The Sonoma Table
Les Dames d’Escoffier Sonoma County
Newsletter April 2023
Earth Day 2023: “Invest in our Planet”
April 22 is Earth Day, the day designated to celebrate our beautiful planet. This day we are reminded to honor Mother Earth by dedicating our energy, time and resources to lessen our impact on the environment and protect her. The list of issues to address and find solutions for can be overwhelming but there is a lot that we can do every day in our communities.
Here we will focus on the initiatives of five Sonoma County women leaders, two of whom are Dames of our Sonoma Chapter, who are incorporating sustainable and regenerative practices within their businesses which will surely make an impact. They also offer suggestions on what our immediate communities can do to help!
Dame Tamara Hicks, Owner, Toluma Farms/Tomales Farmstead Creamery
Protect what you love, love what you need
20 years ago, Tamara Hicks and her husband David Jablons fell in love with the 160-acre depleted dairy farm that was once the ancestral home to the Coast Miwoks. They lovingly revitalized and renewed this land into Toluma Farms and Tomales Farmstead Creamery. As a psychologist and physician, they had a lot to learn about farming and land revitalization but knew the positive impact that a healthy ecosystem and good whole foods can have on one's mental and physical health.
“Land management is hard and takes a very long time,” says Tamara. “When people first started farming the land, there was a distinct lack of support, resources and information. As a result, we spent a lot of time cleaning up the land. There had been no recycling, so there were literally mountains of garbage dumped everywhere, including roughly 10,000 tires! We had to restore the battered barns and assess if there was any nutrient value in the grasses and plants for the animals. It was a long road.”
Over time, they began planting native plants, shrubs and trees and gained the protection of the Marin Agricultural Land Trust (MALT). MALT is the oldest land trust in the country whose work and dedication ensures that 55,000 acres (more than 90 farms) are forever protected as farmland throughout West Marin.
Tamara loves the day-to-day operations of the farm, connecting with staff and visitors, taking care of the animals, and is proud of their beautiful award-winning cheeses. But, her true passion is land management and the legacy of stewardship which is so important for continued regeneration and sustainability. Tamara and her team also collaborate with active Coast Miwok tribe members to advise them on their regenerative work, keeping the passionate community of stewards together.
What can you do!?
Know your farmer!
Be regulars at farmer’s markets - on rainy days, too!
Support as many farms as possible by visiting or volunteering
Dame Naomi Crawford, Co-Owner, Lunchette
Regeneration = Building Resilient, Strong Communities
For Naomi Crawford food helps build strong and resilient communities. Lunchette focuses on delicious, fast casual food featuring the best quality ingredients from local farms and purveyors. From its menu to its retail shelves, each product shares the story of a person or a family contributing to the richness and sustainability of their community. Take-out containers and utensils are compostable and the restaurant has reduced its trash to next to nothing. “We could all do a little better. That’s why I’m always striving. Because whatever it takes, I don’t want to keep being part of the problem.”
Lunchette’s most important work, and Naomi’s passion, is its role in supporting regenerative farming and the reversal of climate damage as a member of Zero Foodprint.
“It’s so rewarding and important to be part of programs like Zero Foodprint. With a goal of being a carbon-zero city by 2030, Petaluma is at the forefront of resilient, adaptive, deeply committed communities - a model for cities around the country,” says Naomi.
What can you do!?
Ask for better - for compostable containers, for information about food sources
Support your local farmers! Join a CSA like FEED, a consortium representing 50 local farms producing nutrient-rich food
Joy Sterling, President, Iron Horse Vineyards
Helping to save the planet one delicious sip at a time
“Every day is Earth Day to farmers,” states Joy Sterling, 2nd generation farmer and CEO of Iron Horse Vineyards. Founded by Joy’s parents, Barry and Audrey Sterling in the mid-1970’s, Iron Horse is a family-owned winery known not only for its production of world-class sparkling and still wines but also their commitment to the environment and the stewardship of the land.
“In viticulture, there are so many practices that are regenerative. It’s what we naturally do, from the planting of beneficial cover crops, our irrigation and water recycling, carbon sequestration and more,” says Joy. “Often, it’s what we don’t do that’s important. The fact that we’ve kept so many of the oak trees on our land instead of taking them out to make room for more vineyards is an important example. They are not only beautiful, they are a powerful ally in carbon sequestration and vital for the health of our soil and environment.”
Joy’s commitment to impact and sustainability moves beyond their vineyards and land. As a board member of the California Food & Ag Board and the California State Coastal Conservancy, Joy actively advocates for sustainable practices in farming and land management, clean water access, universal broadband access on farmland/ rural areas and protection of the Pacific Ocean.
As such, the winery changed the name of their Blanc de Blanc to Ocean’s Reserve in 2005 as an impact wine label supporting organizations directly protecting our oceans and its sea life. With the latest release, Iron Horse announced a new beneficiary of the 2019 Ocean Reserve - the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito. Says Joy, “Protecting the diversity of sea life is critical to the health of the oceans, and, in turn, to our lives.”
Mary Munat, Founder, Green Mary
Greening locally, affecting globally
If you've organized an event in the Bay Area, you've likely worked with Mary Munat, founder of Green Mary. Mary and her staff of 40 manage roughly 400 events a year making sure that they are sustainable by reducing waste. Events are huge producers of waste and Mary has taken on the challenge to educate event organizers and attendees on how to have a sustainable event.
Mary moved to Sonoma County in 2002 from New England. She volunteered at the Health and Harmony Festival. Environmental activist Julia Butterfly-Hill addressed the crowd about the disconnect between the festival's meaning and the excessive waste it produced. Julia stated "I won't be back until this event is greened.” That was Mary's a-ha moment! Inspired, Mary started to dedicate her time and energy to address the waste and excess at events until her new name: Green Mary.
