Sensi Magazine - North Bay PREMIERE (November 2019)

Premie re Issue

I N O RT H BAY

N OV 2019

HAPPILY UNMARRIED

Why more young people are choosing the single life

DUKE’S

Healdsburg’s friendliest gastropub

VINTAGE RIDE

See why a VW bus is the perfect vehicle for a wine country tour

SUBLINGUALS • TOPICALS www.verrawellness.com

@verrawellness

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NORTH BAY SENSI MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2019

sensimediagroup @sensimagazine @sensimag

16

F E AT U R E S

16 Cheers to Duke’s

Four friends run this bar where everybody knows your name.

24 Single, Not Sorry More people are choosing uncoupled adulthood.

SPECIAL REPORT

28 Higher Education A degree in cannabis is a real thing—and it’s a big sign the industry is legitimate.

34 Vintage Wine Tour Go retro rollin’ to the vineyards in a VW Bus.

D E PA R T M E N T S

9 EDITOR’S NOTE 10 THE BUZZ News, tips, and tidbits

to keep you in the loop.

NANOWRIMO Write a novel in November.

CITY SECRETS Revealed in this podcast series.

SWEET STEEPING Tea you won’t want to spill.

PEAK POURS Take a hike— but not without wine.

BREAKING VAPE The latest on the mysterious vaping-related illness

40 THE LIFE Contributing to your

health and happiness.

CLASSY CLASSIC Winery revamps coq au vin.

BOOK REVIEW The Emily Post Foundation’s latest: Higher Etiquette

46 THE SCENE Hot happenings and hip

hangouts around town.

CALENDAR Celebrate harvest season SPRING FORTH Harbin Hot Springs is back.

ON THE COVER

VW stands for “Vintage Wines” when Garrett Sathre (right) and Tommy Jordan (left) are behind the wheel.

PHOTO COURTESY WEST WINE TOURS

50 THE END

Bonding at the bakery.

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Providing First Hand Knowledge and Quality Agricultural Products PureCrop11issann organicc biostimulant,, insecticide,,andd fungicideemadee offplanettbasedd materials FlowZonee Industriall StrengthhSprayerss runnonnaalithiumm batteryywithh 65PSI-lowworr 115PSI-high Connecttwithhus JDistributinggcomm||(707))272-29711|| contact@JDistributinggcom @jdistributing 8 NO RT H BAY

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A DV I S O R Y B OA R D

965 Solutions, LLC Cannabis Manufacturing

Next Frontier Biosciences Biosciences

Advancement Branding Product Branding

Red Door Remedies Dispensary; Cloverdale

Aita and Associates Insurance Marketing, Inc Employee Benefit Specialists

Sonoma Patient Group Dispensary; Santa Rosa

CannAlign Cannabis Marketing App Convergence Laboratories Cannabis Testing Laboratory Extreme Towing, LLC. Towing 4 A Cause Flora Terra Destination Dispensary The Galley Commercial Cannabis Kitchen

Strictly Topical Pain Relief Topicals VaperTip Vape Supply & Consulting

FIND US ON SOCIAL MEDIA FACE BOOK Like Sensi Media Group for the parties, topics, and happenings we’re obsessed with right now.

The Garden Society Craft Cannabis Genius Products T, Inc. Recreational Cannabis Products Golden State Government Relations Licensing & Compliance

T W I T TER Follow @sensimag to stay up-to-date on the latest news from Sensi cities.

Kushla Life Sciences Cannabis Formulations J Distributing Biostimulant Natural Cannabis Art Gallery

I NSTAG RAM @sensimagazine is home to exclusive photos and content.

Magazine published monthly

by Sensi Media Group LLC. © 2019 Sensi Media Group. All rights reserved.

EXECUTIVE Ron Kolb CEO ron@sensimag.com Tae Darnell President tae@sensimag.com

S

Alex Martinez Chief Administrative Officer alex@sensimag.com EDITORIAL Stephanie Wilson Editor in Chief stephanie@sensimag.com Doug Schnitzspahn Executive Editor doug.schnitzspahn@sensimag.com Patty Malesh Managing Editor patty.malesh@sensimag.com Leland Rucker Senior Editor leland.rucker@sensimag.com

Robyn Griggs Lawrence Editor at Large robyn.lawrence@sensimag.com DESIGN Jamie Ezra Mark Creative Director jamie@emagency.com Rheya Tanner Art Director Wendy Mak Designer Josh Clark Designer Jason Jones Designer em@sensimag.com

B U S I N E S S /A D M I N Kristan Toth Head of People kristan.toth@sensimag.com Nancy Birnbaum Publisher nancy.birnbaum@sensimag.com Sam Delapaz Associate Publisher sam.delapaz@sensimag.com Amber Orvik Director of Administration amber.orvik@sensimag.com Andre Velez Marketing Director andre.velez@sensimag.com Neil Willis Production Manager neil.willis@sensimag.com Hector Irizarry Distribution distribution@sensimag.com

EDITOR’S NOTE

Sensi is a lifestyle.

It’s a way of interacting

with the world and the community around us that cultivates a respect for our health and well-being. It’s a promise to live our best lives, to appreciate everything from art exhibitions to vinyasa yoga to anime conventions to the verdant green of a golf course.

Sensi is about laughing and enjoying time with friends. It’s about speaking up, listening carefully, and making a difference in a world filled with so much background noise. Sensi is a future full of promise. This is us. This is how we live our lives. We hope to share that full vibe with you and learn and grow with you.

With that philosophy in mind, we are overjoyed to welcome you to the first issue of Sensi magazine in the North Bay. We founded this magazine four years ago with a passion to speak to our community. Every month, Sensi will entertain and (we hope) educate you with both national and local content that speaks to our mission and values. Look for features and service pieces that will connect you to this urban hotspot and the wider Sensi family.

From Sausalito to Sonoma, the North Bay is a place where creativity, progressive thought, tradition, and a love of the good things in life all go hand in hand. People come here to make the life they always wanted. Just take a look at the founders of Duke’s Spirited Cocktails (page 16), who turned their dream into a reality. Or owner Kashy Khaledi and estate chef Ethan Speizer, who have transformed the common image of a winery at Ashes & Diamonds into a new classic (page 40). It’s this desire to make dreams tangible—OK, and maybe the stunning landscape—that brings visitors here from across the planet.

With its focus on defining the new normal, Sensi is a natural fit for the North Bay. We are proud to launch in this community and speak to its unique mindset. We can’t wait for you to join us.

It’s the desire to make dreams tangible— OK, and maybe the stunning landscape— that brings visitors here from across the planet.

M E D I A PA R T N E R S Marijuana Business Daily Minority Cannabis Business Association National Cannabis Industry Association Students for Sensible Drug Policy

Doug Schnitzspahn doug.schnitzspahn@sensimag.com NOVEM BER 2019

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THE

Around the Words in 30 Days It’s NaNoWriMo. Send your inner editor packing.

Writers, open your laptops. NaNoWriMo—short for National Novel Writing Month—has begun. Since 1999, this annual writeathon nonprofit has sent caffeinated writers (who call themselves Wrimos) across the globe scrambling to complete a 50,000-word novel in 30 days—even if the novel is a pile of garbage—for the sheer satisfac10 NO RT H BAY

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tion and a digital diploma.

NaNoWriMo began as a challenge between 21 friends in San Francisco and has grown to include chapters in cities around the world. Chapters encourage writers to have fun with parties, peptalk emails, and forums to keep you motivated.

