Sheri Baer, Author at Punch Magazine

Say Cheesecake

Words by Trevor Felch

After each customer’s first bite of the signature dish at Menlo Park’s Namesake Cheesecake, there seems to always be a subtle “aha!” epiphany moment. “I didn’t know cheesecake could taste like that!”
In a sea of dense cheesecakes, the one from Cherith Spicer’s charming shop is smooth and tangy—a Ferrari-cruising-down-the-highway kind of dessert.

Besides the glorious first bite, guests often have one other sudden moment of realization that pulls together the Peninsula’s historic past and its current cheesecake virtuoso.

Namesake Cheesecake might be a lovely bakery name that rhymes, but its real purpose is to pay homage. Cherith is named after Cherith Lorraine Rickey, a dear family friend and neighbor. Longtime Peninsula diners certainly know Rickey and her husband John’s restaurants, including Dinah’s Shack, Rick’s Swiss Chalet and Rickey’s Hyatt. A stalwart dessert at those restaurants was a particular cheesecake: Cherith Lorraine Rickey’s cheesecake.

However, as is the case with so many precious traditions from prior generations, this cheesecake recipe was never written down or virtually shared at all. At least that was the case until Cherith was the lucky—and only—recipient of the secrets of this cheesecake.

“She looked at me and said, ‘Eight crackers,’” Cherith recalls on an unusually balmy autumn afternoon at her shop about how she slowly but surely learned the recipe while Rickey’s memory sadly was fading. “I promised her. I said, ‘Someday in my life I could do something with this recipe. I don’t know what, when or how. But I promise you, I will make this come back to life.’”

Now Cherith’s been serving the cheesecake for over a decade to the likes of Jane Goodall, Clint Eastwood, several beloved nearby restaurants (Sundance the Steakhouse, Osteria and the Stanford Park Hotel, to name a few) and a very devoted following of local enthusiasts.

Even if Cherith might be a leading cheesecake expert now, she didn’t start baking by way of culinary school or even, in her parents’ opinion, baking pretty much anywhere.

“I joked with my parents and said, ‘I’m going to open up a bakery.’ And then my parents were like, ‘Do you even know how to bake?!’” Cherith credits the Carrubas family—known for local restaurants like Osteria and Caffe Riace—for providing pivotal support. “They really took me under their wing and showed me the ropes on how to get started. It was because of them that I ended up finding this location.”

Initially a skeptic due to her lack of baking experience, Cherith’s father Don also jumped in to help when she launched Namesake Cheesecake in 2012. Although retired now from making deliveries, today at age 92, he still bikes from Palo Alto to the shop to assist his daughter and her small team.
“It’s been fun,” Cherith reflects. “It’s been fun not only challenging myself, but also really trying to keep myself on my toes. Everything is a learning experience for me.”

Cherith clearly learned the cheesecake intricacies from Rickey and now has command of this tricky recipe that relies as much on an elegant, delicate texture as it does on flavor:

“Our cheesecake has three layers and each individual layer has to have a bake and chill process. It’s very different from other styles where you kind of just mix it all in one bowl, throw it in a pan, bake it and take it out. This is why it takes us two days to make it. It has a big chill process and that’s what makes it so good. We also don’t bake with eggs, which is very uncommon.”
Before Namesake Cheesecake, the Palo Alto High School graduate spent several years in Los Angeles and co-opened one of that area’s leading craft beer bars before the genre became the massive trend it is today. Cherith came back to the Peninsula to be closer to her parents. Of course, 2020 posed challenges for the shop, but Cherith took the opportunity to reimagine both her business and the space. Cheesecake is certainly still the headliner, but Namesake Cheesecake goes far beyond dessert nowadays.

“Let’s figure that out!” exclaims Spicer, when asked how to describe the shop, leaning back in a chair and nearly hitting some ornate glassware sitting atop an armoire display of bracelets and earrings. “It’s like a boutique—an eclectic, sort of one-stop shop where everything is local, women-owned, has a good story, gift basket-oriented with constant new arrivals. It’s a little array of everything—and cheesecake.”

After hearing a “general store” suggestion, Cherith pauses and adds, “A general store—with sparkle!”

At this time of year, the shop looks particularly festive with every kind of stocking stuffer, plus a cheesecake holiday candy topping offering, which is quite fitting because Rickey’s cheesecake was always served at the Christmas parties Cherith’s family would attend. “Everything just goes back to family,” she notes. “My parents were best friends with them, so we were over at their house all the time.”

Indeed, arguably the most rewarding thing about Namesake Cheesecake for Cherith is seeing families create their own traditions with this historic cheesecake.

“I like the personal part,” she smiles, as she describes regulars serving up Namesake for engagements and weddings, followed by baby showers: “I’m just watching all these chapters of everyone and that’s what I love.”

the perfect touch – namesakecheesecake.com

Coastside Classic: Johnny’s

Words by Elaine Wu

In the heart of downtown Half Moon Bay, an old favorite has made a comeback. Once one of the town’s oldest and most popular restaurants, Original Johnny’s closed for good in 2006. Now, the classic diner is back in its original spot on Miramontes and Main Street, and locals have restaurateur Betsy del Fierro to thank for its return.

Born and raised in Honolulu, Betsy’s welcoming Hawaiian spirit and sense of ohana (family) is in everything she does. She and her husband, George, raised their three grown children in Half Moon Bay and have owned and operated the restaurant It’s Italia here for 26 years. “The vibe in Half Moon Bay reminds me of the people in Hawaii,” she says lovingly. “There’s a closeness. We all know each other. We stick together and support each other more than lots of other places I’ve been.” So, to honor the town she loves, Betsy decided to bring back their favorite watering hole.

The first incarnation of Original Johnny’s was opened in the 1960s by John and Fiorina Evans. They then passed the diner on to their son Steve and his wife Ilva in the 1980s. Generations of Half Moon Bay residents used to frequent the place, including Betsy and her own family. “Every time I’m alone in this restaurant, I feel the spirit of Steve and Ilva, who were the owners my kids grew up knowing when we’d come in,” she recounts. “We used to order the kids hot chocolate and Mickey Mouse pancakes all the time.”

When it came time to build and design the revamped diner, Betsy had no trouble finding help. “I didn’t have to go out and beg a designer, a contractor, an electrician or a plumber to come and work on this project,” she says. “The locals wanted to be a part of it. These people grew up here and came to Original Johnny’s.”

The del Fierros’ two daughters, Maile and Camille, serve as head chef and general manager, respectively, for the new Johnny’s. “Maile learned a lot from the cooks at It’s Italia and has studied with a lot of chefs who have taken her under their wing, so Johnny’s is a project for her,” Betsy says proudly. “She hired all of our cooks, created the menu and researched so many recipes.”

Upon entering, you’ll notice this greasy spoon feels like anything but. With the help of local award-winning interior designer Kristi Will, the restaurant’s new lemony-yellow interior evokes steady rays of sunshine in this frequently foggy town. And the teal-colored banquettes and blue ombré mosaic tiled wall separating the kitchen from the rest of the restaurant gives a subtle nod to the ocean. “We really wanted to achieve a similar vibe to what it used to be: the friendliness, the sense of community,” notes Betsy.

The menu is a mix of both classic and modern diner favorites. There are even a few dishes named for members of the del Fierro family, including “The Queen B” (named for Betsy), the vegetarian “Tweety Bowl” (Camille’s childhood nickname), the “Sisters Omelette” (for Maile and Camille) and the sauce served on the Smashburger was inspired by Betsy and George’s son, Rene.

Family has always been at the heart of Johnny’s no matter who is at the helm, and Betsy plans to keep it that way. “The community feels like this restaurant is here for them because that’s the way John and Fiorina started it and how Steve and Ilva kept it going,” she reflects. “This place has always been friendly and endearing to people. It would be a shame for me not to honor what they started.”

JOHNNY’S LEMON RICOTTA PANCAKES

Though Maile developed much of the diner’s menu, this recipe was created by Betsy, which she shares with pride. She recommends serving with a few sprigs of edible flowers for an added bit of flourish.

INGREDIENTS
5 egg yolks, beaten
5 egg whites
3 ¼ cups fresh ricotta cheese (homemade is best)
2 large or 3 medium lemons, zested and juiced
2 tbsp sugar
1 ½ tsp vanilla
1 ²⁄³ cups all-purpose flour
4 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda 
4 oz good quality butter, softened

DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, mix together egg yolks, ricotta, lemon zest and lemon juice, sugar and vanilla. Set aside. Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Set aside. Sift flour, baking soda and baking powder together in a bowl. Add this dry mixture to the wet ingredients until just combined. Fold in the softened butter. Then fold in ¼ of the egg whites until incorporated followed by the rest of the egg whites until just combined. Heat a lightly greased frying pan or electric griddle to medium heat. Drop ¼ cup of the batter onto the pan per pancake. Cook until bubbles begin to form around the edges of each dollop, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook the other side for about 2 minutes. Serve immediately.

Hit the Slopes

Words by Christina Chahal

If you’re a ski buff growing up on the Peninsula, winter rain means just one thing: snow in Tahoe! That’s what Menlo Park’s Gary Hohl remembers most about his childhood. When the wet stuff began to fall, it wouldn’t be long before his family loaded up the car.

“Growing up, it was a station-wagon-bagged-lunch kind of thing, when a lift ticket cost $12 and a season pass was a whopping $125,” smiles Gary, as he describes frequent Highway 80 trips up to the High Sierra. Back in the ’70s and ’80s, hitting the slopes was a fashion-backwards kind of activity, he reminisces, where you could throw on whatever winter-ish clothes you could toss together. Frequently, it was a carefully Scotchguarded pair of jeans paired with a hand-me-down sweatshirt for the annual rite of spring skiing.

In addition to flying down the mountain in his favorite Levi’s, Gary’s favorite memory is the uninterrupted time he spent with his parents, and more recently, the precious time he’s had with his own spouse and two sons, all because of skiing. “Skiing or boarding is one of the only times you can find yourself alone with your child,” notes Gary, who reflects how rare that is today, especially quality time that’s free of devices. “Some of the best conversations I’ve ever had with my family were on a chairlift. Even now, I ski with my kids more than anyone else. It’s a lifelong bond.”

It’s no stretch to say that Gary Hohl is an expert on the subject of local snow sports. Raised in Burlingame, he started skiing at the age of nine. Then, after several memorable years of mogul mashing, there he was—a teenager working at Helm of Sun Valley Ski Shop in San Mateo, a job he kept all the way through junior college and college. “It wasn’t work,” he says. “It was a lot of fun and something I always looked forward to.”

After graduating from UC Davis, Gary took a job with Kraft Foods as a quality manager in rural Idaho. Less than two years into it, the phone rang with a career- and life-altering offer. “My old manager called and said, ‘Do you want to buy a ski shop?’” he recounts. Gary didn’t have to think too hard: “I said, ‘Sure!’” Four decades later, Gary is still the guy in charge.

To clear up any confusion: the original Helm was in Sun Valley, Idaho, as befits the name. Westward expansion brought the store to California, where the San Mateo location has been a community fixture for over 63 years. “There aren’t a whole lot of businesses that can say that and we are proud of it,” says Gary. Today, as in years past, Gary’s passion is to get anyone and everyone out there enjoying snow sports and taking full advantage of the Peninsula’s close proximity to the mountains. From experience, Gary believes that the difference between a good day skiing or boarding and a great day is a well-fitting boot.

“The cornerstone of our business is boot-fitting,” he says. “What we’re really good at is analyzing people’s feet and then matching a boot up to that foot and that person’s needs.” Don’t expect to see a giant wall of boots on display. After factoring ability level and aspirations into the puzzle, staff duck into the back and bring out recommended styles for consideration.

Customization also plays a vital role. “We’re able to customize boots in many different ways—punching, carving, grinding,” Gary notes, citing examples like molding a boot to accommodate a big toe bunion or boosting comfort and performance through after-market liners. And, he points out, getting cold feet is no longer an excuse for not skiing. “The number-one thing is to get a boot heater that’s permanently affixed into your boot that runs on a lithium ion battery,” he guides. He’s also a big fan of the heated boot bag: “So many people struggle getting their boots on in the morning, and this just completely solves the problem.”

If Gary has one mission, it’s to clear up a misconception. “So many skiers and boarders think painful boots are just something you have to tolerate,” he says. “I’m amazed that people come in with that attitude and it really doesn’t have to be that way. Boots have gotten so much more comfortable over the years.”

As a shop run by skiers and snowboarders, Helm’s offerings include all the essential equipment and accessories, plus shop work and even season leases. “If you are skiing or snowboarding more than two weekends per season,” Gary advises, “then leasing is a great way to save money, along with time and hassle.”

In what may sound like an impossibility, Gary insists that families can still hit the slopes on a budget—they just have to get creative and go off the beaten path. Consider buying used equipment and clothing (look for Helm’s annual Ski and Snowboard Swap every November)—and aim for smaller “mom-and-pop” resorts like Boreal, Sierra Ski Ranch and Dodge Ridge. “I grew up skiing at Dodge Ridge,” Gary shares, “and I still go there nowadays. It’s easy to get to, and it’s never crowded.” Whether you have a preference for skiing or boarding, packed or powder, Gary says time on the mountain equates to treasured family memories for seasons—and generations—to come.

Custom Fit – helm-sport.com

Growing Grapes

Words by Linda Hubbard

Mention “Blumenkranz” on the Mid-Peninsula and people are likely to immediately think “doctor.” Indeed, Mark is a retired ophthalmologist specializing in retinal disease who continues to teach at Stanford, and Recia is a not-quite-retired dermatologist practicing in Menlo Park.

But talk to wine enthusiasts, and you’ll find they are known increasingly for the Burgundian-style wine they sell, all produced from grapes grown on their Portola Valley property. Whether you call it a residential, hobby or backyard vineyard, their joint venture results in a Pinot Noir with Blumenkranz on the label.

They initially planted their one-acre vineyard in 1995, using three different Pinot Noir clones on three different hillside blocks—all with slightly different microclimates. Some are shaded with old oaks and redwoods. Two of the blocks have a southeastern exposure and one has a northwestern exposure, which typically results in the latter being harvested two to three weeks later than the former. Over 1998 and 1999, they produced their first vintage.

“We would drink the wine we produced ourselves and give it to friends as house gifts,” says Recia. “People seemed to really like it, and we’d get compliments.” Adds Mark: “It’s the idea of sharing—that’s the reason we decided to sell it. It’s not a business for us; it’s a passionate hobby.”

Recia and Mark, who married in 1975, met when he was a medical student at Brown and she was an undergraduate. Mark knew he wanted to be a doctor since grade school—his father was a physician. Recia’s calling came later, when she was in college. In addition to their professional responsibilities, they raised three children and have three grandchildren.

They’ve both always enjoyed the wines of Burgundy, France. Now they enjoy discovering how each vintage produced from their vineyard is distinct.

To get the grape vines planted, Mark enlisted the help of a former patient, Steve Pessagno, who had worked at a number of larger vineyards. “He and I literally physically planted the grapes,” recounts Mark, who explains that the land is ideally suited to growing grapes. “It was chosen by Leland Stanford for horses and grapes in the late 19th century. It’s a combination of the soil and the light and the climate. Plus, we get coastal fog and also have great sun. You could plant anything here! And grapes are relatively drought-resistant and provide a good fire break.”

To combat birds eating the grapes, they cover the vines with netting. “I’m surprised that more people here aren’t using nets,” observes Mark. “It may be that the birds are more active in our vineyard because we are up on a hill with lots of trees where the birds hang out as compared with the flatter lands with fewer trees and birds. I know that’s true in Napa.”

To maintain the vineyard, they pay great attention to sustainable farming practices. No chemicals are used, only organic elements. And while they manage the vineyard, they don’t make the wine. The day-to-day viticulture, crush and winemaking is handled under contract by Coastal Range Vineyards, who provide that service to a number of private vineyard estates in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

Mark works closely with Peter Kirchner, Coastal Range’s principal winemaker. They jointly determine how the wine is produced. “We both share a common philosophy of the primacy of the fruit in that process, and the need for the wine to express the unique terroir of its origin,” says Mark. “We favor a more nuanced Burgundian style, with minimal handling and very light oak, rather than the heavier fruit-bombs that have become somewhat popular in certain regions.”

Both harvest time (October 2 and 23 this year) and the winemaking take into account the varying degrees of sunlight and precipitation as well as other climatic and environmental factors that affect grape yield and quality. “That typically influences the particulars of fermentation and length and type of barreling chosen,” Mark continues. “We attempt to balance the need for the wine to be enjoyed early but have sufficient structure to evolve and improve over time as well.”

The couple thought about buying more land elsewhere, such as in the Petaluma Gap or Sierra foothills. “But at the end of the day, we produce more wine than we can drink—about 50 cases a year,” says Mark. “We’re just lucky that people are willing to buy it and give it a try.”
The wine is available at Roberts Markets in Portola Valley and Woodside as well as Bianchini’s in Portola Valley and San Carlos. It’s also served at Portola Kitchen in the Ladera Shopping Center.

“I do tastings at Bianchini’s during their Buy Local promotions,” shares Recia. “It’s always so much fun seeing so many old friends and patients!”
Both Recia and Mark underscore that they’ve always liked living in rural environments. Miniature olive trees dot the property, and they grow a lot of the food they eat. They view themselves as gentleman/woman farmers living off the land. And they are grateful for what the land gives them.

Perfect Shot: Candy Cane Lane

On assignment for PUNCH, photographer Gino De Grandis documented the festivities on the 1200 block of Dewey Street in Redwood City—AKA Candy Cane Lane. “As I was taking pictures of the houses all decked out for Christmas,” Gino describes, “a little girl with a sparkly light passed by and I was lucky to capture it at the perfect moment to create this unique effect.”

Image by Gino De Grandis / luiphotography.com

Calling all Shutterbugs: If you’ve captured a unique perspective of the Peninsula, we’d love to see your Perfect Shot. Email us at hello@punchmonthly.com to be considered for publication.

Q&A: Lisa McCaffrey

The former Stanford soccer star, NFL wife/mother and co-host of “Your Mom” podcast shares her number one tip for raising boys, how she ranks her kids and what she’s obsessed with at Levi’s Stadium.

What inspired you to create the weekly podcast “Your Mom”?
Ashley Adamson, my co-host and Pac-12 reporter extraordinaire, came up with the idea when she saw me “gently” reprimand Christian at the Heisman Trophy Ceremony way back in 2015. She realized no one can humanize a kid quite like their mother.

What kind of unique insights do you get talking to the
moms of famous people?
The biggest takeaway I have deduced from interviewing these amazing moms is that moms love their kids unconditionally and they always will, no matter what.

Your husband, Ed McCaffrey, and four sons all play or coach football. What do you love/hate about the sport?
If you can’t beat them, join them. I absolutely love the game of football and appreciate it for helping shape my boys into hardworking and accountable young men. I love that they found their passion, but for a mom, it can be quite a rollercoaster of emotions.

What goes through your head as you watch your kid play?
There is a gauntlet of emotions running through my head from snap to whistle… anxiety, stress, worry, thrill, elation, bliss, exhaustion—and that’s after a successful play.

Your number one tip after raising four boys?
My tip to raising all boys is to nurture your relationships with your girlfriends. You are going to need them.

What’s guaranteed to make you laugh?
Definitely NOT Ed’s “dad jokes.”

You’ve (joked) that you rank your kids. Explain.
The criteria for my favorite kid has evolved over the years—from which one cleaned their room best to which one calls me back first.

Where did you grow up and what was great about it?
I grew up in Miami, Florida in the ‘80s. I mean, turn on an episode of Miami Vice and figure out for yourself what was so great about it.

Favorite hangouts in your Stanford days and now?
Our favorite place back in our Stanford days was the Pioneer Saloon on Friday nights. Our go-to spot now is the Alpine Inn.

Any insider/behind-the-scenes takes on Levi’s Stadium?
I am obsessed with the TVs in the mirrors in the bathrooms at Levi’s Stadium. I never miss a play.

Name your biggest pet peeve.
The biggest pet peeve I ever saw was on my aunt’s Great Dane.

What age would you choose to be again and why?
I actually love the age I am right now, 54. I love where I am in life.

What piece of advice would you give to your younger self?
I would tell my younger self to calm the f*** down.

What’s the most embarrassing story you’ve shared about a son on your show?
Uh-oh, dangerous territory. Give “Your Mom” a listen and I’m sure you’ll figure out which was the most embarrassing story. #shamelessplug

Landmark: Church of the Nativity

Words by Dylan Lanier

Catholicism was on a roll during the late 19th century—literally! Archbishop Alemany of San Francisco established a chapel originally called St. Bridget’s in 1872 to preside over the spiritual activities of Menlo Park and its neighboring towns. Five years later, it became a parish and Reverend William Speckels was named its resident pastor. However, the chapel moved twice in two years to where it now stands on Oak Grove Avenue. The transportation team lifted the structure onto logs and rolled it to each destination, prompting locals to refer to it as the “Roamin’ Catholic Church.” The chapel was expanded into a church—now known as Church of the Nativity—and Peter Donohue, the “Iron King” of the Comstock Lode, gifted the building a 1,200-pound bell. The church underwent a few more renovations until the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake caused a chimney to crash through the roof of the rectory, trapping multiple priests upstairs and forcing them to climb down fire department ladders. The building was repaired and priests continued to make various improvements to the grounds. In 1950, the establishment of St. Raymond’s Church split the former Nativity parish. Today, it has 1,400 members. In 1981, Church of the Nativity received a spot on the National Register of Historical Places. It still stands as the oldest church building that has continued to operate in the Archdiocese of San Francisco.

A Taste of Springline

Words by Sharon McDonnell

A New York Times “36 Hours” travel story on Menlo Park could focus entirely on Springline, the new luxury mixed-use development across from Caltrain. Start the day with coffee and a pastry at Andytown Coffee Roasters. Eat lunch al fresco in the plaza by the fountain, perhaps a takeaway salad from Proper Food (seared lemon pepper tuna perhaps or green tea soba noodles with sesame chicken, peanuts and mint). For dinner, pick your pleasure—Burmese at Burma Love, Spanish tapas at Canteen, omakase sushi at Robin or Italian at Che Fico. For late-night libations, head to Barebottle Brewing.

Just one more thing about the food and drink tenants at Springline: They’re all based in San Francisco, with one exception. Canteen’s sister eatery, Camper, is in Menlo Park.

That’s deliberate. Cyrus Sanandaji, Springline’s developer and the dynamic young managing principal of Presidio Bay Ventures, lives in San Francisco, has frequented all these restaurants and envisioned local brands that represent the City by the Bay’s distinct cultural identity and iconic pull. “We looked to see what would complement existing fine dining options in the South Bay, and what didn’t exist,” he explains. “Instead of just heavy dinner places, we wanted quality, approachable outlets that would drive both locals and our tenants to want to eat and drink at Springline seven days a week.”

Cover Photo: Courtesy of Johanna Harlow. Springline’s Burma Love is the newest location for San Francisco’s Burma Superstar family of restaurants. / Photo Below: Courtesy of Jim Sulivan. Canteen offers tapas-style plates in an aquatic-inspired space.

There’s nothing quite like Springline, a 183-unit low-rise luxury apartment complex new to the Peninsula. But that’s just fine with the Oxford-educated Iranian-Kurdish American, who was born in Los Angeles, grew up in Dubai, studied political science at Oxford, worked in London and moved in 2008 to San Francisco. He embraces challenges, to put it mildly. “I have a passion for people and want to design an experience to evoke emotion—that’s what makes life exciting. You spend 24 hours a day in a built environment, so let’s enhance the experience,” says Cyrus, who admits to being an “adrenaline junkie.” Among his favorite activities: windsurfing at Crissy Field and heliskiing.

Springline’s abundant outdoor and communal indoor spaces (with a piano, library and record player in the sleek residential lobby) and robust amenities were shaped by the pandemic, he notes. “Pre-pandemic, restaurants didn’t appreciate the value of outdoor dining. Now, it’s a significant requirement.”

Photo: Courtesy of Robin. Robin serves up a personalized omakase with an emphasis on sushi in a dramatic, elevated space.

Visitors are already clocking the differences between each restaurant’s Menlo Park vs. San Francisco locations. Take Burma Love, whose SF sister restaurants are Burma Superstar (the first one opened way back in 1992) and Burma Love. “Our other locations have more traditional Burmese staples, like tea leaf salad, that the community has grown to love,” says Bryanna Yip, director of brand for the Burma Love Food Group. “But Menlo Park also has inspired regional specialties like pork belly hung lay with tamarind sauce, heirloom tomatoes and pickled garlic.” She adds that a “very large emphasis” on the bar program means cocktails with “more adventurous, curious flavor profiles,” using ingredients like tea syrups, Thai basil, makrut lime leaves and smoked strawberries. Such flavors pair well with the bold, sour, spicy and salty flavors of Burmese food, which reflects influences from nearby India, China, Thailand and Laos. The décor is trendier and more glamorous, featuring murals of Burma’s golden stupas and pincushion-like lighting fixtures.

