We are a family run business that is now 4 generations into working at the Floodgate!  The Floodgate itself has gone through many changes, with several different proprietors adding their food options and flare to Anderson Valley.  Currently we are the 3rd and 4th generations of Paula family members to be running the Floodgate Store.  We are John and his partner Alyson, and Brian and his wife Cinnamon. Together we are working out our menu, schedule, and atmosphere at the Floodgate Store.

For now, John and Cinnamon are taking turns running the Store on different days.  Brian and Alyson are working other jobs and fill in as needed when it's busy and behind the scenes with recipe ideas, tech, etc.  It is a group effort!  John and Alyson are world travelers who love to eat and be active in their community! Brian and Cinnamon have lived in Southern Humboldt for 25 years where the food options may be few, but it is a community of serious foodies with some of the best snack shacks for youth sports anywhere.  These many influences between us all have helped build our menu offerings.

Our vision of what we wanted the Floodgate Store to be has been guided by long ago memories and what we thought Anderson Valley would enjoy having.  Many of our recipes are family recipes that we have been using for generations, such as our pickled beets. Our paninis, sandwiches, salads, coffee, etc are all borrowed ideas and products from other places we have enjoyed eating at over the years.  And some are just things we see on social media that look good.  Our main menu will remain the same and we will continue to add other items to keep it fresh!

When we asked Butch Paula what he wanted for the Floodgate and what he thought was special about the place when he ran it, he said he wanted it to be a community hub again.  What made it special was the diversity of people that came in.  The loggers were always there doing their thing. While the newcomers, brightlighters, and back to the landers came in and they all had to mix and get to know each other.  The newcomers were all doing the same things. So when one guy would talk about getting his house roofed, another person was asking who did it and getting contact info.  It was a networking hub on top of a place to have a damn good time!

We couldn’t have explained our vision better!  We are happy to have locals, new and old, brightlighters, etc come enjoy themselves at the Floodgate Store!