The guys from Redwood Brewing

Beer is downsizing. Following the arc of small-scale artisan salumi, cheese, bread, olive oil and garagiste winemakers, now micro-batched, regionally-sourced, hand-crafted beer is the hottest thing in brewing. And the North Bay has a growing stake in the trend.

Somewhere between home-brewing and micro-brewing is nano-brewing. To illustrate the scale: Home brewers typically make about 5 gallons per batch. Nano-brewers, between one and three barrels at a time, topping out at a few hundred barrels annually. Micro-brewers like Petaluma’s Lagunitas Brewing Company may soon produce up to 600,000 barrels annually; a large “craft” brewer like Samuel Adams, 6 million barrels per year. Anheuser-Bush produces upwards of 100 million barrels per year.

But what they lack in output, a number of North Bay upstarts more than make up for in passion. Working from garages or tiny breweries, former home brewers from Novato to Healdsburg have single-minded devotion to developing best-in-category brews from IPAs to Belgian stouts. With start-up costs ranging from $50 to $250,000 and a labyrinth of city, county, state and federal licensing requirements, this brotherhood goes well beyond hobbyists.

In varying stages of development — from Healdsburg Beer Company’s established reputation to yet-to-be-completed breweries in Windsor, Novato and Petaluma — here are four Northbay nano-brewers to watch.

Old Redwood Brewing: Young Guns — With backgrounds in wine and food, the under-40 garage brewers of Old Redwood Brewing in Windsor are the most experimental of the bunch. The four collaborators, Adam Derum, Bob Anderson, Dominic Foppoli and Mike Stewart, plan to create a new small-batch beer each month using mostly Sonoma County ingredients. In fact, they’ve already got a running list that includes beers like Belgian Stout, honey Hefferveisen and pomegranate witbier. They’ve contracted with local farmers to grow hops for them in the Russian River Valley and hope to incorporate fresh spices and fruit into their beers. The partners are currently building a small brewery and tasting room off the Town Green where visitors will be able to taste through curated flights and recent brews.

“We want to educate people,” said Derum, who’s been tapped as the tasting room guy. Old Redwood is slated to open in mid-March and you’ll be able to find them at the upcoming Battle of the Brews on March 31 at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds. (redwoodbrewing.com)

Healdsburg Beer Company: The Veteran
Kevin McGee (healdsburgbeerco.com), who’s been selling his nano-brewed IPA for four years, is the grizzled veteran of the bunch. A lawyer by day, he’s already navigated the licensing and beer making process, selling out all of the 20 or so barrels he produces each year before he’s even brewed it. A true garagiste, he brews twice a month in his detached Healdsburg garage (all legal, of course) and primarily sells to restaurants in town. You’ll find it on tap by its large Old English H.

“I made the logo so you could spot it 25 yards away,” he said.

The vision for the beer, according to McGee, “is like when you go traveling through Italy and find some maniacal wine producer that is so good that no one lets it out of the village. I’m that brewer in Healdsburg.”

The former home brewer got his start after kicking around the idea with his former boss, wine mogul Jess Jackson.

“I showed it to him as a joke,” McGee said, “and he said, ‘You gotta do it.’” McGee knew he was onto something after watching 95-point winemakers drinking Bud Light at holiday parties.

“There is a market for beer drinkers with a honed wine palate,” he said.

McGee acknowledges he may not be making the trendiest sorts of nano brews, but aims instead for a perfect cask-conditioned IPA.

“You have to find your niche. I’m the guy who tries to make the best damn cheeseburger out there. Not the wackiest,” he said. “I’m not going to make something better than Pliny or Blind Pig. But the recipe I’ve done is guided by the principle that if I can’t sell it, I have to drink 31 gallons of it. So it better taste good.”

Petaluma Hills Brewing: Pico Brewer
Calling himself a pico-brewer, JJ Jay of Petaluma Hills Brewing (petalumahills.com) considers his forthcoming brewery an even tinier offshoot than some of the other regional nano breweries.

