Tour of Volo Chocolate
2025-03-26 11:00 - 12:30 (America/Los_Angeles)
Tour of VOLO Chocolate

VOLO is the award-winning handmade “Bean to Bar” deep chocolate founded in 2016 by Jeff and Susan Mall, Sonoma County farm-to-table chefs.

Join us for a tour of VOLO’s small factory and learn about the process of making chocolate from Jeff Mall.

Wednesday, March 26, 11 am – 12:15 pm

399 Business Park Court, Windsor

Tickets are $30 per person for Slow Food members. Because space is limited, this invitation is going first to current members only.

REGISTER HERE!

For those who would like to have lunch after the tour, one of Slow Food’s Snail of Approval restaurants is nearby. PizzaLeah is at 9240 Old Redwood Highway, Suite 116, Windsor (in the Oliver’s shopping center). 707.620.0551.

VOLO’s Process

Our chocolate making process begins with sourcing cacao (cocoa beans) from various parts of the world. We work with Uncommon Cacao to source ultra-premium grade organic beans. They operate their business with Transparent Trade, financial transparency, a step beyond Fair Trade guidelines.

We receive the fermented/dried cacao at our little factory here in Sonoma County. The first step is roasting, which is much like roasting coffee. Time and temperature are closely monitored and adjusted during the roasting process.

Once the beans have been roasted, there are several more processes before the chocolate bars are molded and packaged. The artwork on the labels are photographs of quilts made by Cathy Shanahan, a renowned textile artist, and Jeff’s aunt!

Volunteer With Us At The Redwood Empire Food Bank
2025-04-16 10:00 - 13:00
Volunteer With Us at the Redwood Empire Food Bank!

The Redwood Empire Food Bank (REFB)is the largest hunger-relief organization serving Northern California. Since 1987, REFB has been feeding our neighbors in need and leading the community to end hunger. Volunteers are critical to the Food Bank’s mission. Every month, volunteers contribute time which would otherwise require the work of 45 full-time staff members.

Our Sonoma County North leadership group is volunteering a few hours of our time to help pack food in the Food Bank’s warehouse. We have reserved 12 places and invite you to join our team! Have fun together while giving back to our community and helping to alleviate hunger.

Wednesday, April 16, 10 am-1 pm

Redwood Empire Food Bank

3990 Brickway Boulevard, Santa Rosa

We must confirm our volunteer reservation with the Food Bank by APRIL 9. We look forward to working together!

SIGN UP HERE

Slow Books: Dirt: Adventures in Lyon as a Chef in Training, Father, and Sleuth Looking for the Secret of French Cooking, by Bill Buford
2025-05-12 17:30 - 19:00
Slow Books is an ongoing activity of our chapter. The group meets every 6 weeks to discuss a food-related book and enjoy a potluck dinner based on the book. We meet in people’s homes which can usually only accommodate up to 8 people. For this reason, we are usually unable to invite others than our core group of participants.

But we’re learning a lot from the books we’ve read, and thought you might want to enjoy the books as well.

MAY SELECTION: Dirt: Adventures in Lyon as a Chef in Training, Father, and Sleuth Looking for the Secret of French Cooking, by Bill Buford

What does it take to master French cooking? This is the question that drives Bill Buford to abandon his perfectly happy life in New York City and pack up and (with a wife and three-year-old twin sons in tow) move to Lyon, the so-called gastronomic capital of France. But what was meant to be six months in a new and very foreign city turns into a wild five-year digression from normal life, as Buford apprentices at Lyon’s best boulangerie, studies at a legendary culinary school, and cooks at a storied Michelin-starred restaurant, where he discovers the exacting (and incomprehensibly punishing) rigueur of the professional kitchen. With his signature humor, sense of adventure, and masterful ability to bring an exotic and unknown world to life, Buford has written the definitive insider story of a city and its great culinary culture. (Amazon)

Slow Books: Love, Loss, and What We Ate: A Memoir, by Padma Lakshmi
2025-06-23 17:30 - 19:00
Slow Books is an ongoing activity of our chapter. The group meets every 6 weeks to discuss a food-related book and enjoy a potluck dinner based on the book. We meet in people’s homes which can usually only accommodate up to 8 people. For this reason, we are usually unable to invite others than our core group of participants.

