At Victoria Island Farms and Sabbatical Distillery & Tasting Room, where Delta crops have grown since 1964, farm to fork blossoms into distilled spirits.
Guests sample blueberry lemon vodka, single-malt whisky, straight bourbon and Sabado gin, all made with botanicals, corn, blueberries and citrus from this historic farm.
Sabbatical is the first distillery in San Joaquin County since prohibition. Founded by Danny Leonard and Jack Zech, the company builds on the agricultural roots of Zech’s family, which has owned Victoria Island Farms for generations.
Victoria Island Farms was one of the largest producers of asparagus, with 1,000 acres in production. Global competition and production costs forced the farm to diversify.
Leon Sobon and his wife Shirley founded Shenandoah Vineyards in 1977, far ahead of the sustainable wine revolution. Based in Plymouth, the Sobon family became one of the first environmentally friendly producers to distribute local wines on a wide level outside the region.
Last month, Sobon was recognized with a California State Fair Lifetime Achievement Award. The patriarch’s dedication to the craft can be felt when Sobon describes how he turned a hobby into a second career.
Sobon was a research scientist for Lockheed living in Los Altos when he began making wine for fun. His hobby led him into a group of other enthusiasts. He and Shirley eventually moved their family of six children to the foothills to try professional winemaking.
Gone was a stable research career. But Sobon followed his bliss.
Creamy, luscious mint chocolate chip ice cream. Fluffy, tangy strawberry muffins. Mouthwatering brownies and English muffins. As people become aware of food allergies, these treats have been cut from many diets.
Thankfully, Pushkin’s Bakery offers an alternative.
Years before moving to town, I longed for baked goods but was unable to find much. When I discovered items I could eat, they were dense, lacking in flavor and expensive.
On many blocks in the grid, a range of restaurants serve food with valley-grown ingredients. Local wine bars and craft breweries develop their own presence using grapes and hops from around the region.
A true community spirit is on display when the city comes together for a night out.
Thriving businesses in the grid win over customers with cutting-edge flavors and a love of how diverse cultures make us strong. Voluptuary & Lucid Wines reflects the inventive farm-to-bottle flair.
Founder Kevin Luther was born and raised in Sacramento and educated at UC Davis. After traveling the world to learn the wine business, Luther returned and put his experience to work. He enjoys giving back to his community.
Our region is perfect for olive trees. Drive from Sacramento in any direction and you encounter olive groves unfolding away from the roadside, their branches reaching for the sun, standing tall in orchards.
Each year, local olive ranchers practice harvest preservation by curing olives or pressing them into gold-green oil. As a devotee of extra-virgin olive oil, I’m always searching for the area’s best orchards and olive mills.
For several years, I’ve headed south on Interstate 5 and driven to the tight and trimmed rows of the Coldani family Calivirgin Winery and Olive Mill on North Thornton Road.
