A former “food runner” for SingleThread on North Street, Healdsburg’s fanciest and most decorated restaurant, is now running an increasingly popular chicken pot pie operation up at a “historic drive-in on Cloverdale’s main drag,” the Press Democrat reports. Nicole Hinchliffe and her husband, who met while interning at Hanna Winery in Healdsburg, bought Pick’s Drive-In in the summer of 2021. After some dreadfully slow winter months almost forced them to shut down, the couple leaned into “take and bake” pot pies last year — a move that reportedly saved their business. More from the PD story: “They felt the pressure of big expectations when they took over the popular burger stand that has been a part of Sonoma County life for a full century as of last year. It’s common on a summer day for a line of people to wrap halfway around the squat, turquoise and white building with the aging neon sign out front that touts hamburgers and root beer. Hinchliffe said early one morning, before the sun came up, she was at Pick’s on the verge of tears wondering how they were going to pay the bills. … ‘The chicken pot pie came from a place of despair,’ she said. ‘When you’re faced with adversity… the best way to combat it is creativity.’ You can preorder a pot pie from Pick’s most Tuesdays, for pickup on Thursdays. Give them a call at (707) 894-2962 for more info. (Source: Pick’s Drive In Cloverdale via Facebook & Press Democrat; paywall)
