Page 11 | Bohemian | Sonoma & Napa Counties

Free Will Astrology, July 15-21

Astrology

Jul 14, 2026

ARIES (March 21-April 19): In honor of the intensive homecoming phase of your astrological cycle, I have homework for you. 1. Make a prediction about how old you will be when you know precisely who you are. 2. Forecast the day when you will look in the mirror and recognize your face as an intricate portrait of every experience you have ever loved. 3. Imagine the dawn when the boundary between your own longing and life’s longing will dissolve, revealing they’ve always been the same current. 4. Predict when your heart will be as wild and free and brave as you have always wanted it to be.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Ornithologists studying migration know that some birds don’t fly directly to their destination. They follow “leading lines.” These are geographical features like coastlines and mountain ranges that provide orientation. Even when this means taking a longer route, the certainty of having a guiding landmark outweighs the efficiency of a straight line across nondescript terrain. I recommend the birds’ approach to you in the coming weeks, Taurus. Follow your own leading lines: practices and intuitions that provide lucid orientation even when they don’t offer shortcuts. The indirect path offers the surety you need. 

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): What’s an important truth you keep forgetting about? Maybe it’s a promise you once made to yourself, or an understanding that your younger self knew, or a wisdom your body keeps trying to communicate while your mind ignores it. What truth returns again and again in different guises: through synchronicities, seemingly random comments from friends, recurring dreams or the same lesson repeating in new situations? What crucial insights about life do you remember during crisis or ecstasy, only to abandon them once normalcy returns? Now is a favorable time to fully recover this lesson and install it firmly at the heart of your life.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Make a list of your five greatest pleasures. These are experiences that stir your senses, steady your pulse and remind you why you love being alive. Write them down as if they were sacred prayers. Sing a spontaneous song of praise for them. Then set out on a quest to discover pleasure number six. This is a delight you have never tasted, touched or imagined before. Maybe it will come from saying yes to a possibility you usually decline. Treat this experiment as a form of worship and a way to boost your devotion to your healing life force.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): According to neuroscientists, the “default mode network” is the area of your brain that lights up when you’re daydreaming, drifting through thoughts and feelings, and letting your imagination roam around. This is when your deep self does crucial work: weaving memories into stories, making creative connections, rehearsing possible futures and forging your sense of identity. I mention this, Leo, because the coming days will be prime time for you to indulge lavishly in this healing and restorative activity. Don’t let a task-obsessed world shame you out of your reveries. Your genius will bloom from their slowly swirling flow.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Here are three gentle nudges: 1. One of your trusty tools or assets still seems to be working fine, but I suggest you look into the possibility that it will soon need repair. 2. Unless you act proactively to ease the strain on your system, a mini-breakdown could be on the horizon. 3. The monster hiding in your closet is hibernating, which makes this the perfect time to summon an exorcist before it rouses. Here’s the very good news, dear Virgo: Because you are reading this oracle, you are now armed with all you need to stave off turmoil and head in the direction of an exciting renaissance.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Researchers who study improvisational jazz have found that master musicians often anticipate each other’s ideas milliseconds before anyone actually plays the notes. Their brains become exquisitely synchronized through deep listening rather than rigid planning. Maybe more than any other sign, you Libras possess a similar aptitude in managing your intimate alliances and social connections. In the coming weeks, this superpower will be even more necessary and available than usual. I’ll provide a reminder: Pay less attention to what people claim to mean and more attention to the rhythms beneath their words. Let your intuition guide you. The subtly shared timing will generate elegant cooperation.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): “It’s bad luck to be superstitious” is a delightful paradox that I enjoy playing with. It makes fun of our tendency to believe that invisible forces are constantly keeping score on our behavior. On one level, the phrase pokes at the way superstition multiplies anxiety instead of easing it. If you really believed it’s bad luck to be superstitious, then your belief about bad luck would itself be a superstition. So you’d have to avoid the very thinking pattern you’re using to feel safer. It exposes how easily the mind can tie itself in knots trying to control the uncontrollable. On another level, “it’s bad luck to be superstitious” is an invitation to examine which of your little rituals are entertaining and nourishing and which are cages. Keeping a lucky stone in your pocket is fine if it amuses you, but believing you’re doomed if you don’t carry the stone isn’t so fine. My advice: Notice when your charm or taboo is no longer a quirky companion, but starts being a tyrant that shrinks your freedom.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Are you the type of Sagittarius who pushes open doors with “pull” signs on them? Do you get a secret kick out of opening boxes from the end that says “open other side”? Maybe you even yack on your phone in designated quiet zones. If so, I’d like to suggest channeling your rebellious spark into grander acts. In the weeks ahead, you will be carrying some potent renegade energy. Used wisely, your radiant defiance could topple a stagnant situation that’s overdue for change.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Many healers favor the slow-and-steady path. They often meet with people once a week, trusting that even stubborn issues must be unwoven with patience and gentleness. But there are also bold experimenters who work differently. I know an acupuncturist who invites clients to live at her clinic for six days straight, offering a new treatment every two hours during the waking hours. She creates a healing immersion chamber. That’s the spirit I recommend for you in the coming weeks, Capricorn. You’re at the threshold of resolving a long-standing imbalance. What will serve you best isn’t dabbling at it but offering it focused, sustained, wholehearted attention until the shift activates.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): You can refresh and boost your ambition if you give it a firm, precise adjustment sometime soon. Your raw vitality will surge back if you refrain from indulging in a careless habit that has been draining it. Your willpower and determination have been weakened by the fallout from an old misstep, but you now have the clarity needed to repair that error. Your libidinous energy is not as clear and potent as it could be, but it will become so once you get more honest about what truly excites you.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): You’re like an arrow that has been shot from a bow and is three-quarters of the way to the target. You’re a delicious meal still simmering on the stove, or a pregnancy at seven months, or the last two weeks before a major election. When I turned my inner vision to you, I glimpsed a honeybee wriggling a dance to show its coworkers where a stand of blooming lilac awaits. Have you ever been on the verge of speaking a new language with ease? That’s where you are now, Pisces: just before true fluency clicks.

