Napa, California
December 1, 2009
Studio 707 on Sabbatical
At the 2004 TED Conference Heidi Swanson introduced me to the brilliant Austrian-born designer Stefan Sagmeister. She was right to think that beginning with a shared interest in artist-environmentalist Friedensreich Hundertwasser, Stefan and I would have a lot in common.
For me and apparently for himself, Stefan has proved a constant discovery process. For example, two years ago when I called to ask him to direct the design of a hotel project I was involved in, Stefan expressed his regret explaining that he was closing his design studio for a sabbatical. It’s best if you hear how this works directly from Stefan: http://is.gd/582Bh
Then, the coupe de gras arrived serendipitously last September as a birthday gift from Sally Schneider , the book Stefan wrote after his most recent sabbatical, “Things I Have Learned In My Life So Far.”
Somewhere in the midst of random inspirations from Stefan, I gave my longtime friend Carl Doumani a birthday gift of three-weeks in Spain during which I shared the wondrous art, architecture and food world I’d discovered in my long, rich relationship with the Ferrer Family of the Freixenet wine empire.
At Carl’s insistence, the trip included a pilgrimage to Ferran Adria’s El Bulli. Standing in Adria’s kitchen with him at 1 a.m. after a 21-course culinary adventure, we listened to his passionate description of revitalizing his creative alchemy by working only half the year and experimenting the other half.
Possessed as I was by the approach of both Adria and Sagmeister, I couldn’t bring myself to take the leap off the treadmill. That is, until late one afternoon in June 2009 when I received the telephone call that reframed everything instantly. “You have cancer,” said the voice on the other end of the line. By February I hope to be in remission and ready to begin my first sabbatical.
Posted by Pamela at 9:00 AM | Share on Facebook |
Bocanova's dining room designed by Michael Guthrie and Company. Photo by Ashley Teplin
November 30, 2009
Bocanova: The Birth of a Restaurant
Bocanova, created by Michael Guthrie and Company Architects, inhabits a 6,500 sq. ft corner of an historical 1920’s ice warehouse in an ideal waterfront location; a space with tons of character as they say, which means both flaws and charm, an empty concrete shell with the beauty of the bygone industrial era it evoked. It became immediately clear that the rough grey texture and massive scale of the columns and ceiling would be something to highlight instead of hide. The columns became the divining rod and focus of the design.
Bocanova's Pan American kitchen provided a perfect palette for interior designer Andrea Wade of Michael Guthrie and Company. On her sojourn to South America the year before, Andrea was truly inspired by both the architecture and the food. The one thing that is quite prominent in South American arts and architecture is the embracing of simple forms in warm and vibrant palettes. Both new and old exist together in their interiors, combining indigenous with contemporary seamlessly. The conception of our core vision came to life quickly: a blend of old and new, traditional and innovative.
At Michael Guthrie & Company, function is always the first consideration when embarking on a project. So after the initial inspiration, a floorplan was designed that was ideal for both chef and guest. One of the main components is an almost market-stall counter that allows the kitchen to have an open interface the entire length of the dining room. Visual and physical divisions divide and define smaller more intimate areas without sacrificing the over-all feeling of spaciousness. The intent was to create several dining experiences that allow the guests to experience Bocanova in different ways on different occasions. There is counter dining where guests can watch and talk to the chefs, intimate two person booths, long communal tables and shaded outdoor seating over-looking the Jack London Marina to the Oakland Estuary beyond.
The simple shapes and palette evoke South American monastic spaces, both clean and rustic, with earthy warmth. The furnishings were selected to be comfort able and imbue the ambiance with a familial and convivial quality.