At Robin, chef/owner Adam Tortosa’s omakase sushi restaurant where there’s no menu, but a parade of 11 to 18 chef’s choice dishes, features a full bar with Japanese whiskies—unlike his Hayes Valley location—and the menu is “about 20% different,” including sashimi with charred pineapple and kabosu, a Japanese citrus that tastes of lemon, lime and yuzu combined. The dark, dramatic décor features black volcanic-like walls with smashed copper leaf, and dining tables finished in shou sugi ban, a Japanese burned-wood technique. Distinctive hand-crafted serveware is adorned with crushed shells and rocks.

Photo: Courtesy of Johanna Harlow. At Andytown Coffee Roasters, a mural created by artist Orlie Kapitulnik features a heron and snowy plovers, a small endangered seabird that nests in Menlo Park’s salt flats.

Popular Andytown has five locations in San Francisco, all near Ocean Beach, except for one in a downtown high-rise. But, “We embraced a lot more color in this location and have some design features inspired by Spanish-style architecture in Menlo Park, like our wooden ceiling beams and arched niches where we sell coffee beans and coffeemakers,” says Lauren Crabbe, who owns Andytown with her Irish-born husband, Michael McCrory.

The cafe pays homage to the Belfast neighborhood where Michael grew up: Andersontown, nicknamed Andytown. “The Snowy Plover,” Andytown’s most famous drink, is an espresso cream soda concocted with brown sugar syrup, soda water and house-made whipped cream. Also on the menu: baked Irish soda bread, scones and sausage rolls.

Photo: Courtesy of Eric Wolfinger - Che Fico

In Italian slang, Che Fico means, “That’s so cool.” (Literally, “What a fig.”) That sums up chef/co-owner David Nayfeld’s delight in his trendy Italian restaurant’s new branch. “Our space is larger, our wine cellar is three times the size, enabling us to dig deeper into reserve lists, and we have a room for private dining that can fit 70, or be divided. We also built a completely weatherized outdoor dining space.” Specialties include sourdough pizzas—such as a pineapple, Calabrian chile and red onion offering that’s a cult favorite—plus pastas, some Jewish-Italian specialties, as well as Manila clams and ‘nduja butter baked in pizza dough. The nature-inspired décor in the colorful space features red leaf-shaped Murano chandeliers, vivid leafy wallpaper and myriad terra cotta-potted plants above the bar. Similar to its San Francisco locale, Italian grocery Il Mercato di Che Fico will also grace the premises.

For Proper Food owners and Stanford alumni Howard and Dana Bloom, opening a location in Springline is a return to their roots. The pair met on campus and launched Proper Food in 2014, after struggling to find high-quality to-go food while working in San Francisco. Now a successful SF-based chef-driven chain, Proper Food’s “fresh take on takeaway” menu includes seasonal sandwiches, salads, soups and entrees. Any food left over at the end of the day is donated to local food banks and charities.

Photo: Courtesy of Robin

Greg Kuzia-Carmel, the chef and owner of Menlo Park’s already popular Camper, opened Canteen at Springline to showcase a small-plate menu inspired by his culinary experiences in the Basque region of Spain. With the goal of setting the “bar high for casual, but carefully executed dining,” Canteen’s cozy, welcoming space invites diners to settle in for conversation and bites. Doubling down, Greg is also the mastermind behind Springline’s Canteen Coffee, serving up beans from SF’s Sightglass Roasters.

For Barebottle Brewing, Menlo Park is like coming home, says co-founder Michael Seitz, who lives in Burlingame. “I graduated from Stanford and used to go to all these great places, now closed,” he reminisces. After launching in San Francisco in 2016, Springline is Barebottle’s fourth location—and the first on the Peninsula. “I always had in the back of my mind that I’d come back and open something,” shares Michael. “From the start, dealing with Presidio Bay has been phenomenal. They’re creating a vibe, doing what’s necessary to attract the best of the best.”

Dining Destination – springline.com

Sequoia the Eagle

Words and photos by Bob Siegel

Several years ago, I was at the Palo Alto Baylands hoping to encounter some interesting birds or other wildlife to photograph. As I approached the Lucy Evans Nature Center, there was clearly an event going on, so I walked over to check it out. My eyes fixated on an enormous bald eagle. This was my first encounter with Sequoia, an animal ambassador from the Palo Alto Zoo. The closer I got, the more entranced I became. I had seen and photographed bald eagles before, but never at such close range where the elegant details of its individual feathers and piercing gold eyes become apparent.

During the session, I was struck not only by Sequoia’s sheer beauty, but also by her impressive armamentarium of talons and beak. Additionally, I noticed her acute awareness of what was going on around her—particularly the presence of other raptors—even at great distances. Sequoia’s volunteer handler, John Flynn, welcomed my photography and answered all my questions. He patiently explained what safety distances were required and how Sequoia was to be approached.

Later that evening, I attended an event at the Foster Gallery. A tall man with a distinguished beard came up to me and said that we had met earlier that day. At first, I was a bit confused until he jogged my memory. It turns out I was so mesmerized by Sequoia that I had not taken sufficient notice of John.
John graciously offered to host my photography students for a close-up encounter with Sequoia. Since that time, he has met with many of my “Photographing Nature” classes. One of the most striking aspects I have observed is the relationship between John and Sequoia.

Sequoia is 35 years old—elderly for a bald eagle in captivity—and John has been with her all but two of those years. The record age for a bald eagle in captivity is 52. The pair appear to have a relationship of respect, trust and mutual understanding. This was not always the case. John describes an aggressive, young Sequoia as “hell on wheels.” In those days, John sustained three lacerations that required stitches and “tons of puncture wounds.”

But the partnership evolved into a highly-rewarding one, providing John with an avocation that he’s really passionate about. “She changed my life in so many ways,” he says, describing the connection as “enriching, interesting and challenging.” He even sees her feisty youth as a gift, recounting times of tranquility when he would just sit with her and look out at the ocean. Sequoia also helped John get over his aversion to public speaking, and he now fully embraces sharing his knowledge and enthusiasm.

The pervasive use of the pesticide DDT led to a precipitous decline in the bald eagle population until it was banned in 1972. John credits dedicated breeding programs with aiding in the species’ recovery. Originally hatched on Swanson Island in the Queen Charlotte Strait in British Columbia, Sequoia was about six weeks of age when she was transferred to Ventana, Big Sur, by the Ventana Wildlife Society. The goal was to “translocate bald eagles from Canada where the population was healthy to areas in the Lower 48 where populations were in severe decline.”

Sequoia was subsequently released to the wild, but tragedy struck when she was shot, resulting in permanent paralysis of her tail. Found by a rancher in Humboldt County, she was identified and saved by a local vet before getting transferred back to Ventana. As John describes it, Sequoia has “no brakes and no rudders” and does not fly well in the wild. She would have difficulty catching fish or hunting. She also cannot mate because of her inability to move her tail.

Subsequently, Sequoia transferred to the San Francisco Zoo, where she spent 22 years as an ambassador for the bald eagle breeding program under the direction of John Aikin. When Aikin became the executive director of the Palo Alto Children’s Zoo and Museum, Sequoia moved to the Peninsula. John Flynn began working with Sequoia in San Francisco and continued in Palo Alto, where Sequoia has resided for the past 11 years.

Sequoia weighs 11.5 pounds. This seems light for a creature of her size until you realize that she is mostly feathers and muscles with hollow bones. During an ambassador session, Sequoia sits perched on John’s outstretched arm for extended periods in a way that is physically quite challenging. He is often assisted at times by a fixed perch and by Dennis Eve, who has also been working with Sequoia for the past five years.

Thanks to the level of trust between them, John is able to demonstrate Sequoia with full wing extension, with her protective, nictitating eyelid closed and her mouth open. He also makes use of a water sprayer, which Sequoia seems to enjoy and helps keep her cool. Occasionally, Sequoia will rub her face on John’s arm. This looks like an act of affection, but John assures me, she is using him to help preen.

Bald eagles are members of the Accipitridae family, which includes hawks, eagles and kites. Their specific name, leucocephalus, aptly means “white head.” But unlike vultures, bald eagles are not bald. The “bald” part of their common name seems to be etymologically linked to a word meaning “white” as in piebald. Another common misconception about bald eagles has to do with their vocalizations. In popular media such as The Colbert Report, the imagery of a bald eagle is often paired with the imposing and iconic call of a red-tailed hawk. The actual call of a bald eagle is far less threatening.

You can meet Sequoia and John by visiting the Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo. Although Sequoia is not on public display, she does a series of meet-and-greet sessions on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday at noon. John is more than happy to answer all your eagle questions.

greet an eagle – paloaltozoo.org

Love at First Eich

Words by Loureen Murphy

As Monique Anton drove down a Sunnyvale street in 2009, passing dozens of flat-roofed, plain-faced homes, curiosity grabbed the wheel and pulled her over. “What is this?” she asked the first person she saw. “It was like a portal I walked through and came out in a completely other world.” The world of Eichlers—which launched a journey of discovery.

“I fell in love with them, just like I fell in love with my husband,” recounts Monique, the broker and CEO of Modern Homes Realty, a Menlo Park agency specializing in Mid-Century Modern (MCM) properties. The street? Joseph Eichler’s first development, dated 1949.

From 1949 to 1966, the renowned real estate developer built over 11,000 Eichler homes in California, with the vast majority in the Bay Area. Today, Eichler housing tracts, along with custom homes, still pepper Peninsula communities including Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Redwood City, Atherton, Burlingame, Hillsborough, Portola Valley, Foster City and San Mateo. With signature open floor plans and floor-to-ceiling glass, Eichlers have come to epitomize indoor-outdoor living, an enduring concept that evolves with each generation of homeowners.

The Essence of Eichler

Just as Monique’s Sunnyvale drive altered her course, so a single move changed Joseph Eichler’s life trajectory. From 1943-1945, Eichler and his family rented the Hillsborough home that Frank Lloyd Wright designed for Sidney Bazet. Its clean lines, light-filled rooms, radiant heating and indoor-outdoor flow inspired Eichler’s 1949 launch of the Sunnyvale Building Company, which envisioned innovative-yet-affordable suburban homes. Soon, Eichler properties sprouted among South Bay and Peninsula orchards and hills, and beyond.

“Why buy a ‘Model T’ home when you can get so much house for so little!” enticed a 1951 Eichler ad. Photo-laced articles and ads boosted sales of these intentionally middle-class “California Modern” dwellings, as each year brought larger floor plans and more design enhancements.

SIGNATURE EICHLER FEATURES

+ Exposed posts and beams
+ Globe lights
+ Skylights
+ Home level with the ground, no steps up
+ Natural, accessible materials: wood, steel, concrete
+ Mahogany paneling
+ Formica counters in kitchens and baths
+ Open floor plans in the common areas
+ Radiant heat, coiled pipes in concrete slabs, 
warmth from the floor up
+ Floor-to-ceiling glass walls
+ Cork flooring
+ Atriums in some models 
+ A-framed roofs
+ Clean lines

Eyesore or Eden?

Heather Rarden lives in San Mateo Highlands, Eichler’s largest subdivision. “When I first started dating [my husband] Mark,” she recalls, “he brought me here and said, ‘This is a very special neighborhood.’” Um. No. The “boring look from the front—straight lines, flat roofs” echoed the small, dark Navy base houses Heather had grown up in. But the “unassuming” facade of Mark’s childhood home opened to a much “more expansive feeling inside.”

Hesitant to make the move, Heather studied vintage magazines to understand the idea behind Eichler’s designs. It worked. And, once she and Mark cleared out the overgrowth in the backyard, their house seemed to double in size.

Architect and Burlingame Eichler owner Kristen Bergman agrees that Eichlers “don’t face the street particularly well.” Some homeowners opt to fence over the front or alter it in some way. Others dislike the dark entrance that draws the eye straight to the backyard. Yet when Kristen entered her first Eichler, she couldn’t “believe how beautiful that house was,” marveling, “Oh, this is what a house can be.” That vision later sparked the purchase and remodel of her own Eichler.

In Palo Alto’s Charleston Meadows, new Eichler owners Arthur and Tina say they “like the idea of indoor-outdoor living, with lots of windows and skylights and natural light.” And the open floor plan keeps kids from “being holed up in their rooms.” Just north in the Palo Verde neighborhood, Katie Renati still delights in her floor-to-ceiling window walls after 26 years. “I wake up and I see the greenery outside,” she beams. “I don’t think I could live in a normal house again.” Monique sums up Eichlers’ allure—“They’re like little zen pods.”

Neighborhood Nexus

Eichler enthusiasts tout community. In Katie’s cohesive neighborhood, she enjoys daily conversations, decades-long friendships and regular block parties. People often gather at Palo Alto’s Eichler Swim and Tennis Club, where Joe Eichler himself cut the ribbon on opening day in 1958. The neighbors whom Arthur and Tina met at an open house factored into their buying decision. “They were all really nice! We also liked that there were a lot of kids the same ages as our kids,” Tina says.

The “convivial spirit is part of that fabric woven together in terms of indoor-outdoor,” Mark Rarden explains. “You’re constantly living with and around other people.” Modest-sized homes mean the sidewalks brim with “very active walkers, continuously running into each other,” he adds. Ubiquitous well-furnished patios become just an extension of your house for friends dropping by.

In any “Eichlerville,” social bonds strengthen over simple interactions, like sharing sources for door knobs and globe lights. Monique calls the MCM home connection a “club you buy into.” Infused with a sense of connection and identity, Eichler communities gather informally as well as holding annual events, such as home tours and holiday celebrations. Heather and Mark say they looked all over the Bay Area for that neighborhood feel. In the end, they found it right where Mark grew up.

EICHLER - DID YOU KNOW?

+ Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak grew up
in an Eichler.
+ Atherton and Hillsborough boast a handful of the largest, most creative Eichler homes.
+ Some Eichler designs are one-offs, customized for an end lot after the rest of the tract was built out.
+ Palo Alto, home to Eichler Homes’ headquarters, holds the record for the city with the most of these iconic houses at 2,700.
+ The largest contiguous Eichler grouping, 700 homes, was built in San Mateo’s Highlands between the mid-1950s and mid-1960s. Bigger lots there allowed construction of some Super Eichlers.
+ Two of Palo Alto’s Eichler neighborhoods, Green Gables and Greenmeadow, are listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
+ At least 20 California developers imitated Eichler designs.

Purism, Practicality and Preservation

These concepts may collide or cooperate—and invariably arise in the never-neutral discussion of Eichlers among neighbors and professionals. “I have seen some unbelievable Eichlers that are totally untouched,” says Monique, an Eichler purist. “People pass them down from generation to generation.”
But sometimes remodels must happen. Roofs deteriorate. Radiant heating fails. Appliances fizzle. Amidst re-dos, vintage adherents will preserve the formica in the kitchen and bath and acquire components for old fixtures and appliances. But new materials complementing and supporting Eichler essence and efficiency can also bring peace to the purist. Even retractable roofs over open-air atriums can harmonize without compromising an Eichler’s architectural integrity, observes Monique.

Mark and Heather considered changes to his childhood home before they moved in. Youthful recollections gave him “a cheat sheet” to start. For example, a house with that much glass “gets really cold or really hot.” They examined the “great for ’58” construction and updated it with double-pane windows and slim blinds to mute bright light and reduce interior temps. Count them fans of the “modern technologies that make these kinds of homes even more beautiful to live in.”

Likewise, “committed modernist” Kristen fuses past and present in her Eichler remodels, where practicality supersedes the “time capsule.” Instead she asks, “What would Eichler and the architects who worked for him do today?” In her own 2,400-square-foot Super Eichler, she swapped the radiant heat system for new radiant heat while retaining the ground-to-roof glass, essential to a seamless indoor-outdoor experience.
Kristen notes that the most common renovation is to open up original enclosed galley kitchens to the rest of the communal space and replace appliances with more efficient ones. She creates pockets for a bit of personal solitude in the common area. Other popular additions include a powder room, storage near the entry point, built-ins and expanded lighting options.

Whether renovating while honoring design intent, or treasuring original paneling and fixtures, many homeowners work to perpetuate the Eichler legacy. Safeguarding the aesthetic look reaches beyond the glassy walls of individual homes. Many Eichler enthusiasts seek to keep the authentic feel to their streets, preventing “McMansions” that tower over neighboring rooftops, blocking light, creating shadows and visual discord.

All-In with Eichlers

The Eichler Home Tour, staged five times since 2007, most recently showcased 12 Eichlers in San Mateo Highlands for its October 2023 event. Local Mid-Century Modern fans eagerly anticipate this rare-access opportunity and the chance to ask builders, architects and designers renovation and remodeling questions.

Now known as the “Eichler Lady,” Monique hosted the kick-off VIP party for the 2023 Eichler Home Tour. After founding Modern Homes Realty in 2012, she continued to go all-in with MCM. She even poured her ample knowledge into a 2019 documentary, People in Glass Houses: The Legacy of Joseph Eichler, sharing history, ideology and the growing yen for MCM vibes. Her weekly podcast, “Mid-Century Modernism with Monique,” hosts guest speakers ranging from architectural historians to journalists and interior designers.

Eichler homes’ leitmotif—simplicity with proximity to nature and neighbors—often elicits the designation “dream home” from owners. They see Eichlers as personal havens offering daily space for breathing deeply, imagining and reframing life. “When I discovered Eichlers,” Monique reflects, “I found more of myself.”

The Axe

Words by Dylan Lanier

Who gets the Axe? That’s what’s at stake November 18 when arch football rivals Stanford University and UC Berkeley face off in the 126th Big Game. On the heels of a two-year Cal winning streak, Cardinal fans are hoping home turf advantage will help bring the coveted Big Game trophy back to the Peninsula. The infamous prize, an axe-head mounted on a large wooden plaque, made its first appearance way back in 1899. Mired in controversy from the start, the Axe was created by Stanford yell leaders (the original hype-men of the student section), who bought an axe, painted the handle red and used it as a prop in a specific cheer known as the “Axe Yell.” (“Give ‘em the Axe, the Axe, the Axe!”) However, their antics—notably the decapitation of a Cal-colored scarecrow—backfired when the Golden Bears stole the Axe and kept it safely guarded across the Bay for the next three decades.

UPPER IMAGE: Future NFL quarterback #12 Andrew Luck celebrates a Stanford victory following the 113th Big Game on November 20, 2010; LOWER IMAGE: the Stare Down right before Stanford beat Cal to clinch bowl eligibility in the 117th Big Game on November 22, 2014.

After Stanford students pulled off an elaborate caper to swipe the Axe in 1931, both sides ultimately agreed to award custody of the trophy to the winner of each year’s Big Game. (Despite the accord, Cal students went on to steal the Axe three more times and Stanford has tallied four successful thefts.) At the Big Game, the official transfer of the Axe has been dubbed “The Stare Down.” With two minutes left on the clock, the Axe is brought to the 50-yard line where members of the UC Rally Committee and the Stanford Axe Committee await the final score and awarding of the trophy. When Stanford comes out on top (overall stats have the Cardinal with 48 games to Cal’s 36), the Axe can be viewed in Stanford’s Arrillaga Sports Center lobby—when it’s not under wraps in a secret location, that is.

Weaving a Legacy

Words by Jen Jory

Embroidered textiles and colorful woven fabrics flow from floor to ceiling at SHALINI B. Tucked within the rustic barn at the back of Menlo Park’s Allied Arts Guild, the shop feels like a treasure cave waiting to be explored. Vibrant quilts, Moroccan pillow covers, hand-stamped, block print cottons—everywhere and all around, a kaleidoscope of captivating stacks and displays.

Owner Shalini Bitzer brings a global sensibility to her craft, designing and curating fabrics from all over the world. “Global is how I feel, think and is my life in general,” reveals Shalini. Her story is a legacy of a hard-working family of entrepreneurs spanning decades and continents whose labor of love now extends to the Peninsula.

As a third-generation textile designer and business owner, Shalini runs the family company India Silk with the same passion that her grandfather Sunderlal did for 60 years in Bangalore, India. “My grandfather would go to the airport in India with his bags of silk and check what flights were departing to other countries that day and buy a ticket,” she recounts. “He was so successful traveling and selling to Europe, Australia and many countries worldwide.” After partnering with Sunderlal until his passing, Shalini’s mother Madhu Mehta took over as the second generation leading the business. Equally driven, she brought India Silk to the U.S., where the company grew a coast-to-coast client base including large fabric houses such as Fabricut and Kravet.

Born to a German father and Indian mother, Shalini traces her own roots to Baden-Baden, Germany, and the Himalayan mountains, where she attended an international boarding school. “My design and inspiration come from my life in India and Germany and the diversity there,” she says. “Today, we travel to India and Morocco for business once or twice a year. We still have an office in Germany as well.”

After Shalini studied interior design in Hamburg, Germany, her brother encouraged her to apply to a U.S. green card lottery program, which opened doors for her to attend the University of San Francisco (USF) to further her studies. At USF, she met her future husband Hatim, originally from Morocco. True to their international lifestyle, the couple celebrated their nuptials in dual weddings in India and Morocco. “My husband rode in on an elephant in India that was adorned in jewels,” smiles Shalini.

After USF, she broadened her exposure to the design world and beat out dozens of applicants for a coveted editorial assistant position at Vogue italia. “It was like The Devil Wears Prada movie with 30 girls lined up to apply for the same job,” she recalls. Shalini noted the editor’s German accent and used her native language in the interview, which clinched the job: “It was a lot working 12 hours a day for the magazine.”

Several years later, she left the frantic pace behind to start a family and her own business, Shalini Design, which began with a line of pashmina scarves sourced from Kathmandu, Nepal. She sold her first 600-piece order to a large Canadian fur coat company, followed by sales to Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom. Shalini’s mother encouraged her to continue with Shalini Design until she was ready to join India Silk.

In 2010, Shalini found a way to blend her worlds. In addition to taking on responsibilities with India Silk, the family’s wholesale business, she expanded into SHALINI B., to capture her retail offerings and full interior design services. “I am a one-stop shop,” she emphasizes. “I love pulling fabrics, furniture layouts and upholstery together. I also think color is important. Even with my clients who are afraid of color, I find a way to introduce more.”

Shalini’s first-hand knowledge of making textiles gives her a creative advantage as she is both designer and manufacturer. “I bring my drawings and samples to India and enter them on the computer where they are transformed into designs,” she explains. ”Then they are hand-threaded into a loom and the machine starts the weaving. If someone wants a white linen in a blush, we can do that.”

Craftsmen at India Silk originally started weaving exclusively on silk and then expanded over the years, producing linen, cotton and polyester fabrics. “I love the process of block print fabric as well,” Shalini notes. “The carving of the block, the shapes and natural colors used, result in perfect pattern repeats without a seam.”

Shalini frequently teams up with Madhu, who at 85, harnesses the same family work ethic as her father before her. “My mother is still engaged in the business like a 50-year-old,” marvels Shalini. “When I see her, it’s inspiring and she amazes me in meetings. I have to tell her to take a break.” With three daughters of her own and the oldest pursuing a marketing degree at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), Shalini is likely to see a fourth generation carry on the family legacy.

With hard work and determination in her genes, Shalini’s muse continues to be Sunderlal, the family patriarch who worked into his late 90s. “His attitude was, ‘Don’t be afraid, and if you want to do something, do it.’ He was always forward-thinking,” she reflects, as her hand touches down on a shimmering pattern amidst SHALINI B.’s colorful displays of linens, shawls, wraps and scarves.

global patterns – shalinib.com

Vision Maker: Ari Citron

Words by Sheri Baer

Arielle Citron Leonard recently had a new client contact her about a remodeling idea that was just taking shape. The homeowner hadn’t talked with anyone else yet and launched the call with a somewhat-sheepish query. “They asked, ‘Is this the right time to reach out to you?’” recounts Arielle. “And I responded, ‘Most people don’t but it’s so important because we see the project through from nothing until it’s complete.’”

As the principal of Citron Home, a full-service Peninsula-focused interior design firm founded in 2016, Arielle frequently finds herself clarifying the role that interior designers play. “People think that we just come in and put furniture in the space,” she explains. “We definitely can do that, but if you are doing a whole renovation or a new-build construction, it’s to your benefit to bring us in early.”

Whether working on spec projects or with individual homeowners, Arielle touts the value of weighing in from the outset. When she’s brought in by developers, she works hand in hand with the architect to convey the overall vision for the home, which is frequently influenced by the Peninsula’s many family-friendly neighborhoods. “Seeing it through that lens means making sure that it’s not just a pretty home but it also makes sense and it flows,” she notes, citing examples like sufficiently wide hallways, ample storage, a laundry room that’s close to the bedrooms and a proper mud room.

COVER IMAGE: We wanted the beautiful exterior vintage oak trees to be an integral element in designing this great room. Large windows, soft ripple-fold drapes and a light fixture with oak accents intrinsically link the space with the outdoors.

“We make sure that the kitchen has everything that’s needed for a family and that there’s great usability and flow between the spaces,” Arielle continues. “And nowadays, a lot more people are working from home, so instead of doing one office, we’re doing two offices or a flex space. We look into areas where kids can play or that can also be used as a guest room or a study room.” From a design perspective, Arielle appreciates the flexibility that comes with spec projects. “There’s not as much direction,” she points out. “There’s no client, so we have more range to be fully creative.”

That said, Arielle also enjoys partnering with homeowners, who typically have a personal style they want to achieve. “We work together to really understand their aesthetic, so we can carry that vision through to the end,” she says. “Not only do we have the layout of the home in our heads, but we also consider how somebody is going to live there.”

