#Petaluma based NewCo Raises $1.7M in Seed Funding

This innovative company is disrupting the event planning model. They will use seed funding to expand staff, tech platforms, and new products

What does NewCo do? According to their website, they help you engage with the people behind innovative businesses in their native environment. You visit companies not stuffy hotel ballrooms which gets you inside to see the engines driving real change in your city.

Also see TechCrunch article, NewCo, John Battelle’s Event Startup, Raises $1.7M From Obvious, True Ventures And More by Ingrid Lunden. Also see Newco’s website blog postNewco Announces Seed Financing by JBAT.

CLICK HERE to learn more and see a video about this new innovative and growing company and see the founder’s tweets announcing the seed funding.

#Petaluma’s Mesa/Boogie® Founder Randall Smith Chosen by Readers for Induction to the Vintage Guitar Magazine Hall of Fame

Mesa/Boogie® is excited to announce Vintage Guitar magazine, the leading publication on vintage and collectible guitars, has inducted founder Randall Smith to its Hall of Fame in the Innovator category. This year’s inductees, as well as winners of this year’s Readers’ Choice Awards, will be featured in the magazine’s April issue. Winners in all categories are determined by a vote of the magazine’s readership.

Click here to see the rest of the story with quotes from founder Randall Smith.

Free Bookmobile of Sonoma County is proud to be an integral part #Petaluma Community Foundation Alliance

From the Free Bookmobile YouTube Channel posted on February 12, 2015. In late 2014, the Petaluma Community Foundation (PCF) created a Collaboration for Youth At-Risk, bringing eight local non-profits together to serve the needs of our children as they learn and grow. The Free Bookmobile of Sonoma County is proud to be an integral part of this alliance, and grateful to share resources and expertise with the other featured partners. Click here to visit the Free Bookmobile website.

Click here to see the Stronger Together Video about the Free Bookmobile's collaboration with Petaluma Community Foundation Partners.

#Petaluma's Rancho Obi-Wan Launches First Book For Celebration Anaheim Exhibit

The full-color, hardcover 72-page book will act as an exhibit guide, containing photos and stories of scores of the items on display.

Rancho Obi-Wan’s 900-square-foot exhibit at Celebration Anaheim April 16-19 will focus on how Star Wars fans through the years have made their own tremendous contributions to that far-away galaxy, and in commemoration the nonprofit museum will make available a limited print-run book, “Inspired by the Force: Star Wars Fan Artifacts & Art.”

Click here for more information about this new book.

#Petaluma's Gary & Jennifer Buffo Launch BlinkCar SmartPhone On-Demand Service

At a time when ride-booking companies like Uber are shaking up the taxi industry, Petaluma’s Pure Luxury Transportation is launching its own on-demand car service.

Pure Luxury, which has a fleet of more than 130 chauffeured vehicles, this winter began BlinkCar, one of the nation’s first on-demand services to be offered by a traditional limousine company.

The new business has a smartphone app that allows passengers to request and obtain rides within minutes in either a regular or luxury sedan or an SUV. The driver can take the client across town or across the Bay Area, with payment handled via a credit card registered with the app.

What sets BlinkCar apart from other ride-booking services is that its drivers aren’t independent contractors using their private cars but rather trained, company employees driving Pure Luxury’s own vehicles. The sedans and SUVs are fully insured, regularly inspected and cleaned inside and out each day, said Pure Luxury owners Gary and Jennifer Buffo.

via Petaluma company launches on-demand car service | The Press Democrat.

PCA Releases #Petaluma's 2014 Veteran's Day Parade Video

Did you, or do you know someone, who missed this years' parade? Know someone who was in the parade that didn't get video of this event?

You may want to watch or share this video. Our previous article #Petaluma’s Veteran’s Day Parade: Schedule, Highlights, History and Video was seen and read by many. It was also shared hundreds of times on social media. We had several requests to share any video we get of this year’s event including a request from Barbara Fanucchi who commented on that article. A lot of people, for any number of reasons, cannot make one of the best Veteran’s Day parades in Northern California but would like to see it.

Yesterday Petaluma Community Access posted a whole length video of the entire parade. So now you don’t have to miss it and you can enjoy watching the parade from the comfort of your home.

Click here to watch this full length video coverage of the 2014 Petaluma’s Veterans Day Parade.

Second Look Sunday: A Positively Petaluma Weeks In Review

Did you miss any of the past weeks good news stories in #Petaluma? No sweat! Here are a collection of the good stuff from the previous weeks

There are lots of great things going on in #Petaluma, you just have to dig for them.Positively Petaluma searches for and collects the positive information about our great city in one place: The Petaluma Magazine. The Second Look will be a reflection of some of the posts from the previous weeks.

1000’s are enjoying their free subscription with thousands of positive articles including these highlights from the last few weeks:

• #Petaluma’s Gary & Jennifer Buffo launch BlickCar.com Smartphone On-Demand Service
• #Petaluma’s Cyan Launches Hyperscale Transport Platform
• Time-lapse Video: Ryan Peteresen Painting Wall Mural at Mentor Me #Petaluma
• Shipment of #Petaluma’s Enphase C250 Microinverter Systems Targets Expanding Commercial Solar Market
• #Petaluma Musician/Composer Chooses Chicken Farm Over Big City
• Attention Chili, Salsa, and Beer Challengers It’s Time To Enter The Great Petaluma Chili Cook-off!
• SMART expects delivery of first train in March - Renews #Petaluma’s Haystack Bridge
• Check it out! Now open Cocoagraph Confections & Pantry
• Two #Petaluma companies buy 155,000 sq. ft. for expansion
• La Dolce Vita Wine Lounge is hosting its Annual Oscoar Awards Party
• Introducing Work: Ready Apparel!
• Petaluma Eats! at Secret Kitchen
• In #Petaluma: Create Your Own Marketing Videos WORKshop Sat Feb 28th
• Buy Roses Local for Valentines Day! #Petaluma’s Neve Roses on KPIX channel 5
• PCA Releases #Petaluma’s 2014 Veteran’s Day Parade Video
• Petaluma Community Access is hosting a Screenwriting the Short Online Video Workshop, Saturday February 28

Other posts can be found on here on Petaluma Patch. Also check outPositivelyPetaluma.com and thank you for “Like”ing us on Facebook and following us on Twitter.