But we’re learning a lot from the books we’ve read, and thought you might want to enjoy the books as well.

JUNE SELECTION: Slow Books: Love, Loss, and What We Ate: A Memoir, by Padma Lakshmi

A vivid memoir of food and family, survival and triumph, Love, Loss, and What We Ate traces the arc of Padma Lakshmi’s unlikely path from an immigrant childhood to a complicated life in front of the camera—a tantalizing blend of Ruth Reichl’s Tender at the Bone and Nora Ephron’s Heartburn
Long before Padma Lakshmi ever stepped onto a television set, she learned that how we eat is an extension of how we love, how we comfort, how we forge a sense of home—and how we taste the world as we navigate our way through it. Shuttling between continents as a child, she lived a life of dislocation that would become habit as an adult, never quite at home in the world. And yet, through all her travels, her favorite food remained the simple rice she first ate sitting on the cool floor of her grandmother’s kitchen in South India.
Poignant and surprising, Love, Loss, and What We Ate is Lakshmi’s extraordinary account of her journey from that humble kitchen, ruled by ferocious and unforgettable women, to the judges’ table of Top Chef and beyond. It chronicles the fierce devotion of the remarkable people who shaped her along the way, from her headstrong mother who flouted conservative Indian convention to make a life in New York, to her Brahmin grandfather—a brilliant engineer with an irrepressible sweet tooth—to the man seemingly wrong for her in every way who proved to be her truest ally. A memoir rich with sensual prose and punctuated with evocative recipes, it is alive with the scents, tastes, and textures of a life that spans complex geographies both internal and external.
Love, Loss, and What We Ate is an intimate and unexpected story of food and family—both the ones we are born to and the ones we create—and their enduring legacies. Amazon

Farm Tour: Knights Valley Wagu at Ghost Donkey Ranch
2025-07-09 09:30 - 11:00
The Knights Valley Wagyu farm tour has been rescheduled to July 9, 2025

FARM TOUR: KNIGHTS VALLEY WAGYU AT GHOST DONKEY RANCH

Wednesday, July 9, 9:30-11:00 am
Knights Valley Wagyu
13800 Highway 128, Calistoga

Tickets

Get ready for a moo-ving experience! Join us for a tour of Knights Valley Wagyu, a 227-acre working cattle ranch that’s earned our Snail of Approval!
Ever wonder what makes Wagyu so special? The ranch is home to cattle with 100% Japanese genetics – that’s like royalty in the beef world! These happy cows spend their days foraging on lush native grasses, soaking up the California sunshine. They also get a special, hand-fed nutritional mixture twice daily, tailored just for them.
Knights Valley Wagyu is all about being kind to the planet and the animals. The land is devoted to wildlife, native plants, and cattle. No pesticides, fertilizers, or chemical agents are allowed and water usage is minimal. We believe that enjoying small amounts of thoughtfully and sustainably raised beef offers a delicious and ethical alternative to the typical factory farming of large animals.
Come soak in the stunning beauty of the ranch and get the inside scoop on what makes Knights Valley Wagyu truly special. Don’t forget to pack your favorite lunch! We’ll have a picnic area ready for us to share a meal together.

Slow Food Sonoma County North | Contact Us
a 501(c)3 non-profit organization

Slow Food Sonoma County North | PO Box 1494 | Healdsburg, CA 95448 US

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Annual Summer Picnic at Gradek Ranch
2025-07-12 16:00 - 19:00
It’s Time for the Slow Food Annual Summer Picnic at the Gradek Ranch!

Saturday, July 12
4 – 7 pm

Our Annual Summer Picnic is held on the Gradek Ranch in the Dry Creek Valley. Please join us for an afternoon of friends and food in a beautiful setting: picnic tables under the shade of tall trees and a lake ready for swimming. Come at 4 pm for appetizers, followed by a Mexican Taco Bar supper with grilled steak and chicken and hand-made tortillas.
Please bring a beverage and your place-setting!

Tickets Here

Thank you for supporting our chapter’s initiatives! This picnic is more than just a fun gathering—it’s also a fundraiser that helps us keep our efforts going strong. We’re grateful for your participation and generosity. In addition, we’re proud to donate a portion of the proceeds to Farm to Fight Hunger, supporting their mission to combat food insecurity.