Homework: Do a ritual in which you vow to attract more blessings into your life. https://tinyurl.com/ommm777

Your Letters, July 15

Letters to the Editor

Weeklys Staff

Jul 14, 2026

Putin’s Puppet

Chump launched into a stem-winding rant about various NATO allies’ reaction to the war, first claiming he did not want help from any of them while complaining about the “trillions of dollars” the U.S. has “invested” in the alliance “to protect European countries” from Russia. This leads to my main concern.

I have read wherein Putin might approach Chump to seek an end to the conflict in Ukraine. This would be a BAD idea for all parties should Chump accept. First, Chump has been slavishly subservient to Putin during this whole episode, initially praising Putin for the invasion, then tarnishing Ukraine and Zelenskyy. His toadies further embarrassed themselves by warning Zelenskyy to “thank” Chump.

Second, since Chump is compromised, I would rather have the Swiss take over mediation, provided part of the objective(s) would be to support the Budapest Agreement of 1994 concerning borders. Third, Ukraine is on the verge of reclaiming the Crimea, so in fact all Ukraine needs is more materiel to finish the job. Lastly, should the Swiss decline, can you imagine Chump’s renewed efforts for a Nobel Peace Prize?

Gary Sciford
Santa Rosa

Global HR

If I ever come into ownership of a country and I decide to create allies, the only man alive whose services I would engage are those of our president.

In China, he has proven once and for all how well he represents democratic ideals, countries and institutions, regardless of global commercial and personal interests.

Just ask our friends in Taiwan.

