Hi Reader,

Greetings from the road. I’m en route to the Central Coast, one of my favorite corners of California, for another edition of Cherry Bombe.

The Farmers and Makers weekend gathers women farmers, makers, and artisans in Paso Robles for three days of tastings, dinners, and long conversations. A whole weekend built around people who make things by hand is a rare thing these days.

So much of what we buy is cheap and on our doorstep the next day. Getting our travelers into a room with the people still making things slowly, the ones keeping a craft or a tradition alive, is one of my favorite parts of this job.

It’s Not Just The Wine

When we plan a trip, a wine tasting or a farm visit is a given. But we build makers in too, and they’re often what clients talk about when they return. It might be a caramel tasting at a candy shop in Aix, or a morning with jewelry makers in Florence. These aren’t detours from the trip. They are the trip.

Here are a few of the makers we love, from all over:

• Near Vézelay, in Burgundy, Clothilde Nollet forages wild Morvan plants and distills them into gin over a wood fire. Her work is feminine and instinctive, more art than brand.
• In Oaxaca, Casa Viviana hand-forms beeswax candles trimmed with wax flowers, a Zapotec craft passed down for generations.
• In Florence, Riccardo Luci marbles paper by hand, floating ink on water the old Florentine way.
• On the Big Island, the Kimura family has woven hala leaf into hats since 1914, in the same little shop above Kona.
• In Liguria, the Chiavari chair still comes from a handful of workshops in the town it’s named for, and the town once gave a set to Pope Leo XIII.

It Started With My Neighbors In Florence

All of it goes back to Florence for me. I lived on a street with a cobbler and a tailor who made shoes and shirts to order, for the neighbors and for me. It wasn’t a show for tourists. It was just how the street worked, the way it had for generations.

Those makers still cluster in the Oltrarno (the name just means “beyond the Arno”), across the river from the Duomo. If you want to bring a piece home, our guide to shopping in Italy walks you through the workshops and how to read “vera pelle” on a label.

Caught My Eye

You don’t have to cross an ocean for this, though. Three of my favorite makers are right here on the Central Coast, and I’ll be stocking up this weekend.

​Hambly Lavender Farm in San Miguel grows its own lavender and turns it into an olive oil hand salve I reach for after a day in the garden. Mighty Cap Mushrooms grows gourmet mushrooms right in Paso, and the dried porcini they carry turn a weeknight risotto into something magical. Paso Almonds has been making almond brittle and sweet-hot almonds here for more than thirty years, and it’s my go-to edible gift. All three ship, so you can order a bit of the Central Coast to your door.

Who Are Your Favorite Artisans?

I’m walking into Paso Robles this weekend curious and ready to meet the women behind what we eat and drink, and I’ll report back.

In the meantime, I want your recs. Who are the makers and workshops you’ve discovered while traveling? Hit reply and tell me!