For the past three years, Yountville residents Naomi Pasztor and Chris Kollar have graced Yountville with their passion and ingenuity for chocolate. Incorporating local tastes of Napa Valley to create beautiful truffles, barks and show-stopping centerpieces, the breadth of Kollar Chocolates’ chocolate skills is nothing short of amazing. Loving the Bay Area, and the Napa Valley, Kollar and Pasztor really enjoy the diversity of the area, fresh, local ingredients and the local inherent appreciation for good food, wine, and chocolate.
Kollar Chocolates is named after self-trained, chef-turned-chocolatier Chris Kollar, who grew up in the Atlanta, Georgia area and has worked as a chef in kitchens all over the country. He eventually settled in the Napa Valley where he has also been chef at several wineries. Most recently, Kollar worked at Peter Michael Winery where he met partner and co-owner Naomi Pasztor, who is originally from Switzerland, during a pilot internship through her alma mater Ecole Hoteliere Lausanne School, which is the first hospitality school of its kind.
While chef at Peter Michael Winery, Kollar frequently served his handmade chocolates to very happy patrons after dinner. They loved them and wanted to know where they could buy more. Enter Pasztor, whose main focus is on business and marketing, and Kollar Chocolates was destined to skyrocket to success. As Kollar so aptly put it “I’m the creative one and she is all business.” In fact, Pasztor’s business sense and marketing savvy instantly landed them turndown service at Hotel Yountville (like you needed another reason to stay there). Ever since, in addition to making high-quality, gorgeous chocolates, Kollar Chocolates has, through their custom chocolate designs, helped launch several products such as Windows 8, Audi and Patrick Dempsey Racing, to name a few. Kollar Chocolates was also featured in the Patron Circle at the Napa Valley Film Festival.
Location, location, location hasn’t hurt this dynamic duo’s business either. Based in the foodie-loving mecca that is V Marketplace in Yountville, you simply can’t go wrong. “I know that if the surrounding restaurants are having a good day, we will have more business in the afternoon,” says Kollar as he nods to full tables just outside the window. “I usually start around 7 a.m. and then work until it’s done. Sometimes 3 or 4, or 8 or 9 … it depends on the season.” Pasztor says the busy seasons are “definitely Christmas and Easter because they have longer buying times … Valentine’s Day is not as long of a buying season but a lot more of last minute gifts … we actually had an almost empty case on our first Valentine’s day.”
Gracing the wall at Kollar Chocolates hangs a photo of a model wearing a necklace made of chocolates, which look just like gems. With chocolates so gorgeous they can be easily mistaken for gemstones, how do they get that gorgeous look? Glossier Kollar chocolates are produced in molds, which have been prepped by wiping them out with a soft cotton cloth. While many chocolates are hand-painted or airbrushed, using the printer, Kollar can customize any company logo.
As if the pure flavor and depth of concept of the chocolates weren’t enough, Kollar Chocolates has a great “open kitchen” design, where visitors can actually watch Chef Kollar and his assistants creating signature chocolates from both the outside walkway and inside café area. “People don’t really know how their chocolates are made,” Pasztor says. “Some of our chocolates take up to three days to make.” Kollar is more than happy to share the experience with the growing crowd of people outside the window in V Marketplace and even shared his skills and revealed some of his decorating techniques at the recent Napa Valley Film Festival.
Handcrafting some of the most beautiful and decadent chocolates available, coupled with great business savvy, aren’t the only secrets to having a successful business in the Napa Valley. After all, in the Bay Area we are privy to some of the most incredible ingredients on the planet and Kollar Chocolates makes every effort to locally source ingredients, to ensure a genuine experience. In addition to highlighting local wines in their truffles, Kollar also likes to buy from Peter Jacobsen’s Orchards in Yountville for many seasonal ingredients, including fennel pollen, lavender, mint, basil, and cape gooseberries.
With gorgeous exteriors paired with even more impressive interiors, Kollar Chocolates are bar none. With amazing chocolates such as fennel pollen, sunflower seed praline, red wine, lavender and salted caramel, and Kollar’s flair for local, seasonal flavors, it’s a win-win-win—for chocolate lovers, local growers and local businesses. One such business is Napa Style, with whom Kollar partners to deliver custom chocolates such as the popular “Naughty and Nice” chocolate sampler, made exclusively for Napa Style, featuring Kollar signature chocolates as well as some boozier chocolates.
I had to know: how does being a chef compare to being a chocolatier? Is it more or less work? “Is it more work physically or more work by the ‘I don’t need an additional therapist’ kind of work? There is a lot less yelling and it’s not as hot,” says Kollar, who keeps the shop at a cool and dry 70 degrees, avoiding the mortal enemies of chocolate: heat and humidity. For Kollar, the best part of making chocolate is, “you are making something that makes people happy.” Pasztor jokes that she wishes she could get a voice recording of the sounds people make when they try the different flavors of chocolate. I have to second that idea, knowing all the noises I made as I worked my way through two 25-sampler packs.
Some of Kollar’s most popular chocolates are Red Wine, which are made with local wines and Fennel Pollen, which is their signature chocolate. Pasztor’s favorite chocolate is the Sunflower Praline, while Kollar’s favorite is fennel pollen, which was inspired by his many bike rides through the Napa Valley. Kollar jokes that he loves to ride amongst the fennel plants, run his hand along the flowers and rub the fennel pollen all over his face. Kollar Fuel, which I had for breakfast while at the shop, reflects Kollar’s love of bike riding, both in flavor and design: chocolate filled with flax, nuts, raisins and sports tiny bicycles printed on it.
In addition to chocolates, Kollar produces awesome showpieces, which are displayed throughout the store. He was recently commissioned to create a chocolate garden for a garden-themed wedding, complete with caterpillars, gravity-defying plants and ducklings for the lucky guests to nibble on. Kollar is also currently working on a line of chocolate Christmas ornaments shaped like cocoa pods. “I would like to do more showpieces,” says Kollar, as he looks at the beautiful pieces in the shop, some of which were partially destroyed in the recent earthquake.
