Romancing the Home
For over 15 years, Romancing the Home, a locally owned home interior, garden, and specialty gift shop has been operating in downtown Benicia. The owners, Rob & Deb Machado, take pride in offering quality home accessories, plus an array of beautiful gift lines.
They refresh the shop for each season, providing unique and affordable merchandise that is showcased in vignettes. This, in turn, provides their customers with ideas on how to enhance their own surroundings.
Additionally, they offer a tranquil garden located in the back of the shop that showcases statuary, along with patio furniture & garden accessories. Come in, say hi, and discover what many of our readers already know —that Romancing the Home is the choice for gifts for any home.
617 First St., Benicia, CA, 94510
(707) 747-1717
benicia-rth.com
Bada Bing Salon
Short, long, brown, blond, whatever your cut or color, the staff here understand how to help their clients express their style well. “We have a relaxing, comfortable environment,” said Owner/Stylist Starr Safa. “From our candlelit Zen room to refreshing cucumber water, we try to create an overall pampered experience.” When’s the last time you’ve been pampered? If you’re still thinking of the answer then it’s been too long. Plus, we’ve got a new year ahead of us! Maybe it’s time for a change. “Hair is our passion at Bada Bing,” Starr said. “We have a highly trained team of stylists who continue to take advanced training courses throughout the year to stay up on the latest trends and techniques.” Come in and discover why our readers have selected them for the last two years as their favorite in our Local’s Choice Awards.
425 Military East, Ste G, Benicia, CA, 94510
(707) 746-5566
http://www.badabingsalon.com
Oakmont Memorial Park & Mortuary
When arranging to say goodbye to a loved one, excellent personal service is beyond necessary. Oakmont Memorial Park & Mortuary does just that and more. “We hope to continue to provide the highest-level service possible for our community and for the families we serve,” said Mortuary Manager Skip Dailey, who is especially grateful for such an honor. Skip just joined the Oakmont team last October following a 20-year stint with the prestigious Frank E. Campbell Funeral Chapel in Manhattan, New York. “I worked there for many years providing high-level, white-glove service to that community,” he said. “I hope, and feel, that I am bringing that level of service under my leadership here at Oakmont.” Since he took the reigns not even six months ago, their overall pricing has been reduced. “We’ve listened to the community; we’ve paid attention to their concerns and needs; we’ve dropped our pricing on both sides of our business here—funeral and cemetery—so we are now more approachable by the community, and more affordable.” New packages are being rolled out and Skip has a lot planned for 2019, so make sure to keep Oakmont in mind if you’re in need of such a special service.
2099 Reliez Valley Rd., Lafayette, CA, 94549
(925) 935-3311
www.oakmontmortuary.com
Antiques on Second
On an unassuming corner in downtown Napa is one of the best antique stores in the area. As you walk through the front doors you are always greeted with a smile and a hearty welcome. And while the customer service is great, what you’ll find inside might actually be even greater.
With 3600 sq. ft., 35 active vendors, and hundreds of consignors, Antiques on Second is a constantly changing collection of treasures. New things arrive daily, and Owner and Visionary Molly Silcox is always arranging things differently so that you never miss a thing. If you can’t find what you are looking for, ask the “pickers” and they will most certainly find your bounty. Before you say goodbye be sure to stop at their sister store right down the street at the Annex for that item you didn’t even know you were looking for!
So, come into Antiques on Second and see why they were voted as a Local’s Choice winner this year, and listen to what customers are saying about them: “Expect the unexpected!”
1390 Rosewood Ln., Napa, CA, 94558
(707) 252-6353
https://www.theannexnapa.com
While out browsing the booths at the Vallejo Farmer’s Market or the Napa-Vallejo Flea Market, one can find graduate students in white coats providing free medical services like blood pressure checks or health screenings. These future healthcare professionals at Touro University California (TUC) go out to apply the skills that they are learning in the classroom to increase access to care in the North Bay Area, especially for those who are underserved. Two of the most direct avenues to seek out these free health services from TUC are the Student-Run Free Clinic (SRFC) and the Mobile Diabetes Education Center (MOBEC).
