Preserving the Season in a Jar
Leslie Goodrich is on the lookout for pandan leaves, a main ingredient in kaya jam. The founder of Petaluma-based jam venture Lala’s recently returned from a trip to Singapore, where the sweet and fragrant coconut spread is ubiquitous. Hence her culinary quest. She is also attempting to source large quantities of Afghani cardamom for the latest iteration of her peach jam.
“I’ve always liked developing different flavors, interesting things,” Goodrich says of her small-batch creations. Some work (Apricot Lavender is among her bestsellers) and some don’t (farewell, kumquat). The recipes vary from just three ingredients (fruit, lemon juice and sugar) to more complex medleys (the Easter Bunny Jam features carrots and pineapple). She has cooked up distinct combinations for nearby wineries, too, like Three Sticks (Pluot Pinot Noir) and Sonoma-Cutrer (Strawberry Chardonnay).
In 2014—her first year in business, albeit she still considered it a hobby back then—Goodrich estimates that she made a hundred or so jars. The numbers have increased annually; last year, she made 24,000 jars. Although she purveys online and in local markets, her retail outpost in Petaluma offers a wider selection.
The East Bay native learned to preserve as a kid. Her maternal grandparents, who met after emigrating to the U.S. from Scotland, believed that she and her brother should acquire practical life skills. Their grandfather taught them to paint walls, while their grandmother showed them how to make jam. Goodrich recalls childhood summers spent picking fruit on her grandparents’ property in the Santa Cruz Mountains and turning the harvest into jam.
The Lala’s marmalade recipes are her grandmother’s. The business’s moniker comes from Goodrich’s brother’s baby name for her. He passed away shortly before she launched Lala’s, which marks her “fifth career,” following stints as a teacher, real estate agent, museum docent and master gardener.
Goodrich, who turns 80 in October, was retired when she jumped into the jam industry a decade ago. A few years in, she and her husband, Don, purchased a 1920s 900-square-foot house in Petaluma, intent on converting it into a commercial kitchen and shop.
A sign for Lala’s Jam Bar and Urban Farmstand graces the front lawn. Inside the yellow cottage, trimmed in red, visitors can find provisions by fellow Sonoma County artisans, such as Journeyman Meat Co. and Petaluma Toffee Co., along with Goodrich’s range—which also includes a Oaxacan mole that relies on an assistant’s family recipe. (Another assistant is from Afghanistan and introduced Goodrich to the aforementioned cardamom.)
Additionally, there are in-house label offerings produced for her by other makers. An organic peanut butter complements Lala’s jams. And a line of soaps is inspired by the local bounty (think.) Sebastopol Gravenstein apple and Santa Rosa plum).
“I like the idea of wearing many hats to make my business work—CFO, head of marketing, HR, retail clerk, jam maker, head of research and development,” says Goodrich, who is unsure if Lala’s will be her last occupation. “I am only 79, so I have a few more good years left.”
Lala’s Jam Bar and Urban Farmstand
720 E. Washington St., Petaluma
alasjams.com
