Slow Food at Food Trucks, Bakeries, and More in Sonoma County

What is Slow Food in Sonoma County? Essentially, it’s food that tells a story – you know where and how it was grown; you know how it was prepared (and sometimes, by who). Slow Food encourages you to slow down and take the time to enjoy eating a meal and all of its ingredients. The Slow Food movement stands for “good, clean, and fair food for all people.”

Sonoma County is fortunate to have so many restaurants, farms, food trucks, and other businesses that exemplify the core values that Slow Food USA advocates for that we couldn’t include them all in one article. Here we highlight a few.

Additional Sonoma County restaurants, cafés, bakeries and even food trucks are joining the Slow Food movement every day. Read Support These Sonoma County Slow Food Approved Businesses, and for the most up-to-date information, click here.

Black Pig Meat Co.

Launched by local chefs Duskie Estes and John Stewart from Zazu Kitchen and Farm, Black Pig Meat Co. specializes in pork and slow-cured bacon. The business raises its own animals on its own farm and purchases from small ranches, such as Green Star Farms, Stemple Creek, Fallon Hills, and Pure Country Pork, that practice sustainable agriculture and raises their animals on pastures.

You can find Black Pig Meat Co.’s bacon at the following local businesses: Oliver’s Market, Big John’s Market (Healdsburg), Andy’s Market (Sebastopol), Pacific Market (Sebastopol), Oakville Grocery (Healdsburg), Miracle Plum (Santa Rosa), and Palace Market (Point Reyes Station).

The business also operates a food truck, called the Black Piglet, which caters at events around Sonoma County and Wine Country. The menu includes popular items such as handmade apple hand pies, bacon burgers featuring local cheeses, grilled cheese sandwiches, barbecued pork sandwiches, and more. If you are at an event in Wine Country and see the Black Piglet truck, go get in line! You won’t regret it.

COOKIE … Take a Bite! (Santa Rosa)

This Slow Food snail-approved bakery cooks up delicious and fun handcrafted natural cookies, using organic, local, and seasonal ingredients. COOKIE … Take a Bite! is thoughtful about the environment and the community. You can visit the bakery at the Larkfield Center shop in Santa Rosa, order online nationwide, join the cookie club, or purchase products at Oliver’s Market.

Gold Ridge Organic Farms (Sebastopol)

Gold Ridge Organic Farms in Sebastopol operates a 100% organic farm with 70 acres of olive orchards, heirloom apple trees, and a variety of citrus fruit trees. The farm’s mantra is “more love, fewer chemicals.” The farm grows and mills four olive oil blends and cultivates 21 varieties of olives. All of their oils are milled onsite within hours of harvest, enhancing their medicinal quality and freshness. 

Guests can visit Gold Ridge Farms’ farmshop to purchase olive oils, vinegars, olive oil soaps, farm goods, heirloom apples, and citrus fruit from the farm, as well as other farm products, book a curated olive oil tasting experience at the farm (Thursday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.) or sign up for an orchard hike (offered monthly).

Red Horse Pizza (Santa Rosa)

Red Horse Pizza started in 2011 in a horse trailer that owners Kendra and Nathan Stuffelbeam retrofitted to serve as a mobile food truck serving pizza and pies. The Pie Place evolved into Red Horse Pizza, now specializing in sourdough pizza made with organic ingredients. Where can you find Red Horse’s pizza pies? While the pandemic slowed things down for the company, they are slowly building back up to being featured in more locations around Sonoma County. As of late September 2022, you can find Red Horse Pizza at HenHouse Brewing Co. in Santa Rosa every Saturday and every other Friday.

Taub Family Outpost (Sonoma)

Opened during the pandemic, Taub Family Outpost, located in a historic building on the corner of First W and W Napa, is a newer addition to Sonoma’s food and drink scene. The property features a café, retail market, upscale restaurant with an upstairs dining room, and cocktail bar/speakeasy. The restaurant focuses on ingredient-driven California cuisine with international flair, inspired by favorite dishes from around the world and rooted in farm fresh goods, guided by Sonoma native Chef Trevor Anderson. The retail market and cafe offer both local and international wines for sale as well as a selection of spirits, coffee, teas and specialty packaged foods. The cocktail bar is tucked away upstairs and dimly lit, giving it the feel of a hidden speakeasy.

The Naked Pig (Santa Rosa)

One of the original Slow Food snail-approved restaurants, The Naked Pig continues to support organic, local, and seasonal food, providing new American breakfast, brunch, and lunch fare in rustic-chic digs in downtown Santa Rosa. The restaurant also offers a selection of items for takeaway, such as pickled beets, salad dressings, its renowned hollandaise sauce, whiskey caramel sauce, and bone broth.

Written by Brooke Herron