General

Who knew olive oil is a beverage? OK, not exactly, but I was receptive to participating in my first olive oil tasting with food pairings because I knew how fun and instructive wine tastings are. IL Fiorello Olive Oil Company is a family-owned company dedicated to growing and milling the finest quality artisan olive oil. …

Everything I know (so far) about whiskey I learned at Savage and Cooke Distillery on Mare Island, just across the water from downtown Vallejo. I first discovered the distillery when my son, who works at a Napa winery, told me of Dave Phinney‘s newest venture after he took their tour and tasting. My son knew …

We first fell in love with Suisun Valley on a weekend day trip from our previous home in Berkeley.  We followed signs to Winterhawk Winery that was serving local wine, a funky blues band, and pizzas made fresh by Tony, Jr. of Napoli’s Pizza Vallejo in an oven fired with discarded barrel staves. Sadly, that …

Any search for Vallejo’s favorite pizza will lead to Napoli’s Pizza at 124 Tennessee Street in Vallejo.  That’s where you’re likely to be greeted by the owner himself, Tony, as he kneads his house-made dough and toppings in front of the large pizza oven.  He makes the sauce and ravioli himself as well, but when …

I traveled to New Orleans 4 times to enjoy JazzFest but I’m embarrassed to say I hadn’t participated in BottleRock right here in Napa until last year.  Given my love of far-away music festivals, I thought it would be fun to volunteer backstage at BottleRock.  But they don’t take volunteers.  So instead they hired me …

I enjoyed my time as a volunteer at last year’s Sonoma International Film Festival.  The annual Festival features more than 100 films, representing 29 countries, screening at various venues throughout Sonoma, plus two culinary showcase events, and themed parties, panels and more.  This year, the 26th annual event will be March 22-26. As a venue …

Mare Island, just across the water from downtown Vallejo, offers an amazing glimpse of its history as a vibrant warship factory. Back then, the fuel that powered the ships was stored in enormous “coal sheds” near the waterfront.  Today, a couple of those sheds have been repurposed to brew and serve flavorful beer with intriguing …

Growing up back East, I remember the best ears of corn and melons were from the produce stands on the side of the road in the summertime.  During the pandemic, Hiddenbrooke restaurant chef Michael Warring shared that his local source for organic produce was now selling direct to the general public.  We first met Courtney …

Knowing Our Winemaker  Before we moved to California, my wife and I carefully chose our wine in liquor stores based on the label design. Business travel allowed us to learn about and appreciate the wine selections of others (with larger expense accounts than ours). That’s how we discovered “the best” pinot noir wine was from …

What type of business do you think should fill the business vacancy at Hiddenbrooke Plaza?  It’s been years since the dry cleaner moved out, and I’m eager to spark a discussion amongst our Hiddenbrooke neighbors that might encourage a new business that we would all appreciate. The other plaza business owners whom I’ve spoken with …