I work from my laptop which means when not working from my kitchen table, I work out of various coffee shops around Sonoma County.  Mainly in Healdsburg and Santa Rosa, but I have been known to frequent a few in Sonoma, Petaluma and Windsor.

I would also like to add that I worked as a supervisor at Starbucks for over three years while living in San Diego, so I know what it takes to provide great customer service while managing employees.

Many times while working, I tend to twitpic images of what I am eating or drinking or talk about my surroundings.  Mostly I experience great customer service and while my drinks/food may not be outstanding, my overall experience is usually pleasant.

Then there is my experience at one specific place where I have tweeted on three separate occasions about my displeasure with an owner of a coffee shop in Santa Rosa.  I hesitate to call them out because even though I really hate what I have to listen to (I will explain soon), it is such a great location and it is quiet so it is a coffee shop I will be going back to again.  Anyone who lives in Santa Rosa reading this probably already knows which place I am talking about and most likely has had a similar experience.  And, if you ask me, I will gladly tell you their name.

Okay, imagine this:  You are sitting at your table, drinking your tea, eating a bagel at about 8:30 in the morning.  The cafe has two or three other customers on their laptops or socializing with each other.  The owner of the cafe is working from her own laptop at a table near by.  She gets up to talk to the barista and instead of taking her in the back room to discuss work matters, she proceeds to yell (yes, yell) at the young girl, telling her that if she didn’t do the order right she would write her up.  You look at the other customers who also can hear this woman yell and then look at the barista apologizing for her mistake, clearly noting that everyone is listening to the conversation.

Or, another scenario: One of the barista’s is 10 minutes late and the owner yells at her saying she was writing her up… Oh, in front of a short line of customers waiting to order their coffee.

Or, the owner yelling at one of the barista’s for leaving something in the food shelf out.

All of these obviously happened and all of these events could have really been simple matters that wouldn’t be a big deal if handled properly.  In this economy and this new media age, I am astounded that any small business owner thinks that yelling at their employees is a good idea.  In any era it is not good business practice, but with inventions like wifi, Twitter, blogs and Yelp, I am even more in shock.

Employees are usually the first contact that a customer has with a brand.  The servers and tasting room staff and sales people are the people that create an experience for the customer and they are also your best Word of Mouth advocates because they talk about their job to their friends and family, thus bringing in customers that already have a connection with the brand, which means that they will possibly tell their friends and so on and so on.   Why would anyone want to mistreat the people who can make our break your business?

Second, the internet has allowed me to voice my own opinion of this restaurant though Twitter, turning away several people I have talked to about which cafe it is… Even if their Yelp page has 8 comments, all with fairly good reviews (all commenting on the new decor) it is the repeat customers that  make a coffee shop or restaurant stay open.

Anyways, now that I am done with my rant on mistreating your employees, I will end it on a high note.  For restaurants or anyone in the customer service industry, the Food Channel has a few words on building your brand by connecting with your customers.  Also, I just came across an awesome blog called ALL THINGS WOM and their latest blog post on a hamburger joint called Mighty Fine Hamburgers in Austin, TX gave me hope that some small business people still do have the common sense to treat their employees and customers with respect.

Yesterday’s Taste of Sonoma was the largest outdoor food and wine event in California.  Which says a whole lot for a state known for being a mecca of culinary artistry and amazing wine.  I have always known that Sonoma County has it’s own eclectic way of doing things and yesterday showcased my county’s attention to detail, commitment to local/seasonal ingredients and humor.

Just like I saw during the Barrel Tasting and Passport events in Dry Creek Valley this past year, the crowd  at Taste of Sonoma was younger.

I wasn’t the only one who noticed, according to the Press Democrat, “The demographic this year seemed to shift to a younger, hipper crowd of folks in their 20s and 30s.“   This just proves that my idea for Project Y-ine is a great idea and that wineries (and restaurants) need to put more effort into reaching out to this demographic.  The Taste of Sonoma isn’t a cheap event, and at $95 to $160 a ticket, yesterday showed that my generation is willing to pay for the finer things in life.

