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"Rooted in Oakland, this uniquely Californian, MICHELIN Green Star farm-to-table restaurant channels owner Aomboon Deasy’s K&J Orchards heritage: produce from California’s diverse soils anchors a hyper-local menu where the only thing from outside the state is the wine. Now led by chef Edalyn Garcia—building on founding chef Alan Hsu’s technique-driven foundation—the cooking leans even more fruit- and vegetable-forward, with standouts like the labor-of-love ugly mushroom pasta made fresh daily from #2 shiitakes turned into purées, and Wolfe Ranch quail brined for 45 minutes and smoked over wood from the farm’s fruit trees for a “full circle of life.” Sustainability guides everything, from using whole animals and fish “from the tail to the snout, from the fin to the head,” to sending carrot and beet tops to feed farm chickens whose eggs return for desserts and pastas or to the farmers market; the menu changes with what’s most flavorful in peak season. Each meal ends with a complimentary slice of seasonal fruit—nectarines, peaches, or cherries—so you leave feeling like you just walked out of the orchard, and a built-in 20% service charge shared among the team supports a culture of fair wages, love, laughter, and hospitality." - Michael He