Did you miss a visit to Kollar Chocolates when in Yountville? No worries, you can visit them on your way out of SFO at the Napa Farmers Market in Terminal Two at several Cocoa Bella locations, and on line at www.kollarchocolates.com. Or, if you want to be an exclusive member of the club, you can join the Kollar Chocolate Club, which is similar to a wine club, for only $250.00 a year. The Kollar Chocolate Club includes four shipments per year of seasonal, upcoming/preview and exclusive chocolates. Talk about your hard-to-buy for chocolate lovers’ Christmas dream!
Gift boxes vary in seasonality, size and price but Kollar ships chocolates in the Unites States. All orders are shipped two-day air. Of course, if you want to stop in for a quick pick-me-up and watch Kollar in action, you can always visit the Kollar Chocolates storefront located at 6525 Washington St. Yountville, CA 94599. Phone: (707) 738-6750 or visit online at www.kollarchocolates.com.
Trish Lee is a long-time Vallejo resident and loves to cook, plant and meditate in person and on the web at www.cookplantmeditate.com.
Well, 2014 is wrapping up, and with that, people are also busy wrapping up their holiday gifts. The team at Local Happenings is indulging themselves on holiday movies like, “It’s a Wonderful Life” & “Scrooge,” not to mention holiday songs and carols, cookies, treats and, of course, looking forward to bright shiny boxes wrapped up with a bow. Those are just few of our favorite things from the end of the year. The holiday parties, the hot cocoa topped with fresh whipped cream, the food! We know many of you are just getting over the food-induced coma brought on by Thanksgiving but hey, there are just so many tempting treats to indulge in from mid-October until the end of the year, and besides, those diets can wait for New Year’s Day!
This is definitely a time for families to catch their breath, make time for each other and celebrate! Whether you go ice skating, hiking, skiing or, like us, become vegetables watching old movies, be sure to tell your loved ones how much you appreciate them and give them the best gift of all: your love and time.
The voting for our Local’s Choice awards has also wrapped up as well. We hope that all of you had a chance to vote and promote your favorite local happenings, events and businesses over the past three months. It is always fun for us, but now we begin the work of tabulating the votes and getting ready for our February-March edition where we do the big reveal of our winners for 2014/2015. We hope all the ones you voted for are selected, but if not, make sure to be ready come September 2015 so you can nominate and vote for your winners next time.
Now, we know, baby, it is cold outside and many of you are cuddled up with blankets and next to your fireplaces as you brave the brutal winters here in the San Francisco Bay Area, but on those days that mercury rises above 58 and the rain (hopefully) is not coming down so hard, there is still a LOT to do in this area of the world. All the wonderful events and happenings just never seem to stop so make sure to review our calendar here in the magazine AND online to see what things you might be enjoying in the coming weeks. Remember too that not only are there LOTS more events posted on our online calendar, but that we are constantly adding to them so make sure to check back often for the latest news on your favorite “Happenings”!
We hope all of you have a wonderful holiday with your family and friends and we look forward to seeing all of you next year. To those that are celebrating another revolution around that big ball of plasma in the center of our universe we wish you a double helping of fun for the coming months. Just a few of those people are: Marla, Kim, Steve, Rod, Alyssa, Kevin, Teena, Ken, Tony, Rob, Nicole, Jose, Rosemarie, Bobby, Vrej, Stacy, Margaret, Gary, Mama Hand, Connie, Lucy, Anita, Kathleen, Leslie, Greg, Elissa, Bobbie, Rick, Rebekah, Leigh, Vicki, Stephanie, Roman, John, Adrianna, Peggy, Samantha, Steve and all the others that we simply do not have room to squeeze in here (but we wish we did). Once again, Happy Holidays! May they be blessed with cheer! Here’s to a wonderful New Year, may it be full of great surprises!!
Cheers!
Robert Briseño &
Deanna Baillie
Women with breast cancer face an array of difficult decisions: whether or not to have a mastectomy—the surgical removal of one or both breasts—whether to have chemotherapy and/or radiation, and whether or not to have breast reconstruction. The federal Women’s Health and Cancer Rights Act of 1998 requires that insurers cover the expense of reconstruction following breast cancer.
Even when the cost of treatment is not a consideration, women coping with breast cancer may or may not elect to have breast reconstruction. Studies show that currently about 40 percent of women with mastectomies elect reconstruction.
Corinne McLeod of Redding had a unilateral mastectomy, the removal of one breast, a surgery that included the immediate breast reconstruction with saline implants. The procedure began during the same surgery as her mastectomy. Corinne, a registered nurse, reflects, “The hardest part for me was deciding to have the mastectomy.”
Initially, she had a lumpectomy to remove the cancerous mass, but malignant cells were later found in the surrounding tissue. In other words, she did not have clear margins. When this happened, doctors told her she could choose to have a second surgery to remove more tissue, risk having the cancer return, or have a mastectomy to have the breast removed. Plus there was a chance the cancer would move to the other breast.
“When you hear the diagnosis,” she says. “It’s true that your brain freezes over.” She compared the feeling to being in a dark cave: “I knew I wouldn’t remember what the doctors said.” She also knew from experience that patients sometimes recall things differently. And so, she recorded every one of her medical appointments. Her husband accompanied her to every medical visit and back home they’d listen to the audio recordings.
Corinne came away with positive feelings about the breast reconstruction. When asked what advice she has for other women with breast cancer who are considering whether or not to have reconstruction she says: “I would recommend it. A mastectomy is mutilating. It can’t help but change your body image.”
The type of reconstruction she had involved a gradual stretching of the breast tissue to allow room for the new breasts. She had reconstruction of both breasts to make them even and adds, “I went bigger.” After the mastectomy she returned every two weeks for several sessions in which more saline was added each time. “There was a lot of pain,” she says. “On the days when the saline was added.”