Being involved from the start allows for input on space planning, scale and core decisions. That includes door and window placement, floor selections, baseboards, TV locations and even outlets. “If you have a vacuum that needs to be charged, we make sure that there’s a plug there so that it can be put away. Even electric toothbrushes—we like to have everything plugged away in drawers,” Arielle relays.

Small details make the difference in this staircase design. Adding picture lights to the ceiling to allow for a statement piece of art to shine introduces depth, illuminates the space and draws the eye upwards to take in the full effect.

The list goes on. Stone choices, sconces, window treatments and stair railings. Ceiling height, ceiling pitches and locations for recessed lighting and switches. “All the plumbing fixtures and faucets,” adds Arielle. “Even the height of the shower and where the temperature control goes so that you don’t get wet when you turn the shower on.” For a client who likes to cook, Citron Home makes sure there’s plenty of room for pots and pans. If they like to host big dinner parties, the design team ensures there’s sufficient table space for guests. “We definitely voice our opinion on what we think the client would love and appreciate, and after that, it’s their decision on what they want in their home.”

Raised in Menlo Park, Arielle says it feels like a natural extension to create beautiful and functional living spaces on the Peninsula. “New construction and renovations keep the community thriving and bring new life and young kids into the area,” she reflects. “When I drive by all the parks and they’re filled with kids, I think, ‘I was one of those kids.’” She credits her parents with sparking her passion for design and timeless art. “They built their own home, and I got to watch that at a young age,” she recalls. “And then they built spec homes throughout my childhood so I was able to learn about that and see it with my own eyes and become more involved as I got older. Design is something that’s in my blood, and I’m fortunate enough to have known it my whole life.”

After earning a design and architecture degree from UC Berkeley, Arielle pursued additional coursework in interior architecture and interior design. She worked for an interior design firm until she realized she was ready to go out on her own. “That’s what I always envisioned myself doing,” she shares, “and so I took the leap.”

Continuing the indoor-outdoor flow throughout the home creates a cohesive and clean atmosphere. The window treatments span the length of the room, drawing your eye across, while the horizontal lines are brought together by the European white oak floors and the linear oak pendant.

Now married with two “rambunctious” kids, Arielle has renewed appreciation for the Peninsula’s vibrant green spaces, high-quality schools and charming tree-lined streets. She also recognizes that it’s not easy to get into this market, which underscores why the right design team should be in place sooner than later: “I think the worst thing that could happen is that you spend two years building or renovating your dream home, and it doesn’t have everything you need.”

As she partners through the construction process, Arielle also consults with clients on furnishings. “That way, once their construction is done, they can move right in,” she says. “Having a family of my own allows me to have more insight into what families need that they don’t necessarily know that they need.” Drawing from first-hand experience, Arielle cites examples like easy-to-clean fabrics and carpeting. “I think we have a good grasp on durability and just making sure things are timeless.”

While she finds the entire design process stimulating, Arielle doesn’t hesitate when asked what’s most satisfying. “Seeing the project at the end of the day and closing the door for the last time,” she smiles. “To see families move in and create their own memories in a space that I’ve designed feels really special.”

designing every detail – citronhome.com

Castle and Cabernet

Words by Sheri Baer

Just short of downtown Calistoga on Highway 128, you’ll spot the turnoff for Castello di Amorosa. Everything strikes the eye as familiar Napa Valley scenery: a private driveway winding up a grapevine-terraced hillside. Only with a reservation can you proceed up the road to the astonishing sight that lies just beyond view.

“People come up over the crest of the hill and often just stop their cars,” notes winery owner Dario Sattui. “Sometimes they even get out and take videos or photos. They’re in awe before they even get closer or inside the castle.”

That’s right. Castle. An authentically-built 14th-century medieval Tuscan-style castle to be precise. At three acres in size, the castle winery consists of 107 distinctive rooms spanning eight levels (including four underground) and five defensive towers with battlements. But unlike the centuries-old fortresses that once protected central Italy, this castle wasn’t designed to thwart invaders. Instead, it entices visitors who appreciate history, architecture and Italian-style wines. And above all, it’s the manifestation of one man’s dream—or all-consuming obsession. “I have a disease and I know I have it,” confesses Dario. “I just can’t resist beautiful architecture.”

Dario Sattui’s Royal Dream

As an emigrant from Italy, Dario’s great-grandfather, Vittorio Sattui, established St. Helena Wine Cellars back in 1885 but Prohibition shut the winery down. After earning his MBA from Cal and traveling around Europe, Dario became determined to carry on the family’s legacy and successfully reopened V. Sattui Winery in St. Helena in 1975.

Always fascinated by architecture, Dario broke away to live in Italy in the late 1980s and spent his time exploring abandoned castles, churches and farmhouses in Tuscany and Umbria. “I was mesmerized, totally passionate about medieval architecture,” he recounts. “And when I would get into places, I would sketch them, I would measure them, I would photograph them.”

A few years later, in search of an idyllic property to settle on in Napa Valley, Dario came across a 171-acre parcel that had belonged to Colonel William Nash, known for planting one of California’s first vineyards back in 1846. Dario was instantly enchanted by the site’s Victorian three-story home with a wrap-around porch. “When I bought the property, I didn’t buy it to build the castle,” Dario says. “I bought it because I love the house. But I kept thinking and thinking…”

Dario’s thoughts led him to a fantastical idea—a way to honor his passion and heritage: create a medieval castle setting for making and showcasing Italian-style wines. “I didn’t want it to be something like Disneyland,” he emphasizes. “Here in the Napa Valley, people can be critical, and I wanted to get it authentically correct.”

Building The Castle

Initially envisioning an 8,500-square-foot structure that would take five to six years to build, Dario realized that framework was too constraining. Instead, over 15 years, the project morphed and expanded into what’s now the 121,000-square-foot Castello di Amorosa. Drawing on exhaustive research and accumulated knowledge, Dario remained faithful to his authenticity pledge. “You cannot build something that looks old using new materials,” he explains. “If you study the walls of European castles, you can see their history over time. Often, castles took hundreds of years to really finalize.”

For Dario, achieving that same aesthetic meant sourcing only old or handmade materials and employing 800-year-old building techniques. From battle-damaged tower to castle moat, the level of detail is staggering. Nearly one million antique bricks imported from Europe and 8,000 tons of hand-chiseled local stone. Hand-forged ironwork. Hand-carved gargoyles. Imported Italian lead glass. More than 200 shipping containers of antiques, armor and furnishings. “One door to the Great Hall has about 2,000 nails in it, all made by hand over the open fire,” describes Dario. “I was on the construction site in the daytime and working on the plans at night. I spent countless hours researching, tweaking stuff, going back to Italy to make sure I got it right. I was consumed—I did it out of passion, not because I had to.”

On April 7, 2007, Castello di Amorosa finally opened to the public. After a sleepless night, Dario arrived early and stood on the drawbridge, anxiously awaiting judgment. “For years, I tried to keep it a secret. What a crazy idea to build a castle in the Napa Valley!” he acknowledges. “Had I made a complete fool of myself or would people come?”

To Dario’s relief, they came. Slowly at first, but word spread—amplified by newspaper, magazine and TV coverage—and then…. “People really started to come, and today, I think we’re the most frequented winery in the Napa Valley.”

Tours and Tastings

No need to storm this castle. All that’s required to cross the drawbridge is a Tour & Tasting reservation. “Our philosophy is to make elegant, intensely flavored and well-balanced wines,” says Dario. “We get visitors who love the architecture of the castle and wine aficionados who really support us and buy our wine as well.”

All tasting reservations include a self-guided tour, which allows you to freely explore the Castello’s two main levels. Spend time in the Courtyard, studying architectural styles from the 10th through 15th centuries, before taking in the Great Hall’s hand-painted Italian frescoes and 500-year-old Umbrian fireplace. For portraits of knights and medieval jousting scenes, check out the Knights Hall, and don’t miss the Chapel frescoes painted by a medieval religious art specialist.

Book a tasting experience with a guided tour, and you’ll be led down winding stone hallways to the dramatic Grand Barrel Room three levels below, along with the Armory, which features centuries-old suits of armor and weapons. Adhering to authenticity, there’s even a gruesome torture chamber. “To my knowledge, all medieval castles had prisons and many of them had torture chambers,” shares Dario. “The whole idea of torture wasn’t a quick death. It was slow prolonged pain.” In addition to displaying replicas—such as a stretching rack, cranium crusher and chain whips—the chamber also showcases an authentic Iron Maiden.

As you explore the castle, you’ll also be treated to views of the surrounding 30-acre estate vineyard, one of nearly 15 vineyards bearing fruit for Castello di Amorosa.

Providing the perfect backdrop for Italian-style wines, the Castello’s Main Tasting Room features a Roman cross-vaulted brick ceiling and Tuscan-inspired murals. The small lots you’ll sample—from an extensive list of white, rosé, red and sweet wines, along with muscat non-alcoholic grape juice—are only sold here or through the winery’s website. In addition to your selected tastings, you can also add on extras like a cheese and charcuterie pairing or Belgian chocolates.

Now in his early 80s, Dario still enjoys standing on the drawbridge, taking in the animated chatter as visitors depart. It’s one thing to dream. Another to fully realize one’s passion. “I get a lot of personal satisfaction knowing that most people really love the castle,” he reflects. “In the United States, there’s nothing that’s comparable, and I’m proud of that.”

Tour and taste – castellodiamorosa.com

EXTEND YOUR STAY

Castello Victorian Inn - Historic luxury Calistoga inn owned by Dario Sattui. castellovictorian.com

Harvest Inn - Enchanting Napa Valley getaway in nearby St. Helena. harvestinn.com

Mount View Hotel & Spa - Art Deco-style luxury on Calistoga’s Lincoln Avenue. mountviewhotel.com

Scrumptious Swirls

Words by Kate Lucky

Azarmeen Pavri has spent a lot of time in laboratories: in high school, in college and as she worked on a PhD in public health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. But today, she’s not an academic or a researcher.

“Unknowingly, I had been honing the skills of a baker,” she says, as we sit over iced drinks at a cafe near her industrial kitchen in Redwood City. Those skills have since become a business—and for good reason. The treat Pavri specializes in requires nothing short of scientific precision.

Her artisanal confectionery, Délice Glacé, makes meringues—delectable, melt-on-your-tongue swirls in rose, lavender, passion fruit, chocolate and vanilla, some bedecked with sprinkles. The desserts are “clean,” meaning they are gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free and low-calorie, made with just a few simple ingredients. They have no fillers, no starches and no preservatives. (That said, they’re shelf-stable, and will keep in your cupboard for months at a time.) Meringues can be dressed up with layers of fruit and cream…or you can pop one (or two, or three) in your mouth, just as they are.

Délice Glacé means “frozen delight” in French. It’s a nod to how Pavri got her start, baking frozen meringue cakes. Those desserts were tasty, but prone to melting, difficult to transport and far from shelf-stable. So when a major lifestyle store asked her to do a pop-up, rather than carting in coolers, she recognized an opportunity—start selling the meringue cookies she’d been tinkering with. Laughing, she describes the pop-up’s success: “I sold out really fast!” The retailer asked her to come back again, closer to Christmas. She did—and the customers came out in droves. But when a line formed out the door, the store shut her down. Customers loved those meringues too much; they weren’t buying the store’s seasonal peppermint bark!

That experience gave Pavri the confidence she needed. She started visiting local grocers with bags in hand, asking their buyers to give her treats a try, learning what she needed to about bulk orders and barcodes. “You’ve got to put yourself out there,” she asserts. “If you’re not willing to promote, if you’re not willing to go into stores and say, ‘Hey, buy this! You don’t have it on your shelf! Taste it!’, then you won’t succeed.”

Today, Délice Glacé has found success. The company distributes in about 50 stores locally, including Whole Foods locations as well as smaller local markets like Sigona’s, Robert’s and Draeger’s. “I’m so fortunate to be working in an area and at a time when people are valuing the small maker,” Pavri says. She also sells directly to consumers online, and wholesale to other national retailers via a San Francisco company called Faire.

There’s a reason, other than deliciousness, for the demand. Not many companies make small-batch meringues. The treats are labor-intensive and finicky, requiring exact combinations of time and temperature. On top of that, Pavri has high standards. She refuses to use egg whites that come in cartons, which means hours of cracking shells and separating out yolks by hand. She carefully tests all her flavors, ensuring the vanilla doesn’t taste too medicinal and the pumpkin spice isn’t too cloying.

Back when she was developing recipes in her home kitchen, her three children were her taste-testers…and they were honest. “I remember going into my daughter’s bedroom and saying, ‘I just made these… They taste pretty bad, right?’” Pavri recalls of an early lavender test. “She’s like, ‘Yeah, it tastes awful, Mom.’”

Fortunately, Pavri gets excited by technical challenges. Take chocolate, which doesn’t react well with meringue. She had to come up with a special incorporation technique. It worked! Right now, her team is developing a dairy-free strawberry milkshake flavor.

Unfazed by setbacks like shortages of good passionfruit or delayed deliveries of superfine sugar, Pavri takes all in stride. (Even if she has to pulverize regular sugar with a coffee grinder.) “Everything with a meringue has to be just so,” Pavri explains. “It’s such a clean palate that flavor is going to burst through. The balance has to be impeccable.”

It’s that exquisitely balanced flavor, and the simplicity of the meringue itself, that has allowed Pavri to earn the trust of the health-conscious-yet-sweet-toothed retailers and customers in her Peninsula community. It’s a community she’s been part of for a while now. After leaving her native Pakistan for college at age 18, she spent time in England and New York before moving to the Bay Area 20 years ago. “This is the longest I’ve lived anywhere,” Pavri reflects. “That makes such a difference as an immigrant. You always feel like: ‘Where do I belong?’”

But indisputably, Redwood City is now her home. She supports her culinary neighbors, enthusiastically recommending the biscotti and focaccia at nearby La Biscotteria, and the glass-cased goodies at the shop we’re in now, Cocola Bakery. She pays it forward, too. The industrial space she works out of used to be home to a natural popsicle company; she gave that entrepreneur advice. “We try to help each other,” she shares with a smile.

Just as other small business owners can learn from each other, Pavri hopes her kids are learning from watching her work (and working themselves!) at Délice Glacé. “One of the most important things I’m able to teach them is just to put your head down. Get it done. Sometimes, you’re not going to love that,” she notes. Even in a very hot kitchen, even when you’re tired, the batch has to come out just right.

And the batches do. Because of Pavri’s expertise, because of that laboratory training, but also because of the most important ingredient of all. Not egg whites. Not super-fine sugar. “This is passion, really,” she sums up.

Melt-in-your-Mouth – deliceglace.com

Good Call: 49er Orthopedist

Words by Johanna Harlow

Well-versed in the language of bones and joints, Stanford orthopedic surgeon Timothy McAdams listens closely to the human body. As head team physician and orthopedic surgeon for the San Francisco 49ers, he’s also tackled countless critical calls for his team over the last 16 seasons.

“That’s been both the most fun and the most stressful part of my job,” the Los Altos Hills resident says of return-to-play decisions on game day. There’s the obvious calls, sure. A slight tweak like a knee sprain where everything’s still stable gets the green light, while a complete ligament injury is clearly a no-go. “The challenging part is sometimes it’s in-between,” Tim explains. “Sometimes there can be a sprain, which you just can’t tell on exam. And sometimes, in the heat of the moment, players don’t feel pain like they might later. The adrenaline kicks in and so we really have to err on the side of caution.” In other words, Tim’s job sometimes means protecting players from themselves. “They want to play,” he continues, “but they will appreciate it later on when you make a call that’s based on true medical judgment.”

Tim, who currently serves as president of the NFL Physician Society, must also keep his cool knowing how much is on the line. “In the NFL, where there’s 16 or 17 regular season games, your decision to return a player to the game is very important,” he notes. “In major league baseball, there’s hundreds of games… You can just remove the player from the game, see the physician later on and then decide from there because missing one game isn’t as bad. But in football, it has a huge impact.”

Behind the football pros you see taking the field is a small army of caregivers. Every NFL team requires two orthopedic surgeons, a medical physician, a head athletic trainer and their assistant athletic trainers, a physical therapist, a sports performance specialist, a strength and conditioning specialist, a nutritionist and various other types of manual therapists. Plus, throw in an on-call ophthalmologist, dentist and radiologist on game days. “It really does take a village,” confirms Tim.

Before plying his trade with professional athletes, Tim aided Stanford University’s football, basketball and soccer teams. His team player attitude and initiative didn’t go unnoticed. After only seven years at Stanford, Tim was recruited to work not only with the 49ers, but also as a team physician for the SF Giants and Golden State Warriors. When the balancing act became too much, he decided to concentrate on the 49ers.

“I went into it with a little bit of trepidation,” Tim admits of the transition. Would he be subjected to financial or other stressors when determining whether players should rejoin the fray? “It couldn’t be further from the truth!” he asserts. “I can honestly say I’ve never been pressured to put someone back in the game for any reason. All of the decisions on my medical care have been mine. I wouldn’t practice any other way.” Expanding on the topic, he adds, “All of these athletes, they want to perform, yes, but they also care about their future, and so to gain their trust, they really have to know that I’m invested in their long-term health and not just how they perform at next weekend’s game.”

Photography: Courtesy of the San Francisco 49ers

An athlete himself, Tim played soccer and tennis during his time attending Bellarmine College Prep. “I’m still playing in what I call ‘the old man soccer leagues,’” he chuckles. “I think an important part of longevity is to stay active.” He also plays golf and enjoys watching his own kids take the field. “Now that I’m slowing down, I get to watch them and remember the old days.”

There’s something fatherly in the way Tim frets over post-injury 49ers returning to play. “It should be very rewarding, and at some level it is, but all I do is worry about it,” he admits. “It’s just like any parent who has a kid who comes back from an injury: always concerned that something could happen again.”

When a player does get hurt on the turf, Tim is ready on the sidelines to whisk him away to a private tent. After performing an exam and reviewing their sports injury history, Tim also scrutinizes the moment of injury on the video replay system, watching the action unfold in slow-mo to figure out how the injury occurred. Having that mechanism for review is a real game-changer. In the past, “you could see a lot of injuries better sitting on your couch than I could from the sideline,” describes Tim. “And people would say, ‘Why did you put that person back in? I could see that the knee hyperextended.’ Now with all these video systems, you can replay it from every angle and really get a good idea of how significant the injury is.”

But for Tim, the most rewarding part of the job isn’t on the field—it’s in the operating room. “Surgery is what every orthopedic surgeon will tell you they enjoy the most,” Tim says. “It really is my comfort zone. People ask me if I get anxious or nervous for surgeries. There’s a heightened focus, but it’s the most calm I am at anything.” Furthermore, “I have control of my environment, my situation, I’ve done everything so many times… I can get into the zone.”

And it’s what he’ll miss the most when he retires someday. “It is such a privilege and a joy to meet somebody and know that they’re trusting me while they’re asleep to do something to fix them so that they can thrive in their life the way they desire to. That’s a real privilege.”

That special bond between physician and player carries back to the stadium. “Players have come up to me after the lights have gone down, after everyone’s gone home, and they tell me how much they appreciated the care that I gave them during a certain game and looked out for them,” he describes with feeling. Good call, Tim. Good call.

Venetian Virtuoso

Words by Johanna Harlow

If you’ve ever found yourself mesmerized by the undulating, rippling surface of a pond, you’ll likely feel an affinity toward the paintings of Joseph Fuchs. Though water isn’t always featured in the artist’s city and nature scapes, it flows through many of his atmospheric works of art. “Essentially the water is an abstract,” the Los Altos painter describes. “You have to try to get the range of colors and shapes.”

That many of Joseph’s canvases are awash with depictions of bobbing Venetian scenery should come as no surprise. “The first time I went, it was almost like that previous life experience where you walk into a place and you fit… I was more than enchanted!” reflects Joseph, who first fell for Italy’s “City of Canals” back in the ‘80s.

The landscape was quite different from the endless orchards of Joseph’s hometown, where the only action was the occasional groan of a Boeing B-52 coming and going from nearby Moffett Field. As a seventh-generation Peninsula native, Joseph describes the Los Altos of his boyhood as “a drowsy, sleepy place.” “It wasn’t important. It was just a nice place to grow up,” he recollects. “A dog could go to sleep in the middle of the street and never be run over!”

Cover Artwork: Quiet Outing, Venice / Artwork: Floating World

But back to the water and Joseph’s unquenchable wanderlust—because over the years, he’s revisited Venice over a dozen times. “You can go back and see it a second time—and a third and a fourth—and it’s always a little different. And the more you do that, the richer it is,” the octogenarian says.

Joseph, who taught English at Menlo-Atherton High School for 33 years, even spent his six-month sabbatical living there. He painted every morning, then wandered the streets after lunch, returning back again in the evenings. “I would find a direction and just walk,” he says. “I would go different routes every single time.”

Where’s Pulcinella?

The artist has another preoccupation. But this time, it’s not a where or a what. It’s a who. Pay Joseph a visit and, in every room in his house, you’ll spot a hook-nosed, humpback clad with a smurf-like hat and a mask. This funny little fella perches on Joseph’s nightstand, revels along his bookshelves and gambols across many of Joseph’s paintings. Tilework (handpainted by Joseph) in both the laundry room and kitchen depict this comedic creature hanging up the wash on the clothesline, hugging a bevy of baguettes to his chest or balancing precarious, multi-scoop ice cream cones in both hands.

This character you’ve likely started playing “Where’s Waldo?” with goes by the name of Pulcinella. Joseph remembers first encountering the well-known stock character in Italian theater (also called “commedia dell’arte”) at a Pulcinella-packed exhibit at Stanford University. “I was devastated and amazed,” he says. “I’d found my man.”

Over the centuries, Pulcinella has been depicted as both foolish and cunning, both servant and master. He’s an opportunist known for exploiting situations to his favor—yet despite his foibles, rescues others who find themselves in trouble. For Joseph, the character is an ideal vessel for exploring humanity’s many faces. “He’s an everyman,” Joseph describes. “He represents everyone you could be.”

The artist notes that Pulcinella paintings aren’t in as much demand as they once were and that he’s incorporated more landscapes from his travels as well as Bay Area scenery into his practice of late. Though fortunately, he still finds fans of his favorite rogue.

Artwork: Alla Volta; Tea Time.

Joining the conversation, Joseph’s wife Jane references one of her husband’s earlier works: a piece in which Pulcinella shows a barefaced young girl around a mask shop. “Innocence doesn’t have a mask,” says Jane, observing, “As you come of age, you put on many masks. You can become anyone you want.” Joseph nods in agreement, “She’s being initiated into a future world that she’s going to occupy.”

Joseph and Jane

Joseph and Jane interact with that comfortable, lived-in ease that comes after 55 years in a strong marriage. Growing up, they attended the same schools—junior high, high school and college (San Jose State)—but it took two fateful dinners to finally get the two together. The first didn’t go so well.

Joseph, who had joined the military and spent a frigid winter in a guard tower in Korea, was back on leave when he attended a dinner hosted by their mutual friends. “He was white as a sheet, thin, extremely quiet,” Jane recalls. Meanwhile, Joseph found Jane excessively bubbly. “And I don’t like champagne!”

But when the two ate again with the same mutual friends a year later (after Joseph returned from time serving as a medic in Vietnam), sparks flew. “She’d written a couple of letters to me,” Joseph remembers. “And when the door opened, and she said, ‘Joe! Joe!’ It knocked me down! Nobody really had welcomed me back like that.” Jane adds that the change of scenery had done him good. “He was tan, muscular and had this fantastic smile,” she reminisces. “I told my girlfriend after I saw him the second time, ‘I’m gonna marry that man.’ And I’m usually a very cautious person! Within two weeks, we were engaged.”

Outside the Canvas

Drawn to art from childhood (which included many a sketch of Donald Duck), Joseph continued to paint during his time in the military. When he returned to California after ending his tour, he took up teaching at Menlo-Atherton High School with the intention of cultivating the next generation of artists. Instead, he got roped into teaching English, his college minor.

Artwork: A Wizard's Dream

“That didn’t squash the painting,” Joseph assures. “It augmented it because it allowed me to be in a world of ideas… It allowed me to have this kind of imagination that deals with images. Because when I read a book, I’m thinking of images.” And although Joseph didn’t log long hours in front of the canvas during his early years of academia, he still carved out short nightly sessions to paint in the garage—even if only for 15 to 20 minutes.

He also found creative ways to tie art back into his students’ writing prompts. For one project, Joseph handed out images to his students and told them to write short stories that culminated with the pictured scene. For another, they analyzed a film and book version of the same story to find where the tales overlapped. “The kids loved it,” he smiles.

In 1991, when Joseph started exhibiting his art, his students came to show their support. Since then, his work has been displayed at over a dozen galleries and exhibitions including the Pacific Art League, Voshan Fine Arts and (his latest) Gallery 9 in Los Altos as well as international shows like Art Revolution Taipei and Biennale Internazionale Dell’arte Contemporanea in Florence.

Artwork: Arcadia; English Waif (inspired by a photo of a threader by Lewis Hine).

Now in retirement, Joseph dives into traveling, submerging himself in the inspiration of landscapes from around the world. In addition to wielding a paintbrush, he also renders black and white sketches with a combination of pencil and pen. “When you go from one to the other, there’s a transition,” he notes of the differing mediums. “How do you hold this pencil?”

