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Backyard ( 13
NORTH BAY BOH E MI AN | AP R I L 24-3 0, 20 1 3 | BO H E M I AN.COM
to work out the kinks, including parting with an early partner who didn’t work out. If Kedan weren’t so sincere, he’d be a cliché. He starts his day by doing qigong with Hefele, who in addition to cooking also teaches capoeira at Sebastopol’s Shugyo Center. His restaurant is named for the abundance of locally grown ingredients that find their way onto his simple white plates. The homey décor consists of glass bowl terrariums, rustic plant boxes and local artwork. A bundle of sage sits by the cash register. And yet Kedan never once utters the phrase farm-to-table—he doesn’t have to. During the hour that I’m here, watching him slice potatoes and scoop polenta, we are interrupted several times by farmers making deliveries. Kedan negotiates a price with Brad who’s brought a bounty of beets, leeks, and frisse from his Roots of Creation Farm. An egg delivery comes in from RLR Vineyard, owned by Randolph Johnson, whose paintings decorate the walls of the dining room. The diverse menu—Backyard serves brunch, lunch and dinner— reads like a guidebook, with items like the duck egg frittata that includes Wyland Orchards duck eggs, Strong Arm Farm leeks and fava leaves, Redwood Hill chèvre, crispy First Light Farm potatoes and wild foraged watercress ($12). Wherever possible, the ingredients’ source farms are listed on the menu. At one point, Kedan waves me over to the refrigerator. “You’re not a vegetarian, are you?” he asks before showing me the half pig that he’ll finish butchering later that day. As we talk, the very last of the locally grown potatoes are crisping in the fryer. Hefele is seasoning the kale chips that he’s created as their substitute. “The cooks in this kitchen are truly amazing,” says Kedan, who mentions the phrase “high standards” more than once. “I feel really lucky,” he says. “We all learn from each other.”
GRAND REOPENING
California Thai Restaurant
201% OFF
Entire Bill, hr Free Parking Must show ad. Exp. 5/31/13
Open Daily
707.573.4777 522 Seventh St, Santa Rosa Brickyard Center
Law School Informational Seminar Wednesday, May 1 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. Keynote Speakers: Victoria Lancaster and Jarin Beck Attorneys at Law (Classes of 2010 and 2011)
Indian Head Massage • improves mobility in
neck and shoulders • relief from tension headaches,
eyestrain, and sinusitis
Call today to reserve your seat!
707-546-4000 www.empcol.edu
Ayurvedic
3035 Cleveland Avenue, Santa Rosa 95403
ON SITE MASSAGE AVAILABLE
Margery Smith 707.544.9642