While she realizes there is always a possibility that the cancer could return, she’s happy she went through the reconstruction. Corinne says she’s comfortable with her body whether wearing a swimsuit or walking around the locker room, and she feels good about the way her clothing fits.
Corinne now accompanies friends to their medical appointments and offers support to women by email and telephone. To reach Corinne, woman may contact the writer of this article.
Joyce McAllister* is a community volunteer who decided against breast reconstruction. Her cancer treatment included a unilateral mastectomy, that is, having one breast removed, chemotherapy, and radiation treatment. “Many, many of us choose not to have reconstruction,” she says. For Joyce, surgery for breast reconstruction immediately after mastectomy was not an option because she was scheduled for radiation. “You do not want the reconstructed part to get radiated.”
“ ‘I hate to wait a year for reconstruction,” says Joyce, who has no regrets. ‘I am glad to be free of doctors. I read about reconstruction and all three methods have some sort of associated problems. There are various bras and prostheses to wear with clothes. After three years of treatment, I don’t need any more surgery pain. I’m tired of doctors messing with me.’”
For Coco LaFave, the diagnosis of breast cancer came a year after her recovery from uterine cancer. She had had her uterus removed, and, to be safe, her ovaries as well. Doctors recommended that she have mammograms every six months, and less than a year later, extensive breast cancer was discovered. Coco, a veterinarian, said, “If I had been treating a dog with the type and extent of cancer I had, I would have operated on the same day.” She had a bilateral mastectomy; both of her breasts were removed. She didn’t want to have implants and decided to live with her scars.
Twelve years passed between Coco’s double mastectomy and her decision to move forward with breast reconstruction. She found a procedure that uses a woman’s own tissue from other places in the body to rebuild the breast. “They did such a nice job,” she says of the procedure that involved staying four days at the New Orleans clinic where the procedure was performed. How was the experience? “It was a breeze. There was not a lot of pain,” she says.
Writer Carol Sue Holbrook had a bilateral mastectomy and a short time later, had breast reconstruction with saline implants. Holbrook’s light-hearted poem is one of many writings and images of art created by women with mastectomies that fill the book “Art. Rage. Us.” Her poem titled “Classified” starts with the line: “Wanted to fill vacancy, now seeking new tenants.” Her fictional ad ends with the lines: “Immediate occupancy and a lifetime contract. Only saline individuals may apply.”
*Joyce’s name was changed for privacy reasons.
Dr. Barbara Persons, a plastic surgeon who practices in Lafayette (and advertises in Local Happenings Magazine), performs breast reconstruction as part of her practice. For patients considering breast reconstruction or cosmetic surgery, she says, “God has made us each beautiful but Man has gained the knowledge to repair, correctly and improve many things, and if something is truly concerning someone to the point it is affecting their life or causing them to think about it daily, they should sit down with a surgeon to see what can be done for them.”
FACTS ABOUT BREAST CANCER IN THE UNITED STATES
One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime.
Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women.
Breast cancer is the second leading cause of death among women.
Each year it is estimated that over 220,000 women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer and more than 40,000 will die.
Although breast cancer in men is rare, an estimated 2,150 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer and approximately 410 will die each year.
Source: National Breast Cancer Foundation
Kristine Mietzner is a Northern California writer. She may be reached at kristine2770@yahoo.com.
If you find yourself exploring the inner workings of Benicia’s tannery building along the water on First St., don’t be surprised if, when you go in the back, you’re greeted by a gentle, happy-go-lucky purebred boxer before getting a cursory “How are you doing today?” from any storeowner. If you’re friendly back and you pay attention to him, this content little canine named Charlie might lead you to the place where he’s most comfortable—surrounded by china wares, delicate glass vases, and furniture that’s been on earth for a century or more—smack in the middle of one of Benicia’s most diversified antique stores. But if you’re surprised to learn that a vintage shop is the home away from home for a four-year-old boxer, don’t be. It’s Charlie’s store, and he should be able to lay down wherever he wants, right?
Charlie is the official mascot of Charlie’s Attic, a Tannery Building antique shop that contains a much wider than average spectrum of goods. Charlie’s Attic has your typical vintage wares, but it also has a bunch of retro stuff from the 50s, like old Coca-Cola coolers, and a large concentration of high quality vinyl records, which the owners will tell you is their first love. The name “Charlie’s Attic” came naturally—owners John and Mava Sigler didn’t really want to name the store after themselves, and when they discovered that Charlie had a knack for making friends quickly, it was a done deal.
“He’s probably the most well-known dog in town,” John jokes. “He’s at least the most petted dog in town.”
John and Mava might have misgivings about letting certain dogs run wild in their store, but Charlie is exceptionally mellow, they say—it’s just in his in nature.
“It’s funny, even since he was a pup, he’s never broken anything—he’s so well behaved, and he’s always been that way,” John says. “The only thing he used to do is eat my mother-in-law’s slippers.”
Before John and Mava became antique connoisseurs, their main focus was the vinyl records and anything related to music. Before setting up shop on the west coast, John was an avid vinyl collector in Florida. He amassed thousands of records during the time that he was exclusively looking for vinyl, and when he came out to California—first to Oakland, then finally to Benicia—he brought an impressive 7,000 records with him (and those were just the keepers).
“My whole family has always had a passion for music, and I love any music-related memorabilia,” John says. “I love the artwork of vinyl records, and the sound has always been better than anything else. The quality lasts longer than CD.”
And his taste for vintage items doesn’t end with the wares at Charlie’s Attic.
“We ended up buying a historical home here in town; as soon as we saw it, we fell in love with it,” John says.
When John got here, he started out selling records exclusively, but then, “one thing led to another,” and he broadened his focus. As a record salesman, though, he wasn’t exactly a lightweight. His clientele base includes Mike Dirnt, bassist and backup vocalist for the world-famous Bay Area rock group Green Day. Dirnt took an interest some of John’s most prized treasures; specifically some ultra-rare Beatles records, as presents to give to his band mates.
