Napa Valley Film Festival - Huge Success!

The inaugural Napa Valley Film festival wrapped up on Sunday and it was a huge success. For five glorious fall days the Valley was hopping with films, wine and parties hosted from Napa to Calistoga. We decided to take a day off from construction and bought a pass for Saturday and watched four films – all of them were excellent, especially First Generation. This film, which followed four low-income students in California as they struggled to overcome the tremendous obstacles that keep well deserving but disadvantaged students from receiving the college education they deserve is still haunting me four days later. I wasn’t surprised to see it won an award.

Between films we had plenty of time for wine tasting and enjoying the glorious Napa Valley fall weather. I can’t wait for the 2^nd annual film festival next fall when the Inn on Randolph is completely remodeled and back in full operation and we can share this event with our guests!

Times, they are a changing

The ultimate remodeling challenge… How to preserve the charm and incredible personality of the 160 year old Inn on Randolph while at the same time bringing it up to date and adding the amenities and special touches that will make for a memorable an unforgettable Napa Valley getaway for our guests? The plans for the main house are complete and the cottages remodels are underway. Bring on the challenge the fun has begun! 

Week 2 - Progress!

What a difference a week makes.  We had the whole property pruned and trimmed of 20 years of overgrowth. Check out the before and after pictures of the front of the Inn. The beautiful historic house is finally visible from the street!

Great first week!

What a great first week we had as the new owners of the Inn on Randolph. We caught the last Chef's Market of the season - loved the wine, the music and met a few new friends.

Our days have been crazy busy, but we are making sure to get out at night to relax and enjoy everything that our new community has to offer. I love the fact that the Inn is within walking distance of so many top rated, excellent restaurants. We had great meals at Angele, Celadon, Bistro Sabor, Mini Mango Thai Bistro, and Norman Rose Tavern.

And, just so you don't think we are acting like fun guests on vacation we did pull the first construction permit. A lot of the trees on the property are overgrown and some of the landscaping is out of control. A crew comes on Monday to cut, prune, and clear selected areas- can't wait to actually be able to see the beautiful Inn from the street! I'll post before and after pictures soon...

Big changes for the Inn!

The excitement and fun begins! Just closed escrow on the inn. I am so thrilled to be the new owner. Renovations plans are underway to refresh, rejuvenate and revitalize this beautiful historic inn in downtown Napa. Can't wait to share this special place!

A Mother's Day Thought

Another Mother's Day is almost here and time is running out to plan something special. I know what you're thinking - here's another "suggestion" for what to buy your Mom. Do I think a Gift Certificate for a stay at the Inn on Randolph is a great idea? Sure I do. But the true purpose of this posting is to say that the absolute best thing you can do for your Mother this or any other year is to spend time with her. Trust me, that's what she'll really love.

When I was going through my Mom's things after she passed away a number of years ago, I found a box filled with some of  the gifts I had given her over the years, mostly homemade from my childhood.....pressed flowers from a bouquet of flowers I had picked, I.O.U. notes promising to stop doing something annoying, if only for a day. Corny as it sounds, it truly is the thought that counts, not the price tag of the gift, and I give you that box as proof.

At the same time I was thinking deep thoughts and missing my Mom, I found myself looking through my recipe box. As owner of a Napa Valley Bed and Breakfast, I'm also the person who cooks breakfast each morning. So while I was examining recipes, some of which my Mother gave me, I realized it’s also the time of year when, with the start of Napa’s Farmers Market, we gain access to a wealth of great herbs and produce, both of which I love to incorporate into breakfast at the inn.

And so it was the intersection of Mother's Day and the Farmers Market that brought me to this idea. If you're still trying to come up with something nice to do for Mom, consider making her a yummy breakfast and sitting down to enjoy it with her – no texting, no game on television in the background, just conversation. And don't forget to clean up afterwards – you don’t want to spoil the moment by leaving Mom with a messy kitchen.