Back in his home studio, Joseph explains how he balances a painting and pulls the viewers’ attention around the canvas. He indicates a scene with a man unloading a boat, the box in his hands tipping at a precipitous angle. A dozen characters twist around to watch him, waiting for the inevitable. “The interest goes back and forth,” Joseph explains. We watch the unfortunate man, but also the reactions of the watchers. It seems a fitting metaphor for a prolific artist with a multifaceted life.

Let Art Transport You – josephfuchsartwork.com

The Beat on your Eats: Dumplings

Words by Johanna Harlow

Dumplings to dream about.

dough zone

San Mateo

How about a dough-lightful destination mere walking distance from the San Mateo Japanese Garden? Dough Zone dishes out pan-fried, boiled and steamed dumplings to both the connoisseur and the curious. Not only do many of their dishes come served in iconic bamboo baskets, but you’ll also find woven steamer lids playfully decorating the wall. Be sure to sample their q-bao—puffy pan-fried buns filled with Berkshire-Duroc pork. And if you’ve never had the pleasure of encountering soup dumplings, now’s your chance. A tip for beginners: When your dumplings arrive, take a bite from the side, then slurp up the broth within (mosquito-style). If you take a less calculated approach, you might end up with a wet chin. 111 E 4th Avenue, San Mateo. Open daily.

bevri

Palo Alto

It’s time to mix things up and hop borders. Dedicated to Georgian cuisine—as in that country along the Black Sea where Europe meets Asia—Bevri offers a delightful twist to this bite-sized comfort food. The Georgian dumpling, called khinkali, is much doughier than its Chinese cousin. Meat and spices are folded into what looks like a teeny tiny drawstring bag—before being topped with a single jewel-like pomegranate seed. You’ll also want to accompany this appetizer with khachapuri adjaruli, the beloved dish that rightfully earned its place as Bevri’s logo. It’s the ultimate comfort food with cheese, butter and an egg all cradled in a boat of bread. Trust us, it’ll leave you floating. 325 Main Street, Los Altos and 530 Bryant Street, Palo Alto. Open Tuesday to Sunday.

brochette dumpling and grill

Redwood City

Opening to rave reviews, Redwood City’s newish Brochette Dumpling and Grill delivers Chinese-Japanese fusion in a refreshing space of rattan pendant lights and curved leather dining chairs. With a plethora of options at your fingertips, you might opt for one of their four types of potstickers, har gaw (translucent shrimp dumplings) or siu mai (a surf and turf combo of shrimp and pork). This family-run restaurant also puts the spotlight on skewers—ranging from Japanese Wagyu to veggies to bacon-wrapped quail eggs. While you’re at it, stick around for a refreshing scoop of green tea ice cream. 917 Main Street, Redwood City. Open daily.

Perfect Shot: Filoli Fall Magic

El Granada-based experimental landscape artist Daniel Ambrosi visited Filoli for inspiration before a photography expedition to shoot historic estates in England. Serendipitously, this 45-shot, 295-megapixel panorama was captured just as the staff was beginning to install holiday lighting, adding even more color to an already magical scene.

Image by Daniel Ambrosi / danielambrosi.com

Calling all Shutterbugs: If you’ve captured a unique perspective of the Peninsula, we’d love to see your Perfect Shot. Email us at hello@punchmonthly.com to be considered for publication.

Diary of a Dog: Echo

You know how you just get a feeling when something is meant to be? That’s exactly what happened when I found my family at the Humane Society of Silicon Valley. They came in to get a female dog but when they heard about a blind dog named Echo, they became curious and asked to meet me. Every instinct triggered when I sensed their approach: They’re the ones! Alexis, her daughter Aria and grandmother Rita took to me immediately, and I felt the same pull, especially toward the littlest one, Nyctalus, who was in a stroller. When it was time for them to meet the other dog on their list, I refused to leave Nyctalus’ side. They got my message. “Echo chose us,” they always say. They brought me home to Los Altos Hills, where our pack also includes Alexis’ brother Wesley. Right away, my family realized that my blindness doesn’t hold me—or them—back. I love to cuddle, chase balls and I’m even an amazing agility course runner. I still feel that special bond with Nyctalus and wherever he goes, I go. Sometimes I get the urge to gently nip at his shoulders and the back of his shirt, which is actually a behavior shown by epilepsy service dogs. I’m the one who figured out that Nyctalus was having seizures. Now I’m in the process of being certified as his service dog. Since I’m also partly deaf, I’m being trained entirely by touch cues. For example, when I feel a long stroke from the top of my nose up to the top of my head, I know that means “Sit.” I’m also training my family back. When I earn a reward, I’ve taught them which nibbles I enjoy most. Since I’m always excited to learn something new, that means lots of tasty treats ahead!

Calling All Dogs: If you've got quirky habits or a funny tale (or tail) to share, email your story to hello@punchmonthly.com for a chance to share a page from your Diary of a Dog in PUNCH.

Q&A: Real Estate’s Ashley Banks

A longtime real estate executive currently with Golden Gate Sotheby’s, Ashley Banks shares her biggest home-related pet peeve, the one habit she’d like to break and what she’d tell her younger self.

As a kid, how did you imagine your dream home one day?
I grew up on a cul-de-sac with a forest as my backyard—it was heaven. I think I dreamed about an idyllic setting more than the house itself. Location, location, location!

What’s your go-to comfort food?
Marmalade toast and tea. I was born in England and raised by a British mum.

What’s the most unusual feature you’ve seen in a house that you’ve sold?
We once sold a house that had an indoor pool in the basement.

What’s the wildest thing you’ve ever done?
I jumped out of a perfectly good airplane.

Do you have any phobias?
I’ve recently adopted a dislike of being in a place with no windows. I’ve dubbed it adult-onset claustrophobia. Working through it though! Ommmmm…

What room do you personally consider to be the heart of your home and why?
The dining room is the heart of our home. When I was raising my daughters, it was where they did homework and we ate all our meals; now when they come home from college, we gather there for long dinners, to play games and do puzzles.

What’s something people are always surprised to learn about you?
That I have an (amazing) twin brother.

What’s one thing prospective Peninsula home buyers should know right now?
Nothing is perfect… focus on what’s most important to you, and when you find something that fits, go for it. You can usually change and adapt your home over time. In the long run, it’s best to be in the market and not on the sidelines.

What piece of advice would you give to your younger self?
Say yes. There is no such thing as a bad adventure. Often the things you dread the most turn into life’s best memories.

What’s your biggest home-related pet peeve?
Scuffed-up and dirty interior walls! Paint is the biggest bang-for-the-buck way to refresh a home.

What’s a movie you can watch over and over?
When Harry Met Sally. I’m annoying to watch it with because I know every line, and I can’t keep them in!

What did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be a teacher. In my career now, I often kick into professor-mode when answering questions from agents. They kindly endure my lectures.

What’s a habit you’d like to break?
Waking up and immediately looking at email.

What do you collect?
Good people.

Ho Ho Ho Santana Row

Words by Johanna Harlow

So you’re neck-deep in December—and drowning in the demands of the holidays. Whether you’re decking the halls or getting ready for eight crazy nights of Hanukkah, it’s easy to feel more frantic than festive. Here’s a way to get it done and de-stress: a holiday staycation.

Consider Santana Row, San Jose’s luxury shopping and dining destination. It’s impossible to hold onto a grinch mindset while wandering this magical “village within a city” of twinkling lights, lamps festooned in garlands, upscale restaurants, high-end boutiques… and is that a prehistoric-sized reindeer?

Cover Photo: Courtesy of Collette Navarrette / Photo: Johanna Harlow

Seasonal Shopping

Knock out your seasonal shopping in one sweep with Santana Row’s more than 50 apparel, home and specialty stores. We suggest warming up with an exploratory lap to get a lay of the land. Admire the Row’s elaborate window displays, daydream yourself into the cute apartments perched above its shops and count the Bugattis and Lamborghinis revving up and down its main drag.

At Makers Market, you’ll find gifts for anyone who appreciates one-of-a-kind craftsmanship. Among its offerings: handmade leather bags, knives inlaid with fossilized mammoth teeth and engraved wooden journals. For your fashion-forward family members and friends, drop by shops like Vuori, Scotch & Soda, Paige, Boutique Harajuku and Marine Layer.

For the make-it-yourself crew, fuel their creativity with DIY supplies from Paper Source. Beyond the rubber stamps, washi tape and scrapbook supplies, the store also stocks quirky items. Think adult picture books like I Will Not Die Alone and Sad Animal Facts, therapeutic coloring books and funky calendars (including a literary/cat-themed one with illustrations of Meowby Dick and The Great Catsby).

On behalf of the outdoorsman (or woman), make the trek to Yeti for all things camping, hunting and fishing. And don’t forget the stocking stuffers! Maido offers an eclectic selection of manatee tea infusers, kitty chopsticks and adorable plushies (smiling avocados, dinos and mermaid cats, oh my).

When you and your credit card need to catch your breath, visit the Santana Row Park deck. Settle into a wicker patio chair and listen to live music under a hulking oak festooned in lights.

Photo: Johanna Harlow

Holiday Feast

After all that shopping, you’ll have worked up an appetite. Fortunately, just about everywhere you turn, you’ll find restaurants (30 of them) with ample indoor seating and lamp-heated European-style patios.

For sushi in a sophisticated setting, Ozumo serves all the traditional classics and an array of innovative entrees to satisfy both Grandma and the Gen Z crowd. With its dedication to quality ingredients (meaning snow crab rather than imitation filler in even the California rolls) as well as some playful wrestling-titled items on the menu, Ozumo pins down a win in the sushi scene.

You might also nibble your way through Meso Modern Mediterranean’s fluffy pita and flatbreads or Zazil’s sizzling fajitas and carnitas. Or sink your teeth into L.B Steak’s boneless ribeye, tomahawk, porterhouse and Wagyu in a swanky space swathed in red with cheeky cowhide chairs. For more casual (but still satisfying) venues, dine at Dumpling Time or Pizza Antica.

Photo: Johanna Harlow

Afterward, enter El Jardin, an enchanting al fresco bar overflowing with live music, plants and trellises. For wines buttery to bold (or 180 kinds of whisky curated by an in-house whisky sommelier), head for Vintage Wine Bar. (You can’t miss it: Look for the building resembling a medieval limestone church.) Here, you’ll have plenty of savory, sweet and salty bites to tease your tastebuds with pairings so explore how the tang of roasted tomatoes, the smokiness of the meat pâté and the earthiness of the truffle chips dialogue with your palate.

Got room for dessert? Stop by Smitten Ice Cream for exploratory scoops with flavors like Cinnamon Toast or Earl Grey with chocolate chips. Or swing by Cocola, a longstanding French-style patisserie, for macarons and a mocha.

And to All a Good Night

After a full day, it’s time to retire to Hotel Valencia at the heart of the Row. Each room has an enchanting Mediterranean design illuminated with cozy lamps. Upgrade to a room with a bougainvillea-entwined balcony facing the patio and you’ll gain a front-row seat to live Latin/flamenco acoustic guitar music (performed most nights).

Photo: of Hotel Valencia Santana Row

You’ll also want to check out the hotel’s diverse in-house eating/drinking services. Settle down with a nightcap at Vbar (an intimate, low-lit venue) or soak in panoramic night views of the Santa Cruz Mountains at Cielo Rooftop Bar. If you’re growing peckish again, savor late-night tapas at Oveja Negra. Be sure to try the patatas bravas seasoned with earthy paprika and a creamy roasted garlic aioli as well as the braised beef cheeks served in a hearty red wine reduction.

Let It Glow

In the morning, make your way next-door to Burke Williams Day Spa for a revitalizing acupressure facial or massage (shiatsu, Thai, Swedish, deep tissue, take your pick). Before your appointment, arrive early to unwind those tense muscles with a soak in the whirlpool, a session in the sauna and a serene moment with a cup of house-made vanilla lemongrass tea in the pillow-strewn lounge.

Be sure to check out their holiday-themed packages, which range from Merry Moments (with a Pure Relaxation Massage and choice of hot stones, detox or aromatherapy enhancements), Let It Glow (which adds a spa-style facial to the equation) to the comprehensive Our Favorite Things (which combines multiple massages and facials with a scented bath and three-day spa pass).

Photo: Courtesy of Burke Williams Day Spa

Winter Wonderland

Even Santa makes time in his insane schedule to stop in San Jose. Snag pics with St. Nick and join in other festive fun during Spirit of the Row, hosted every Tuesday December evening from 6-8PM. Heat your hands with a hot cider while watching Nutcracker ballerinas plié and pirouette, then venture to Park Valencia for snow showers and holiday tunes on the half-hour. Look for snow flurries in the forecast every Saturday evening as well. As you head back home, you’ll be glowing with the joy of the season.

revive at the row – santanarow.com

Trader Vic’s Revamp

Words by Loureen Murphy

If walls in this 1906 home could talk, they’d discuss all the personalities who inhabited their 9,000 square feet in lower Hillsborough, among them Victor “Trader Vic” Bergeron, the renowned one-legged tiki bar owner and self-proclaimed inventor of the Mai Tai. True, they might bicker about taste shifts over time—Colonial columns here? Really? But they’d cheer in chorus at TRG Architecture + Interior Design’s dramatic transformation of their domain—and how it vibrates synergy between past and present.

When the current owners first viewed the house, last renovated in the 1980s, it didn’t lure them in. But the “fantastic location” did. “We loved the flat lot, walkability to downtown Burlingame, and a much bigger home than we’d be allowed if we were to build from scratch,” shares one. “We bought it knowing this was going to be a soup-to-nuts remodel,” remarks the other.

Inspired by the potential, the couple took TRG’s architect Randy Grange along to see the property. “They assumed we’d do the work,” he recalls. Having gained their trust on a previous remodel, “We didn’t have to prove ourselves to them.” The husband/wife team, which also comprises interior designer Leslie Lamarre, embraced the Arts & Crafts spirit and solid bones of the place as they drew plans capturing the homeowners’ wishes. Leslie says, “They gave us a list, and we made it happen.”

The indoor to-dos: Move the master suite upstairs so the young family could relax together. Make an upstairs playroom to keep toys on one story. Raise the laundry room up a floor. Pare the number of fireplaces from seven to one. Attach the guest house/pool house to the main home for easy access. Open the guest house kitchen and great room to the poolside. Wine room, workout room, game room, mini theater.

The big ask? Alter the disjointed Winchester House-like floor plan, with its small, dark rooms and abrupt turns—and make everything fit. Randy enlarged rooms without altering more than 50 percent of existing walls, complying with Hillsborough’s building codes. The owners praise the “clever things Randy did that opened up the central spine,” allowing for “the big, light-filled rooms” they wanted. The spacious main floor now optimizes hosting, particularly long-term guests. “Everybody can go to a different space. No one feels overcrowded.” Noise disperses. Peace.

The yards begged equal time. “The former front had changed in the last remodel, and we split the front in half with a stone wall,” Randy explains. “Now it feels more like a back yard.” Major work also entailed moving the garage from one side of the house to the other. Eliminating one of the two driveways “to keep cars and kids as far from each other as possible” allows for safe playtime on the new sport court, lawn area and swings.

The makeover process yielded some surprises and challenges like the original unattached brick foundation beneath the living room and tile-floored garage. The basement required digging to even out the floor and increase head height. Fully finished, it levels up family fun, housing the game room/preteen hangout with bean bag chairs, foosball and ping pong tables as well as the theater, workout room and elegant wine room/whiskey bar.

After removing asynchronous design elements, the team restored clean Arts & Crafts lines. In rejuvenating each area, Leslie designed built-ins apropos to their place and purpose, including cubbies for the children. She selected unique artisan-made furnishings and light fixtures that elevate the distinct contemporary aesthetic of each room, yet reflect Craftsman-era authenticity and simplicity.

Subtle nods to Trader Vic accent the home with tribal-inspired floor tiling in the mudroom and two bathrooms. The tiki vibe spices up the more casual guesthouse. Roman shades in a tropical pattern. Black and cream grasscloth in the bedroom. Caning on chair backs. Carved wooden panels from New Guinea on the walls. A set of tiki glasses commanding the shelf over the kitchen sink.

The serendipitous re-do reveals harmony between the noted former occupant and the present ones. Vic hated pretension and loved art—he sculpted and painted in his home studio. Today’s family-focused owners appreciate modern art and display a nascent collection. Vic prioritized hospitality even more than his food and drink creations. Likewise, togetherness in the two-island kitchen flavors each meal as much as the touches of its avid home cooks.

As Trader Vic once said, “At no time did I do anything that wasn’t the best I knew how to do. I wanted quality.” The refinished home embodies that same can-do spirit. “It’s one of the most extreme remodels we’ve ever done,” observes Randy.

“It’s basically the same footprint, but a radically different house than what we bought,’’ summarize the owners, who are flourishing in their new paradise. Smiling, they “threaten” to hold a Mai Tai party. More conversation fodder for the walls in the years to come.

transform your space – trgarch.com

Sea Ranch Serenity

Words by Lotus Abrams

There really isn’t much to do at The Sea Ranch—a predominantly residential community located on a remote, ruggedly beautiful 10-mile stretch of coastline at the northern boundary of Sonoma County—but that is precisely the attraction. It is, rather, a place to watch the waves crash against the shoreline below the cliffs; explore rocky tidepools; wander unspoiled beaches strewn with seashells; feel the power of the wind as it rushes over the grassy bluffs and through the cypress, pine and fir trees; and listen to the plaintive bleating of sheep grazing on the hillsides, part of the community’s wildfire mitigation efforts, which also happens to add to the pastoral atmosphere.

About a two-and-a-half-hour drive north of San Francisco, Sea Ranch encompasses only about 2,200 private homes and undeveloped lots; a few resident recreation centers; a handful of small businesses; a private airstrip; and The Sea Ranch Lodge, one of the oldest buildings in the community, built in 1968.

For a long time, the land that is now The Sea Ranch was only visited seasonally by the native Pomo people, who gathered shellfish and kelp from the shoreline. Starting in the 1800s, it was used for ranching. The Sea Ranch was conceived in 1964 when Oceanic Properties architect and community planner Al Boeke visited the area and recommended that his firm purchase the land—then called Rancho Del Mar—to build a coastal town that would be designed in harmony with its natural surroundings.

Cover Photography: Courtesy of Adam Potts / Photography: Courtesy of The Sea Ranch Lodge

Guided by the overarching principle of “living lightly on the land,” Boeke and an esteemed team of architects and design professionals embarked on plans to bring the community to life. Landscape architect Lawrence Halprin studied the area’s topography, weather and vegetation. Architectural firm Moore, Lyndon, Turnbull and Whitaker designed the first condominium building along the bluffs. And architect Joseph Esherick designed Sea Ranch’s first houses. Abiding by the philosophy of dynamic conservation, each landscape element was acknowledged and nurtured, reinforcing natural forms and scale, while building materials were kept simple and drawn from nature.

The environmentally-focused sensibility of the community as well as its distinctive architecture has inspired numerous articles in publications ranging from Dwell to The New York Times, as well as a major exhibit at SFMOMA. Not surprisingly, like-minded individuals continue to be drawn to the setting.

Maynard and Lu Lyndon have been “Sea Ranchers” for over five decades. “Even before we knew each other, we both came up to The Sea Ranch in the 1960s,” recounts Maynard. After meeting in 1972, the couple bought their own lot in The Sea Ranch in 1997, and designed and built a house with the help of Maynard’s brother, Donlyn Lyndon, one of the community’s original architects. “We live here full-time and are quite connected to The Sea Ranch in various ways,” he says. “We love it.”

Cover Photography: Courtesy of Adam Potts

Maynard and Lu own LyndonDesign Gallery, which showcases the work of many local artists. They also curate the rotating art shows that grace the walls of The Café at The Sea Ranch Lodge. Thoughtfully revitalized from top to bottom after new owners bought the property in 2018, The Sea Ranch Lodge recently unveiled 17 refreshed guest rooms.

The lodge even features new “supergraphics”—boldly colored graphic stripes, shapes and symbols—designed by 94-year-old San Francisco artist and graphic designer Barbara Stauffacher Solomon.

In addition to the restaurant, bar, cafe and general store, the lodge is also home to the local post office and functions as the de facto community hub. Locals and visitors alike flock to the lodge for events like Trivia Night on Tuesdays and live jazz on Thursdays.

Undeniably, a sense of community and respect for nature coalesce at The Sea Ranch. “The overall reason to visit The Sea Ranch is the joy of place—obviously, for the natural coastline, meadows, forests and hills, but also for the spirit and vision and reality of people living and respecting what they have in this 10-mile stretch of the Northern California coast,” Maynard reflects. “Come visit, stay, walk, observe, record and partake in the quiet and respect for place and nature.”

Photography: Courtesy of The Sea Ranch Lodge - Carlos Chavarría

Do

The best way to experience The Sea Ranch is by bike or on foot. So ditch the car and have Sea Ranch Supply drop off rental bikes at The Sea Ranch Lodge or your vacation rental. Pick up maps for The Sea Ranch’s six public access trails—Black Point, Pebble Beach, Stengel Beach, Shell Beach, Walk on Beach and Bluff Top Trail—at The Sea Ranch Association office.

Hit the greens at The Sea Ranch Links, an 18-hole golf course designed by Robert Muir Graves that blends the undulating seaside landscape with Scottish links-style architecture while maintaining the original lay of the land.

Don’t forget to visit Maynard and Lu at LyndonDesign Gallery, a small, design-focused gallery showcasing many local artists’ work (open Saturdays or by appointment). While you’re there, head over to neighboring business, The Wine Shop, which holds occasional tasting events. You’ll also want to swing by the fanciful Sea Ranch Chapel. Although it looks like a fairy cottage in the woods, it was designed by artist and architectural designer James Hubbell, and is open daily to the public from sunrise to sunset.

Photography: courtesy of the sea ranch lodge

Eat

Enjoy ceviche, seared scallops and steak frites at The Sea Ranch Lodge Dining Room. Surrounded by stunning sea views and layered in light-toned wood, the lodge serves refined, seasonal fare with locally sourced-ingredients, including ocean-fresh seafood. Other options on the property include the Bar + Lounge, with locally-inspired craft cocktails, beer, local wines and light bites; The Café for light breakfast and lunch fare; and BBQ 42000, offering house-smoked meats over at The Sea Ranch Links.

Twofish Baking, located inside the historic Stewart’s Point Store, is a must for delectable sandwiches, sticky buns and daily danishes. Go-to eateries in nearby Gualala include Anchor Bay Thai Kitchen, Upper Crust Pizzeria and Trinks Cafe.

Photography: Courtesy of the Sea Ranch Lodge

Stay

Featuring breathtaking views of the natural surroundings, The Sea Ranch Lodge offers 17 rustic-contemporary rooms featuring stove-pipe fireplaces, cushioned window benches and thoughtful amenities like local hiking guides and binoculars.

The Sea Ranch also offers distinctive rental homes designed by acclaimed architects. Like the forest-ensconced Tarp House with expansive outdoor decks, walls of glass and dramatic skylights to more deeply appreciate all the trees. Or the spacious Hines House, which sleeps eight, while offering a courtyard terrace and sweeping Pacific views.

Home rentals can be booked through Sea Ranch Escape as well as websites like Airbnb, Vacasa and VRBO.

Coastal retreat – searanchescape.com

Equestrian Paradise

Words by Johanna Harlow

Step onto the sprawling 270-acre landscape known as The Horse Park at Woodside, and find an equestrian paradise replete with nine arenas, stocked with stables and dotted with every kind of imaginable horse jump from logs to rails. On this particular ambling afternoon, the quiet is punctuated by far-off whinnies and nickers, while a lone tractor kicks up a cloud of dust in the distance. Don’t let today’s calm fool you. With a bustling event calendar and numerous organizations using its facilities, The Horse Park attracts everyone from Olympians to kiddos clad in their first equestrian helmets and riding gear.

“We’re a huge show venue,” notes Steve Roon, executive director here. “We have some of the best competitions in the various disciplines anywhere on the West Coast—whether it’s vaulting, the reining shows (which is a Western discipline), the hunter/jumper shows or the horse trials (three-day eventing).” And not only are hundreds of horses circulating in and out of the Park for events, but the facility also hosts some 120 boarders year-round.

Photography: Courtesy of The Horse Park at Woodside - Julia Borysewicz Photography

Now add to that the Woodside and Portola Valley Pony Clubs, the Stanford University Polo Club, the Woodside Polo Club and B.O.K. Ranch’s therapeutic riding lessons. Then factor in organizations like Hillview Equestrian, Aspen Ridge Stables, CORE Equestrian, McIver Equestrian, Tayside Sport Horses, West Coast Performance Horses, Stone Harbor and Woodside Vaulters, all dedicated to raising up the next generation of equestrians on The Horse Park’s grounds. “There’s a huge ballet of activities that goes on,” Steve aptly describes. And he’s at the center of the dance.

horse culture

Once a humble cow pasture, The Horse Park now sees perfectly-postured riders astride steeds with dazzling names like Merriewold Quintessa, Casanova, Baron de Chevalier and Gandolph the Great. It all started in 1981, when one of its founders, Robert E. Smith, envisioned a greater purpose for the land than a site for grazing bovines. He leased the property from Stanford University and set about turning it into a horse hub. With the help of generous donors (including singer-songwriter Joan Baez) over the years, The Horse Park transformed into one of the premier equestrian properties in the state.

