Start your bidding engines — the Soul Food Farm Benefit Auction is now live. The auction “catalog” follows; there is an online form with which to place your bids.… after you read the instructions. Current high bids are in orange.

Soul Food Farm auction rules

• How it works: See something you like below? To bid, visit this simple Google Docs form. It lists all the prizes along with the minimum bid, and if the minimum has been met, the highest bid so far. Bids will be updated several times a day until Oct. 10 close.
• Auction end: Bidding will close at 4 p.m. PST Saturday, Oct. 10. Winners will be emailed later that night so they can hopefully attend the Soul Food Farm benefit party at Pizzaiolo on Sunday, Oct. 11, from 1-5 p.m. (Auction winners get in for free.) You do not have to be able to attend in person to win, although it will make collecting your prize easier.
• Collecting your prize: We will have the prizes in hand at the Pizzaiolo event to distribute. If you aren’t there, we’ll coordinate pickup with you. For services, we will put you in touch with the chef or professional to make arrangements. Shipping: If an item is not fragile or perishable and can be shipped, we are willing to ship within the U.S. as long as you pay the UPS/FedEx fee for trackable shipping.
• Payment: Bids are assumed to be made in good faith. You must pay either by check or PayPal by Oct. 12.
• Questions? Email bonnie@bonniepowell.com. And if all this looks too rich for your blood, check out the raffle instead — tickets are just $5 for the chance to win hundreds of dollars’ worth of dinners to fine restaurants, books, and lots more!

Headliners

Hot chicks (SFF1)
Five little baby laying hens from Soul Food Farm, mixed breeds including the Auracanas that lay the green/blue eggs, plus a bag of chick starter thrown in. Perfect for the would-be backyard egg farmer. (No minimum bid | Winning bid: $85)

Omnivore’s Delight package (MP1)
Maybe you—or someone you love—read “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” and now you only buy your meat from small farms (or their brand-new chicken & egg CSAs!) and your vegetables from the farmer’s market. You organized an “Eat-In” to protest school food. You think HFCS is commodity crack. Have we got the perfect gift for you (or your friend): Two tickets to the sold-out Nov. 4 City Arts Lecture with Michael Pollan (right) and the great agrarian philosopher his work was inspired by, Wendell Berry —PLUS a full set of Pollan’s books, signed and personalized just for you…or the lucky Christmas/Hanukah/birthday recipient of your choice. (Retail value: $150 + untold ag-tivist cool value | Minimum bid $200 | Winning bid: $500)

Eat & pitch Chronicle Books editor (CB1)
Attention all aspiring cookbook authors! Here’s your chance to get published. (Maybe.) Chronicle Books‘ Bill LeBlond will take you to lunch at a location of his choice (and his treat), and you can tell him why you should be the next Clotilde Dusoulier. The editorial director of food and drink at Chronicle Books, Bill is responsible for the 15 cookbooks Chronicle publishes each year. The first cookbook he edited was James McNair’s Cold Pasta, which launched McNair’s best-selling and much-imitated cookbook series. Bill publishes some of the best food writers in the country and has had the privilege of working with such outstanding authors as Joyce Goldstein, Anne Willan, Colman Andrews, Flo Braker, and Michael Chiarello. His books have been nominated for, and won, many IACP and James Beard Foundation cookbook awards. He is also a frequent speaker on publishing topics. (Retail value: Priceless. Do you know how hard it is to get time with this guy? | Minimum bid: $150 | Winning bid: $560)

Cheese master class (JF1)
Janet Fletcher (left), the cheese columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle and author of The Cheese Course and Cheese & Wine: A Guide to Selecting, Pairing, and Enjoying, will host a private guided cheese and wine tasting for six in her home in Napa Valley. In Cheese & Wine, Fletcher led readers on an international tour of 70 cheeses, exploring the best wine pairings and serving suggestions for cheese from Oregon’s autumnal Rogue River Blue to aromatic Brin d’Amour evocative of the Corsican countryside. Here’s your chance to take a private class—and taste some incredible cheeses—with one of the nation’s leading cheese experts. ($600 minimum bid)

