Tag Archives: Food

5th Annual Snail of Approval Awards

Tickets

Join us as we celebrate our 2022 Snail of Approval Awardees! A reception will be held after the awards and you will be able to visit our awardees and enjoy their tastes and displays. Our Slow Food Events team will also be presenting bites and beverages.

2022 Snail of Approval Awardees:

Americana, Santa Rosa

COOKIE…take a bite!, Santa Rosa

Corner Project Ales & Eats, Geyserville

Gold Ridge Organic Farms, Sebastopol

Lunchette, Petaluma

Maison Porcella, Windsor

Sunray Farm, Sonoma

Taub Family Outpost, Sonoma

In 2022 the following Snail of Approval awardees continued to provide good, clean and fair food in Sonoma County and were extended for another two years.

Bernier FarmsBlack Pig Meat CoBlack Piglet Food TruckDaVero Farms & WineryDiavola Pizzeria and SalumeriaEstero CafeHandline, Laguna Farm, Seven Moons Farm (formerly Lantern Farm), The Naked Pig CafeRed Horse PizzaTierra VegetablesTilted Shed CiderworksSingle Thread

Slow Food USA’s Snail of Approval directory is a national interactive Snail of Approval map that allows users to find businesses across the US that are embracing the Slow Food values.

Visit the Sonoma County map for a full list of local Snail of Approval awardees.

Slow Food in Sonoma County awards the Snail of Approval to local restaurants, farms/ranches and producers who are making a significant contribution to improving the food system. Snail of Approval is an international program which we run locally in partnership with Slow Food USA. Slow Food in Sonoma County is a partnership of two local chapters, Russian River and Sonoma County North.

Cancelled: Tastes & Tales of Terra Madre

Please Join us for our bi-annual Tastes & Tales of Terra Madre dinner to celebrate Slow Food and our chapter’s delegates to Italy’s Terra Madre Salone del Gusto! The evening will raise funds to send our delegates to Italy’s Terra Madre Salone del Gusto in 2024.

Begin the evening by mingling with other guests overlooking Becky and Bill Foss’ vineyard, savoring a selection of appetizers and enjoying a variety of Italian wines.

Then peruse the treasures offered in a silent auction before sitting down for a three-course dinner accompanied by Sonoma County wines.

Between dinner courses, we will hear from those who attended Terra Madre 2022.

Our delegate to Terra Madre 2022 was Tucker Taylor, Head Culinary Gardener of Jackson Family Farms. Also attending from the chapter were Donna del Rey, owner of Relish Culinary Adventures in Healdsburg (both Snail of Approval awardees), and Marie Giacalone, Chair of the chapter’s Events Team. Donna will be the chef for this year’s dinner, assisted by the Sonoma County North’s Events Team.

Tickets

Slow Food members, $125

Non-members, $150

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Assortment of Slow Appetizers
with a selection of Italian wines

Braised beef shanks with spring herb gremolata
Orzo with seasonal vegetables
Shaved spring vegetable salad drizzled with a creamy miso-tahini dressing
Quail & Condor baguette with Meyer lemon butter from Epicurean Connection

Sonoma County Wines

Almond biscotti with Vin Santo wine

Some Background About Terra Madre

Slow Food International holds a bi-annual gathering in Turin, Italy called Terra Madre Salone del Gusto. Over 3,000 representatives of the Slow Food network from 130 countries came together to share their experiences and come up with solutions to take back home, further strengthening the meaning of belonging that defines the Slow Food network.

The theme of Terra Madre 2022 was “RegenerAction: Act, React, Regenerate.” It is an outlook that considers food the key to regenerating our planet and a bridge to peace.

We invite you to join us for Tastes (appetizers and dinner) and Tales (with pictures!) from our delegates of their adventures at Terra Madre 2022.

Terra Madre Day Dinner-Sold Out

Celebrate Terra Madre Day With Us!

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Adieu to the Red Barn, home to many fabulous and convivial Slow Food events.

Please join us for dinner on Terra Madre Day. This year we are observing Terra Madre Day with dinner in a new location. We leave behind our wonderful red barn, and will gather at Relish Culinary Adventures, 14 Matheson Street, Healdsburg.

JFP TheWholeDuck Day5 283 360xOur speakers for the evening with be Jim Reichardt, a fourth-generation duck farmer, and his daughter Jennifer Reichardt who is part of the Liberty team and head of Raft Wines.