Thank you for following, recommending and sharing this post.

Petaluma Eats! at Secret Kitchen

  By Petaluma Eats! Contributor Houston Porter 

                   As the first one to post a Yelp reviewer for Secret Kitchen (back in May 2014), I knew Chef Brenda Anderson’s new restaurant would be popular, even though a bit hard to find. Close to a year later and it comes as no surprise that her incredibly diverse and delicious menu chalked full of healthy, locally sourced ingredients didn’t stayed a secret for long. At a recent fundraiser a “Chef’s Dinner for 6” at the Secret Kitchen blew all the other auction items out of the water even though the high bidder hadn’t tasted the food before. This proves that around Petaluma people fall into one of two camps. Either they have been to Secret Kitchen and loved it OR they have heard about Chef Brenda’s food and are dying to try it for themselves.

… the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. – Roald Dahl

                  The quick five minute drive west of downtown Petaluma will take you past the very farms and fields where Chef Brenda sources the fresh ingredients for Secret Kitchen’s menu. Primarily Asian-Latin fusion, her cuisine gives all those fancy San Francisco food trucks a run for their money, especially considering Secret Kitchen is a much shorter drive …and doesn’t require a Twitter account to find out where they will be parked that day. Splashed with colors nearly as loud and bold as her flavorful menu, Secret Kitchen is hard to miss, even though it’s tucked in behind Aguis Market (at the corner of Bodega Avenue and Eucalyptus Road/Skillman Lane.) And like so much about Petaluma, your smartphone will only get you so far, so don’t be afraid to ask a local for directions. …that’s kind of the way we like it.

CLICK HERE to see the entire article on this hidden treasure.

Cocoagraph Confections and Local Pantry announces Grand Opening in #Petaluma

Cocoagraph merges two of the most beloved and cherished items, photographs and chocolate! Check out the video of how it works.

Bringing art into a new medium, Cocoagraph founder Rae Vittorelli began making artisanal chocolate photographs and graphics, known as cocoagraphs, in 2011. Cocoagraphs are made with locally produced fair trade chocolate and can be custom ordered with any photograph, graphic, or logo. On February 2, 2015 Vittorelli opened her first retail location for Cocoagraph in Petaluma.

After Vittorelli graduated college with a degree in art, the economy was not doing well, so she worked outside her field and made sculptural cakes on the side. One of her cakes was for an art foundation and Vittorelli hung small chocolate paintings all over the cake using edible printing technology. She had fun with the project and since then she has taken what people do in the cake world and transferred it to chocolate. With time, Vittorelli modified her process and now, rather than transferring the images after printing them, she uses an edible printing system to print images directly on the chocolate.

CLICK HERE for more information and to see photos of their new store and a video showing how they make them.

VIDEO: #Petaluma's Laurie Figone Appears On Good Day Sacramento

Dessert World Champ Laurie Figone appeared on Good Day Sacramento sharing secrets on how to make her creamy Mojito dessert.

Our very own Dessert World Champ Laurie Figoneappeared on Good Day Sacramento sharing secrets on how to make her Mojito Marvel Money Bars that give all the flavors of a Mojito in a creamy dessert.

Click here to see the video. 

Also check out her website that has a ‘Recipes’ tab where she shares many of her great recipes. Click here to see her dessert recipes. She will be releasing her cookbook in the near future.

For more on Laurie Figone see our previous post VIDEO UPDATE: #Petaluma’s Laurie Figone gets her shot on the big screen on TNT’s “On The Menu”

#Petaluma, Wet Your Whistle For The Wetlands

This is a special benefit for Friends of Shollenberger and General Admission is only $25. You get great music, artisan beer tasting, light supper gratis, and a silent auction with art and wine. Also while enjoying yourself you also get the satisfaction knowing your donation is going to a good cause. Click here to get tickets online.

In August 2014 we did a short story and video on the rescue of a rare aquatic bird found at Shollenberger. For no apparent reason this post went viral over the last week and was viewed by thousands with most referrals coming from facebook.

Click here if you want to see the photo of the rare baby Black Rail bird and a short video of the International Bird Rescue feeding the tiny-black puff-ball chick.

#Petaluma Musician/Composer Chooses Chicken Farm Over Big City

Modern Farmer Magazine says Petaluma's William Ryan Fritch composes and creates his music in a century old Petaluma chicken farm.

In a recent article by Chris Martins on January 19, 2015 in the Modern Farmer Country Roads: City Musicians Are Going Rural, he writes about musician and artist William Ryan Fritch who composes and creates his music in a century old Petaluma chicken farm. He and his wife have a master bedroom in a rustic converted water tower.

His talent for creating music is incredible and his collection of music making instruments and toys are impressive. He records his music in a converted tractor garage insulated for heat and soundproofing.

According to his website, he said that in his more recent recordings you might even hear farm sounds like roosters from the next farm which is quit alright with him. He states that he finds those sounds more enjoyable than the ones he creates. While he is not making sound he and his wife garden and grow veggies.

Click here to see other photos and teaser video of how he works in his chicken barn studio and creates his music.