Craig J. Corsini
San Rafael

La Rent, Forbidden Kiss’ ‘Raw Bohème’ at The California

Caitlin Strom-Martin

Jul 14, 2026

La Rent, Forbidden Kiss’ ‘Raw Bohème’ at The California

Burlesque meets opera meets comedy at The California Theatre when producer Cheryl King, creator of the popular Forbidden Kiss burlesque shows, gathers a colorful cast of performers for this special birthday tribute to North Bay Bohemian editor Daedalus Howell and the intrepid spirit of the Bohemian archetype. Everything from pole dancing to improv will be featured in this raucous celebration on Friday, July 17.

Since its doors opened in 2022, The California has become the venue to showcase a variety of productions, and Forbidden Kiss founder and resident MC Cheryl King has been there since the beginning, utilizing the eclectic performing space as a home for her inventive variety shows, produced by her company, Stage Left.

In doing monthly radio spots with Bohemian editor Howell to promote Forbidden Kiss, King quickly realized their shared affinity for all things starving artists, as well as a shared birthday month. Thus, the theme of Raw Bohème was born. She says, “I mentioned the Bohemian connection as a possible show theme, and he (Howell) suggested Raw Bohème, a play on La Bohème. And since I love puns and great opera, I thought it worth considering. He and the North Bay Bohemian are fairly good representations of the local culture, so the theme had staying power.”

But Forbidden Kiss isn’t some escapist bacchanal for the masses. Participating artists have freedom to explore anything they want, giving potency to the notion that art is a necessity during turbulent times. King explains of the performers, “They choose their music and their approaches with social critique and commentary in mind … almost every month has a burlesque routine where social issues are addressed.”

Audiences who attend Raw Bohème are in for more thought-provoking fare. Says King, “The show is a mashup between the bawdy nature of our vaudeville show, and both La Bohème and Rent. And there’s a little Weimar Republic energy … in terms of bold, provocative and highly experimental satire, social criticism and daring self-expression. The world of La Bohème and the Weimar Republic shared a vibrant yet tragic intersection: Both were eras of fierce artistic experimentation that flourished right at the edge of societal collapse.”

King promises a great time for all. “Entertainment is key—our job is to entertain,” she says. “We want to provide an outlet for joy, for surprise, for vicarious pleasure.”

Stage Left Studio presents Forbidden Kiss’ ‘Raw Bohème’ at The California Theatre, 528 7th St., Santa Rosa. Friday, July 17, 7:30pm $17–$27. 707.664.7529. caltheatre.com.

Wet Paint: Artist Jonny Hirschmugl Retrospective

Don R. Lewis

Jul 14, 2026

Wet Paint: Artist Jonny Hirschmugl Retrospective

In and around Sonoma County, figuratively as well as literally speaking, art is everywhere.

And this is not only a welcome addition to the many blank canvases that abound—walls, sidewalks, alleyways and utility boxes—it also helps spark imagination and open people’s minds to what art can be and even mean.

Petaluma-based artist Jonny Hirschmugl is one of several local artists who have been commissioned to beautify areas in and around the city with public art, including murals across the front facade of Petaluma Coffee and Tea, the southside of Petaluma’s American Alley, the underpasses along Petaluma’s Lynch Creek Trail and numerous other barns, businesses and exterior walls around our fair county.

Now one can see a great representation of Hirschmugl’s work via “Wet Paint—A Perspective on a Retrospective.” This is a whimsical way of labeling the retrospective of his work opening July 23 at Petaluma’s Keller Street CoWork and running through October.

Anyone who has met Hirschmugl knows him as friendly but a bit quiet, funny and someone who really has to be listened to. He’s the kind of guy one probably has to become with a name like Hirschmugl. But luckily for all, his inner sense of playfulness, nostalgia and everyday magic that abounds if we just pay attention is writ large (and sometimes quite small) via his artwork. These range from said murals to two-inch canvases (“my best sellers”), 8×10 inch and larger sized canvases, and around four- and five-foot canvases.

