Into the Pink!

Barndiva’s Pink Party 2024: Emily Carlson’s perfectly curated line-up

IT was three house of gliding, weaving, and yes dancing, through gales of laughter and animated conversation mostly (but not all) extolling the beautiful intricacies and differences of bouquet and flavor of the extraordinary rosé being poured in our garden. Sunday April 21 was a group endorphin rush, no kidding. So, Pink Party 2024.

Our gratitude to the wineries who really brought it this year - a wonderful group brought together by our indefatigable wine director Emily Carlson. And our thanks to all our guests who arrived ready to party and continued to lift our spirits for the entire three hours we spent together on Sunday.

Chef Erik Anderson and David Morales sent out Bites as a taste of our new Studio Barndiva a la carte menu, These included our infamous goat cheese croquettes with lavendar honey, Crispy chicken ‘chermoula’, The Gallery Burger Slider, Deviled Eggs, and for the finish Rosé Pâte de fruits.

A huge shout out to our lovely and dear dear friend Dawnelise Rosen, who guided the Corazón Raffle with grace and humor again this spring, and to all who contributed - the winemakers who donated bottles and our guests who raised a good deal of money for this incredible non-profit that has become so essential to the greater Healdsburg Community.

Lukka and Dawnelise, who also helped the crowd ‘award’ best in fashion for both individuals and couple. Winner took home a bottle of bubbly and will receive two tickets to Fête Blanc (tickets on sale May 1)

I was thrilled to work with nursery and plantswoman Misha Vega on the floral installs that filled both gardens - slo flowers grown in Philo at Barndiva Farm and Filigreen Farm, and in Healdsburg at SingleThread Farm, The Longer Table Farm, and up the road at Dragonfly Floral. Happily, Misha will be back for Fête Blanc!

Fete Blanc 2023

Barndiva wine director Emily Carlson with the wonderful Féte Blanc 2023 entourage, along with the dedicated ladies from Sonoma Family Meal who directed the raffle - six cases of all the wines poured, donated by every winery attending.

Each of Barndiva’s three collaborative wine events have a different personality. Pink Party always brings a ‘Summer is Here’ festive madness to it and trends younger, while Féte Rouge is the most community centric, with a focus on harvest and the upcoming holidays. Féte Blanc is a stand out because it hits all the notes winemakers look for in a wine tasting event. Sure, Féte Blanc guests love dressing up and socializing, you could feel it in the air on Sunday. But these are serious wine lovers. When they put their heads down and inhale, then taste something special, you can just tell the winery has made a lasting connection if not a future wine club friend. It was a great crowd that left very very happy, as you can tell from these images shot by the incomparable Chad Surmick.

We wish to thank Chef Mike Degan and his crew for the divine pizza’s, Barndiva Event Manager Natalie Nelson and her incredible staff, and our Chef Erik Anderson for the platters of deviled eggs with trout roe, charcoal grilled duck skewers, salmon tartar with egg yolk jam, and very special Barndiva farm fig tartlets- summery hors d’oeuvres from our currant event menus - along with our infamous goat balls with lavender honey.

For all who joined us, especially those who participated in the raffle benefiting Sonoma Family Meal, we thank you for sharing your Sunday with us in the gardens.

Collaborating with Slo-Flower farms we admire to create extravagant floral displays has become a hallmark of our bigger wine events. This year we were thrilled to welcome Rita Bates to organize and design the arrangements that filled both gardens for Féte Blanc. In addition to her ‘day’ job at the family farm - that would be The Philo Apple Farm - she is an incredibly intuitive and talented gardener floral designer. For Féte Blanc 2023 Rita ordered some blooms from our friends at Longer Table Farm and SinglethreadFarm, but the bulk of these late summer flowers were harvested at Barndiva Farm by Misha Vega, and from The Apple Farm’s extensive gardens. If you haven’t visited this extraordinary family farm in Philo, make hast to book one of their incredible Sally Dinners and be sure to stay over in one of their cottages, set amidst the apple orchards, right now heavy with fruit.

Bittersweet: the blackberry vines that graced the main Harvest Table arrangement were a long ago gift from the late, dearly missed Myrna and Earl Fincher, who owned and ingeniously farmed Early Bird Place for many years in Healdsburg. In the first decade of Barndiva’s life, Earle and Myrna suppled vegetables and gourds and we spent memorable time with Earle at their farm. The Berries have never been prodigious producers, but I never had the heart to cut them out. Seeing how much joy they gave folks on Sunday, knowing the history, I doubt I ever will.

