Healdsburg Farmers' Market Newsletter
July 2021 SPECIAL EDITION 6!
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Continuing on telling vendor's stories...but only three featured this month. Our last section is an update about Zucchini Fest, as well as vendor information/events. Thanks for reading! |
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Cadd's Beehive Iris Garden |
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"You have to come this week!" Anna Cadd says to me on the opening day of our market back in April. "Everything is blooming! You have to come see irises before they bloom out!"
It's an opportunity I'm glad I didn't pass up, as Anna Cadd's iris garden is something to behold. Tucked away behind a house on North Street, she breeds an endless variety of iris and other plants in her small, but prolific piece of heaven. There are a dozen or more plots, each chock-full of colorful blooms.
Born and raised in Poland, she assumed she'd be a doctor, but the idea of killing the animals needed to learn dissection was too much for her, so she switched to botany and environmental biology. She became an expert in plant hybridization, hybridizing grain crops, and especially Triticale – the cross between wheat and rye, for animal consumption. Eventually her creations were used in poorer countries all over the world to increase crop yield.
She loved to travel, even taking tour groups to Europe on occasion. She decided to visit an aunt and uncle in Santa Rosa, and once she came to Sonoma County she extended her visa several times, as she didn't want to leave.
At a dinner party hosted by a neighbor in 1990, Anna met David Cadd. According to her hostess, he was meant to be quite shy and quiet, but Anna recalls him talking her ear off...about irises. He was passionate about growing them.
They continued to see each other and ended up getting married after only a three month courtship, while on a quick gambling bus trip to Reno, surprising the Russian friends they were traveling with.
That same year they began breeding and selling iris rhizomes, while both working full time at other jobs. They squeezed in conventions, and farmers' markets, starting ours in 2000. David loved the markets. He adored explaining the varieties and sharing his enthusiasm for their special place among flowers.
Tragically, he got sick in 2010, developing strange cancers most likely caused by his exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam. Anna cared for him until his passing in 2015.
She's kept the business alive, continuing to grow the dozens of different varieties they developed together, harvesting the rhizomes and selling them at the market, along with figs and persimmons from two very prolific trees, and a smattering of other potted plants, such as geraniums and succulents. Her market season generally starts in August and goes into late September or October.
She continues to do conventions, and also iris cultivation trainings. She says she's keeping the business going to honor David. We're so lucky to have this unique and delightful vendor at our market!
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Fleur Sauvage Chocolates
Corpus Christie, Texas is an unlikely place to spawn the kind of creativity and talent found in Robert "Buttercup" Nieto, but it was, in fact, his starting point for a career in the food industry.
In his teens he got a job at the Corpus Christie Country Club as a busboy and dishwasher. He eventually worked his way into the more interesting aspect of the restaurant world; cooking and baking, after he went to culinary school, which he was inspired to do by a show on the Discovery Channel about master bakers.
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In the early 2000's, Robert headed to Las Vegas; the mecca of the culinary world at the time, and found work in 5-star hotels, such as Bellagio, Paris Las Vegas and the Venetian as a Pastry Sous Chef. His big break came when he landed a job as Pastry Sous Chef at world-renowned Chef Thomas Keller’s Bouchon Bistro.
In 2003 he met his future wife, Tara, at a cafe, when she was in Vegas on vacation. She lived in Northern California, so they had a long distance romance for awhile, but when he was given the opportunity to move to Napa Valley as the Pastry Chef of Bouchon Bistro and Bouchon Bakery in Yountville, he jumped at the chance.
He eventually moved to Sonoma County to work at Michelin starred restaurant, Madrona Manor as the Pastry Chef in 2010 and as the Pastry Chef at Jackson Family Wines in 2012, where he's still employed part time today. It was here he acquired "Butterfingers" as a nickname during a chefs' volleyball game, and this evolved to "Buttercup."
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Their big news is the opening of their new cafe at 370 Windsor River Rd, at the corner of Windsor Rd, hopefully in September. Besides their incredible chocolates they'll serve coffee, tea, etc and small dessert plates.
Though we hope they'll continue to do our markets once they're established in their new business, it's a common loss for managers like myself. Farmers' markets are often testing grounds for new companies who go on to do bigger and better. We know whatever Robert "Buttercup" Nieto does, it will look and taste incredible!
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Like many of my interview subjects, he got the bug to create his own business on the side. He loved working with chocolate. In December of 2018, Fleur Sauvage was born. Meaning "wild flower" the name reflects the random beauty of the pieces he creates. Each bonbon or bar is it's own work of art, done in a Jackson Pollack-like style, or with a subtle, airbrushed effect.
The beauty and individuality of each piece seems almost insignificant when you bite into one. His flavors pop in your mouth. You may not think dark chocolate and rosemary are a likely combo, but in Robert's creative palette they meld magically.His tried and true sellers like white chocolate lemon, dark chocolate coffee, hazelnut praline, to name a few, all sing the praises of those flavors. In 2019 Robert won the Food Network's Taste Challenge, and this shouldn't be a surprise to anyone who's sampled his goods.
