Citizens of the World: A Stoic Podcast for Curious Travelers - From Grape Picker to Vineyard Owner: An Interview with Amelia Ceja

Episode Date: December 19, 2017

When flames were scorching the Napa and Sonoma Valley wine regions in October, vineyard owner Amelia Ceja was speaking up for the California farm workers she saw picking grapes in the smoke. Amelia is the first Mexican-American woman ever elected president of a winery, and she was once a farm worker herself.   Amelia immigrated to America in 1967. Her father had come a few years earlier as part of an agreement between the United States and Mexico, which sent millions of laborers north of the border. With the Vietnam War going on, the U.S. had a labor shortage and needed people to work the fields.    I had to learn more about this woman who came to America without knowing English, and who went on to become the owner of a multi-million dollar winery. In this episode, we talk about pairing wine and Mexican cuisine; Amelia meeting Cesar Chavez; her involvement in helping the Smithsonian National Museum of American History tell a more diverse American story, and more.   If you enjoy this episode, please subscribe and forward this show to a friend. If you’re feeling especially kind, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts. This helps people discover the show. 🤗   For more insider travel tips, visit postcardacademy.co   Instagram, Twitter, Facebook  Do you ever go blank or start rambling when someone puts you on the spot? I created a free Conversation Cheat Sheet with simple formulas you can use so you can respond with clarity, whether you’re in a meeting or just talking with friends.Download it at sarahmikutel.com/blanknomore and start feeling more confident in your conversations today.

Welcome to the Postcard Academy. I'm your host, Sarah Micatel. It's December 2017, and fires are still raging in California. Back in October, when flames were scorching the Napa and Sonoma Valley wine regions, a vineyard owner was speaking up for farm workers picking grapes and clouds of smoke. Her name is Amelia Seja, and she was once one of those great pickers. Amelia immigrated to America in 1967. Her father had come a few years earlier as part of an agreement between the United States and Mexico, which sent millions of laborers north of the border. With the Vietnam War going on, the U.S. had a labor shortage, and they needed people to work in the fields. I had to learn more about this woman who came to America without knowing English, and who went on to become the owner of a multi-million dollar winery. In this episode, we also talk a lot about food, including

her involvement in helping the Smithsonian tell a richer American story. Quick apology for sound quality, and you'll hear some office noise in the background. Now into the interview. Welcome, Amelia. Thank you for coming on the podcast today. Sarah, thank you so much for inviting me. So you have been in Napa Valley since you were 12. Tell us where did you move from and how did you end up in California? I moved from Las Flores, Halisco, Mexico. So it's on the West Coast and my father was a vineyard worker here in Napa Valley.

So he had wanted to bring his family for many years. and in 1967 he brought my sister, my mother and me here to the Napa Valley. And did I read that he sent you guys a postcard? Well, he sent us a letter. Now there are phones in my village, but at the time there were no phones. So we communicated the old-fashioned letters. So yes, I had just finished sixth grade, and we had gone for a picnic on the river, and when we return around dinner time, my grandmother, we lived at her house, my grandmother

and my grandfather's house. She had a letter, and in it said, this is quoting my dad, I've sent all of the proper documentation to get your residency so that you can come to the U.S. So I was very excited. But my sister, whose eight-year-older Lenin, was not that excited because she had a boyfriend. But it took less than two months when we got our green card. So meantime during the summer, we went to Mexico City to get our passport and our physical exam and the end, well, everything that is required before you're given a green card. And by August we got approved and so it worked that well because then I could see that start my seventh grade in the United States in September.

And you moved to America without speaking English. That must have been pretty tough. It was. I spoke no English when I arrived in Napa Valley, and therefore, the school that my father had registered me in, they didn't know what to do with me because I was the only, well, there was another boy who was not my husband, Pedro, who had just arrived here from Chalcani. And neither of us spoke English, so they placed both of us in a special ed class. And I think a lot of people would just feel so defeated at that, but you had such higher ambitions. Where did that confidence come from? Well, my grandmother instilled in me great confidence because she just loved me so unconditionally.