By way of a better example of the above, Hirschmugl explains his roots thusly: “Well, there was a great flood when I was being born, so my mother sought higher grounds on the 6th floor in a San Francisco hospital. I was spoon fed and potty trained in the town of Novato. I spent my adolescence in the more gritty parts of Petaluma.” I imagine one is getting the gist of the artistic sensibility here.

Said mother is also an artist with a focus on painting as well as button jewelry. Hirschmugl says he has no formal training, just years of learning by doing, including “scribbling on walls up to the age of the proper authorities telling me to stop scribbling on walls.”

Fans of his work notice common renderings of birds—particularly crows and owls—but Hirschmugl says this isn’t necessarily by design. He notes that rather, “Sometimes I’m chasing a theme that jells with me or jells with the patrons. And sometimes I’m working on something without an observable reason.”

As if quoting from David Lynch’s must-read transcendental meditation book, Catching the Big Fish: Meditation, Consciousness, and Creativity, Hirschmugl says, “I mean, you can always create a reason for doing something after you’ve done it. But intuitive creating might just be tapping into some other communal stream of consciousness. It’s got some good stuff in there; you just have to fish it out.”

While that feels very nice and open-minded, Hirschmugl says his actual creative process is slightly more chaotic. “Flipping vinyls on my record player helps create a working rhythm. I’ll dance between my small works, [and] I don’t sit too long working on one piece at a time. It’s part of the reason I can never answer the question of how long it takes me to make a particular painting.” He continues, “Freedom of thought to work on a piece has its challenges. The voice in your head asking why you are doing this can get kind of loud sometimes. The music helps drown that out.”

As noted, public art seems to be all the rage—never-ending outcry over the Petaluma bathtubs on stilts project notwithstanding—and Hirschmugl is a big part of that. When asked what the sudden rise in this is all about, he’s unsure but ties it into what moves him as an artist. Says Hirschmugl, “We already spoke of phases. And as I attribute these things to a cycle of nature, it could just be something like that with the art scene around here. In 10 years, fighting the robots might be the happening thing. Other than that, I’m not really sure, but I’m really happy to contribute where I can.”

Artist Jonny Hirschmugl’s ‘Wet Paint—A Perspective on a Retrospective’ opens July 23 at Petaluma’s Keller Street CoWork, 140 Keller St., and runs through October. For more information, check out jonnyhirschmugl.com.

Living La Vie, Forbidden Kiss’ ‘RAW Bohème’ at The Cal

Don R. Lewis

Jul 7, 2026

Living La Vie, Forbidden Kiss’ ‘RAW Bohème’ at The Cal

We live in an increasingly “meta” timeline which is never not ironic given our ability to expand our horizons via a handheld supercomputer.

Perhaps there’s really nothing new under the sun, and we’re all forever destined to repeat the same circuit over and over in an infinite ouroboros until arriving firmly, ahem, within one’s own self. That being said, who’s in the mood for a party?

Those who answered that they are may come on out to the lovely California Theatre on Thursday, July 17, from 7:30–9:30pm and take in RAW Bohéme, a bawdy, modern opera-themed vaudeville show that makes a hat tip to, among other famous bohemians, this very paper—the North Bay Bohemian (and, for that matter, a birthday salute to its editor, Daedalus Howell).

RAW Bohéme is a more risqué version of Cheryl King’s popular “Forbidden Kiss LIVE” performances which take place throughout the year at The California and feature burlesque, comedy, song and dance, improv and magic. This one, an adults only affair, is going to be heavy on the burlesque but is certain to include all of the aforementioned entertainment as well.

King says the notion of bringing together seemingly disparate angles into one evening came together via happenstance. “We often celebrate birthdays of our cast members or people in our audience, and I do The Drive 95.5 [radio program] with Daedalus (Howell) the week preceding each show. I mentioned we’d be celebrating my birthday and local artist/songwriter Karenna Slade’s birthday at our Tropicana-themed show in June,” she notes.