If you only come to Saturday market you might have missed Fleur Sauvage, who sell on Tuesdays, where they bring a surprise assortment each week. New bonbon flavors include peaches and cream, mint, cherry, and chickory molasses with a white ganache.
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Portico Italian Social Food
"I guess it was the grass is always greener on the other side kind of thinking," is Paolo Pedrinazzi's response as to why he left Italy to live in the United States in 1982. We're sitting in Portico, the Italian trattoria he and his wife Kathleen own on Main St in downtown Sebastopol. The espresso he serves me while we're talking reminds me instantly of San Francisco's North Beach, and the Italian cafes I hung out in while in college.
Paolo comes by this knowledge honestly. Growing up in Bologna, with a father who owned a bakery and pasta company, plus a mother and grandmother who were exceptional cooks, he began making pasta at eight, and his favorite pudding by age ten, because his mother wouldn't make it enough.
When he first arrived in America he built planes for fifteen years. The next fifteen were spent working in restaurants in Mill Valley and Tiburon, following that with several years in home construction.
In 2010 Paolo met Kathleen. She grew up in Florida and was an archaeologist for a number of years after college. Her academic interest in food and culture inspired her to start her own catering business and serve authentic world cuisine. Her university colleagues were some of her first clients. When the two met Kathleen had recently established the culinary program for Healdsburg High School. Since then she's taught college writing at the Culinary Institute of America in St Helena and was a chef instructor for the culinary program at the Coast Guard Academy in Two Rock. They moved to Sebastopol ten years ago and opened the restaurant in 2019.
Portico is a cozy space with a newly added outside patio, ideal for watching passers-by. The menu is steeped in authentic Italian fare, like Ragu Bolognese with handmade Tagliatelle, Paglia e Fieno (green and yellow pasta in a walnut cream sauce), Chicken Piccata, Lasagne Bolognese, and a variety of Risotto dishes, to name just a few items. They also make delicious dessert fare like Tiramisu, Gelato, Biscotti, and of course the aforementioned espresso.
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Now they not only have indoor dining, they're finally able to host their once-a-month Italian Social Club. The first Wednesday of every month, by reservation, Paolo and Kathleen serve a four-course meal focusing on one Italian region, with decor from the area, live music, maybe a small lecture from a visiting educator on the cuisine or history, but mostly a chance for people who love Italian food and Italian energy to gather and indulge. Kathleen is the chef for those, and inspired by her anthropological background, has as much fun studying the region and hunting for recipes as she does cooking for the dinner. They finalize everything together, with Paolo carefully choosing the right Italian wines.
In the future they're planning to show old Italian movies (sound off), while diners feast.They'd love to expand the Social Club into more days, and more activities, as well as invite guest chefs, and broaden the specials menu.
Kathleen calls Portico their passion project. They love being together in everyday life and are having a ball creating food, meeting people, making new friends and perhaps above all, sharing a long-standing legacy of Regional cuisine from Bologna.
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Since their opening was a scant few months before the pandemic hit, they had to get creative to stay alive. Doing farmers' markets was one way to keep afloat, and they began ours last year (at my suggestion...) and did the Santa Rosa Luther Burbank market last winter. Selling their fresh pasta and sauces, foccacia, take and bake dishes, such as Eggplant Parmesan and Cannelloni, for customers to cook at home, as well as biscotti, and other Italian treats, they've developed a strong following.
During the height of the COVID restrictions the restaurant found success offering take and bake dishes, plus an Italian Market they set up on their patio, selling an assortment of European goods.
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Portico Italian Social Food is like having a little piece of Italy in downtown Sebastopol. The authentic fare, the Italian deli-like goodies, and the emphasis on the social, will hit a nostalgic note for anyone in love with this part of the world. If you can't come to the restaurant, however, find their delicious food at our market on Saturdays.
I don't know if the grass is greener here: I think Paulo brought the lushness of his country to ours.
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VENDOR ANNOUNCEMENTS
Dry Creek Flowers has dropped out of Tuesday Market due to her pregnancy, and the need to take it easy. She's still selling at her farm and can do weddings and events. https://www.drycreekflowers.com/
Extraordinary Blends Balsamic Vinegar and Oils had a bad ankle break and will be out for the season as well. You can order their wonderful products from their website: www.gourmetblends.us or call them directly at 707 540 2024.
Marla Bakery and Catering is hosting a SUNDAY SUPPER SERIES, for 4 Sundays...two are sold out, but the August and September ones look delicious!
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MARKET ANNOUNCEMENTS!
38th Annual Zucchini Festival!!
Last year, due to COVID, we had to forgo our wonderful Zucchini Festival, but this year we look forward to seeing the zukes "speed" down the track in their summer finery.
Saturday, August 14th
Registration Begins at 8:30am
TWO COMPETITIONS:
1) ZUCCHINI DECORATION AND RACING
Every zuke must have wheels so it can race down the track, and it must be decorated. Prizes for decorations and for winning races.
THREE Age Categories:
7 and under 8-15 16-ADULT
2) GIANT ZUCCHINI
The biggest zuke gets the biggest prize!
Great prizes donated by local businesses, plus MARKET BUCKS!
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Healdsburg Farmers' Market
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