Whenever possible, the fabricators used at Bocanova were local and the furniture and fixtures were created using sustainable methods. Our wall plaster is a custom formula created by the Santa Rosa husband and wife team at Tobias Stucco. Details International in Napa sourced our reclaimed wood from local barns. The tables came from Wooden Duck in Berkeley and their bases were custom fabricated by Pearce Schmidt Construction in Emeryville, with the exception of the tall communal table in the bar area. The wonderful crew at Eclipse Design in Petaluma fabricated that concrete top and recycled wood base was created by Artefact in Sonoma. All of the custom steel. The wall tiles are from Heath Tile in Sausalito with the exception of the warm golden tiles at the cookline, which are a recycled product from Fireclay Tiles in San Jose. Our custom concrete counters, footrails, and sinks are from Concreteworks in Oakland. B&L Seating in San Francisco expertly crafted the banquettes. Magnolia Lane in South San Francisco to give our space warmth and human scale fabricated the draped column sconce shades. The rugs, although imported from India, are fair trade and made with natural dyes and were purchased from Emmett Eiland Oriental Rug Company, which has been doing business in Berkeley since 1969. Terra Nova Industries General Contractors of Walnut Creek built the restaurant.
The high level of involvement of the entire Bocanova team; owner to landlord to architect to builder resulted in the creation of a well-built, cost-effective and stunning space for Bocanova.
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Nigel Kinsman, Winemaker Krupp Brothers (Photo by Seymour & McIntosh)
November 24, 2009
Krupp Brothers’ Winemaker Rises to New Heights
2009 marks Nigel Kinsman’s 15th vintage as a winemaker. For a 34 year-old who received his enology degree just six years ago, Kinsman’s logged more hours – with some of the most famous winemakers and wineries – than at first seems possible. He learned technical expertise alongside Peter Leske and got to the heart of organic and biodynamic farming at Cullen Winery.
Upon graduating, Kinsman hopped a plane to Chianti to work the 2003 harvest as a “poor struggling student winemaker.” Four planes and a train ride later, he was welcomed into Tolaini’s Tuscan cellars as the full-time winemaker. Because he didn’t speak a word of Italian, he learned to lead by example. And when Michel Rolland showed up as consulting winemaker, he learned the art of blending alongside the man he considers to possess one of the wine world’s most formidable palates.
No, Kinsman’s trajectory has been anything but traditional. It has, however, been 100% intentional, and it all began on the day he was almost fired from South Australia’s premier wine shop, Baily and Baily. At the time, Kinsman was studying classical music at the University of Adelaide, majoring in solo performance on the double bass.
The gig at Baily and Baily was meant to keep his wallet lightly padded, and he had little expectations of doing more than hauling cases of beer and stocking shelves, two things at which the six-foot two-inch Kinsman excelled. When the store manager told him they were going to have to let him go only six months into the position, the only question Nigel could ask was “How do I change your mind?”
The manager sent him home with three wines, three glasses and told him to turn in a report next shift. For twelve weeks, they repeated the exercise. “Suddenly I was fascinated with these unique regions, with new winemakers, with everything that went into the glass.” Nigel had fallen in love with wine, but he wasn’t initially convinced he could make a career out of it.
When he approached the head of the enology department about two years into his classical music degree, they weren’t convinced either. He had neither the sciences nor the science entry score to get into the department, which at the time was as competitive as the physiotherapy program.
Again, he asked, “What do I have to do to change your mind?” A faculty manager finally conceded that if he entered a straight science field and blitzed the class, he might have a chance. Nigel took a year off from his other classes, enrolled in Chemistry I and scored a 97 in the first year. The department allowed the transfer…”but it took a lot of pushing and shoving.”
When he wasn’t studying, Nigel spent his time at the wine shop honing his sensory skills and tasting every new wine he could get his hands on. “I will always maintain that people in wine retail get to taste a lot more wine than those who make it,” he says, and at his peak at Baily and Baily, Nigel was tasting some 300 wines a week.
After he transitioned into the enology program, Nigel left the wine shop and approached Nepenthe Winery winemaker Peter Leske. He told Leske he didn’t want to start his degree without any experience in the field. Leske brought him on for the 1997 harvest, and Nigel spent the hours of 6 pm to 4 am doing pump-overs and cleaning tanks and his daylight hours in the classroom. Hooked on the buzz of the physical labor, he stayed on at Nepenthe for five more harvests, all while studying. When he finished near top of his class every year, Kinsman credited the work with helping him see and engage in the entire winemaking process.
Continue reading "Krupp Brothers’ Winemaker Rises to New Heights"
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