Jenner Bistro Article - 4

A terrific restaurant in Jenner, California

After our pairing venture at the ocean, we craved a good clam chowder before heading home. We set our sights (actually our GPS) on Jenner with the hope of finding a purveyor of clam chowder … and MUCH to our delight, we discovered Jenner Bistro (Jenner Inn & Cottages, 10400 Coast Route 1) whose chef and restaurant manager Helena Giesea welcomed us, even though we were there before she officially opened the restaurant for dinner service. Helena served us a wonderful white clam chowder with roasted vegetables and other creative ingredients and flavors, scrumptious, freshly baked breads, tempura fruit & vegetables, and an exotic, curry-enhanced chicken and noodles entrée. Another Wow! experience.

wowwac.com

Wow! Pairings of Wines & Cheeses

Jenner Bistro Article - 3

On the journey back to San Francisco, I found a little jewel of a Bistro

On the journey back to San Francisco, I found a little jewel of a Bistro, called Jenner Bistro. I cannot recommend it highly enough! After breaking down my equipment, I found myself needing nourishment – unfortunately, in the countryside, it is quite difficult to find a meal after 8:30 pm. I stopped into Jenner Bistro, at 10 pm, and was sure that we would be denied service, but the gracious and talented Helena Giesea, Head Chef, greeted us and prepared a wonderful meal of Tomales Bay Oysters on the half shell, and a Clam Chowder that blew Yaremy’s taste buds away! Next time you are in Jenner, pay Helena a visit, and tell her I said, ” Hello!”
Original text


Christopher Kilday Productions

Jenner Bistro Article - 2

Going That Extra Mile, For Some It's A Breeze--

When we stopped by in the Sonoma coast for our belated meal yesterday, we dined at Jenner Bistro which was an excellent selection, as our meals were very good.

What attracted us was the cheery array of flags flying in the ocean side breeze--

Helena G. Giesea is the chef & manager of this excellent establishment, she was about to close the restaurant for a bit of prep time after brunch & lunch, & to get ready for dinner. We entered her bistro, & she heard our plea. How could she not, take a look at the restaurant's flags---

Mother Lightning's Peace Garden

Jenner Bistro Article - 1

Jenner Inn’s New Chef Is a Find

What's New — By Melanie Haiken on July 10, 2010 at 7:35 am

Jenner Inn & Cottages on the Russian River

Previously known for its romantic riverside views but not so much for its cuisine, the Jenner Inn and Restaurant suddenly deserves to have its own star on the Sonoma foodie road map. New chef Helena Giesea, who just arrived this spring, is that rare find: a passionate food fanatic who practices exactly what she preaches — and with no outsize ego to overlook, either.
When you first meet Helena, her youth and enthusiasm are contagious, but you wonder if she’s got the experience to pull off her ambitious endeavors. She does; her resume includes stints at Fleur de Lys, Cyrus, and Farmhouse Inn.

Helena Giesea is revitalizing the kitchen at Jenner Inn

But she left the formality of such places behind when she came to Jenner, which is in keeping with this roadside inn’s low-key ambiance. Helena hails from Sweden, where she competed for the title of Miss Fitness. Her focus is on food that’s farmer’s market-fresh and uber-heathy; on the day I dined at Jenner Inn, she was serving whole-grain bread she’d baked that morning. She has started a blog on the Inn’s website where she lists local purveyors whose products she cooks with. Names like Bellweather Farms, Laura Chenel, and Andy’s Produce let you know that what’s on your plate came from just up the road.
Tucked into the hillside just before Highway 1 crests the hill for a view of the Pacific, Jenner Inn and Cottages makes a great weekend getaway from the Bay Area, with simple rooms and cottages, many of them with private riverside decks. Helena’s generous farmhouse-style breakfast is included with a night’s stay.

Nileguide.com

Jenner Bistro Catering

Jenner Headlands Event

Catering at Jenner Headlands Event, see article in the Pressdemocrat

Armstrong Woods 75th Anniversary Event

Saturday, July 25, 2009
Gourmet Hike with Appetizers, Wine, and Entertainment

Helena in The Press Democrat 12/17/08

Part of a Christmas eve julbord feast tradition from Sweden are Swedish meatballs, Jansson's Temptation with shredded potatoes and anchovies and wine-braised red cabbage prepared by Cazadero chef Helena Gustavsson, below, who was born near Stockholm.

From the winter chill of Sweden comes julbord, a flavor-filled midday holiday tradition fit for a hearty Scandinavian appetite

By Diane Peterson

Photos by John Burgess

The Press Democrat

In the cold, dark expanse of winter in Sweden, the season of Christmas, with its festive foods, social gatherings and song, shines like a beacon of warmth and light.

Candles are lit, stars shine in windows and fire places crackles. Along with the Christmas tree and the visit of the Christmas gnome, the holiday culminates on Christmas Eve with the midday smorgasbord known as the julbord.