“I was in a little vespa shop, and I saw [Dirnt] in there and started talking to him,” John says. “He mentioned that he wanted to get something for the other guys for Christmas. I went out of my way to find the albums he wanted because I knew where it was going. I got him a primo copy.”
Aside from the music memorabilia, other wares include a couple gigantic model wooden sailboats, a life-size marlin, which is hung above his counter, and countless pieces of artistically varnished antique furniture, which John and Mava say is way sturdier than any factory-made stuff that you can buy brand new. But there are really too many items to mention—John has resources all over the Bay Area and, when he’s not on site, he dedicates much of his time finding new items to stock, which is what he gets the most satisfaction out of.
“My favorite part about this is the hunt,” John says. “Like most hunters, we go all kinds of places looking—estate sales, garage sales, things like that—nowadays, I’ve been here long enough that people know me and they’ll bring stuff to me.”
John says he’s more than happy to help out with estate sales and he’ll always appraise items if folks come by looking to learn the value of something they found in the attic, or a treasured family heirloom, etc. In the meantime, he and Mava are focused on helping build the city of Benicia’s proud tradition of being the epicenter for antique shops in the area surrounding the Carquinez Strait.
“We like it here,” Mava says. “Benicia used to be really big on antiques, then that moved to Martinez, and now they’re coming back.”
Charlie’s Attic is located at 129 1st St. in Benicia, in the back of the Old Tannery Building. Their phone number is (707) 747-4770, and they’re open from 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. throughout the week, 11 a.m. – 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, and 11 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. on Sunday.
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.
Here’s a look at three of the most anticipated holiday events of the year
Can it be? It’s 2014 and the holiday season is already upon us? It’s true. But hey, time flies when you’re busy with so many different Local Happenings! And for many of us, the best part about the holidays is taking the family out into the community, greeting your neighbors, celebrating life and supporting the local economy.
While there are numerous events in the area worth attending, we only have a limited space here, so we have selected one event from each of the three counties we represent. We feel these three events have made such an impact on their own communities that they’re just not to be missed and deserve some attention. But of course, we do urge you to check out our community calendar to see what other holiday-themed local happenings are being held in your area.
Let’s start things off in Contra Costa County with the Spirit of Danville.
The Spirit of Danville is an event created by the Discover Danville Association as a tribute to the community, showcasing their local nonprofits and incorporating fundraising for local charities, while at the same time sharing with the community the wide range of shopping and eating opportunities that Danville has to offer. “It’s a pre-holiday shopping extravaganza,” said Marcia Harmon, President of the Discover Danville Association and co-founder of the Spirit of Danville. “We create a sense of community by creating a commemorative, limited-edition Christmas ornament that depicts one of our historic buildings or sights—only available that night to people that come shop and/or make donations to the designated charities.” This year’s ornament will commemorate Danville’s one-room schoolhouse that was just put on the national registry as a historic landmark.
Festivities last all day from 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. The main hub of the event will be at the heart of the historic downtown at the crossroads of Hartz and Prospect. “There will be a program that will direct shoppers to 60-80 different stores, boutiques, restaurants and businesses throughout Danville that are all offering specials.” As the charities and businesses will be anticipating your support, there is no admission fee for this event.
“We hire the trolleys to run at night between our major shopping centers to add some bells and hoopla,” said Harmon. “The community center will also be hosting a kids night out so that the kids have a safe place to play and do projects while the moms shop.”
One of the new features this year is that they are going to be raffling off Danville Gift Passes, up to $1000 worth in total. “The Danville Gift Pass is really significant,” said Harmon. “It’s like a virtual gift card and you can spend it at any Danville-licensed business that’s associated with it. Right now there’s about 60 signed up.”
As a business owner herself (of Cottage Jewel Antiques) Harmon loves this event especially because of all the new people she gets to meet. “My favorite part of the Spirit is meeting new neighbors that come into my store for the first time,” she said. “I’m proud to be a part of the event.”
For details and an online program of the event visit www.discoverdanvilleca.com or call (925) 339-8330.
Solano County has become home to one of the most unique holiday celebrations this side of the Mississippi. If you’ve yet to attend the Mad Hatter Holiday Festival in Vallejo, read on to try and grasp what it’s all about.
The Mad Hatter Holiday Festival is quickly becoming one of the most anticipated events of the year in Solano County, and even Northern California. As far as holiday celebrations go, there’s not quite anything like it. “I was contacted by the State of California Tourism Bureau to have a permanent place in their national listings because they say this is extremely unique,” said Frank Malifrando, founder, producer and organizer of the Mad Hatter Festival. “It’s going to look like a Wonderland Disneyland this year, from Unity Plaza up Georgia St., it’s going to be pretty outrageous. We’re really going to recreate the downtown for this festival.”
To loosely describe this event, let’s go with: Alice In Wonderland meets Steampunk on Christmas. “The first Saturday in December kicks off everything,” said Malifrando. “It starts with Unity Plaza where we have characters and horses and train rides and Santa Claus, basically we create a whole wonderland right there.” Tree lighting? Of course there will be a tree lighting. The tree stands at about 45 feet tall with 3,000 light bulbs. And there’s a 5-foot-tall gnome Santa Claus nearby … “When the tree gets lit his head pops off and flames shoot off about 35 feet in the air,” he said. “The lighted boat parade goes on after that right on the waterfront, so you see all this activity. Then we have dragons and horses, kaleidoscopes that are about 20 feet long, and then of course Children’s Wonderland park, which is GVRD’s park right on Amador Street, which is a perfect setting for the second tree lighting. So we make our way up there as well and light their tree.”