“Like most brewery start-ups, I’m a former home brewer. I didn’t start with a plan, but over 22 years I’ve transitioned from a vast majority of my beer being store-bought to having all my friends drink my beer,” said Jay.

He’s currently working on a three-barrel production brewery in Petaluma that he hopes to have up and running in 2012.

“All of my recipes are ale. I don’t do lager or pilsners and I don’t really mess around with flavors. My beers are more traditional,” he said. “I’ve purposely avoided IPA (which is a a flagship for local brewer, Lagunitas) because everyone else does that.”

Like the other nano-brewers, he’s looking to sell to nearby local restaurants and pubs increasingly interested in offbeat, artisan brews. Unlike some others, he’s not in a particular hurry to quit his day job as a character director at Dreamworks Studios.

“My overarching goal is to have a beer that’s just good to drink,” he said.

Beltane Brewing: The Artist
“I am part artist and part scientist,” said Alan Atha, who heads up Novato’s Beltane Brewing (beltanebrewing.com).

The former painter, photographer and current personal-trainer/cycling coach plans to open a cafe and brewery in Bel Marin Keys in July, 2012.

“Brewing is really an art form,” he said. “I had to learn the science of it.” He’s planning to do an ambitious 600 barrels per year.

“I haven’t even started brewing in the brewery yet and I have hop contracts for the next three years,” he said. “You have to think that far forward to pull this off.”

The former head of the Sonoma County Beerocrats, a popular home-brewing club, he takes his beer seriously, having participated and competed in several nano-brewing competitions and gatherings like last fall’s SF Beer Week’s Nano Fest.

Alan’s current lineup of beers include “Rumplestiltskin,” a West Coast Double IPA, a chocolate ale with TCHO chocolate, a French farmhouse ale and a barrel-finished dark sour beer in limited release.

“A lot of guys dream about doing this, but pulling it off is another thing,” said Atha.

Because in my childhood world of down parkas to your knees, months of slate-grey skies and salt-trucks de-icing the roads every morning, citrus mostly came in juice form. From exotic places like Florida.

After nearly a decade of citrus plenty (four trees grow on my property, showering us literally with lemons and oranges), my eyes have started wandering toward more exotic cousins: Buddha’s Hand and Rangpur limes.

Combining the two: A white cake studded with dried Buddha’s Hand, then slathered with a tart Rangpur lime buttercream frosting. Yes, it’s that good.

Buddha's Hand Cake with Rangpur Lime buttercream Recipe

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Attilio and ed Canevari

From the window of Canevari’s Ravioli Factory and Deli, Ed Canevari has watched the history of Santa Rosa unfold over three generations.

But after decades of pounding dough and breathing flour in the ravioli room of his family business he’s ready to pass on the torch. “I need some new blood,” he said. “We want to get back to the level of energy and service we had 20 years ago.”

Now in his 70′s, the local icon is turning over management of the historic italian-American business to Michael Coutre, a local investor who hopes breathe new life into the nearly 100-year-old businesses. His own kids, he claims, aren’t interested in the grinding work of the family factory.

Growing up in the two-bedroom house behind the Lewis Road business, Canevari had a front seat to the development of Santa Rosa — from fields to, well, strip malls and subdivisions. He spins tales of war prisoners working the hop fields off Chanate Road, spins yarns about the humble beginnings of Charlie Traverso (a friend of his dad’s) and will give you an earful about some of the city’s seamier moments (if he thinks you deserve to hear them.) Mention any local luminary of his generation, and his face is an instant read on whether they’re a paisono. Or not.

Canevari also loves to show newcomers a grainy black and white picture on the wall of he and his father. Just 18-months old, he’s dressed in a white apron and hat miming his father, Attillio. “I always liked to copy him,” said Canevari.

That kind of local history can’t be bought for any price. Which is why Coutre isn’t planning on revamping the closely-held traditions of the Canevari’s operation. “We are custodians of a legacy,” said Coutre, who was persistent in his desire to work with Canevari, despite a number of brush-offs by the septugenarian. “Ed has entrusted his lifetime of work to us. Why go in and change that?”