Slow Food Sonoma County North | Contact Us
a 501(c)3 non-profit organization

Slow Food Sonoma County North | PO Box 1494 | Healdsburg, CA 95448 US

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Slow Books: Epitaph for a Peach, David Mas Masumoto
2025-08-04 17:30 - 19:00
Slow Books is an ongoing activity of our chapter. The group meets every 6 weeks to discuss a food-related book and enjoy a potluck dinner based on the book. We meet in people’s homes which can usually only accommodate up to 8 people. For this reason, we are usually unable to invite others than our core group of participants.

But we’re learning a lot from the books we’ve read, and thought you might want to enjoy the books as well.

JUNE SELECTION: Slow Books: Epitaph for a Peach, David Mas Masumoto
A lyrical, sensuous and thoroughly engrossing memoir of one critical year in the life of an organic peach farmer, Epitaph for a Peach is “a delightful narrative . . . with poetic flair and a sense of humor” (Library Journal). Line drawings. Amazon

Tastes & Tales of Italy-Event Postponed
2025-08-23 17:30 - 20:30 | The Clubhouse at Tayman Golf Club, 927 S. Fitch Mountain Road, Healdsburg, CA, 95448, United States
Event postponed, more information on new date coming soon.

Celebrate Italy, Slow Food, and Local Flavor at “Tastes & Tales of Italy” Dinner
Join Slow Food Sonoma County North Tastes & Tales of Italy, an unforgettable evening of food, stories, and community. This special event celebrates our chapter’s delegates who attended the global Terra Madre Salone del Gusto gathering in Turin, Italy last fall—an international showcase of sustainable food and farming.
Highlights of the Evening:• Italy-inspired dinner by Chef Ryan Ramey of Americana & Estero Café• Four-course meal featuring local, seasonal ingredients (menu below)• Stories & photos from our delegates’ journey to Terra Madre 2024• Silent auction featuring local experiences, artisan goods, and more• A selection of wines will be included
Menu:• Appetizers: Peaches with creamy cheese & honey, anchovy crostini, Wise Acre Farm beef meatballs• Entrée: Italian fry bread with local charcuterie• Main: Saffron risotto with Liberty Duck & gremolata, grilled summer vegetables• Dessert: Buttermilk panna cotta with candied hazelnut crunch
Tickets
Meet Our Delegates:Tiffany Holbrook (Wise Acre Farm), Samantha Ramey (Americana & Estero Café), and Donna del Rey (Relish Culinary Adventures)—all Snail of Approval awardees and leaders in local, sustainable food.
Silent Auction Highlights:• 2-night stay at an ocean-view Sea Ranch home• Wine tasting for 4 at Papapietro Perry Winery• Local olive oil basket, artisan ceramics, hand-woven Guatemalan mat• Tickets to future Slow Food dinners, including our 100-Mile Dinner (May 2026)
This event will raise funds to send chapter delegates to Terra Madre 2026. Thank you for your support!

Terra Madre Americas, Sacramento
2025-09-26 - 2025-09-28

Celebrate a Year of Slow Food With Us at Our Annual Meeting, Healdsburg!
2025-10-26 15:00 - 17:00
Celebrate a Year of Slow Food With Us at Our Annual Meeting!

Barn at Farm to Fight Hunger

Speaker Vince Trotter

October 26, 3-5 pm
Farm to Fight Hunger
12340 Los Amigos Road, Healdsburg

There is no charge for this event, but please register for planning purposes.

Register Here

Come Help Us Celebrate Our Members and Our Collective Work This Year–and Learn About North Bay Agriculture
Mingle with old friends and meet new members, have some nibbles and drinks, and find out what your chapter has been doing this year.
We will enjoy the beauty of the fields and barn at Farm to Fight Hunger and hear from owners Bruce Mentzer and Anthony Solar about their mission to provide food for those in need.
And we are excited to welcome Vince Trotter as our speaker. Vince is Sustainable Ag Coordinator and Agricultural Ombudsman with UC Cooperative Extension in Marin County and co-owner of Kibo Farm. He will give us “A Perspective on North Bay Agriculture” and answer your questions.