Our dinner will feature Duck Confit Cassoulet and will be prepared with Liberty Duck. This recipe is from our speaker Jennifer’s new cookbook “The Whole Duck”. (Cookbooks will be available for purchase at the dinner.)

Wine will be included.

You may have heard of our famous 100-mile dinners

There will be two options to join in on one of these upcoming meals in the Spring or Summer of 2023. The first will be a silent auction for a dinner for eight people in an individual’s home. Also offered will be a buy-in dinner in which anyone can buy a seat and join with others at the dinner. And yes, every ingredient in the meal is from within 100 miles of the location of the dinner!

Space is limited–reserve your place now!

Tickets are $60 for Slow Food members, $75 for non-members. Sales will close on December 7, 2022.

400x200 testata2Terra Madre Day is on December 10 every year around the world. It is Slow Food’s way to promote the diversity of food traditions and production, and show how our network is using its creativity and knowledge to build a better food future.

Embers of Awakening: Film Viewing and Panel Discussion

 

 

 

 

Register Here (advanced registration required)

Slow Food Sonoma County North, in partnership with the Windsor Regional Library and Listening for a Change, invites you to a special showing of the film Embers of Awakening: From Firestorms to Climate Healing. The 75-minute film will be followed by a moderated panel discussion, with Phyllis Rosenfield, the film’s producer and director and president of Listening for a Change, and other community activists.

Embers of Awakening: From Firestorms to Climate Healing

The film blends the powerful personal stories of survivors from the 2017 Tubbs fire with interviews with scientists and climate advocates to inspire each viewer to take action.

The 75-minute film will be followed by a moderated panel discussion, with Phyllis Rosenfield, the film’s producer and director and president of Listening for a Change, and other community activists.

Cheese Class & More at The Epicurean Connection (a Snail of Approval business), Sonoma

We are pleased to offer a popular cheese-making class hosted by Sheana Davis, renowned cheesemaker, culinary educator, and founder of The Epicurean Connection. This event will also be a fundraiser for our chapter’s many projects.

Tickets

During the class, we will be divided into workstations; each station will make a 2-3# wheel of Creme de Ricotta, a fresh cow’s milk cheese. And each of us will take home some of the cheese, as well as whey, cheesecloth, cheese ladle, recipe card, and cheese trail map.

Bring a mason jar and cooler to take home a sample of the cheese.

When we finish making the ricotta, we’ll enjoy a tasting of Sheana’s artisan cheeses, salad, and wine.

Sheana Davis has enthusiastically supported the artisan and farmstead cheese movement for over 20 years. Together with Ben Sessions, they break down the barriers to cheese production by making it accessible, easy, and fun! They are offering this special class as a way of supporting Sonoma County North.

We’ll be in an open-air state-of-the-art artisan studio with plenty of parking.

Come to support our chapter’s projects and have fun, taste and learn, and have a hands-on interactive experience making cheese!

June Snail Trail: Estero Café, Laguna Farm, Black Pig Meat Co.

We continue our Snail Trail to support our Snail of Approval restaurants, farms, and producers! We will feature one to three each month by letting you know how to visit, dine, order take-out, and purchase products from them. We encourage you to visit and promote these businesses that honor Good, Clean, and Fair food in Sonoma County. Post a pic, tag the business, tag us!

@esterocafe
@lagunafarm
@blackpigmeatco
@snailofapprovalsonomacounty
#snailofapprovalsonomacounty

Estero CaféEstero Cafe

Estero Cafe
14450 Hwy 1, Valley Ford
707/876-3333
estero.cafe

The Estero Cafe is a family-friendly restaurant in a rural setting. It is owned and operated by husband/wife team Samantha and Ryan Ramey and serves classic American farm-fresh breakfast and lunch all day. Menu items are made with locally sourced organic ingredients including a commitment to pasture raised eggs, local grass fed beef, sustainable seafood, and local dairy, fruits, and vegetables. Their beverages feature products from local and regional producers.

Monday and Thursday, 8 am – 2 pm
Friday-Sunday, 7:30 am – 3:00 pm

Dine in or on the patio, or take out. Telephone or go online to see the menu or order to go. No reservations.

Snail of Approval awardee since 2017.

