Spinning vinyls and rotating chefs
Jasper's to re-open as Kindred, a new drinks and food venture, sans distilled spirits
Drinks and music and local chatter will flow again soon at the former location of Jasper O’Farrell’s in downtown Sebastopol after more than a year of vacancy at the Sebastopol Avenue location.
New owners are bringing a new concept to the former bar location that will feature a wall filled with 3,000 vinyl LP records, a full-room customized sound system, community dining tables, a traditional drinks bar and visiting DJs and rotating food chefs.
The new establishment will be called “Kindred,” and is being led by Kevin Farnham, a business design and communications consultant who moved to rural Sebastopol last year to “put down roots” and do a “final retirement business venture.”
Last week (May 12), the Sebastopol Planning Commission gave unanimous approval for Farnham’s Kindred plans, which allow for on- and off-premises sale of alcohol, food service and outdoor use of the back patio area, previously used by Jasper’s.
“Music will be our central pole,” Farnham told the commissioners, promising an emphasis on high-quality fidelity and a comfortable shared space. “It’s a place designed for paying attention: to sound, to flavor, to shared time,” he presented in his written business application.
Music will fill the hours of each day at Kindred, changing as the hours and moods shift from mid-morning to midday and to later evening, Farnham explained. The food program will focus on small plates and shared plates. A new full-service kitchen and equipment is being added with concepts designed by Brandon Jew, of San Francisco’s Mister Jiu’s, a Michelin and James Beard honored eatery. Some of the food will come from Farnham’s 15-acre farm on Burnside Road, where he moved last October.
A late July “soft opening” is being planned by Farnham, dependent on the arrival of new custom sound equipment now being built in Germany. Kindred will also feature a few live music performances in the opening months. “We’re flexible. We want to create a community spot and see what people want, and we’ll add to it,” said Farnham. “This is how I want to retire. I’ll be behind the bar until I drop dead.”
Kindred is intended for all age ranges, including families and children, Farnham said. “Absolutely, we are aiming for a family-style venue. I think our clientele will cover all over the map.”
Part of the concept behind Kindred acknowledges the renewed interest in vinyl LPs and music. Besides listening to records from a DJ console each day, patrons will also be able to purchase new and used vinyl records at Kindred. “It won’t be ‘bargain bin,’” promised Farnham. “It will all be high quality. That will be my personal LP collection you’ll see behind the bar.”
Farnham said he’s seen elements of the “listening bar” in the UK and Japan, “but nothing from around here.”
Farnham said Kindred will host “genre and theme nights,” full-album listening sessions, and guest DJ sessions with talks and conversations about the musical selections. No dance floor space is being included, and there will be no video arcade or pool table games. Interior renovations are set to begin within days, following last week’s Planning Commission approval, said Farnham.
Kindred will be open Tuesdays through Sundays from 8 am to 10 pm, with midnight hours on Fridays and Saturdays.
Some of the opening menu items will include blistered flatbreads, whole roasted vegetables, grass-fed proteins, smoky eggplant, hummus and other selections sourced from nearby farms in Tomales Bay, Sonoma and Marin. Brunch will be offered on Sundays. Outdoor seating will be available on the back patio. There will be two wood-fired grills, including one dedicated to pizzas.
The drinks selections will include wine, beer and an expanded choice of non-alcohol drinks, as well as local roasted coffees and herbal teas. Kindred will not be serving distilled spirits (high alcohol) drinks, unlike the previous purveyor under the Jasper O’Farrell’s name.
A few Sebastopol old-timers can remember when the location was occupied by a bar with a few stools and a pool table and was called The Apple Tree Lounge. According to recollections sourced from the vault of the Western Sonoma County Historical Society, the business location also housed Tomei’s housewares store before it was converted to Lee’s Tavern in 1971 by Lewis Salvador. The Apple Tree Lounge was owned by Janet and Tom O’Shea before it changed ownership in 1981 and became the Double D Cocktail Lounge.
For a very brief period in 1983, the building was the location of Chrystal Rose Restaurant until Jasper O’Farrell’s opened there in 1983.
The Jasper’s building at 6957 Sebastopol Avenue is a tall, single-story brick and reinforced masonry structure believed to have been built in 1906. The interior space is measured at 1,900 square feet, and the owner is listed as Metrovation, an Oakland-based commercial property management firm. The property has recently been listed for sale at $900,000.
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looking forward!
This sounds great - best of luck to the new owner!