On a Monday morning at Park Winters, a farmer wearing a multicolored umbrella hat prunes the flower fields for the estate’s pick-your-own-bouquet experience, while couples shopping for a wedding venue take tours of the 10-acre grounds. Co-owners Rafael Galiano and John Martin prepare for the week’s events by guiding on-staff gardeners and farmers and arranging walk-throughs. The couple is in their tenth year of owning and operating the estate, which serves as a venue for weddings and private events and has an onsite bed-and-breakfast in a Victorian farmhouse. Park Winters also hosts day visits with activities like garden tours, photo sessions, flower picking, dried bouquet making in the winter and seasonal farm-to-table meals (the latter on hold due to the pandemic).
The owners describe the Winters property as “a countryside escape.” Galiano says they modeled Park Winters after Valley Oaks Ranch in Mendocino County, “the dreamiest place” then owned by the family behind Fetzer wine. He and Martin used to vacation there each season “to get their country on” back when they lived in San Francisco. In 2010, Valley Oaks Ranch was bought out and its hospitality center closed down, leaving Galiano and Martin “displaced” without their usual vacation destination. The partners soon began dreaming about re-creating a similar experience of their own.
Park Winters’ original farmhouse was built in 1865 for
entertaining by the George Washington Scott family. (Photo
courtesy of Park Winters)
In 2011, the pair discovered and purchased Park Winters, and they have since found a sense of community with neighboring property owners. Galiano, previously a real estate agent and developer, and Martin, a former manager of a title business with a background in hotel management and hospitality, each settled into roles according to their personalities and professional backgrounds. “I’m the gardener, the developer, the designer, the dreamer,” Galiano says. “And John is in charge of reservations, events and hospitality coordination.” Put simply, Galiano says, he’s in charge of everything guests see, and Martin manages everything guests experience.
Park Winters’ 10-acre complex includes a bed-and-breakfast, a
swimming pool, flower fields and more. (Photo courtesy of Park
Winters)
Together, they restored the property’s original farmhouse (built in 1865 for entertaining by the George Washington Scott family), and updated it with modern touches like insulation and artwork with gallery lighting. Galiano says they’ve maintained “that charming feeling,” but have also honored their intention to make the bucolic beauty of the gardens and grounds more accessible for visitors. “It’s more experiential, and now the public gets to come enjoy a place that’s so special.”
2020 served as a rare pause for the partners. While wedding and event reservations were put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the partners took the time to plan their next moves and used their Paycheck Protection Program loan to hire a few new staff members. “It was a time where we thought, we’re going to sharpen our ax and spend time doing things we hadn’t had the opportunity to do,” Galiano says. One of those things was launching Park Winters Marketplace, an e-commerce hub where people can purchase products made by makers local to Winters. “That’s a project we’d been wanting to launch for years,” he says.
Day visits to Park Winters include activities such as flower
picking in the summer or dried bouquet making in the winter.
(Photo courtesy of Park Winters)
Galiano describes 2020 as stressful, but productive: “I did a lot of meditating and chanting under my breath that we would make it through. … We gave away our flowers to nursing homes, hosted private picnics for families where we didn’t go near anyone. … It was a year of giving back and planning our next move.”
In 2021, the partners continue to expand Park Winters’ offerings by building out more activities for day visits, like a marketplace, farm brunches and a sunset lounge. The owners say they’re excited to introduce the new experiences soon. 2022 will see the return of Summerland, the estate’s annual networking event for content creators and event planners in the Sacramento and Bay Area. The event reflects the social spirit of Park Winters, which Galiano and Martin aspire to foster through future events like salons they call their “country socials.”
Rafael Galiano and John Martin continue to expand Park Winters’
offerings by building out more activities for day visits, like a
marketplace, farm brunches and a sunset lounge. (Photo courtesy
of Park Winters)
“Park Winters is a platform for writers, creatives, chefs, artists and musicians,” Galiano says. “We want it to be like a shot in the arm creatively and educationally.”
—
Stay up to date on business in the Capital Region: Subscribe to the Comstock’s newsletter today.
Recommended For You
![(Shutterstock photo)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/shutterstock_1317113006.jpg?1633019449)
Family-Owned Businesses Are an Important Part of Our Community
Comstock’s president and publisher considers the many shapes and sizes of family businesses in the Capital Region.
![Jay Selby Sr., left, brought his son Jay Selby Jr. on as a partner in the Newcastle-based Selby’s Soil Erosion Control in 1995. The son now runs the flagship company, which was rebranded as SSEC. (Photo by Hector Amezcua)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/1021_feat_leadership_selbyseeding_hectoramezcua_lead.jpg?1633106248)
Filling a Niche
Family business close-up
A father-and-son team have kept Newcastle-based Selby’s Soil
Erosion Control business operating since the 1960s.
![Husband-and-wife Charlie and Michael Havill founded Bella Grace Vineyards in Amador County in the early 2000s. Their sons (from left) Robert, Steve and Jess Havill are all active in the business. (Photos by Hector Amezcua)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/1021_feat_leadership_bellagrace_hectoramezcua_lead.jpg?1633112693)
Following the Grapevine
Family business close-up
From the corporate world to a rolling piece of land, a
husband-wife team runs Bella Grace Vineyards in Amador
County.
![Ken Dwelle, left, Flyers Sustainable Energy president and his sister Chris Haven, Flyers Energy marketing manager, have leadership roles at the Auburn-based company founded by four Dwelle brothers in 1979. (Photos by Hector Amezcua)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/1021_feat_leadership_flyersenergy_hectoramezcua_lead.jpg?1633111745)
Fueling Demand
Family business close-up
Auburn-based Flyers Energy is expanding on its history of
supplying fuel to trucking fleets.
Comments
A taste of heaven on earth, Park Winters feeds pur hearts!
Park Winters is a wonderful and magical place! It's an amazing oasis, where after just a couple of hours you feel refreshed and recharged. Works like a charm EVERY TIME. The amount of work and CARE that the owners put in DAILY is obvious. Wonderful people!