To help with the plan, Coutre hired two hospitality veterans — South Bay restaurant GM John Foss, and assistant Foppiano winemaker and budding pastry chef Chris Bertsche  — to start learning the business from Canevari and his staff and provide extra manpower in the last several months. Moving forward, he plans to ramp up ravioli-making and get the products back in local stores (currently they are only available at the deli). Staff will also be offering more catering services and Coutre hopes to add ready-made dinner offerings and authentic Italian staples as part of the deli’s offerings.

But don’t expect the senior Canevari to fade into history. He’s retained ownership of the shop, and as keeper of the family recipes, he’s adamant that the newcomers do things the right way — his father’s way — using fresh, local ingredients. Pointing to his family name on the sign outside the factory, he said, “That’s always going to be my named on the sign up there.”

“It’s stupid. It’s just a misguided law,” said Chef Doug Keane, of Cyrus restaurant in Healdsburg.

Others use words like “crazy”, “unfair”, “ridiculous,” and a host of less savory terms when it comes to a food many toques consider sacred.
Keane is among a handful of chefs who have toured and watched foie gras production before deciding whether or not to keep it on the menu. Few politicians, he contends, have done the same. He is also among a number of chefs who have been picketed and assaulted by protesters for serving the controversial meat, and continues to keep it on his menu.

“This is a tradition that is thousands of years old. To deny this right of passage for any chef, who spends their life in the most fruitless of industries, just isn’t going to work,” said Chef Doug Richey, currently in the planning stages for a new restaurant and former chef of Santi. Across his knuckles the words FOIE GRAS are tattooed as a permanent and very public statement about a food product he passionately defends.

At the center of this polarizing gastro-feud among animal-rights advocates, politicians, chefs and luxury-food consumers is a specific bit of offal. Prized for centuries by the French, foie gras is the fatted liver of a duck. The birds in nature gorge themselves in the fall as they prepare for long migrations, storing fuel internally for the energy they’ll need. The unctuous fat content and indescribably rich, creamy flavor makes it highly sought-after and revered by chefs.

Taking advantage of the duck’s natural proclivity to overeat, production facilities use a controversial method of force-feeding the French called gavage. Advocates say the ducks, which lack a gag reflex, don’t mind the feedings and, in fact, come running for the extra food. Detractors point to documented injuries to foie gras ducks who have suffer ruptured organs and misery as a result of poorly performed gavage. As a result, California enacted Senate Bill 1520 in 2004, completely banning the production and sale of foie gras throughout the state beginning on July 1, 2012. The city of Chicago enacted a ban on foie gras in in 2006, but overwhelmingly overturned it two years later.

With eight years between Gov. Arnold Scharzenegger’s signing and actual enforcement, the threatened ban has been mostly static for foie gras lovers, who have continued to indulge at dozens of Bay Area restaurants that serve it without reservation. But with the deadline looming, chefs are beginning to think about what a future without legal foie gras will look like.

“I think its a shame, because the majority of people who voted for the law have never tried (foie gras) or don’t know what it is,” said Josh Silvers of Petite Syrah restaurant. “They saw a bunch of posters and pictures that, frankly, are ugly but not representative of how purveyors like Sonoma Artisan Foie Gras do things. Those ducks live a really nice life, and they have one really bad day and that’s it.”
His menu has long featured the delicacy, but come July he likely will pull it.

“In my dreams I won’t have to worry about it, but I know there won’t be a seller in California for restaurants. And there’s going to be a $1,000 fine for selling it,” he said.

Exactly who or how the law will be enforced is another question. According to the bill, a “peace officer, officer of a humane society, officer of an animal control or animal regulation department may issue a citation” and the county district attorney or city attorney may prosecute.
Already chefs and enthusiastic foie gras lovers are talking about ways around the law. In Chicago, chefs served $8 glasses of bubbly for $22 and gave a “complimentary” serving of foie gras to patrons. Underground foie gras dinners are likely to pop up, serving foie secreted across borders. In fact, some see the whole prohibition as a boon.