You can imagine that a property triple the size of Disneyland (with an incessant flurry of activities) takes quite a bit of upkeep. “It became pretty clear that we needed a full-time executive director,” recalls Steve, who first came to the Park to compete in eventing more than two decades ago. “So I failed retirement and, three and a half years ago, came back to run The Horse Park.” Steve oversees the countless tasks necessary to ensure that the Park runs smoothly, including wrangling communications with 800 members. “I’m an ambassador for the park,” he summarizes.

Photography: Courtesy of The Horse Park at Woodside - Julia Borysewicz Photography

Being around these events 24-7, Steve has met many kinds of competitors. “Each horse discipline brings with it its own culture,” he reflects. Take reining, a Western discipline where riders exhibit cattle ranch skills through a precise pattern of maneuvers. “Their horses are bred to be very submissive, and they’ll do whatever they ask,” Steve says. “They will drop their reins on the ground and the horse will stand there!” He chuckles, “We will find a horse just stopped in the middle of nowhere—nothing around it—and the rider had to go use the bathroom!”

Then there’s the hunter/jumper crowd. “They come with a whole support group—trainers and grooms and all,” describes Steve. “These horses are immaculately braided and they’re spectacular athletes.”
Steve himself is an “eventer” who competes in dressage (a performed sequence of movements) as well as cross-country and show jumping. “We are much more hands-on,” Steve explains. “We have strong relationships with our horses to be able to do what we do out there.”

As anyone associated with The Horse Park can tell you, the bond between horse and rider is sacred. Fondly, Steve recalls his journey to the Emerald Isle to find Billy, his 17.3-hand Irish sport horse. “I saw 20 horses in five days, got on 10 of them, got thrown by one of them—and fell in love with this horse that I have.” As Steve describes it, “The communication is very subtle and almost subconscious. I don’t use my reins to steer with him. All I have to do is move my shoulders, which changes the pressure of my hips and ankles and he moves!”

Above: The Horse Park executive director Steve Roon with Molly Kaster, who organizes the Park's schooling shows.

Ride Like the Wind

When choosing his favorite moment of three-day eventing, Steve breaks into a grin. “It’s the finish!” Eileen Morgenthaler, fellow eventer and president of the board of governors, chimes in: “Because that means you’re alive!” The two share an all-too-knowing laugh. “You need to understand: three-day eventing is an extreme sport,” Eileen continues. The competition has its roots in cavalry training. And riders wear inflatable crash vests—the same kind worn for motocross. “People who engage in the sport are a little crazy, but incredibly passionate about the horse and the ride and the relationship.”

The sport is electric, she describes: “When you get in the start box where you’re gonna run over 20 to 35 fences at up to 25 miles an hour on a being that’s 1,200 pounds with a brain the size of a walnut, you’re firing on all cylinders. If you’re still in the saddle by the end of it, that’s pretty darn exciting!”

“He’s trusting me not to put him into a situation that we can’t handle—and I’m trusting him to handle it,” Steve says, adding that his job to set the right speed and trajectory is complete five or six strides before the jump. “Then it’s up to him to deal with it,” he explains. “You can feel the horse going, ‘Are you sure this is a good idea?’ And I’ll communicate, ‘Yeah, you’re fine. We’re fine. You got this.’ And then suddenly his ears will lock on it and he’ll accel and we’re going come hell or highwater!”

He assures that horses aren’t doing anything they don’t want to do. “They have so many tools to disagree with us,” he chuckles.

Claims to Fame

Drawn to the hilly terrain and expansive offerings, many big names have made the Park their stomping grounds. Olympians such as Hawley Bennett, David O’Connor, Derek di Grazia, Gina Miles, Lauren Billys Shady, Tamie Smith, Ian Stark and James Wofford have all come to train, compete or design courses here. William Shatner (AKA Star Trek’s Captain Kirk) also made an appearance at The Horse Park, riding into the arena on Cee My Smokin Pistol for last year’s Reining by the Bay event. At the age of 91, no less.

But perhaps The Horse Park’s most intriguing claim to fame is the recent commercial shot here. “We got a call out of the blue from this Hollywood producer,” Steve recalls. They were vetting locations for an ad promoting Jordan Peele’s satiric film Nope, which would be shown at the NBA playoffs and feature Steph Curry.

After the project was green-lighted, a slew of people and semis descended—electrical generators, stage lights and bulky equipment in tow. They built a state-of-the-art basketball court sound stage in The Horse Park’s covered arena, used six-foot fans to blow dust and tumbleweeds around and even recruited one of the local horses for a quick cameo. “Steph Curry showed up. We filmed for an hour and a half on Sunday afternoon. Bang, done, all good to go!” Steve recalls. “It was torn down and everything was outta here by Monday night. It was the wildest thing!”

Canter Over

You don’t need to be a rider to cheer on The Horse Park’s equestrians and their mounts. “All of our horse shows are open to non-members,” Steve affirms. “We’ll post notices at Roberts Market—and everybody’s welcome!”

You might even get to see Steve and Eileen clearing jumps. “During the horse trials, people can walk out in the midst of this big field and watch,” says Steve. So swing by and watch the truly magical sight of flying palominos and pintos. Eileen smiles, “They are Pegasus!”

take the leap – horsepark.org

Scholastic Chic

Words by Johanna Harlow

Graduate Palo Alto isn’t for the modern minimalists. In the lobby of University Avenue’s eclectic new hotel, general manager David Joseph stands before a showstopping gallery-style wall, brimming floor-to-ceiling with paintings, scientific illustrations and pressed plants. “We actually had a woman try to pry the pictures off our walls one time because she wanted crystal chandeliers and one lone art piece on a blank wall,” he recalls with a chuckle. “That’s not us.” Now, if you’re looking for an exuberant space with an explanation behind every design detail—the kind of maximalist design you can really sink your teeth into—you’re in the right place.

When Graduate Hotels (a hotel group that themes each of its locations around college nostalgia) opened its Palo Alto site this past January, it aesthetically delivered a love letter to Stanford University. At first glance, you’ll pick up on this motif through the key cards made to look like student IDs of notable alumni as well as the study table with lamps in the lobby, evoking student libraries of the past. You’ll notice it in the hotel stationery, embellished with a bubble test pattern, beside a yellow No. 2 pencil with the hotel’s motto: “We are all students.”

But it’s in all the subtle touches too. The in-house design team has meticulously woven historical and cultural allusions to the region and the school throughout the entire fabric of the hotel—right down to the art on its walls, the carpet in its hallways and the menus at its in-house dining options.

Lifelong Students

So why the academic aesthetic? “Attending university can be such an impactful time in somebody’s life,” reflects David Joseph. “There’s a sense of excitement and novelty leaving home for the first time!” He adds, “Some of our best memories and some of our biggest memories come in that transition from youth to adulthood. We really try to lean into those stories.”

Designed for and by lifelong learners and curious souls, almost every design detail—and we mean everything—is location-specific, paying tribute to Stanford, its history or the surrounding California landscape. Take the hallways, often a nebulous in-between space in hotels. Not so at Graduate Palo Alto. David points out the native aviary woven into the carpet: our state bird, the California quail, as well as the finch, northern mockingbird and American kestrel. “I’m strangely a snob about hotel hallway carpeting,” David admits, “because it’s one of those things that either has too much personality or zero personality—and I love that ours tells a story.”

The carpet also features a series of numbers that mirror Stanford class plaques found in the campus quad. Since 1896, graduating seniors have left behind time capsules—and the numbers at the hotel correspond to milestone years at the University. “There are people in this building who can tell you the story of each number and say, ‘Oh, this is the year when the Queen of England came and visited Stanford,” notes David.

Push all the elevator buttons, and the door will open on curated collections of Stanford-themed memorabilia on the opposing wall. Everything—whether it’s sheet music, sports memorabilia, historic photos or old maps—references back to those time capsules.

The academic narrative extends to the rooms. After you manage to pry your eyes from the wild botanical wallpaper, you’ll find that the wall art pays homage to Stanford alumni. A framed cover of Mice and Men tips its hat to John Steinbeck, while the sketching of a comely undergrad reveals a student-aged Sigourney Weaver. The cluster of redwood trees on the headboards is also a nice touch, representing both Palo Alto’s namesake as well as the Stanford band’s unusual mascot.

Not even David has identified all the hidden references tucked throughout the hotel. “There’s a really robust sense of design that keeps you discovering every day. There are a million small details. Every day I’m in this building, I learn something new,” he reflects. “It’s fun to be in a space where we truly are all still students.”

harkening back

But the design team didn’t stop there. Graduate Palo Alto owes its Spanish Colonial sensibilities to the building’s previous tenants. As it happens, this building was formerly known as the Hotel President during the first half of the 20th century. Its historic architect, Birge Malcolm Clark, studied at… you probably guessed it: Stanford.

Graduate Palo Alto’s exposed wood ceiling beams, the enormous wall tapestry behind check-in, the carved credenza serving as the front desk and the Spanish tilework all harken back to Mr. Clark’s choices a century ago. Meanwhile, the art in the lobby features paintings inspired by Spanish Colonial interiors (alongside illustrations of California botanicals). The original building’s staircase and ironwork remain. “We tried to reimagine the space while still paying tribute to what came before,” shares David.

A Taste of the Past

That Spanish flair extends to the President’s Terrace, the hotel’s enchanting rooftop lounge awash with terracotta tiles, pops of color and playful patterns. Pendant lights swing above the bar, while tasseled patio umbrellas crop up in red and white. “We’ve got the only rooftop bar and restaurant in Palo Alto! We’re proud of that,” David shares as nearby guests pull up rattan chairs to congregate around wicker tables.

As bargoers drink in unbeatable views of the Stanford Dish, Hoover Tower and the surrounding hills, they sip Stanford-themed cocktails concocted by master mixologist Bad Birdy. Kutilda’s Thai Tea, spiked with brandy, is a nod to alumnus Tiger Woods, whose mother grew up in Thailand. West of Eden—cucumber, watermelon, vodka and gin, elevated with monk fruit and house-made fennel syrup—recalls another Steinbeck classic. And Leland’s Gold Rush mocktail raises a glass to Stanford’s founder with pineapple, lemon and elote. Other mocktails like Fountain Hopper and Full Moon on the Quad reference longstanding Stanford traditions, while The Peninsula and Silicon Sipper are more obvious callouts to the area itself.

Light bites are also served. “Our executive chef Andrew Cohen has done a wonderful job in curating something that’s so focused on the region as well as a lot of fresh seafood,” says David. “We do amazing fresh oysters!”
David’s favorite dish is the prime beef tartare, followed by the Bread & Butter, whipped bone marrow served with Manresa sourdough. “It’s something so approachable but at the same time feels upscale,” he relays. “And it’s a labor of love. It’s something that has a really distinct process.”

On the ground floor, Lou and Herbert’s café and bar offers a cozier experience with dark wood, a more subtle color palette and plenty of armchairs. “Downstairs should feel a little bit more intimate,” David notes. “It’s about the martini. It’s about the spirit-forward cocktails that feel a little bit more appropriate for a sip-and-sit-back.”

The title venerates Stanford lovebirds. Herbert Hoover, the 31st U.S. President (and one of the first students to enroll at Stanford) met his wife on campus. What’s more, Lou was the first woman at the college to earn her geology degree. “It’s meant to feel like that meet-cute, that space where you lean in a little bit,” describes David.

The café is also open during daytime hours so make sure to return in the morning for Manresa pastries, chia pudding or a breakfast burrito along with a piping hot cup of Saint Frank Coffee.

Real Neighborly

For a hotel seeking to not only act as a traveler’s destination, but also as a neighborhood hub, downtown Palo Alto is the perfect setting. “We want to be the living room of the community in any location that we’re at,” David says. “We want students to be walking by—if we had a room full of people and they all had backpacks with them, we’d be thrilled.”

And like the building itself, the area is textured in times past. “There’s so much history along this street,” David reflects. “So seeing some of the spaces that have transformed as we have, I think is really part of that neighborhood storytelling.”

Back in the lobby with its joyfully maximalist layout, David adds one final thought: “When people join us—especially when it’s a big weekend like back-to-school or graduation weekend—we’re hoping that people staying with us are also creating their own memories and making us a part of their story.”

Study Break – graduatehotels.com/palo-alto

Style and Substance: The Maloufs

Words by Sophia Markoulakis

As partners in business and life, Sam and Gloria Malouf have had 23 years to perfect that elusive balance that so few couples get right when working together. And they both credit the Peninsula with being a foundational bond.

Sam recalls his first reaction when he arrived here from Texas: “The moment I stepped out of SFO on April 1, 1991, my whole being felt refreshed. I took a deep sigh of relief and knew I was home.” After emigrating from Lebanon in 1979 and spending her first few years in Las Vegas, Gloria had a similar visceral reaction when her family relocated to the South Bay. While dating Sam in the late ‘90s and visiting him at his family’s business, she too fell in love with the Burlingame-San Mateo area. Today, as co-owners of Burlingame’s upscale boutique, Sam Malouf Authentic Luxury, the duo harmoniously work side by side. They continue to build an ever-evolving life based on mutual respect and shared heritage and interests, all while running their thriving store stocked with sleek sport coats and blazers, classic dresses and clutches.

Sam and Gloria, both of Lebanese descent, met in the late ‘90s at a local Lebanese-American Association fashion show that Sam’s family business, Malouf’s, was sponsoring. Gloria’s cousin, who was helping with the fashion show, was short on models and asked Gloria to fill in. “The rest is history,” smiles Gloria.

Sam has been part of the Burlingame business community for 34 years, first with his family’s business, Malouf’s, and then with the couple’s own enterprise for the last 15 years. Sam’s ties to Italian menswear and Neapolitan tailoring run deep, and brands like Zenga and Brunello Cucinelli are part of his core lineup. Gloria has been by his side since they wed, first helping with Malouf’s while working full-time as a corporate retail buyer to now heading up a robust womenswear section ranging from established brands like Missoni, Proenza Schouler and Khaite to Australia’s Aje and Swedish sustainable fashion brand BITE.

Specializing in coveted and cutting-edge European and Japanese designs, the Maloufs have the eye (and the inventory) to supply customers with particular looks that often can’t be sourced outside of Europe. Separately, they travel to Europe several times a year to connect with vendors and attend shows. Even with lots of international travel, you’ll still find both of them on the sales floor most days. And you might even run into Gabriella, their youngest of three daughters, helping out after school.

It’s not cliche to say that family means everything to the Maloufs. The couple’s three daughters—Eleanora, 21, Isabella, 18, and Gabriella, 11—are their world, and the work that it takes to run a business is never lost on them. “They have watched us grow our business from the ground up.

Naturally, we don’t expect them to carry on the legacy of the family business, but if they did, we would welcome it. We give them the room to follow their interests first,” Gloria explains. Sam expands further on his daughters and the business: “I would love to grow the business with their involvement, and I know each would bring different talents—but only if they have the passion. And I would want them to work elsewhere for five years first since experience outside is essential to their success here.”

Gloria credits her business acumen to her previous career and her innate curiosity and passion for design, but she also gives a significant nod to Sam. “We challenge each other’s viewpoints and learn from them,” she notes. “We have a mutual respect for what we both do and our individual strengths.”

Sam is quick to point out that a good working relationship with one’s spouse needs to be cultivated. He specifically recalls how things shifted during the pandemic: “I decided that we needed to figure out what we really loved to do most and focus on that, removing everything else. I really wanted Gloria to flourish in what she loved. I also began to outsource some tasks and focus on what I love, and that has helped both of us enjoy our relationship at work.”

Being involved in philanthropy is an essential aspect of the business. Through the years, Gloria personally has been active in PARCA, Filoli and the Hillsborough Auxiliary to Peninsula Family Service (HAPFS), in addition to their girls’ schools. The business supports PARCA and HAPFS, in addition to the SF Ballet, the Lymelight Foundation and the Hillsborough School Foundation, either as a corporate or fashion show sponsor. “Giving back to the community is important to us as a family and as a business, and I’ve made lifelong friends as a result,” Gloria says. “It’s a bonus when your vision for events is aligned with a nonprofit, and you can dream together.”

Perfect Shot: Palo Alto EcoCenter

Originally commissioned by Lucie Stern as a center for Sea Scouts—and built to resemble a ship with porthole windows and navigation bridge—the EcoCenter in the Palo Alto Baylands was restored as an environmental nature center. Menlo Park photographer Jennifer Fraser enjoys wandering the tidal salt marshes that surround the Center, photographing the herons, avocets and mallards that inhabit them. “It is a peaceful walk, especially in autumn when the sun is low on the horizon and the marsh grasses glow gold and red,” she shares.

Image by Jennifer Fraser / jenniferfraser.zenfolio.com

Calling all Shutterbugs: If you’ve captured a unique perspective of the Peninsula, we’d love to see your Perfect Shot. Email us at hello@punchmonthly.com to be considered for publication.

Diary of a Dog: Lilly

While I am not technically a Peninsula pup, my roots are firmly in Menlo Park, where my housemate and best friend, Coby, was raised and where my second-best friend (Coby’s father, Sloane) lives. Yep. You could say I’m here in the pages of PUNCH because of nePETism. I reside in Tel Aviv with Coby, who professionally does magical things in the air, but I just see him as the most tail-wag-worthy dad a dog could ever have. When he’s working, I get to stay with a wonderful woman named Hagit who treats me with much love, though I’m always thrilled when Coby comes to pick me up. Coby named me Lilly, partly for his great-grandmother and mostly because the name fits me so well. I’m cheerful, happy and always ready for any adventure. As a dachshund, I have short legs, but I keep up with Coby as we take our long walks each evening on streets such as Rothchild, Allenby and Dizengoff, and then back to our home in the Neve Tzedek neighborhood. When my second-best friend Sloane visits, he always brings me the tastiest treats from the States. I get so excited that I jump on him and lick his face until he finally says, “Enough Lilly, enough!” Then I wait five minutes and start all over again. Though I hope to one day visit my extended family on the Peninsula, for now I’m happy enjoying the beaches and open-air markets of my Israeli hometown.

Calling All Dogs: If you've got quirky habits or a funny tale (or tail) to share, email your story to hello@punchmonthly.com for a chance to share a page from your Diary of a Dog in PUNCH.

Burlingame Arch

Words by Russ Cohen

One of the most identifying structures in Burlingame is the Broadway Arch. It has been saved from destruction on at least two occasions. The 100-year-old sign originally read “Pacific City” and hung across Howard Avenue near today’s Safeway to direct traffic to the amusement park located at Coyote Point. By the mid-1920s, the Broadway Development Association acquired the arched signage and reconfigured it with backlit tiles to spell: “Broadway-Burlingame.”

Within ten years, however, the electric (not neon) sign had fallen into disrepair, and there were calls for its disposal. In 1937, the Broadway Development Association made a request to the City Council that the “old-fashioned” sign be “neonized” with red 18-inch letters. The request was approved in 1938 at a cost of $500. Twenty years later, there were again calls by the City Manager to dismantle the sign. In the 1970s, because of the energy crisis, the sign went dark and repairs weren’t pursued “to save power and energy costs.” By 1987, the Broadway Merchants Association launched a drive to restore the sign. A street fair raised $5,000, but repair was estimated to be much higher. No company stepped forward to do the work or absorb the cost. The landmark fixture faced another hurdle when a public works project at the intersection of California Drive required its relocation 50 feet westward. Ultimately, the city absorbed a majority of the costs and Burlingame’s now-iconic lit and refurbished neon sign was dedicated on November 26, 1988.

Q&A: Jon Welte of Hiller Aviation

Hiller Aviation Museum’s president and CEO shares the job that required suspenders and a bow tie, which historic pilot he admires most and his go-to spot for watching takeoffs and landings.

What’s one of your fondest memories involving planes?
My elementary school was near the approach to the main runway at Long Beach Airport. Pacific Southwest Airlines was still around, and I vividly remember standing on the playground and watching the planes, each with a friendly smile painted on the front, fly past during recess. It never got old.

What’s your top flight-related film?
It’s hard to find, but the film adaptation of The High and the Mighty, which starred John Wayne.

How do you recharge your batteries after a long day?
A walk through the College of San Mateo campus on a clear evening works wonders.

Is there a Hiller event you particularly enjoy?
During the warmer months, our Kids’ Carnival gives young people the chance to paint a retired Cessna airplane in our collection. Being able to walk up to an airplane and touch it makes a remarkable impact on kids.

Where’s your go-to spot in the museum?
Our outdoor observation platform. Folks can hang out there and have a ringside seat to airport operations. On a busy weekend day, San Carlos Airport can have well over 300 takeoffs or landings. It’s a blast.

What is your most cherished possession?
My wedding ring.

What was your first job?
I had a summer job as a ride operator at the Knott’s Berry Farm theme park in Orange County. The suspenders and bow tie that came with the uniform are still seared into my memory.

What’s a fun behind-the-scenes insight about Hiller?
Rainy days drive attendance. Especially on weekends. Seriously. If they don’t teach this stuff in museum school, they should.

What’s a quote you love?
“It’s 106 miles to Chicago. We’ve got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it’s dark and we’re wearing sunglasses.” –The Blues Brothers

Which historic pilot do you admire most and why?
It’s a hard call, but I often fall back on Louise McPhetridge Thaden. She was a contemporary of Amelia Earhart and in many ways was the more successful pilot in terms of records set and competitions won. The Travel Air biplane that she used to set an endurance record over Oakland in 1929 is among the aircraft we have on display.

What’s the most unusual or unexpected thing you’ve had to do for your job?
I hadn’t been on the job for even a month when I got a call that I had to come help “bring a yak into the museum.” Five minutes later, I was helping to push a beautiful Yak-9 fighter plane through our hangar door for an event. Even now, I am never quite sure what surprises each day will bring!

The Beat on your Eats: New Restaurants

Words by Johanna Harlow

New kids on the Peninsula culinary block.

sekoya

Palo Alto

With a spirited and inventive menu, the New American restaurant Sekoya will keep you on your toes with delightfully daring fusion. Kick off your culinary adventure with one-of-a-kind dishes like the savory yet tangy chicken liver mousse doughnuts and the popcorn beef chicharron with chili butter, truffle salt and maple. The restaurant serves an excellent lamb tartare with accents of citrus and vadouvan curry. And don’t leave without tasting the crudo: thick, supple chunks of Kona Kampachi yellowtail topped with crispy chili garlic tempura, crunchy pickled celtuce, coconut and turnips. Living up to its name’s playful twist on California’s towering forests, Sekoya features tree slab dining tables, plates patterned with rippling tree rings and cocktails named after iconic mountain passes. Expect Bib Gourmand recognition in their near future. 417 California Avenue. Open Monday to Saturday.

ghostwood kitchen

Redwood City

If you’re looking for a rustic chic gathering space with the kind of reclaimed wood that could have lived its past life as a country barn, Ghostwood Kitchen could be your new haunt. Raise a glass of award-winning IPA, lager or porter to this Ghostwood Beer Company spinoff—and accompany it with elevated pub food like chicken sandwiches with blueberry barbeque sauce and pizzandas (think calzone-empanada hybrid). Already a favorite among visitors is the Thai peanut chicken salad: a refreshing mix of greens and cabbage topped with mandarin, carrots, radishes, crispy rice noodles, wonton strips and fried chicken breast, all tossed in a spicy peanut dressing. Vegetarians will want to try the Brussels sprouts with balsamic vinaigrette, honey and herbed goat cheese or the fried pickles, a Southern classic with a side of ranch. 911 Main Street. Open Wednesday to Sunday.

French onion soup in soup crocks with a bread baguette in behind, against a dark background.

chouchou

Burlingame

Bienvenue, mon chouchou! After delivering 20 years of French bistro-inspired gastronomy to San Francisco, ChouChou now welcomes diners to its new Peninsula location. ChouChou (pronounced shoo-shoo)—a French term of endearment—curates all the classics (with locally-sourced ingredients) to serve up ooh-la-la entrees like duck leg confit Wellington, filet de boeuf charolais, rack of lamb and a rich, belly-warming cassoulet. Along with your Kir Royale aperitif, consider starters like escargots à l’ail gratinés or carpaccio de thon. (Oui, that’s a note of truffle!) And for dessert, may we recommend the profiterole or the chocolate macaron tart.
401 Primrose Road. Open daily.

Japanese Home Cooking

Words by Elaine Wu

Take one look at Namiko “Nami” Hirwasawa-Chen’s blog Just One Cookbook (justonecookbook.com) and you’ll realize there’s so much more to Japanese cuisine than teriyaki and tempura. Her authentic recipes and enticing photos, all shot by her husband Shen Chen, are meant to inspire even the most inexperienced home cooks to give it a try.

Originally from Yokohama, Japan, a pre-teen Nami began working in the kitchen at her grandfather’s local restaurant alongside her mother. She developed sharp cooking skills, an extensive knowledge of authentic Japanese dishes and the ability to churn out good meals, quickly. Later, in high school, she came to the Bay Area as a foreign exchange student. That was 20 years ago. “It was culture shock at first, but I was really in love with the nature and geography of California,” the Belmont resident recounts. “I wanted to come back for college and major in environmental studies.”

