For 45 years, Bob Valette has been on the front lines of California wildfires. The 78-year-old flies specialized tanker planes that drop thousands of gallons of the hot pink fire retardant that’s become all too familiar to people living in fire-prone areas throughout the state.
As one of only a few dozen Cal Fire tanker pilots in the state, Valette is always on call during fire season, ready to take off from Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport at a moment’s notice.
Locals, however, know him best as Chef Dustin Valette’s dad, aka “Pops,” frequently found chatting up diners at his son’s upscale Healdsburg restaurant. The two Valettes, who are native Healdsburg residents, have a close relationship, so it wasn’t surprising that as a chef, Dustin has followed in his father’s footsteps. Sort of.
When fires roared through Sonoma County in 2017, and again in 2019, father and son both became first responders — on the ground and in the air — for their community.