To say the least, there’s going to be a lot going on at this event and you’ve really got to see it to believe it. They go the whole gamut with a Grand Marshall (or several) and everything. They’ll have three high school marching bands in the parade. Every year they honor a hero of Vallejo. The first year was Natalie Coughlin, an Olympic gold medalist swimmer who got her start at Cunningham pool in Vallejo. Other Mad Hatter hero selections include singing sensation Gabi Wilson, hot dog eating champion Joey Chestnut and wrestling champion Mark Muñoz. Who’s next? You’ve got to go to find out.
This year they’re also working with the local libraries to do Alice In Wonderland-themed tea party readings. They’re also working on an exhibit at the Naval Museum called “Gazing Through The Looking Glass” that will bring in works by Jefferson Starship’s Grace Slick, known for her Alice In Wonderland-themed white rabbit series, and what’s more, and they’ll combine it all with a puppet show or a play … Malifrando isn’t cutting anything short this year. Even he will attest: “It’s an awful lot of stuff.”
The parade kicks off at 4:30 on the first day of the festival. For anyone that may have to miss the parade because they’re out of town or had previous engagements, or who just want more, the Mad Hatter festivities will continue on throughout the month. “Rather than waiting a whole year, we’ll do things the next two weekends thereafter,” said Malifrando. “We have the grand home tours which happen the week after the parade that goes to 5-7 big homes with musicians and a reception … it turns into a festival for three weeks in a row.”
If the event wasn’t crazy enough, it’s how the event is produced that could very well make your jaw drop. “I fund most of it,” said Malifrando. “I fund the majority of the whole thing. We have support from Central Core Restoration Corporation, some sponsors, but I’ve been putting up most of the money to cover all the expenses.” Why? “When I first came to Vallejo I went to the tree lighting. There must have been 150 people, maybe 200, down by the waterfront. People walked out as they were trying to do the tree lighting and passed it by, it was like it was never happening. I felt the city needed something more; we were going into bankruptcy at the time also, so the whole morale was down. So I thought I’d bring back something of the March of the Wooden Soldiers from the old Laurel and Hardy movie to … I remember as a kid going to Disneyland and seeing the Electric Parade, so I thought I’d combine the two, knowing that we could have steampunkers here in Vallejo as well. I met with the steampunkers, we came up with art cars, went to Burning Man and all that, met with CAL Maritime cadets to see if they wanted to partake in it, and finally I got the whole group together.”
The Mad Hatter and Alice In Wonderland are very well known, “So I knew that that would be a great theme,” said Malifrando. “The whole steampunk generation is based a lot on these fantasies which are very close to Alice In Wonderland as well. We have the CAL Maritime cadets, we have people in uniform, it was just a perfect mix.”
The first Mad Hatter festival brought in between 800-1,000 people and has been steadily growing ever since. The third year it rained and they had to change the date, yet still a couple thousand people came. Last year they had over 5,000 and this year expect 7,000-10,000 people. It’s been getting more and more popular every year, and with so many different things going on it’s hard to tell which particular feature of the event is drawing in the most people. With the steampunk interspersed throughout, one could certainly argue that that has something to do with it. With the art cars and the pyrotechnics, the Mad Hatter Holiday Festival has become quite the spectacle and holds it’s own against any other holiday event around. Even their Santa Claus has its own unique flair.
“Our Santa Claus is a little bit different than everyone else’s Santa Claus,” Malifrando said. Santa Claus comes out at the end of the parade in a “sleigh” that’s almost like the Trojan Horse. “They’re all horse heads shooting fire out of poles, Santa Claus has got a giant column with fire shooting all around him and he dances around … it’s very extravagant.” Can you picture it? Whatever you’re seeing in your head will hardly compare to the real thing. This is certainly something you’ll have to come and see for yourself.
Festivities begin on the first Saturday in December (December 6th) and continue for the following two weekends. For more information keep in touch with them by “liking” their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/MadHatterHolidayVallejo or call (844) 344-8793. For more information on who’s behind the steampunk aspect of the festival, visit www.obtainiumworks.net.
And finally coming to Napa County, we’re showcasing their annual Festival of Lights celebration that has been illuminating the neighborhood for the last 26 years.
The Friday after Thanksgiving, rather than heading to all the stores for the biggest shopping day of the year, Yountville does just the opposite. This year they’re celebrating their 26th Annual Festival of Lights that will draw out friends, families, neighbors and visitors to gather ‘round for a
street party in the heart of wine country.
Beginning at 2 p.m. attendees should have plenty of time to recover from the biggest meal of the year the night before. Upon arrival you’ll find carolers, sing-a-longs, Santa and his elves, bands, food and wine galore. Once 5:30 p.m. hits, Yountville will brighten up with thousands of lights along its main street. You can take romantic carriage rides down the freshly lit streets, visit art galleries and boutiques, tasting rooms and restaurants, and admission is free. Food and wine tasting tickets are only $1 each.
“I think the locals love being part of the excitement and the visitors love feeling like part of a community,” said Christine Piccin, publicist for the festival. The Festival will be the same general format as usual, with a few surprises of course. “There will be several entertainment additions booked in the coming weeks,” said Piccin. “There are usually 3-4 bands, vocalists, dancers, plus assorted children’s activities. And the head of the Chamber of Commerce, Cindy Saucerman, always has a few fun things up her sleeve!”
For more information on the Festival of Lights visit www.yountville.com or call (707) 944-0904.
Native to Vallejo, Matt Larson is living in Greater LA to pursue all that is good in the entertainment world. Support his career and follow him on Twitter @mattnstuff.
A glimpse into the local paranormal, and how you can see it for yourself
Ghosts are among us! Don’t believe it? Just ask Paranormal Investigator Devin Sisk. He’s been featured on Haunted Bay Area, KPIX 5 Eye on the Bay, Animal Planet, Discovery Channel and co-hosted Haunted Encounters TV. He’s also worked on over 350 paranormal investigations.