While attending college, Nami got a job at a former digital mapping company in Silicon Valley (her knowledge of geography got her the gig), which is where she met Shen. Even back then, the pair shared a mutual love of food. “At work, we would all go out for lunch as a group or find a place to go get sushi,” says Shen. “Food is what brought us together.”

It wasn’t until Nami’s student visa was about to expire that Shen got the motivation to ask her out. “I had always liked her, but then I realized she was leaving!” Shen recalls. Six months later, they were engaged and six months after that, they were married, making the Peninsula Nami’s new permanent home. After 18 years of marriage, they wouldn’t have it any other way. Shen says, “I refuse to live anywhere else. I grew up on the Peninsula and went to Mills High. You can drive along Highway 280 and it’s gorgeous. I love the comfort and convenience of being here.”

After having the first of their two children, Nami began offering her recipes to friends who were short on time and at a loss for what to make for dinner every night. “I started sharing recipes on Facebook, but it became hard to search,” she explains. “Then, one of my friends suggested I start a blog.” On January 1, 2011, Just One Cookbook (JOC) was born: “I eventually settled on that name because I wanted it to become one single recipe resource to pass along to our kids.”

When Shen started helping out, he focused on improving the blog’s photos by researching everything he could about food styling and food photography. His previous work experience with search engine optimization also became a vital asset to help grow the website into what is now a full-time job for both of them. When Shen finally decided to leave his tech job in 2018 to exclusively work on the JOC blog with Nami, he was hesitant. “It was scary at first,” he remembers. “I had my benefits and a steady income. But when I told my boss, he said, ‘What have you got to lose? If it doesn’t work out, come back to tech.’” Shen, who now refers to himself as “Mr. JOC,” hasn’t looked back since.

What began as a hobby for Nami has now become one of the most popular and extensive sources of English-language Japanese recipes anywhere on the internet, with a monthly audience of five million readers. Her 1,000+ recipes range from shoyu ramen to yaki udon, tonkatsu to teriyaki tofu. She even details an umami-rich dashi (Japanese soup stock fundamental to the country’s cuisine).

“The blog has really evolved. The goal at first was just to transfer all my written Japanese recipes to English and have them online,” relays Nami. “It was a hobby, but I was dedicated to it. I wasn’t thinking about an audience.”

Nami’s easy-to-understand, step-by-step instructions give readers the confidence to try Japanese cooking at home. With no signs of slowing down, the one thing Nami won’t change is her dedication to authenticity. “I have had a lot of pressure to change and dilute some of my recipes or cook other kinds of Asian foods, but I don’t want to,” Nami states emphatically. “I’m from Japan and I know what is authentic, so I should be the one to share what I know.”

Marinade for Ramen Eggs (Ajitsuke Tamago)
This is an abbreviated version of Nami’s marinade recipe for the flavorful soft-boiled eggs you’ll find at a ramen restaurant. For the full version of this recipe, visit justonecookbook.com.

4 large soft-boiled eggs, fully 
cooled and peeled
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup mirin
¼ cup sake (or water)
1 tsp. sugar

INSTRUCTIONS
In a small saucepan, combine all the ingredients, except for the eggs. Bring it to a boil and whisk it a few times to let the sugar dissolve completely. Once boiling, lower the heat and simmer for one minute. Turn off the heat. Set aside to cool completely.

Place your soft-boiled eggs in a plastic bag and then add the fully cooled marinade to the bag. Squeeze the air from the bag and use a clip or rubber band to seal the bag right above the eggs. This way, the eggs are completely submerged in the marinade. Refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.

To serve, remove the eggs from the marinade and cut them in half lengthwise. Use a piece of string, fishing line or a cheese cutter to cut the eggs in half cleanly. Enjoy them in a bento box, as a ramen topping, or as a snack, sliced in half and sprinkled with furikake (Japanese rice seasoning).

Vamos al Café

Words by Elaine Wu

If there’s anything Adriana and Aaron Porter want you to do when you step into Tal Palo, their modern Mexican cafe in downtown Los Altos, it’s to slow down. This is not a grab and go joint and they won’t serve you your coffee in a paper cup. There is no rush when you come here. Stay a while. Sit. Enjoy.

They understand that a proposition like this can be a hard sell in the Bay Area, home of Silicon Valley and all of its fast-moving, tech-loving parts. But that’s what makes this cafe different. Their focus is on family and community. “I feel like I always need to be in a rush for other people,” Adriana says. “I’m learning to just be present.”

Aaron echoes that sentiment. “It doesn’t occur to people that they can come in and have a seat. I tell them that I can take their order and then bring it to them. Then, we can talk about having something to eat.”

Both East Bay natives, the couple met while Adriana was working at her mother’s Mexican restaurant in Oakland, and Aaron owned and operated the specialty bar next door. But when they started a family, they decided to move to Guadalajara. “I had this dream of living in Mexico one day so I told Aaron, ‘What if we just did it?’” Adriana recounts. “I was done working crazy hours and I wanted to spend time raising our children and living in a culture where family is number one. The Bay Area lifestyle doesn’t always feel that way. In Mexico, family is everything.”

After three years, they relocated to the Peninsula and settled in Palo Alto so their three children could benefit from the area’s reputable schools. Their desire to share with their new community some of the Mexican culture they loved inspired them to open Tal Palo. Having their own small business also helped them maintain their own schedules so they could still be full-time parents. “I wanted to model Tal Palo after our favorite cafes in Guadalajara, which have great chilaquiles, good beverages and not a laundry list of items,” she says. “If we limit the menu, we can focus on doing what we do well.”

Tal Palo is an informal space on weekdays that is both welcoming and communal, much like the modern cafes in Mexico. On weekends, Tal Palo becomes a space for private parties or special pop-up dinners and brunches. “When I worked at Michelin-starred restaurants in the past, the attention to detail is what made you feel special,” Adriana recalls. “I wanted to combine that with the feeling of being taken care of so you can just let go.”

That thoughtful approach is immediately evident, aided by Aaron’s background in construction and interior design. The skylight in the middle of the room cascades warmth onto bright white walls. Both the hand-poured cement floor tiles and the wood used at the counter are artisan-made in Mexico, along with the items for sale in their small onsite boutique. And on a sunny day, the patio in the back with its whimsical, doodle-style mural designed by Mexican artist Rocca Luis Cesar, will make you feel like you’re in Guadalajara. “We wanted, by design, for people to feel like they are a guest in our home,” shares Aaron.

That meticulous attention is also reflected in the dishes the couple make and serve. Their limited rotating menu usually includes a fresh seasonal salad and a different chilaquiles dish every day. “If we don’t have something on the menu they want, we can try to figure something out for them,” notes Aaron. The coffees, herbal teas and beers are ones they’d serve to family and friends. As Adriana explains, “In Mexican culture, this is what it’s like: family, food and beautiful, simple, handmade things.”

So if you have a hard time categorizing Tal Palo, that’s exactly what the Porters want. “I hate labels,” Adriana declares. “We’re not just a ‘Mexican place’ or a ‘farm-to-table cafe.’ What we are is home.”

nostalgic flavors – talpalo.com

Perfect Shot: Big Red Barn

Built in 1892, the iconic red barn in La Honda Creek Open Space Preserve immediately catches the eye on the drive between Skyline Boulevard and La Honda. Not surprisingly, the landmark structure is also a source of inspiration for artists and photographers, including PUNCH’s Gino De Grandis, who frequently travels Highway 84 over to the coast.

Image by Gino De Grandis / luiphotography.com

Calling all Shutterbugs: If you’ve captured a unique perspective of the Peninsula, we’d love to see your Perfect Shot. Email us at hello@punchmonthly.com to be considered for publication.

Diary of a Dog: Bennie

Woof! I’m Bennie the Bernedoodle from Burlingame! (Try saying that three times!) I get my distinctive tri-color markings from my mom, who is a full-size Bernese mountain dog, and my smaller stature and no-shed coat from my dad, a miniature white poodle. When Rise and Marty brought me home, they found an easy way to describe my distinctive look: “A fluff ball of cuteness!” I consider every day to be my BEST day ever. I always start my morning with a “wiggle and a wag,” which includes thumping my tail to announce I’m up and ready to play. I quickly follow this with “down dog,” wherein I assume the perfect position to receive cuddles, kisses and hugs. And then I’m up for anything—whether it’s playtime with grandkids in the house, chasing my buddies at the dog park or enthusiastically greeting everyone I see. I also love road trips, especially when we head to Lake Tahoe. Is that my red safety swim vest coming out? That means it’s time for a boat ride! I always sit perched up front, and as we pick up speed, I relish the feeling of my ears blowing back in the wind. Every best day of my life ends the same way: lots of brushing. First, soft bristles gently tug through any tangles and mats—and then I lick my lips in anticipation. Doggie toothpaste is just so tasty! And it’s with fresh breath and a sparkling smile that I bid you sweet dreams. I need to rest up for my next BEST day… tomorrow.

Calling All Dogs: If you've got quirky habits or a funny tale (or tail) to share, email your story to hello@punchmonthly.com for a chance to share a page from your Diary of a Dog in PUNCH.

The Beat on Your Eats: Hotel Restaurants

Words by Johanna Harlow

Hotel restaurants worth checking out even if you’re not checking in.

wild onion at hotel citrine

Palo Alto

Residents and wayfarers alike come to Wild Onion, a fresh farm-to-table concept with Californian cuisine. Complementing the nature-chic vibe of Hotel Citrine, this locale displays earthy wood accents and orb lighting with a harvest moon glow. After indulging in the crudo (supple raw fish with serrano pepper and a citrus zip), progress to the pasta carbonara for an elevated comfort food worthy of an Italian grandmother’s approval. Wild Onion also boasts a standout steak: think tender dry-aged Flannery Ranch ribeye embraced with rosemary. Dessert here is not to be missed with a melt-in-your-mouth panna cotta highlighted by blood orange coulis, candied citrus and a hint of thyme. The chocolate pot de creme is also indulgent with cardamom whipped cream and cacao nibs. Enjoy live acoustic music on Tuesday nights, DJing on Fridays. Open daily.

campagne one main bistro at enchanté

Los Altos

You don’t need to be an out-of-towner to realize Campagne One Main Bistro is a standout spot. Tucked within Los Altos’ charming boutique hotel Enchanté, this iconic French-American bistro features limestone floors, choice antiques, 200-year-old timbers and a period French fireplace. Enjoy the atmosphere in the evenings with their aromatic pesto chicken pasta, a vibrant glass of sauvignon blanc and light jazz (or the bright citrusy Niçoise salad with sesame-studded ahi tuna, if you want something lighter). If a sunny patio sounds more your speed, drop by for Benedicts over brunch. The perfectly runny egg with smoked salmon or crab cakes will make a morning person of most anyone. Open daily.

four seasons silicon valley lobby lounge

East Palo Alto

Already known for its visually stunning Quattro Restaurant & Bar, Four Seasons Silicon Valley now invites you to travel without leaving home through Wanderlust at the Lobby Lounge. The same art-forward, comfy couch setting that hosts afternoon tea presents a pop-up culinary adventure crafted by executive chef Daniel Garcia. “Ichi-go ichi-e, East Meets West” kicks off the series, a five-course set menu blending Japanese and Mediterranean cuisine. Complement the symphony of flavors—from Kushi Oysters to Tuna Tataki to Wagyu Beef—with a carefully curated wine or craft cocktail pairing. East Meets West extends until September 30 with a tapas theme slated for the next destination dining experience. Offered Saturday at 6PM and 8PM.

Putnam Family Roots

Words by Kate Daly

When you hear the name Putnam you may immediately think about the block of car dealerships on Burlingame’s Auto Row, but the family is actually rooted in generations of farming—a tradition that continues on the Peninsula today.

Now in his late 80s, patriarch Joe Putnam lives on Woodside’s 14-acre Mission Farm, surrounded by crops, an orchard, horses and chickens. His daughter, Lisa Putnam, runs the farm with the help of one caretaker and 10 volunteer gardeners. They planted corn last spring so Joe could see it out his window and advise them as usual.

Joe was a sharecropper in a little town near Gregory, South Dakota, when he met and married a farmer’s daughter, his late wife, Mary Lou. He started selling cars to support their young brood of six kids, and when he heard about a car dealership for sale in Burlingame, he flew out to see it. Back in 1965, the family could only afford one airplane ticket, so when the decision was made to move west, the rest of the family followed by train.

“Idyllic” is how Lisa describes her childhood. “We all rode horses, went to Woodside Elementary School and there wasn’t such a thing as homework,” she recounts. With a pack of friends, she used to gallop all over Guernsey Field (since renamed The Horse Park at Woodside) and raise steers, lambs and chickens for 4-H. Although neighbors owned businesses such as a carpet or alarm store, above all, she says, “They were people who liked land, who liked horses.”

As Lisa tells it, her father was so into horses that he bought property on Mission Trail and built a barn, a riding arena and a covered arena. “My dad spent all of his time riding,” she says, “so my mom said, ‘I’m never going to see you unless I build a house where the barn is,’ so they did.”

That was about 35 years ago. By then, the kids had already left home. After graduating from Notre Dame High School, Lisa earned a B.S. in Agricultural Economics from UC Davis. While living in Sacramento, she studied to become a UC Master Gardener like her mother and two aunts, who had grown up on a farm without electricity or running water. Although they already knew some basics, they wanted to learn more. With its mission “to extend research-based knowledge and information on home horticulture, pest management and sustainable landscape practices,” the University of California program provided that opportunity.

Lisa remembers being given hand-pruners as a little kid. Told to deadhead roses, she quickly became adept at cutting away withered blooms. “My mother always had a vegetable garden, always had way too much of something such as beets and tomatoes and shared it,” she smiles. And indeed, sharing endures as one of the main motivators for Lisa’s gardening passion. Each week, her team of gardeners harvests the farm’s produce and drops it off at local food banks including St. Francis Center in Redwood City and San Mateo’s Samaritan House.

Most of Mission Farm’s gardeners are Master Gardeners, and “all are converts” to Lisa’s way of doing things. “It’s a community,” she says. “Everyone shows up with smiles on our faces. We enjoy each other so much and love what we’re doing.” They often experiment with different approaches like using twine in one row and cages in the next to see which way supports plants better. They grow everything organically from seeds, utilize no fertilizers and compost three times a year. Instead of pulling weeds, they chop them off at the base and drop them on the ground to nourish the microbes in the soil. Planting cover crops and not tilling helps keep carbon in the soil.

Lisa continues her own education by attending seminars with various soils experts, and credits fellow Master Gardener Terry Lyngso, president of Lyngso Garden Materials, for being an innovative leader. They studied together when Lisa retook the program in the Bay Area. Lisa and her sister, Kathleen, also a Master Gardener, regularly teach classes at Lyngso and talk to groups about soil health and best practices.

When their mother was battling cancer in 2007, Lisa relocated to the Woodside property with her husband, Bruce Carlsmith, and their two young children. The family stayed for 10 years and got the farm going, selling produce at a stand on Cañada Road. Half of the proceeds went towards the kids’ college funds, the other half to the St. Francis Center. When the family moved to Portola Valley, Lisa started her own vegetable garden and took a five-year break from Mission Farm. In May 2022, she returned to help ramp up production—and marvels that the transformation from “weed patch” to “spectacular” took about three months.

This fall, Lisa expects to harvest pumpkins, cucumbers, eggplants, beans and zucchinis. With the coming of September, her attention shifts to getting all of her winter crops planted before winter weather sets in. She stops watering the tomatoes and puts seeds in the ground to grow kale, broccoli, cauliflower, beets, spinach and sugar snap peas.

In past years, Lisa helped out at her children’s school gardens at Woodside Elementary and Woodside Priory. Now, when she’s not farming or teaching, she works part-time with her husband, specializing in real estate development, subdivided land and managing apartments in Sacramento and Tracy.

It’s clear, though, that Lisa’s first passion is for working the soil. Even if it means worrying about wild bunnies ravaging her peppers or leaf curl afflicting her peach trees, she’s already thinking about natural solutions to those problems and the next potential challenge.

Carrying on the family’s automotive legacy, her younger brother, Kent, who was in diapers for the train ride west, manages eight Putnam franchises. Still, “He has an amazing garden and huge orchard,” Lisa points out, just a couple of miles from Mission Farm. “He wants us to farm there and has been building up the soil—we are all farmers at heart!”

Q&A: Park Ranger Rob Cala

A San Mateo County park ranger shares Fitzgerald Marine Reserve’s elusive equivalent of Bigfoot, what was great about growing up in San Mateo and his favorite weird sea critter fact.

What motivated you to become a ranger?
Yogi bear! I wanted to talk to the animals when I was a kid. [Laughs.] I have always spent time in the wild…traveling, hiking, camping, exploring the desert and mountains. For me, communicating nature observations is a dream job. I have worked in the tech sector, but once I explored the natural world professionally, I realized it’s where I’m happiest.

Where did you grow up and what was great about it?
San Mateo, on a cul-de-sac. It was so lively with kids. We were always outside—playing capture the flag, climbing trees and even light poles! Riding my bike across the bridge on Hillsdale Boulevard into Foster City was like a monumental road trip for an eight-year-old!

Do you have a favorite season at Fitzgerald Marine Reserve?
Spring pupping season! There is so much activity in the pinniped population with seal pups being born into the sea world. Sometimes we have over 175 animals on the main beach congregating and finding mates.

Most people turn to nature as an escape from their jobs. What’s your outlet when you need a break?
Movies and music! I enjoy the creative process. I love recording my own songs and enjoy watching independent cinema and quality films online.

What is the weirdest thing you’ve ever eaten?
Silkworms. A crunchy treat in southeast Asia.

What’s guaranteed to make you laugh?
Nextdoor.

What are some pro tips for tide pooling?
The best tides are minus low tides, which means anything below 0. Wear decent shoes. Find a pool and be still. Let the animals reveal themselves. They are often very small but have big personalities.

What do you collect?
Random souvenirs from odd places…like trilobites and gemstones from the Great Basin and shot glasses and shark teeth from Baja. Things that remind me of a place in time.

What’s your favorite weird sea critter fact?
Some species of sea slugs (nudibranchs) can feast on an anemone and repurpose the stinging cells, called nematocysts, to defend themselves from other critters by firing them from their cerata, which are finger-like organs on their backs!

What age would you choose to be again and why?
23, I was living in Australia on a true adventure in manifesting myself and living a free spirit lifestyle.

What’s the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve equivalent of Bigfoot?
The Sunflower Sea Star, which is a large 24-rayed vivid animal. Once very common, they vanished 10 years ago due to a disease called sea star wasting syndrome. Occasionally, someone thinks they see a very small one, which is almost always a six-rayed star. Let us know if you ever spot one!

In the Details

Words by Flora Tsapovsky

There’s that saying, “Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water.” Well, when it comes to interior design, you also don’t need to throw out the entire bathroom. “Just because someone wants to make changes to their home doesn’t mean a full renovation needs to happen,” says Amanda Barnes, founder of Amanda Barnes Interiors. “Often there are features of a home that are so charming, I want to design around what is already in place.”

This approach has served Amanda well through her design career. Based in Hillsborough, Amanda, who grew up in Southern California, moved to the Bay Area in 2008. After working for 13 years in biotech, she pivoted to interior design in 2016, and has made a name for herself helping families reimagine their forever homes. Drawing her inspiration from design stalwarts like former J. Crew visionary Jenna Lyons and interior designer Jake Arnold, but also from being in nature, Amanda gravitates toward earth tones and a thoughtful design philosophy. “Whether it is a solid floor plan, beautiful old cabinetry or millwork throughout the house, a few refurbishments can transform a home,” she reflects.

Previously, the hood was the most dated element in the kitchen. Given the scale of the room, we made the hood bigger and carried it all the way up to the ceiling. We also designed it to run down to the countertop but left plenty of space to prep and cook. When the scales are off, a room can actually feel smaller than it is.

A recent project in Hillsborough exemplifies Amanda’s view on interior design perfectly. A relatively new build, the original design didn’t exactly speak to its new owners’ aesthetic sensibilities. Focusing on the dining and kitchen areas as well as the office, Amanda aimed to deliver an overall makeover without renovating the entire home. “You can really do a lot without having to open the walls,” she says. “Sometimes people underestimate how much edits can do to a space.”

In the kitchen, the clients wanted a complete facelift with minimal construction so Amanda swapped the lighting, countertops, backsplash and hardware, then updated the hood. Paint did the rest. A fresh coat on the walls and two tones of green for the kitchen cabinets delivered a refreshed, modern result.

For this project in Hillsborough, our client’s existing bar cart was quite a bit more modern than the rest of the home. It was a charming piece we wanted to include, so throwing in a vintage vase and fluted glasses, with some contemporary cocktail accessories, helped blend the aesthetics to balance out the old and new around the room.

Cohesiveness—another principle Amanda cherishes—came into play in the small details. The curves in the stone backsplash around the windows now mimic the curves on the hood and lighting. Such nuances, Amanda says, “are all subtle but impactful. Now everything relates to each other and feels effortless, like it was always there.”

The office is another example of an easy, attainable fix that makes a big difference. “When this home was purchased the study felt dated and stodgy,” Amanda says. “My client was unsure when I first told him I wanted to paint everything in here. Yet, with a mix of paint finishes, the room looks bigger, masculine and very sexy, with the new lighting and decor we swapped in.” Heavy materials like marble and wood as well as dark, moody art objects throughout set the atmosphere.

I often find beautiful coasters tucked away in clients’ homes, so pulling them out is a great way to add character to a space without purchasing anything. Mixing metals or swapping in a bartending book for a tray are also great ways to elevate a space.

Regardless of what is driving the limits, be it budget or preference, Amanda says that highlighting what clients love most about their homes can be done without a full renovation. She is adamant that interior design is more accessible than one might imagine—and a worthy expense at that. “You can just start with one room!” Amanda encourages. “While it is a luxury service, it is really something that affects your everyday living and quality of life, so considering how often you use the space, it’s a great investment.”

Photography: Courtesy of Andrew Lafrance

It’s no wonder that busy families—which gravitate towards Amanda’s brand of time-saving, effortless impact—make for her core client base. Amanda herself has two children. “I met my husband on my first day living in the City,” she reflects. “It was magical to go from single, to engaged, then married, and with kids over the next few years.” Her clients, she says, care about their homes, but care just as much about allowing their kids to let loose. By picking durable materials, for example, clients can get a beautiful look that will stand the test of sticky little hands and fast, tiny feet. “A home can feel beautiful and not be terrifying,” Amanda says. “I don’t want anything to ever feel too precious—the house should elevate living for everyday life, but also be a workhorse for the family.”

life-enhancing edits – amandabarnesinteriors.com

Beyond the Vase

Words by Johanna Harlow

Tanya Slye’s seaside residence is awash in green, a tidal wave of trees and plants rising up between street and home. When she tells you she runs her own botanical styling, succulent and floral design business, it seems the most organic choice in the world.

“Being around living things is fantastic and it keeps me outside a lot,” smiles the owner of Tanya Slye Designs. “Living in Half Moon Bay, you can garden year-round. Succulents grow really well on the coast.”

Perhaps most distinctive is Tanya’s work with these squat, fleshy plants, adored by both green thumbs and those green to gardening. “I like working with succulents because they’re really long-lasting—even when they’re not in soil,” muses Tanya. Among her offerings, Tanya incorporates her garden’s succulents into corsages, earrings, necklaces and even atop locally-grown pumpkins. They’ve been quite the smash!

Cover Photo: Courtesy of Tanya Slye / Photo: Paulette Phlipot

But let’s go back to her roots. From an early age, Tanya has tread the garden path. “I was always picking flowers and doing gardening and weeding,” she recalls of her youth, adding, “We traveled a lot when I was a kid and we visited any botanical garden in any place that we went. Some of my favorite traveling memories from childhood are from VanDusen Botanical Garden in Vancouver, Queen Elizabeth Park or gardens in Europe.”

Enchanted by flower shops, Tanya started working at one at 16, and in years to come, managed four: one in Davis, one in Seattle, two in New York. From there, she studied organic farming and sustainable agriculture at UC Santa Cruz.

Photography: Courtesy of Tanya Slye

It was while caring for UCSC’s Alan Chadwick Garden—tending to its raised beds fed by organic fertilizers and nurturing its orchards with 80+ apple varieties—that another area of Tanya’s life bloomed. She met her future husband Richard and the two cultivated a connection. “He is an estate gardener, so we definitely connected over a shared love of gardens, plants and food—and we continue to work together on projects,” Tanya says. Smiling, she adds, “We have quite a few friends who are also ‘Farmie Couples.’”

Then, nearly a decade ago, Tanya started making botanical jewelry with pea-sized succulents. “I studied with an amazing floral artist: Francoise Weeks,” Tanya recounts. “She opened my eyes to a world beyond just flowers and vases.”

In some ways, it’s unsurprising that pumpkins would later become a muse for Tanya’s expanded offerings. It’s hard not to think about Halloween’s favorite gourd when, every October, a traffic-halting influx of jack-o’-lantern junkies take Half Moon Bay’s pumpkin patches by storm.