“Demand and production went up in Chicago during their prohibition,” said Richey. “I’m already thinking of speakeasy style communication and off-menu items. People are gonna get really creative.”

Statewide, a number of chefs are planning multi-course foie gras dinners as the end date approaches. In San Francisco, celebrity chef Chris Cosentino, well-known for his nose-to-tail philosophy, organized a meeting of chefs to discuss the ban in October. He plans to continue the fight against the ban with dinners and fundraisers. A petition to keep foie gras legal has been created by the Artisan Farmers Alliance.

Others have a more resigned public stance. “Foie gras has been a mainstay of classical cuisine for centuries and is one of the most popular menu items at our restaurants,” said Dustin Valette, executive chef at Dry Creek Kitchen in Healdsburg. “Although earlier methods may have been primitive, there have been mindful modifications in the way foie gras is produced and we have always been conscious of sourcing from these humane vendors.

“With that said, rules are rules and when SB1520, forbidding the production and sale of foie gras in California, takes effect in July we will abide.”

The big question for many locals, however, is whether Sonoma-Artisan, which produces foie gras in Sonoma County, will remain in Sonoma County. Though the owner did not return calls, an employee of the business said that they are still investigating the possibility of legal solutions for continuing their business from California. Precluding that, however, they will relocate.

Not all chefs are foie gras supporters. Chicago Chef Charlie Trotter banned it from his kitchens in 2005 and L.A.’s Wolfgang Puck eliminated it from his menus in 2007. The expensive, luxury nature of foie gras, along with its sky-high fat and caloric content, aren’t helping its cause in a nation suffering from economic doldrums and epidemic levels of obesity. Animal-rights activists see all the posturing as futile.

“This is a rather embarrassing temper tantrum on the part of these chefs; the bill will take effect whether they like it or not,” said Lindsay Rajt, an associate director with the group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, in a recent interview.

EDUCATE YOURSELF

Read SB1520

PRO
- Chris Cosentino’s “Shock and Foie”
- Serious Eats: Why Foie is not Unethical
- Dan Barber on a “humane” foie gras production in Spain

NEUTRAL(ISH)

- Chef’s Directory: Video of duck production at Fortnum and Mason, a foie gras producer

CON
- Humane Society page on force-fed animals
- PETA’s “delicacy of Despair”
- Farm Sanctuary: No Foie Gras

Using a two-step barrel aging process, the spirited folks making Sonoma’s own Hooker’s House Bourbon import the good stuff from Kentucky distilleries, then age it in hand-picked pinot noir barrels for a flavor that’s entirely unique. The four-year-old bourbon “finished” for nine months imparting subtle wine and oak flavors and nuances. According to creator Fred Groth of HelloCello/Prohibition Spirits, the result is deep flavors of coffee, caramel, black cherry, vanilla and baking spices.

So what’s with the name? Let’s turn our history books back a page to General Joseph Hooker, a Civil War veteran best known for his love of stiff drinks and friendly ladies. Hooker’s House Bourbon refers to the handsome soldier’s Sonoma home and is also, of course, a cheeky reference to the frisky gals Hooker brought along during some of his military campaigns to raise morale among the men. Among other things. These agreeable ladies became known as “Hooker’s Brigade” and later, just “Hookers”.

At 100-proof there’s not doubt this is one stiff drink. Just the way the captain would have wanted it.

Available through Prohibition Spirits locally at Bottle Barn, 3331 Industrial Drive  Santa Rosa, 528-1161, $36.

If there’s one thing that’s surviving the recession, it’s bars. Specifically ones focused on beer.

BiteClub’s heard rumors of two brewpubs in development (one in Sebastopol, one in Windsor) and now, there’s word that Sprenger’s Tap Room is slated to open in the Brickyard Center across from Macy’s in downtown Santa Rosa in January(ish).