Sisk is the go-to ghost hunter in Solano and Napa counties. If there’s a ghost walk or tour anywhere around here, there’s a good chance Sisk is involved with it. Sure, it sounds a little scary, but it is our Halloween issue after all. We’ll be interviewing Sisk about some of the experiences he’s had on the tours in our area, including the Benicia Main Street Ghost Walk, the Napa City Ghosts & Legends Walking Tour and the Suisun City Ghost Walk, as well as a new one just getting started this September at Castello di Amorosa.
Now if you’re not too keen on getting creeped out, don’t turn the page just yet. “Scary is not what we’re really going for,” says Sisk. “It’s more of a genuine feeling of communicating and being interactive with the paranormal—we don’t have things jumping out at us.” Some ghost walkers do experience some pretty intense feelings at times, and some have claimed to have seen … things … and some have even walked off, but generally it’s not too scary of an experience. “When spirits start coming through, people don’t realize how sensitive or psychic they are.” Attending a ghost walk is a great way to test your sixth sense. “We have had scary experiences, I’m not going to say that we haven’t,” said Sisk. “But for the most part we try to take the fear factor out of it and try to help people realize that it’s a natural thing.”
“It’s more than just the paranormal, it’s also a history of Benicia,” said Nancy Martinez, Executive Director of Benicia Main Street, the organization that sponsors the ghost walk. “It’s very fascinating.” Though it is a “ghost walk,” Martinez has taken the tour and doesn’t think it’s too scary for the average tourist. “Everybody has a different level of getting scared,” she said. “But I just think Devin does such a great job with breaking it down that no, I don’t think it’s scary.”
One of the best parts of the ghost tours with Sisk is that you get to interact with the paranormal yourself. “We give people a chance to work with some of the tools that we use in the field,” he says. “For instance, we use K2 meters and dowsing rods to let us know if there’s a spirit or ghost nearby that wants to communicate with us. People get a chance to get a taste of what it’s like to be a paranormal investigator. The only difference is—most of the work has already been done.”
When the ghost hunters go out to research a new, potentially haunted area, sometimes it takes hours and hours before they find anything. “I tell people ghost hunting is a lot like fishing,” said Sisk. “You can go hours with nothing happening and then all of a sudden there’s a small moment of craziness.”
An example of a “small moment of craziness” occurred on the Benicia ghost walk with a tour of about 30 people. “We were going up the street and out of the corner of my eye I saw a white thing low to the ground,” Sisk recalls. “I thought it was a fluffy dog, but as we were walking up the street the entire back end of the tour starts screaming.” Sisk turned around and suddenly couldn’t see the back end of the tour as they were all sort of fogged out, like they were surrounded by smoke. After consulting with them Sisk got two stories: “They either saw an old lady all in white who was soaking wet saying she’d been chased, or they just saw this heavy mist go around the group. That was a pretty good mass sighting.”
Sisk’s favorite spirit is named Carl, an old riverboat gambler who can be found on the Benicia tour. “One of his favorite things to do is show up in front of drunk people,” Sisk laughs. “I think that’s hilarious. How funny is that to be a ghost and show up in front of somebody who’s wasted? That’s exactly what I would do.” Carl’s been known to show up on occasion, especially if there are lots of women on the tour. You’ll be walking around and all of a sudden you’ll smell his cigar.
In Suisun, a regular visitor on the tour is a 7-year-old girl named Mary. “She’s quite a little character,” says Sisk. “She likes to interact with the group … I’ll just put it that way.” Laura Cole-Rowe, contract employee for the Suisun City Historic Waterfront Business Improvement District, has encountered Mary herself. “The little girl on the porch of the Lawler House was interesting for me,” she says. “When I got on the porch the rods went from being parallel to wrapping around me.”
The Suisun City ghost walk tours the Lawler House, which was a house in the unincorporated area of Solano County that was moved to Suisun by barge around the late 70s. It’s a three-story building that is home to numerous businesses, and employees have always claimed to hear or see something unusual there. “They leave for the day and they come back and things are all disarranged, particularly in the gallery (pictures on the floor that weren’t on the floor beforehand and there wasn’t an earthquake), you can hear water running, there is a spot on the second floor that is of a totally different temperature than the rest of the hallway,” says Cole-Rowe. “The gallery artists have mentioned this for years.”
One of Sisk’s favorite encounters happened in Napa. “We used to stop at the mortar and pestle over by the courthouse,” he says. “We did an experiment: We were sitting there just having everybody be quiet and all of a sudden, on a busy, busy Saturday night, we start hearing Indian chanting.” Now this was above the ambient noise of downtown, the music and partying of a Saturday night. “Above everything else we could hear this chanting,” he says. “It was the most incredible thing. It was like, almost above the trees, but everybody could hear it. That was a pretty intense moment. Everybody just sat there amazed.”
In case you have any doubts to Sisk’s expertise, he may be more experienced than you realize. “I got into the paranormal by having a near-death experience,” he says. “I ended up walking around the ER room … I could see everybody, I could see everything that was happening around me, but nobody would interact with me. Nobody would communicate with me. Nobody could hear me. Nobody could see me. Nobody could feel me … and that’s what it feels like to be a ghost. It was a horrible, horrible experience.” A lot of times when people have encounters with a ghost they’ll claim the ghost was yelling or screaming. “They’re yelling and screaming because they’re trying so desperately to get a hold of somebody,” Sisk explains. “Sometimes we’re the first people that these entities will talk to in 200-300 years. Once you get them to calm down (though not in all cases) usually they’ll start communicating with you.”
There is a new ghost tour that just started in September at Castello di Amorosa in Calistoga. “I know people are going to go: ‘How can it be so haunted it’s a brand new building!’ But the stones are old,” Sisk explains. “There are certain elements of the building that have been taken from other castles and monasteries in Europe. It’s incredibly haunted.”