While dates for the shows are locked down far in advance, when King mentioned the next show would be July 17, wheels were set in motion. “Daedalus mentioned that his birthday was right after my July show, on the 19th. I said, ‘We should tie in the Bohemian,’” King recalls.

And just like that, what’s certain to be a special evening was hatched. The lineup includes newcomer pole performer Shad, making his Forbidden Kiss debut; burlesque performers Thotty McNaughty, Mae D’Lovely, Kim and Krystle; opera-themed comedy from Casper Nomi; Heather Heliger; musician Malia Abayon; and Underground Improv members Russ Andrews, Cheryl King and Reggie K. Singer.

When asked how she manages to pull together such a wide array of acts into one pleasing, entertaining evening, King considers several things that go into creating a memorable and unique event. “I choose themes and book my acts several months in advance, so that I can exercise curatorial choice,” she says.

But, of course, one has to give the audience what they want, so, she notes, “We do have audience favorites, like Karenna Slade or Titus Androgynous, or Thotty McNaughty, or Underground Improv, but I want the audience to be able to look forward to people they have not yet seen. I am always looking for new people.”

While there’s much to be excited about regarding RAW Bohéme, the twist of dressing like “a famous bohemian” proves daunting in terms of suggestions because—let’s be honest—anyone dressing like Walt Whitman, Jack Kerouac or Virginia Woolf would simply look like one’s favorite neighborhood bartender, barista or bookstore clerk. The most obvious and celebratory move is to cop our humble leader, Daedalus Howell’s regular outfit, but, as everyone has been telling him for years, the collared shirt-and-a-blazer-look is way past its expiration date.

Since that idea is clearly a wash, we’ll close with King’s “elevator pitch” as to why one should come out to an evening that, for some, might be out of their comfort zone.

To this, she says, “It’s tasteful and edgy, funny and significant, outrageous and tender, and very real and present. The community spirit of performers and audience members is a large part of what makes the show work. They come, knowing they’ll feel that community, and that they can let their hair down, put on a fun costume and be solidly entertained for a couple of hours.”

Forbidden Kiss’s ‘Raw Bohème’ plays at 7:30pm, Friday, July 17, at The California, 528 7th St., Santa Rosa. Tickets $19 to $29; more info and reservations at caltheatre.com/forbidden-kiss-live.

Russian Riverkeeper’s Don McEnhill

Locals

Cincinnatus Hibbard

Jul 7, 2026

Named Ashokawna—“the water to the east”—by the Southern Pomo. Slavyanka, “slavic woman,” by the Russian Colony. “Saint Ignatius” and “big river” by the Spanish colonists who came after. The river itself remains nameless, and mighty, winding 115 miles to the sea.

It drains 1,500 square miles of Mendocino and Sonoma counties, fed by 240 tributary streams and creeks. It fills Lake Mendocino and Lake Sonoma, our drinking reservoirs and the aquifers beneath them. It waters vineland and timberland. Each year, it pours an average of 1.5 million acre-feet into the ocean at Jenner.

An estimated 30 to 40% of Mendocino and Sonoma jobs depend on it, directly or indirectly.

We should bow to the Russian River, artery of the north. Instead, we treat it as a gutter.

In 2025 alone, the Russian Riverkeeper—self-styled protectors of the river—pulled roughly half a million pounds of trash from its waters, a volume that has grown, year over year, for the past five years. To do so, the Healdsburg nonprofit organized 900 local volunteers across 75 separate cleanup events along its length.

That mobilization, says Don McEnhill, deputy director of the Riverkeeper, is one of the clearest signs of a slowly shifting culture. When he was a young recreationalist in Healdsburg, it was common for old-timers summering along the river to stack their garbage on its banks, left for the winter rains to carry away.

