Word comes from Jim and Bettie Hall, owners of The General’s Daughter, and Sondra Bernstein, proprietor of many girl & the fig enterprises, that they have signed a letter of intent for Bernstein to lease the historic property on West Spain Street.
Both Bettie Hall and Sondra Bernstein announced the news to their staffs last Tuesday.
Hall said, “We are really excited …. Sondra…is a fabulous businesswoman and we know she’ll do well.” Bernstein is a major employer in Sonoma Valley, counting 140 among her current staff.
Two weeks ago, when Hall told Epicurious about the arrival of a new chef who was working with current chef Preston Dishman, she told me she would “have more news in a couple of weeks.” Apparently things moved faster than expected, and what I reported last week about the new chef was true at the time.
According to Hall, “Preston and Nichole (Dishman) have been wonderful with this transition and have given us all the help and guidance they could. They say they’d like to stay close but, to my knowledge, have not committed to anything. Preston is certainly a credit to his profession!”
If all goes well and the deal is actually signed in the next few days, watch for a mid-September opening of the restaurant, possibly with a new name and Northern Italian cuisine.
Bernstein told me that “I really want to do this if everything can be worked out. It’s very exciting!”
The building that most recently has housed The General’s Daughter, which it was named by previous owner Suzanne Brangham, was built by General Mariano Vallejo for his daughter Natalia and her husband, Atilla Haraszthy.
Bernstein now focuses on her burgeoning business, which includes the girl & the fig at the northwest corner of Sonoma Plaza, the fig café in Glen Ellen, and the girl & the fig CATERS! Her Fig Pantry at East Napa Street and Eighth Street East crashed when a drunk driver plowed his car into the deli on April 10, demolishing both. Apparently said driver got away until he turned himself in at San Francisco General Hospital.
Bernstein continues to operate Les Petites Maisons with great success but will not be returning to the Fig Pantry site and hopes to find someone to take over her lease.
Tom Jenkins, who owns the entire property with his wife Gayle, listed it for sale several months ago and have a couple of optimistic nibbles.
As I wrote in a blurb for the back cover of her cookbook, Bernstein is truly “the earth mother of Sonoma cuisine.” Behind her casual appearance is a lovely, caring and smart woman whose employees seem to stay forever.