The 'official' Pink Party Album

A familiar complaint we’ve all heard around town of late is about the dearth of genuine community in Healdsburg. It’s a grumbling refrain that holds particular meaning from anyone that remembers Healdsburg when the words quaint and small town charm could be said about it with a straight face. The usual culprits are a mind boggling collection of new businesses, hotels and restaurants that have opened over the past few years to capitalize on the town’s ‘success’ as a destination location, but the quickening pace of our lives, and the emotional distancing of technology certainly contribute to the disconnect at the heart of the discontent.

The way we see it, community isn’t stagnant, is should and must accommodate change. It’s a layered human construct that is constantly telegraphing across the web of seemingly random connections we make with the people whose paths we cross as we go about our lives, working, shopping, dining out, walking the dogs or, yes, coming out on a beautiful afternoon to taste wine.  Of course It can be locational, found in the church hall, a sporting event, working alongside neighbors at the local food pantry, but we are creating it all the time, with every interaction.  It starts with a desire to connect, is sustained by courtesy, respect, and common interests, and, if you are lucky enough to find them, shared goals.

If the only goal is to make money, if you don’t truly care about your product, respect or spend the time getting to know the people you live and work alongside, you cannot sustain genuine community. Especially in small towns like ours, relationships reverberate in subtle ways when you pay attention; good will resonates whether you’ve known someone for years, or just met them by chance. Community can happen in an afternoon – as it did on Pink Party Sunday. The thing that makes it real is the genuine presence you bring to it, no matter what role you play.

The winemakers who gathered in our gardens to pour their Rosé’s at this years Pink Party, who charmed and educated the guests who came to meet them and admire their craft, are a community with like minded goals, just as the slow flower farmers who grew the blooms we sourced to help create dazzling displays, and the food purveyors like Chef Mike Degan, The Healdsburg Bagel Company, Chef Anderson. Our wonderful staff here at Barndiva, the amazing Corazón crew lead by Ashley Mauritson, Alexis Ioconis who steered the wine ship for us for this years Pink on top of everything else she does, Amber Kneally who sewed our Pink Party Pirate flag at the last minute simply because we asked her to - these are the members of our community we depend upon who bring quality and meaning to our lives as we work through them. Dawnelise and Ari Rosen, last seen leading a joyous if bittersweet progression at the closing of campo fino with patrons who very much considered themselves a community - came to help raise funds and awareness for Corazón, the community organization they founded that focuses upon strengthening families at the very heart of hospitality in Healdsburg. Community is everywhere you choose to see it, and engage with it.

I want to give a special shout out to the many beautiful women in their pink dresses who danced together at the end of the day, as the rest of us looked on beneath the wisteria enjoying the same breeze and listening to the music. It felt so good just to be together and celebrate spring, and the abundance of Healdsburg.

The fabulous Pink Party Line Up for 2023:

@bloodrootwines, @almafriawines, @prestonfarmandwinery, @raftwines, @mauritsonwines, @idlewildwines, @jolielaidewines, @drinkseppi, @cruxwinery, @amistavineyards, @bricoleurvineyards, @brickandmortarwines, @stephane.vivier.wines, @reevewines, @daniel_sonoma, @handleycellars, @flowerswinery, @roedererestate, @grosventrewines, @breathlesswines, @dunstanwine, @tberkleywines, @marinelayerwines, @scharffenbergercellars, @hirschvineyards, @domainesott, @matanzascreekwinery, @liocowineco, @cruesswine, @leosteen_wines, @theharrisgalleryandwine, @ernestvineyards, @rootdownwines, @county_line_vineyards, @copainwines, @drinkkally, @altaorsowinery, @captûrewines, @untiwines.com, @guv_hales, @natalienelsonkirby

Special Friends who always bring it: Chef Francisco, Alexis Ioconis, Ari Rosen & Geoffrey Hales, Scott Beattie (in search of a cocktail no doubt), the irrepressible Susan Preston, Lukka Feldman in from London, Releigh and Asijah, Barndiva’s wine Director Emily Carlson, Eric Sussman, Dan Fitzgerald, Jil Hales & Chappy Cottrell, Dawnelise Rosen, and another belle of the ball in her pink frock, Birdy.

Our thanks to all the winemakers for donating to the raffle benefiting Corazón.

Healdsburg has an abundance of vital community organizations that welcome new energy - join one!

All photographs by the incredible Chad Surmick can be shared. TM us @barndivahealdsburg. And heads up: If you are one of many who missed attending when The Pink Party because it sold out so early, consider signing up to receive our newsletter, Eat the View, so you are first to know about future public events. we’ve got some doozies up our sleeves.