And she allowed me to do a lot of things on my own. to be pretty independent. Because my mother was working all the time. So I was the youngest grandchild. So I spent until I started school, I spent my entire first five years of my life alongside my maternal grandmother. It certainly because everyone else was in school

or working on her farm. And so she just, she was this matrix of this village that she really wanted. wanted her girls, especially women, to be independent. And she believed in education as well. So arriving in the US not speaking English and being placed in a special class, didn't really, well, it upset me a bit, but not really,

because within three months I spoke English and I was placed in a regular seventh grade class. So impressive. And you also were helping your dad in the fields. Could you talk a little bit about what California's vineyards were like in the 1960s and what it was like to work in them? Yes. And in the 1960s, vineyards in Napa Valley were a minority. Napa Valley consisted of orchards of plums, pears, wall-nows. some apples and even some cherries. So that the number of acres that were planted to vines in 1967 were actually just a very small part of the total landing in Moldavis winery

had been founded the year before and it was one of the first wineries, a new wineries founded after Prohibition. And it was the very Buccott. It was a very bucolic, quiet valley, supposed to its world recognition today. And it was very rural. And there were very few Latinos at that time. Most of the people that came to work in Upper Valley, they didn't live here. They didn't stay here.

They were migrant farm workers. So there were very few Latino families that had. that established homes here, we were one of the first. I thought it was so fascinating that even at 12 years old, you were telling your dad, someday I'm gonna own my own vineyard. Like what interested you at that age about the grapes in general and also owning your own label? I told my dad that I would love to own a vineyard because in Mexico,

we were also in agriculture. And even though it was a different agricultural product that we grew. There were mostly the goons and corn and vegetables and fruits and et cetera. It was still an agricultural product that was very tasty. And within the very first week after arriving from Mexico, I was introduced to bread growing. And that's, I made my first like, I think it was like $3, which for me, for me, was a fortune because I was translating those three dollars into pesos.

But I remember, I still, I think, closed my eyes and I can still feel that almost the sweetness and just the tasty grapes when the very first ones that I harvested. And I knew that it was a really lovely fruit and that I wanted to be a part of it. Around the 1970s, union started to form to protect the farm workers. Cesar Chavez stayed at your house. What do you remember about that time? It actually, in the late 60s and early 70s, when the UFW, the United Farm Workers Union, became interested in also unionizing the farm workers here in wine country.

and so they started making, especially Dolores Werta and Cesar Chavez started making contacts with prospective workers in Upper Valley. And my dad had always been very vocal about social justice for farm workers. And so he became one of the target contacts right away. And so before even any of the different companies like had elections, union elections, they would come and meet out and meet to start organizing all the different workers from different companies. So they would stay at my parents' very modest little house in Rutherford. and they would be speaking until like two, three o'clock in the morning, but I'd stayed up. And there was always food, because always my mom and I would make something. Typically, there would be other interested parties that would be there.

And, you know, they were all adults. I was the only 12 and then 13 and later on because they actually actually. started coming soon after I arrived here. To start organizing, it took a number of years to actually finally sign the very first contract, which I believe it was with Charles Krugelk, or BV. For giving us. But it was, it, it's, it's, it's, it really ignited my, my own interest in farm workers justice at that time.

And it was also because my, dad was very passionate about it, that now, I mean, that had a big influence on how I feel about protecting workers now. Yeah, and that's actually how I discovered you. I was reading an article when the fires were happening out there and, you know, some vineyards were really getting damaged, and people were still being sent out to work, and you were commenting more unlike the human aspect of. it and you know it's not just grapes that are affected there's human beings who are being hurt as well

oh yes it was incredibly upsetting when uh like a third or fourth day that the fires were raging and i'm driving out of cutting's fourth road and there is a crew uh working picking grapes without any mass i oh i stopped and And I took a picture and I sent it to our trade association upper value nurse. And I received our response right away. But meantime, yes, I was interviewed because that was absolutely not okay. It did catch a lot of attention that coming from you. So I think it's great that you're doing that social justice work.

