From Penngrove Elementary to Burning Man to Petaluma food writer

Houston Porter very well may be Petaluma’s most prominent ice cream lover. The food writer is known to wax poetic about milk fat and get into granular detail on ingredient sourcing when describing the desserts he encounters.

So it was no surprise that when asked about his preferred last meal, he didn’t even pause before saying, “It would have to be really, really big. It would have to have ice cream.”

He ultimately settled on the Audrey Special from Old Chicago Pizza, which includes pesto, chicken, garlic and artichoke hearts wrapped in that signature deep dish crust. Followed by a salty, sweet pint of Mariposa Ice Creamery’s peanut butter chocolate pretzel ice cream.

“What’s more comforting than pizza and ice cream?” asked Porter.

Growing up, flavor wasn’t a big factor in his childhood. His mother, local Realtor Carol Porter, used to diet, so she relinquished culinary duties to his father. When it came to feeding four kids, Doug Porter was all about practicality and budget.

“He made pasta with no sauce. We figured out butter added some flavor. And plain brown rice. We figured out soy sauce added some flavor,” Houston Porter said, adding that his parents ascribed to the healthy food movement of the era. “We’re talking about the carob generation. My mother still asks why every restaurant doesn’t just serve a baked apple for dessert.”

Porter was 4 when his parents moved from San Francisco to Penngrove, one of about 150 families who followed a spiritual leader to the area. Even as a child, he was always seeking tastier options than what he found at home. Always ambitious, at 5 he began making money by picking up nails at his father’s construction sites. Throughout his youth, always spent some of his revenue on unhealthy snacks.

“I drank so much Coca-Cola,” he laughed.

At 13, he got his one and only restaurant job, schlepping plates as a busboy at The Green Mill Inn across the street from his home. It was a great job, and not just because of the big tips at the restaurant’s famed smorgasbord parties. Every shift included a free dinner, like freshly baked chicken over buttery mashed potatoes — a rare treat for a kid with limited exposure to chef-made meals.

“With four kids, we didn’t go out to eat very much,” Porter said. “I think that’s why eating out has always been so interesting to me.”

When it came to education, Porter bounced around from elementary school through college. Locally he attended Penngrove Elementary and graduated from Petaluma High School in 1988, in addition to spells at a couple schools outside of the area. College spanned 10 years between Santa Rosa Junior College, San Francisco City College and San Francisco State University, while he worked for Wherehouse Music, the now-defunct record store. As a manager, he helped throw in-store concerts for the likes of Sheryl Crow and Duran Duran. Wherehouse would also introduce him to his future wife, although it would take two rounds of dating to make it official.

Drea Pierotti was a St. Vincent de Paul High School student, although she was a couple years behind Porter in school, so they hadn’t crossed paths socially. Until she took a job at the Wherehouse Music on South McDowell Boulevard in 1991.

“It’s now one of our many mattress stores,” Porter laughed.

Pierotti asked to tag along on a day of surfing with friends, and the rest was history. Well, sort of. While they dated through her four years of college as a Doyle scholar at the junior college, she took a job in Colorado after graduation. Porter, still pursuing his meandering degree in international business, stayed in the Bay Area, and the young couple went their separate ways in 1996.

Eleven years later, the death of Wayne Wood would bring them back together. Like so many locally raised kids, the couple were both close to Wood, the longtime owner of the Petaluma KOA campground. When Porter learned of his untimely death, he felt compelled to reach out to Pierotti and let her know.

“It was only a few weeks and we were dating again,” he said.

In his years between falling in love, Porter helped build up one of California’s most artistic and exclusive events: Burning Man. He was one of the first paid staffers, and built relationships with local ranchers and law enforcement, greasing the wheels to allow the festival to grow in the desert. He was one of the original Black Rock Rangers, a self-styled group of security experts charged with keeping the peace of the epic party.

“We had 007 on our badges because we had a license to kill,” Porter said, explaining that “kill” meant eject misbehaving people from the event, killing their buzz.

Porter’s longtime interest in fairness and justice led him the law school, just like his wife. He had dreams of being a judge but after a stint as a prosecutor in the Mendocino County District Attorney Office, he took a private practice position locally.

It was in law school that he first honed his skills as a food writer, penning lengthy reviews on Yelp about his favorite spots to eat while procrastinating on homework. His comprehensive review of newly opened Secret Kitchen, complete with an interview with owner Brenda Anderson, first caught an Argus-Courier editor’s eye in 2014.

He was hired to write the occasional review, which eventually led to a regular column on all things food, drink and restaurant related, in addition to spotlights on local businesses and producers. He takes his own photos, and is famous for not letting dinner guests touch their plate until he’s photographed every dish on the table.

“I don’t consider myself a reviewer. I’m not a trained chef, I can’t tell if the asparagus is cooked perfectly. I don’t even like asparagus. I can just share my experience,” he said. “My opinion doesn’t matter anymore than anyone else’s.”

He sets himself apart by telling the stories of the people who showcase their culinary skills in our town. “They make it easy for me, they love this town just like I do,” he said. “Do you like the way this town feels? [They’re] a big part of why you like it.”

Porter and Pierotti often seek versions of Petaluma when they travel – littler towns with big personalities and plenty of local food sourcing. When travel is safe again, they plan to partner with a local agency to lead tours of Portugal, Basque Country and Bavaria, three of their favorite places to eat and drink.

“We’re looking for towns that mirror Petaluma,” he said. “It’s about finding their local spots. What is their Brixx? What is their Secret Kitchen?”

Secret Kitchen comes up on the list of Petaluma restaurants Porter misses most, as does Whisper Sisters. But don’t think he is all about classic dining. He has a special love for junk food, like fried spam and whatever local beef jerky the convenience store sells.

“I’m a true foodie, because I like all foods. Even the stuff out of the gas station,” Porter said. “Drea gets mad at me when we go on road trips because immediately I want to stop at a gas station and buy crappy food.”

Editor’s Note: This version has been updated to clarify Porter’s was one of the first staffers at Burning Man, and apart of the Black Rock Rangers, not Black Hawk Rangers.