Helena Gustavsson of Cazadero, who was born and raised in a small town outside Stockholm, shared some of her favorite julbord dishes last month during the Sonoma County Culinary Guild's holiday party.

"The tradition julbord includes three separate tables; a cold appetizer table, a hot entree table and a dessert table," Gustavsson said. "You put a little bit of everything on your plate."

The julbord meal requires a bit of restraint as well as a hearty appetite. It should be treated not as an all-your-can-eat buffet but as a small-plate sampling. "the delight is in being able to go back to the table several times," she said. "You have to pace yourself."

The Swedish feast offers a wide range of flavors and ingredients typical to this Scandinavian country surrounded by the sea. Two of the most popular dishes include the elegant salt-cured salmon known as gravlax and a tasty anchovy and potato dish known as Jansson's Temptation.

And for munching into the wee hours of the night, there are all kinds of yummy desserts and Christmas candies, including a creamy almond toffee known as knack, and nutty high-coca chocolates known as ischoklad. "You have to save room for the desserts," said Gustavsson, who graduated from the San Francisco City College culinary school in 2003 and interned in pastry at Fleur de Lys restaurant in San Francisco.

When she was growing up in Sweden, Gustavsson grew her own vegetables, foraged for berries and mushrooms and helped process the elk that her father brought home from the hunt. "We always cooked together as a family,” she said. "When I went to culinary school in my early 30s, I realized that I already had a good background." After working in the front of the house at Cyrus in Healdsburg and the Farmhouse Inn in Forestville, Gustavsson opened her own restaurant, the former Charizma Wine Lounge, in downtown Guerneville. She currently works as the dining room coordinator at the River's End in Jenner.

The julbord - which means "Christmas table" - holds a special place in the heart of all Swedes, who must begin preparing the feast more than a week in advance, in order to cure the salmon and the ham. The cured ham serves as the centerpiece of the cold appetizer table, which is also piled high with mustards, salads, boiled potatoes and deviled eggs topped with caviar. "The ham is like the turkey on the Thanksgiving table," she said. "We serve it cold and sliced."

Gravlax, a uniquely Scandinavian contribution to world cuisine, is an elegant, raw salmon that's been cured with slat, sugar and dill. It is sliced paper thin and served with dark bread and a dill-mustard sauce. "With a whole salmon, you put the salt mixture inside and outside and put the flesh sides together," Gustavsson said. "Before serving, you scrape off the spices and the salt."

Once you've sated yourself on appetizers, the hot table beckons with a hearty array of braised beef short ribs, sausages and the ever-popular Swedish meatballs. According to Gustavsson, there are as many recipes for Swedish meatballs as there are families in Sweden, but most of them call for a mixture of veal, pork and beef. "My mom made them with elk and pork," Gustavsson said.

Jansson's Temptation - made from shredded potatoes and anchovies - holds a place of honor on the hot entree table. There are various stories about how this unusual potato dish got its name, with anecdotal evidence pointing to either a religious zealot of an opera singer. But one thing is for certain: Jansson’s Temptation is a ideal late-night snack for guests who have to go back out in the cold. "It is very tasty and juicy," Gustavsson said. "You shred the potatoes, then add half & half, yellow onions, anchovies, white pepper and salt. Then you put breadcrumbs and butter on top."

Along side meatballs and the potatoes, a humble helping of wine-braised red cabbage provides a satisfying side dish. But for the dessert table, the Swedes pull out all the stops, offering a wide variety of tempting treats, from Creamy Rice Pudding to Chocolate Oat Balls. "The Creamy Rice Pudding is rich and really good," she said. "We take the leftover white rice from the breakfast porridge and mix it with vanilla, sugar and whipped cream."

In Sweden, where ancient Norse myths and pagan traditions still hold sway, Christmas is both the biggest holiday of the year and the longest, extending from the first Sunday in December through mid-January. At the beginning of Advent, the rhythm of life relaxes as family and friends get together over small cups of strong coffee and the spiced wine known as glogg.

On the first Sunday in December, the villages begin decorating, and people put up a few decorations in the home, including special candleholders and a star in their windows. On December 13, towns all across Sweden pay tribute to Santa Lucia - an Italian saint revered for her kindness - with a festival of light that includes parades and processions, singing and special sweets. "There's a lot of music involved," Gustavsson said. "You eat saffron buns and gingerbread cookies and drink the glogg."

On Christmas Eve, families gather to eat at midday then open gifts around 5 or 6 p.m. "We drink glogg and eat nuts and candy in the evening," she said. "Then we play games and watch TV and socialize." The Christmas tree doesn't usually get put up until the morning of Christmas Eve, but it stays up for 20 days, until Knut's day, a week after Twelfth Night. By that time, the leftovers from the julbord are gone and it's time to prepare one last Christmas meal. "We have a party and dance around the tree," Gustavsson said. "Then we throw it out."

See julbord reciepes:
Simple Deviled Eggs
Swedish Meatballs
Jansson's Temptation
Red Wine Braised Cabbage
Almond Cottage Cheese Pudding
Helena's Holiday Glogg