They had a Taste 2.0 section where anyone could go onto Twitter or Facebook, which was awesome considering MacMurry ranch had no service for us AT&T users (for people like James Marshall Barry who has Verizon, it was humorous).  My one issue with this was that they did not use this service ONCE themselves, though they did post a status update and video on their Facebook Page.

But then again, I tweeted enough about Taste of Sonoma for everyone.

In addition to running back to the Taste 2.0 booth, I took pictures of everything I ate during the day.  Thankfully, it is tomato season, so the theme of many bites to eat revolved around this fruit.  Keep in mind as you read this post that I am a vegetarian, so I was only able to eat some of the food at the event…  Thankfully, my Sonoma chefs kept me in mind when creating their veggie dishes (or so I like to think).

The apple-ation cocktail from Cyrus in Healdsburg was an amazing apple brandy cocktail that only the mixoligst’s at Cryus could create.  They provided recipes, but considering I cannot pronounce one of the words in the recipe, I am not sure how easy the drink would be to recreate….

The mini ice cream cone was a yummy combination of goat’s milk and cow milk ice cream made with Delice de La Vallee cheese (made by Sheana Davis, my favorite cheese lady and organizer of all chefs at the event).

The Bellwether Farms cheese was amazing too, but sadly only located in the Visa Signature section, so most of the guests were not able to try it.

Bacon was also another theme with bacon pizza, pea shooters with bacon topping from John Ash & Co, BLT’s from Bovolo/Zazu and bacon wrapped figs from the girl & the fig and I did get some pictures of these items for you carnivores to enjoy:

If I could give out a prize for my own personal favorite booth of the day, it would have to go to Sondra Bernstein of the girl & the fig and ESTATE in the city of Sonoma.  She truly embodied the Taste of Sonoma by providing three separate ‘tastes’ all made with her restaurants namesake – figs.  The figs wrapped in bacon I couldn’t eat, but I went back for thirds of the fig desert and her fig coolers.  By popular demand, I think quite possibly mostly by me, she posted the recipe for this refreshing and delicious cocktail on her website.  Oh, and I already asked: Yes, they are on the menu at the girl & the fig.

Overall, I ate much more than I drank, but I did visit many of the amazing wineries that Sonoma has to offer.  It was my first time being at an event that solely showcased my favorite county.  Even though each appellation had their own tent, I overheard a lot of comradery and respect for the other wineries and tents.  All together an amazing day in an amazing county.   For more of the pictures I took of the day, please go here, here or here.

In Sonoma County.

Yes, I have been back from my first trip for Project Y-ine for a week now, but this past week has been filled with meetings, Congresswoman Woolsey fun and showing Ashley Routson (aka @TheBeerWench aka my@ProjectYine partner in crime) around wine country.   We visited Russian River Brewing Company, Michel-Schlumberger, Bella Winery, St. Supery, Kaz Vineyards and of course, the Dry Creek General Store & Bar… And this is only a few of them.

Tomorrow I will be throwing myself into the food and wine culture at the  TASTE of Sonoma event.  This large Sonoma-centric event will be at the MacMurray Ranch property on Westside Road in Healdsburg.  Over 150 Sonoma wineries will be there, along with over 60 local chefs, so I am not sure which I am more excited about — The wine or the food!  It will be my first time at this 30th annual event and I am sure I will have lots to write about next week!

Labor Day weekend is always an eventful time in Wine Country, for some it is the last weekend of Summer and for others it is the last weekend of freedom before the long hours of Crush take over lives.  A Labor Day BBQ at Mounts Family Vineyards, Bird Day at Michel-Schlumberger is on Saturday and Steve Pile will be singing on both Saturday and Sunday at Bella Vineyards & Wine Caves…  All in my favorite appellation- Dry Creek Valley.

Speaking of Dry Creek Valley, the Winegrowers of Dry Creek Valley are hosting an event dedicated to the appellation’s flagship varietal, zinfandel, on the following weekend called ZinTopia.

On September 19th, the SoulShine Blues Band will be playing and guests can enjoy wines from Dry Creek Valley wineries and eat local food from local chefs.   And, if you purchase a ticket and enter the word ZIN then you will receive 30% off the purchase price of $75.   Did I mention there will be a grape stomp?