Special Information
Please bring your favorite appetizer to share, and label it.
Beverages provided.
Bring a friend! We want to spread the word about Slow Food and Good, Clean, Fair food for all.
If your membership has expired, attend and renew it. Not a member? Come and see what we’re all about!

Farm to Fight Hunger
Our mission is to sustainably grow nutritious vegetables, and to produce pasture-raised eggs, for donation to those in need of healthy food in Sonoma County. We donate 100% of what we grow.
The farm is a Snail of Approval – Slow Food in Sonoma County recipient.

Slow Food Sonoma County North | Contact Us
a 501(c)3 non-profit organization

Slow Cinema: Feeding Tomorrow, Cloverdale
2025-11-04 15:00 - 17:00
Slow Cinema Watch Party:
Feeding Tomorrow

Tuesday, November 4
3-5 pm
River Road, Cloverdale
(address will be sent upon registration)

Join us to watch and then discuss the 2024 documentary film, Feeding Tomorrow (streaming on Amazon). The film is 1 hour 20 minutes. We will provide movie munchies–please bring a beverage to share.
Our group is limited to 10 people, so sign up soon! There is no charge for this event.

Register Here

Feeding Tomorrow
We all have the power to make positive change in the world, and food is at the center of that change. FEEDING TOMORROW tells an interconnected story of how food interacts with and transforms every part of our lives. By threading together the stories of a dynamic group of innovators, we cast a new vision for a more regenerative world.

Our lens focuses on innovators across agriculture, healthcare, and education as they work to transform our broken food system. We follow Thabiti Brown, Head of School at Codman Academy; Lisa Mcdowell, Director of Nutrition at St. Joseph Mercy Hospitals; and Mark Shepard, Founder & Farmer of New Forest Farm to discover the biggest challenges and the real solutions we face in agriculture, healthcare, and education.

Our film documents the hard truth about where we are today and provides tangible, working examples: farming that will feed our future, healthy food that will heal us, a new model for holistic education. Each of our experts provide tangible actions that each one of us can make in our daily lives to be a part of change.

Slow Food Sonoma County North | Contact Us
a 501(c)3 non-profit organization

Volunteer With Us at Redwood Empire Food Bank
2025-11-19 10:00 - 13:00

Terra Madre Day Dinner, Healdsburg
2025-12-10 17:30 - 20:00
Terra Madre Day Dinner

This year we are again observing International Terra Madre Day with dinner at the intimate Idlewild Tasting Room. Please join us!

Wednesday, December 10, 5:30 -8 pm
132 Plaza Street, Healdsburg

MENU

Selection of Appetizers

Salad of Local Greens with Gorgonzola and Gradek Pears
Spezzatino di Maiale (Pork Stew) on Polenta
(a vegetarian option will be offered)

Meyer Lemon Panna Cotta
Idlewild Wines
Tickets are $60 for Slow Food Members and $75 for non-members
Ticket sales will end on December 6.

Get Your Tickets Here

In the Slow Food tradition, please bring your own (non-disposable) plate + silverware + napkin to help reduce waste and clean-up time. Wine glasses will be provided.

Please do not bring your own wine. Idlewild wines will be served during the evening.
Doors will open promptly at 5:30 pm.

December 10 marks Terra Madre Day, our global celebration of food, community, and the living networks that connect us all. Marking the anniversary of the founding of the Slow Food movement in 1989, this day provides us a moment for communities everywhere to celebrate local food cultures and to show how food can be a force for connection, resilience, and change.

Slow Food Sonoma County North | Contact Us
a 501(c)3 non-profit organization

Scone Making Class, Sebastopol
2026-01-21 09:30 - 12:30 | Patisserie Angelica, 6821 Laguna Park Way, Sebastopol, CA, United States
Celebrate the New Year by learning to make scones! Join us in a fun, educational, and interactive class at Patisserie Angelica.
Patisserie Angelica, 6821 Laguna Park Way, Sebastopol
Tickets
Patisserie Angelica is a locally-owned, award-winning French-style artisanal bakery. It has a Slow Food Snail of Approval. Our class will be taught by Maggie, one of the famous bakers at the patisserie. We will gather in the kitchen to learn the process and mix the dough, and then sit down in the cosy dining area to enjoy scones with a pot of hot tea.
Patisserie Angelica’s scones are unique in that they’re made only with cream. There’s no butter, unlike in many scone recipes. In a Press Democrat interview, owner Gargana Karabelov explains that “The cream makes them crackly on the outside and softer on the inside, and they don’t get dry. I like them better than scones made with butter.”Pa
Tickets for this special event are $40 for Slow Food members and $50 for non-members. The class is limited to 10 participants.

