It’s been almost 4 years since my husband, son and I moved to Petaluma, trading in our city life for a place with breathing room. This town captivated us, though at the time, it was hard to pinpoint the exact source of its appeal. Without knowing its formal history we could instantly sense its uniqueness from all others spread along the 101.

Each time we explored a new pocket or corner, we found ourselves admiring the organic mix of styles, tastes and influences. Small town charm peacefully coexists with modern-day conveniences. Scenic hillsides are peppered with the sweat of industry, alongside suburban enclaves. Agricultural roots serve as the context for an unexpectedly current livelihood of arts and music.

Perhaps most evident is the architectural diversity we witnessed in our search of a house to call home. We were taken by the tapestry of English cottages blending with their Spanish-style neighbors nestled beside renewed Craftsmans, mid-century ranch, modern steel-siding, and of course, elegant heritage Victorians. It was as if we had stumbled upon a place immune to the chronology of time, embracing with open arms every era with equal love. If Petaluma were an art project, it would certainly be deemed mixed media.

It was obvious that this town serves as an intersection, a meeting place if you will, where assorted personalities and perspectives come together and somehow swirl into a mix that is at once idiosyncratic and attractive.

No longer outsiders looking into this unique community, we are now enthusiastic participants falling deeper into its embrace. Over time, I’ve heard a lot of attempts to sum up this magic quality that is Petaluma. Most recently it’s been called eccentric and eclectic, both ideas that speak to the diversity and mix-ology that drew us here.

For me there might be an even simpler summation. It lies in a word so commonplace that it’s often overlooked, yet its role and meaning is so powerful when you stop to think about it. The word is AND, or better still, the symbol of “&”. The ultimate connector, “&” joins contrasting, even opposing ideas and offers them a home…together. “&” unites the unlike-minded, enjoys their differences and suspends judgment. “&” promotes dimension rather than singularity, vibrancy over monotony. Most importantly, “&” encourages harmony built on mutual respect.

At it’s essence “&” represents the core of what community should be – people from varying backgrounds and experiences, from diverse ethnicities and a spectrum of socio-economic classes coming together in conviviality. Isn’t that what true community is all about? Acknowledging, sharing, even celebrating our differences so that we may learn and grow from them?

It makes me proud to think that I live in a town that embodies “&” at its core, that connectedness that is community. If we can embrace this nature that is inherent to Petaluma, I believe that we can step forward into the future stronger, richer and a model for other communities to follow.

As we move into a new era in Petaluma’s rich cultural tapestry, what will define our way of life?
What will we be known for in the years to come? Will it remain the poultry industry that defines us?
Will it be the revival of the local agriculture industry or the “Petaluma Gap” wine growing district?

Weather we remain the chicken capital or not, it’s crucial that Petaluma understand and embrace
the thing that brings us all here. That thing that has made this area so unique and desirable to all of us.

Let us know what you think, what’s your take on the what lies beyond the chicken.

A trip to the Farmer’s Market two or three times or more over the balmy summer months, perhaps, a holiday gift from an art fair or a far more concerted effort in tracking down the many great everyday products grown and hand produced right here in Petaluma?

If you were to sit down and scribble a quick list of all of all of the locally produced foods and goods that spring to mind, you’d be reassured to see that we are in fact, far better catered to in terms of quality and variety of local merchandize than one may initially have thought.

For despite the current trend to search less father afield and in doing so, discover much more, a myriad of fine, ‘made in Petaluma’ products on the market today should be making much more of an impact on local lifestyle than we have so far allowed them to.

Is it simply a matter of spreading awareness and making a collective, concerted effort to look at the purchasing choices we make on a regular basis?  By taking steps to bring the bulk of our shopping dollars back to the many growers, manufacturers and merchants of our bustling hometown we can make a substantial impact for the future wealth, health and well being of our community.