The Student-Run Free Clinic opens at the Norman C. King Community Center from 4:30 to 8:30 every Thursday. To make an appointment, call (707) 653-6331.
The SRFC in South Vallejo is run and directed by student volunteers in fields like osteopathic medicine, pharmacy, physician assistant studies, and nursing. With the supervision of precepting doctors and pharmacists, the students bring an interprofessional range of experience directly into the community. In just the past year, the clinic has seen a 64% increase in volunteer hours and a 60% increase in scheduled patient visits.
The students at the clinic address a wide range of issues. Some come in with chronic pain due to old injuries, such as back pain or difficulty walking. After going over a patient’s history, students can perform Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment, which is the realignment of the body to assist its own pathways to health. Most patients with chronic issues end up using far less medication and become more functional because they’re having the treatment done on a regular basis, says Gail Feinberg, DO, Clinical Director of the SRFC.
“These students work together to pick up where a busy primary care provider leaves off,” says Dr. Feinberg. “At the clinic, they put in the time to address the patient’s other barriers to health without having to do anything physically to them.”
With new sponsorship from Kaiser Permanente, the SRFC also offers additional flu vaccinations and diabetes A1-C tests. Patients can have their medications overviewed by student doctors of pharmacy, receiving education and recommendations on alternative options catered to the patient’s own needs. College of Pharmacy students also help patients sort through and fill out time-consuming forms to apply for patient assistant programs for prescription medications.
“I love seeing patients come back so proud and making positive changes for their health,” said Leslie Wu, PharmD candidate of 2021. “It is extremely motivating to know that the team was able to make a difference for even one patient.”
To find out where you can meet the MOBEC or take a class, visit http://www.tu.edu/mobec/index.html or call (707) 636-5970.
Out on the MOBEC, students bring FREE diabetes screening and education to the people of Solano County. Made possible through a generous gift from Sutter Health Foundation, the state-of-the-art MOBEC is designed to break the barrier between healthcare providers and those in the community for the prevention of diabetes. It also reaches out to those who may not otherwise have adequate access to healthcare.
Approaching its third year of service, the MOBEC has seen more than 3,800 visitors and administered over 2,000 blood glucose screenings. Interacting one-on-one with those in the community, future health professionals and public health practitioners assess the visitor’s risk factors for diabetes and provide diabetes screenings—both blood glucose and A1C. Students also give individualized counseling regarding lifestyle modifications, nutrition, medication education, and exercise education.
“Their presence has been just such a bonus for the people who can’t afford health care on a regular basis,” stressed Benjamin Buggs, Founder of Faith Food Fridays in Vallejo.
By reaching out to people in the communities where they live, the MOBEC aims to bring greater community awareness to diabetes and pre-diabetes, which affects 55% of Californians. The longer that diabetes goes untreated, the harder it is to control, so early detection is key.
“Diabetes is a progressive disease that marches forward whether we go with it or not. But it’s a disease that can be controlled if we’re aggressive with it,” stressed Dr. Shubrook, Professor and Diabetologist at TUC’s College of Osteopathic Medicine. “You can live a normal life with type 2 diabetes. It requires proactive aggressive management, and knowing your status is the first step of it.”
The Bay Area Brew Fest
By: Nate Gartrell
If you’ve ever dreamed about being able to kick back and enjoy unlimited amounts of some of the best beer California has to offer, that’s exactly what the Bay Area Brew Festival is known for. Now in its ninth year, the San Francisco-based festival brings together great beer and food from breweries and restaurants of all sizes, from all over the area.
The Bay Area Brew Fest is one of Northern California’s biggest annual celebrations of beer, a one-day event held on March 23rd. It will feature more than 200 beers and hard ciders from 70 breweries big and small, from all over the West Coast. There will also be a food truck alley featuring some of the best food trucks in the country, a DJ, piano bar, photo booth, and other fun features and activities.
