Page 14 - Sonoma County Gazette May 2020

PLAY with your FOOD!
restaurants brings me great satisfaction. I see the passion of food up close and personal, from the stories the restaurant owners have shared with me. When we go out for a meal, what we eat is more than just filling
our bellies, it’s a beautiful symbol of the work these small business owners pour their lives into.
By Valery Larson Writing about
HUNGRY? Don’twant to cook?
We have THE LIST for YOU!
Sorted by TOWN with website links, current data on menu, hours, delivery. Are we MISSING anyone? LET US KNOW! SEND info to editor@sonoomacountygazette.com
As the Covid-19
virus has changed
and shifted our
foundations and
impacted us in
negative and
positive ways, it’s
taken individuals and their businesses to unfamiliar places, topsy-turvy and fraught with challenges and unanswered questions.
I was so touched by what Shawn Hall, owner of Gypsy Café shared with me recently in an email, about her profound passion for the Gypsy and her cherished work family. She has given me permission to share her thoughts with you. It’s one more way to remember that all our food establishments have people behind them.
“Sundays are hard for me ‘cause for the last 9 years that was our big day
at the Gypsy and I got the chance to hear and experience all the joys of our community. Sundays, with our lines out the door, but everyone smiling and happy, telling stories, meeting new people and making new friends. Angel’s sweet smile, wearing some new hat, Doris with her kind hellos and Rob taking [his time] at his tables, left me to hug our regulars and meet new friends. Santiago, like a silent hurricane making the rounds, clearing as fast as he could, and Meriku always reaching out to the kids in the crowd, taking the load off hungry moms and dads.
“In the kitchen Julio, Gabe, Patrick, William and Martin put love into each plate while moving as fast as they could, with no time for idle chatter. Sundays were the Dance and at 2:30 when we shut the door, there was always the sigh of relief and the moment to laugh at the day’s mistakes. My team is amazing, selfless and kind and even though we are just a small café, we care about every person and every delicious plate. I so miss Sundays and I miss my peeps.”
I’m so grateful for the food experiences I’ve had, and I believe with all my heart that we will enjoy our culinary haunts again one day in the future. In the meantime, we all have to eat and we will do take-out when we can. Sadly, for all the Gypsy Café fans out there, take-out is not on the menu for the foreseeable future.
The other day when I was pondering our separation from the restaurants we love so well, I heard from a mom, bewailing the fact that her kids were crazy bored and done with staying at home.
“What can I do?” she wailed. “They are driving me crazy!”
That got me to thinking about what I’ve been missing, the treats I love to eat and the fact that I’ve followed guidelines and haven’t left our little area for weeks, thereby depriving myself of those little things that take my life up a notch.
PLAY cont’d on page 15
14 - www.sonomacountygazette.com - 5/20