Though most Wrimos tackle novels, some—re-

ferred to as rebels—take on memoirs and nonfiction as well.

“November is the perfect time to practice turning off your inner editor… and let your instincts run the show for a bit,” writes 13-year Wrimo Naomi Nakashima on NaNoWriMo’s blog. “See what comes from that amazing mind of yours.”

BEAT THE ODDS Though there are nearly 800,000 Wrimos globally, the number of novels that have been completed is only around 370,000. Getting involved in your local chapter (check the Sonoma forum at nanowrimo.org) gives you the tools and support you need to have the best shot at success.

CONTRIBUTORS

Robyn Griggs Lawrence, Patty Malesh, Laurie Riihimaki Leland Rucker

BY THE NUMBERS

LOCAL LISTENING

SAUSALITO’S SECRET HISTORY On a long drive or engaged in a boring task at work and want to learn some fun facts about Marin county's most famous historic town? Check out Sausalito's Secret History podcast, listed under "Local Information."

These minute-long snapshots, narrated by past president of the Sausalito Historical Society host Larry Clinton, offer listeners glimpses into Sausalito's charming, quirky, and foundational past. Want to know more about flying saucers over town or the history of Saucelito? Download it now.

55

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT

TH

HIGHEST

PEAK

What’s the Tea?

IN CALIFORNIA

is Marin County’s Mount Tamalpais, with an elevation of 2,571 feet.

7

STATES

CELEBRATED Indigenous People’s Day on Oct. 14.

November is the start of tea season. These two local leaf companies bring a dash of something extra to the drink.

Russian River Tea Company

Kikoko

Whether you are an aficionado of oolongs, royal black teas, or fruity caffeine-free tisanes, Russian River has you covered. This tea house offers creative blends sourced from the finest global ingredients. Check out the Lavender Lady Grey or Maui Sunrise green tea blends to start your day, or wind down after hours with Call Me a Cab(ernet) Tisane or Gingerbread Pumpkin Latte Rooibos, which is anything but basic.

You can also order Russian River tea by the glass or pot at restaurants around Healdsburg and at the tasting room and artisan shop in Healdsburg. Free tea samples with every online order.

This woman-founded and -focused boutique cannabis wellness company produces and delivers cannabis-infused teas and honey sticks directly to your door. The company sources its cannabis exclusively from Mendocino, California, and derives its CBD from the whole plant for purity and potency.

This is not your grandma’s cup of tea—it’s high tea for high society. These teas are artisanal and organic and taste like the herbs and flowers that flavor them. Each product is formulated specifically for women’s health issues— pain, anxiety, sleep, libido, and mood— and for those who seek discreet and healthy alternatives to pharmaceuticals.

russianriverteaco.com

kikoko.com / #KikokoHighTea

650 ,1YEAR-OLD

“Tea is the magic key to the vault where my heart is kept.”

—Frances Hardinge, Children’s Writer

BOTTLE OF WINE is the oldest wine in existence. And yes— it’s still sealed.

radiosausalito.org

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THE BUZZ

The Grape Outdoors November 17 is National Take a Hike day. In honor of this oft-overlooked holiday, here are three vista point hikes to pair with local wines you can grab on the way.

Zinfandel on Mount St. Helena

Part of the Mayacama mountains known as the Sonoma Volcanics, Mount St. Helena offers visitors a panorama deserving of its 4,342-foot elevation. The highest peak in California wine country, this beauty lets you feast on views of Napa, Sonoma, San Francisco, the Pacific, and even Mount Shasta on clear days. The Chateau Montelenaʼs classic Calistoga Zinfandel weʼre pairing our 10-mile hike with is an original, grown in soil that loves to grow zinfandels.

The tobacco and black pepper notes feel suited to the volcanic terrain beneath your feet once you hit the summit.

Robert Louis Stevenson State Park / parks.ca.gov Chateau Montelena Winery / montelena.com

Syrah on Sonoma Ridge

Pair an award-winning wine with a trail in a park named for one of the most influential American authors—Jack London. This 9.5mile looping portion of the Bay Area Ridge Trail takes you through redwoods, past stunning 1,500-foot views, and alongside a working vineyard. The Little Vineyards Family 2016 Syrah is oaky, damp, and complements the shaded switchbacks you'll traverse. No surprise it was awarded double gold 2019 by the San Francisco Chronicle.

Jack London State Park / jacklondonpark.com Little Vineyards Family Winery / littlevineyards.com

Pinot Noir on Bald Mountain

Try to keep your eyes on the trail here—we dare you. The sunny, 6.6-mile loop offers unapologetic views of Sonoma county, the Sierras, the Bay Bridge, and the Golden Gate Bridge on a clear day. Pair it with a Chateau St. Jean 2016 Reserve Pinot Noir Sonoma County.

Get your vitamin (D) and mineral (notes) with this berry-heavy, tannin-forward pairing.

Sugarloaf Ridge State Park / sugarloafpark.org Chateau St. Jean / chateaustjean.com

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THE BUZZ

SENSIBILITIES WHAT MATTERS THIS MONTH BY STEPHANIE WILSON

1 LIKE MAMA USED TO MAKE Fact: No stuffing will ever compare to your

mom’s. Except my mom’s. My mom’s was the best. Fact.

______ 2 ALT LIFESTYLE Instead of stuffing a turkey, why not stuff some turkey into

a tortilla, then top it with cranberry salsa? It’s an easy twist on Thanksgiving, as long as you follow it up with pumpkin pie. Without the pie, it’s not Thanksgiving, it’s just Taco Thursday, and no one is putting that on a T-shirt.

______ 3 LIFE-CHANGING + BUDGET-SAVING If you’re a reader—and I know you

are; you’re reading this right now—you’ve got to download Libby. The free app connects you to your local library so you can borrow e-books, audiobooks, and magazines wherever you are.

______ 4 NOT NOT TRUE I heard somewhere that if you hug a palm tree, someone in

a place where palm trees don’t grow gets their wings. Or maybe they just start thinking about getting on an aircraft and winging it to a tropical locale—gotta use up those vacation days before 2020, after all.

______ 5 FAN OF FRONDS If you spot a palm-tree-hugger in the act this month

(portrait-mode selfies count), tag @sensimagazine and @stephwilll for a chance to be featured in an upcoming issue.

• Permitting & Licensing • Regulatory Compliance • Business Law • • Intellectual Property • Local & State Advocacy • • Combined 20+ years of experience in cannabis law • • Director, International Cannabis Bar Association •

"The only way to make sense of change is to pl unge into it, move with it, and join the dance. " —Alan Watts, British Philosopher

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THE BUZZ

End-to-End Business and Brand Implementation Solutions

The result...

WE GET IT DONE.

Black market cartridges may be to blame for a mysterious disease.

brand | strategy | positioning retail | interior | exterior | signage value engineering | manufacturing | sourcing project management | installation

www.advancementbranding.com

Now open in Cloverdale!

Open Daily 11am to 7pm Happy Hour 4pm and 6pm After many years of hard work Jammie King and Diana Schraner opened the doors to Red Door Remedies on April 15th. We carry an incredibly wide selection and our Sales Team and Bud Tenders are ready to encourage our clientele to ask as many questions as possible.

Come by and check out our “Mom’s Pot Shop” experience!

