Family

The Kids

The kids are no longer kids, but a vital part of the workings of the farm. Rita has been at our side developing her farming skills consistently for most of her life, and now her husband Jerzy plays an increasingly important role in the orchard and cellar. They welcomed their first son, Asa in late January 2021, bringing us to four generations on the farm. Sophia is back living in the beautiful little home she built a few years ago and working for her friend Sarah at Pennyroyal Farm in Boonville. It is a much better place to keep her horses, but she is close by to help us with overseeing the other animals on the farm. She is raising heritage chickens and her flock is providing us with a bounty of eggs. Polly is following her passion for movement while continuing to stay engaged with the farm. After several years as a touring dancer and circus performer, she relocated to Oakland to start her own entertainment and fitness company Daring Arts Movement. She works as a movement, breath, and waterbike fitness coach in the Bay Area, and is currently spending part of her time at the farm as our Director of Communications and Event Site Coordinator. Our eldest and only son, Joe, lives in Napa Valley with his family and runs his own business, SC Fabrication, producing beautiful steel and concrete counters and sinks. He and his wife Gemme make frequent visits up our way to make sure their two boys, Max and Otto, get a good dose of farm life. It is incredible to see the next generation coming along and learning to love the farm.

Don & Sally

Don passed away in the winter of 2017 after a period of slowly declining health. It was very sad and we miss him, but he made a very graceful exit and it was a rich experience for all of us. We see his legacy everywhere on the farm and he is very much still with us in spirit. Sally fully enjoyed her newly remodeled apartment at the farm for 5 more years before she joined Don, shortly after her 90th birthday. She left us with her incredible book Six California Kitchens, which is full of her favorite recipes and memories. We have been cherishing it as we grieve their absence.

Family Connections

The Boonville Hotel, right down the road from us, and run for decades now by Karen’s brother Johnny Schmitt and his wonderful ever changing crew. Nephew Perry Hoffman now heads up the kitchen offering new energy and his delicious food to the experience. Johnny now has more time to focus on the rooms and property and has created a rich and complex scene with his artistic eye for detail. Stop by for a drink at the bar, a meal in the dining room or on the patio, or just a gander around the lovely garden.
www.boonvillehotel.com

Eric and Melissa Schmitt formalized Schmitt & Company in 2000 after nearly 20 years of custom building in the Napa Valley. They offer the highest quality construction and are proud to have been involved in many of Napa’s best estate wineries.  They have joined forces with Johnny and have their own wing of the house they have built on the farm with Johnny and Marcus.
www.schmittcompany.com

Karen’s sister, Kathy, of Kathy Hoffman Flowers, spent many years creating breathtaking arrangements of flowers for Napa weddings, restaurants, and events. She retired in 2015 and has been developing a new home and gardens in Southern Oregon with her husband Bill.  
kathyhoffman486@gmail.com

Debey Zito Fine Furniture & Design, operated by Debey Zito and Karen’s sister Terry Schmitt, they have been creating original museum quality furniture in the European and Asian arts and crafts traditions for over thirty years. Currently they are focusing more on design work as well as teaching woodworking classes on their property in Sebastopol.