If you don’t have a recipe in mind, here’s one that doesn’t have a lot of ingredients, is easy to prepare and delicious.  For anyone living in and around Napa, don't forget that today (Saturday) is Farmers Market at the Oxbow Public Market.  So while you're picking up those herbs, eggs and tomatoes, you may also want to swing by the Cheese Merchant, Fatted Calf and Model Bakery to complete your Mother's Day breakfast shopping.

Fritatta with Cheese, Herbs and Tomatoes

Ingredients
4 large eggs
¼ cup grated Romano cheese
1 15-oz container of part skim ricotta cheese
¼ cup milk
1 tblsp cornstarch
½ tsp salt
1/8 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
1 pound ripe tomatoes, sliced thin
½ cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
½ cup fresh mint leaves, chopped

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a large bowl, whisk eggs, ricotta and romano cheeses, salt and pepper until blended
In a measuring cup, stir milk and cornstarch until smooth. Wisk into the cheese mixture and stir in the basil and mint.
Pour mixture into a nonstick 10” skillet and arrange tomatoes on top, overlapping slices if you like.
Bake 35-40 minutes or until lightly browned, the edges are set and the center is puffed.
Let stand 5 minutes before serving

Enjoy the day and I hope to see you (and maybe your Mom) at the inn

New Napa Wine & Cheese Pairing Class

There are some things that just seem to naturally go together - peanut butter and jelly, Bed and Breakfasts and Napa Valley, wine and cheese. The subject of this week's blog is the latter.

One of downtown Napa’s first, and most popular, tasting rooms is Back Room Wines. Daniel and his staff have a top notch wine selection and have been my go-to wine merchants since opening in 2002. But Back Room wines is also well known for their fun and informative special events. Where else are you going to find a wine and hot dog pairing like the one they typically have on July 4th or a tasting called “Under Twelve Bucks a Bottle” ? By the way, if that last one captured your attention, it’s scheduled for June 17.

Daniel’s latest, and one of his best, ideas is a series of “Cheese Meets Wine” classes. This is something I’m really interested in, but part of the challenge in running a Napa Valley Bed and Breakfast is being able to schedule time away from the inn in advance. It wasn’t until May 1 that I was thinking it might be possible to attend the inaugural class on May 5 but, alas, it was already sold out!  And it looks like the June class only has 1 seat left. But I’m hoping to make it to one of the monthly classes at some point. Here’s the scoop on what you can expect if you’re lucky enough to be able to plan your schedule in advance.

The 90 minute sessions are being conducted by Janet Fletcher (more or her in a minute) once a month through October. Classes are the first Thursday of the month (except August, which is the second Thursday), from 5:30 – 7:00 PM. Class size is deliberately small (12 people) , which means everyone gets personal attention and reservations are required.  The price for any class is $55 per person.

The sit-down classes offer the chance to taste with an expert and learn why some pairings work and others don’t. You’ll likely be introduced to cheese-friendly wines you may not know and to lesser known artisan cheeses. Each class will feature six exceptional cheeses and four hand-picked wines--different every time.

Now, more about the instructor. Janet Fletcher lives right here in little ole Napa but is also a well known author and cheese expert. If you live in the Bay Area, you may recognize the name from her weekly column in the San Francisco Chronicle, the nation’s only weekly newspaper column devoted to cheese. But she is also author of two bestselling books on cheese – Cheese & Wine: A Guide to Selecting, Pairing and Enjoying and The Cheese Course. And for all you techno savy cheese lovers, Janet is author of Cheese Plate, an iPhone app.

I think these classes are a great choice for both locals and visitors, but they’re already proving to be popular, so I’d suggest getting out your calendar right away. For tickets, check Janet Fletcher's site.

One last thought - Thursdays are also Chefs Market nights throughout the summer months and you're walking distance to both Back Room Wines and Chefs Market from the Inn on Randolph. It doesn't get easier than that to have fun and get a head start on the weekend !

Hope to see you soon – maybe at one of these classes ! Deborah