Tastes & Tales of Italy, Healdsburg - Ticket Sales End January 30
2026-02-04 17:30 - 20:30 | The Clubhouse at Tayman Golf Club, 927 S. Fitch Mountain Road, Healdsburg, CA, 95448, United States
Please join us for an evening on beautiful Fitch Mountain for a Northern Italy-inspired dinner! The menu was planned by our three delegates to Terra Madre 2024, the bi-annual international Slow Food gathering in Torino, Italy.
Start the evening with an aperitivo, browse the offerings at our silent auction, then sit down to a family-style dinner. During the evening, we will also hear heartfelt tales from our delegates about their experiences at Terra Madre Italy.
Tickets are $80 for Slow Food members and $90 for non-members.
Tickets
This event will raise funds to send chapter delegates to Terra Madre 2026.
Thank you for your support!

Our Delegates to Terra Madre 2024Tiffany Holbrook, owner Wise Acre Farm, WindsorSamantha Ramey, co-owner Estero Cafe and AmericanaDonna del Rey, owner Relish Culinary Adventures, Healdsburg

Our delegates are stars in the Sonoma County food system. They represented our farms and restaurants, and learned about food, farming, and other practices from other delegates from around the world. They also led a workshop about Sonoma County’s Snail of Approval program.

Tastes & Tales of Italy Menu

AperitivoPolenta Squares | Tomato Jam | Valley Ford Farmers CheeseCrusty Bread | Italian Anchovy ButterWise Acre Farm Meatballs

MainWinter Greens Salad | Candied Hazelnuts | Blood Orange VinaigrettePasta al Forno | Duck RaguVegetarian Option: Pasta al Forno | Mushroom RaguRoasted Broccolini

DessertChocolate Bonet | Amaretti Cookies

Local wines will accompany the meal.

Silent Auction Items-2 nights at a 2-bedroom, ocean-view Sea Ranch home-Wine tasting and charcuterie plate for 4 at Papapietro Perry Winery in Healdsburg-Basket of 4 local olive oils-Serving bowl and salad/dessert plates by Aletha Soule Studio with accompanying hand-woven mat by AMIDI in Guatemala-PLUS you can buy a seat at our next 100-Mile Dinner, May 2026 in Cloverdale!

Geyserville Valentine's Day Wine & Marketplace
2026-02-14 12:00 - 16:00 | Geyserville, CA, Geyserville, CA
Our chapter will have a booth in front of Peche Merle Winery.
Come see us and buy a Bodega Red Potato cap!
Go here for tickets and more information.

8th Annual Snail of Approval Awards-Slow Food in Sonoma County
2026-02-25 17:30 - 19:30 | Sebastopol Grange, 6000 Sebastopol Ave, Sebastopol, CA, 95472, United States
On February 25, Slow Food in Sonoma County invites you to gather at the Sebastopol Grange for an evening of connection, conversation, and celebration at our 8th Annual Snail of Approval Awards.
This year, we are honoring 21 Sonoma County food businesses—from regenerative farms and community markets to beloved restaurants and artisan producers—whose work reflects Slow Food values in action every day. These are the businesses nourishing our community while caring for the land, supporting workers, and strengthening local food traditions.
The evening will feature:

· Recognition of our 2025 Snail of Approval awardees and renewal recipients
· Opportunities to meet farmers, chefs, and food makers and hear their stories
· Light bites and beverages highlighting local producers
· A warm, informal atmosphere designed for community and conversation

At a time when small food businesses face growing challenges, the Snail of Approval Awards offer a chance to pause, come together, and celebrate what’s working—and the people making it happen.
Whether you’re a longtime Slow Food supporter or simply curious about where your food comes from, we hope you’ll join us for this meaningful community celebration.
Get Your Tickets Now!
2025 Snail of Approval Award Recipients

