Zazu Kitchen and Farm exits The Barlow in Sebastopol two months after damaging flood
HEATHER IRWIN
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT April 18, 2019, 6:09PM

Zazu Kitchen & Farm, one of Sonoma County’s high-profile restaurants, has left The Barlow two months after a major flood overwhelmed much of the upscale Sebastopol business district, dealing a crippling blow to shops and eateries that are struggling to reopen.

On Thursday, Zazu owners John Stewart and Duskie Estes began moving out what was left of their kitchen equipment — large pizza ovens, refrigerators and ranges — from the acclaimed Sebastopol location they've occupied for nearly six years.

Though reconstruction had progressed on the 3,600-square-foot restaurant, Stewart said that for now they are no longer occupying the building. Throughout the day, friends in the restaurant business brought flatbeds, trucks and brawn as the couple hastily packed up their equipment, sending everything to a shipping container at their home in Forestville.

Stewart said the exit stems from a communication breakdown with Barlow owner Barney Aldridge about the restaurant’s future after floodwaters in February caused an estimated hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage, leading to weeks of closure and layoffs for 35 staff members. Much of the restaurant equipment had already been moved off site while remodeling was taking place, but Stewart said the final straw was a rent-due notice emailed on Wednesday afternoon by Barlow management.

“We were really caught off guard,” Stewart said. His monthly bill including base rent, maintenance fees and taxes amounted to $8,000 per month, according to Aldridge. As one of the earliest occupants of The Barlow, Zazu’s rent was among the lowest, Aldridge said.

But with no income to cover rent, the couple couldn’t see how to move forward.

“We can’t occupy the building. There’s just no way we can open. I mean if there’s no way to get to the bathroom, you’re not opening,” said Stewart.

Zazu had several years left on their longterm lease, and its departure is the most significant exit yet of a flood-affected business at The Barlow.

Aldridge said he was shocked to see trucks pulling up to the restaurant Thursday morning and removing equipment. He said he remained committed to Zazu’s reopening, having hired workers to put up drywall and sanitize equipment. He said the rent-due notice sent to Stewart and Estes was in response to a letter from the couple’s attorney stating that they were not reopening.

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