Star skateboarder threads and gear (SJ1, SJ2, SJ3)
World-famous Vacaville-raised professional skateboarder Stefan Janoski (right, check out this video of his 360 flip!) has generously donated several items from his line of clothing and shoes, plus a skateboard. They are being auctioned in separate lots because they are specific sizes. Items are new, with tags. (Click to see larger version of photos)
• SJ1: Stefan Zoom Nike Shoes (size 9) and brown Analog T shirt (Size M) ($100 retail | $50 minimum bid)
• SJ2: Stefan Jeans (size 31) & white Analog t-shirt (size L) ($100 retail | $50 minimum bid)
• SJ3: Habitat Skateboard (trucks only, no wheels; available at any skate shop), Analog T-shirt (size L) and black Analog T-shirt (size L) ($100 retail | $50 minimum | Winning bid: $70)

Ringside seats at Chez / Guests in the Café (CP1 & CP2)

(CP1) Dinner for two at the kitchen table downstairs in world-renowned Chez Panisse. Watch Chefs Jean-Pierre Moulle and David Tanis cook up the local, seasonal magic that started this whole Bay Area delicious revolution. Includes signed copies of the Art of Simple Cooking and the Chez Panisse Café Cookbook. ($200 minimum | Winning bid: $800)
(CP2) Dinner for two in the Chez Panisse Cafe with a bottle of house wine ($100 minimum | Winning bid: $250)

SOLE foodie portrait session (BN1)
A one-hour portrait session at the Emeryville, CA, studio of Bart Nagel , whose portraits of CEOs and digerati have appeared in Time, Newsweek, Sports Illustrated, and the Red Herring, but who really likes shooting sustainable, organic, local, and ethical food & farming enthusiasts for the likes of Edible San Francisco, The Ethicurean, and himself. You will receive one glamorous headshot of your choice (including retouching if you wish it — ciao, crow’s feet!) as a high-resolution digital file to be used for your website, PR campaign, author photo, Facebook, or whatever. Makes a great birthday gift. (Retail $1,400 | $300 minimum | Winning bid: $400)

Eco-fabulous bone jewelry (HB1 & HB2)
A closed loop eco-system needn’t stop with whole animal cooking – you should wear their bones, too! Featured in Vogue Magazine, the Smithsonian and art galleries worldwide, this elegant bone jewelry made from cow bone – and the occasional pig, deer or lamb — is an ethically produced and affordable eco-luxury. Each piece was hand carved by the artist family of Haven Bourque, vice president of Straus Communications, working from their hydro-electric-powered artist community/organic farm in the foothills of the Carolinas. First, they made soup from the marrow bones; after lunch, the artistry began. Most of the bones came from neighboring dairy farmers, who couldn’t fathom why we’d raid the pasture for skeletons and but eventually humored these eccentric artists in their rural community, and the occasional triumphant wild-boar hunter. There is no better material than bone to adorn a sustainable food advocate for the coming fall season: celebrate the triumph of sustainable agriculture over commodity injustices in food and farms—and look beautiful at the same time! (Click photo to enlarge, or check out the photo gallery of jewelry being modeled by Soul Food fans.)
Hb1: Elegant Tea-stained cow bone necklace with lamb-bone close, fishing twine crochet and two pairs of complementary earrings; plus one pair of plain bone-finish earrings and one pair of black vegetable dyed bone earrings ($250 retail value | $150 minimum | Winning bid: $200)
HB2: Bold tea-stained cow bone necklace with lamb-bone close, fishing twine crochet and two pairs of complementary earrings; plus one pair of plain bone-finish earrings and one pair of black vegetable dyed bone earrings ($250 retail value | $150 minimum | Winning bid: $175)

All jammed up (JT1)
A space in one of master preservist June Taylor’s often sold-out 2009-2010 preserve-making classes. These intimate, daylong hands-on classes concentrate on the principles and processes of making conserves and the experiential nature of preserving fruit. Topics include evaluation and selection of fruit, stages of preparation, working without commercial pectin, cooking and jarring of the conserve. ($175 minimum | Winning bid: $225)

Bay Area getaway (ODH1)
Escape from the city Sunday through Thursday at the Olema Druids Hall, a luxury inn located less than an hour from San Francisco, overlooking the rural town of Olema and bordering the Point Reyes parklands. Choose one night in the luxurious 1,000 sq ft Grand Suite (comfortable living room, wood-burning fireplace, an open dining area, a gourmet kitchen with a Viking range, and a generous separate bedroom overlooking the town of Olema and the rural surroundings) or two nights in the Nest, a second-floor guest room with large windows providing views of the Olema valley’s rolling hills and tree-lined ridges, a bathroom featuring a relaxing extra large classic shower and a custom marble sink. ($385-$420 retail value | $200 minimum | Winning bid: $350)