It needs to happen because otherwise many of the workers are on that here. and they're voiceless because of their status, they're afraid of being deported. So a lot of injustices are never reported because, you know, their status. Yes, and you, I think your background has sort of shaped the way that you've conducted your own business. You've won several awards for being eco-friendly. And how has your background picking grapes yourself help shape the way you've done business? It goes back to my upbringing in Mexico because all of the farming that was done at my grandparents' farm, it was all organic. And the food just tastes so much better, but equally important is protecting the people that are working in those fields.

So when I arrived here picking grapes, it's back-breaking work. And typically the people that get all the recognition are the winemakers and the wineries that produce this world renown wines from Bognapa and Sonoma. Yet very few recognition is given to the creators, the actual people that lovingly far, these vineyards to grow the best grapes, you know, to make this amazing wines. You got your start as a kid helping out your dad, but then you went away to college and studied history and literature, and I think also food and wine pairings. Can you tell me a little bit more about that? So when I went to college, my dad gave me pretty much really great wines from Napa Valley. And there was one kitchen in the dorm that I lived in, and I really disliked the food in the cafeteria.

So I started, like, once or twice a week I started making some food for me, but then my roommates, they wanted to be in on it as well. And by the end of my freshman year, we were actually doing, like, two dinners for an entire floor. We'd collect, like, I don't remember, this is my roommate that collected the money. I think it was like maybe five bucks per person and would buy all the groceries from La Jolla because he was just on the hill from our dorms that used San Diego. And then we'll make like two dinners per night like a Friday and a Saturday that we share with our entire floor. I don't remember. It seemed like a lot of people.

I was the chef, but I had a lot of sushi chefs, all my friends. And we had made this fresh salsa, and we had grilled plank steak, and we had warmed corn tortillas, and some other garnishes. And we tasted it with Latour, with Bibies, Cabernet, a blend of Cabernet in Merlot and I think it was a cup from. and it was really a wow experience. So from that point on, we were doing that pretty much at least once a month. Who taught you how to cook it with your grandmother? Yes, my grandmother taught me how to cook. She used only fresh ingredients.

Well, there was no options. It was local, seasonal, and organic. all grown or raised, all the cows, chickens, hans, goats, sheep, everything came from her farm. And she had an outdoor oven made out of Adobe. So she did a lot of different types of bread from freshly harvested corn and lots of different, like virillas, braised meat. and so when I arrived in Napa, I missed my family so much, but I miss the food the most. Because in the 60s, the food in the States was horrible. It was really processed, and it was horrible.

So I actually made my own lunch and took it in a thermos, because I was already different anyway. I didn't like the cardboardy flavor of the food in the cafeteria at all. So I made my own lunch and brought at school. Yes, and you continued that in college. You had that great tradition on your dorm. What did you do after graduation? Heather and I were married. He was already living in Silicon Valley because he studied engineering.

So we moved there. we found a new place in Santa Clara and that's where we established our residents. But at the same time, though, we were coming to Napa and Sonoma every weekend looking for land because he had felt the same way as I did about owning property. His family was also in agriculture. So we spent every weekend looking for land, and it took us two years to find the property that we ended up buying. And we finally, we got our finances. And in April, 83, we took possession of our first property here in Carneros, which is an American agricultural area that is in the southernmost part of both Mapa and Sonoma.

And so you started out growing grapes for other wine companies. What was the evolution to co-founding Seja vineyards? Yes, so when we purchased our property, we didn't have any money to actually develop it into a vineyard. And it took three more years until we were able to develop the vineyards. So we planted it in 86. Our first harvest was in 88. But in the meantime, we had to move to next year. to Napa in order to save the property because we had other investors, mainly my mother-in-law and

my father-in-law, Mama Juanita and Papa Pablo. And they both lost their job at the same time. So in order to make the payments, we couldn't maintain two households, so we were forced to move over here. And Pedro, my husband, continued working in Silicon Valley, and he would need to be. it 90 miles each way for many years. But that sacrifice and us living in a little studio for a year and a half, saved the property.

