Petaluma’s Holiday Food & Fun Fair set for Nov. 25

Petaluma’s Holiday Food & Fun Fair was the brainchild of Lorraine Barber of Barber Cellars, back in the fall of 2017, just following the widespread wildfires. Business was slow, and the fair created a chance for local food purveyors to offer products directly to the public to boost holiday sales.

Barber heard from many small businesses that the fires had all but cut the legs off of the fall tourist season. Travelers changed their vacation plans after hearing the sometimes-overblown national news coverage about the scope of the fires, often believing the entire county had all but burned down.

Although Petaluma’s mom-and-pop producers would love to be able to rely on locals alone, the reality is that tourism has a rippling effect on even the smallest cottage industries. Some looked like they were not going to make it through the winter without an influx in sales, so Barber conceived a new event, to be hosted at the ballroom of the Hotel Petaluma. The community turned up in droves to support the makers who help Petaluma retain its quality of life.

And a new holiday tradition was born.

The tragedy of the 2017 fires cannot be overstated, but for most of us in Sonoma County, day-to-day life returned to normal within a few weeks. But for many small businesses, the effects were much longer lasting. I have spoken with plenty of creameries, wineries, farmers, ranchers and various other food and drink producers who say that even after two years, many of them are just getting back on their feet again.

And then the Kincade Fire hit.

“The holiday food fair was getting to the point where it was a fun way for local talents to show off their stuff,” said Barber. “But unfortunately, this year we are back to a situation where for a lot of these folks, events like this could be the difference between them making it through the winter or not.”

The Hotel Petaluma stepped up yet again to host the Holiday Food & Fun Fair, which is free to attend, and will feature dozens of local vendors, as well as plenty of holiday cheer with live music, a magician and face painting.

Held this Monday, Nov. 25, from 5 to 8 p.m., this is the time to both stock up on ingredients and get interesting cooking ideas for the Thanksgiving holiday. It is also a great time to pick up holiday gifts. Gifts purchased online are often impersonal and rarely convey the holiday cheer quite like something locally purchased. Nothing makes us happier than giving or receiving local treats, especially when they are in the form of a restaurant gift certificate. We can remember just about every meal that someone else gifted us, plus, it helps keep our local restaurants thriving. In our family this year, we plan to give homemade gift baskets packed with locally sourced treats and trinkets.

Local vendors at the Petaluma’s Holiday Food & Fun Fair will include Awesome Bars, The Bagel Mill, Barber Cellars, Barber Lee Spirits, Bert’s Deserts, Bitter Girl Bitters, Black Pig Meat Company, Clover Sonoma, F.A. Nino’s, Farm Chocolates, Flower Casita, Golden State Pickleworks, Kiss the Flower Honey, Lala’s Jam Bar, Mariposa Ice Cream, McEvoy Ranch, Miyoko’s Kitchen, Nicassio Cheese, Nomad Botanicals, o olive oil, Out To Lunch Catering, Petaluma Toffee, Sedition Brews, Simply Strudels, Sonoma Portworks, Sonoma Spice Queen, Stella’s Table, Stockhome, Sweet Zone, The Shuckery, True Delicious, W.M. Cofield cheese, Whisper Sisters and Wine By the Slice. (Vendors interested in being included next year should visit holidayfoodfair.com.)