Enough already, I am ready to bid! > >

Private Dinners

Personal-chef-for-a-day (RA1)
Experience the ease of having a personal-chef-for-a-day and find out how relaxing eating at home can truly be! Rebecca Alonzi, owner and chef of Seasonal Elegance Culinary Services,will create a custom prepared dinner for two or one prepared family meal for four (your choice). Certificate includes custom menu planning and consultation, shopping, cooking and clean-up. Special requests, exotic preferences and health needs gladly accommodated! Certificate valid for one year following auction, limited to locations no greater than 20 miles outside of San Francisco to be redeemed on a mutually agreeable date. Cost of groceries not included. Rebecca is a local personal chef who specializes in Mediterranean, Italian and French preparations, utilizing top quality local ingredients and slow-food preparations. Her culinary career has included several fine restaurants in San Francisco, including training at Quince, a Michelin-starred French Italian restaurant, while completing college level classes in Hospitality Management and Culinary Arts. Her company, Seasonal Elegance, has been providing premium culinary services in the greater Bay Area for the last three and a half years. Currently, Rebecca cooks for a private household, can be seen at Epic Roasthouse and also works as a culinary instructor for Graze the Roof garden project teaching inner-city kids about the joys of cooking locally-grown food. ($300 minimum)

Wired and wonderful (PF1): Dinner for six at your Bay Area home by Phil Ferrato, the chef at the San Francisco offices of Condé Nast’s Wired magazine. Believe it or not, Phil isn’t into molecular gastronomy, preferring local, organic hearty tastiness. (Read blog post about his philosophy and check out his latest how-to video, on pretzels.) Wine not included. (Retail $600 | $400 minimum)

You’ve got Soul (MLS1): Multi-course private dinner for 4 built around Soul Food Farm products with wine pairings by Melissa Lavrinc Smith, private chef, sommelier, host of SF WineChef and author of Inked Rogue Chefs. ($400 minimum | Winning bid: $400)

A visit from the Charcuterix (RZ1): Dinner for up to 10 cooked in your home by Rachael Zavala — the best damned Junior College Culinary Arts student in the history of culinary arts! Called “The Charcuterix” by friend and foe alike, and having done a dissertation on Bortolemeo Scappi, a 16th Century Papal chef, she is well prepared to cure up the pancetta AND fry it up in a pan… or throw a fully costumed dinner party for the Pope and any visiting courtesans who might be in town! Rachael will come to your East Bay/Walnut Creek home on the night of your choosing and cook an Italian feast of homemade antipasti, charcuterie, pasta, and Old World Venetian fare fit for royalty. (No minimum: “I’m an unknown culinary student; I just think this would be fun!” | Winning bid: $265)

Enough already, I am ready to bid! > >

Food, Drink & Fine Art

Pretty pecktures (EA1 & EA2)
Signed (verso), framed prints of Soul Food Farm chickens from the San Francisco Magazine cover shoot (left) by Ed Anderson. Prints are archival pigment prints on fiber-based paper (approx 200-year life span), in black wood frames with acid-free mats under acrylic UV filter glazing. We will ship these within U.S. for an additional shipping charge.
(EA1) Chicken and egg on white background, 14×14″ ($100 minimum | Winning bid: $200)
(EA2) Chicken on black background, 12×15″ ($100 minimum | Winning bid: $200)

Feeling piggy (FC1): One whole Fatted Calf porchetta, 15 lbs (Retails for $250 | $100 minimum | Winning bid: $125)

Napa’s finest (NF1): Six magnums (1.5 L) of Havens, Renard, Frog’s Leap, Patz & Hall, Elyse, and Cardinale offered by the winemakers at each winery, organized by winemaker Michael Havens ($930 retail | $450 minimum | Winning bid: $550):

• Cardinale 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon (Chris Carpenter)
• Havens 1999 Napa Valley Syrah (Michael Havens)
• Patz & Hall 2006 Hyde Vineyard Carneros Chardonnay (James Hall)
• Frog’s Leap 2006 Rutherford Merlot (John Williams)
• Elyse 2006 Morisoli Vineyard Zinfandel (Ray Coursen)
• Renard 1998 Timbervine Russian River Valley Syrah (Bayard Fox)

