Welcome to the California Project

AN EXPLORATION OF CALIFORNIA CUISINES

The California Project is the end result of my research into the current state of California cuisine.

Through time spent in the kitchen working with talented chefs, along with interviews and documenting recipes the next generation of California cuisine comes into focus.

Chef Kelsie Kerr

Kelsie Kerr is the former downstairs Chef of Chez Panisse and longtime cookbook collaborator of Alice Waters. The starting point for Kelsie was the core of California cuisine: French and Italian flavors. Today, as the owner of Standard Fare in Berkeley, her flavor profiles span the globe, drawing inspiration not only from her own experiences, but also from the traditional foods of her cooks and her customers.

Chef Francis Ang

A CCSF grad, Francis is deeply passionate about studying the history and tradition of Filipino foods. He and his wife travel back as often as possible, going from village to village to discover new dishes. He then reimagines these traditional dishes, using farm fresh CA produce, and often mixing in French technique. The result is his pop up Pinoy Heritage, offering modern Filipino food that is at once familiar and startlingly new.

Chef Nora Haron

Trained as a pastry chef at the San Francisco Baking Institute, Nora began cooking her mom’s Singaporean food to be reminded of family and home. After running the food program at Blue Bottle coffee and then developing a deeply loyal clientele as the chef of Dripline Cafe, Nora is ready to open her own restaurant in Old Oakland. Her food tells the story of her life, celebrating her past and her present with the ingredients of Northern California.

Interviews with the chefs