McEnhill says the annual Salmon Creek coastal cleanup event has begun turning up noticeably less trash each year. The river’s health—it discharges trash, microplastics, motor oil, industrial chemicals, agricultural fertilizers, feces, pesticides, pharmaceuticals and acidifying minerals into the sea—is a major determinant of our coastal region’s health.

After a prominent career at several distinguished mountain bike and camping companies, McEnhill returned to his native Sonoma County to become leader of the Riverkeeper.

Cincinnatus Hibbard: Among the key victories of your career was ending the destructive gravel mining in the river. What is your assessment of the general health of the river?

Don McEnhill: In some ways, the river has gotten healthier; in other ways, it is not as healthy as it was 50 years ago. I think we have done a fantastic job improving the treatment of our wastewater plants so that they are discharging less pollutants. At the same time, in the last 50 years, we have continued to develop [with agriculture and houses] and shrink the river, when with climate change we know we are going to get bigger and bigger floods. Since 1942, we have shrunken the area that the river occupies by 80%. With land use, we are marching backwards.

And that is the elimination of river ecosystems…

Yes, and the more room we give the river, the more it recharges our groundwater and protects us from drought.

What about overpumping from the river?

(Laughs). That is the political lightening rod of them all… If you look at the paper water rights that exist in the Russian River, there are water rights equivalent to 2.5 times the actual volume of the river.

And still, you’re hopeful.

People are paying a lot more attention to the health of our waterways because of droughts, wildfires and climate change. There is more awareness—and with it, stewardship. Each year, we have more volunteers. And authorities are actually returning our calls. (laughs)

Learn more: One may give back to the river and become a river keeper. The Russian Riverkeeper hosts cleanup and restoration events year-round. Safety gear, river facts and (sometimes) snacks are provided. Donations are welcome: russianriverkeeper.org.

Unbelievably True: Local Artists Workshop New Musical at 6th Street Playhouse

Caitlin Strom-Martin

Jul 7, 2026

Unbelievably True: Local Artists Workshop New Musical at 6th Street Playhouse

Audiences are in for a whole new, entirely original and locally produced theatrical experience with the premiere of local actor, director and playwright Maureen O’Neill’s pop rock musical The (Unbelievably True) Story of Nicky O, being workshopped July 8, 9 and 10 at 6th Street Playhouse in Santa Rosa.

The musical biopic of a young musician who passed away in a devastating tragedy “will bring both laughter and tears,” says writer/director O’Neill.

6th Street Playhouse, under the artistic direction of Emily Cornelius, is quickly becoming the theater space for local playwrights and performers to experiment and workshop their own projects, and to be able to share them with the public through a monthly reading series and now, a full fledged musical workshop in the GK Hardt Theatre space. For the first time, the public can support a nearly finished work on its way, and see the origins of how this project came together.

Anyone with a keen interest in the artist’s process will no doubt be intrigued by what O’Neill and her company have in store. The show features music and lyrics by Nicky O’Neill and friends, book and stage direction by Maureen O’Neill, music direction by Jake Druzgala, vocal direction by Bill O’Neill, assistant vocal direction by Z Hansen and band direction by John Mayer.

The (Unbelievably True) Story of Nicky O is based on the true story of O’Neill’s brother-in-law, Nicky O’Neill, a talented singer songwriter who, at 18 years old, became the youngest victim of the 2003 Station Nightclub Fire in Rhode Island, which killed 100 concertgoers. According to O’Neill, thematically, “the story is about all the mysterious signs and symbols that the family experienced after the fire. It’s about family and hope and healing.”

O’Neill was inspired by the real life album her brother-in-law made with his teenage friends, and her idea for a musical about “young characters with substance” grew from there. “The musical really all started with the album that Nicky’s band released 25 years ago… I wrote my first draft in three months… That first draft was horrible. I came up with new ideas, and I wrote like crazy for six months. Rinse and repeat for three years. Every version was a huge leap forward,” she notes.