Ambix Spirits, Sebastopol
The Beet Restaurant & Wine Shop, Cloverdale
Ceres Community Project, Sebastopol
Chad’s Soup Shack & Catering, Sonoma County
Cloverdale Certified Farmers Market, Cloverdale
Dahlia & Sage Community Market, Cloverdale
Fishetarian Fish Market, Bodega Bay
Front Porch Farm, Healdsburg
Gabacool Provisions, Sonoma County
The Guerneville Certified Farmers Market, Guerneville
Hot Drops, Sonoma County
Jupiter Foods, Petaluma
Knight Valley Wagyu, Calistoga
Little Saint Farm, Healdsburg
Little Saint Restaurant, Healdsburg
Longer Table Farm, Santa Rosa
Santa Rosa Original Certified Farmers Market, Santa Rosa
Tenfold Farmstand, Petaluma
The Redwood, Sebastopol
Valley bar + bottle, Sonoma
Valley Swim Club, Sonoma

Also recognized during the celebration are 18 businesses receiving Snail of Approval renewals for 2025: Americana Santa Rosa, Bernier Farms, Black Pig Meat Co/Black Piglet, COOKIE…take a bite!, Corner Project, DaVero Farms & Winery, Diavola Pizzeria & Salumeria, Estero Café, Gold Ridge Organic Farms, Handline, Laguna Farm, Lunchette, Red Horse Pizza, Seven Moons Farm, SingleThread Farm & Restaurant, Sunray Farm, Tierra Vegetables, Tilted Shed Ciderworks.
Visit our Snail of Approval map for a full list of local Snail of Approval awardees.
Snail of Approval is a recognition given to food businesses that pursue and practice Slow Food values of good, clean and fair food for all. As a locally run but internationally embraced program, Snail of Approval is a powerful validation for businesses. Slow Food in Sonoma County is a joint project of two local Slow Food chapters, Sonoma County North and Russian River, run in partnership with Slow Food USA.

Slow Books, The Physiology of Taste by Brillat Savarin, translated by MFK Fisher
2026-03-02
Our Slow Books group has reached capacity, but this is our February selection—join us in spirit and read along.

A delightful and hilarious classic about the joys of the table, The Physiology of Taste is the most famous book about food ever written. First published in France in 1825 and continuously in print ever since, Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin’s masterpiece is a historical, philosophical, and epicurean collection of recipes, reflections, and anecdotes on everything and anything gastronomical. Brillat-Savarin—who famously stated “Tell me what you eat and I shall tell you what you are”—shrewdly expounds upon culinary matters that still resonate today, from the rise of the destination restaurant to matters of diet and weight, and in M. F. K. Fisher, whose commentary is both brilliant and amusing, he has an editor with a sensitivity and wit to match his own.

Olive Tree Pruning at Tallgrass Ranch, Sonoma
2026-03-03 10:00 - 12:00 | Tallgrass Ranch, 27255 Arnold Dr, Sonoma, CA, 95476
More information to come!

Slow Cinema, We Feed People, Healdsburg
2026-03-25 15:00 - 17:00
More information to come!
Learn more about the film.

Slow Books, Women in the Kitchen by Anne Willan
2026-04-13
Our Slow Books group has reached capacity, but this is our March selection—join us in spirit and read along.

Anne Willan, multi-award-winning culinary historian, cookbook writer, teacher, and founder of La Varenne Cooking School in Paris, explores the lives and work of women cookbook authors whose essential books have defined cooking over the past three hundred years. Beginning with the first published cookbook by Hannah Woolley in 1661 to the early colonial days to the transformative popular works by Fannie Farmer, Irma Rombauer, Julia Child, Edna Lewis, Marcella Hazan, and up to Alice Waters working today.
Willan offers a brief biography of each influential woman, highlighting her key contributions, seminal books, and representative dishes. The book features fifty original recipes—as well as updated versions Willan has tested and modernized for the contemporary kitchen.
Women in the Kitchen is an engaging narrative that seamlessly moves through the centuries to help readers understand the ways cookbook authors inspire one another, that they in part owe their places in history to those who came before them, and how they forever change the culinary landscape. This “informative and inspiring book is a reminder that the love of delicious food and the care and preparation that goes into it can create a common bond” (Booklist).
