On a cold December day, it’s easy to dream about cocooning in a cozy cabin under the pines, fireplace aflame, hands cradled around a steaming mug of cocoa. Think flannel, friends, food and four wooden walls beneath an A-line roof that’s frosted with snow.

It’s a stop for nightly commuters, a biker bar and a family-oriented historical highway landmark, hosting everything from car shows, weddings and baby showers, to taco Thursdays and Wednesday trivia nights. 

Bud Milo enters the 90-year-old restaurant and bar on Main Street in Rio Vista for the first time, and his expression immediately changes after seeing 300 mounted hunting trophies and photos lining the walls. “There’s a whole lot of animals here,” says the incredulous Milo.

Winning a Michelin star is something ambitious chefs spend a lifetime dreaming of and working toward. A star from the world-famous Michelin Guide promises life-changing benefits: Money. Customers. Fame. There’s even a term for it: the Michelin effect.

PODCAST EPISODE: Father and daughter Jim Mayfield and Hannah de Bie of Sub Sea Systems discuss marine tourism, VR integration, Saudi Arabia’s entertainment megaproject Qiddiya, the importance of ocean exploration and working with family. 

It’s harvest time at the Reimagination Farm in Lake County, California. As autumn turns the air crisp and the leaves begin to change, former UC Davis Asian American Studies professor Robyn Rodriguez surveys the land in front of her and reflects on the rhythms of nature. “Even the earth follows cycles of rest,” she muses. “That’s how we regenerate.”

Wayne Bishop of Bishop’s Pumpkin Farm in Wheatland claims the farm is the largest pick-your-own pumpkin patch in the world. It remains a true family-run business, with Wayne, his wife Ann, his sons Lee and Austin, and his daughter-in-law Courtney leading the farm his parents started more than 50 years ago.

Over the course of summer and the first weeks of fall, over 60 varieties of peaches and nectarines pass through The Fruit Bowl, a 76-year-old produce stand on the rural outskirts of Stockton.