“We just had an experience in the castle with this one lady who was a plague victim,” he continues. Employees of the castle are well aware of this woman’s presence, so much so that they bid farewell to her at night. “The lady we were working with there said, ‘Every night I come through here to lock up, I say goodnight to her,’ so she knows she’s there. Once we started communicating with her it was amazing the hits we were getting on the K2 and how she was coming through … it was almost frantic. We’ve run into that a lot because they’re trying so desperately to have somebody visit them.”
Sisk invites you on any one of these tours, “To open your mind and experience the paranormal in a safe, entertaining environment,” he says. “With trained professionals, of course.” And if you’re still skeptical, that’s all the more reason you should go. “We absolutely adore a skeptic,” says Sisk. “We very honestly do. It’s very difficult for us to say that a building is haunted—we go through a lot—so we’re very skeptical ourselves.”
Benicia Main Street Ghost Walk
First & Third Fridays of the Month
$25 per person.
Reservations required.
Call (707) 745-9791 or visit www.beniciamainstreet.org
Napa City Ghosts & Legends Walking Tour
Thursday & Saturday nights
Reservations required.
Email napaghosts@gmail.com for reservations and availability.
$25 per person.
Call (707) 363-6890 or visit www.napaghosts.com
Suisun City Ghost Walk
Second & Fourth Fridays of the Month
$25 per person.
Reservations required.
Email info@suisunwaterfront.com or visit www.suisunwaterfront.com
Keep informed with all the Devin Sisk is doing in the paranormal area, including the new tour at Castello di Amorosa, at his Facebook page for his side project North Bay R.I.P. (Research and Investigation of the Paranormal) at www.facebook.com/NBRIP.
Native to Vallejo, Matt Larson is living in Greater LA to pursue all that is good in the entertainment world. Support his career and follow him on Twitter @mattnstuff.
Halloween is my number one favorite holiday. No pressure, no gift giving, no traditions, just fun, costumes and, of course, food! Halloween definitely holds the trifecta for some serious holiday cheer. And in keeping with the spirit of the holiday, here are a few Halloween-themed goodies you can enjoy for your next Halloween party or any other time of the year.
Deep Fried Bloody Fingers
These mozzarella sticks are a great make-ahead appetizer that will keep for months in the freezer and can be fried in less than two minutes.
2 lbs mozzarella, cubed into sticks, ¼ inch x ¼ inch wide, by 3 inches long (yields around 40 sticks)
1 cup flour
2 teaspoons seasoning salt
8 eggs
pinch of salt
15 oz Progresso Italian style bread crumbs
8 ounces marinara sauce
sliced olives for garnish
On a cookie sheet lined with waxed paper, place cheese sticks so they don’t touch in a single layer on the pan. Place pan in the freezer for at least two hours. Meanwhile, mix flour and seasoning salt together in a shallow dish. Whisk together eggs and salt in a bowl. Pour breadcrumbs into a dish with high sides. Remove cheese sticks from freezer. Dredge cheese sticks first in the flour mixture, tapping to remove any excess flour, dip in egg mixture, then dip in bread crumbs. Place cheese sticks back on the wax paper-lined cookie sheet, making sure the sticks don’t touch, and return pan to freezer for another hour. Discard flour mixture, but save the breadcrumbs.
Remove pan from the freezer, coat once more in egg mixture, then bread crumbs. Return sticks to pan and return pan to freezer for another hour or more. At this point, you can either transfer all the sticks to a Ziploc freezer bag for long-term storage, or you can start frying fingers. To fry: In a large skillet or pot, preheat one inch corn oil (or another oil with a smoke point of over 400 degrees) over medium-high heat, to 365 degrees. You can test the oil by placing a wooden spoon in the hot oil – when air bubbles form rapidly, the oil is ready for frying. Once oil is hot, working in batches of 5-6 sticks, being sure not to over-crowd the pan, fry sticks for 45 seconds to 1 minute per side, or until dark golden brown. The center should give to slight pressure from your tongs. Place fried sticks on a paper towel-lined dish to drain and cool. Serve hot with marinara sauce for dipping or decorate your sticks with a little marinara for “blood” and an olive slice for a “fingernail.”
These cookies are not only festive, they are a snap to decorate. Even if you don’t think you have any cookie decorating skills, this design will make you look like a superstar every single time!
Spooky Spider Web Cookies
4 cups flour
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 scant teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
1 1/3 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 eggs, lightly beaten, at room temperature
Frosting (recipe follows)
Black gel frosting
Sift flour and baking powder together and set aside. In a large bowl, using a hand mixer or stand mixer, mix butter, sugar and salt on medium speed for around five minutes or until light and fluffy. Scrape down sides of bowl. On low speed, mix in vanilla and eggs until thoroughly combined. Add in flour mixture, a little at a time, until fully incorporated. Form dough into a 1” round log, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to a week. This dough can also be frozen for about three months.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. For softer, more cake-like cookies: Preheat oven to 350-375 degrees. 350 makes the cookies extra cakey, while 375 is a little firmer. I’ve even gone as low as 325. The cookies pictured were baked at 375. Slice cookies from the refrigerated dough log, about ¼ inch each, and then place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 8-12 minutes or until the bottom edges are golden brown.
Frosting
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
Mix together butter and powdered sugar until fluffy and creamy. Add the powdered sugar in ½ cup increments. Mix in vanilla to fully incorporate. Mix in milk to finish. At this point, you can color or flavor your frosting as desired with just a few drops of food coloring.
Once cookies are cooled, spread with white frosting. Using black gel frosting in a tube, make a circle in the center of the cookie and a few more concentrically around the center. Using a sharp knife, starting from the center and pulling directly to the outside edge, drag your knife through the frosting, wiping your knife off after each swipe. Let frosting set.
Caramel Apple Spring Rolls
This unconventional assembly of the classic apple and caramel Halloween flavors will have you cursing me long past Christmas. But who doesn’t love a dish – sweet or savory- that’s been wrapped in a spring roll wrapper and deep fried?!?
