THANKSGIVING California edition

A family feast that tweaks tradition and embraces the region.

When it comes to Thanksgiving, Zoe Johns has no hard and fast rules. Except one.

“I always welcome (guests) with a drink, preferably a glass of wine,” says Johns.

Johns, a former product developer and director of catalog marketing for Pottery Barn, joined her family’s Oakville winery, Turnbull Wine Cellars, in 2013 for a brand overhaul that included a revamp of its tasting room experience. She believes that holiday gatherings are about creating a relaxed atmosphere where people can immediately feel at ease.

“(I) want people walking into the space to feel a part of it and not looking into it,” she says.

This warm and laid-back approach to entertaining is on full display at Johns’ weekend getaway home in Stinson Beach, where she, her husband, Max Catalano, and their (nearly) 5-year old twin daughters, Poppy and Josephine, celebrate Thanksgiving each year with friends and family.

For Johns, the seaside retreat has always been special. She grew up in Marin and would often go on Sunday picnics with her parents to Stinson Beach. When Johns and her husband moved back to the Bay Area after living in New York for several years, one of the first things they did was rent a house there for Thanksgiving.

“It was just the best way to disconnect but not have to travel that far away,” Johns says.

Johns’ holiday menu reflects a lighter, brighter, fresh approach that’s inspired by the home cooking of her late mother, Brigitte, who grew up in a family of grape farmers in France’s Languedoc region. Johns says her mother would experiment by taking the primary ingredients that people might expect to see at Thanksgiving but prepare them in a very French way.

“Traditional mashed potatoes or sweet potatoes are not on the menu,” Johns says.

Instead, her mother would roast small baby potatoes and serve them along herbinfused butter. These days, the recipe takes full advantage of the grill by threading parboiled potatoes on skewers and grilling them.

You’ll also find citrus-roasted turkey, enriched with a luscious Cognac-spiked jus, along with her mother’s apple tart — which is so delicious and easy to make, you might never bother with traditional apple pie again.

“It’s always been about experimenting and not being stuck with traditional Betty Crocker,” Johns says.

Ultimately, for Johns, entertaining is about finding ways to take a breath from the craziness of everyday life and create special moments.

In the wake of October’s Wine Country fires — from which Turnbull emerged unscathed, aside from some minor damage and loss of equipment — the importance of connecting and creating memories during this holiday has taken on even more significance for Johns.

“We have so much to give to each other,” says Johns. “It’s important to look for those opportunities.”