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Laguna FarmLaguna Farm

Laguna Farm
400 Sparkes Road, Sebastopol
707/758-1929

Laguna Farm is owned by Ignacio “Nacho” Romero. The farm features local, sustainable, fresh and seasonal fruits, vegetables and herbs proudly grown in Sebastopol. During COVID-19, the farm decided to close its CSA program and restructure the business as a farmer’s market and wholesale farm. Laguna Farm is at the Sebastopol Farmers Market on Sundays (located in the Plaza on Weeks Way in downtown Sebastopol).

Snail of Approval awardee since 2019.

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Black Pig Meat Co.piglet 2

Black Pig Meat Co.
707/523-4814
blackpigmeatco.com

The Black Pig Meat Co. was founded and is owned by husband/wife team, Duskie Estes and John Stewart since 2005. Their pigs are sustainably raised on family farms that respect the land and the animals in their care. The pigs are heritage breed, raised without antibiotics and hormones, and are allowed to roam free.

The artisan craft process of making their bacon takes up to 21 days. It is dry cured with brown sugar for up to 21 days and then finished with applewood smoking for about 12 hours. “The result is a bacon that is perfectly balanced in salt, sweet, and smoke; complex from the brown sugar and real wood smoke; and one where you can taste the quality of the pork.”

Black Pig Meat has a snout-to-tail philosophy. In addition to bacon, they offer a wide variety of pork products, and other merchandise (for example, try the lard lather rose geranium bath and body soap; bacon toffee lollipops; or a Black Pig baseball cap). Order products or gift certificates online.

Black Pig bacon is sold at many Sonoma County groceries and wineries. Call to order wholesale.

Snail of Approval awardee since 2019.

The Black Pig Meat Co. has other awards:
Michelin, 2019
North Bay Makers, 2017
Good Food Awards, 2017 and 2019, for its coppa and prosciutto.

Snail Trail: Featuring in May Mateo’s Cocina Latina and Bernier Farms

Join Us on the Snail Trail!

Continuing on the Snail Trail, this month we visit Mateo’s Cocina Latina and Bernier Farms. We are excited that things are starting to open up and hope everyone will continue to frequent these local Snail of Approval-honored businesses. It has been a tough year and they have supported our community, and we want to return the favor by enjoying a meal and purchasing some seasonal, local produce.

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May’s Snail Trail Restaurant is Mateo’s Cocina Latina

214 Healdsburg Avenue, Healdsburg
(707) 433-1520

Mateo’s Cocina Latina is a hip cocina with a garden patio, tequila and mezcal bar with Yucatan-inspired food in Healdsburg, one block off the square. Currently serving indoors, on the patio, and to go.

Telephone or visit their website to order online, view the menu, and make a reservation.

Hours: Sunday 11:30 am-8:00 pm; Monday and Thursday 3-8 pm; Friday and Saturday 11:30 am-8:45 pm. Tuesday and Wednesday closed.

Snail of Approval awardee since 2019.

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May’s Snail Trail Farm is Bernier Farms

1720 Canyon Road, Geyserville
(707) 849-7592
bernierfarms@gmail.com

Bernier Farms is a small, certified organic, family-run farm in Sonoma County’s Dry Creek and Alexander Valleys. They are a diversified farming operation, specializing in dry-farmed grapes and many different vegetables and fruits. Known for their 15 varieties of hardneck and softneck garlic, you can purchase the seed online.

Bernier Farms produce can be found at local restaurants (including Mateo’s Cocina Latina) and can be purchased at the Healdsburg Farmer Market.

Snail of Approval awardee since 2019.

Slow Books: Clementine in the Kitchen (virtual)

 

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When “Clémentine in the Kitchen” first appeared in 1943, it immediately captivated American readers. Written by the artist Samuel Chamberlain under the pen name Phineas Beck, it recounts the gastronomic adventures of the Beck/Chamberlain family during the decade that their beguiling Burgundian cook Clémentine produced wonderful French meals for them, both in France and in their New England home in Marblehead, MA. An appendix contains 125 recipes–classic dishes, regional specialties, and much that is useful for special occasions. But the most compelling are plain and old-fashioned. These are the dishes that identify the Clémentine family style, a style so French, so civilized, so knowing in its use of ingredients that it cannot become impractical or ever go out of date: filets de sole au vin blanc, boeuf à la mode, endives braisées― trophies of la cuisine bourgeoise that never fail to please. (Amazon)