“Untitled” (MD1; left)
Feeling sheepish? Unframed archival fine art print by local artist Meagan Donegan. 24″x34″ (Minimum $200 | Winning bid: $250)

Larkmead trio (LV1): Vertical of 2004, 2005 and 2006 Larkmead Vineyards Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon made by acclaimed winemaker Andy Smith. Variously described by Robert Parker as “the talented Scotsman” and “a superstar,” Andy particularly enjoys the diversity of soils, varieties and clones at Larkmead, which enable him to craft stylish, complex wines reflective of this historic site. (Minimum $150 | Winning bid: $150)

“2.4.09, Lauren” (LW1; right)
Unframed archival signed print, 11.5×17.25 in) by photographer Lisa Wiseman ($600 unframed | Minimum $150)

KL1: [Moved to raffle]

[LATE ENTRY!!!] Bling from the City of Angels (EC1; left): Turquoise and carnelian necklace with heart-shaped charm of sterling silver and garnet by Erica Courtney, a boutique jewelry maker in Los Angeles whose work adorns many Hollywood celebrities. Necklace will be shipped to winner. (Retail value $450 | $50 minimum | Winning bid: $127)

“Diaphanous Flock” and “Blue Bird” (KO1; right)
Two unframed art prints auctioned together by Karen Ondracek, about 6×8″each ($25 minimum | Winning bid: $50)

Feeling really piggy (CSF1): A suckling pig (20-25 lbs) from Clark Summit Farm in Tomales for your Thanksgiving dinner. Must pick up from farm. ($75 minimum | Winning bid: $128.87)

“Estuary II” (PW1; right)
Recycled caste glass piece created by Napa glass artist Patti Wessman, who is trying to keep broken window pane and bottles out of the landfill. See her website for examples of her pieces. ($500 retail | Minimum $100 | Winning bid: $150)

Pearl and silver jewelry set by local artist Melissa Schneider (MS1): Handmade necklace featuring silvery-grey freshwater pearls intricately wound with sterling silver and linked to faceted black tourmaline, plus matching handmade earrings. Custom antique finish on sterling silver. (Retail $175 | $40 minimum | Winning bid: $150)

Enough already, I am ready to bid! > >

Healthy Services

TC1: Hour-long appointment with Tom Cowan, a holistic physician in San Francisco, and a copy of his book, Fourfold Path to Healing. ($120 minimum | Winning bid: $120)

KP1: A naturopathic new-patient visit with Karen Peters. Dr. Peters is a licensed naturopathic doctor who can offer a holistic perspective on any health issue or work with you on optimizing your health. She uses natural therapies such as herbal medicine, nutritional counseling, and homeopathy. ($240 value | $120 minimum)

RT1: Six-session wellness coaching package with wellness coach and certified nutritional counselor Rebecca Tryon (blog) ($300 value | $150 minimum)

KR1: A two-hour financial planning consultation or $250 credit against the fee for preparation of an income tax return with Ken Roberts, an Enrolled Agent and CFP practitioner with more than 35 years in the field, in Sebastopol ($100 minimum )

Now I am REALLY ready to bid! > >

The Soul Food Farm Raffle will be held live at the party at Pizzaiolo on Sunday, Oct. 11, admission is $14 and includes one entry in the raffle. Bidding has started on the separate silent auction connected to the event; winners will also be announced at Pizzaiolo.

You do not have to be present to win a raffle prize; all winners will be notified by email.* Raffle tickets are $5 each, or five for $20. Everyone who has donated money to Soul Food Farm already via PayPal will get one raffle ticket as a thank-you.**

Raffle prizes

A list of all the cool raffle prizes we’ve been offered follows. I think we have enough now — thanks everybody! Your generosity is truly breath-taking.