Tickets are now on sale for Fête Blanc, August 20.

@dragonfly_floral, @singlethreadfarm, @longertablefarm, @filigreenfarm, @frontporchfarm, @whodoestheflowers!

@airick72, @franciscoa_, @healdsburgbagel, @chefdegan

#food2firefighters

Hard to know what to think. One minute we’re mastering all the complicated bits involved in re-opening for service during a pandemic when all of a sudden 11,000 lightning bolts start raining down from what was just a hot, exceedingly innocent looking clear blue sky day. Even if you don’t let your mind go in the wrath direction, it sure does feel like the state of California got up on the wrong side of the bed a few years in a row.

Before we knew it multiple fires, one just a ridge over to the west of Healdsburg, were raging out of control. There was another out towards the coast and a fast moving blaze in Napa County. It was immediately obvious none could be contained as only scant resources were available anywhere. We became part of the LNU complex, code name Walbridge. All we could expect was that local firefighters could try and hold the line until more help arrived. Much of the terrain in northwest Sonoma County is steep and hilly; firefighters had to first find the line before they could attempt to battle it into submission.

While under threat of evacuation we temporarily closed the Barn to guests Saturday. On Sunday we began cooking for firefighters. Living where we do we never forget the professionalism and courage of these men and women, but it still feels overwhelming to confront our helplessness. We have no way of thanking them personally for protecting our way of life except to do what we know best - to feed them from the foodshed they are defending.

By daybreak Tuesday, Aug. 25, the skies across most of the Bay Area that were unbearably smokey the day before had begun to clear. While the Lightning Complex fires has burned over a million acres in our beloved state, the Meyers fire raging along the coast and the Hennessy fire in Napa County are now contained. In our part of Sonoma resources and more firefighters have arrived from Culver City, Folsom, Beverly Hills, Rancho Santa Fe and as far as Washington State to making the difference. More projected lightning storms have ignited only 13 fires that were easily identified and contained. Our hearts are hurting for all those who suffered loss - and we were heartbroken to hear that the ancient forest in California’s oldest state park, Big Basin Redwoods in Santa Cruz, may be irreparably damaged. While fire burns at the edge of Armstrong Woods, it is not in any real danger at the moment.

While the health of our businesses has been on all our minds in Healdsburg for months now, without a second thought other people’s health, and their losses, once again became paramount. We were not surprised when so many restaurants and markets in town jumped in to help feed first responders. Catastrophes are partisan free zones. It never ceases to amaze what can be accomplished when people from all walks of life work together towards a common goal. We want to thank everyone for reaching out to see if we were safe - messages came from across the globe - and one stood out for asking what many of you who do not live here may be thinking. A friend from far away, no doubt overwhelmed with concern shrieked, “How can you continue to live there?”

Here’s the thing: with Covid-19 ongoing, the economy teetering, the climate in stress, systemic social injustices tearing us apart, I can think of no where else our family would rather be than in this beautiful place surrounded by amazing, talented individuals engaged in life affirming work. Harvest goes on despite the challenges we may face. There is a wonderful, inexorable optimism in farming food and growing grapes when you love a landscape, understand its history, want to protect its structural health. We draw from that every day. Then we cook as if our lives depended on it. Because, in fact, they do.

We will be cooking for firefighters again today, but plan to be open for service on Thursday August 27.

The Barndiva Family wishes to thank our dear friend Alexis Iaconis and her remarkable children Hadley and Lincoln, Barndiva’s Cathryn and the great Bloody Bob, our new wine director Evan Hufford and his talented wife Jade, and the amazing Felix. Thank you as well for wonderful contributions from Single Thread Farms and the Philo Apple Farm of gorgeous produce. Lukka’s ability to connect with the GoFundMe campaign #food2firefighters was enabled by the infectious energy of Skip and The Healdsburg Running Company. Great neighbors. They get it. Give what you can.

On Saturday & Sunday 160 meals went out to So Co Fire

On Monday we were able to deliver 160 meals to Healdsburg FD and Soco fire stationed in Windsor.

#staytuned #stayhealthy #stayhealdsburg #healdsburgchamber #eattheview #barndiva #togo #healdsburg #thisishealdsburg #sonomacounty #mendocinocounty #sommtablehealdsburg #sonomastrong #ediblemarinwc #lovehealdsburg #biteclubeats #healdsburgrunningcompany @barndivahealdsburg @brickandmortarwines @bloodybobs @maisonhealdsburg @singlethreadfarms @philoapplefarm