My grandmother, Mary Hafner, was the chef in the family. She and her sister taught French cooking classes from their kitchens in Berkeley (which is even how some of our patrons first learned about Hafner wine). She taught her children how to cook as well, so my sister and I benefited (and still benefit!) from Dad and Uncle Scott’s cooking.

For her, dinner wasn’t complete without a glass of Hafner Chardonnay, following the French tradition that wine is meant to be enjoyed with food. When we make wine, two of our goals are to make wines that age well and pair well with food. 

I spent time with Grandmother in her kitchen overlooking Hafner Vineyard and Alexander Valley. It was there that I learned how to clean and roast a chicken, dice an onion just so, and prepare delicious meals with leftovers.

Grandmother created the menus for what we served guests here and did most of the cooking herself until just a few years before she died.

Grandmother serving food at a winery event in the 1980s. 

She enjoyed sharing her joy of cooking with others and often gave cookbooks as gifts, inscribing them with a note.

At home, when we prepare a meal, we are often thinking about which wine we will pair with the meal and sometimes the wine comes first and then we decide what dish to make. Often we all get stuck in our routine of making the same meals. Cookbooks are a great outlet for new inspiration, and our family enjoys sharing them with each other, so I wanted to share a few of my favorite cookbooks. 

The Art of Simple Food: Grandmother enjoyed following Alice Waters’ career and her move towards local, seasonal cuisine. Grandmother started my collection of Alice’s cookbooks that have easy, delicious recipes.

The Greens Cookbook: following in Grandmother’s footsteps, Uncle Scott uses this cookbook and gifted to me. Scott is an amazing chef and many of his dinners have been prepared from this cookbook. It's my newest addition, so I've been testing out recipes. Even the kids enjoyed the butternut squash tart. 

Basque Country: we’ve spent time in the Basque region and enjoy the fun of pintxos (or tapas). Our kids love that too! It’s an interactive dinner where everyone gets to choose what they want to eat. In fact, we’ve done large family birthdays this way with each couple bringing a few tapas to share. This cookbook has great pintxos recipes and many other tasty Basque dishes. 

Plus who doesn't love assembling tapas with your Uncle Scott!?

Six Seasons: Josh McFadden shares seasonally specific recipes, so that you’re always sure to use fresh produce for whatever is in season. We also enjoy his cookbook that focuses on grains. 

French Roots: this book is written by our French friends, sharing recipes from both their life in Bordeaux and their life here in California.

The Whole Duck: the Reichardt family owns Liberty Ducks here in Sonoma County and their ducks can be found on the menu of the most prestigious restaurants in the country. They are a dear family and the second generation, Jen, wrote a cookbook that we adore. We also order duck directly from them and they ship straight to you!

French Country Cooking: I use many of Mimi Thorisson’s cookbooks but our kids’ favorite dish is in this cookbook… mac and cheese! It’s a mac and cheese that adults can enjoy too.