And so when we finally were able to develop it, and by then, Armando had finished UC Davis and he was incredibly helpful. And we had our first harvest. service. The little profit that we had, because we all had other jobs, we kept investing it and we kept buying more properties until the mid-90s, after we purchased 65 acres in Sonoma Coast. We started thinking about, well, we had always thought about launching our brand. But we needed the profits from the Great Soul to make the payments for the new properties

that we were buying. So finally after purchasing and planting the 65 acres in Santa Cruz, we decided, okay, so it's time. We can start thinking about launching our brand. But we all had little, well, younger kids. And it wasn't a lot. until 1999 that I left my job to spend most of my time just focusing on learning about starting a white production company. And then in September 1999, we submitted our articles of incorporation to the stake. And I was elected president of Seha by my partners, Pedro Armando, Martha and I became the first Mexican-American woman ever elected president of a wire.

Congratulations. That is such a massive, such a huge accomplishment. Thank you. And so how many vineyard properties do you own now? Tell me a little bit more about that, about the kind of grapes and how many bottles you produce each year. In Napa Valley, we have two vineyards that are next to each other, that were our very first acquisitions and one is planted to Charter-Nay and one is planted to Pinot Noir. And those two great varietals, this area is ideal. And then there is another property in Napa proper where we get our Cabernet and that's only planted to Cabernet.

In Sonoma Proper and Carneros, we have two type two different properties, one that is planted to Pinot Noir and the other old chardonnay and then 65 acres in Sonoma Coast with Pinot Noir Chardonnay, salinium block, a syrah and a little merlot. You have said that too many obstacles have been placed purposefully in the enjoyment of wine. What did you mean by that and how is Seja vineyards helping to change this? countless magazines and shows and wine connoisseurs that for decades have stated that only wine can be enjoyed with Northern European cuisine, French, Italian, Spanish, not with any other types of cuisine. And it's a myth because if wine is balanced with moderate,

alcohol and nice, bright acidity. Wine also pairs well with food that may have a spice component or that may be brighter, pressure, with bolder flavors. And the proof is in the pudding. There was, I don't know if I sent you a link to, it's actually one of my favorite articles ever. It was written by the San Francisco Chronicle by Kell Lest on May 1st, 2003. So, less than two years after we lunched our brand. I invited her to dinner to dine at our house with feathering me. Her tagline is authentic Mexican meal, and there was not a margarita or a dosiques in the site.

And that really started to change the conversation about wine with food. And I think that there have been many gatekeepers that have kept so many wine fans. from enjoying wine by placing too many restrictions and limitations. Like, you don't need to know anything about beer to enjoy it. Why do you need to know anything about wine to enjoy it? Or equally important, we are biologically different,

and wine exploration is through your senses. So why would someone dictate to you what wine tastes great with what fruit? your power should dictate that. I love how food and wine are always intertwined with you. I think that led to your involvement with the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. Could you tell me a little bit more about your relationship with them? Our relationship with the Smithsonian began nearly 10 years ago. There is a curator there.

Well, I'm going to digress just a bit. that the National Museum of American History did not have wide representation of diversity, profiling different people that have contributed to the greatness of our adopted country. So finally, about 10 to 15 years ago, there were some Latino curators that were hired to remedy. that. And one of them was Steve Velasquez, who he was born here by his family from Central America. And he started pursuing Latinos that had contributed to the rich history of this country. And one of, in, well, in wine, of course, without the primarily the Mexican labor force it wouldn't be a wine industry. So we started focusing in food and wine.

And so he reached out to me. Yeah, this is actually over 10 years ago. And so he was recording like a vocal history of a lot of immigrants that had come to Napa. And then finally, five years ago, there was an exhibit that is titled, it's going on still food from the history of food from up to the 2000s. So we're actually in this mid-selling. And it's really cool because it's in the same floor and about 100 feet from Julia Child's Kitchen. So, three years ago, the National Museum of American History started a series of winemakers' dinners who honored workers. I have started as vineyard workers, but now I have their own brands.

