Seasonal Chefs
archives

DECEMBER Roy Breiman Seattle, Wash.  He sticks with local fruit in his Seattle area restaurant,  even during long, wet winters, when dried apricots and  cherries enliven the menu Kitty Morse Vista, Calif. Searching for -- and finding  -- North African ingredients at her local farmers market   JANUARY Victor Scargle Napa, Calif. He has a big legacy to  live up to as executive chef  at a wine-country restaurant named after Julia Child   FEBRUARY Jerome Watkins Wellfleet, Mass. A chef's connections with local farmers prove to be mutually beneficial when icy winds sweep Cape Cod free of summertime crowds Steven Obranovich Hardwick, Vermont Root crops and sprouts  help Claire's restaurant  maintain its commitment to 'community oriented cuisine' through the coldest months Matt Costello Seattle, Wash. Meeting with farmers to plan the coming summer's crops   MARCH Ralph Fernandez Philadelphia, Penn. New chef at a venerable local-only restaurant draws on network of suppliers in a state with a rich history of small-scale farming Robert Wemischner Los Angeles, Calif. Make your own dried tangerine peel mix Donia Bijan Palo Alto, Calif. Fava beans herald the arrival of spring   APRIL Peter Roelant Los Angeles, Calif. How L.A. got hip to exotic vegetables  MAY Alice Waters Berkeley, Calif. Decades of nurturing  connections with farmers  have paid off Robert Wemischner Los Angeles, Calif. Uses for fresh figs,  ranging from  savory to sweet   JUNE Loretta Keller San Francisco, Calif. Tomatoes are worth  another month's wait   JULY Gerald Hirigoyen San Francisco, Calif. Lamenting the  relentless convenience  of supermarkets Stu Stein Eugene, Ore. Preaching to a growing choir about 'sustainable cuisine'   AUGUST Steve Cumper Woodbridge, Tasmania A chef from the city goes  back to the land, and finds  a marvelous array of  locally produced ingredients,  including his favorite winter fruit,  the long-forgotten quince Robert Wemischner Los Angeles, Calif. Asian greens are well suited for experiments with fusion cooking   SEPTEMBER John Sharpe Winslow, Ariz. A native of England offers  Navajo Churro lamb and  other native ingredients, from tepary beans to skunkbush sumac, at his restaurant Mark Cleveland Orange County, Calif. Prime time for tomatoes   OCTOBER   MJ Adams Rapid City, South Dakota A New York City chef finds  meats, cheeses and produce aplenty from the Great Plains to serve in her Black Hills restaurant Patrick Farjas Saratoga, Calif. Lazy cooks miss out  on the pleasure of  grapes with seeds     NOVEMBER Annie Somerville San Francisco, Calif. The founder of Greens restaurant, has an embarrassment of local riches to work with from an array of Bay Area dairies and farms Robert Wemischner Los Angeles, Calif. Unusual uses for  pomegranates, persimmons  and quince