Food event promotes Petaluma artisan makers
This holiday season, in the wake of the recent fires, it is more important than ever that we stick together and shop local to support our businesses. A good holiday season really could be the difference between making it or breaking it for many of our local shops, especially as they continue to be plagued by a sharp decline in tourism.
As Lorraine Barber of Barber Cellars kept hearing more and more stories of friends in the wine industry losing their jobs due to the fire, she wanted to do something to help, so she approached friend and fellow business owner Leslie Goodrich of LaLa’s Jam Bar about creating a local holiday shopping event in order to help highlight local producers.
With the help of Hotel Petaluma, this Holiday Food and Fun Fair will be held on Monday, Nov. 20, from 6 to 9 p.m. in the lobby and ballroom of the Hotel Petaluma, and is free to all. Local merchants will be sampling and selling their products while piano music and the warmth from the fireplace help ring in the holiday season.
Instead of waiting until the last minute and then relying on Amazon to fill your holiday gift orders, this local fair will help you get your shopping done early, and all while supporting local businesses. Sure, it might cost a little more than shopping online, but we all are really going to need to step up in order to make sure local businesses survive the economic uncertainty brought on by the fires.
The following local vendors will be in attendance: Barber Cellars, LaLa’s Jams, F.A. Nino’s, Kiss the Flower Honey, Zoe’s Meats, Dacheva Cheese, Farm Chocolate, Thistle Meats, Marin French/Laura Chenel Cheese, Petaluma Coffee & Tea, The Shuckery, The Drawing Board, Spring Hill Cheese, O Organic Oils/Vinegars, Bump City Bakery, Clover Creamery, and Petaluma Toffee Co. For the most current list of participants, visit 2017petalumaholidayfoodfair.eventbrite.com.
Water Street eats
Seared: With a gift certificate in hand, we recently dined at Seared and were again blown away by Chef Joe O’Donnel’s creations. We had the Flannery Beef Filet Mignon, the Beeman Ranch Wagyu Ribeye, and the Stemple Creek Grass-fed Cheeseburger, plus Brown Butter Cake for dessert, along with a couple glasses of wine and a cocktail from the bar.
Chef Joe was nice enough to make us some sort of warm and spicy squash, Brussels sprouts, raisin and bacon dish that even this carnivore enjoyed. I rarely visit steak houses because I find them to be over-priced and pretentious, but that is never the case with Seared. The bill came in at well under $200 for three of us, including drinks and dessert.
Water Street Bistro: While walking around downtown, prior to the Veterans Day Parade, my hunger pangs struck just as we were passing Water Street Bistro, so we stopped in for a bowl of fresh crab chowder and a glass of Allagash White Ale. The crab chowder was super creamy, without being weighed down with heavy fillers, and the Allagash washed everything down perfectly. I often forget about the unassuming Water Street Bistro, but with its home cooking and European vibe, it’s a real gem.
Ice cream in November?
Yes! It’s always ice cream weather, especially if we are talking about Mariposa Ice Creamery. They are holding another warehouse sale just in time to stock up for your Thanksgiving guests, starting on Friday, Nov. 17, from 5 to 8 p.m. and continuing the next day from 10 to 3 p.m. Pilar has not yet posted the flavors, but there are always too many to choose from.
We never leave without at least a quart or two of Brandy Caramel and Mexican Chocolate, but were blown away at the last sale by Mariposa’s licorice. I’m not even a fan of licorice so was surprised by how much I liked it.
Basically, if Pilar has a new flavor, we buy it. I encourage everyone to have at least a quart or three of Mariposa’s ice cream in their freezer, but if you are visiting as a guest on Thanksgiving, you may want to pick up at least a quart or four to share with your host.
At only $7 to $8 per quart, Mariposa is a bargain. Sharing Mariposa’s commercial kitchen, at 431 Payran St., are the rest of the warehouse sale’s participants, which will include Creativ Cashew Cream, Big Table Baking, Mama Mel’s and Liberty 5 Bakery.
I was lucky enough to receive samples of Creativ Cashew Cream and Big Table Baking at the last warehouse sale and was impressed by both. Big Table Baking offers both gluten and gluten-free baked goods and Creativ sells both sweet and savory variants of this dairy alternative, including the savory Himalayan Salt and Ancho Chile and the sweet Mexican Chocolate or Caramel Churro.
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