It’s Halloween, and if you’re like me, you’ve invited a few people over for dinner to celebrate. What better way to kick it off than with a local cocktail? HelloCello’s Limoncello di Sonoma founder Amy and Fred Groth recently won the “fan favorite” award the annual Battle of the Bartenders on Oct. 16 in Sonoma with their Nuclear Wasted Limoncello original cocktail. Getting into the Halloween spirit early, they  dressed in bright yellow HazMat suits and dispensed the lemony cocktail from a… Read More »

 It must be fall. The smell of woodsmoke  lingers in the air, and the smell of braised meat wafts across our kitchens.  My weekend  kicked off with a hearty bowl of Nonna’s Chicken  and Polenta at Scopa in Healdsburg and  continued with a Pork Roast with Apples at  a friend’s house on Saturday. On Sunday, I came up with  one of my crazy Crockpot inventions: a  stew made with Fra’ Mani pork sausage and cheese tortellini,  dried beans and veggies from Tierra Vegetables, finished with… Read More »

Duskie Estes of Zazu Restaurant + Farm will celebrate her appearance on  “The Next Iron Chef” with a three-course dinner and screening of the premier this Sunday night, Oct. 3, at the Santa Rosa restaurant. For those who want to go whole hog, the dinner starts at 5:30 p.m.  Tickets are $97, which includes wine and viewing but not tax or tip. Or, you can just show up at 8 p.m. for the show, which costs $39 and comes with… Read More »