Along with several pavilions and outbuildings, Vallejo’s estate also included a large barn and houses for the working staff. The Cook House was a three-room wooden building behind the main house. The cook lived in one room while the other two rooms were used for food preparation and cooking. Near the main house, a special warehouse was erected to store wine, fruit, and other produce. The building was made of specially prefabricated timbers imported from Europe. Its walls were made of bricks that some say had been used as ballast on sailing ships. Eventually the building was converted to residential use and came to be known as the “Swiss Chalet”. Today it serves as a museum and interpretive center for the Vallejo Home.