Mary and her team are committed to using the most sustainable options to ensure smart practices at the deepest levels. They apply a carbon tax to all events to offset their participation and contributes the proceeds to the Climate Center. The Green Mary team is more than waste management, they are eco-partners and educators. Onsite, they take opportunities to educate attendees, emphasizing the “power of one” - changes and shifts made by one person that will positively impact the planet!
Says Mary, “Through event greening, a steady aim has been to shift the focus from a throw-away culture to reliance on reusable wares. Recycling is NOT a sustainable path and behaving as though it is is ultimately harmful for the planet.”
Another area Mary is most passionate about is food waste and recovery. She has been heavily focused on moving good food to homeless shelters and communities.
What can you do!?
Bring your own utensils, napkins, water bottles, and coffee mugs
Bring your own containers to hot food bars in stores like Whole Foods, Olivers, Safeway, etc. They will weigh your container without the food first and deduct from the full container.
Recycle clothing. Did you know that retailer H&M will take used clothing in ANY condition? Take your bags of clothing to an H&M store and receive a coupon toward a future purchase.
Don’t throw away corks, recycle them. Every Whole Foods store should have a bin outside their stores labeled “Recork” where you can drop your used corks. Did you know that there was a worldwide cork shortage
Circe Sher, President, Piazza Hospitality
Approaching each new project with a green lens
President of Piazza Hospitality Circe Sher believes each of her unique hotel properties offer the opportunity to deepen their commitment to impact - environmentally, socially and culturally. Opened in 2010, the group’s Healdsburg’s h2 Hotel was their first LEED Gold property which set the standard for following projects. Says Circe, “We took a lot with an unused gas station and began the significant journey of soil remediation and creek restoration, ending up with a beautiful energy efficient, eco property which holds the gold standard in sustainability.”
With the opening of Harmon Guest House in 2018, also a LEED Gold property, their attention to green initiatives and sustainability was on full display, for example:
Underwater rainwater harvesting system providing 100 percent of the property’s irrigation needs
All LED lighting
EV charging stations
Solar thermal water heating system
Low/no sun-shading slat system to reduce solar heat gain
Low/no VOC paints and coatings
Reclaimed finish materials
High-efficiency irrigation system with weather-based controls
Water-efficient plumbing fixtures.
With their next two Sonoma County projects, Circe and Piazza partner Paolo Petrone are moving into a next level of sustainability and further into regeneration.
They are aiming to achieve net zero with the Hotel Sebastopol They plan to use all solar energy for the hotel - aligned with Sebastopol’s “solar first” philosophy.
With their latest small Healdsburg project, an intimate 17 guest room property, they are participating in the Living Building Challenge which is a program created by the National Living Future Institute. This program guides them to fully lean into regenerative goals which includes purifying systems within the property that allow for a completely closed water system, the use of solar power, and sustainable building materials.
Circe is as passionate about community and cultural sustainability as she is about environmental stability. She is also one of the regions most important philanthropists
“Being in a place where agriculture and the environment are so central to the economy, environmentalism is part of the community ethos, along with a consideration for one’s social environment,” says Circe. “These ideals are very much aligned with ours, and we try to practice them through our business philanthropy, whether through offering scholarships to our employees, supporting arts through local educational organizations, or supporting non-profit environmental organizations such as the Russian Riverkeepers.”
What can you do!?
Take the SMART train to access Sonoma County
Drive to the hotel, park and leave the car while exploring our wonderful town on foot or with one of the loaner bicycles available to guests
Bring a refillable water bottle with you at all times and take advantage of the purified flat and sparkling water dispensers available on each of our hotel floors
Be aware of what you are eating and drinking, support our local farmers and makers
We hope you are inspired by what these amazing leaders are doing to help our planet!
Keep this list of suggestions handy and/or check out some great events in our community to celebrate Earth Day!
Here’s a link to Earth Day events in Sonoma County!
—Written by Dame Erin Hunt Moore
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Member of the Month
Dame Kim Laidlaw, Mentorship
Calling all Dames! Let’s Cook for a Cause
The Mentorship Committee is looking for a few great Dames to volunteer to share their cooking expertise and help mentor 15 community members! Work alongside new Dame Whitney Reuling and teach a cooking class as a benefit for Sonoma Family Meal (SFM).
Participants will break up into three groups to prepare your recipes together with your guidance, culminating in a family style meal. Classes take place in the SFM’s commercial kitchen, a 3000 square foot space outfitted with everything you need (with a few exceptions) to show off your skills and teach others. While Chefs should be prepared to provide the ingredients for the meal, SFM will do its best to procure some provisions and will provide donated beer and wine for the meal. Great exposure for you, your business and an opportunity to fulfill your Dames volunteering commitment.
Class Dates (from 5-7pm)
June 22, 2023
September 21, 2023
December 14, 2023
February 15, 2024
Please take this opportunity to share what you've got cookin' with Sonoma Family Meals. Which date would you like to hold? For more information and to sign up for a class date, please contact Dame Cynthia Ariosta - Mentorship Committee.
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Upcoming Events & Reminders
Member Meeting: April 18th, 5:15pm, Monkey Ranch, Petaluma
Culinary Rummage Sale: April 29th, 9am-2pm, Relish Culinary Adventures,
Healdsburg (don’t forget to drop off your donations before April 22nd!)
Julia’s Table: May 11th, 5pm-7pm, Cadet Wine Bar, Napa
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"You don't have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces—just good food from fresh ingredients." --Julia Child
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