Goguette expands bakery and adds ice cream
Goguette Bread, which first opened in January 2017 in the Creekside Center in Santa Rosa, has remodeled its retail bakery after taking over a section of the former Pilates studio next door.
The expansion has allowed the bakery, which specializes in levain-based, long-fermented, organic French-style bread, to add a new double-diving arm mixer that can mix 160 kilograms of dough at a time, alongside the original 120-kilogram-capacity mixer.
“The new mixer takes less time and doesn’t heat the dough as much,” said co-owner and baker Nas Salamati, a former engineer who turned to bread baking about 15 years ago. “This is opening new doors to develop new products.”
During the pandemic, fans of the popular artisan bakery have been picking up their bread through a window. With the expansion, customers can now enter the bakery and stroll down a long marble counter, where the bakery’s European-style breads, cookies and pastries are on display.
“It’s more accessible in terms of people coming in and seeing everything,” said Salmati’s wife, Najine Shariat, who runs the bakery’s retail area.
For those with a sweet tooth, Shariat has added a new product: organic French ice cream, served in waffle cones or cups, just like the ice cream she grew up eating in Paris made with eggs, cream and sugar.
In 2019, the couple went to Paris to visit the famous Berthillon ice-cream parlor where Shariat fell in love with French-style ice cream as a youngster. Salamati also took an advanced ice cream workshop at Penn State University to help his wife launch her new product.
To make the frozen treat, they use a European ice cream machine, which churns the custard for eight minutes in a refrigerated cylinder. The ice cream then goes into a blast freezer for a few hours to keep the ice crystals small and create a smooth, creamy texture. It’s served from a pozzetti, which has sealed, cold wells where the ice cream stays perfectly tempered.
“You don’t see the ice cream,” Shariat explained. “But it’s not exposed to air, so it stays fresher and the texture is better.”
Goguette’s ice cream is sold by weight and comes in classic European flavors like caramel, chocolate-orange, pistachio and strawberry. The ice cream is also available in pint containers.
Goguette is located at 59 Montgomery Drive and is open 1:30-6 p.m. on Wednesday through Saturday. For more information, go to goguette.bread.com.
Tickets on sale for Project Zin benefit
Tickets are on sale for the 12th annual Project Zin event on Aug. 19-20, featuring dining events hosted by Chef Charlie Palmer of the Dry Creek Kitchen in Healdsburg, Winemaker Clay Mauritson of Mauritson Winery and some of Sonoma County’s best winemakers.
The highlight of the weekend, Project Zin, will be hosted by Bricoleur Vineyards in Windsor the evening of Aug. 20. The event will highlight some of the most sought-after zinfandels paired with food from some of the top local chefs, including Palmer.
For more information and a link to buy tickets, go to projectzin.org. Tickets to the Project Zin event on Aug. 20 are $200-$350, including the main event, live auction and after-party at Bricoleur. All proceeds benefit the Down Syndrome Association North Bay.
Gravenstein Apple Fair returning to Ragle Ranch
The Gravenstein Apple Fair will return to Ragle Ranch Regional Park from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Aug. 13-14, bringing live music, food, kids’ activities and local wine, hard ciders and microbrews.
The fair is a benefit for Sonoma County Farm Trails, a nonprofit organization established to create community among food producers and establish a strong connection between farmers and the public.
The theme of this year’s fair is Cultivating Community, something Sonoma County Farm Trails has been doing since 1973 in an effort to keep small family farms and agriculture alive in the county.
The fair, which also celebrates the historic Gravenstein apple, offers hands-on activities that teach farm skills, such as sheep shearing and cow milking; foods made by local chefs, such as Black Piglet’s BLT and Deep Fried Gravenstein Apple Hand Pies; and live music on two stages.
New this year is the VIP Lounge experience, which includes early entrance, a luxury lounge tent, exclusive food truck and bar, small bites and sips at the Artisan Tasting Alley and VIP-only restrooms. VIP tickets are $125 and are available by advance purchase only.
Advance general admission tickets are $18 adults (ages 13 and above) and $10 children (ages 6-12); kids 5 and under are free. Ticket prices at the gate are $25 adults, $20 seniors and veterans and $15 children.
On-site parking is $10 per vehicle (cash only). Off-site parking is free and includes a complimentary shuttle. For tickets, go to gravensteinapplefair.com.
Good Eggs now serving Marin, Napa, Sonoma
Good Eggs, a Bay Area-based online marketplace selling organic and sustainable groceries, has expanded into cities and ZIP codes in Marin, Napa and Sonoma counties, bringing same-day delivery to the doorsteps of many residents.
The company sells a curated assortment of fresh groceries, local produce sourced within 250 miles and everyday staples along with easy meal kits and ready-to-eat entrees.
Good Egg products include produce, dairy, meat and fish, snacks, drinks, wine and beer, bread and baked goods, baby food, pantry items and health and household products.
For more information, go to goodeggs.com.
Staff Writer Diane Peterson can be reached at 707-521-5287 or diane.peterson@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @dianepete56.
I’m interested in the home kitchen, from sheet-pan suppers to the latest food trends. Food encompasses the world, its many cultures, languages and history. It is both essential and sensual. I also have my fingers on the pulse of classical music in Sonoma County, from student mariachi bands to jazz crossover and symphonic sounds. It’s all a rich gumbo, redolent of the many cultures that make up our country and the world.
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