verde ($28) on a warm evening outside is as refreshing as feasting in the French countryside. In the dining room, enjoying a glass of 2016 Arietta Quartet ($25 a glass) with the Liberty Duck Breast served with citrusy satsuma gastrique, Tokyo turnips, grilled mushrooms and wheat berries ($36) brings one to an upscale Berkshire hunting lodge. Slip downstairs to enjoy a pleasantly seedy ambiance while you sip on a Bali Spice Old Fashioned with St. George bourbon, brown spices and orange or a Walter’s Manhattan Templeton Rye with Evan Williams Single Barrel Bourbon, Carpano Antica and bitters ($14 each), either of which pairs well with the spicy house-made Italian Sausage

Cavatelli with shiitake mushroom, fresh mozzarella and tangy tomato preserves ($28). The menu at the fourth experience, the new Chef ’s Table, is prix fixe with seven courses ($135 per person, which includes gratuity and tax; wine pairing is available for an extra charge). Offered Thursday through Saturday nights only, the special menu is limited to two parties of up to four. Kusch, who likely also just plucked many of the items for that night’s dishes hours earlier, Jones or one of his trusted lieutenants presents and describes the motivation behind various dishes. “Currently the menu is an exploration of umami (savory) flavors and textures,” Jones said. “We want to highlight our garden produce but also the exceptional meat, game and fish that come from our local farmers. I am also a huge fan of foraging in the wild for items that often show up on the menu like miner’s lettuce or stinging nettles.” Expect well-executed and uniquely flavored items such as spring lamb cooked in duck fat and dusted with nori and a pillowy chocolate soufflé served with a classic crème anglaise infused with maple-syrup-flavored candy cap mushrooms. Although the food is very good to excellent, maybe the best part of the experience is the experience itself. “A recent guest told me that [the Chef ’s Table experience] was so personal and thoughtful that it felt like she’d gone to an old friend’s home and eaten a wonderful dinner but also gotten a big hug,” Kusch said. “And that’s just what we are shooting for.” Goose & Gander is located at 1245 Spring St. The restaurant and basement bar are open from 11:30 a.m. until 11 p.m., Sunday through Thursday, and until midnight on Friday and Saturday. Summer/Fall 2019

1881 Napa Wine History Museum opens in Oakville R E G I S T E R S TA F F ‌1881 Napa, a wine history museum, has opened in Oakville in the historic mansion adjacent to the Oakville Grocery. The project is the creation of vintner Jean-Charles Boisset, who bought the property earlier this year. At the official opening, Boisset said, “America is really the reflection of the people of the past that really crafted this valley and created the valley… This is your 101 class on the history of California, the pioneers of Napa Valley, the terroir — you can taste history here. 1881 Napa features an extensive collection of historic wine

relics from Europe and the United States, antique decanters, original artifacts from the Early California Wine Trade Archive and background on all of the 16 sub-appellations of Napa Valley and the founders and pioneers of those areas. The museum is open to visitors free of charge. Visitors to 1881 Napa can also taste wines from throughout Napa Valley via rotating comparative tastings with themes such as “Majestic Mountains Versus Plush Valley” and “Is it Cool to be Hot or Hot to be Cool?” as well as an option to “Embark on a Journey Throughout the Valley” by

Lowell Downey photo‌

The 1881 Napa Wine History Museum in Oakville is open daily 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

tasting Cabernet Sauvignons from 12 different sub-appellations. Guests can also sample wines from a blend of Napa Valley grapes, including a sparkling wine, Sauvignon Blanc, rosé, Chardonnay, red blend, Merlot

and a Cabernet Sauvignon, all made for 1881 Napa by Winemaker Thane Knutson. 1881 Napa is at 7856 St. Helena Highway in Oakville and is open daily from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Reservations are recommended.

CABINETS TILE STONE PLUMBING COUNTERTOPS WINDOW SHADES 707-255-7115 3231 California Blvd. Napa, Ca. 94558 www.designshowcasenapa.com Hours: TUE-FRI 9-5, SATURDAY 10-3 Summer/Fall 2019