1215A S Cloverdale Blvd, Cloverdale CA 95425

@red.door.remedies

www.reddoorremedies.com | 707-894-6054

@red_door_remedies

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In September, California Gov. Gavin Newsom allocated $20 million to reduce youth vaping consumption and promised to work with state lawmakers to ban flavored vaping products in response to the mysterious illness that has affected hundreds of vapers nationally. The recent health incidents, including hundreds of hospitalizations and 26 deaths, have unquestionably been linked to vaporized products, and most, but not all, cases have been reported in states where adult-use cannabis is illegal.

Many seem to be tied to bootleg THC cartridges, which can be perfect knock-offs of legitimate ones and are sold on the black market. However, a recent case in Oregon appears to be linked to a legitimate cartridge bought in a store.

Scientists are busy tracking down the cause. But what's lacking in most of the early reports is any nuance—what the cartridges contained, whether they were bought legally, and whether they might have been tampered with after purchase.

The outbreak has prompted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to issue a warning that people avoid using vaporizers until we learn more.

In early September, the CDC said its initial findings pointed to similarities among those affected and warned of the potential of lipoid pneumonia, a rare condition that occurs when fat particles enter the lungs.

The CDC is working with the Food and Drug Administration and individual states to find out whether the illnesses are linked to specific devices, ingredients, or contaminants. At least part of the confusion is because vaping cartridges are poorly regulated by federal and state governments.

Expect much more regulation of cartridges in the future as this plays out. The main thing for consumers, however, is simply to exercise common sense. Never buy cartridges off the street, no matter how attractive the price. And if you're doubtful about any product, follow your instincts and don't buy it.

THE BUZZ

VOX POPULI

Question: How does Healdsburg earn its status as one of the top 10 best small towns in America?

MOLLY FEENEY

NICHELE SEIBEL

DOUG McKENZIE

HOLLY HUNT

ELIZABETH BRIX

___________________

___________________

___________________

___________________

___________________

Director of Happiness, Lioco Wine Company

It’s a destination. We aren’t a stop on the road to somewhere else. It’s the wine that makes us who we are.

Spa Supervisor Hotel Healdsburg

It’s a great place for kids to grow up. Healdsburg is a family-oriented town with lots of family friendly activities in the historic town square.

Guitarist with The Pulsators

It’s the gateway to some of the best riding on the planet. From the basic tourist to the serious cyclist, we’ve got you covered here, including a 20-mile loop that goes past 20 wineries.

Owner, Russian River Tea Company

It’s the place where I get to make a living doing what I love.

Horse trainer, Phlebotomist

I have had great random conversations with strangers here, like the one time I talked for over an hour with a shoe repair guy on the psychology of emotional trauma and tools for healing.

DJ Armin Event Entertainment & Production DJ, MC, photo booth, lighting and A/V services for weddings, corporate and private events, holiday parties and bar/bat mitzvahs.

www.DJArmin.com | (707) 479-0918 | armin@djarmin.com

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PHOTO CREDIT 16 N O RT H BAY

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Four globe-trotting friends toss caution to the wind and open their own bar at a spot that’s been slinging booze since the end of Prohibiton.

TEXT PATTY MALESH

I

t’s the bar that’s woody, not the bartender.

But Duke’s feels a lot like that bar in Boston whose regulars feel like family and where everybody knows your name. And its story is as refreshing as the spirited cocktails and eats it serves to weary wine enthusiasts, farm-to-table fanatics, and locals who need a welcoming place to relax after quitting time.

Duke’s is made of dreams come true and it shows. The origin story here permeates the vibe and justifies the precision and details that make this stop on Plaza Street in Healdsburg, across from the tree-lined nineteenth-century plaza, a destination to put at the top of your list.

The story of Duke’s started in 2012 at Spoonbar, where four bar-industry lifers worked together for the first time. Laura Sanfilippo, Cappy Sorentino, Tara Heffernon, and Steven Maduro balanced one another like the cocktails they now concoct. Over the next year, they spent their down moments dreaming the impossible: “What if we could start our own bar?” But life soon took these Duke’s cofounders to Los Angeles, Morocco, and Sebastopol, and those dreams went tepid.

Enter Duke, the bar’s namesake and patron, a longtime favorite customer of the Duke’s team during their time at Spoonbar—and Duke NOVEM BER 2019

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took a shine to them as well. It’s true what they say, in love and business: You know when you know. And he knew. He knew they should own a bar, and he was going to help make that happen.

So in 2015, Duke bought a spot that had been a series of bars since the end of prohibition in 1933. It was a

beloved gathering spot, and the exact location the foursome had been eyeing for several years.

Even though they’d splintered off to dabble in other domains, Sanfilippo, Sorentino, Heffernon, Maduro, and Duke recommitted to turning dreams into drinks and have been doing just that since June 2016.

“We take a culinary approach to our craft cocktails here—the spirit is the protein and all the other ingredients are the sauces and seasoning.”

—Laura Sanfillipo, cofounder of Duke’s

Duke’s is now a vital artery in Healdsburg.

Like many of the businesses in town, Duke’s is fiercely community-minded and it shows.

The spot is a fundraising event favorite. It sources ingredients from local farms and farmers who the owners know personally. It supports and features all local distilleries (75 percent of the liquors used in its cocktail menu are local).

And, don’t be surprised to see chefs from all Healdsburg’s famous farm-to-table restaurants drinking at Duke’s.

It’s the industry bar whose commitment to local sourcing is part of what makes the town of Healdsburg so appealing to residents and tourists alike.

Even its pub fare is elevated. Order the roasted beet salad, topped with madras curry vinaigrette, cucumber crema, and pistachio crunch, or the savory crostini with mushroom conserva and sherry-fernet syrup for happy hour, or the Duke’s BBQ-spiced Chex mix, poutine, or Togarashi, Japanese 7 spice fries late night. While the food is a bit fancier than your average gastropub, it’s plenty satisfying and pleasantly priced no matter how high- or lowbrow you are feeling.

MAKING YOUR WAY IN THE WORLD TODAY Healdsburg itself is a culinary destination known for its farm-totable ethos, which the folks at Duke’s pour into every craft cocktail on their menu. In the tradition of Scott Beattie, the godfather of garden-toglass in Northern California, Duke’s staff turns mixology up to eleven.

“We take a culinary approach to our craft cocktails here—the spirit is the protein and all the other ingredients are the sauces and seasoning,” says cofounder Sanfilippo. “Our well would be on the back bar of most establishments.

We don’t carry anything we don’t think is a wellmade spirit.”

One such well-made spirit is Benham’s gin (Graton Distilling company) infused with locally grown buddha’s hand and Sipsong Indera gin that has a savory spice profile. Duke’s custom cocktail, Pimm’s Cup #66, balances shiso brandy, shiitake mushroom, ginger beer and yuzu with Pimm’s liqueur. Mezcal-heavy The Siren adds lemongrass, bergamot, and Vietnamese herb Rao Ram to more expected ingredients like jalapeño, lime, and cucumber. Sipsong Indera NOVEM BER 2019

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One word of caution if you’ve never been: Duke’s is beloved. Expect a packed bar, loud laughter, and a vibrant atmosphere most nights. This will be especially true on Dec. 5 when Duke’s celebrates Prohibition Day with specially priced Prohibition-style cocktails. Dust off your 1920s attire because on this night, it’s required. If you are looking for a place for “mature adult drinking,” stay tuned for Burdock, TAKING A BREAK FROM Duke’s sophisticated ALL YOUR WORRIES sister spot coming right Duke’s is also a great next door. Expected place to stay sober and to open next month, recover from your winBurdock is your go-to for ery days. As Sanfilippo puts it, “we are the most a smaller, more intimate fun bar to not drink in.” cocktail bar experience.