It’s a collaborative project between Kevin Sprenger (a co-owner of Doc Holliday’s) and biz partners Robert Braun and Mark
Bozin. Sprenger tells Biteclub he’s planning to have about 30 beers on tap, big screen TV’s and most likely a pool table and shuffleboard.

He’s rehabbing the former Evolution Yoga Studio. Which just happens to be around the corner from the SRJC Culinary Center and Cafe — a massive culinary space that will go vacant after the JC moves out in late December for their new digs on Mendocino Ave.

Speaking of which…downtown Santa Rosa’s Anna Purna has been dark for several months, with a sign that suggests they’ll reopen at a later date. Though that date has come and gone. Also closed…Charlie’s Serious Chili Dogs on Santa Rosa
Avenue has also shuttered, but the owner hopes to make a go of his hot dog business with a mobile unit in the near future.

If so, you may be interested in a few other local (and not-so-local) food-related goodies that St. Nick (or your non-denominational winter gift-giver of choice) may leave next to your brand new Dacor 48-inch dual convection stainless steel oven with digital touch and gas range (available online for $9,799). Hint. Hint.

Little Ticket and Mostly Local
Beekind Chai Honey: I’ve become a pusher of this local honey, addicting friends left and right. Infused with spicy Indian Chai spices, it’s perfect for everything from sweetening tea to drizzling on spiced honey nuts, incorporating into recipes and eating straight off a spoon. $6.50 – $18, 921 Gravenstein Hwy S  Sebastopol, 824-2905.

Sonomic Vinegar: My annual(ish) bottle of this sweet, syrupy balsamic-style vinegar gets drizzled on salads, roasted veggies and into pan sauces. it gets a place of honor next to my olive oil, verjus and spices as a quick flavor-picker-upper. Around $18, available at Sonoma Valley Portworks (613 2nd Street, Petaluma, 769-5203) or Oliver’s grocery stores.

Grape Seed Flour and Oils: Whole Vine Products (a collaboration by wine-giants Barbara Banke and Peggy Furth) upcycles vineyard cast-offs like the skins and seeds into nutrient and anti-oxidant-rich oils and flours for cooking and baking. They take a little getting used to, but the health and environmental benefits are worth it — plus you’ll be the toast of your dinner group when trotting out this not-even-in-stores-yet local product. Available at the Kendall -Jackson tasting room or online at wholevine.com.  5007 Fulton Road  Fulton, 571-8100.

Lemon Curd Butter: Cheesemaker Sheana Davis makes infused-butters including fig, rose petal and blue cheese, along with the lemon curd butter at her Sonoma shop. Stop in for a tasting flight or purchase an 8oz container for $9.95. 122 West Napa Street, 935-7960.

Jimtown Store Spicy Pepper Jam: A snack of cream cheese, crackers and a bottle of this sweet, slightly spicy, full-bodied jam are among my “desert island” necessities. Who needs a knife?
$10, 6706 Hwy 128  Healdsburg, 433-1212.

DaVero 30 Weight Utility Olive Oil and Line Lube: If you’re using your good extra-virgin olive oil for cooking, you’re crazy. Invest in really high quality EVOO for salads and dipping. For sauteeing, DaVero mixes its extra-virgin with other oils from California and Spain for a tasty, but more-affordable cooking weight oil. $24, available at davero.com/order or at the tasting room, 766 Westside Road, Healdsburg, 431-8000.

Sample Box of  Grains from Rancho Gordo: Most folks know about the heirloom beans from Napa’s Rancho Gordo — the yellow Indian woman, Runner Cannellini and Goat’s Eye to name a few. Perhaps more exotic are Rancho Gordo’s ancient grains gift set with hominy, quinoa, wild rice and amaranth. The fun is in figuring out exactly how to prepare them. Fortunately, there are instructions and recipes included. $44, ranchogordo.com. Beans available locally at Jimtown Store, Epicurean Connection and Oliver’s markets.