And it was held at the original Smithsonian building. It's called the Castle. We all were able to speak, and we were asked what dish would pair with the wine. And so our Pinot Noir was selected for the winemaker's dinner, and I suggested that a lamb, sort of like what my grandmother made, remember in that oven, that Adobe oven, this lamb dish from my childhood, and I sent the recipe. And they actually had a consultant, a Mexican chef,

Pati Jinish, who has a show on PBS, and she was able to reproduce the dishes. And I have to tell you that my Viria de Corvero with Arpinot Noir was by far the best pairing. Really? Really? Yes, it was amazing. And I also suggested my, I love oysters, I love seafood, and as apps, as an animal. appetizer, this oyster with a roast tomato. That's also my recipe with our Savignon Blanc and, oh my gosh, it really stole the show. So it was thanks to the renaissance of the National Museum

of American History, you know, for hiring also Latinos to give voice to other ethnic groups that I have contributed majorly to the United States. And I think some of your recipes were added to the museum's cafe. Yes. Oh, my gosh. This was like so cool. So I actually did. This was, I did a cooking demo.

Oh, and by the way, it's the only museum in the United States that has a kitchen, a demonstration kitchen. and I became friends with many of the curators, specifically Paula, who has been there for like, oh my gosh, over three decades. And she had wanted to have a kitchen there because food from the United States exemplifies. It's like it's a fusion of all the contributions of cuisines from all over the world. It's unique in the world. It's fantastic. And so she had wanted and she had asked to have a kitchen there, and it took 30 years for the board of directors to finally get it. So it was christened on July 1st of 2015.

And so I was one of the very first chefs to be invited. And it was fantastic. So I did Chilaquillas. and because I wanted to show, well, number one is because I wanted to profile an ingredient that is native to the America's core. And actually, it was domesticated in Mexico, which very few people know. And I wanted to showcase something that I feel very strongly about. And also, how to use both dry chilis and fresh chilis in the same sauce. So the day I did the cooking demo had that my chilaquillas recipe on as a special for the day.

And it was, this is what I learned even now, it's being the most popular special dish ever. Let's talk about how to make that. So you've said that Mexican cuisine is all about the tortilla and that it's easier to make than what people think. So talk me through that. Yes. Well, you don't need a tortillas to make tortillas. All you actually need are your hands because they serve us to flatten the tortilla. And unfortunately, you can get masa corn flour very easily anywhere.

And all you need is water. That's it. Corn flour and water. And water. That's it. And your hands. What's the ratio and how exactly do we make this? Well, it actually depends on where you live because of how much water is needed.

But just enough water until it doesn't stick to your hand. So you need it. You put the cornflower in a bowl. Let's say you're going to make it for four guests. Well, I like to eat. I probably eat about from four to six tortillas with whatever course. Because in Mexico, we use that tortillas as utensil. Like, you've kind of piece of the tortilla and you sort of dip it in the food that you're eating.

Kind of like Ethiopian food? Yes, kind of like Ethiopian food, yes. And I never used recipes, but I know that it was tested so many times by, a curator that's actually her background is a chef. So it's perfect. And so that we, she got it back to like, perfect. I, so I can definitely send you that recipe. And that way anyone that wants to reproduce it can.

Perfect. So we're, just to belabor at the point a little bit. So we've got the quad flour. We've got the water. We're kneading it. and then we... Until, until it doesn't stick to your fingers anymore. There's like a, you can get a piece

and you can roll it between your hands, I mean, in your palm, and then when it doesn't stick anymore, and then you just flatten it with your hand, you know, back and forth, back and forth, and then you cook it on a comal, but no worries you don't need that either. You can just use whatever, a shallow pan, just heat it to about medium. And once you flatten it to the thickness that you want and it doesn't break between your palms,

you lay it on a heated pan, and then you need it, you cook it on that side for about, well, it depends. I mean, it could be 30 seconds or it could be a little bit more. Just until you can peel it up and turn it. Are we using it? Are we using oil? No, no. See, that's the thing. You don't need anything except water, nor salt or anything.