Elevated. Curated. WeekShe’s not wrong. ends only.

Unlike many mixology So next time you find joints, the staff at Duke’s yourself in Healdsburg recommends going or with a free weekend off-menu. Whether you want your drinkable with to wander where getting lost is what you are or without spirits, defilooking to find, head to nitely ask for a sprinkle Duke’s. Duke’s is made of one of the houseof dreams, after all, and made syrups, shrubs, it shows in its earnest bitters, or sodas in your quaintness, its inspired glass. Regularly stocked garden-to-glass cockvarieties include strawberry beet, manila man- tails, its upscale pub fare, and its story. Get there go, peach verbena, red before the holidays and jalapeño, shiso cherry, grape basil, and rangpur be sure to grab a patron-heavy 2020 Dogs of lime, each made from Duke’s calendar. fresh fruits kept behind And say hi for me. the bar year-round.

Cocktail classes for the They know my name. curious are on the books.

Duke’s Stop by or visit online 111 Plaza Street, Healdsburg 707.431.1060 / drinkatdukes.com for more information. gin helps forward pink peppercorn and saffron bitters in its Rangpur More signature cocktail.

Most of Duke’s cocktails are served on tap alongside its rotating beer-based shandy.

And the garnishings of herbs, edible flowers, and quirky produce that make these cocktails memorable are sourced straight from cofounder Heffernon’s nearby farm.

Cherry-Shiso Shrub INGREDIENTS

2 cups black cherries, pitted and roughly chopped 2 bunches shiso leaves (red shiso works best if you can find it, but green shiso is good too) 2 cups cane sugar 1 cup red wine vinegar

INST RUCT IONS

• Combine cherries, shiso, and cane sugar in a bowl.

Mix thoroughly until sugar is incorporated and the mixture becomes juicy.

• Refrigerate overnight, stirring periodically.

• Remove from fridge, stir again and strain mixture through a fine mesh strainer.

Leave contents in strainer.

• Pour vinegar over the strainer mixture and press to capture all the juices.

• Repeat this step three to four times, pressing the mix each time to get all the goodness out.

• Store covered in the fridge for up to two weeks.

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ing 22 N O RT H BAY

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gle,

NOT SORRY

Why more and more people are ditching the wedding ring and choosing uncoupled adulthood.

TEXT ROBYN GRIGGS LAWRENCE

M

y first newspaper job was on the night desk of a daily. Weekends off were the only time to have any sort of normal life with nine-to-fivers (most of the world), and they were awarded based strictly on seniority. When my time finally came to trade in Wednesday and Thursday for Saturday and Sunday, my boss said not so fast.

Steve, who had started several months after me, had a wife. Steve needed weekends off more than I did. “You understand,” my boss said.

I was furious, but it was the ’80s. I gave Steve the weekends because that’s what you did (and my boss hadn’t really given me a choice). Over the next couple years, I would leave the newspaper business

and marry the first of two wrong-for-me husbands, beginning decades of coupledom that ended recently. I’m single in the age of Tinder, and this is a whole new world. Singledom today is nothing like it was when I was a twenty-something copy editor looking for love (in all the wrong places, as it turns out).

It’s no longer weird to be single. Lots of people have made it their choice.

And if you give weekends off to the married guy, you’ll likely be called out as a singlist, which some people consider just as bad as being a sexist or a racist. Singles are demanding respect—and getting it—because they’ve (oh, sorry, we’ve) become a powerful force, in numbers as well as influence.

As Americans live longer, marry later (or not at all),

and divorce more, singles have increased from 29 percent of the adult population in 1970 to 48 percent today. Baby boomers are driving the numbers with divorce rates that have nearly doubled (and involve unprecedented numbers of second and third marriages) from 1990 to 2015, the Pew Research Center reports.

Determined not to make their parents’ mistakes, more and more millennials are skipping the whole wedding thing.

The number of unmarried 18-to-29-year-olds has grown from 40 percent in 1960 to 80 percent today, and the Pew Research Center predicts a quarter of today’s young adults will be single when they turn 50. More than half— 51 percent—of 18-to-34year-olds reported not

having a steady romantic partner last year, a record high for the annual University of Chicago survey.

Getting married isn’t the great big life goal it was 25 years ago, when I was among the last of my high school friends to walk down the aisle at 27. More than half—55 percent—of participants in a 2017 Census Bureau report said getting married wasn’t an important criterion for becoming an adult. Instead, 95 percent said formal schooling and full-time employment were key.

Half of young millennials told Tinder they were worried about being in a long-term relationship because they didn’t want to lose their independence.

A Bustle survey found that 60 percent of people who were single and not dating were prioritizing self-care.

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1 TO 3%

But Kislev has found most people to be pretty closed-minded about OF PEOPLE marital status. Singles ARE ASEXUAL, have heavier workloads meaning they do not and earn less money, he experience sexual attraction. says, and have a harder Like every orientation, asexuality is not a choice. time renting apartments because they’re considered less reliable and stable. “We are open to various sexual identities, we celebrate different ethnicities, and we tolerate a wide array of political views,” he “is your own strength and identified.”

In an opinion piece writes in his book, Happy and ability to say with In “Make Way for the for Inter Press Service, confidence, ‘Hey, I made Singlehood: The Rising Single Age,” J Walter demographer Joseph Chamie, former director Thompson calls it “a par- this life decision. I’m the Acceptance and Celebration of Solo Living, “yet adigm shift in adulthood one who lives with it. I of the United Nations we still live in a society made these choices.’” uncoupled…a natural Population Division, where singles, especially Singledom has its adcalls this trend “a signifi- evolution alongside job cant global demographic hopping, coliving, sexual vantages, as a viral Reddit in advanced adulthood, thread asking what people are urged to couple up or change having far-reach- openness, digital conotherwise face prejuloved most about it reing consequences yet re- nection, and a nomadic cently laid out, everything dice.” ceiving scant attention.” workforce.”

The US Federal Code from not getting dragged He predicts single-perstates the president can “I Made These Choices” to lame family events to son households will not having to laugh at un- prohibit discrimination Singledom is a choice continue to grow expobased on marital status, funny Facebook memes. nentially throughout the that 44-year-old Brian And with social media, no but there are more than Gross, who has owned world, increasing global 1,000 laws giving marBSG PR since 2001, made one ever feels lonely. demand for housing, ried couples legal and Gross sets his Tinder deliberately. A serial motransportation, natural financial incentives and nogamist for many years, radar to wherever he’s resources, and energy. benefits. Singles make traveling to before he he nearly got married “People across the once and thought better goes and has friends wait- an average of $8,000 less world are bucking the per year and pay more ing in new places. stigma of living alone and of it. Now he relishes for everything from Sociologist Ekyakim singlehood. He can make embracing independent Kislev says marriage isn’t housing, healthcare, and lifestyles,” Euromonitor his clients his priority, answering to them 24/7. for him because he likes mortgages to cell phone International’s “Top 10 plans, insurance, and his freedom and seeks Global Consumer Trends He travels to wherever he wants, whenever he other ways of interacting taxes. Unmarried women 2019” reports. Sociolget hit on more in the with significant others. wants, and meets new ogist Eric Klinenberg told the Christian Science people along the way. He “There are many ways to workplace, according do things,” Kislev says, to a Suffolk University feeds himself when he’s Monitor the shift is “the study, and single workers greatest social change of hungry and works out at “and we need to accept, even celebrate, the are still being asked to the last 60 years that we his whim. “I think what whole spectrum.” stay late and cover weekcomes in time,” he says, haven’t already named NOVEM BER 2019

ALONE AROUND THE WORLD: SOUTH KOREA

Unmarried women between 30 and 34 have jumped from 1.4 percent of the population in 1970 to 30 percent today.

