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Harvest Moon Cafe, 487 First Street, Sonoma, CA 95476
 
Nick and Jen, owners of the Harvest Moon Cafe in Sonoma share chef duties. Nick focuses on the savory side of things while Jen creates the desserts.
The menus change daily to focus on the bountiful, local harvests. Nick and Jen embrace the philosophy that all their produce, meat, poultry and fish come from farms, ranches and fisheries guided by principals of sustainability.
They are both graduates of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, where they met. They have experienced a wide array of culinary adventures ranging from a biodynamic farm in upstate New York, a private lodge in the Texas hill country, to the island of Cyprus where Nick was the personal chef to the American Ambassador. Nick found his culinary way to California with a job at Chez Panisse in Berkeley and Jen working at Bay Wolf and Downtown restaurant. Weekend trips to Sonoma County drew them to the North Bay where they opened the Harvest Moon Cafe.
Chefs' Green News
 Nick and Jen believe in using local, organic ingredients to incorporate into the menus that change daily. They rely heavily on Oak Hill Farm and Stone Edge Vineyard for produce, and supplement that with trips to other local farmers' markets. It's important to them to establish relationships with local farmers to not only know where their food comes from, but to appreciate the hard work and effort it takes for the farmer to grow it and get it to the restaurant.
They have experienced all aspects of the farm-to-table movement, such as working at Hawthorne Valley Farm, an organic, biodynamic farm in New York. In conjunction with remodeling and reorganizing the onsite bakery, Nick drove the farm truck in the wee hours of the morning down to New York City's green market to sell the breads, pastries, cheese, raw milk, yogurt and produce that came from the farm.
They continue to expand their home garden to grow enough for home use as well as for the restaurant. The home garden is great for teaching their young daughter, Annabelle, how things are grown and let her experience food from seedlings to the dinner table. They find that she is much more likely to eat and enjoy vegetables if she is able to harvest them from the backyard.
Sustainability comes in many forms at the restaurant. Menus are printed on both sides before recycling. Left over water from guests is used to water the plants on the patio. Creative menu writing and planning eliminates any food waste. From all the hard work put into growing food, Nick and Jen do not believe in throwing away or wasting produce.
Chef 's Recipe: Sweet Corn Soup
Reservations: 707-933-8160 or OpenTable
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