Exotic Spices from Savory Spice: If the smell doesn’t lure you inside the wooden screen door, let me embarrass you into taking a look at your “vintage” spice rack. And by vintage, I mean you may as well be sprinkling dust on your food if your spices are older than a year or so. It’s tempting to just pick up a bottle of cinnamon on the grocery aisle, but transformative to taste freshly ground Vietnamese, Mexican and Chinese cinnamons side by side, and the difference it will make in the flavor of your holiday baking. Plus, you can buy one-ounce sampler bags at a fraction of the price to test out anything — from mole mix, sweet paprika and ghost chiles to garam masala and organic oregano — in your next dish. 317 D Street, Santa Rosa, 284-1310.

Guy Fieri Pacific Rim Sauce: Guy knows how to kick up everyday fare with a hit of sauce, so it’s not a huge surprise that his new line of commercial sauces are right on target. No, really. I love this stuff. I’m partial to the Pacific Rim version, that’s got a mix of ginger, soy, chile and even a hint of fish sauce in the mix. $3.99, available at Safeway stores.

Asian Pear and Ginger Conserve from Gabriel Farms: From toast to appetizers, this local farm makes preserves that aren’t so sweet you’ll need a dentist afterwards. Share Exchange, 531 Fifth St., Santa Rosa, 331-6850.

Chicharrones from Fatted Calf: When I’ve been a good girl, I usually find a bag or two of these upscale pork rinds from 4505 Meats in my stocking. Spiced with a sweet-hot fire, they literally melt in your mouth. Fatted Calf, 644 1st St # C, Napa, 256-3684.

Presto Fry Daddy: Stop laughing. With purse-strings tight, our family has put the brakes on fast food. But we still love the occasional splurge. Using fresh veggies, taters and herbs, we’re psyched to experiment with our own mini fryer (the boss says my own Henny Penny is out of the question this year). Around $28 at Walmart, Target or other major retailers.

Big Ticket Items
Pressure Cooker: You can go really simple or really luxury here, but pressure cooking is all the rage these days. From cutting cooking time for beans and meat to mere minutes to safely canning, they’re worth their weight in gold. $29.99 to $79.99 at Hardisty’s Homewares, 1513 Farmers Lane Plaza, Santa Rosa, 545-0534. Luxury versions (All-Clad, Fissier) for $200 to $500 at Sur La Table, 2323 Magowan Drive  Santa Rosa, 566-9820. Want to learn how to use it? Check out local chef Jill Nussinow’s new book, “The New Fast Food: The Veggie Queen Pressure Cooks Whole Food Meals in Less than 30 Minutes” at Share Exchange.

SousVide Supreme Water Oven: Santa, if you’re listening, I’m jonesing for my own sous vide machine. From slow-poaching meat to my newest obsession — the 63-degree egg — this is the closest I’ll come to the kitchens of the French Laundry. Available at Sur La Table.

Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer: A perennial food-lover’s dream, these powerhouse mixers are a necessity if you’re serious about baking. The Artisan models are okay, but if you can afford a little extra (or just hold out for a good sale), grab a Pro series that will churn through bigger batches of cookie dough, bread dough and hold up to serious usage for decades. Available online at amazon.com or Macy’s. Artisan Series available at Hardisty’s ($299).

Shun Bob Kramer Knives: Obsessive chefs and home cooks drool over the carbon steel knives that this master bladesmith makes in Olympia. But with an extensive waiting list and a cost of several hundred dollars per blade-inch, they’re hard to come by. Sur la Table is selling signature lines from Henckels and Shun starting at $189 for a utility knife and quickly going into the stratosphere. Available at Sur La Table.

Vitamix: I invested in one of these luxury blenders a few years ago, and never looked back. More than a status item, these 1380-watt shredders can covert even the toughest, most fibrous veggies into a pulp in seconds. It turns ice into ice cream, pounds grains into flour  and creams vegetables into instant soups. They’re tough as nails, and take some pretty serious abuse without complaint.  Plus, they’ll last you 5 times as long as that piece of junk on your counter that balks at bananas. $499-$700 at Sur La Table.

What do you want under the tree? Shout out…

What are the local foods that make you happy to live in Sonoma County?