Young Koreans are called the “sampo” (“giving up on three”) generation because they’re not interested in dating, marriage, or children.

JAPAN

Seventy percent of single people in their 40s and older say they’ll never marry and are prepared to grow old alone. Single women proudly call themselves “wagamama,” which means “self-determining.”

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ends and holidays more often than married ones.

The stigma is real, Kislev says. “My research showed me that it is critical for singles to replace falsely internalized negative images of singlehood with positive ones.”

“The Most Exciting, Challenging, Significant Relationship of All” Single people exercise more, sleep better, are more open-minded and deeply engaged in social and civil life, and have a much broader definition of “family” than married people. They’re more generous with their time, money, and caregiving, according to numerous studies, and are happy and satisfied with their lives.

They take music and art classes, dine out more often, and keep Lululemon in business.

In a three-year study of 79,000 US women aged 50 to 79, women who stayed single or got divorced ate healthier, exercised more, and drank less than married women.

Several studies have found that single people pay more attention to relationships with friends, neighbors, siblings, and parents, while married couples are more insular.

“There is a huge misconception that being alone and lonely are the same,” Kislev says. “Mar-

“Instead of facing loneliness at its roots, many people chase partnership only to discover that loneliness is a standalone problem, the cure for which lies mainly within oneself."

—Ekyakim Kislev, Happy Singlehood

ried people can sometimes still feel lonely even if they are not ‘alone.’

It was proven time and again in many studies that married people can be very lonely and emotionally deprived within their wedlock.” In Happy Singlehood, Kislev explains: “Instead of facing loneliness at its roots, many people chase partnership only to discover that loneliness is a standalone problem, the cure for which lies mainly within oneself, as researchers have repeatedly argued.”

In a popular TED Talk, women’s rights activist and What a Time to Be Alone author Chidera Eggerue agrees, saying people often use relationships as a distraction from themselves. “We use other people as a tool to run away from the responsibility of getting to know who we really are,” she says.

Paul Dolan, who wrote Happily Ever After: Escaping the Myths of the Perfect Life, told The Guardian that married people only present as happier than singles when interviews are conducted with spouses in the room. “When the spouse is not present: [expletive] miserable,” he said. Women who never married or had children are the healthiest and happiest, Dolan found.

We ladies are getting it.

The number of mar-

ried American women dropped below 50 percent for the first time in 2009, and it has continued to drop as a new feminist wave challenges traditional roles and sexuality. We don’t need marriage for money, social status, sex, or babies anymore.

Over the life of Sex and the City, the early twenty-first century series that Harper's Bazaar said changed our view of single life forever, Carrie Bradshaw goes from thinking that being alone was the modern-day equivalent of being a leper to thinking it meant “you’re pretty sexy and you’re taking your time deciding how you want your life to be and who you want to spend it with.”

With its focus on Carrie and her friends’ romantic exploits and weddings for all in the end, Sex and the City was hardly a poster child for modern singledom. But Carrie did figure out something about relationships toward the series’ end that bears repeating. “There are those that open you up to something new and exotic, those that are old and familiar, those that bring up lots of questions, those that bring you back,” she says. “But the most exciting, challenging, and significant relationship of all is the one you have with yourself.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Robyn Griggs Lawrence is the author of the bestselling Cannabis Kitchen Cookbook and Pot in Pans: A History of Eating Cannabis.

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SPECIAL REPORT

Higher Education A college degree in cannabis is a real thing— and it’s a big sign the industry is legitimate.

TEXT STEPHANIE WILSON REPORTING LELAND RUCKER

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ull disclosure: When I was getting my degree in journalism from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, I never once imagined that I’d put it to use one day in the legal cannabis industry.

Although, technically, I’m not in that industry today, as the editor in chief of this magazine, I oversee a team of editors making a series of city lifestyle magazines covering markets across the country. Those magazines, like the one you’re reading now, appeal to advertisers in the cannabis industry—companies eager to reach you, dear reader, and introduce you to their newly legal and therefore probably newly launched brand.

But technically, I don’t work in cannabis. My job is indirectly related, my company ancillary.

But it’s still part of a growing stat, a field that just a few years ago didn’t exist but now is the fastest growing industry in the US. There are more than 211,000 Americans working full-time in the booming industry, directly employed in cannabis. When ancillary jobs such as mine are taken into account, that becomes 296,000.

That means in the US there are now more legal cannabis industry workers than dental hygienists.

Than brewery workers (69,000) and coal miners (52,000) and textile manufacturers (112,000). These figures come from a March 2019 special report by cannabis website Leafly with consultancy Whitney Economics, which looked at the stats the US Bureau of Labor Statistics won’t touch, given that cannabis is still illegal on a federal level. But that isn’t stopping it from booming growth, decreased stigma, and sky-

rocketing interest from all sides.

As of September 2019, 11 states and Washington, DC, have legalized cannabis for adult-use, and 34 more have legalized medical use in some capacity. Legal cannabis sales in 2018 topped $10.8 billion. The job market is heating up, and the demand for educated employees grows higher every day.

It’s a wide-ranging industry, and there are a lot of career paths one could take within it. Beyond the obvious—dispensary manager, budtender, grower, trimmer— there are a ton of opportunities in the field. Career website Glassdoor released a report earlier this year on the state of the job market for the cannabis industry. The research found that between December 2017 and December 2018, the number of job listings increased by 76 percent, covering highly diverse roles, from marketing to retail to research to agriculture to technology, logistics, and law. It concludes that “workers with higher education and skills in fields as varied as marketing, horticulture, and logistics will only be more desirable as the industry grows.”

Even now, those skills are in high demand. Cannabis industry employers struggle to find qualified applicants to fill specific roles that require specialized knowledge— broad-based understanding and highly specific skills. Reacting to that employer demand, schools in the US are stepping up, introducing cannabis curriculum to help prepare students to enter the $14-billion-and-rising global industry as trained professionals. From certificate programs to master’s degrees, with everything in between, higher learning is here.

The first four-year undergraduate degree dedicated to teaching students about the cannabis industry was introduced fall 2017 at Northern Michigan University, under the innocuously titled Medicinal Plant Chemistry. Derek Hall, a spokesperson for NMU, says Professor Brandon Canfield suggested the idea for a medicinal plant chemistry degree program after attending a conference. “He came back thinking it was a place for us to step in. On the one side, you have the growers, and on the other side you have the users. In between, you have a chemistry lab measuring compounds—how much and what is being used. Those are the people we are interested in.”

The degree program offers two different tracks: bio-analytical and entrepreneurial. The program description mentions that the additional focus means graduates will not only be qualified to perform the instrumental analysis in a laboratory, but “will also be empowered to build their own testing laboratory, dispensary, and growing operation from the ground up.”

When the school announced the program, it wasn’t expecting much interest, but it proved to be quite a viral topic. Hall says a lot of people were looking for a credential to help them get into the cannabis industry. “We fielded a ton of calls from people who were serious about it. One interesting thing is we had a lot of students who said, ‘My parents suggested it.’ A lot of others said they knew people who had benefited from the medicine.”

It’s a very demanding program.

“The heavy chemistry requirements are mind-boggling. Kids who are there are very, very serious,” Hall says. About 20 people signed up NOVEM BER 2019

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“On the one side, you have the growers, and on the other side you have the users.

