The 'Official' Pink Party Photo Album 2022!

BARNDIVA’S PINK PARTY CREW 2022

BloodRoot | Reeve | Leo Steen | Ryme Cellars | Valkyrie Wine Imports | Raventós I Blanc | Carboniste Robert Sinskey | Private Property | Captûre | Orsa Wines | Schramsberg | Handley Cellars | Pax Wines | Rootdown Wine Cellars | brick & mortar | Kara Marie | Cep/Peay Vineyards | County Line | Scribe | Long Meadow Ranch | Marine Layer Wines | Railsback Frére| Roederer Estate | Tendu Wines | Ruth Lewandowski | Ernest Vineyards | Raft | Flowers | Tansy Wines | Halleck Vineyard | Lili Sparkler | Idlewild | Inizi

It was an afternoon of gloriously coloured rosé in every glass, a wisteria sky, gardens filled with laughter and smiles. Yes, we know, the world is a mess and covid is not done with us yet, but for a few hours on a Sunday in April we all dressed up and mingled again without fear. We even danced a little. Barndiva was proud to have hosted a party such as this, where we tipped the scales towards delight as we celebrated a scintellating spring moment and the singular talents of the 32 Rosé winemakers in our midst.

The Pink Party has always been about community. It arrives at the start of the season when our small town is about to be inundated with tourists,  so it is especially gratifying to gather together and touch base with so many dear friends- and make new ones - in the winemaking community.  Not that it mattered if you came not knowing a soul –as you can see from these wonderful images shot by our friend Chad Surmick .  At Barndiva we pride ourselves on knowing how to throw a great party, but the truth is that no matter how on point you are at planning the really successful parties always ultimately depend upon the wilingness of the crowd to make a day or an evening come alive. Together, we nailed it, so thank you to every face pictured here and to those we may have missed capturing. You are gorgeous. We loved having you here. 

We send thanks to all the hands behind the scene who played a crucial role in Pink Party 2022: to Sally, Natalie, Cathryn, Haley, Duskie, Scott and Nick, who harvested, sourced and arranged all the glorious florals in both gardens. And of course to Chefs Erik , Neidy, Michael, and everyone in the kitchens and on the serving staff.

Finally, a word about Farm to Pantry: We were thrilled to be able to support them this year with a raffle of wines donated by every winery who participated. We cannot stress how Important what Duskie Estes and her dedicated team at Farm to Pantry are doing within the Sonoma Community to distribute the excess bounty of our landscape – and then some. They are helping put food on tables where it is most needed. That we can enjoy a day such a this and also help a little to redress the inequities of food availability in the larger community was a privledge. Donate your time to glean with them and enjoy making a difference as you spend time with a wonderful group of neighbors.

Why Food Like This Matters Now

With our second week as a To Go restaurant behind us we are feeling immense gratitude for the support we’ve received from the Barndiva community near and far. But as we shift our gaze down the road, as necessary as sheltering in place is right now, there are going to be long term effects on almost all small independently owned restaurants and on anyone who services or provides for them, up and down the food chain. This is true everywhere because as Lucas Kwan Peterson wrote in an article published in the LA Times on March 26, “Times are uncertain and people need to eat, preferably cheaply given the fact that they are also worried about or have already lost their jobs. But our multi-billion dollar fast food industry is equipped to weather this shutdown. Our small restaurants are not.” As he, and many many respected restaurateurs like David Chang, Danny Meyer and Tom Colicchio are warning, we aren’t just talking about weathering this shutdown in the short term.

There is no Eat the View blog without Barndiva. But over the past decade that I’ve been writing it, while very much a personal story of the joys and challenges we’ve encountered as our family farmed this ridge and built a sustainable business in the heart of Healdsburg, whenever possible the blog has tried to draw a larger circle around the two food sheds we work from, and the stories of many who work within it, often with little or no financial or physical safety nets. Whether these players are young, having moved here with a dream, or working within long held family businesses, they are dedicated to re-telling and extending the remarkable food history of this area. Many will now be facing serious hurdles.

