By Laura DuPree<\/p>\n
Boonville\u2019s S\u014cB\u014c Sake Bar & Sushi is one of over two dozen restaurants on the North Coast to receive financial aid, courtesy of the California Restaurant Foundation and PG&E.<\/p>\n
The two foundations have partnered to provide $5,000 grants to 28 restaurants and commercial caterers in Pacific Gas and Electric Company\u2019s North Coast Region, according to a news release from PG&E spokesperson Megan McFarland.<\/p>\n
The PG&E Foundation\u2019s contribution to the California Restaurant Foundation\u2019s Restaurants Care Resilience Fund will help recipients pay for equipment and technology upgrades, unforeseen hardship, employee retention bonuses and training to help restaurant owners invest in their business and people, the news release states.<\/p>\n
Christina Jones, chef and owner of S\u014cB\u014c, plans to use part of the money to upgrade some equipment, particularly refrigeration, which is very important since she works with extremely perishable and expensive seafood.<\/p>\n
But the rest of the funds will be used to try something entirely new.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s left of the grant I\u2019m going to put toward marketing and expanding S\u014cB\u014c beyond just dinner service,\u201d she said, clearly excited about the idea. \u201cI want S\u014cB\u014c to become a hub for sake education and experiences in Mendocino County,\u201d Jones said referring to tastings, classes, pairing events, and even small-scale sake tasting festivals, similar to what a winery might offer.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are in the middle of an incredible wine region, but there\u2019s so much opportunity to introduce people to sake, how diverse it is, how beautifully it pairs with food, and the stories behind the breweries,\u201d she said, adding, \u201cI see this as the next evolution of S\u014cB\u014c, along with the intimate dining experience we\u2019ve already created.\u201d<\/p>\n
Expanding matters because running a unique business in rural Anderson Valley is demographically challenging, Jones said referring to the fact that only so many customers come through the door and there are only so many people their small team can serve in a night, hence finding creative ways to branch out is important for the future of her business.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s why this grant means so much. It gives me a little room to move out of survival mode and back into creative mode, to keep S\u014cB\u014c running, but also keep it evolving with the changing times,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Asked why this second-time restaurant owner decided to open a Japanese restaurant, Jones said she was \u201clooking for a creative culinary outlet\u201d when she found this \u201clittle, tiny space\u201d and was immediately inspired.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had this vision of the tiny restaurants and sushi bars you find in Japan, where the chef might be working with only one or two other people and their guests are right there in the room with you. It\u2019s incredibly intimate, and that became my vision for S\u014cB\u014c,\u201d said the 48-year-old career chef, who went to culinary school right out of high school and has an extensive international culinary background as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cI spent years working as a yacht chef, cooking for high-end clientele and traveling all over the world. I\u2019ve always had a huge love for seafood, so this felt like the prefect fit,\u201d Jones said, noting she grew up in the area before she left and traveled the world. \u201cI kind of came home like a homing pigeon, bringing everything I\u2019d learned back with me to share with my community and the people who visit Anderson Valley.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe part I never expected \u2026 one of the most special things about S\u014cB\u014c for me personally, is being in the room while I\u2019m feeding people. As chefs, we are usually hidden away in the kitchen. At S\u014cB\u014c, I\u2019m right there. Guests see what I\u2019m doing, they can ask questions and interact with me as they experience the food.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople are always amazed by what our tiny little team can do in our tiny little space. I never imagined how gratifying that would be for me as a chef. I\u2019m incredibly proud of what we\u2019ve created and I\u2019m incredibly thankful that this grant gives me the opportunity not only to sustain it, but to keep imagining what S\u014cB\u014c can become,\u201d Jones said.<\/p>\n
\u201cMany of these restaurants are owned by families who live in our communities. They are places where we love to gather, celebrate and make memories,\u201d Dave Canny, vice president of PG&E\u2019s North Coast Region stated in the news release. \u201cAs small businesses that help drive our local economies, they are the hearts and souls of our communities. We\u2019re thrilled to continue our partnership with the California Restaurant Foundation to support our local restaurants and help ensure their sustained success.\u201d<\/p>\n
The PG&E Foundation contributed the funding for the grants, as well as funding for the California Restaurant Foundation to run the grant program through its Restaurants Care Resilience Fund. Funding for the grants comes from PG&E shareholders, not customers.<\/p>\n
The regional grants are part of a larger program that covers PG&E\u2019s service area. Systemwide, The PG&E Foundation and the California Restaurant Foundation partnered to give $5,000 grants to 239 restaurants in 30 counties across PG&E\u2019s service area. The charitable contributions will total $1.4 million. Both the number of grant recipients and the total dollar amount are records for the partnership since it began in 2021.<\/p>\n
Since 2021, PG&E and the PG&E Foundation have contributed $5.7 million in funding to the CRF\u2019s Restaurants Care Resilience Fund, providing grants ranging from $3,000 to $5,000. In total, PG&E has funded grants to 1,102 restaurants and commercial caterers in Northern and Central California. (To see past grant recipients in PG&E\u2019s service area, watch our \u201cFrom Kitchen to Community\u201d video.)<\/p>\n
For more information on the California Restaurant Foundation, Restaurants Care, or the Restaurant Resilience Fund, visit restaurantscare.org.<\/p>\n
S\u014cB\u014c, located at 14251 Highway 128, Boonville, serves dinner from 5 to 8 p.m., Friday through Sunday. For reservations call (707) 723-2727.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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