The country
store near a 90-degree bend in bucolic Alexander Valley Road looks like
something out of the distant past, a relic of days when this stretch of Northern
California farmland was little more than prune orchards. But a peek inside the
screen door and the whiff of a fully stocked deli case reveals that the
epicurean revolution of the past few decades has settled in, making itself very
much at home.
Started 20 years
ago by Carrie Brown and her late husband, John Werner – one of the original
partners in New York’s famous (but now defunct) Silver Palate food shop – the
couple completely revamped the original Jimtown store on the outskirts of Healdsburg that had been founded in
the 1890s and added on to in fits and starts over the years. “It was a wreck.
There was no plumbing. There was a sink that drained on the ground,” Brown
laughs.
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| Owner Carrie Brown |
Brown may be the
owner of this little piece of history, but it is Jimtown that makes this corner of the Wine Country tick. “There was a real Jim, and he named this
country store after himself and he serviced the community.” That was what lured
Brown and her husband to set up shop since “we knew it was a way of life.”
After taking
almost two years to remodel the store, “people would stop by and say, ‘Oh thank
god, you’re reopening our meeting place.’ We knew it was a special place, and
it was as much a part of the community – which is what a country store is – as
a business.” True to their vision, Jimtown remains a vital part of local lives
by offering a morning cup to joe to its regulars, as well as providing the
perfect location for everything from book readings to holiday celebrations,
like a recent Dia de los Muertos fiesta.
If Jimtown could
be summed up in two words, though, it would be good food, and if Brown is
famous for anything in particular, it is for The Jimtown Store Cookbook, which ten
years ago helped put them on the map with recipes like the one for a PBJ with pepper
jelly, bacon and lettuce, resulting in smoky, sweet, spicy and salty flavors
that turn childhood memories on their head.
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| The seasonal menu |
Brown explains:
“What we tried to do was make favorite homemade things that we love, and if
it’s an old recipe, we’re going to tweak it, we’re going to improve it and make
it the best it can be, and even better than remembered. We’re going to make it
with ingredients that are of today, so we swap out the Crisco and put in the
butter.”
While still a child, Brown lived all over the world with her peripatetic parents and came to call such
disparate places as South America and the Middle East home. So, much of what
she cooks is sparked with the flavors and esthetics of Third World cuisines.
Yes, you can get
potato salad here, just like at most country stores, but Brown is also liable
to offer you North African “hand pies” or empanadas. “When we opened up,” remembers
Brown, “somebody said, ‘What I love about Jimtown is it’s a
country store with a Type A personality and a wider world view!’”
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| Antiques & treats |
And it’s true to
a certain extent that a driven personality must be behind Jimtown because Brown
runs a popular catering service out of the back kitchen, operates a busy café and
general store in the front and supplies far-flung gourmet food shops with a
wide variety of condiments, like her signature Fig & Olive Spread and Romesco Sauce. And if that wasn’t enough to keep Brown and her staff more than busy,
she also offers quirky antiques for sale in the store, as well as in the barn
out back.
Aside from
Jimtown, the venture closest to Brown’s heart is the work she does through her local Slow Foods chapter. Started over
15 years ago, the men and women in this local group are committed to worthy projects as school
gardens, gleaning, and “a special, near-and-dear project” with AMIDI Guatemala. Personally
active here as well, Brown works with other dedicated people to better the
lives of impoverished Mayan women living in Pachay Las Lomas in the Guatemalan highlands, a
commitment that for Brown includes setting aside a place in her shop for their
beautiful weavings.
It’s a full
life, and as with much of food-obsessed Northern California, the people in
Alexander Valley are taking the slow food movement seriously by getting back to
the land. “It’s kind of full circle,” says Brown. “Now we have chickens in the
backyard and a big garden and make our own preserves and smoke our meats.” And
with Jimtown on the map, good food is close by even if you don’t manage to make
everything yourself.
Sometimes, just
like in the movies, when you build it, they will come.
A big handful of the
dishes in this book are so simple and good that they are a bit startling. Take
this recipe, for example, which is nothing more than dried figs quickly baked
with a bit of oil and salt. (And thanks to Carrie Brown for her kind permission to reprint.)
Stephanie’s
Roasted Black Mission Figs
Serves 4 to 6
1 pound
best-quality dried unsulfured Black Mission figs (the smaller the better),
stemmed
2 tablespoons
fruity olive oil
½ teaspoon sea
salt or kosher salt
1. Position
a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 375°F. Line a half sheet pan
with parchment paper. [Note: I used a toaster oven, which worked perfectly.]
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| Easy and delicious |
2. In
a bowl, toss the figs with the oil and salt to coat. Spread them in a single
layer on the prepared half sheet pan.
3. Roast
the figs until they begin to sizzle and plump, about 10 minutes.
4. Cool
the figs on the pan on a rack for at least 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room
temperature.
