Celebrate Earth Day at Iron Horse Vineyards
Joy Sterling and her father, Barry Sterling, in the gardens of their Iron Horse Vineyards in 2007.
Iron Horse Vineyards will host an Earth Day celebration from noon to 4 p.m. April 18 in conjunction with the National Geographic Society.
Participating wineries in the “Green Valley Goes Blue” celebration include DeLoach, Dutton-Goldfield, Freeman, Hartford Family Winery, Marimar Estate and Sequana Vineyards.
The event includes a walk-around tasting of food and wine, a water-themed art exhibit, live music by Octopus Garden and the Rock Cods, and an eco-presentation by marine biologist Tierney Thys, a champion of ocean exploration.
Tickets are $50 general; $250 for VIPs, which includes a reception at the home of Audrey and Barry Sterling. To order, go to ironhorsevineyards.com.
Proceeds benefit the health of Green Valley Creek, the Russian River and the Pacific Ocean through the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch and National Geographic's Oceans Now initiative.
Iron Horse Vineyards is located at 9786 Ross Station Road. 887-1507.
30 wineries join for April in Carneros
It's time for April in Carneros, a tasting event featuring 30 wineries in the cool, windswept Carneros region of Napa and Sonoma counties.
The weekend event, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 17 and 18, offers food and wine pairings, live music, arts and craft shows plus special tastings.
Tickets are $35 in advance, $40 at the door, for both days. To purchase, call (800) 366-2806 or go to carneroswineries.org, which also includes a complete list of winery offerings and a map of participating wineries.
Women food writers at Rancho Gordo
Rancho Gordo, the Napa-based purveyor of heirloom beans and grains, presents women chefs and their cookbooks this spring at the Rancho Gordo storefront in Napa.
Vegetable guru Deborah Madison will talk about her new cookbook, “Seasonal Fruit Desserts: From Orchard, Farm and Market,” at 3:30 p.m. this Sunday.
Paula Wolfert of Sonoma will share recipes from her latest cookbook, “Mediterranean Clay Pot Cooking,” at 3:30 p.m. April 24.
Judy Witts-Francini, author of “Secrets From My Tuscan Kitchen,” will share tips on Tuscan cooking, clay pots and beans at 3:30 p.m. May 1.
Bram, a clay cookware store in Sonoma, will bring its international collection of clay pots to the event for purchase. Rancho Gordo is located at 1924 Yajome St., Napa. Phone: 259-1935.
Catelli's resurrects dishes from the Rex
Catelli's recently opened its doors in downtown Geyserville, in the former Santi restaurant location.
The family restaurant is serving up some of the original recipes from the family restaurant's first menu, including its original ragu sauce and handmade ravioli. Catelli's the Rex was originally opened in 1936 by Virgini and Santi Catelli and is now operated by their grandchildren, brother-and-sister team Nicholas and Domenica Catelli.
Nicholas Catelli, who has worked in restaurants for the past 13 years, will serve as general manager. Domenica Catelli has worked as a restaurant chef for the past 15 years and wrote a family cookbook, “Mom-a-licious.”
Catelli's is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The restaurant is located at 21047 Geyserville Ave. 857-3471.
Coppola blends literature and wine
A reading paired with wine. Join editors Krista Halverson and Michael Ray on April 11 at Francis Ford Coppola Winery for a special celebration of the latest issue of Zoetrope: All Story, with bottlings from the winery poured.
Following a live reading of a story from the new edition, Halverson and Ray will discuss the ins and outs of producing the award-winning literary magazine. The event is 1 to 3 p.m., and the fee is $10 per person. 300 Via Archimedes, Geyserville. To reserve a spot, call 857-1403.
All things truffle at Hop Kiln Winery
Truffle Madness? You bet. The April 11 event at Hop Kiln Winery in Healdsburg is a not-to-be missed event for those who love truffles.
There will be samples of chef Renzo Veronese's picnic pasta salad showcasing the new Hop Kiln white-truffle olive oil, as well as a range of other gourmet goodies like truffle sea salt and black-truffle grapeseed oil.
The free event is from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and the winery is at 6050 Westside Road. For more information, call 433-6491.
Geyser Peak winemaker at Mirepoix dinner
Restaurant Mirepoix will host a five-course, winemaker dinner at 5:30 p.m. April 15 featuring Daryl Groom of Geyser Peak Winery.
The wines at the dinner were produced by Marschall Groom Cellars, a boutique winery in the Barossa Valley of South Australia that is co-owned by Groom and his wife, Lisa.
Groom is best known for his work as a winemaker at Geyser Peak Winery in Healdsburg and at Penfolds in Australia.
Cost of the dinner is $80 per person, not including tax or tip. Reservations: 838-0162 or restaurantmirepoix.com.
Brewmaster dinner at Hopmonk Tavern
Matt Walsh of the Speakeasy Brewery of San Francisco will preside over a brewmaster's dinner at 6 p.m. April 18 at the Hopmonk Tavern in Sebastopol.
The dinner includes an appetizer, salad, entree and dessert, paired with Big Daddy, White Lightning, Prohibition Ale and a flight of dark beers.
The cost is $55. Reservations recommended: 829-7300. 230 Petaluma Ave., Sebastopol. hopmonk.com.
Taylor's Refreshers changing their name
Joel and Duncan Gott, owners of three wildly popular Taylor's Automatic Refreshers in the Bay Area, are changing the name of their restaurants for legal reasons.
The restaurants — located at the original, drive-in burger stand in St. Helena, Napa's Oxbow Public Market and the San Francisco Ferry Building Marketplace — have been renamed Gott's Roadside Tray Gourmet.
“Tray Gourmet says it all — our salute to the classic roadside stand done with a twist: fast food as fine food, made with fresh, high-quality artisan ingredients and cooked to order,” said Joel Gott.
To celebrate the name change and their 10-year anniversary, the brothers have rehired their original chef, Rick Robinson, as their new executive chef.
“While the menu will remain the same, we're not going to rest on our laurels,” he said. “We're striving to consistently improve, and will be adding some really interesting specials like Ahi poke salad and an upscale tuna melt.”
For more information, go to the company's new Web site: gottsroadside.com.