Take, for instance, the mere mention of our neighboring, well-established, decade-old ‘Marin Organic’, as it conjures a marvelous, mental slideshow of mouth watering images – armloads of rustic green veg, creamy, artisan cheese, organic wines, freshly baked breads, free range eggs and newly shucked oysters from the misty banks of Tomales Bay.

A bounty of earth’s produce, paid for at a premium by those who trade their hard earned cash for some of the best tasting, most natural and sustainable foods to be found in the region today.

We only have to take a brisk bay ride down to the Ferry Building in San Francisco to witness the wonders of regional branding. It’s a phenomenon of sorts, though in reality, what we are seeing is a canny and much-needed reshaping of a return to the region’s more traditional values.

The idea of a Made in Petaluma collaboration crosses the borders of agriculture, manufacturing and production. It is a powerful concept to promote a keener sense of place while bolstering the livelihood of local growers and hometown business as a whole.

And what we have here in Petaluma reaches way and beyond Marin Organic’s original range of biodynamic delectables. From our home-sawn Heritage Salvage reclaimed wooden furniture, to Maude’s meticulously hand stitched dolls, Petaluma is home base to the likes of the nation’s leading natural frozen food producer, Amy’s Kitchen and internationally known Barbara’s Bakery natural cereal manufacturer. Petaluma Poultry’s Rocky Range chickens have put Petaluma on the map as a Sonoma County Conservation Council’s Environmental Business of the Year, as La loo’s slow formed, kitchen fresh goat milk ice cream company continues to blaze a trail of sustainable innovation across the nation’s press.

Locavores need look no further than Petaluma’s eco-friendly Green String Farm for year-round greens, Peterson’s Farm for herbicide/pesticide free farm products and honey and family-owned Clover Stornetta for all things in the sustainable, local dairy department.

If you were to source extra virgin olive oil from the rolling hills of certified organic McEvoy Ranch, hand pick breads and pastries from Della Fattoria Bakery and Café, pick out olives, marinara sauce, salsa, jerky, bacon and ham from Angelo’s Smokehouse or Zoe’s Meats, you’d be well on your way to a well-stocked, entirely Made in Petaluma pantry.

Petaluma Creamery has a still largely undiscovered selection of  Spring Hill Farm artisan cheeses, including an organic feta and a cultured, local butter.

And when it comes to wines sourced from within the three-year-old Petaluma Gap Winegrower’s Alliance, wine aficionados need look no further than the finely crafted vintages of local labels such as Adobe Road, Copeland Creek, Cline, Ridgeway Two Pisces, Keller Estate & Kastania.

In fact, the founding of The Petaluma Gap as a nonprofit organization is a great example of a group of local growers coming together and gaining momentum and members as it recognized today’s need to put a collective stamp on the superb, cool-climate varietals now being produced in the local wine arena.

With the increase in popularity of the Artisan Cheese Festival taking place in Petaluma now for a third year, it is prime time for Petaluma to put its best foot forward in presenting its finest offerings to the world at large, as well as to the people who live and work within the area, so that they may continue to grasp the new-found, old-fashioned values of increasingly buying local.

One key question that cannot be ignored in the current credit crunch is how can the coping classes afford to buy local? This is an issue a collaborative should address sooner rather than later. A cooperative for local buyers is one possibility, and, I’m taking the liberty to suppose, could be the concept of an innovative, Made in Petaluma, stays in Petaluma currency. Now there’s some food for thought!

Frances Rivetti
Freelance Writer
Blogs:
Sonoma Country Life
Off the Cuff
Frances is a British/American, Petaluma-based freelance writer whose work appears regularly on a local basis in the Petaluma Magazine, Wine Country This Week and Petaluma 360.com. A founding member of the Petaluma Gap Winegrower’s Alliance, Frances frequently finds herself hands-on in the barrel house as girl-Friday for husband Timo’s winemaking escapades in their West Petaluma hobby vineyard. A small-town girl at heart, Frances was raised in a multi-generational family of English country shopkeepers. She has been an active member of the Petaluma community for the past 17 years.