• A16 restaurant: $150 gift certificate and signed A16 cookbook
• Adesso Wine Bar: $75 gift certificate
• Bar Jules: $100 gift certificate
• Bici: One free bike tuneup
• Blue Bottle Coffee: $25 gift certificate good at any location or cart
• Boulette’s Larder: $50 gift certificate
• Camino restaurant: Gift certificate
• Novella Carpenter: Signed copy of her hilarious and inspiring Oakland memoir, Farm City
• Cafe Gratitude: $100 gift certificate
• Chez Panisse: Signed copies of hardvocer Chez Panisse Desserts with illustrations by Wayne Thiebaud, signed (by Lindsey Shere) hardcover Baker’s Dozen cookbook, and two signed books by Charles Shere, Roman Letters and Mostly Spain cookbooks
• Chronicle Books cookbooks gift pack
• CUESA: Ferry Plaza Farmers Market tote bag with cookbooks and market goodies
• Delfina: $75 gift certificate
• Dopo restaurant: $75 gift certificate
• Dona Tomas: Gift certificate & signed cookbook
• Flatland Flower Farm: A flat (16 plants) of herb and vegetable starts
• The Gardener: $50 gift certificate
• Gialina Pizzeria: Gift certificate
• Gioia Pizza: Two $25 gift certificates
• Ici Ice Cream: Two $25 gift certificates
• Kermit Lynch: 2 magnums of Domaine Les Palliéres Gigondas 2004 and 2005 (separate items)
• Let’s Be Frank: Party pack of dogs, wrappers, sauce and sauerkraut
• Manicaretti Foods gourmet treats gift basket
• Massa Organics whole-grain brown rice, 20-lb bag, and 2 jars of crunchy almond butter ($60 value)
• Meatpaper: Magazine subscription, Meatpaper tote bag
• NOPA: $100 gift certificate
• McQuade’s Celtic Chutneys: Gift basket of locally made chutneys with Havens Bouriquot and Cowgirl Creamery Mt. Tam cheese
• Oliveto: Gift certificate
• Omnivore Books: $25 gift certificate
• The Palms: Two pairs of two tickets to any concert at the hall in Winters, CA
• Pascal French Oven in Danville: $25 gift certificate
• Piccino Cafe: $100 gift certificate
• Lori Podraza of Goulash Designs: Retro handmade bag and retro handmade apron (separate items)
• Ritual Roasters: Two 12 oz bags of coffee, a mug, and a certificate for 2 free drinks
• Rancho Gordo: Two gift boxes of farmer Steve Sando’s signed cookbook, Heirloom Beans, and beans
• SPQR: $100 gift certificate
• Summer Kitchen Bake Shop: Three of gratin dinners and membership in our Supper Club, which allows guests 10% off all food and drinks including lunch and dinner and 10% off Wine at Vintage Berkeley on College. $75 value
• Tartine bakery: Two $50 gift certificates (separate) and signed Tartine cookbook
• Tartine Bar: $75 gift certificate
• Terzo restaurant: $100 gift certificate
• Yes We Can: 1 case canned dry-farmed and San Marzano tomatoes
• Zuzu Napa: $100 gift certificate

Thank you to all of these generous individuals and businesses!

*If you win a raffle item but don’t live here, we will not be able to ship it; you can opt to donate your prize to a Bay Area friend or let us draw another entrant.

**I will mine the PayPal donation log to get names and email addresses to enter you; ‘fraid I can’t do so with check donations. If you donated by check and want to be entered into the raffle, email me.

We had a frank talk about what Soul Food Farm needs to survive. Primarily it is cash. Like most small farms, they were operating without a safety net. The Soul Food Farm Fire Fund via PayPal has received a wonderful number of donations,  more than 60 so far, ranging from $5 to $200. Every little bit counts, so thank you. (You can donate by clicking this link to PayPal; those who dislike PayPal can also mail a check made out to Soul Food Farm to 6046 Pleasants Valley Rd., Vacaville, CA 95688.)

Here are the most pressing farm needs, in order:

Irrigation equipment installation: As nearly all of the back pastures used for raising the meat birds are now charred to pieces, Eric and Alexis need to move the remaining birds and get prepared for the chicks that are at various stages of pasture-readiness. They have pasture at the front of the property but it is currently quite dry and needs irrigation. To get that set up will require an immediate investment of sprinklers, pumps, hoses, etc. If anyone has a contact at a local agricultural company that might be willing to donate such equipment, or give a discount, great, or if you’ve installed irrigation systems before and can volunteer labor, let me know and I will put you in touch with Eric, who knows what Soul Food needs.

Chicken house building: Two burned down and others were damaged. The chicks are in temporary houses and as they grow, will need to be moved to make room for the next batches coming through. (Soul Food receives 600 chicks every week.) Alexis estimates that they will need to build at least two houses within the next two weeks at a rough cost of $2,000 each. They could definitely use skilled volunteer labor (particularly those who own their own tools) in addition to cash for materials; providing lunch for hte work crew would also be appreciated. Email me if you would like to help (put Soul Food Farm in the subject line), and I will let you know when the work days will be. My husband and I will be there for them with our pneumatic nailers and screwguns.

