Kenwood’s Vineyards Inn to close after 35 years

Mary Schiller has been dining at Kenwood’s Vineyards Inn for three decades, a place she says “feels like home.”

It’s a Spanish bar and grill where the bartender knows his patrons and “the glass of wine shows up without you saying a word,” said Schiller, a culinary teacher for Maria Carrillo High School in Santa Rosa.

“If anyplace around here could feel like ‘Cheers,’ it would be there,” she said, a nod to the 1980s TV show about a Boston bar “where everybody knows your name.”

These are the last days for the Vineyards Inn, which is closing after 35 years of ownership by Steve and Colleen Rose. The final night will be Monday, Memorial Day. After that the Roses, both 62, will turn to a variety of projects that don’t involve running an eating establishment six days a week.

That includes more volunteer work by Steve Rose with Schiller and her culinary students, who this year took first, second and third place in a state high school competition.

Such a long run as Vineyards Inn is rare in the restaurant business. For the Roses, longevity became possible because so many Kenwood residents patronized the eatery year round.

For many winters, Steve Rose said, “they made our rent payment for us.”

The relationships soon went beyond business.

“Our friends over the years probably all started out as customers at the restaurant,” said Colleen Rose.

The restaurant, with a staff of 18, sits along Highway 12 at Adobe Road, just northwest of Chateau St. Jean winery. A key feature is its enclosed, heated patio with immense Concord grapevines that were planted in the 1940s.

The Roses opened the Vineyards Inn as a Mexican restaurant. But about 20 years ago they began adding Spanish dishes, including paella and gambas al ajillo, as part of chef Steve Rose’s Basque heritage.

And for more than a decade the restaurant has offered a variety of dishes featuring organic vegetables and products.

In 2011, the restaurant became among the first in the county to feature wines on tap, with a current selection of 14 served without the use of bottles.

The couple said they had sought to sell the business but were unable to do so and their lease is coming to a close. Steve Rose said after the building’s owners complete renovations, the place likely once more will be a restaurant.

On their 11-acre Kenwood farm, the Roses raise both wine grapes and crops, including this year 2,000 tomato vines. For years they froze processed tomatoes for use in sauces and salsas, and preserved basil, garlic and tomatillos for dishes year-round.

After the Vineyards Inn closes, Colleen will continue to sell some of the farm’s fresh produce at farmers markets, something she has done for eight years.

Asked about his next chapter, Steve Rose quipped, “A book.”

“I’ve got 50 years of collected recipes,” he said. He also wants to keep developing his “Organic Rose” YouTube video series, lead culinary vacation tours and continue helping Carrillo’s culinary students. “I have so much fun working with the kids,” he said.