One package spring roll wrappers, defrosted
One Granny Smith apple, cored, finely diced, rinsed and drained
20 caramels (we’re using fresh caramels here) cut into small pieces
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon water
Oil for frying
Mix together flour and water in a small dish. Preheat oil to medium heat. Meanwhile, to assemble rolls, place a spring roll wrapper in front of you in a diamond shape. Place a little diced apple and diced caramel in a thin, even layer on the bottom third of the wrapper. Fold the bottom corner of the wrapper upward, with the two sides inward, and roll tightly upward toward the tip. Seal the tip with the flour and water mixture. Set aside. Once oil is hot, fry rolls in small batches, avoiding crowding in pan, until golden on each side. Set on a paper towel-lined plate to cool. Cut on the bias (or diagonally) for a gorgeous service.
Here is some ghastly Halloween grub for sure. In order to make these spooky faces, simply cut mozzarella thinly, and use either free-hand shapes or cookie cutters. As the cheese melts, your ghosts appear! The dough and sauce also keep for a long time, making this a great make-ahead food option.
Pizza Dough
This dough can be made long in advance and stored in the refrigerator for up to a week, or in the freezer for up to a month. If freezing dough, defrost for several hours at room temperature, and then knead on a lightly floured board before use.
1/2 cup (3 oz.) wheat gluten flour (Bob’s Redmill makes an awesome one)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 ½ teaspoons yeast
2 ¾ cup (15 oz) all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cup water
Pizza sauce (recipe follows)
Thinly sliced mozzarella cheese
Place a baking sheet, pizza stone or cast iron griddle into your oven on the lowest rack, then preheat it to 425 degrees.
Combine gluten flour, salt, yeast, water and 1 ¼ cup (6.5 ounces) flour until thoroughly combined. Mixture will look lumpy. Let mixture rest about 10 minutes. Mix in remaining 1 1/2 cup (8.5 oz) all-purpose flour. Knead 6-10 minutes or until dough comes together cleanly.
The dough will be a little sticky. Form dough into a ball, place into a bowl covered with a towel to let rest and rise in a warm place for around one hour. If not using the dough right away, place into a Ziploc bag and store in the refrigerator. Always bring dough to room temperature before use.
Pizza Sauce
1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
5-6 freshly chopped basil leaves
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon freshly chopped Italian parsley
½ teaspoon freshly chopped thyme leaves
½ teaspoon freshly chopped oregano
Pinch of very finely minced fresh rosemary leaves
Mix all ingredients together. Use or store up to 10 days in refrigerator or indefinitely in freezer. If you don’t have access to fresh herbs, you can use dried herbs, ½ to 1 teaspoon of each.
Cut mozzarella slices into desired spooky shapes and decorate faces with toppings. Set aside.
Separate dough into desired portions. Using your hands, stretch dough until very thin, almost see-through in the middle. Sprinkle a pizza peel or pan with no lip with a little corn meal. The corn meal will act as “ball bearings” between the pizza peel or pan and dough when you slide your pizza onto a hot stone or pan already in the oven.
Place dough on pizza peel or pan, top with sauce, cheese and desired toppings. Carefully slide pizza onto hot pizza stone or pan. Cook for 12-15 minutes (longer if using more toppings). During the last two minutes of cook time, place your mozzarella faces on pizza. Have a happy, safe, sane, fun, and delicious Halloween!
Trish Lee is a long-time Vallejo resident and loves to cook, plant and meditate in person and on the web at www.cookplantmeditate.com.
Well we are now less than 90 days away from the end of the year … who in Sam Pete’s Pajama Pants stole our year!?! It seems like just yesterday that it was MLK day!! And, if I am not mistaken, the years are definitely going by MUCH faster. I mean when we were little it took FOREVER to get to summer vacation or Christmas, but now it seems like Christmas is happening in September. Well, that might be because they are stocking the shelves that early now. Either way, time is definitely speeding up for us. In fact this issue marks the end of our 5th year producing this magazine & website! This is our 30th issue! It has been a great run so far and we are looking forward to many more years of this. We hope that you are as well. After 5 years of this, our biggest regret is that we still do not have enough time to go to all the wonderful events that we have discovered producing this magazine and website. Please share with us your thoughts about our first half a decade—be it things that you like about us, and/or what you think we can do to be even better.
Remember, you only have about 60 days of voting left in our 4th annual Local’s Choice Awards. The voting has picked up quite a bit this year so make sure to nominate and vote for your favorites NOW on our website to ensure that you can help us pick our winners for 2015. Remember that you can vote daily and that every vote counts.
Halloween and the fall season always offer lots to do, so be sure to check out the Calendar that starts on page 6 or go to our website www.LHMag.com and see the complete calendar of events. That way, you can be sure to book yourself for all of the fun. There are still plenty of outdoor events to enjoy in one of the best seasons in California, “Fabulous Fall,” so keep a sweatshirt handy and join in the fun. We are always updating and adding to our website calendar almost daily and we want to make sure you don’t miss out on any of the events—there is more information on all the events as well. So, check back there often and remember that our site is very mobile friendly—so pull us up on your smartphone when you’re out and about to find events near you.
Here are some Birthday shout outs to our family and friends … Christopher, Clara, Shannon, Jon, Liz, Cristina, Lori, Kathe, Rafael, Tim, Susan, Nico, Luis, Hermie, Xavier, Norbert, Jeannie, Kent, Ken, Ali, Julia, Connie, Josette, Greg, Linda, Angelita, Larry, Paula, Valerie, Alyssa, Kevin, Teena, Tony, Nicole and to all of those we would like to list here but that we ran out of room for. Happy B-day and enjoy your day!!
Have a safe and fun Halloween and a blessed Thanksgiving!
Robert Briseño
& Deanna Baillie
Trish Lee is a long-time Vallejo resident and loves to cook, plant and meditate in person and on the web at www.cookplantmeditate.com.
