A Trip to Sonoma

The ultimate trip to Sonoma. A visit to the original WIlliams Sonoma, handmade pasta from Flour+Water, and wine at Silver Oaks Winery.

Jeanine Donofrio

Phoebe Moore

Updated Nov 28, 2022

I love my job more than anything, but working from home can sometimes get a little isolating. So when opportunities like this come my way, I’m all in! Last month, I spent an amazing few days with Williams Sonoma, Fortessa, The Fairmont, and a group of lovely bloggers in Sonoma. We were wined and dined and wined some more… Here’s just a quick recap!

I’m a sucker for kitchen gear so it was fun to visit the original Williams Sonoma store. It just reopened this year – many of the charming details were replicated from the store that Chuck Williams first opened in 1956. If you’re in Sonoma, check it out. We were also treated to a pasta-making class:

Isn’t it fun to watch other people cook? Chef Thomas McNaughton of San Francisco’s Flour + Water Restaurant made handmade pasta for us. I’ve eaten a lot of pasta in my life, so this is a big statement: his pasta was the… best… ever. (It was even tastier on this beautiful dinnerware!). Check out his book, it’s a stunner. He also made a darn good kale & roasted squash salad too. I wish I had gotten the recipe:

I wanted one of everything from these gorgeous wall displays:

After lunch, we took a tour of Silver Oaks Winery – I especially loved their vegetable garden. I had major meyer lemon tree envy, and their kohlrabi was especially beautiful:

Our group! (bloggers from: What’s Gaby Cooking, Waiting on Martha, Sugar and Charm, The House That Lars Built, Style Me Pretty, Once Wed, Snippet and Ink, Coco + Kelley, Green Wedding Shoes, Intimate Weddings, Wedding Chicks)

The trip ended with a beautiful dinner at the Fairmont. Below Chef David Blum plates up chocolate soufflés for dessert.

Thanks to Fortessa, Williams Sonoma & The Fairmont for a lovely trip! This post was created in partnership, and is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Fortessa. The opinions and text are all mine. (Some photos by Mark Poss).