Okay. The real tortillas, which don't have a lot of flavor. But see, I grew up eating them. I don't get full if I don't eat some a day. So the only thing that you use is water. And then, so you turn it. it over once it's cooked through on that side, you turn it over and then once cooked, one is cooked through that side, which could be 30 seconds to 45 seconds, or it could be a

minute, depending how thick it is. See, it all depends on also where you are and the heat. Then you turn it a second time to the very first side that was cooked through, and that's how it, and then you press it gently with your fingers, and it starts to inflate. I'll send you, I think I have a video on YouTube or how to make your videos, and I'll send you that way you can post that link. That would be brilliant. Yeah, you literally, you can make them every day. So most of Napa's wineries are family-owned, and they've got like these big harvest feasts. Could you tell me a little bit about that? Well, literally,

99.9% of the wineries always do host a harvest piece for all of the team members and workers and etc. And it's typically done soon after harvest, so October, sometime in October. And it's really sweet because now with the influence of a Mexican cuisine, a lot of these harvest, Piestas include Mexican fair. Because a lot of the workers are Mexican. And that's their sweet because now it's not so uncommon to have wineries expand the virtues of wine with world cuisine. But we started.

So it sounds like you guys have very much a family atmosphere at your vineyard. Is this common? it is and but increasingly many wineries are being bought out and a lot of wineries have constellation brand postures some of the largest wine companies in the world actually own a lot of wineries in appearance so if we want to support your more boutique vineyard how can we are you where do you distribute well most of our wine is sell directly to consumers. We ship wine pretty much across the USA.

Wine-loving fans of to produce wines from state-grown grapes and sustainably grown. I can go to our website www. www.sejavineers.com. Call us at 707-255-39-4

or email us that wine at sehaveniars.com. And also to check out our social media sites, our YouTube channel, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, which is a Sechha Vineyards, a handle of Sechha Vineyards, B-I-N-E-E-J-A-V-I-N-E-E-R-D-S. Final question for you. So earlier this year, I think over this summer, the Smithsonian recognized you at their annual winemakers dinner. What do you think your 12-year-old self would say to you now?

Oh, well, I pinch myself because a 12-year-old girl living Mexico, a village where there was no running water or electricity, and now being in one of my favorite museums in Singapore, shows that great things happen to immigrants are willing to work hard and to do things that provide in their comfort. I just felt so honored to be profiled in a place where so many other renowned winners have gained a place in history. Well, thank you very much, Amelia. It's been great speaking with you. It's a pleasure, Sarah. Thank you for seeking me out. All right. Well, I know what I'm having for dinner tonight.

Mexican food and a sampling of California wines, which I would take over margarita any day. Let me know if you disagree. To see a video of Amelia making tortillas, visit postcardacademy.co slash Napa. On the next episode, we will be talking about another inspiring woman who took New York by storm. Before the series Girls or Sex in the City, Marjorie Hillis was America's celebrated guru to the single girl. But she wasn't angstily fretting about finding the one. She was teaching women to stand on their own two feet and enjoy their independence. And this was in the 1930s.

Author Joanna Scuts has a new book out on Marjorie's Life, and we will be talking about this. So subscribe to the Postcard Academy podcast so you don't miss it. If you like today's episode, please share it with a friend and leave a review on Apple Podcast. If you like to get in touch, you can email me at sarah at postcardacadmy.com or find me on Instagram at Postcard Academy. That's all for now. Thanks for listening. wherever you are. Do you ever go blank or start rambling when someone puts you on the spot? I created a free conversation sheet sheet with simple formulas that you can use

so you can respond with clarity, whether you're in a meeting or just talking with friends. Download it at sarah micotel.com slash blank no more.