North Coast summer

saint november

North Coast Summer July 26, 2022

Greetings from Bodega, Ca

We spent a recent summer morning doing a photo shoot in the town of Bodega, population somewhere around 300. Known to many as the location of Alfred Hitchcocks 1963 film, The Birds, the tiny town lies near the coast in the western part of Sonoma County. Our site was the Casino Bar and Grill located smack in the middle of the town, between Bodega fire station and St Teresa Catholic church. I love the Casino and despite the name, there’s no gambling to be had. But you can have a cold beer and a grilled cheese at the old wooden bar, look at the collection of photos, paintings and items collected over the place’s 73 year history and maybe say hello to owner, Evelyn Casini.

I don’t think its an exaggeration to say that Evelyn and the Casino are gems of the town. She was there to meet us when we arrived and told us she appreciated our asking permission. “Lots of people come and take pictures but most don’t ask first. I appreciate good manners”. Born just a few miles away, she attended school in the neighboring small town of Tomales, and has been around west county all her life. She and her husband Arthur purchased the bar from her brother in law in 1949 and she has worked there ever since. Over that time she’s seen a lot. She comments that during the filming of The Birds the town became impacted with cast, crew and lookie-loo’s. “you couldn’t believe the traffic”! As for the film itself, Evelyn said she enjoyed it. “I liked Hitchcock. He was smart. He made you think. And he knew the Bay Area. He brought it right to you.”

These days she says her bartending days are a thing of the past and she’s happy to leave the hard work to younger folks. But she’s still there to open and close every day. She likes to check up on things. Her advice on running a bar with such longevity; “keep things simple and comfortable. and don’t stay open too late. They’ll drink too much and be hard to manage.”

The Casino has all the charms of a small town roadhouse. You can shoot a game of pool, listen to the jukebox and sit at the picnic tables in the back. But I’d be remiss not to mention that dinners are another thing altogether. A variety of fresh and local ingredients are the centerpieces of weekend meals served up by local chef, Mark Maliki, as well as the Holly and Tali show on weeknights. Fresh seasonal oysters can be had as well. Sonoma county is known for its outstanding food and wine and this spot gives you an unpretentious taste.

We worked through the shoot while staged out on the back patio. I had the good luck to work with photographer Jessamyn Harris and model Andie Thornton. Jessamyn is a Sonoma county native and captures the land and light beautifully and Andie fit the clothes like they were hers. It felt like a great collaboration and a homage to what we have here in our own community. Kim was the bartender on duty for the day. She and Evelyn checked in on us, and admired the clothes while they went about their workday. Evelyn liked the West Coast Work Pant in charcoal so much I made her a custom pair. While we worked, a local sat nearby with a beer, a burger and the daily newspaper. He looked up once in a while to have a look at the outfits and offered a smile. I asked him if we were interrupting his meal. “Oh no, not at all. Its my day off. I can always count on a good burger here but you can never tell what else you might find.”

All photos: www.jessamynharris.com

Casino Bar and Grill; 17000 Bodega Hwy, Bodega California