Bob Shallit: Pair bringing Napa flair to Sutter Creek B&B

A young Sacramento couple are planning to bring some Napa Valley sophistication to the Gold Country's bed-and-breakfast scene.

Robert Gordon, 30, and his wife, Athena Padilla-Gordon, 28, last week acquired the ivy-covered Hanford House Bed & Breakfast Inn in Sutter Creek for an undisclosed sum.

The pair hope to add boutique-style enticements aimed at Sacramento and Bay Area visitors going to explore Amador County's popular wineries and other recreational attractions.

Their plans include adding a "wine-bar bistro" inside the inn, which sits along historic Highway 49. The current floral motif will be replaced by a more contemporary look, the new owners say, along with upgrades such as new flat-screen TVs.

"This town is yearning for something new and fresh," says Padilla-Gordon, who grew up in nearby Pioneer and was a star basketball player in high school and college.

The couple – she worked with a construction management firm and her husband was a lawyer with a Sacramento estate planning firm – are relocating to Sutter Creek to run the 10-room Hanford.

"If the model works, we'll look at other foothills towns and try to do the same thing," says Robert, a Sacramento native.

The two met on a basketball court while grad students at the University of San Francisco.

"It was a pickup game," says Padilla-Gordon.

"No pun intended."

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Stars are born: A bidding war broke out when a local nonprofit recently auctioned off cameo roles in a feature-length film.

Chevo Ramirez of Wells Fargo and Linda White of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers wanted the top prize: a walk-on role in an upcoming film by Folsom-based Redwood Palms Pictures.

In the end, both were given roles – with winning bids of $2,750 each.

Bob Scarlett, a retired local attorney and lobbyist, didn't participate in the bidding.

But when he offered $2,000 to serve as a production assistant, it was gladly accepted.

What will be his duties on the set?

"I'll be a not-so-glorified gofer," Scarlett says, presumably fetching coffee for cast and crew.

"But," he adds, "I'll get to see how a movie gets made."

The entire event, which benefited Women Escaping a Violent Environment (WEAVE), pulled in about $82,000.

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Horsing around: For the second year in a row, Bob Adams is sticking his neck out. Way out.

The head of the Del Paso Boulevard Partnership not only is predicting the winner of today's Kentucky Derby – as he correctly did last year. He's also picking the second- and third-place horses.

Winning the trifecta, he says, "will certainly enhance my retirement."

Here are his picks, as disclosed Thursday evening at a pre-Derby Day gathering: Colonel John, Recapturetheglory and Bob Black Jack, in that order.

Does he recommend placing money based on his long-shot trifecta predictions? Nooooo.

Yes, Adams has horse sense, based on a lengthy and impressive stint as a broncobuster. But the real science behind his picks? "I just like their names," he says.

About the writer:

• Reach Bob Shallit at (916) 321-1049 or bshallit@sacbee.com. Back columns: www.sacbee.com/shallit