Category Archives: Chefs

Get To Know the Good Works of The Key Room

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Succulent leg of lamb served at a recent demo-dinner at The Key Room.
Succulent leg of lamb served at a recent demo-dinner at The Key Room.

In the Bay Area, there are many places to take top-notch culinary classes, both hands-on and demonstration ones.

But at The Key Room in Novato, while you learn how to make dashi, handmade pasta, or what goes into crafting Kansas City-style barbecue from acclaimed chef Darryl Bell of Napa’s Stateline Road Smokehouse, you’re also supporting a culinary job-training program that teaches skills to troubled youths, veterans, and the homeless.

Founded in 2008, the Key Room is an extension of Homeward Bound of Marin, which has been the primary provider for resources and shelters for homeless individuals and families in Marin County since 1974.

Setting up for dinner.
Setting up for dinner.

Since the culinary program was founded, more than 1,000 people have gone through it, says Paul Fordham, CEO of Homeward Bound of Marin. Five instructor chefs, two who hail from the Culinary Institute of America, teach 70 students each year in a free, 11-week training program. Half of those who graduate go on to get jobs in the hospitality industry, and the other half end up working at The Key Room in kitchen or front-of-house positions.

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A Giant of A Meatball

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A mega meatball. Oh, and there's soup, too.
A mega meatball. Oh, and there’s soup, too.

Matty Matheson is a big guy. With an enormous personality. And a huge star of the monster hit show, the Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning “The Bear.”

So, when he puts his mind to making meatballs, you know they’re going to be outsized.

Giant — to be exact.

In fact, these babies weigh in at 8 ounces each, and are served one per person centered in a bowl of tomato-laced soup with plenty of tiny thimble-shaped pasta.

Now, that’s a meal. And then some.

“Giant Meatball Soup in Beefy Tomato Broth” is a recipe from his newest cookbook, “Matty Matheson: Soups, Salads, Sandwiches” (Ten Speed Press, 2024), of which I received a review copy.

The Toronto restaurateur who owns a bevy of establishments, including Prime Seafood Palace, has put together a collection of 126 recipes to enjoy one at a time or to combine for the ultimate Matheson meal.

They are fun, inventive, and can definitely veer toward over-the-top.

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Chez TJ Marks Its 44th Year with A Reset

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Owner George Aviet in one of the intimate dining rooms at Chez TJ.
Owner George Aviet in one of the intimate dining rooms at Chez TJ.

For an unprecedented 44 years, this charming Victorian in downtown Mountain View has drawn crowds and accolades for its fine-dining cuisine that has proved a jumping off point for a roster of some of the Bay Area’s most illustrious chefs.

Last year, though, Chez TJ lost its Michelin star after an impressive 19-year streak, a crushing blow to owner George Aviet. It was Mountain View’s only Michelin-starred restaurant, too.

But Aviet, 69, remains as determined as ever to forge ahead and continue to shape the restaurant into the best that it can be.

He and his late business partner Thomas J. McCombie bought the 1894 property in the early 1980s, and opened it as a restaurant in 1982. When McCombie died unexpectedly of a heart attack at the young age of 44 in 1994, Aviet pressed on, resolute in keeping Chez TJ going in McCombie’s memory and spirit.

The restaurant is housed in a historic Victorian.
The restaurant is housed in a historic Victorian.

He’s done more than an admirable job. In fact, he’s had an uncanny ability to hire young chefs, who after making a name for themselves at Chez TJ, have spring-boarded into stardom.

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Dining In At Petaluma’s Outstanding Della Fattoria

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Honeynut squash toast with herbed goat cheese at Della Fattoria.
Honeynut squash toast with herbed goat cheese at Della Fattoria.

I am no stranger to dashing into Della Fattoria bakery and cafe in downtown Petalua to grab a loaf — or two — of my favorite Rosemary-Meyer Lemon bread. In fact, I am beside myself if I ever find it already sold out, because this crusty, chewy bread strewn with sea salt is absolutely everything.

Yet despite those countless trips, I sheepishly admit that I had never sat down to eat a regular meal in its charming dining room with its tall, beamed ceiling that resembles a big ol’ family barn.

So, last week, my husband and I decided to finally remedy that. In fact, we went to Della Fattoria twice — in three hours.

The dining room set up for brunch and lunch.
The dining room set up for brunch and lunch.

Heed my reasoning here: Since its doors open at 8 a.m. and I was determined to get my bread, we arrived shortly after that hour. I not only got my hands on two loaves to take home, but a box of pastries to enjoy back at our hotel, just a short stroll away.

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Californios Is Always A Special Time

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Sope with caviar served on a volcanic rock plate at Californios.
Sope with caviar served on a volcanic rock plate at Californios.

The last time I visited San Francisco’s Californios, it was 2021, when I dined outside in its well-appointed patio as the world was still maneuvering its way out of a global pandemic.

When I returned earlier this month, it was to a table inside its splashy main dining room, with its patio now relegated to special events only.

Times may have changed, but one thing has remained constant: Californios remains the only Mexican restaurant in the country to hold two Michelin stars. Celebrating the restaurant’s 11th anniversary this year, Chef-Owner Val Cantu and his wife/co-owner Carolyn Cantu have held that honor for 8 years, too.

An evening here is every bit as exalted as that distinction demands.

Art by the bar.
Art by the bar.
The bar.
The bar.
The striking dining room.
The striking dining room.

I love introducing friends and family to this restaurant, because it’s a good bet that unless they’ve traveled to Mexico City, they will not have experienced modern Mexican cuisine as exhilarating as this.

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