Although it’s an annual event, this year’s March date is barely six months after the last Bay Area Beer Fest, which was held in August. Organizer Drink Eat Play, a Los Angeles-based event production company, is known for putting together exciting events all over the country, like the ’80s and ’90s Prom, and celebration events for everything from bacon to cupcakes to The Great Gatsby. However, Drink Eat Play is best known for its beer festivals, and it came to the Bay Area in 2010 after a successful series of similar events in Los Angeles and Orange County.
Drink Eat Play said their events draw up to 15,000 attendees, a majority of which are returning customers. This year should be no exception as we understand that this event has sold out several years in a row, attracting thousands to this festival at Fisherman’s Wharf.
A lot of brew festivals will give attendees a limit on how many times their mugs can be filled for free as part of the admission fee. But the Bay Area Beer Fest does things a bit differently. The festival is broken up into two sessions: the first is about four hours long, beginning at noon and ending in the early afternoon; a second three-hour session starts after 5 p.m. Anyone who buys a ticket can attend one of the two sessions and can help themselves to as much beer as they like for as long as they attend.
Folks who buy VIP tickets get all this plus an extra hour of admission. VIP attendees will also be allowed to taste exclusive specialty beers poured during the first hour of the session. Food is sold separately at a Food Truck Alley that will feature all sorts of hearty treats like pretzels, pizza, burgers, and vegetarian dishes. Food Truck Alley will be available to everyone who attends, and will heavily emphasize food trucks from San Francisco.
Featured breweries at the festival are not limited to the immediate Bay Area, or even California in general for that matter, but there will be many to choose from. You can find beer from the well-known Hop Valley Brewing Company and the Ninkasi Brewing Company, both based in Eugene, Oregon. Other popular featured breweries include Lagunitas from Petaluma and Drake’s from San Leandro — two Bay Area hotspots that have gained huge followings and feature a range of traditional and artisan IPAs, sours, pilsners, and more. Ace Cider, based in Sebastopol, will also have a booth at the event featuring (among other things) the apple and pear ciders that have given the Ace Cider name recognition all over the state.
But the Bay Area Brew Fest is based on good, quality beer, not just name recognition, and for that reason has also opened its doors to lesser-known, small-scale breweries. Among those is the Concord-based Epidemic Ales, a small brewery and taproom with a crew of less than 10, who began brewing as a hobby before taking part in the craft full time. Epidemic’s beers have apocalyptic names, like “World’s End” and “Red Plague,” and its creators boast that their tastes will jump out at you even among the hundreds of different selections in the area’s densely populated microbreweries. There is also Shadow Puppet from Livermore, a small, locally-owned brewery that features 17 different selections and has gotten the attention of media and “Top 10” lists throughout the region. In the area of hard cider, Richmond, California’s Far West Cider Company is small and family owned with a taproom tucked away near Pt. Richmond that is open for limited hours five days a week — and has become a favorite within the local scene.
In trying to use the event to do good in the local community, the Brew Fest’s organizers have partnered with Copper’s Dream Animal Rescue, a San Francisco-based all-breed dog rescue that works with local animal foster homes to adopt out dogs of all ages. Its name comes from a Cocker Spaniel named Copper, a childhood dog of co-founder Jennifer Wang that lived well past its 15th birthday. Part of the proceeds from the Brew Fest will go toward helping the dog rescue nonprofit, which says its main objective is to drastically reduce animal euthanasia.
The Bay Area Brew Festival will take place on March 23rd, at Pier 35 on Fisherman’s Wharf, 1454 The Embarcadero in San Francisco. The first session begins at noon and goes till 4 p.m., and the second session is from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tickets are NOT sold at the door, except for designated driver tickets that can be purchased for $20, but folks who buy them will be kicked out if they’re seen drinking. Regular and VIP ticket prices range from $45 to $60 and can be purchased at eventbrite.com by searching the site for “Bay Area Brew Festival.” Per regulations from the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, or ABC, the event is 21 and up. Pets are not allowed, and the event will be held rain or shine. For additional information, visit bayareabrewfestival.com and like the festival’s Facebook page to follow them for updates at facebook.com/bayareabrewfestival.