In between, you have a chemistry lab…Those are the people we are interested in.”

—Derek Hall Northern Michigan University

for the program in the fall of 2017, when it opened to grads and undergrads. A year later, there were 225.

“We’re pulling in students from all over the country.”

Minot State in North Dakota introduced a similar program this year, making it only the second college to offer a four-year degree program specializing in cannabis.

In the Rocky Mountain region, Colorado State University, Pueblo, offers a minor in Cannabis Studies, with courses focused on cannabis and its social, legal, historical, political, and health-related impact on society. The degree brochure mentions that “as part of a Hispanic Serving Institution, there is an emphasis on understanding and appreciating the impact cannabis has had on the Chicano/Chicana community and other regional populations of the Southwestern United States.”

In New York, SUNY Morrisville is introducing a Cannabis Industry minor this fall semester that combines courses in agricultural science, horticulture, and business programs. It also includes hands-on instruction in cultivating cannabis plants with less than 0.3 percent THC, thanks to the school’s license to grow hemp.

In June 2019, University of Maryland announced the country’s first postgraduate program in the field, a master’s of science in Cannabis Science and Therapeutics. Associate degrees in the field are offered at Stockton University in New Jersey and at Philadelphia’s University of Sciences, where students can earn an associate degree in Cannabis Health Therapy.

Even the Ivy League is getting into the field. Cornell launches a

“Cannabis: Biology, Society, Industry” course this fall, with plans to introduce a master’s in cannabis next year. That program is said to have an emphasis on oral and written communication skills with media and industry stakeholders, according to reports from Quartz.

At Harvard, law students in a Cannabis Law class last spring considered “criminal law enforcement, land use, civil rights, banking, and other issues arising from the Degree in Green These schools offer cannabis cultivation, distribution and use of tracks and classes, or will in the future: marijuana for recreational and/or • Clark University, MA medical purposes.” The university, • Colorado State University along with MIT, received a $9 mil• Cornell University lion alumni donation this summer • Harvard University earmarked for independent research • Minot State, ND on the influence of cannabis on • Northern Michigan brain health and behavior.

University • Stockton University, NJ The University of Vermont’s • SUNY Morrisville, NY pharmacology course in Medical Cannabis is considered the first of • UC, Davis • University of Connectiits kind at a US academic insticut tution, and the medical school • University of Denver is also the first to offer a profes• University of Las Vegas sional certificate in cannabis and • University of Maryland medicine. And it’s fully online, led • University of the by faculty from the college, geared Sciences, Philadelphia toward teaching doctors, phar• University of Vermont macists, nurses, PAs—medical professionals—what wasn’t on the course lists whenever and wherever they earned their degrees.

Cannabis courses are popping up in undergrad and graduate programs at schools coast to coast, from UConn (Horticulture of Cannabis: From Seed to Harvest) to UC, Davis (Cannabis sativa: The Plant and its Impact on People). Even more institutions have launched certificate programs covering a range of topics.

Clark University in Worcester, MA, introduced the country’s first certificate program in cannabis NOVEM BER 2019

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Elevate. Pamper. Rejuvenate.

Flamingo Resort SONOMA COUNTY

control regulation. University of Las Vegas runs the Cannabis Academy through its continuing education division, with classes in cannabis and the opioid epidemic, cannabis professionals, and pets and cannabis.

Professor Paul Seaborn has taught a class titled “The Business of Marijuana” at University of Denver’s Daniels College of Business for a few years now. Seaborn says after legalization in Colorado in 2012, it seemed like a good idea to approach the topic from an entrepreneurial point of view. He offered the first class in 2017, and it was the only accredited business school offering a class in cannabis at the time, open to undergrads and grads. “I’ve never had as many different people—alumni, staff members, parents, students—who showed interest.”

The cannabis industry needs people who have general business skills to help those who don’t. “A student might have a marketing or finance or accounting major, but we’re adding on to that with history and regulation, so we can get the best candidates who can hit the ground running,” says Seaborn.

“It’s a steep learning curve, and the competition has gotten more fierce. It’s not guaranteed success.

The bar keeps rising, and the more you can be prepared, the better.”

To create the curriculum, Seaborn had to start from scratch.

“When you teach a course, you use standard materials. In this area, there is no road map. You have to figure it out on your own.” Seaborn drew on people working in the new Colorado industry as guest speakers and found many eager to help.

Business Insider reports that the

semester culminates with a field trip to Sweet Grass Kitchen, where students tour the facility and hear from management, including marketing director Jesse Burns.

Burns has an MBA from the University of Colorado, Boulder.

“It’s been the foundation that I’ve built my career on,” Burns says.

“The skills I acquired helped me do the best and become successful and achieve goals. Having that formal education helped me see the bigger picture and helped give me the confidence to make the best decisions.” And as the manager, he does a lot of the hiring. He is very excited to see more qualified applicants enter the field—ones with an education specific to the industry.

“A lot of students are ready,” says Seaborn. “It’s a question of universities catching up to them.”

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West Wine Tours takes you back to the future on a magical mystery tour that links classic California cool to social media savvy.

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF WEST WINE TOURS

TEXT STEPHANIE WILSON

T

here’s something about a vintage Volkswagen Bus that captures your attention. Local entrepreneur Garrett Sathre stopped in his tracks watching one cruising through Sonoma a few years back. He had to have one. And another, and another.

According to the LA Times, there are just 3,712 VW buses (formally known as Volkswagen Type II) registered in California, so sighting one in California Wine Country used to be a rare occurrence. That’s not the case these days. Sathre now has a fleet of the vintage vehicles, once icons for the counterculture, now regarded as enduring symbols of easy joy. Sathre’s VW buses cruise around Sonoma and Napa. Spend some NOVEM BER 2019

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time here, and you’re sure to see one of the boxy legends pull up by the side of the road with a hearteye emoji view as the backdrop while a group of hip, smiling people pose for photos and jump for Boomerangs.

It’s no surprise a culture of social media snap-seekers are drawn to the buses. Scenery for selfies has become a business. Down in San Francisco, the Museum of Ice Cream is no longer a pop-up—it’s settled into a permanent location.

This is not a museum in the typical sense, nor is it an amusement park, nor a retail location. It’s a series of sets with great lighting, interesting backdrops, compelling themes, and just the right amount of whimsy.

These experiences are not very enriching. As one reviewer of the Museum of Ice Cream posted: “Definitely more hype than anything. Personally, I would save my money and just enjoy the pictures.”

Still people want compelling experiences that capture and hold their attention. Sathre’s VW buses check

all the boxes for social media love, but they also deliver a true experience. They make great tour buses.

where they live. “Sonoma is such an amazing town that we were drawn to because we felt there were so many like-minded people trying Practical Nostalgia to make their way in the food and The Sonoma-based West Wine wine industry. It’s incredible to live Tours is operated by born-andin the country yet be surrounded bred locals Sathre and his wife and by people who fearlessly make their business partner, Nicole Benjaown path and build their own busimin-Sathre. You might know them nesses,” Nicole told NBBJ. from their other Sonoma-based Blazing their own trail is somebusinesses: the newly opened thing they relate to. The current West Handmade Burgers and West Wine Tours fleet includes a the long-running event company 1968 Type II, a 1969 called Green known for its pop-up picnics for Bean, a 1971 called Olive, and a 3,000 people staged in hush-hush 1979 called Sweet Pea. Each is locations around the country. It’s impeccably restored, retro cool, no wonder North Bay Business stylishly photogenic, and always a Journal awarded Nicole as one of good time, with seating for six to its 40 Under 40. She shared the eight people. They are also all as “why” behind the company’s origin temperamental as can be. As the story: “I wanted to change the way disclaimer on the booking pages tourists visit Sonoma [from what warns: “Our vans are 50 years old it was] to something more authen- and do break down from time to tic and nostalgic. So we started a time. We have an alternate vehicle Winery Hop in a vintage VW, and for tours when this happens.” purchased three 50-year-old VW One more piece of slightly buses to be driven by locals.” disappointing news: none have air The couple has a lot of love for conditioning. But riding in a VW

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Bus is a cheerful experience nonetheless, especially with the windows down—and there are a lot of windows through which passengers have ample time to soak up the scenery as the bus plods along.

