The Nut Tree; a California Classic, by Diane Zimmerman
Our guest speaker for July 31, 2025 was Dr. Diane Zimmerman, who spoke about the history and development of the Nut Tree, a famous Solano County restaurant and entertainment center situated on Highway 80. Diane is a descendant of the family that ranched and developed the Nut Tree and worked there as a youngster. Diane is a former speech therapist and Superintendent of Schools of the Old Adobe Union School District. She is also the author of “Nut Tree: From a California Ranch to a Design, Food, and Hospitality Icon.”
Diane’s great, great grandparents moved their family from Iowa to Solano County in 1852. They were farmers and ultimately purchased one of the last ranch properties on the outskirts of the great farmland region. The property, not particularly valuable at the time, had one very important attribute for the future: it was situated in the middle of what later became the main highway between San Francisco and Sacramento! Her family grew all sorts of fruits and vegetables, but peaches became a mainstay of their ranch. The area’s farmers grew large quantities of produce but had a limited market until the intercontinental railroad arrived in 1869, which allowed them to sell fresh produce to population centers all over the Midwest and eastern states. Crop failures in 1921 led the family to start a small fruit stand near the SF-Sacto highway. The automobile revolution allowed people the freedom to travel further distances and sample food and other products on their journeys. The small fruit stand eventually became a full-fledged restaurant and entertainment center.
Before it closed the Nut Tree was world famous. It was the place to eat on the highway between SF and Sacramento. They also sold a wide variety of other products; Diane got her start at age 12 selling toys! They even served the Queen of England! Herbert Hoover always stopped to try the tamales. The Nut Tree helped popularize Mexican cuisine!
Thank you, Diane, for the insights about your family’s creation of a California icon.