As proud as I am of the delicious series of dishes coming out of our kitchens right now, I’m equally gratified that many kitchens here in Healdsburg are still producing food, keeping chefs and purveyors working. We miss seeing you in our dining rooms, that’s for sure. For us, going back to the basics has been a refresher course in why food like this matters - its power to convey the love we feel when we know where our food comes from and who produces it. If you have the financial bandwidth, seek out and support smaller independent producers and farms that have online stores and CSA’s - it’s a great time to join one!

And do consider donating to Sonoma Family Meal a vital ‘Groceries to Go’ drive through program here in Healdsburg, whose immediate goal is to aid families and seniors during the pandemic. Read more from our friends at Corazón Healdsburg.

Below are just some of Chef Jordan’s dishes coming out of our kitchen right now which can be picked up curbside at The Gallery or delivered at no charge by Lukka and Isabel along with cocktails and selected bottles of wine from local wineries. Starting next week we will also be offering kits that are easy to finish cooking at home. If you are too far away to enjoy Barndiva To Go but want to show support, consider paying it forward for lunch in the gardens this summer, one of our collaborative wine events like Pink Party, Fête Blanc, Fête Rouge, or taking your significant other out to…dinner. Just dinner. We are dreaming of that - just being together again in the comfort of strangers, sharing full dining rooms filled with flowers and the music of glinting shakers. That will feel like celebration enough.

To order Barndiva To Go or a gift certificate: shop.barndiva.com or call us at 431.0100.

Here are: Spring Onion and Yukon Gold Potato Soup with garlic croutons; a Jackson Family Farm Green Salad; Whole Roasted Chicken for two; Coconut Rice Pudding with fresh mango; Teriyaki Glazed Steelhead Salmon with green cabbage salad; the first Cook at Home Kits from Chef Jordan: hand cut Semolina Lumache with a bolognese of grass fed beef, walnut finished pork, and veal demi-glace, with a hunk of Grana Padano, herbs and finishing salt.

Chappy will have a lot more to say about wine next week - he’s been pretty busy since he took over my job as Barndiva food and drinks photographer. As you can see, he’s killing it. He’s also posting and updating the shop daily. At the same time he has been producing a series of podcasts the local wine community has fallen in love with: we urge you to check out: @crupodcast.

As for cocktails, Isabel is shaking them moments before the food comes out, packed to go for curbside or delivery. Glass keeps them nice and cold, and they are all ready to be enjoyed. She will be adding more favorites, but let us know if there is a cocktail you are missing.

Local distilleries would appreciate business right now and there are some terrific spirits made here in the County, try and order them when you stock up.

For Cocktails To Go, our Manhattan is made with two Redwood Empire whiskies - Lost Monarch and Emerald Giant (The Graton Distilling Company plants a tree for every bottle sold), Sipsong; The Negroni features Healdsburg’s Sipsong Indira Gin (made by everyone’s sweetheart Terra Jasper); The Diva Gimlet is made with Young & Yonder’s Armont Vodka, from other Healdsburg neighbors Josh and Sara. Local products have real stories behind them in addition to talent and passion. This one is a love story (he is the distiller, she designs the gorgeous labels).

Cheers.

#staytuned #stayhealthy #stayhealdsburg #healdsburgchamber #stayhome #eattheview #shelteringinplace #barndiva #togo #healdsburg #thisishealdsburg #sonomacounty #sommtablehealdsburg #sonomastrong

One Week in August

new dishes

from chef de cuisine Danny Giromolo

It is midsummer and everyone here, in the kitchens and at the farm, feels the increasingly relentless pace. Boxes upon boxes of fat ripe figs arrive, delicious dishes in luminous colors sail out into the dining room, weddings get prepped, pump problems get solved, glorious blooms fade and are replaced. Fatigue and pride live side by side. We all know that to make it to winter when things might slow down we first need to surf through harvest, when things are bound to get even crazier. Watching new faces settle into our existing Barndiva family, there are small moments, honest and kind - Lynn baking a cake for someone’s birthday, the chefs all shaking hands at the end of service- that remind me the only way to embrace change is to bring our best selves forward. The challenge is not to survive, but to thrive.