Nate Gartrell grew up in Benicia, studied journalism in college, and has written for a handful of media outlets since age 15. He aspires to visit all 30 Major League Baseball stadiums and to hit the trifecta at the horse track.
Well, another year is coming to a close, and it is always with a bit of sadness and trepidation that we wind up the year. What will 2019 bring us? Hopefully, more rain will fill our skies, and less fire will burn our hills and homes. 2019 is not an election year, so we should all be able to focus a little more on going out and enjoying our community. We know that the California fires have made 2018 a very difficult year for many people near and dear to us. It is our hope that we will all come together to help our neighbors rebuild their lives after such devastation, and maybe even find a way of preventing such disasters from ever happening again.
In times like these, community is more important than ever, so we will continue to highlight all that our dynamic tri-county region has to offer in order to keep our communal spirits thriving stronger than ever before. To celebrate those who have gone above and beyond, helping to sculpt our region into such a great place to live, we will be announcing the winners of our Local Happenings Magazine Local’s Choice Awards in our next issue.
Please do your part to help make this a safe holiday season as well. Don’t drink and drive. Be watchful for others on the road, with extra attention to pedestrians and motorcyclists! Make sure to water your Christmas trees so they don’t dry and start a fire. Make sure the menorah is placed a safe distance away from anything flammable. Holiday lights and turkey fryers can also be dangerous, so make sure to use them carefully. Remember, small batteries and magnets can be present in many small toys and they do not mix well with small children. But of course, enjoy yourself, too. Yes, it is a season of giving, but you should give yourself time to enjoy it, without the constant worry of doing everything for everyone. Your friends and family will remember their time with you more than that pair of designer socks or bottle of limited wine you searched far and wide to find.
Sadly, we recently lost our faithful mascot, Ben, and we know many of you saw him out and about in his younger years. He missed seeing everyone these past couple of years and we know everyone will miss him! Here he is gracing the cover in 2015. You may see more of Ben’s travels on page 17.
Finally, we’d like to send our birthday greetings to our family and friends, starting with our brother-in-law, Ken, as well as Steven M., Marla, Rod, Joanne, Tony, Jill, Rob, Michael, Jose, Bobby, Rosemarie, Vrej, Vijay, Pancho, Margaret, Stacey, Gary, Momma Hand, Monique, Connie, Lucy, Kathleen, Leslie, Jim, Elissa, Ginger, Bonnie, Linda, Bobbie, our brother Gregory B., Sid, John, Rick, Stephanie, Roman, John, Adrianna, Peggy, Samantha, and Steve, and to any and all who we might have missed, we are thinking of you as well!
Cheers to the holidays, and to the new year!
Robert Briseño
& Deanna Troupe
If you’re in the mood, head to AmCan for some golf, wine, and food
By Matt Larson
Our beautiful region is known for, well—its beauty! Rolling hills, lush landscapes, gourmet culture all around; we truly live in a nature lover’s paradise. What better way to enjoy it than with a round of golf? And if you’re also a wine connoisseur, Eagle Vines Golf Club in American Canyon is, without question, the place for you, regardless of your expertise in both wine and/or golf.
“Eagle Vines Golf Club caters to golfers of all types, whether you’re an advanced golfer or just beginning,” said General Manager David Griffis. “We have plenty of tee boxes that can play fair to anybody’s skill level.”
Many golf courses often have residential housing all around in plain sight, but at Eagle Vines—an 18-hole par-72 golf course—you will find nothing but nature along its panoramic view, providing for a fully immersive golfing experience.
“The golf course has just an absolutely beautiful layout that runs in and out of the vineyards,” Griffis described. “You’ll find plenty of wildlife—river otters down in the lake on Number 1, there was a bobcat up on the hill chasing birds, a lot of deer, hawks, jackrabbits—and yes, periodically you’ll find an eagle flying around. It’s just a great place to be.”
