Santa Rosa couple’s backyard designed to entertain

Fire up the grill. Get the vino on ice and the margaritas flowing, and let the fireworks begin.

Terri and Alan McCandless have mastered the art of outdoor entertaining, and on the Fourth of July, guests can expect nothing less than barbecue bliss. Celebrations at their Santa Rosa home are fun and casual, but elegant, and their outdoor setup is perfect for entertaining. Guests can always count on jazz tunes and great food. While their menus usually feature California-Italian cuisine, on the Fourth of July they serve all-American fare, and it’s all about cooking with fresh, seasonal, quality ingredients.

“It’s labor-intensive, but we love it,” said Terri, who’s originally from Maui. “Alan will go all over to get the best ingredients.”

“We’re obsessed with trying different types of beef and cooking methods in pursuit of the perfect burger,” added Alan, who grew up on the South Jersey Shore. He orders a ground beef, which is primarily dry-aged sirloin from Pat LaFrieda Meat Purveyors. “Last year, we had a group of 12 people (over) for what I consider the best burger of my life,” Alan said. “We still talk about it.”

Terri and Alan purchased their home new 16 years ago; it was positioned in the middle of an acre of undeveloped land with a gradual slope.

“As we started working on our home, we were never sure of how to go about it or how it would ultimately turn out,” Terri said.

“We moved a lot of dirt, and we paced our projects over time,” Alan added.

They hired Felix Contreras Landscaping in Santa Rosa and got to work. Their outdoor project started with a pizza oven.

“Growing up in a pizza culture from the East Coast, and the wood-burning oven influence of California, drove the infatuation to have our own,” he said. They purchased an Italian wood-fired pizza oven through Mugnaini in Healdsburg. The stonework surrounding it was constructed by Masonry by Mezzanares in Santa Rosa.

Once the pizza oven was installed, the couple added a built-in, dual-fuel stainless Kalamazoo grill for barbecuing, which includes four drawers, allowing Alan to cook with either wood or gas. (A stainless steel griddle, which comes as an attachment, is perfect for whipping up Terri’s homemade blueberry pancakes.) Next to the grill is a commercial-grade gas burner, installed directly on a concrete countertop, which they use for one-dish meals such as risotto or chili.

Today, their backyard setup is multilevel and includes a kitchen, deck and a bar-height counter with seating for six. Beyond the counter is a patio, which allows for extra tables and seating for larger crowds, and gives them a total of about 550 square feet.

From there, a set of concrete stairs leads to a casual sitting area with a large sofa, a coffee table and benches, giving them another 400 square feet of living space.

“It’s the most relaxing spot on our property,” Alan said.

Both the bar area and sitting area provide shade with two large Tuuci umbrellas, trimmed with hanging lights for evening entertaining. (The Tuuci umbrellas are made from stainless steel and are secured in blocks of custom-poured concrete hidden below the deck.) Another area, opposite the sitting area, includes a hot tub and fire pit.

“With a lot of patience, planning and seeking out the right contractors, we were able to achieve what we have today,” Terri said.

Married for 23 years, Terri and Alan McCandless host about four to six planned events a year and impromptu parties frequently. They have three children: Ryan, age 22, Elise, 18, and Katie, 11. Some of those parties are family affairs, and they can entertain up to 50 guests outside.

Their backyard setup continues to evolve. The next project planned is to remove the lawn and plant a garden of tomatoes, herbs, garlic, zucchini, kale, greens and chili peppers.

Though it’s “burgers and dogs” on the Fourth of July, California-Italian-style pizza is the star at most of the family’s gatherings. Their favorite? Pizza topped with local heirloom tomatoes, whole-milk mozzarella, fresh oregano and basil. Sometimes they top their pizza with fresh arugula, too. “Very Italian,” Alan said.

While Terri and Alan have a dream setting for outdoor entertaining, food and friends remain the heart of their get-togethers, and guests tend to gravitate toward the kitchen area.

“The action is always centered around the bar area,” Alan said. “People can sit and stand around the counter, which makes it a natural gathering spot.”