Sathre never understood why anyone would take a limo to a wine tasting—tinted windows keep passengers from immersing themselves in the scenic surroundings.

Same goes for the mega bus tours.

“Wine tours have been the same since they began. It’s time to mix them up,” Sathre says.

Not that that deters anyone from booking both the Napa and the Sonoma route either by the seat ($135 per person) or by the bus ($650 for a six-seater; $850 for the eight). If you book the whole bus, Sathre and team can recommend an itinerary for you, or they’ll drive you anywhere you want to go, really. The California cool tour guides are knowledgeable, easygoing guys who know the area, know the wines, and are there to help ensure everyone’s connecting with the experience and with one another. And they’ll stop to stage Insta-classic photo shoots to prove it.

The Grand Tour A standard itinerary includes stops at three of Sathre’s favorite wineries in either Napa or Sonoma, with a picnic lunch at the second included—gluten- and nut-free, cooked from scratch, and made with seasonally available ingredients. Oh, and earlier this year, he appeared in the new series It Starts With Wine, a Wine Enthusiast Media production on Amazon Prime Video. Those are all worthy stories, but we’ll save them for another time. First, back to the lunches, which earn rave reviews like this one: “The wineries we visited were beautiful and really captured the essence of Sonoma. And the meal he cooked for us...OMG! The tour is worth that alone! It’s a fun way to get the Sonoma experience and not have to sit on a boring bus with a ton of people.”

This is one of 845 or so glowing reviews posted on the outfit’s Airbnb Experience overview. Airbnb Experiences launched in 2016 with about 500 offerings—one-ofa-kind activities handcrafted and led by local experts. Three years later, there are 40,000 Airbnb

Experiences available across 1,000 NAPA & cities worldwide. Experiences cost SONOMA WINE HOPS the same through Airbnb as they Explore three of the do if booked directly with tour best wineries your providers, but the experiences area has to offer.

In Sonoma, tours aren’t found on other travel webusually check out sites. The goal is to provide “an Ramʼs Gate, Winery antidote to mass produced tourSixteen 600, and Larson Family ism, enabling travelers to experience a different and authentic side Vineyards. In Napa Valley, it’s typically of a city through local residents.”

Paraduxx, Pestoni It’s a model that resonates with Family Vineyards, travelers to the region, and within and Honig.

Stops are based on just a few months of introducavailability, so your ing the West Wine Tours to the particular tour may Airbnb platform, the vintage VW take you to totally different (but just as winery hop became the top Bay good) destinations.

Area booked experience.

Catered lunch is Glowing praise continues for included during the second stop.

West Wine Tours on the Airbnb pay for wine tasting at Experience page, where the outfit Guests each location. Anticipate $25 to $40 per person, per winery. carries almost a perfect 5-star rating. It’s an enriching kind of experience. “One of my top ten favorite ways I’ve ever spent my time and money,” says one. “The idea must attract cool people because every person on our tour was super fun,” writes another.

And that selfie with a glass of cab sav, sunset on the Napa vineyards, and that classic VW? That’s a vintage that will never grow old.

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PHOTO CREDIT

THE

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The New Old School Ashes & Diamonds adds a bit of class to a classic winter stew.

TEXT PATTY MALESH

Ashes & Diamonds ain’t your run-of-the-mill winery. It’s owned by creative advertising exec Kashy Khaledi—a winner of an MTV Woodie Award for Video of the Year—who puts the focus on collaboration and forward thinking.

But don’t think the Napa winery is too new-school. Ashes & Diamonds may have opened in 2014, but it makes wines with an eye on the heritage of the 1960s, when Napa first hit the world stage. With more than a dozen carefully crafted wines and blends available—not the least of which is the members-only 2018 Rosé— Ashes & Diamonds calls itself “the ultimate convergence of modern and old-school flavors, committed to offering a wide-ranging group of wines that adhere to an ethos of light-handed winemaking and transparency of terroir.”

Each wine is made in limited quantities, so the best way to ensure you get your hands on that sought-after bottle is to get yourself a membership. Not only do members get first dibs on up to 12 bottles per year, they also receive benefits and reduced prices on any other Ashes & Diamonds wine.

Best of all, the resident chefs here know exactly how to pair the winery’s creations in a can’t-miss food and wine tasting that runs $95 per person.

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THE LIFE

A&D Grand Coq au Vin Makes about 6 servings

To truly savor the flavor of Ashes & Diamonds in the fall you need to taste the Grand Coq au Vin. Estate chef Ethan Speizer turns rustic into robust with his take on this midcentury (mid-nineteenth century, that is) winter staple. Elevated to American fame by Julia Child in Mastering the Art of French Cooking (1961), coq au vin welcomes the earthen, herbal notes of Ashes & Diamonds’ reds. Speizer recommends two cups of the winery’s Grand Vin, a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc, or their biodynamically grown Red Hen Cabernet Sauvignon to impress your guests. And don’t be shy. Take your cue from Ms. Child and help yourself to a glass or two as you cook...or before. ashesdiamonds.com

IN G RE DIE N TS

2 chickens, butchered into legs, thighs, breasts, and wings 2 c Ashes & Diamonds Grand Vin (or any other red) 4 tbsp soy sauce 1 tbsp fish sauce ½ lb cremini mushrooms ½ lb bacon, cut into lardons ½ lb leeks, sliced 2 carrots, medium diced ½ lb pearl onions 6 cloves garlic 1 bay leaf 6 sprigs thyme 2–3 c homemade chicken stock 6 tbsp butter Salt to taste ½ c minced parsley, tarragon, and chives

INST RUCT IONS

• In a large pan, preferably a Dutch oven, sauté bacon over medium heat until crisp.

• Season all chicken pieces with your favorite poultry seasonings.

• Using a slotted spoon, remove from heat. Add seasoned chicken pieces to pan and brown on all sides in bacon fat.

• Remove from pan and place onto a sheet tray.

Over medium heat, cook carrots, onions, leeks, mushrooms, and garlic for 10 minutes, seasoning with salt, until lightly browned.

• Add the Grand Vin, soy sauce, fish sauce, bay leaf, thyme, and chicken stock and bring to a simmer.

• Add browned chicken and bacon back into pan.

Roast at 350º F, covered, for one hour.

• Remove chicken from pan, placing onto a sheet tray. Add butter and reduce sauce over medium-high heat until viscous.

• Place chicken back into pan, garnish with herbs, and serve.

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When others say NO, we say YES!

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A portion of every transaction is donated to both breast cancer and autism research because one day we can all hope for a world without either.

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THE LIFE BOOK REVIEW

Proper Puff Piece Lizzie Post follows her great-great grandmother’s path and defines the rules for cannabis etiquette.