Photo: Paulette Phlipot

Each fall, Tanya partners with local farmers to grow her pumpkins, then harvests them herself. (“So that I can get long stems and include some of the tendrils,” she explains.) She then adds succulents in crownlike combinations on top. “One great thing about succulent pumpkins is that they last for months!” she shares. “Many of my clients have mentioned that they plant them in the garden after the holidays—and then have succulents growing the next year.” Tanya’s white pumpkins are particularly popular for bridal showers.

“Every single one is different,” she reflects. “I love the diversity of shapes and textures and colors… Succulents come in such a wide array of rosettes and strings of pearls. Some of them are red-hued and some are purple-hued and lots of green, of course.”

Other plant projects for Tanya include bringing weekly floral arrangements to her clients’ homes as well as crafting customized moss walls. “It’s basically a way to bring greenery into your home that you never have to do anything to,” she describes. “You don’t water it. You don’t touch it. And it can last for years looking beautiful because it’s preserved moss.”

Photo: Paulette Phlipot

When Tanya isn’t nurturing plants, she tends to her husband and two teen boys. She also partners with four other founders to run Half Moon Bay’s wildly popular Jettywave Distillery. As the team’s creative chief, Tanya influences the nautical aesthetics of the distillery and cultivates the patio’s edible garden. The rosemary, sage, nasturtium flowers and countless other herbs and flowers flourishing around the property go straight from planter to plate (or cocktail glass).

And when Tanya returns home after a busy day, her own artful planter beds will be waiting for her—ready for a little therapeutic weeding, of course. As Rudyard Kipling once said, “Gardens are not made by singing,‘Oh, how beautiful,’ and sitting in the shade.”

Sensational Succulents: 
tanyaslyedesigns.com
abodehalfmoonbay.com

Ode to Aurum

Words by Johanna Harlow

For chef Manish Tyagi, navigating the food scene is like grooving to the music. After transitioning from San Francisco’s August 1 Five Restaurant to Aurum, a high-concept Indian restaurant in downtown Los Altos, Manish says his tempo needed to shift. “San Francisco is like hip hop,” he notes. “It’s more like jazz here.”

Expounding on this, Manish reflects back to San Francisco’s millennial-heavy clientele. “It’s more electric,” he observes. “They were more adventurous, more ‘Ooo’s and ‘Wow’s.” Los Altos, on the other hand, “It is more about comfort. Here you have to be very subtle. Very mellow. The vibe is more relaxed.”

Matching this cadence, Manish built Aurum’s menu by starting from a place of trust. “I don’t play around with the recipe that much because people have a connectivity with that recipe,” he explains. “I don’t play around with the base. I build around it.” Diners need to feel confident, he says. “You have to create a balance, a bridge between your cuisine, authenticity and their acceptance. That’s where the food should lie. To make them more comfortable so they can say, ‘Oh wow, let’s do it! Let’s try it out!’”

That said, aesthetics, texture and flavor are all fair game for Manish’s highly innovative and intentional approach. “I don’t do a hundred percent the way it has been done before,” he says. “I try to have crunch and some kind of soft texture in it. I have a sweetness and a sourness in it. I want umami in it.” In essence: “Flavor bombs!” he declares.

Manish’s dish selections also make Aurum a bit of a maverick: “We have a lot of unconventional recipes; not even Indians have heard about them. So that’s the play: bring that nostalgia and surprise for everyone.”

Take Aurum’s Mr. Potato appetizer. It’s a potato chaat, a familiar street food from West Bengal, but Aurum doesn’t load the bowl up with chutney as might be expected. “Mr. Potato comes like, ‘I’m the king of this dish,’” Manish describes. “The sauces and other elements are there in layers.” There’s also the jhalmuri, a puffed rice and radish salad from northeast India not often seen on menus—and served in a statement-making, smoke-infused jar.

Then there’s dosa. “Every Indian knows about it,” Manish says of the savory crepe. “If you think about Italian, you’re gonna have pizza and pasta on your mind, right? If you think about South Indian, you think dosa.” He keeps it on the menu, but as a bridge. “I can tell people, ‘Hey, this is also from the same region. And you don’t know about it.’”

That same approach carries over to Aurum’s cocktail menu. While boasting inventive concoctions, it still evokes familiar flavors like cardamom, mango and chaat masala. “Every drink has that hint of Indianness in it,” Manish promises.

Manish himself grew up in Dehradun, an Indian city in the Himalayan foothills. Assisting his mom with entertaining their home’s frequent guests, he became his mother’s sous chef, entranced as she “worked her ladle like a magic wand, spinning exquisite dishes in the kitchen.” While his brother acted as server and dishwasher, Manish helped turn the chapatis and plate the food before handing off to his brother. He also acted as taste tester. “I’d tell her whether the salt was perfect or if adjustments were needed. I developed those taste buds, you know? ‘This is the perfect level of spice or salt.’”

In his 20s, Manish cooked at Rambagh Palace in Jaipur, before becoming an executive chef at Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces. “You’re roaming where emperors used to entertain their guests,” he describes of this surreal time in his life. “My work gave me a chance and opportunity to roam around India and look at the cuisine—why they do it that way.” He adds, “Indian cuisine is very wide and vast. Different places have a different feel to the same ingredients.”

In 2009, in what turned out to be a life-changing year, Manish’s cooking class gained recognition in National Geographic’s “10 Great Cooking Classes Around the World” and he also earned the coveted “Best Chef” designation by The Gallivanter’s Guide. Catching the attention of a highly successful restaurateur, Manish found himself whisked off to Washington, D.C. to become head chef at Rasika West End. He’s cooked his way across the States ever since.

To taste a part of this chef’s culinary journey, order Manish’s award-winning I’m Not Pasta dish. Five years ago, on an episode of Food Network’s Beat Bobby Flay, Manish trounced the celebrity chef with this Indo-Italian-style spinach paneer lasagna with brown garlic, fenugreek leaves and mozzarella. “It’s a mind game,” Manish recalls of the competition with a chuckle. “I had butterflies in my stomach. The floor is sinking… Time, clock, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick.” But, “Once I survived the first round, then I was more confident. After the warmup, you’re ready for the main game!”

In Aurum—a vibrant space of coral and aqua with golden chairs, gilded ferns painted on the walls and flower-like sconces—Manish dishes out paneer and paratha, kebabs and curry with alacrity. “I’ve worked in so many downtowns,” he says—but there’s something about this small town that thrums like smooth jazz. “Los Altos is a very tightly-knit community,” he reflects. “You have to go with the flow, the rhythm.”

You’ll have to let us know… Can you taste the music?

Savor and Sway

aurumca.com

Coffee Lab

Words by Kate Lucky

Nobody likes a snob: not when it comes to cars, clothes or wine, and not when it comes to coffee either. The partners behind the Coffee Lab are determined not to create more of them.

“You make your coffee the way you like, and we’re here to show you how to brew it,” says Matt Baker as we sit in the lab’s sunny space in downtown Menlo Park, gleaming with the metal and glass of scientific instruments and state-of-the-art brewing apparatus. You can forgo a fancy espresso machine. You can even pour in some of that chemical French vanilla creamer. Matt won’t judge. The Coffee Lab, which offers classes and tastings for corporate groups and individuals alike, is meant to be fun, not fastidious, innovative, not intimidating.

And though the classes teach the science behind each cup—offering lessons on water and oxygen, projecting coffee concentration charts and demonstrating some of the most sophisticated makers on the market—Matt and his partner, Vance Bjorn, understand that coffee isn’t, first and foremost, a chemistry experiment. It’s a beloved ritual. “A lot of people wake up to the smell of coffee,” says Matt, who grew up in an Italian family with a moka pot always on the stove. “It’s nostalgia for me.”

That said, the chemistry is very cool. Vance gives me an introduction to some of the lab’s equipment. A water sensor measures the moisture content in “green” beans, coffee that hasn’t yet been roasted. An electronic nose tracks how coffee’s aroma changes as those beans age. And a total dissolved solids meter measures what percentage of a cup is coffee versus water, plotting values on a graph to see if the brew falls within standards set by boards like the National Coffee Association.

The Coffee Lab’s curriculum doesn’t focus exclusively on the finished cup. Moving around the space in white lab coats, participants learn how coffee is grown and harvested. They examine leafy coffee plants from Hawaii, watch a video of crimson coffee “cherries” being shaken from branches and sniff green beans that arrived through the Port of Oakland (or via Matt and Vance’s suitcases after a trip to the Big Island). They learn the difference between coffees from Sumatra, Ethiopia and Colombia, and how respective growing conditions impact the final product.

Matt and Vance also roast beans during class and demonstrate nifty brewing technology. Espresso machines with thermal blocks go from hot to cold in five seconds. The Ratio, an hourglass-shaped contraption, artfully automates the pourover process. Then there’s the xBloom, a just-released product from former Apple engineers that scans a QR code on a compostable pod to get the profile of the coffee beans inside. It adjusts the grind size, water temperature and other factors accordingly. “All the techniques we teach by hand, this can do automatically,” marvels Matt.

I feel no temptation to put French vanilla creamer into the xBloom-made cup Vance pours for me. It’s delicious. We consult a rainbow-shaded flavor wheel in order to describe its smooth, fruity taste. After scanning the vocabulary—which ranges from “cocoa” and “cardboard” to “butyric acid” and “basmati rice”—we finally settle on “red raspberry” and “bubblegum” with help from the pod’s tasting notes. Vance places a few drops from the xBloom cup on the total dissolved solids meter, and reads out a perfect score of 1.36.

But again, no need for fanciness. “I can’t stress this enough,” says Matt: “People will get a better cup of coffee just using a simple $15 Mr. Coffee, but with an excellent grind, and freshly ground coffee.” Buying a bag in the grocery store? Look for a “roasted by” date. Coffee won’t spoil, but if it has sat on a shelf for too much time, it will be damaged by oxidation. Matt and Vance speak from experience. As co-founders of SiliconValley.coffee, they also own a roastery in San Carlos, and won’t ship anything that’s more than a week old. “I equate it to a fresh chocolate chip cookie right out of the oven versus Chips Ahoy,” says Matt.

So, freshness is essential. But that leads to plenty of other coffee questions. How hot should the water be? Does it need to be filtered? Does flow rate make a difference? Should you store ground beans in the freezer? You’ll have to come to the Coffee Lab to find out.

The lab currently offers Saturday sessions that anyone can sign up for, though their focus is on weekday team-building classes for corporate groups. Companies can bring in their own catering, and make use of the space’s movable desks and multiple screens for a day of collaborative work before or after a coffee class. They’ve held classes for tech companies, startups and VCs. Matt notes that the Atherton Police Department even signed up for a session (chuckling, he says he might have to provide doughnuts for that one).

It only makes sense that this lab, focused on discovery, would serve professional innovators. Matt worked at startups in communications and product management; Vance founded his own biometrics company. The lab space, a converted print shop that they flipped themselves, features a greenery wall, teal and cerulean accents and technicolor flatware. It’s filled with furniture sold off from Facebook and Google. “We wanted to be uniquely Silicon Valley,” Matt assures. Between their coffee roastery, CloudBrew cold-brew technology and the branded bags they produce for corporate events, grown-up birthday parties and weddings, the pair has been part of the region’s coffee community for years. The Lab is just their latest experiment.

And there might be more to come. Matt and Vance dream of expanding the lab on the model of a winery’s tasting room and club, offering coffee flights and a Coffee Explorers club, which would source bags of beans from around the world. There’s even the possibility of incorporating AI technology into the mix, using “sensory science” to customize cups by individual taster.
Ideas aren’t in short supply at the Coffee Lab. Fortunately, caffeine isn’t either.

What’s Brewing?

siliconvalley.coffee

Good Sports

Words by Edward Marvin

If team sports play a role in your Peninsula life—whether it’s your own Little League memories or carpooling kids to practices—chances are you’ve ritually kicked off a season with a visit to Goetz Brothers Sporting Goods.
The present set of brothers running the iconic local business—Brent and Marc—carry on a legacy dating back to 1937. That’s when their great-grandmother Maude Goetz spotted a for-sale sign in the window of Gifts and Cards, a stationery store on Broadway in Redwood City. The family-run store went through several iterations—even carrying TVs, typewriters and pianos over the years—before exclusively committing to all-things-sports.

Along the way, Maude’s sons Frank and Joe picked up the mantle, followed by Maude’s grandson Steve and his wife Carolyn. And then came Brent and Marc, who worked alongside their dad for 20-plus years, relocating the store to San Carlos in 2016 before fully taking over in 2020.

That’s not all: Brent’s son and daughter, Dillon and Abby, and Marc’s kids, Grant and Ellen, put in time during high school—making them the fifth generation of the Goetz dynasty to help out with the business. Brent, who lives in Redwood City with his wife Maya, talks with PUNCH about what keeps this sports-minded family running.

What are your strongest sports-related memories from your childhood?
I remember my parents showing up to all of my and my brother’s sporting events. That support was huge for us as we grew up. I remember being on vacation in Tahoe but driving two hours each day back to Sacramento so I could play in a baseball tournament. And my parents always found ways to take us to large sporting events, like the World Cup at Stanford, the World Series and spring training.

How old were you when you started working at Goetz Brothers?
I started when I was 13, in the summers—selling, stocking, receiving merchandise, printing shirts and relacing gloves.

Which sports did you excel at in school?
I played both baseball and soccer at the varsity level in high school. I went to college at UC Riverside, redshirted in baseball my freshman year but then ended up playing three years of club soccer.

You also coached baseball and soccer for many years. How would you describe that experience?
Coaching is probably one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. You get to make an impact on the lives of young people—teaching them teamwork, positivity, responsibility and how to deal with failure.

Do you recall any special challenges being both dad and coach?
You hear of coaches having difficulty coaching their own kids. My kids were a pleasure to coach; they worked hard, had great attitudes and set great examples for the other players. I believe my relationship with my kids was enhanced because sports gave us programmed time with each other.

What’s your favorite thing about owning and running Goetz Brothers?
The thing that I really love is the fact that we get to watch kids grow up and hopefully bring the next generation of athletes to shop with us. Frequently, I’m told by customers that they remember when their dad or mom brought them to Goetz Brothers to get their first glove. It’s amazing that people associate that memory with our store.

How do you and your brother divide the workload?
Marc is mainly responsible for the majority of buying and I’m responsible for everything else: staffing and supervising, scheduling, accounting, sales.

What percentage of your business is baseball- and softball-related?
Probably 80 percent. A baseball player needs pants, socks, belt, cleats, gloves and a helmet. So there’s just a whole lot more merchandise you can sell to an individual player on the baseball/softball side of things than all the other sports. We still cover other team sports, but we’re known on the Peninsula as baseball specialists.

Coming from a sports family, were you always a big
Giants fan?
Definitely! We grew up at Candlestick, going to freezing-cold games and sitting in the bleachers.

Which season do you look back on most fondly?
I remember the years that Will Clark and Robby Thompson came up. That’s when you were really starting to fall in love with the team. My brother and I were big Will Clark fans.

The Giants won the World Series in 2010, 2012 and 2014. Did that make a big impact on business?
Oh, it was great. We always say that business goes up when the Giants are good ’cause kids want to play baseball.

Goetz Brothers, in one form or another, was in Redwood City for almost 80 years. Were a lot of customers sad when you left?
People were disappointed we were leaving, but when they step into our new store for the first time, they’re like, ‘Oh, we get it.’ More room, the lighting’s a whole lot better. And, they can find a parking spot!

What’s your number-one selling item?
This is going to sound so stupid, but it’s probably Big League Chew bubble gum. It’s amazing how much we go through. It’s an add-on sale to every kid who walks in the door.

Landmark: Stanford Red Barn

Words by Dylan Lanier

Ever wonder why Stanford University is also called “The Farm”? A vital clue can be found in the rare remaining relic known as the Stanford Red Barn. Among his many holdings, Leland Stanford bought Mayfield Grange, a 650-acre farm located along San Francisquito Creek, in 1876. Over the next 10 years, Stanford expanded the property by over 7,000 acres. On this sprawling estate stood the Palo Alto Stock Farm, which once boasted 150 workers and 600 horses. Built between 1878 and 1880, the Red Barn served as the training stable for the farm, where Stanford bred and raised horses. It was here that Eadweard Muybridge famously compiled the first-ever stop-motion film of a horse circling a track to prove whether or not it had all four hooves aloft while running.

Following Leland Stanford Junior’s death in 1884, the Stanford family entrusted portions of land, including the Stock Farm, to the trustees to found Stanford University. The farm eventually closed in 1903, and only two original buildings remain today. The Red Barn was reopened by Stanford President Donald Tressider in 1946, and the University ceded daily operations to the Equestrian Associates between 1984 and 2004. After a John Arrillaga family-funded renovation in 2005, which included expansion and modernization of the riding arenas, Stanford resumed direct management. The Red Barn now hosts the Stanford Red Barn Equestrian Center, the award-winning Stanford Equestrian Team and their affiliated programs.

Timeless Alisal Ranch

Words by Sheri Baer

Not five hours down 101 from the Peninsula, we exit Buellton and pass Ostrichland USA. Solvang’s Danish architecture and signature windmill come into view, signaling that we’re in the final stretch. As we turn onto Alisal Road, the sycamore strands begin to thicken and my breath catches in anticipation. Framed by horses grazing in a pasture, there’s the sign, exactly as I remember it: The Alisal Guest Ranch. Much like crossing into the mystical Brigadoon, entering this property evokes a sensation of time slowing—or even disappearing. Inundated by a flood of decades-old memories, I remind myself to hold tight to and celebrate the present moment. After all, that’s why we’ve returned.

The Lore of Alisal Ranch

“There’s definitely been added buzz around ranches in the last few years with TV shows like Yellowstone romanticizing the lifestyle,” notes Lia Barth, Alisal’s communications manager. But far from being trendy-come-lately, Alisal Ranch’s Western roots and traditions are deeply embedded in the past. Back in 1843, the newly-established Mexican government granted land nestled in the Santa Ynez Valley to Raimundo Carrillo in consideration for his service.

Over the next century, Carrillo, and five subsequent owners, raised livestock here. Then, in 1946, under the ownership of Charles “Pete” Jackson and family, the 10,500-acre working cattle ranch expanded in a new direction. After converting cattlemen’s quarters into guestrooms, the Alisal (meaning “grove of sycamores”) opened for visitors. Evolving from its original capacity of 30, today Alisal Ranch accommodates up to 225—offering a luxury dude ranch experience while simultaneously maintaining cattle operations. “We think of it as the way California once was, and at Alisal Ranch, we want it to always be that way,” observes Lia. “The authenticity you feel here is refreshing. It’s a step back into simpler times but with all of the modern comforts.”

Cover Photo / Photography: Courtesy of Teal Thompsen

Catering to Multi-Generational Families

Our extended family (ranging from infants to 85) first made the trek to Alisal Ranch in 1998—for a milestone birthday celebration spanning four generations. Given the diverse needs and interests of our group, this drivable destination presented like a perfect find: For every stage in life, everything in one place. And indeed, Alisal so effectively delivered on the promise that we returned five more times over the next 10 years.

For our collective gaggle of kids, Alisal meant brushing baby goats and gathering eggs in the barnyard, taking turns being led around a pasture on a gentle horse and making collages in the arts & crafts room. The cousins happily shrieked and splashed in the pool, played countless board games and ran around after dinner on the property’s grassy oval. And, as they got older, they each took their inaugural trail ride through Alisal Ranch’s rolling hills.

WHOOSH! (That’s the passage of time.)

Today, our three-generation family (ranging from 23 to an active 85) is spread across NorCal, SoCal and out to Cincinnati. In search of a gathering place to mark another milestone event, we wondered, “What would it be like to revisit Alisal?” The prospect enticed full attendance, and although the familiar setting triggered some nostalgia (and classic photo re-enactments), we experienced Alisal Ranch as an adult playland nirvana.

Every morning, our entire group hit the pickleball courts (including Grams!) and evenings found us meeting up in the Oak Room Lounge for live music and cocktails followed by after-dinner billiards and ping-pong games. While some opted for the fitness center or spa time, others ascended the Alisal Hiking Trail for panoramic views of the Santa Ynez Mountains. Breaking away from hotly-contested cornhole matches and mega games of chess, we took the shuttle to Alisal’s spring-fed 100-acre lake, where we gravitated to fishing, canoeing and dockside reading.

Photography: Baer Family

With over 50 miles of trails, group and private horseback rides remain a ranch visit mainstay. Further promoting the no work-all play mentality: golf, tennis, sand court volleyball, basketball, axe-throwing, archery and air rifle, ropes courses, courtesy bike rentals, as well as guided mountain e-bike excursions.

And who doesn’t want to be a kid again? We reprised the hay wagon ride up to Alisal’s historic Adobe Camp for a Western-style “flapjack flipping” breakfast. Spending time in the barnyard with goats, pigs, chickens, rabbits and miniature horses felt just as magical. (Our 26-year-old waited patiently for her turn to hold Eddie the rooster.) During our stay, we chatted with a couple from San Diego, accompanied by cowboy hat-wearing eight- and ten-year-old boys. “I was told I was conceived here,” the now-grandmother laughed. “I came as a kid and then we brought our own kids and now we’re bringing our grandkids.”

“We see roughly 50 percent repeat guests,” confirms Lia later, when the property’s enduring appeal comes up. “So many people tell us the ranch is their happy place, and seeing families choosing to come back year after year for sometimes 40+ years is such a testament to how special this place is to them.”

Western-style Hospitality

Alisal Ranch operates on an inclusive plan, which means nightly rates include accommodations, breakfast, dinner, drinks and a host of complimentary activities. Once occupied by ranch hands and wranglers, a mix of 74 room offerings dot the property—ranging from cottages and houses (sleeping up to 12) to smaller studios perfect for three. Whether your accommodations are 400 or 2,000 square feet, the ambiance is kick-back, comfortable luxury, accented by vintage artwork, ranch-inspired antiques and wood-burning fireplaces. No TVs or telephones here, but you will find fully-furnished patios, Pendleton blankets and a just-yonder burbling creek. (And yes, there’s Wi-Fi.)

Photography: Courtesy of  Victoria Pearson

Families may spread out during the day, but mealtimes mark a ritualistic return to the whole. Guests are assigned a dedicated table for the duration of their stay, which creates a natural homebase to regroup and linger. Dinners are especially memorable. When Alisal Ranch opened to visitors in 1946, it was the custom to “dress” for dinner—and that tradition is still embraced today.

Although sport coats are required for men 16 years and older (you can spot the closet of spares), even dressy jeans work—it’s just about taking a little extra care. “At the end of every day, families honor and celebrate their time together,” describes Lia. “They clean up nice and just kind of sit back and have this long, delicious dinner.”

Seasonal menus reflect a blend of California cuisine and hearty Western ranch cooking. While kids at nearby tables color their “Lil’ Wranglers Menu,” we enjoy lively conversation with our grown children, as we select from the extensive cocktail and wine list—and ponder starters like local tuna tartare, white sweet potato soup and Chino Valley deviled eggs. As one might expect, mains include various cuts of steaks, braised short ribs and pork chops—along with offerings like Ora King salmon, bucatini Bolognese and Santa Barbara Hope Ranch mussels.

Photography: Courtesy of Alisal Ranch

Season by Season

Alisal Ranch is open year-round, but there’s a distinct atmosphere to each season. The first time we visited, we came in November; for our most recent trip, we opted for early June. “I think the biggest change is the feeling,” Lia relays. “Summertime has a lively energy with lots of families. We have three barbecues throughout the week and really ramp up our activities. Late fall and winter are cozy, romantic and quiet. Every room has a fireplace going, and you see guests standing around the firepit after a morning ride with hot cocoa. Spring is when the ranch comes back to life bursting with colors and welcoming kids back for spring break.”

The property’s inclusive model reflects luxury-level pricing, but generations of guests view an Alisal stay as a worthy investment. “You’ve got access to a 10,000-acre ranch that’s in this private, secluded, untouched part of the state,” reflects Lia. “It’s an easy getaway that feels like a world away.”

Home on the Range

alisalranch.com

Where the Wild Things Grow

Words by Johanna Harlow

When Jennifer Lee Segale’s regulars show up at her nursery with pictures of their children, they’re not showing off strollers with chubby-cheeked cherubs, but pots harboring leafy green things. Proud plant parents are only natural in Jenn’s line of work. “They tell us, ‘Oh my gosh, you were right. Here’s what happened with this tree or this plant,’” Jenn says. “It’s really fun to hear their feedback on their fails and wins in gardening.”

It figures that Jenn was practically born sucking a green thumb. “I’ve been gardening since I could hold safety scissors,” she relays over the satisfying crunch of gravel underfoot. Weaving through Garden Apothecary’s inventory of watering cans, clay pots, miniature greenhouses and abundance of botanicals, Jenn showcases her thriving plant haven in downtown Half Moon Bay.

Pausing by the gardening tools, Jenn motions at a display of Tobisho pruners and Chikamasa shears: “I don’t bring in anything I haven’t used for either a client’s garden or for my own garden or farm.” She’s referencing Wildflower Farms, where she organically dry farms saffron, lavender and other medicinal plants, not minutes down the road. The definition of a flourishing botanist, Jenn also provides garden design services as well as blends botanicals from her farm into her acclaimed skincare line and more than a dozen organic loose leaf teas. As you might imagine, she’s most at home where the wild things grow.