Income shortfall makeup: The 1,000 meat chicks Soul Food lost in the fire represent half a month’s lost income. In about 6 weeks, all the birds currently on the farm will have matured and been harvested and the next ones won’t be ready for two weeks. This a considerably amount of money the farm will not have to cover ongoing feed and labor expenses. It will be crippling. In addition, the fire has traumatized the laying hens and egg production is naturally down and will remain so for a while. The best way for us to tackle this is through bigger fundraisers than the PayPal fund. We need to get these scheduled and start selling tickets to them right away.

HOW YOU CAN HELP:

Assist with the fundraising benefit dinners: A couple of dinners are in the pipeline, with chefs/venues in San Francisco and Berkeley. We have someone wanting to organize one in Solano County who needs a restaurant venue. Here’s what else we need for these:

• Local produce/meat/etc. donations: Farmers, we can work with your seconds, anything you can spare.
• Wine/beer/spirits: Local producers, we’d love any and all donations. Give us your messed-up labels, your discontinued lines.
• Labor: Do you work in a restaurant and are willing to be a volunteer prep cook or server? Or are you super organized and can help me wrangle volunteers? Get in touch.

Donate items for the auction and raffle: Chef and local-food-pillar Samin Nosrat and I are planning at least one associated auction for one of the benefit dinners and an effort-wide raffle. Everyone who has donated money or products/services will be eligible for the raffle, and we will also be selling tickets to the general public. Here are some of the items we are hoping to either auction or raffle off:

• Special high-value items to auction: For example, personal chef services, private winery tours, photography & Web design services, cooking & butchery lessons, hotel stays, lunch with celebrity, etc.
• Gift certificates to restaurants, stores, farmers market stands
• Subscriptions
• Signed copies of cookbooks
• Cooking equipment
• Be creative — if you’re not sure what you have to offer, email me!

Thanks, everybody. That’s it from me …  for now.

—Bonnie (Alexis’s friend and soon-to-be CSA manager)
bonnie@bonniepowell.com

As the day wore on so many friends and family called and emailed to say how much they cared, and what love they had for us and the Farm. I have never understood until now that Soul Food Farm meant anything to anyone else except us.

All these offers of love and help and food are so uplifting and are the energy and motivation we need now to keep working and clean up our farm. And how wise of so many of you to know that food would be the balm of so many worries, and all the good wishes and encouragement the balm for our soul.

In spirit you have all become a very meaningful part of Soul Food Farm and I hope you will all consider it a little bit of yours.

Today we have picked up the pieces of the burned chicken houses, buried animals, extended some corrals out of the burned pasture and watched firefighters continue to parole the hills. One of our angels showed up to check on us and we were so glad to see him. I found out his name is Nate, and his other friends are Justin and Jeff…… Wild boys that jumped in a burning chicken house to rescue the birds, chased baby chicks away from the fire and Justin drove a tractor to make a fire break even as flames encircled him. He pulled out just as flames were encircling him and we all screamed for him to jump of that damn tractor. He come back towards us and calmly said ” I’m fine”

We battled the fire with our meager water supple and a tractor with a flat tire for 45 mint. before the fire department showed up. And I wonder, How does a fire start like that in the middle of the night out in the country?

Our neighbors fruit orchard was spared and our other neighbor and friend stood on his porch as the fire raced towards him. The firefighters formed a human wall and fought down the fire and saved his house. All in all there were six trucks , over 100 firefighters and at least 60 juvenile offenders who worked in the manner of the old chain gangs and created a firebreak around the farm and the chicken corrals.

Morgan, I found out later, had led the firefighters around the farm showing them all the access points , in the dark with a flashlight. and the reason they finally crossed the creek to help us was because Morgan explain there were six people battling the fire on there own. They had no idea there was anything on the other side of the farm… The fire crews rushed to help us and we were all very relieved to see them standing there next to us.

Justin, our son, was brilliant and I must say I never saw him move so fast in his life… he grabbed full buckets and started to pour water around chicken corrals and moved around each situation doing everything he could to help. He never lost his cool and keep going for a full 18 hour before he finally allowed himself to sleep…

Eric twisted his ankle as he ran across the farm but never once falterd. running to grab the tractor and maneuvering it around the front of the fire to scrap back the dried grasses and create a fire break… Fearless really. the flames were high and moving fast and he was just as determined. He really did manage to scare the hell out of me as those flames moved closer.