Honoring the memories of her brother-in-law and his family felt crucial to O’Neill. “All of the characters are inspired by real people,” she says. “I think real life is always more quirky and strange than fiction, so I stole all of those little moments that will really make people feel like they are plop in the middle of a family.”

The workshop format is alive with the energy of creating and exploring. Workshops are a gift for the artist to have the support, input and enthusiasm of their community as they take a leap of faith. To put one’s own work on display requires much courage, because once a project hits the public, it is exposed to all manner of responses.

O’Neill is grateful to 6th Street Playhouse for supporting her journey to bring an original musical to the stage. She says, “I feel like I have a real partner in 6th Street Playhouse. I’ve performed at 6th Street; I’ve attended shows, so being a part of that family as a playwright and director really makes me feel supported and encouraged. I can’t tell you what that means to me.”

‘The (Unbelievably True) Story of Nicky O’ runs July 8–10 in the GK Hardt Theatre at 6th Street Playhouse, 52 W. 6th Street, Santa Rosa. Weds–Fri, 7pm. $27. 707.523.4185. 6thstreetplayhouse.com.

Going for Gold: Dining at Graton Resort & Casino

Food & Drink

Amber Turpin

Jul 7, 2026

Going for Gold: Dining at Graton Resort & Casino

Overseeing everything that happens in the multiple dining outlets across the Graton Resort & Casino is Jennifer Murphy-Ellamar, vice president of culinary operations.

Among these spots is the new SoCo Dough Co., a creative doughnut shop that taps some of the innovative flavor creations from Murphy-Ellamar’s mind with lavish preparations, like the Millionaire’s Doughnut with chocolate hazelnut filling, hazelnut crémeux, gold leaf, chocolate crisp and chocolate ganache, paired with a one-ounce pour of Louis XIII cognac. It costs $275; so if one is on a winning streak, they may pop into SoCo.

Amber Turpin: How did you get into this work?

Jennifer Murphy-Ellamar: My Vietnamese mother is an incredible cook, and I spent so much of my childhood just watching her and helping her in the kitchen. I enrolled in culinary school at 18, moved to Las Vegas in my early 20s and fell in love with restaurant culture. I worked my way up from line cook all the way to property executive chef at Caesars Palace. Eventually that path led me here, into operations. Where I once focused on what was on the plate, I now focus on leadership and strategic planning, and honestly, I enjoy this chapter just as much, maybe even more.

What is your favorite thing to cook (or eat) and why?

To cook? A perfectly executed French omelette. It sounds simple, but it is one of the most honest tests of a cook’s skill. It’s something I still practice whenever I make myself breakfast.

To eat? My mom’s phở. No restaurant has ever come close. The broth takes a full day to simmer. I love the smell of the charred ginger and onion, star anise, cinnamon and cloves. You cannot rush it. That patience is what makes it extraordinary.

What ingredients do you use or eat the most?

It depends on what we’re cooking, but fish sauce. It’s the backbone of so much Vietnamese cooking and honestly one of the most underrated ingredients in any cuisine. I like to sneak it in wherever I can because it adds this incredible depth and umami that people can’t quite put their finger on. I learned that from my mom. She’s been quietly adding fish sauce to her spaghetti sauce for years.

What are some of your go-to places to go out for a sit-down meal? What about take-out?

For a sit-down meal, I almost always gravitate toward Asian restaurants. A great omakase, regional Chinese, especially Sichuan, Thai food, Korean BBQ. I love it all. For takeout? Pizza. Classic pepperoni.

Last meal on Earth?

That’s a hard question. Can it be a buffet? I’m serious … love a good spread. But if I had to pick one thing, I’d say a great cheeseburger. Ask me again tomorrow, and my answer will be different.

SoCo Dough Co.,288 Golf Course Dr. W., Rohnert Park, 707.588.7100, graton.com/fast-casual.

