Fog Valley Crush

by Frances Rivetti

Part memoir, part reportage, British/American independent journalist and author Frances Rivetti’s Fog Valley Crush is a celebration and a sharing of an extraordinary place — the last secret corner of Northern California wine country, Petaluma, Sonoma County and neighboring coastal west Marin. Everyone is welcome to the best of the west in this warm and quirky haven of hospitality that is the farmstead frontier. Readers will meet biodynamic farmers, artisan cheese makers, craft brewers, winemakers, heritage seed sellers, oyster and fiber farmers, hunter/gatherer/foragers and all sorts of fascinating movers and shakers in the micro-region’s hyper-local agricultural heritage. Vintage and modern regional, seasonal recipes feature in each chapter, along with black and white photographs from the author’s photo files.

284 pages, Paperback

First published December 26, 2014

About the author

National Indie Excellence Awards Finalist & Independent Publisher's Book Awards 2020 Gold Medal winner for Best Regional Fiction, Pacific West, Big Green Country author Frances Rivetti is a British American writer based in Sonoma County, Northern California.

Her second novel The House on Liberty Street was released in Dec 2022 & was a finalist in the 2023 National Indie Excellence Awards.

Frances Rivetti's third novel, Floating in the Middle was published in Nov 2025.

Reviews

[Frances · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having moved to Northern CA (partly to Petaluma and partly to SF), in April, 2016, I was thrilled to find this book in the used section of Copperfields. There were so many good, local stories, so I kept the internet close at hand to check for updates, as some things have already changed since she wrote this book (published in 2014). What an excellent find, one that makes me love Petaluma even more!

[Frances Collier · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! Frances Rivetti immerces the reader in the history of the region while giving interesting facts and beautiful views. She really takes you back to pioneer days, hardships and joys. In addition to gving you some tasty recipes using locally sourced ingredients of the day. I totally enjoyed reading the book on a lazy Sunday morning, sitting on a comfy chair beside a sunny window with a cup of tea. Ahhh. Thank you Frances.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pleasure to read about this wonderful part of California! So lucky to live there! The book may have a limited audience as it is so specific to the Petaluma & Sonoma area. I did find her writing style at times difficult to read with long extended descriptive sentences & repetitive wordings.

[Lara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok, I'm biased as I live in Sonoma County, but I loved this book! The writing was lovely and each chapter was a new adventure in local food and wine, local farming history, sprinkled with mouth watering recipes. See you on the cheese trail or drinking a pint at Lagunitas!

[Peg Albrets · Rating 3 out of 5]

fun read about life in Petaluma....makes me want to move!