INSIDE NAPA VALLEY | 87

Southside Cafe

EXPANDS S A S H A PAU L S E N spa u l sen@na pa new s . com

Irma and Morgan Robinson and their team give a Latin twist to classics ‌The new location of Southside Cafe opened in July at the South Napa Century Center, capping a two-and-a-half year building project. The sparkling, light-filled space is serving Irma and Morgan Robinson’s trademark California cuisine with a Latin twist with expanded hours that include dinner service. Dining options are inside and outside. The interior decoration includes an unusual ceramic tile artwork, an image Irma Robinson’s aunt, who came from Mexico in the 1960s and opened a restaurant in South San Francisco. “We like the continuity,” Irma Robinson said. The cafe is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday through Thursday and 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday at 135 Gasser Drive. From 3 p.m. until closing, they will be serving large plates like Califlower Baja Tacos ($13), Whole Roasted Akaushi Beef Rib Tacos, which come with a rib ($14); Smoked Chicken Salad with dried Bing cherries, Blue Cheese, pistachios and apple vinaigrette ($14.5); Open-Faced Mushroom Torta with roasted Portobello, avocado, picked jalapenos, and cilantro dressing ($14); a Carne Asada torta made with Arrachera steak and avocado mash ($15); Soft-Shell Crab Sandwich with Chipotle Aioli ($17); Duck Carnitas in lettuce cups with mole poblano pickled chiles and cotija cheese ($17) and a Smoked Bacon Chop with fresh corn creamed masa ($20). Small dinnertime plates inlcude a Baby Head Lettuce Salad ($9); Arugula and Crispy Fingerling Potato Salad ($9); Watercress and Crispy Beet Salad ($11); Stone Fruit and Burrata with Guajillo Chile Oil, Chorizo bits and arugula pesto ($11); Chips and Baja Dip ($11), and Frito Mixto ($11). A kids dinner menu offers Biscuits and Jam ($4); Grilled Cheese ($5) and a Quesadilla ($6.5). Another new addition to the menu, which 88 | INSIDE NAPA VALLEY

Emma K. Morris photo‌

The interior of the new Southside Cafe. Outdoor seating is also available.

The new Southside Cafe is serving California cuisine with Latin twists, with extended hours until 8 during the week and until 9 on Saturday and Sunday.

will be served all are five varieties of blended drinks ($9) with names like The Beesting (almond milk, golden beet, honey, tumeric, black pepper, ginger, bee pollen and collagen peptides); The Garden (coconut water, kale, moringa leaf, pineapple, green apple, avocado, lime, ginger and agave): The Boost (almond milk, Valrhona cocoa; almond butter, banana, vegan protein; cinnamon and ancho chile); The Ariana (strawberry, blueberry, banana, orange juice and yogurt) and The Purist (almond milk, almond butter, smoke almonds, cocoa nibs, dates, vegan protein and honey). Fans of the two other Southside Cafes in Napa Valley will be able to find their morning and lunch favorites at all three locations. Breakfast dishes include the strawberry toast, made with marscapone, grilled strawberries, tarragon, smoked almonds and honey ($7); avocado toast ($9); house-made granola ($9); cornmeal pancakes ($12); bacon and egg sandwich ($12); biscuits and gravy ($14) and chilaquiles ($14). Lunch items include some of the dinner items as well as the Superfood Bowl (red quinoa, roasted beets, seasonal vegetables, arugula, poached egg, Greek yogurt, chila seeds and avocado ($14), and the Protein Bowl (charred jalapeno hummus, marinated chickpeas, poached egg, arugula, wheat toast ($14). “We ask ourselves, ‘Is this a classic? If so, what can we do to make it different?,” Chef Morgan Robinson said. Often the twists they add tribute to both his and his wife’s Mexican roots, he noted —like biscuits and gravy that gets a sprinkling of chorizo bits and cilantro.

The Southside chilequiles, on the other hand, made with fresh, house-made tortillas, salsa roja, tomatillo, cotija cheese, crema, black beans and poached eggs (steak optional), was inspired by a dish they had in the Valle de Guadalupe in Baja on Morgan’s 40th birthday. “We went back on my 50th birthday and the same woman made them for me,” the chef said. “We are trying to be socially responsible,” he said. Instead of dishes that are “4,000 calories on a plate,” he is opting for dishes like the Australian-inspired Superfood Bowl (“You can find these all over Australia.”) With a nod to the burgeoning movement for plant-based eating, he said, “It’s about making vegetables delicious. “We’re a team of chefs,” Morgan said. “It’s not just me. Collectively, we decide: what are we going to do to this dish?” Napa wine adviser Dan Dawson created the wine list that offers nine California wines by the glass and an extended options by the bottle. Beers on tap are Device Brewing Kid Casual Blonde ($5), Hen House ($7) and Mad Fritz ($12). Bottled beers, cider, Wrecking Ball coffee, agua fresca, Mexican hot chocolate, Mexican cokes, and teas are also available. The new Southside is the third locale for the Robinsons in Napa Valley. The cafes on Old Sonoma Road in Napa, (open 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday) and at Steward Cellars (open 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.) on Washington Street in Yountville will continue their popular breakfast and lunch service.

Emma K. Morris‌

Summer/Fall 2019

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THE ANSWERS

‌ ere are the answers to H our Where in the Valley? quiz from Page 55.

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Summer/Fall 2019 8/5

Take Two by Jeffrey Wechsler

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INSIDE NAPA VALLEY | 91

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