Bluegrass Revival, Spaces Between, Library Celebrates 50, Indie-Folk at Smiley’s

Weeklys Staff

Jul 7, 2026

Bluegrass Revival, Spaces Between, Library Celebrates 50, Indie-Folk at Smiley’s

Petaluma
Bluegrass Revival

Few voices have shaped contemporary bluegrass quite like Laurie Lewis, and the Grammy-winning singer, songwriter and fiddler returns to Petaluma for an intimate afternoon concert in the acoustically rich sanctuary of the Unitarian Universalists of Petaluma. Joined by her longtime band, Lewis rekindles the close-knit atmosphere of her beloved Roaring Donkey performances, where virtuosity and warmth shared equal billing. Opening the show is Sonoma County’s own Bluegrass Holiday, whose tight three-part harmonies and high-energy picking have quickly made them favorites on the regional festival circuit. Proceeds support both the performers and the Sonoma County Sanctuary Coalition, making this an afternoon where exceptional music meets community purpose. 4pm, Sunday, July 19, at Unitarian Universalists of Petaluma, 16 Fifth St. Doors open at 3:30pm. Suggested donation $25; additional free-will offering benefits the Sonoma County Sanctuary Coalition. More information at uupetaluma.org.

Petaluma
Turning Pages for 50 Years

For half a century, the Petaluma Regional Library has been far more than a repository of books—it has served as one of the city’s great gathering places. Sonoma County Library celebrates that legacy with a day of family-friendly festivities marking the branch’s 50th anniversary at its Fairgrounds Drive location. The celebration includes historical displays, live entertainment, community activities and an official commemorative ceremony, along with the unveiling of new additions to the library’s Donors’ Tree, honoring longtime library champions Paul Heavenridge and Gerry Groves. While the current building opened in 1976, the history of public libraries in Petaluma stretches back to the city’s earliest reading rooms and the Carnegie Library, making this anniversary both a celebration of one building and a reminder of a much longer civic tradition. 11am–5pm, Saturday, July 11, at Petaluma Regional Library, 100 Fairgrounds Dr. Official program at 1pm; Donors’ Tree unveiling at 1:30pm. Free admission. More information at sonomalibrary.org.

Point Reyes Station
Spaces Between

What happens in the spaces between the tangible and the imagined? That’s the question animating Spaces Between, the annual members’ exhibition at Gallery Route One. Filling the gallery with paintings, sculpture, assemblage and mixed-media works, the show brings together 16 member artists exploring the fertile territory between observation and invention, realism and abstraction, intellect and intuition. This year’s exhibition also welcomes new member artists Mary Ann Leff and Tonia Sassi. The opening reception features an artist talk, followed by the gallery’s “Second Saturday Open Late” celebration with live music by Brian Foster, making for an evening where conversation, art and community comfortably overlap. Exhibition runs July 11–Aug. 17 at Gallery Route One, 11101 CA-1, Point Reyes Station. Opening reception 3–5pm, Saturday, July 11; gallery talk at 3pm; live music 5–7pm. Gallery hours 11am–5pm Thursday–Monday. Free admission. More information at galleryrouteone.org.

Bolinas
Vetiver at Smiley’s

Some bands are best heard through headphones. Vetiver belongs in a small room with a drink in hand. Led by songwriter Andy Cabic, the longtime indie-folk outfit brings its understated blend of warm melodies, West Coast soul and gently psychedelic Americana to the intimate confines of Smiley’s Schooner Saloon, Hotel & Kitchen. Cabic’s songs have always favored subtlety over spectacle, drawing inspiration from folk, Brazilian rhythms and classic California rock to create music that feels both timeless and quietly transportive. 8:30pm, Friday, July 10, at Smiley’s Schooner Saloon, Hotel & Kitchen, 41 Wharf Rd., Bolinas. $20 advance, $25 door; 21 and over. More information at smileyssaloon.com.