Morgan later was allowed to come to the back of the farm and she didn’t miss a beat. Made sure our dogs were safe, poured water on still burning trees, grab chicks, and all the rest of the day helped on the farm.. This from a girl of 16! level-headed, brave and tireless.

Me, I’m tired……

[Bonnie posting from email from Alexis. Photos sent by Mark Shaw of Shaw Ranch and Jon Scott]

Current efforts under way to help Soul Food Farm get back on its (pointy) feet after this terrible setback:

Soul Food Farm Fire Fund: To help get Soul Food Farm access to cash, whether for rebuilding the chicken houses and ordering enough replacement birds to meet their obligations to their existing customers or frankly whatever, with her reluctant permission I’ve set up a PayPal donation account in Alexis’s name, under the new email account firefund@soulfoodfarm.com. Please consider donating whatever you can spare via the PayPal button. You can also go to Paypal.com and send a donation directly via the preceding email address. [Update: Don't be alarmed if PayPal says the account is not yet verified; I need to get Alexis to fill in some details. Also, please note that those who dislike PayPal can also mail a check made out to Soul Food Farm to 6046 Pleasants Valley Rd., Vacaville, CA 95688.]

Benefit Dinners:

The wonderful Sam Mogannam of Bi-Rite Market is working on a dinner to be held at 18 Reasons, the market’s community center. Details to come.

Samin Nosrat, former sous chef of the sadly shuttered Eccolo, and I are putting together a fundraiser involving a formal dinner ($$$) and informal hors d’oeuvres reception ($). Michael Pollan has kindly agreed to speak at it if his schedule permits. There will likely be an associated auction and raffle. We tentatively have a venue but are looking for meat, produce, and wine/alcohol donations, auction/raffle donations (restaurant gift certificates, hotel stays, anything), volunteer crowd wranglers, etc. Please email me if you would like to help (put Soul Food Benefit in the subject line).

More to come as I hear about it.

Here is what happened, from emails that Alexis wrote to friends, from which she has given permission for me to quote:

On the night of September 3, at 1:30 a.m. Eric woke up to find a fire moving across Soul Food Farm’s fields, possibly begun on the property next door. The flames were as high as the trees. In the commotion suddenly three strangers appeared, like angels, and started helping us. They made a water line around the chicken houses, fire breaks, helped rescue baby chicks and were utterly amazing.

Two chicken houses caught on fire, and the we lost 1000 baby chicks. Trapped. Our old 1880s barn burned and it was almost too much at that moment. Thirty acres of pasture for the meat birds is gone and several old beautiful oaks, all the old plum trees that were our connection to the original homesteaders.

When we could see the farm this morning we found that the front of the farm escaped and looks much like it always has. Across the creek all is burned up to the top of the ridge, and the fire just marched on along the hillside and down the valley.

Fire burned into several meat bird corrals but the fire crews were able to stop it before more animals were lost. Those fire crews and firefighters were amazing. As of this morning they are still here on the farm putting out spot fires and will stay for several more days.

We are cleaning up and building a new quick little chicken house this morning for the 600 baby chicks that arrived in the post. replacing water buckets, feeders, baby chick lights, and feed.

Emma and Justin are both here being such good help. Thank you to all for the kind words and offers of support. We will let you know if and how you can help when we have found our bearings.

I will continue to post occasionally here on the family’s behalf, while I get them up to speed on blogging — probably after they finish recovering from the fire.

I’ve known Alexis since she first called me up in November 2006 to say “I read you were starting a meat CSA — how is that going to work? Want some eggs?” She was only selling at farmers’ markets and to a few restaurants then, and we had a fun discussion about just how badly the Bay Area needed some more pasture-based producers of meat chickens. A few months later, with the help of Chez Panisse chef Cal Peternell, Alexis started raising meat birds, and my group, Bay Area Meat CSA, was soon proudly distribute her chickens and eggs to our members. The latest incarnation of BAMCSA, online at meatshare.org, has organized group buys of Soul Food Farm chickens. In June, Alexis asked me for help starting Soul Food’s very own CSA, which we were hoping to launch in October. (Read SFFoodie’s writeup.)

Plans for that are on hold for the moment, but if you’re interested in joining, sign up to stay informed of its progress.