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Penngrove Station by Lyndi Brown - July 2018

By the time you read this, the July 1st Penngrove Parade will be over. I am honored to be asked to be the Grand Marshall. Plans include a ride in a fire engine, a sash and badge, and perfecting my wave. I’m actually dumbfounded to be selected. Sure, I have been doing the public relations forPenngrove Social Firemen since 2010-ish, but I’ve only lived in Penngrove for 24 years and don’t even have a road named for my family! Thank you.

Lunn Yar Moe

I visited a new Thai restaurant in the OSH center, in the former Namaste spot (1390 N. McDowell Blvd., Suite A).Lunn Yar Moe is owned byPrani Yotklang. Because her husband died in the October fires, Prani has gone into business. The restaurant is named for a strong woman from Suranari, a province of Thailand. She was given a royal title because of her bravery during a 1826 invasion.

I was so taken with Prani’s story, I posted about it on social media, and the response has been CRAZY. Prani has been brave in the face of her upheaval, and locals are coming in droves to support her. What a community we have.

Thank you, and p.s. the food is wonderful. Open daily for lunch (‘til 3 pm) and dinner, (from 5 pm) on Monday through Saturday, 11:00am to 9:00pm. Don’t expect to find a digital presence, just go. Phone: (707) 753-4257

Penngrove Market is open and it’s fabulous! Two local families conceived of and operate the store. They met through their children’s school, and with a combined 25 years of experience around grocery. Planning began in earnest when the 1882 building had a fire, May 2015. Owner Martin Sessi worked with the McDowell and Ferraro families to accommodate a real market vs. the minimal stores of the past.

I sat on the spacious patio with Shaina Ferraro, who handles marketing and front of house operations. Her husband, culinary director Joe Ferraro, is second generation Italian. He grew up in his grandmother’s kitchen, where she spoke and cooked Italian. Joe presides over the wood-fired Magnani oven to produce pizza, calzone and piadine. Very tasty, and with vegan and gluten-free options. Shaina explained that the building owner ensured the foundation could handle the 4,000-pound oven. The oven holds its heat in well, burning efficiently without turning the store, well, into an oven. I sniffed but didn’t smell wood fire smoke.

The demand for vegan foods has been stronger than Shaina expected. And due to a family member’s diet, the store is stocked with many gluten free products. “We’re hitting the balance point between the customer who wants a 6-pack and specialty items for allergy and sensitivity concerns,” she said. We’re still fine-tuning. We want people to talk with us.”

The light, bright store is chock full of local and healthy products. Breakfast options include hot breakfast sandwiches and an oatmeal bar. At noon, it changes over to a soup bar, offering either a vegetarian or vegan soup, and a meat soup. There are grab ‘n go sandwiches and salads, but no deli (or butcher) counter. “If people want a made-to-order sandwich, we send them over to JavAmore Café,” said Shaina.

You’ll find treasures in the cold cases:Rocky and Rosie chicken, fermented products, Eel River Organic Meats (grass-fed and finished). And interesting cheeses—from vegan to Achadinha Cheese Company(out Chileno Valley Road). Produce comes from Live Oak Farm.

The full coffee and goody bar carries Bump City Bakery’s gluten-free products, “which sell out quickly” said Shaina. There are goodies and breads from Red Bird Bakery and Full Circle Bakery. The Sunshine Coffee Roasters coffee is organic and sustainable, coming from West County. You can order cold black tea and they make herbal tea iced or hot.

And let’s just whisper the three little words I long to hear: Mariposa Ice Creamery has its first retail exposure at this store. Otherwise they do events, fairs and festivals and the occasional warehouse sale from their Petaluma site. You’ll find Three Twins Ice Cream, too. My summer is really shaping up. Other items include Clover and Straus products and non-dairy choices.

The families’ four children keep busy loading wood and sweeping. “They get treats like ice cream, apples, and juice,” said Shaina. “They’ve been real troupers.” You’ll meet these great kids: Rowan and Lucca Ferraro and Ian and Isla McDowell.

Rebecca McDowell serves as general manager, handing produce and vendor contacts, and carries the overall vision for the store. Husband Evan McDowell is all-‘round handyman and grocery expert.

The store, smack in downtown Penngrove, is open daily from 8:00am to 9:00 pm (closing at 8:00pm on Sundays).

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