So, here are your picks…or at least a first pass. Did we miss your favorites? Add them below!

Libations
Russian River Brewing: Pliny the Elder, Consecration
Taylor Maid Coffee: El Impossible
Guayaki: Yerba Mate
Ace in the Hole: Cider
Bear Republic: Racer 5

Dairy Good
Spring Hill Cheese: Butter
Rosso Pizzeria: Burrata
Redwood Hill Farm: Crottin
McClellands Dairy: European Style Organic Artisan Butter
St. Benoit Yogurt: Meyer Lemon Yogurt
Bohemian Creamery: Bo Peep
Bellwether Farm: Carmody
Sheana Davis: Delice de la Vallee
Matos Cheese Factory: Portugeuse Cheese
Straus Creamery: Butter
Clover-Stornetta: Butter, milk

Meat It!
Salmon Creek Ranch: Duck
Black Pig: Salumi and Bacon
Diavola: Charcuterie
Healdsburg Farm Fresh Eggs

Condimentable
Terra Sonoma: Verjus and Saba
Preston of Dry Creek: Olive Oil
Mateo Granados: Ahumado Salsa
Figone’s: Cinnamon Pear Balsamic Vinegar

Bread-Tastic
Jalisco Tortillas
Preston of Dry Creek: Bread
Della Fattoria: Kalamata Bread
Wildflour Bakery: Cheese Fougasse and sticky buns
SRJC Culinary Cafe: Bakery items
Nightengale Bread: Foccaccia
Chloe’s French Cafe: French pastries
Prima Vera Tamales

Sweets
Matanzas Creek Winery: Peanut, toffee, champagne brittle

Craft beer, cheese, preserves and coffee producers from Sonoma County were among the 144 finalists for this year’s Good Food Awards.

“These producers represent America at its best — businesses of every size that stimulate vibrant local economies and truly define the meaning of good food. In the long term, The Good Food Awards will change the way America feeds itself, and in the short term, it has set out to foster and fuel a craft food renaissance that is taking shape from coast to coast and everywhere in between. These are our American local food heroes, and it’s their time to shine,” said the Good Food Awards organizers.

On the list of Bay Area Nominees (Sonoma County Producers in BOLD):

BEER
Lagunitas Brewing Company, a lil’ Sumpin’ Sumpin’ California
Almanac Beer, Summer 2010 Vintage Blackberry Ale California (SF)

CHARCUTERIE
Adesso Speck (Oakland)
Café Rouge, Duck Pate California (SF)
Columbus Foods, Finnochiona California (SF)
Fatted Calf, Pork, Rabbit, and Duck Terrine California (Napa, SF)

CHEESE
Achadinha Cheese Company, Capricious California
Bellwether Farms, Carmody & Whole Milk Ricotta California
Cypress Grove Chevre, PsycheDillic California
Saint Benoit Yogurt, Organic Yogurt Cheese California

CHOCOLATE
Bittersweet, Rich Milk California (SF)
Dandelion Chocolate, 70% Costa Rica California (SF)

COFFEE
Equator Coffees & Teas, Ethiopia Watadera FTO California (Marin)
Flying Goat Coffee, Ethiopia Sidamo Moredocofe California
Sightglass Coffee, Ethiopia Shakiso California (SF)

PICKLES
Emmy’s Pickles and Jams, Turmeric Cauliflower California (SF)

PRESERVES
Artisan Preserves, Orange Honey Marmalade
Wine Forest Wild Foods, Wild Elderberry Syrup (Napa)

Winners Announced: January 13, 2012 (Ferry Building, San Francisco, CA)
The list of Good Food Awards finalists can be found here: http://bit.ly/gfafinalists2012pr

Tasting Gallery: http://bit.ly/gfatastingphotos
Good Food Awards Website: www.goodfoodawards.org

Hesitation has no place at the slaughter. The kill must be quick, the hand swift and the mind resolved.

Nervously lifting my condemned pig off the back of Sonoma rancher Nancy Prebilich’s pickup truck, I feel none of these things. The 50-pound black and white Hampshire prances and sniffs from inside the metal cage, unaware that the handful of clover we’ve tossed inside will be his last meal.

