Sonoma Valley Official Visitors Guide

CULINARY
The Vella Cheese
Company
THE VELLA CHEESE COMPANY
The story of Vella Cheese is the history of
Sonoma cheese making. Housed in a brick
building that was a former brewery, Vella Cheese
has been making world-class jack, cheddar, and
Italian style cheeses by hand since the 1930s.
Still family run and still offering samples of the
wonderful offerings, Vella Cheese is a must-stop
for foodies in the know.
THE OLIVE PRESS Sonoma Valley
has long been a hotbed for artisan olive oil
production, paving the way for the Cline family,
who has been crafting specialty extra virgin olive
oils and balsamic vinegars in Sonoma Valley
since 2013. Stop by their Tuscan-inspired tasting
room and mill off of Arnold Drive, and let the
friendly staff guide you through their delicious
and diverse extra virgin olive oils and balsamic
vinegars. Or get geeky with a private group tour
to go deep into the production experience. With
quality standards like these, you’ll never look at
olive oil the same way again.
M.F.K. FISHER’S “LAST HOUSE”
Food lovers who know what’s what have probably
read essays and stories by acclaimed author
M.F.K. Fisher. A friend of famed cookbook
authors Julia Child and Richard Olney, Fisher was
the first to bring notoriety to Californian cuisine
and to help define larger American cuisine as we
know it today. She spent the last 20 years of her
life at “Last House,” an idyllic two-room house
which now sits on the Bouverie Preserve off of
Highway 12. Check out the Audubon Canyon
Ranch’s website to grab a spot on their monthly
tours. A must-see for those who love food, wine
and writing!
OAK HILL FARM For more than fifty
years, this family run farm has grown flowers and
produce using sustainable agricultural practices
and harvested over two hundred varieties of
vegetables, fruit, flowers, perennial greenery,
and herbs as they naturally come into season. A
farmers market favorite, the family also provides
visitors a glimpse behind the scenes once per
month when they open the Red Barn Store on the
property for tours and shopping. Once a small
farm stand, now a local landmark, the Red Barn
Store has both supported and nourished the
Sonoma community for over 30 years.
THE ORIGINAL WILLIAMS-
SONOMA Williams-Sonoma may be a
household name today, but that’s because of
the hard work and vision of founder Chuck
Williams. Williams had a passion for cooking
and a desire to open a store that sold sturdy
French cookware, and in 1956, his vision came
to life with the opening of his original store on
Broadway. The original store is as inspiring as
it is quaint, and as such, has highly curated and
pared down offerings from the larger stores you’ll
find elsewhere, making each object shine with
its own uniqueness. Call the store to check on
their calendar of events and be sure to catch one
of their in-store cooking demos. If you don’t feel
inspired to start cooking after you leave, it’s not
their fault.
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