September and October are my two favorite months here in Sonoma County, each year I celebrate my birthday, stomp on the fallen leaves, eat so much candy I cannot walk on Halloween and laugh at the Australian interns that take over the Healdsburg bars during Crush.  It is truly an amazing place to live or visit….

Greetings from Healdsburg!  Knowing that one of you will be moving to our beautiful ‘lil town soon, I wanted to first, send my congratulations to each of you for making it so far in this social media/wine competition.  It has been fun watching this all to take place and too see what the contest has done to bring wine to the fore-front of the social media world… We bloggers have been big advocates of this for a while now.

Secondly, I would like to let you know a little bit about what you are getting yourself into in Healdsburg, CA.

Yes, this is a job for Murphy Goode and you will be thrown into a world of wine, dice games, vineyards and Sonoma County appellations, but that is just during your work hours….

Unlike that boring valley to the East, Healdsburg (and Sonoma County in general) is actually pretty fun after 5PM.  During the summer there is always music on the square on  Tuesday’s (the entire town comes out to lounge in the town square, drink and socialize with friends) and if you wear your winery shirt, the Bear Republic only charges you $2 for a pint of their infamous Racer 5 or any of their other delicious beers.

…. Or you can always grab a beer with the rest of the winery workers (tasting room, winemakers, vineyard people and anyone else who may be around) at the Dry Creek General Store.

…..Or listen to music and drink some more wine at Michel-Schlumberger Estate every Friday and Bella on the weekends.

After the sun goes down, Barn Diva has dancing and drink specials and Ravenous has live music on the weekends and is home to the best back patio in town (and a damn good mojito).

Basically what I am trying to say is that we locals promise to show you around town.  If you all have a time when visiting here this month, I would love to schedule a tweet-up, that is, if you have a night to yourselves during your live interviews.

If not, I hope you all enjoy your stay here and come back to visit soon!

… And to the one winner…  Myself, and a few locals would like to offer ourselves to show you around!

Thanks and congratulations once again.

*shana.

(p.s. Another great thing about this town is being able to work from your laptop at one of the many wifi spots in town — My personal favorite is Snowbunny.  Here is a pic of the square that I just took!)

I know I have been MIA from wine blogging as well as a bit annoying over the past few months, talking about this mysterious “gig” that I have going on…. No, it is not the Murphy Goode job, though thank you to all that said I would be a perfect fit for the position… I agree, but alas, it is not to be.

I now FINALLY can officially tell you that my new part time job is taking care of Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey’s social media efforts.  Congresswoman Woolsey has been a very liberal, outspoken representative of most of Sonoma County and all of Marin County for the past 16 years and is just stepping into the social media world to bring her voice to the online masses. You may know her from her recent arrest for protesting genocide in Darfur, or for her outspoken speeches on the war in Iraq.

The website WoolseyforCongress.com has been redone and officially launched with a few new features and the new Facebook Page is up and running.  Her Twitter profile has been saved too, but that is a possible future project.

The new website has one new addition that I am VERY happy to be telling you guys about, it is a blog we decided to call a Progressive POV.

Each week I will be talking to her or someone on her staff and then writing a blog post from my own perspective about the issues that she is tackling.  No, I have no prior political experience, but that is part of the reason that the team chose me.  They want an outsider that can talk about the issues from a fresh perspective…  Not repeat the same (sometimes dreary) political press releases that you see on other politician’s websites. You can see Congresswoman Woolsey’s explanation of what we are doing here.

I did want to let you all know that after my first promotion of this new venture and maybe to tell you about a REALLY cool online contest or two, I will NOT be talking politics on shanaray.com (and yes, I will still be a wine blogger and social media consultant).

Thank you all for dealing with me and my mysterious “gig” that I have been talking about for the last few months…. I am asking you all to help me out and become a supporter on the Facebook Page,  spread the word about what I am doing, come to a fundraising event or add my weekly blog posts to your RSS feeder…. Or most importantly, donate to the cause.

*shana.