TEXT STEPHANIE WILSON

Whether you’ve been on the giving or receiving end of the phrase, “According to Emily Post [insert standard practice followed by polite society here],” you’ve been subject to her advice—or the advice of her descendants given through subsequent books, syndicated advice columns, and other teachings of the Emily Post Institute. The original manners mastermind literally wrote the book on etiquette, dictating the rules for social conduct in her 1922 bestseller, Etiquette: In Society, In Business, In Politics and At Home.

While times have changed, many of the principles of good manners she outlined almost a century ago are

still widely followed today.

Getting excited about etiquette is elevated to high fashion with a new installment by Lizzie Post, greatgreat-granddaughter to the grand dame of all-things gracious and copresident of her family’s Vermontbased institute. Higher Etiquette: A Guide to the World of Cannabis, from Dispensaries to Dinner Parties is the most concrete example to date of just how far we’ve come in removing the stigma surrounding cannabis.

When the world’s most respected etiquette brand deems the formerly controversial plant a topic for polite society, it’s a milestone moment.

The topics covered include everything from basic lingo to

rotation etiquette to pairing parties and “weedcations.” [Full disclosure: Sensi president Tae Darnell is among the industry experts consulted for the project.] At the heart of the book’s message is the communal spirit of the plant, which is meant to be shared.

The preface answers the question undoubtedly on everyone’s mind when they learn of the book’s existence: What would Emily Post think of it all?

According to Lizzie Post, the OG of etiquette would support it.

Higher Etiquette: A Guide to the World of Cannabis, from Dispensaries to Dinner Parties $18.99, Penguin Random House emilypost.com

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TOP LEFT: SOAP MAKING TOP RIGHT: TEDx SONOMA BOTTOM RIGHT: BRICK PALOOZA

THE

On the Calendar November in the North Bay is prime time to get out and get active.

TEXT PATTY MALESH

It’s not winter yet but all the harvest season crowds have begun to thin out. The days now can be sunny and beautiful so that you can sit outside and enjoy a bit of pinot grigio or chilly enough to cuddle by the fire with a big zin. Turkey time is also when this community shows that it’s truly a group that comes together with everything from family fun to LGBTQ+ get-togethers. Whether you live here or just want to drive up and experience the good life, book your calendar now with some of these local happenings.

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Napa Valley Film Festival November 1 1400 Clay St., Napa napavalleyfilmfest.org

TEDx Sonoma County 2019 Balance November 2 Sonoma Country Day School Santa Rosa tedxsonomacounty.com

Bacon and Wine Tasting with Live Prep your higher Music self for inspired and November 2 Fairwinds Estate Winery fairwindsestatewinery.com

6th Annual NorCal Beer Geeks Festival November 2 Santa Rosa Veterans Bldg. bit.ly/2BqCful

thought-provoking commentary on the relevance, importance, and possibility of finding balance in our complex lives.

Sonoma Coast Vineyard Paella Party November 3 Sonoma Coast Vineyards sonomacoastvineyards.com

Marin Arts and Crafts Show November 15–17 Marin County Civic Center San Rafael artsandcraftsshow.com

Hot Buttered Rum November 16 HopMonk Tavern, Novato hopmonk.com

Sukhasiddhi Sunday November 3 Sukhasiddhi Foundation Fairfax sukhasiddhi.org/sundays

We Dine Together November 7 beyonddifferences.org

Beyond Differences and San Francisco Bay Area’s top-tier restaurants are coming together for the fourth annual We Dine Together event.

Proceeds benefit National No One Eats Alone Day.

LGBTQ Friday Night High Art Meetup

ucational program.

And be sure to look for additional seminars in the series on the second Thursday of every month.

Mindi Abair’s Music & Wine Festival

Holiday SoapMaking Workshop Concert for the Climate with the November 23 SoMa Piano Trio Laguna de Santa Rosa

The Robert Cray Band

November 15 United Methodist Church, Napa bit.ly/33Dyb5F Presented by Napa Climate Now

Gundlach Bundschu Built To Spill Concert November 23 Gundlach Bundschu Winery Sonoma bit.ly/2MHuXYh

Brick Palooza, A Napa Turkey Lego Fan Festival Chase 10K and 5K

and discussion of the NorCal scene?

Meetups take place on first and third Fridays. LGBTQ and ally inclusive.

November 9 Empress Theatre, Vallejo empresstheatre.org

pressed soap-making with Rubber Ducky Soap soaper Kelly Smith.

November 17 Santa Rosa Veterans Bldg.

Santa Rosa bit.ly/2MjtCb2

November 28 Napa Valley College bit.ly/2MjyywI

Work up an appetite for that big dinner at this annual race that draws 1,500 trotters this year.

Foundation lagunafoundation.org

Learn the tricks and tips of cold-

November 9 Uptown Theatre, Napa uptowntheatrenapa.com

Introduction to Taiko Drumming November 10 Exercise Rm., 420 Litho St. Sausalito

CannaMEdX

November 8 & 22 105 Fourth St. Santa Rosa bit.ly/2qhyNje

November 14 Sonoma Cty. Healing Academy Sebastopol socoha.com

Who could refuse a wine, BYOB cannabis, art event

Come on down to this monthly cannabis-as-medicine edNOVEM BER 2019

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THE SCENE W H AT ’ S H O T

Spring Back to Life Harbin Hot Springs is back. It’s time to book a caravan and leave your swimsuit at home.

CAMPER PHOTO BY PATTY MALESH

TEXT PATTY MALESH

After the 2015 Valley fire destroyed 95 percent of its infrastructure, Harbin Hot Springs reopened in January 2019.

While the feel is a bit less rustic and historic, the clothing-optional hot springs retreat’s spiritual and otherworldly appeal remains.

Complementary 90-minute yoga classes are offered twice daily, Friday through Monday.

Electronics are politely forbidden by the pools, and guests can choose to enjoy the resort for the day or extend their

stay in one of the Grove Cottages, Creekside Caravans, or BYOT (Bring Your Own Tent) areas.

And we strongly recommend you book yourself a Watsu aquatic massage session. After all, Harbin is where this particular modality of bodywork begin in the early 1980s.

While Harbin is still in the process of rebuilding its full-service restaurant and guest kitchen, Dancing Bear Cafe makes meal planning easy. This outdoor eatery serves up everything you expect

of Harbin, including predominantly organic vegetarian fare, served eco-consciously. Just 30 minutes from Napa, Harbin is an easy escape

from the North Bay in Lake county. Stop in for a soak and check out this evolving sacred space.

Harbin Hot Springs / harbin.org

NOVEM BER 2019

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49

THE END

Speaking French (Food) Share your passion for food and you just might meet a new friend.

TEXT PATTY MALESH

50 N O RT H BAY

N OV E MB ER 2019

Waiting in line for a salted caramel macaron to rule them all, I found company in an elderly Filipino woman, in the US for the It’s never not time in line at Bouchon first time visiting for a macaron, espe- Bakery. Then talk to one of her eight cially when you find the folks around you children (a pediatriyourself in Thomas because no matter cian in Nor Cal). She Keller country. Even your differencwas there, en route if reservations are es, you have one from SFO, for the out of the question, important thing in bread to be broken find a spot to park common: You are over their shared in Yountville and get foodies. dinner table in

thanks after prayers.

I was there for macarons en route to a hot springs, a long-awaited escape with a dear friend.

We were both eager to reconnect with loved ones. And, in the end, we both walked out with baguettes and macarons, in honor of each other’s story and the adventures ahead.

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