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Chef And Farmer Form Delicious Duo In DTLA
Photo by Brian McGinn on Facebook
Some of you may get all squishy when looking at pics of adorably awkward baby animals, but what gets us gushing is a cute chef/farmer relationship. So naturally we went "squeeee!" when we recently heard about chef Ari Taymor and farmer Courtney Guerra's relationship.
The two work hand in hand to create the makings for Taymor's unique dishes at Alma restaurant in Downtown L.A., which recently celebrated its one year anniversary.
Taymor's approach to farm-to-table California cuisine has gotten him attention from the likes of Zagat's 30 Under 30, Bon Appetit, Food & Wine, and more. Come to find out he's got his own farmer working for him in Venice, growing the gorgeous herbs herbs and produce that adorn his thoughtfully-presented plates. And it's a woman, no less. (Having worked on farms ourselves, we can tell you that's a bigtime rarity.)
Says Bon Ap:
Formerly a cook and gardener at The Restaurant at Meadowood in Napa Valley, Guerra's aim was to work closely with one L.A. restaurant, supplying it with produce. That exclusive relationship would allow her to focus on what the chef wants planted, when that chef wants it picked, and how much of it the chef needs, not to mention the unified flavor the comes from ingredients growing in the same patch of dirt. She had a friend in Venice who wasn't using his yard--that is, "besides to store futons, trash and office furniture"--so she moved in and had the garden up and running in a matter of weeks.
The two plan to open a they're working on a 60,000 square-foot rooftop garden above Alma soon, a step that only a handful of area restaurants have executed, and none on that grand of a scale, making for yet another notch in DTLA's dining belt.
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