“Do you want to do it?” asks Prebilich, pointing to a .22 rifle. She knows I’m ambivalent. Firearms aren’t in my repertoire, and we agreed earlier it wouldn’t be fair to the animal should my aim and inexperience falter. I’m sure the wan look on my face confirms the choice. But it feels like a failure on my part not to do the deed I’d promised to do six weeks ago, when this adventure began.

In August, I purchased a piglet from Gleason Ranch with plans to raise, kill and eat it. The idea was simply to get to know my meat, to break down the walls most carnivores prefer never to look behind. But the process isn’t without peril. Few ranchers are willing to publicly open their barn doors to the process of harvesting animals, and even fewer of us really want to know that our bacon had a face.

Learning of my intentions, several local vegans vocally pleaded for the life of my first pig (which we’d named Reggie Bacon), ultimately securing my consent and the resources to send him to a no-kill farm sanctuary in Orland. Their compassionate perspective on meat-eating became an integral part of the story, strengthening my resolve as a carnivore to stop taking my pork chops for granted.

So, in late September, another pig from Reggie Bacon’s litter was purchased without chance of reprieve. After wrestling the squirming, muscular creature into a cage and driving through rural West County to a backyard processing facility, his moment had finally arrived. Heart racing, I feel queasy and unsure about the inevitable process about to unfold.

Yet there is no place for my hesitation here, and the trigger is pulled. With a ping that sounded more like a BB gun than a rifle, the bullet hits its mark. The pig’s legs instantly buckle and it collapses; brain function has ceased. We’ve called upon a more seasoned butcher at the facility to grab the animal from its cage and quickly cut the jugular vein. He has the deft sureness of a butcher who knows every inch of the animal’s anatomy.

Kneeling, he makes a single cut and blood pumps from the neck, a necessary step to keep the meat from spoiling. As it blooms onto the wet concrete, my hand instinctively lifts to cover my mouth, my eyes widen. The animal continues to have jolting, reflexive movements for several minutes. I won’t pretend it isn’t shocking to watch. I am grateful when it is over.

The carcass is lowered into heated water so the hair can be removed, then the internal organs are removed delicately. Handling the pig is intensely intimate; I am aware that this is no pork chop, but an animal that minutes ago was alive.

We constantly spray the carcass with water to keep eager flies away. This is hot, messy and difficult work. It is easy to see why efficient and sanitary facilities are necessary for commercial meat processing and appreciate the strength of our ancestors, for whom this was a frequent task.

Though the pig is for personal consumption (hence why we’re not at a USDA-regulated facility required for commercial processing), we hurry to get the carcass on ice, placing it into an ice chest with a chicken and rabbit that we’ve also harvested.

Several days later, all of the animals are broken down into smaller pieces at a butchering demonstration at Santa Rosa’s Great Handcar Regatta September 25. A crowd gathers to watch as chefs wield huge knives, dissecting the animals into more familiar dinner-sized pieces. Here is a loin, ribs, a leg for ham. Faces range from enraptured to disgusted. That is exactly the point. Our audience is getting personal with their food as well.

A heavy plastic tub holds the remaining pieces, and our pig becomes a communal feast. The cheeks and ears are wrapped around the belly to create a porchetta di testa; the legs will be smoked to become hams. Shoulders are brined and slow-cooked.

A chef friend boils the head to make a gelatinous head cheese, and the ribs somehow disappear after the event, no doubt ending up on someone’s grill. Nothing is wasted, nothing pushed aside uneaten.

But this pig is not an easy meal for me. With every bite, I’m reminded of the process. The meat is leaner, rougher, a hint gamier. It’s not perfect, but as I chew, I am again grateful. I can say without hesitation that I’ve gotten personal with my dinner, looked it straight in the eye and taken part in bringing it to the table.

Missed the first two chapters of this story? 

Chapter 1: Meet your Meat
Chapter 2: A Reprieve for Reggie