With laser focus and a super abundance of talent Danny Giromolo has taken command of the Barndiva kitchens this summer with a renewed dedication to expanding our small farm partners that has been a joy to watch. It helps that his wingman, Randy Dodge, brings an incredible skill set of his own along with remarkable kindness and patience. The food coming out of our kitchens right now is brighter and lighter than ever, bursting with summer flavors. The buzz you are hearing around town is all true. Come in and meet him.

Above: Jackson Family Green salad with shaved roots, roasted pistachios, strawberries, society garlic flowers and Johnny Jump Ups from the gallery gardens. Below: salmon rillette with whipped house made boursin, frisée salad, Danny’s parmesan focaccia; heirloom tomato gazpacho with chive oil drizzle, feta, and watermelon rafts meant to be pushed overboard, eaten before they sink.

fête blanc

40 incredible white wine producers pour their hearts out

Our midsummer fête next Sunday promises magnums of 2009 Cristal from our esteemed friends at Maison Louis Roederer, a Caviar Co. bicycle cart, Randy vertical spit roasting chickens in the garden, heirloom fig tarts, Barndiva ‘classic’ goat cheese croquettes with honey, Blondies with white wine scented spices, and plenty more delights. The big news, of course, is that 40 of the best white wine producers from Sonoma and Mendocino Counties will be pouring in the two gardens. The most gratifying news is that, like our other two fabulous fêtes, spring’s Pink Party and winter’s Fête Rouge, mixed cases of all wine being poured is donated by the winemakers for a raffle to benefit our neighbors and co-workers who depend upon the expertise and largess of Corazón Healdsburg. This is going to be a great day in the gardens you will not want to miss, and it’s almost sold out. The champagne will (obviously) run out, as will (I suspect) the caviar as we are bad bougies after all, but goodwill, good eats, and great white wines will be available in abundance.

All of Barndiva’s wine events are curated with passion by wine director Chappy Cottrell. Find out what he’s tasting (and thinking) as he builds our award winning lists @sommtablehealdsburg.

dan’s dahlias

our seasonal, weekly floral show continues

With Dan out of town for his birthday last week, I was happy to jump back into the joyful job I held for many years, but boy had I forgotten how much work it is to harvest and arrange flowers for every corner of the Barn, plus one or two big ones for The Gallery! He is back now and not a moment too soon. Be sure to ask our host if you want to know the names of some of the more exotic blooms in his arrangements, all grown at the farm. You can book Dan for your next private event here at the Barn, or elsewhere as his busy schedule allows. Follow this talented young man’s extraordinary journey through the seasons here in Philo and on his many garden travels. @daniel.james.co

Visit us @barndivahealdsburg.com

Finally, a Break in the Rain

Just when we thought it would never stop, it did. The rain ceased and the sun burst forth, trees in the orchards dripping water like jewels. We got the tractor going, started a burn in the lower orchards, checked on vegetable beds. Then we just stumbled around, punch drunk, in this green and glistening world.

Across the valley neighbors were emerging like we were, surveying the damage, getting on with the work of spring. Up here on the ridge rivulets on the road had turned into gullies, there was much planting to do, row upon row of apple trees to prune.

But when your cup runneth over, you stop to drink.

This Week at the Barn and the Farm……

Sweet peas on mulberry coppice, Calypso Orchids and Black Trumpets in the lower forest, Alcosa Cabbage shoots in the beds; a burn. We stand around, warming our hands, watching the unusable bits of last year’s projects go up in smoke, plannng new ones.

Shae plates Chef Noll’s ethereal coconut milk carrot cake, bursting with dates, nuts and cognac poached raisins. Garnished w/ a carrot gelée, a scoop caramel ice cream and candy glass. Isabel harvests violas for cocktails from the beds behind The Gallery.

Dan feels out the space where guests will pose before a poloroid floral wall he will build for The Pink Party, now just weeks away. Randy gives the staff a taste of The Gallery’s octopus and ceci bean dish at line up. It goes on the Sunday Supper menu this week. Scotty cools a quiche on the windowsill, offering a thin slice for one hungry photographer.