TOURISM
“ People wanted to take staycations away from Sacramento and San Francisco and that really helped us . We did see a lot of tourists who would have been on international trips but for the travel bans and what COVID was doing … We greeted folks from Yuba City to Vallejo . I think people really needed that getaway staycation spot , versus going to Hawaii or New York .”
GUYSELL GETER General manager , Hotel Winters
for the California Delta Chambers & Visitors Bureau . Walton is passing out brews to business owners from Freeport to Rio Vista . And whether they are restaurateurs , fishing guides or marina owners , most agree interstate tourism to the Delta saw a big bump during the COVID epoch .
“ Generally , businesses saw even more people than usual coming in from the Bay Area , but also there were more coming from Southern California , too ,” says Bill Wells , executive director for the chamber . “ We ’ re also seeing a great amount of fall fishing activity with people coming from all over the place .”
In addition to nine historic towns along the Sacramento River , the Delta also offers would-be explorers an array of hidden marinas to peek into , most with quirky bars and channel-bound dining oddities . Yet Isleton , a small place but one of the biggest cities in the estuary , is what business owners across the region hope will finally recover . Deemed the Little Paris of the Delta , Isleton was once the unofficial asparagus capital of the world with a canning industry and annual entertainment events that drew thousands .
That was before a long series of economic downturns hit the town , culminating in it losing its famous crawdad festival in 2008 . Outside of the beloved Peter ’ s Steakhouse , it was nearly a ghost town for years .
Yet , as members of the Delta chamber gather in the Mei Wah Beer Room , there is a sunny outlook about Isleton finally recovering . And it isn ’ t just Walton ’ s beer taps inspiring that : It also has to do with baked concoctions people are passing around and biting into — a spout of sweet , sour and savory cheese layers exploding with jalapeño pepper heat inside a pillow-soft shell of parmesan-infused brioche . The offering is known as a zombie . It came from a business even newer than the Mei Wah called The McBoodery , a delicatessen saddled in another historic building just down the way .
Both Walton ’ s attraction and The McBoodery were born out of the stars aligning in strange ways . In Walton ’ s case , she had been photographing the Mei Wah building for years while birdwatching in Isleton . Living in the Bay Area at the time , she called the funky relic her little rust bucket . One day , a friend noticed it was for sale . Walton jumped at the chance of opening the Mei Wah Beer Room to indulge her dream of being a craft beer ambassador .
The McBoodery , on the other hand , is the brainchild of Sarah McGee , a home baker and restaurant veteran , and her husband , Mike Abood , a barbecue and meat-curing fanatic who was born and raised in Isleton . The couple had long thought about throwing their culinary passions into a business .
The ribbon was cut on The McBoodery in September 2020 , heralding a to-go business that was soon gaining traction through the budding fame of its zombies , along with desserts like pumpkin pie cheesecake parfait and Abood ’ s meat offerings like street taco jerky and spicy habanero jerky . Customers are encouraged to carry their order over to the Mei Wah Beer Room , where Walton welcomes them , pairing the food with her rotating ales and stouts .
Since the onset of the pandemic , Walton has seen an uptick — she can ’ t measure it exactly — in the number of visitors coming to her business from Stockton , Lodi , Sacramento , Roseville and Nevada City . She thinks the increase coincided with her construction of an outdoor beer garden at the height of the pandemic . She says the addition of The McBoodery , along with the new Manny ’ s Barzzeria , has given her newer customers more reason to return as they augment their fishing , boating and bird-watching experiences . For someone like Abood , who has spent most of his life watching Isleton slip into decline , there ’ s reason to hope for a future in tourism again .
“ Isleton , right now , is definitely on an upswing ,” he says . “ Five years ago , even three years ago , I would have said Isleton was heading down ; but with all the positive things that have been happening , now I ’ m just seeing a town that ’ s ramping up .”
Scott Thomas Anderson is a veteran reporter based in California . Anderson balances his hard news focus with cultural writing and travel journalism . He ’ s also the writer and producer of “ Drinkers with Writing Problems ” podcast . On Twitter @ STA _ reporter and Instagram @ scottanderson _ journo .
44 comstocksmag . com | April 2022