This is the time of winter when we consider which holes to dig and what to plant in the soil we have been building, always hoping for the best, for magical form and color come spring.  Surrounding us on all sides of the farm are redwood, oak, madrone and fir forests being replenished by the rains. The forest floor is thick with leaves and lichen-gilded branches, mushrooms and moss. It feels good to imagine all the breathing going on of animal life, ours and everything beneath us and around us, resting and reviving. Winter at the farm is a time to pull grass, clear overgrown gardens, prune fruit trees and just lean into the wet green silences. We are all in thrall right now, embracing this moment of planning, and potential. 

When Barndiva re-opens after our break, we too will be rested and revived. But as Covid continues, so to our approach to it must keep evolving, fueled by the belief that we must use this challenging time to recraft elements of the dining experience that were fragile well before this upheaval to all our lives began. We’re of a mind there is more to be done building organic farm networks; more to be done building an equitably strong service community. And as we craft exciting and meaningful dining experiences, dare we say it, more joy.

For these reasons and - paramount - because we can’t wait to shake and pour and serve extraordinary food and drink to you, we are thrilled to introduce three key new members joining the Barndiva family this spring.   

Scott Beattie is a longtime friend and supporter of our distinguished cocktail program. His now legendary farm-to-glass career in mixology is the gold standard in all things seasonal. In April he will join us as Barndiva’s Beverage Director, working with our bar and farm teams to build a drinks program like no other. In addition to teaching hands-on garden-to-glass cocktail classes at Barndiva, Scott will offer a custom cocktail service to our on-site weddings and events, so sought after in the past at both Meadowood and Montage Healdsburg.

Sally Kim moved to Healdsburg to lead our award-winning wine program. The powerhouse behind the exceptional wine and spirits programs for the Delfina Restaurant Group for many years, she has deep ties to the local wine community as well as a prodigious command of French and Italian varieties. As wine director for all dining and special events, Sally will also take on our three large collaborative wine events – first up a return of The Pink Party in April. In the coming weeks Sally will be announcing a regenerative somm table series of wine maker evenings.

And when we re-open after our annual hiatus we are especially delighted to welcome Chef Erik Anderson to lead the Barndiva culinary team. He will be joining Neidy Venegas as she expands her sublime Viennoiserie and bread programs, a real partner to her extraordinary vision, as well as to the increasingly sustainable direction we are taking Barndiva.  Erik is a hands-on, up-from-the-ground chef whose arresting food journey through some of the most renown kitchens in the world eventually lead him to Coi, in San Francisco, where he earned two Michelin Stars.

Under the direction of this exceptionally talented group of food, wine, and cocktail maestros we plan to make beautiful music this spring. The goal, the hope, is for all of us to emerge from winter not just intact but with our gardens beginning to open and bloom, as we head into a delicious summer.

We hope you will join us soon as the Barndiva journey continues. 

 

January at the farm

Here’s how it must work: the unofficial wild bird newsletter goes out the morning the first spring shovel hits the ground with an ‘all you can eat!’ invite for which we are more than willing hosts. After all, it’s not like anyone invited us up here in the first first place so it makes wonderful sense we provide the wildlife a reason to return every year. The shortlist Dan, Nick and Shaun managed to identify one frosty foggy morning just after they finished a week of digging and transferring plants fro our nursery into the long meadow the ground was so alive with rapacious birdlife we all just stood around dumbfounded at their numbers, grinning like children.

Spotted that morning in the meadow: Spotted towhee, Golden crowned sparrow, Junco, American robin, Anna’s hummingbird, Downy woodpecker, Piliated woodpecker.

On the pond: 3 hooded merganser ducks

On the ridge hunging black trupets for Chef Erik with Lukka: one magnificent Red-tailed hawk.

Everywhere else: Quails, Crows, and heard but not seen, Band-Tailed pigeons.

Our heartfelt thanks to Shaun for sharing his vacation time with us before he heads back to the magnificence of the Great Dixter Gardens with Dan. As for the hundreds of bulbs we also planted the past few weeks, and roses and shrubs pruned, stay tuned for insane floral displays from Nick, aka @whodoestheflowers.

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