A Botanist’s Roots

Don’t tell anyone, but Jenn isn’t a fan of succulents and air plants. “I can’t clip you, I can’t harvest from you,” she shakes her head critically at a stand of the aforementioned plants (because due to their popularity, she still stocks them). “It’s like watching a pot boil. It’s not as interactive as something like roses, salvias—juicy, yummy perennial flowers.”

A plant she adores? “I’m so in love with lavender: how it grows so minimally, but has such an abundance that you can harvest from. That is such a gratifying plant to work with.” Jenn notes that lavender smells heavenly, attracts bees and butterflies and possesses medicinal benefits. “It really balances out the central nervous system and helps bring you to a more balanced, calmer place.”

Jenn’s foray into organic dry farming began at 16 when she heard about five acres of empty land owned by her school district. Even after she was told, “There’s a bunch of trash and mattresses and computers dumped on it,” she asked if she could steward the property. District officials agreed. “When I was 18, the day after I graduated high school, I went and got a business license to do Wildflower Farms,” she recounts.

Jenn’s skincare line sprang from her pastime of frequenting farmers markets with her sister and stocking up on botanical products. “I remember buying a rose lotion and thinking, ‘Well, this doesn’t even smell like rose. It’s a synthetic version of it.’” Knowing she could do better, Jenn made her own flower mists, perfumes and body scrubs for her sister and friends—“and you know, as everyone does, getting on Etsy for a minute,” she chuckles.

It was a weekend diversion—until Belize. Initially it was just a trip, Jenn says of her first visit to the tropical country. “But my vacations are traipsing through the jungle and spending time in different communities,” she adds. Captivated by what she discovered, Jenn regularly returned to study ethno-botany in Belize over the next six years—expanding to jungles across Central America to learn about Theobroma cacao (the source of chocolate), vanilla and cardamom. “I learned to approach herbalism and working with plants in a very different way than the Colonial English gardening way,” she says. “It’s really interesting to see how different cultures work with plants, whether it’s for aesthetics or medicinally or spiritually or through just normal everyday use.”

One mindset shift, Jenn says, was focusing less on the yield and more on the quality of the ecosystem and the plants themselves. “When there’s plants that are suffering, you don’t harvest from them. You don’t tax them more,” she explains.

Earthy Luxury

As Jenn applied her travel-gleaned lessons to sugar scrubs and botanical mists, she started gaining recognition. Soon, publications like Vogue, Glamour, Elle and O, The Oprah Magazine were buzzing over her brand. Then, when Jenn approached her late-thirties, she turned her focus to three signature products.

The first of these, Full Bloom Fog, is a toning mist that Jenn describes as “really just a complete love letter to my roses,” containing rose hip, rose petals and even rose leaves. Both Spun Gold, a local honey facial cleanser, and Higher Ground, a highly moisturizing serum with cacao, boast a medley of Wildflower Farm botanicals.

“We use a thread of saffron in every single bottle of Higher Ground,” Jenn adds. “As it’s in the bottle, it keeps infusing and giving some really great benefits that complement the other botanical oils that go into the serum.” Rave reviews confirm she’s on to something—not to mention her own glowing complexion.

Jenn has also cultivated a sizable organic tea collection, ranging from licorice root to lemon balm, mugwort to turkey tail mushroom. Complimentary weekly tea tastings (usually offered Friday to Sunday) provide another enticing reason to stop by. “Mosey around the garden, pick out your plants, do some shopping—and have some hot or iced tea as you’re interacting with plants!” Jenn invites.

“My agenda is always getting people to grow plants,” she explains. “So we’re always talking about how you can grow your own teas at home and what that looks like. Even if it’s one plant. If it’s mint for your mojito? Great, let’s do it. Let’s grow it.”

A Seasonal Situation

Although Jenn appears to be in charge here, she credits the seasons with calling the shots. “Our items are hyper-seasonal,” Jenn emphasizes. “When we’re making something, we might have it one season and it might vanish the next because things sell out so quickly or because that harvest is over or there’s a crop failure.”

Take for instance, the Half Moon Honey that Garden Apothecary sells to support another local business less than a mile away. “It’s really important to have this season’s honey,” Jenn says, explaining how it can boost your body’s ability to fight allergies during the current year and even strengthen your immune system.

Garden Apothecary’s workshops also track with seasonal bounty. “If I have an excess harvest of something, we’re like, ‘Great, it’s a workshop!’” Jenn laughs. For one previous class, she offered a foraged flower arranging class, blending the latest crop of farm flora with “interesting bold foliage,” pods and branches from the nearby area. “We talk about where you can ethically harvest on the coast side or near where you live or in your own garden—and how to use these items as flower arrangements,” she explains.

“I would love to say they’re on a more regular basis, but they’re not,” Jenn admits of the workshops. “You have to catch us on Instagram if you wanna come to one!”

Only Human

At the end of the day, Jenn hopes to get more people to acknowledge their connection to nature. “We want to be in nature in some way, shape or form because we are nature,” Jenn observes. “It’s only human and natural to want to be physically close to the ocean or the redwood trees.”

Communing with nature takes many forms, she notes. “Sometimes it’s just taking a really luxurious bath or shower with a product that is gonna treat you right, you know?” Though her favorite approach is a bit more earthy: “I will literally lie in the dirt in the middle of my lavender field and just hang out there and watch the bees flying above me.”

Back at her garden sanctuary in downtown Half Moon Bay, Jenn rests her arm on a stack of potting soil bags. “I think the garden is a way to process so many things, so many emotions—a way to really ground yourself.”

Dig In – gardenapothecary.com

All Aboard the Garden Railway

Words by Johanna Harlow

Ever been out for a neighborhood stroll and pondered what lies beyond those rows of backyard fences? Maybe it’s something predictable like a hammock or a hot tub—then again, maybe it’s an entire miniature world.
Richard Murray is one of the kingdom keepers. In his Millbrae yard, the sun-tanned octogenarian strides along an extensive garden railroad bordered by Lilliputian-sized structures—a saw mill, a machine shop, a mountain lodge, a gold mine. “If you take your eye off the engine for five to ten seconds, the engine is gone,” Richard remarks, as he gestures to 550 elaborative feet of track, which weaves and wanders around clumps of bonsai trees, skirts mini-mountains and ducks in and out of tunnels. “You have to go looking for it.”

It’s quiet here today—your ear will pick up the puffing of a 2-8-0 steam engine joined by the burbling of a miniature waterfall and the occasional sucking sounds of a koi slurping bits of algae from the pond—but railroading for Richard is far from a solitary pursuit. He plays an active role in the Mid-Peninsula chapter of the Bay Area Garden Railway Society (BAGRS), the largest garden railway society in North America with several hundred members. “It’s one of the friendliest clubs I’ve ever joined,” Richard says. “Requirements are that you love trains.”

Train Club

Richard found his way to BAGRS after retiring from dentistry. “Pretty much any hobby, you should join a club,” he holds. “There is a wealth of information within any club. You don’t have to discover how the wheel works. It’s already been discovered. Just ask.”

Because of their multifaceted attributes, garden railroads can be a massive undertaking for anyone trying to build on their own. “You need to be a landscaper. You need to be a planner. You need to be a plumber. You need to be an electrician,” explains Richard.

The persistence and perspiration required for his own pièce de résistance—from the boulders stacked into proud peaks to the teeny-tiny lettering painstakingly hand-painted on the storefronts—is almost unfathomable. “It’s time-consuming. It takes hard work and imagination. Not everybody has each of those qualities,” he points out. But each member has their own expertise to lend. In fact, Richard credits his koi pond and waterfall to another’s handy skill set. “There’s probably a thousand feet of plumbing out here,” he surmises.

Some members specialize in electronics, while others break out lathes, drills and welders to build locomotives from scratch. Richard is a bit of a bridge guy. His most elaborate build, an almost nine-foot model of Hell’s Gate Bridge in New York City with intricate stone abutments, took him 1,000 hours of labor to complete. On the far side of the garden resides a replica of the famous cantilever bridge featured in the 1957 war film The Bridge on the River Kwai (which Richard designed after close analysis of the movie’s promo poster).

He’s also quite the garden guru. Richard’s plant-forward track shows off his membership in another organization: the Kusamura Bonsai Club. Around 300 shapely bonsai lie along the railroad’s verdant topography. “This is probably a garden that happens to have a railroad,” Richard reflects. “I think the garden still takes precedence.”

About a third of BAGRS opts for “live steam” locomotives, Richard among them. He did give electric engines a try, but… “I’d put a chair out here, watch them go around, and within a half hour I’d be sleeping,” he recalls with a chuckle. “You never get tired with steam engines. You never know what’s gonna happen next because they’re so individualistic. Two engines—the exact same model from the exact same manufacturer—might work differently… They’re all handmade. They’re gonna be different.” It could come down to a different guy on the assembly line or a dull drill, Richard says. “Some may start more easily. Some may just be ornery.”

Scaled to Size

Richard steps past one of his trackside towns replete with sheriff’s office, bank, church and general store. Over his garden wall, a real-life golf course spills across the distant hills. Far-off golfers in their carts seem to-size with the plastic citizens of Richard’s realm, eliciting a sense of surrealism.

“Scale is very important,” Richard notes, bending to adjust a bowler-hatted gentleman. “When I first started, I said, ‘Whether it’s this height or this height, it’ll be fine. Yeah… It’s not. It sticks out like a sore thumb.” He now tries to keep the populace to three inches in height. No six-inch giants here.

It seems the monster-sized rats, moles and squirrels haven’t gotten the memo. “We have had lots of varmints,” laments Richard, who says the pesky rodents leave holes in the ground and dine on his plants. For BAGRS members, it’s an annoyance that comes with the territory. Far from defenseless, Richard uses an electric fence and a rat trap to keep invaders at bay.

He’s also had to fend for the koi—and blue herons, though majestic, have proven quite the foe. “I saw one of those big birds flying away, and I said, ‘I know what that bird does. I hope he didn’t stop at my yard.’ I come in and we’re one or two fish short.” Deepening the once “soup bowl-shaped’ pond has helped—especially with raccoons who dip long, agile fingers into the shallows to scoop out fishy delicacies.

Train Talk

But what’s the point of an exhaustive labor of love if you can’t share it? Each month, when the weather is good, a handful of BAGRS members in a particular geographical region will open their railroads for a club meetup (or “steamup”). “Really, one of the reasons for the open houses is not just to show off the layouts, but for people to gather, socialize, meet with friends that perhaps you haven’t seen for a while,” Richard says. “It recharges you to be amongst friends with like minds.”

Beyond its monthly gatherings, BAGRS hosts an Annual Membership Meeting. It’s an all-day affair with breakfast and multiple members giving talks on everything from historical railroads on the West Coast to Walt Disney’s fascination with model trains.

But the Big One happens every five or so years when the club hosts the National Garden Railway Convention. This summer, nearly 1,000 attendees (some international) convened for dozens of talks, access to operating layouts and railroad supply vendors, opportunities to hop aboard the Napa Valley Wine Train and Roaring Camp Train and open invites to more than 60 backyard garden railways stretching from Sonoma to Santa Cruz. “We’re the ones oftentimes who do the national conventions because we are one of the biggest and most active railroad clubs in the United States,” Richard explains.

Dream in Steam

These days, Richard spends the majority of his track time pruning plants and performing a slew of groundskeeping activities. “It’s a full-time job!” he notes. Though the project is never fully finalized, he speaks wistfully of the years he toiled to actualize the layout.

“I was building it so I could run engines, play with the railroads, but frankly what I didn’t realize at the time is that it’s actually more fun to build things,” he muses. “Building the railroad required a lot of sweat, a lot of money, a lot of time. But it was thoroughly enjoyable. And I remember many of the moments—I treasure them.”

He’s clearly come a long way from the Lionel track that once ran a simple circuit around his childhood Christmas tree. But no matter the scope, time with locomotives always triggers nostalgia. “It brings out the kid in all of us,” Richard reflects, as his eyes come to rest on an itty-bitty boat, docked and waiting to launch into the pond where whale-sized koi swim.

Garden Railways Take Different Routes
by BAGRS President Mick Spilsbury

+ Era: Many garden railroads recapture the age of steam. Others operate modern diesel equipment.
+ Size: Some take over an entire yard with hundreds of feet of track. Others are limited to a section of a yard.
+ Complexity: This varies a lot. A few are built for elaborate switching operations. Some are built for simple watch-while-having-an-adult-beverage operation!
+ Power: Locos use power from the tracks or on-board battery power. Still others are live steamers, burning butane or coal.
+ Detailing: Some are highly detailed with many buildings, figures, animals and all manner of smaller trackside details. Others focus on operations. Some garden railroaders build locos from scratch, but most are purchased ready to run (though often customized in some way). 
+ Plants: Some garden railroaders focus on plants; some don’t. Many railroads feature miniature plants, some carefully trimmed to look like scale trees. 
+ Sounds: Most have locos with sound on board. Others feature trackside sounds including animal sounds, music or even mine operations.
+ Lighting: Many have elaborate lighting for night operations but not all.
+ Realism: Some model an actual railroad while many are the product of the owner’s imagination, with backstories to match.

chuga chuga chuga – bagrs.org

Ready to Jibe?

Words by Jennifer Jory

As we hoist the jib on the Merit 25-foot sailboat, it takes off flying, heeling into the wind. A wave splashes over the bow, gently spraying our team. It’s race day at Spinnaker Sailing and we scramble to the boat’s high side, trying to chase down the more competitive sailors ahead of us. Gliding through the sapphire blue water, I feel like I’m on vacation, but I’m just off the shore in Redwood City.

One of the Peninsula’s under-explored treasures lies along the waterfront dubbed the “Redwood City Riviera” by Spinnaker Sailing owner Rich Ferrari. In a Sausalito-like setting, perfectly aligned 25- to 75-foot-long sailboats gently rock in their moorings in the Port of Redwood City Marina. “It’s the best-kept secret,” Rich confides. He should know. As a lifelong sailor and businessman, he has owned sailing schools and boating marinas from San Francisco to Mountain View, in addition to serving as harbormaster in Redwood City for 25 years.

“If you’re living in the Bay Area and not sailing, it’s like living in the Alps and not skiing,” Rich observes. Committed to sailing education for over 43 years, he’s a steadfast booster for our legendary local sailing conditions, known worldwide for consistently strong winds. “It’s a social, wonderful recreational resource,” he notes. “Sailing also presents a lot of challenges and problem-solving opportunities. Engineers are enamored with sailing because there is always something to figure out, and it engages them physically and mentally.”

Spinnaker Sailing is the oldest American Sailing Association (ASA)-affiliated school in the country and the only one on the Peninsula that teaches large boat sailing on 25- to 42-foot boats. Through Spinnaker’s 15-plus courses, novices can earn certification from basic keelboat sailing to coastal cruising and navigation. The school also equips students to charter boats locally and in reciprocal sailing locations worldwide. “Our courses are designed to give students internationally recognized certification for the various levels of achievement,” underscores Rich.

With a fleet of 30 boats, students can progress from small crafts to larger steering cruisers. “There is always an online portion of the class and then a practical on-the-water session,” Rich explains. “You could get through a basic keelboat course in four days. There’s more wind and currents on the Bay, however, so it takes time under supervision to develop a certain spontaneity and confidence in your decision-making.”

Sailing enthusiasts who want to advance to the next level to charter 50-foot boats or larger can join the school’s overseas sailing vacations and earn a Bareboat Cruising or Catamaran certification. Spinnaker Sailing offers numerous ways to engage through sailing charter trips, company team-building excursions and a sailing club with access to sailboats any time. “We want to set incoming sailors up for success,” stresses Rich. “Time on the water is important to further refine new skills so they become instinctive.”

Born and raised in the Redwood City and Menlo Park area, Rich developed a passion for the sport at 16 when his father introduced him to sailing on a friend’s boat on the Bay. It wasn’t long before he bought his first 41-foot boat in his early 20s. While he was varnishing his yacht one weekend, someone asked him if he would consider becoming a sailing instructor and he soon began teaching. From then on he was hooked. “I’ve been engrossed in sailing for the last 45 years,” he affirms. “I feel like I’ve been on vacation my whole life.”

Rich brings a fearless attitude to sailing that he honed through numerous outdoor extreme sports. “I had an appetite for challenges in my youth that I probably should have thought twice about,” he admits. “I sailed from Maui across the channel to Molokai on a windsurfer by myself. The excitement of river rafting also drew me in as well as climbing rock faces without ropes.” While teaching sailing, Rich also raced sailboats for many years. He applied this same adventurous spirit as a sailing world entrepreneur, developing projects like Mountain View’s Shoreline Park, Redwood City’s Seaport Conference Center, sailing schools at local waterfronts and a Peninsula windsurfing retail store: “Opportunities would avail themselves and I would say, ‘Let’s go do that!’”

After marrying his wife Kris, Rich’s life gained balance, and he stayed in port to raise their two now young adult children Nikola and Sean. Clearly influenced by his upbringing, Sean lives on a 41-foot sailboat in Marina Del Rey.

With a substantial portion of the Bay Area located on the water, sailing offers a way to experience the outdoors locally and beyond. In fact, several Spinnaker students have completed classes and taken off sailing around the world. Rich relays how an ambitious newly-certified sailor recently set off for Cabo San Lucas with the help of a Spinnaker skipper. In Mexico, the student found a crew mate to continue sailing through the Galapagos, Australia and all through the Indian Ocean.

Back in Redwood City, as Wednesday night racing draws to a close, sailors maneuver their brightly-colored boats back to the marina to swap stories. “Sailing becomes part of your lifestyle and it’s a very soothing environment,” reflects Rich. “It’s like being rocked in your mother’s arms.”

come aboard – spinnakersailing.com

Savor the Sonoma Coast

Words by Lotus Abrams

Standing on a windswept bluff on Bodega Head, gazing out at the Pacific Ocean as the waves crash onto the beach below, it’s not hard to appreciate the rugged beauty of the Sonoma Coast. There are so many reasons to visit this remote, unspoiled area. Sweeping vistas appear around nearly every bend along Highway 1; stunning trails and beaches beckon; and seaside eateries offer a taste of the region’s freshest bounty. Spend a few days exploring the area around Bodega Bay and Jenner—luxurious lodgings invite you to linger.

Bodega Bay

Start your getaway in picturesque Bodega Bay. Alfred Hitchcock’s 1963 thriller The Birds—filmed in Bodega Bay and the surrounding area—put this petite fishing village on many a traveler’s map. But credit also goes to the natural beauty of its setting, offering ample opportunities to enjoy outdoor pursuits.

Photography: Courtesy of Timber Cove Resort - The Nomadic People
Photography: Lotus Abrams

Part of Sonoma Coast State Park, don’t miss Bodega Head Trail, an easy 1.7-mile loop on a rocky peninsula that juts out into the Pacific, providing panoramic views of the ocean as well as the bay. Depending on the time of year, you may glimpse migrating whales, seals, wildflowers and seabirds on your walk. Across the channel from Bodega Head, sheltering the bay and harbor, Doran Regional Park is another scenic spot to explore, with its two-mile-long beach, rock jetty (a popular spot for fishing) and grassy dunes that connect with the Bird Walk Coastal Access Trail.

When it’s time for lunch, head to one of Bodega Bay’s casual seaside spots for fresh seafood specialties like local oysters and clam chowder. Two popular options are Fishatarian Fish Market for fish tacos and local brews and Spud Point Crab Co. for crab sandwiches and crab cakes.

Photography: Lotus Abrams

After lunch, burn some calories by taking a kayak or stand-up paddle board from Bodega Bay Kayak out for a spin (rentals and tours are available as well as lessons for beginners), or sign up for a surf lesson at the Bodega Bay Surf Shack. You can also explore the beach dunes and hills around Bodega Bay by horseback on a trail ride arranged through Chanslor Stables or Horse N Around Trail Rides.

In the afternoon, make your way to Sonoma Coast Vineyards to sample cool-climate rosé, sauvignon blanc, chardonnay and pinot noir. Enjoy your tasting with a cheese and charcuterie plate in the inviting tasting room or in the family- and pet-friendly picnic area offering scenic views of the bay.

After an activity-packed day, check in to the Lodge at Bodega Bay for a luxurious overnight stay in one of the hotel’s 83 beautifully renovated rooms and suites boasting private balconies and patios and stunning views of the bay, ocean, harbor and marsh, along with wood-burning fireplaces in many rooms. Take a dip in the infinity-edge hot tub, which offers unobstructed water views, and make sure to enjoy a meal at the on-site restaurant, Drakes Sonoma Coast, or in the more casual Drakes Fireside Lounge, where you can sample fresh regional seafood, meat, produce, cheeses and wines. A heated swimming pool, sauna, spa, fitness center, outdoor fire pits and complimentary cruiser bikes are also among the amenities.

Photography: courtesy of drakes fireside lounge

Jenner

The following day, drive north, taking in the majestic coastline as you make your way toward Jenner. In the tiny town, located where the mouth of the Russian River meets the Pacific, local gathering spot Café Aquatica makes a good pitstop for breakfast or lunch. Serving up house-made pastries, sandwiches and fair-trade, single-origin coffee, Café Aquatica hosts live music acts during the weekends in the summer on its outdoor deck overlooking the river.

Leaving Jenner, the grassy hills paralleling the coast quickly give way to steep, wooded slopes thick with stands of Bishop pine, redwood, Douglas fir and tan oak. Take in 360-degree views of both the Coast Ranges and the mighty Pacific from the Vista Trail, an easy one-mile loop trail located about five miles north of Jenner.

A few miles up a side road from Highway 1, Fort Ross Vineyard & Winery produces estate-grown chardonnay, pinot noir and pinotage wines from its Fort Ross-Seaview American Viticultural Area (AVA) vineyard located a mile from the sea—the closest to the Pacific Ocean in the entire state of California. The seated wine and food tasting experience (available by appointment) features locally sourced small bites prepared by the winery’s in-house chef served on the tasting room’s expansive deck overlooking the ocean or inside by a roaring fire.

Back at the coast, Fort Ross State Historic Park offers an intriguing glimpse into what life was like when the site was a Russian-American Company settlement from 1812 to 1841, the southernmost settlement in the Russian colonization of North America. Several reconstructed buildings, and one original, have been furnished with artifacts that are representative of the era. Check out the visitor center for informative exhibits that also cover the area’s natural history, native Kashia Pomo people and ranch era (1842–1972).

Photography: courtesy of Timber Cove Resort

After you’ve wandered through the park, make your way to the Timber Cove Resort, set on a dramatic bluff above the ocean. Celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, Timber Cove has been lovingly renovated with furnishings that evoke its mid-century heritage while adding a sense of rustic-chic charm. An “outdoor living room” outfitted with firepits, billiards and ping-pong tables, and accommodations stocked with yoga mats, record players and Nest-controlled fireplaces (in many rooms) add to the experience. The onsite restaurant, Coast Kitchen, offers seasonal fare featuring ingredients sourced from many local purveyors and a Sonoma-dominated wine list—all with a gorgeous ocean view.

Before heading home, visit Gerstle Cove at Salt Point State Park to see the fascinating honeycomb-like erosion called tafoni (Italian for cavern) visible in the sandstone rocks near the water’s edge. Fun fact: The sandstone from Salt Point was used to construct San Francisco’s streets in the mid-1800s. Look carefully and you can see eye bolts in the rocks where ships once anchored to load sandstone slabs.

the perfect touch – namesakecheesecake.com

Custom Fit – helm-sport.com

Dining Destination – springline.com

greet an eagle – paloaltozoo.org

The Essence of Eichler

Eyesore or Eden?

Neighborhood Nexus

Purism, Practicality and Preservation

All-In with Eichlers

global patterns – shalinib.com

designing every detail – citronhome.com

Dario Sattui’s Royal Dream

Building The Castle

Tours and Tastings

Tour and taste – castellodiamorosa.com

Melt-in-your-Mouth – deliceglace.com

Where’s Pulcinella?

Joseph and Jane

Outside the Canvas

Let Art Transport You – josephfuchsartwork.com

dough zone

bevri

brochette dumpling and grill

Seasonal Shopping

Holiday Feast

And to All a Good Night

Let It Glow

Winter Wonderland

revive at the row – santanarow.com

transform your space – trgarch.com

Do

Eat

Stay

Coastal retreat – searanchescape.com

horse culture

Ride Like the Wind

Claims to Fame

Canter Over

take the leap – horsepark.org

Lifelong Students

harkening back

A Taste of the Past

Real Neighborly

Study Break – graduatehotels.com/palo-alto

sekoya

ghostwood kitchen

chouchou

nostalgic flavors – talpalo.com

wild onion at hotel citrine

campagne one main bistro at enchanté

four seasons silicon valley lobby lounge

life-enhancing edits – amandabarnesinteriors.com

Savor and Sway

What’s Brewing?

The Lore of Alisal Ranch

Catering to Multi-Generational Families

WHOOSH! (That’s the passage of time.)

Western-style Hospitality

Season by Season

Home on the Range

A Botanist’s Roots

Earthy Luxury

A Seasonal Situation

Only Human

Dig In – gardenapothecary.com

Train Club

Scaled to Size

Train Talk

Dream in Steam

chuga chuga chuga – bagrs.org

come aboard – spinnakersailing.com

Bodega Bay

Jenner

Coastal Relaxation – sonomacounty.com

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