Cooking with David Maciel

Sponsored by Ray’s Food Place, Furber Plaza

As the weather warms up, I like to make cold salads for outdoor dining with grilled meats. This tortellini pasta salad can be lots of fun. Use your imagination on adding ingredients. Just don’t forget to leave room for the tortellini.

Ingredients

• 1 – 20 oz. bag refrigerated cheese tortellini
  1 – cucumber peeled, sliced and quartered
  1 – pint cherry tomatoes halved
  1 – 6 oz.can black olives drained and halved
  1 – orange bell pepper chopped
  2 tablespoons chopped pepperoncini
  8 oz. fresh mozzarella balls quartered
  8 oz. sliced salami chopped
  Optional: feta cheese, Parmesan, parsley
  1 bottle of your favorite Italian dressing

Instructions

Cook tortellini in salted water according to package directions. Rinse with cool water, drain and add to a large serving bowl. Pour half of the dressing over the warm pasta and toss to combine. Add the remaining salad ingredients to the tortellini.

If serving within the hour: toss with desired amount of remaining dressing. Although you can serve salad immediately, I highly recommend refrigerating for at least 30 minutes for the flavors to meld, and salad to chill.

If serving later: Gently toss ingredients to combine but do NOT add remaining dressing yet. Cover and refrigerate. When you are ready to serve, toss with the desired amount of the remaining dressing. This salad is excellent the next day.

Born in Oakland, California, Michael was the oldest of five brothers. He grew up in Concord, graduated from Clayton Valley High School and attended Diablo Valley College. He earned his pilot’s license at age 16 and at age 18 made a cross-country solo flight. Aviation became his life-long love and passion.

Michael had an 18-year career with the California Highway Patrol, after which he held positions in fraud investigation and worked at Russian River RV Storage in Healdsburg.

He moved to Cloverdale in 2003 and loved everything about living here. He was a member of the Cloverdale Lions Club, participating in many community events. He loved the parades, the Citrus Fair and Friday Night Live. In 2016, he became the Airport Manager for the Cloverdale Municipal Airport, a position he proudly held for the remainder of his life.

Michael was friendly, outgoing and charismatic. He made friends wherever he went, and those who knew him, both personally and professionally, described him as a great guy, genuine and kind, always willing to help. Michael was an excellent cook and an amateur photographer. He and his wife took cruises to Mexico and Alaska and traveled to Hawaii often. He loved life and left us far too soon.

Michael is survived by his wife, Janice, mother, Earleen, daughter, Megan Ceja, stepson Jesse (Kristine) Atkinson and stepdaughter Jordan Atkinson. He was “Paco” to his grandchildren Jesus, Emalee, Bianca, Ruby and Ivy. He is also survived by brothers, Matt (Beth), Steve (Peggy), and John (Jeniece). He was the best dog-dad ever to his loving and devoted boys, Kash and Leo. Michael was preceded in death by his father, Ed and his youngest brother Jeff.

A Celebration of Life will be held at the Pacific Coast Air Museum (PCAM) on July 12th from 1 – 3 p.m. Donations in Michael’s memory may be made to the Cloverdale Lion’s Club or to PCAM for the restoration of the Butler Hangar.

On behalf of the McCutchan Family, it is with great sadness that we announce the early passing of Melissa Dove McCutchan. Melissa was a beloved daughter, granddaughter, sister, aunt and friend. We invite those that knew her to join us to celebrate her life at 1:00 on June 21st, 2025 at Park Side Christian Chapel, 553 W Second St. Cloverdale California.

June Drake passed away peacefully on May 8, 2025, in Sebastopol, California. She was born on June 26, 1932, in San Francisco to Frank and Bertha Davis. During her teenage years, June moved with her parents and sisters to Cloverdale, where she spent most of her life. In her later years, she lived in Sebastopol with her son Dave Gunter and daughter-in-law, Peggy.

June was one of four daughters and shared her life with her sisters Barbara, Anne and Doreen. She was the mother of two sons, Dave and Steve. Her family extended to include five grandchildren and several great-grandchildren.

She remembered attending car shows with her husband Larry before his passing. For a time, June worked at a corner convenience store in Cloverdale, where she enjoyed visiting with the locals.

June appreciated a good laugh and especially enjoyed funny greeting cards. She also had a passion for online shopping – particularly for beauty products – and enjoyed the collection she had amassed over the years.

A beloved companion in her later years was her cat Smokey, whose presence brought her much joy and comfort. She was a strong supporter of PETA.

A celebration of life will be planned at a future date. June’s memory will be cherished by those who knew and loved her. To plant trees in her memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Parker Monroe Briggs had the best laugh! – A true messenger of “love and light”

His life came to a tragic end much too soon.

He was born in Sacramento, California on May 8, 1992, and passed April 9, 2025, at the age of 32. He is survived by his “mum and pops”, Sally and Joe Briggs, his brother, Tanner Briggs, and his sister-in-law, Tarryn Briggs – along with his grandmas, and many other family members.

He graduated from Cardinal Newman High School in 2010 and went to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo for one year after high school. He and his older brother and best friend, Tanner, then decided to forego college, and go into the wine business. They followed in their dad’s footsteps, and soon were accomplished in private label wines, as well as spirits.

Parker loved people. He loved hugs, and he loved laughing out loud. He brought joy wherever he went. His favorite words spoken most frequently were “all the love and light”. . . And that’s who he was – a young man who exuded love and light wherever he went.

He had a tender heart and would go out of his way to love others with a wine bottle on their doorstep, or just a big hug. He loved God and quoted to his mum many times, “If you know how much God perfectly loves you, you would never fear.” We are so grateful to know that he is free of all earthly pain and is now held in his Father’s arms.

He is, and will be, so terribly missed by all who knew him.
Hootie Hoot flew away home!

A Celebration of Life will be held September 6, 11am,
at the Promise Center in Santa Rosa.

Ruby Ann McNulty, mother, sister, daughter, granddaughter, cousin, aunt and friend.

Born in Santa Rosa January 27, 1967, she passed away in her home in Cloverdale on May 7th, 2025, after a three-year battle with brain cancer.

The truth is that a legend is someone who leaves behind an unforgettable impression on others. Ruby was indeed a legend. She was a rugged mountain woman, who loved pioneering homes. She thrived on contending with the elements..the inherent adventure of improvisation and innovation with minimal resources. Content when striving to improve any structure, she always had projects in progress.

Ruby was a proud mother of two children, Forrest and Drew, both born and raised in Colorado. She was a known and appreciated member of the mountain community where she built two homes and spent over 20 years. In 2020, she returned to Sonoma County where she made her mark on the Cloverdale community. Ruby brought a smile and unique perspective to every encounter. She will be missed, but never forgotten. Ruby’s parents are Ken and Jan Screechfield.

On Sunday, June 29, we will get together to share stories and lunch to celebrate Ruby’s life. Please come to the Warm Springs Recreation Area, Site 2, Poker Flat, which is across the street from the Lake Sonoma Visitor’s Center. There are several covered picnic areas there and Poker Flat is located in the southern section of the area. Let’s start at 11:00 am. Please bring your own chair. If you’d like to bring a dish to share, text Jan at 801-803-2164.