There are few better ways to celebrate a great round of golf than with a glass of wine, especially when it was grown right on the very premises you sunk that 12-foot putt. Eagle Vines’ limited selection includes Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc, exclusive to the club and available by the glass or bottle, plus the restaurant on Eagle Vines’ premises has some great pairings to complement.
“The food is spectacular,” Griffis said. “Coupled with the view on top of the hill, looking down over the golf course and the vineyards, it’s hard to beat.” The Grill is becoming a go-to spot for American Canyon residents and beyond. “We have a pretty good lunch following, so even on a rainy day we stay pretty busy.”
During a heavy rain, the course is pretty much unplayable, although that isn’t necessarily a huge problem with aromas from The Grill constantly calling your name. But rain in the morning doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t golf for the rest of the day. “That’s one of the beauties of the golf course,” Griffis explained. “When we do catch a decent rain, the course is designed to shed water quite well, and it actually flows down into the vineyards.”
So if you awake to a morning downpour, or get interrupted halfway through your day on the course, you can always just head over to The Grill anyway, kick back with some awesome food and drink until hopefully, things clear up. Really, you’ve got nothing to lose. The worst-case scenario is that you have some good times at The Grill! Best case, you enjoy a round of golf as well.
Believe it or not, Eagle Vines can offer more than a golfing, wine-drinking, gourmet-dining experience. It’s also one of the region’s most sought-after wedding locations. “We have a grand pavilion that opens up on two sides to look out over the golf course and the vineyards,” Griffis said. “It’s a really beautiful view.”
Imagine the glorious setting of all that is Eagle Vines Golf Club—what could make it even more beautiful? A wedding, of course! You may even be able to enjoy some of their wines at the ceremony, and there’s no need to worry about flying golf balls to disrupt the matrimony as Griffis assures us the golf course is set “quite a ways” away from where they hold their weddings.
As a golfer himself, Griffis really enjoys the layout of the course. “I’m from Southern California, so I appreciate a lot of the trees and the wildlife that we don’t really get down there,” he said. The layout is actually designed in part by Johnny Miller, a professional golfer who was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame. So as the course is indeed beautiful, it’s also plenty challenging.
Assuming you’re completely sold on Eagle Vines Golf Club by now and have reserved your tee times already, their pro shop may be the icing on the cake. “We are a Titleist-exclusive facility,” Griffis said. “People can come in and get professionally fit by our staff, whether it’s golf clubs by Titleist, golf balls by Titleist—you can find any Titleist product here.” If you happen to be a proud owner of Ping, or any other brand of clubs, not to fear, Eagle Vines is accepting of all golf brands, but you can only purchase Titleist products at their shop.
Open to the public, Eagle Vines’ memberships offer some pretty great benefits. “We’re growing our membership and doing a lot of club events that we haven’t done in the past,” Griffis said. “We’re putting on more group outings for our members (i.e. different weekly events, club championships, etc.).” Recently members were able to compete in the Platinum Cup tournament, affording the winner with a platinum-level club membership. You can also find some holiday-themed events this season as well.
A staple community member, Eagle Vines is always providing what they can for local events and organizations. “It’s tough to say, but we gave somewhere between 800 and 900 rounds of golf away last year in gift certificates to different nonprofits,” Griffis said. They also helped the Napa Valley Community Foundation in December of last year by raising $21,000 for them to then disperse to victims of the 2017 fires.
Golf, wine, food, community, natural beauty—Eagle Vines Golf Club truly has it all. For additional information, head to their website at eaglevinesgolfclub.com, or give them a call at (707) 257-4470. Stop by The Grill, their pro shop, or just check things out in person at 580 South Kelly Road, American Canyon. Don’t forget: if you’re out on the golf course and you hear someone yell, “Fore!”—duck and cover instead of looking up. You’re welcome.
Larson is an actor/comedian/director from Vallejo who lives a double life between the Bay and LA. When he’s not writing for Local Happenings Magazine he could be editing a short film or working on his next rap album—who knows!
Keep up with all things Larson at www.MarsLegstrong.com.”
Oakmont Memorial Park & Mortuary
