13th Annual Lark Creek Chef Bios

Past Events

Chef bios

for the 13th Annual
Fall Organic Harvest Benefit Reception & Dinner
The Lark Creek Inn, Larkspur, California

OFRF would like to thank the following chefs for making this event possible
through the gift of their time and artistry:

Consistent acclaim for BRADLEY OGDEN’S culinary talents has brought him worldwide recognition. As Executive Chef and co-owner of six restaurants in California including the Lark Creek Inn in Larkspur, Bradley’s philosophy remains: “Keep it simple; use the freshest ingredients available and put them together in such a way that the flavors, colors, and textures combine to bring out the best in each other.”

Regional Chef and Prepared Foods Coordinator for Whole Foods Market Northern Pacific Region, JOHN MITCHELL continues the tradition of farm-fresh American cooking emphasizing organic ingredients. Prior to joining Whole Foods, John was Executive Sous Chef of One Market and Executive Chef at Lark Creek Walnut Creek, which the San Francisco Focus voted “Best Newcomer in the East Bay” under his leadership.

Former Chef and Partner at Lark Creek Walnut Creek, R. ADAM SMITH is currently the Whole Foods Market Prepared Foods Field Specialist. Adam uses his experiences in fresh American cuisine and relationships with local farmers to emphasize quality, original, seasonal foods.

Born in Da Lat, Vietnam in 1962, CHARLES PHAN's passion for food has been influenced by his mother's French/Vietnamese cooking style, early work in several Bay Area restaurants, and the food philosophies of visionary chefs at Chez Panisse and Zuni Café. Charles proved through the phenomenal success with his Slanted Door restaurant, opened in San Francisco in the 1990s, that combining the Bay Area’s sensibility for fresh ingredients with Vietnamese time-honored cooking techniques is a perfect marriage. Eight years later, showcasing farm fresh, local products, preparing everything from scratch and keeping a limited menu has put The Slanted Door on the cutting edge of Vietnamese cuisine in San Francisco, and possibly the entire country.

Raised on a farm in California's San Joaquin Valley, TRACI DES JARDINS developed a deep love for the earth and it's bounty. The Des Jardins dinner table featured produce from the garden and game from the land in dishes reflecting her heritage - Mexican on her mother's side, Lousianian-French Acadian on her father's. After working with Joachim Splichal at 7th Street Bistro in Los Angeles, Traci apprenticed in Europe with many of the French greats, including Michel and Pierre Troisgros, Lucas Carton, Alain Ducasse and Alain Passard. Back in the States, Des Jardins worked at Montrachet in Manhattan before returning to California as opening chef de cuisine of Splichal's Patina. She moved to San Francisco, where she had always wanted to live, and opened Aqua with George Morrone and Elka Gilmore. In 1997, she opened her own restaurant, Jardiniere.

Now one of the most acclaimed and respected chefs in the country, Des Jardins has been honored with numerous awards. She was a James Beard Foundation "Rising Star Chef of the Year", one of Food & Wine Magazine's "Best New Chefs", San Francisco Magazine's" Chef of the Year" for two consecutive years, and was listed as one of the top three chefs in the Bay Area by the San Francisco Chronicle each year since opening. Recently, Des Jardins, who has always been an environmental activist, hired Larry Bain to develop a socially and environmentally responsible program for Jardiniere. To date, this program included raising the minimum wage substantially, recycling and composting, and ESL program for Spanish-speaking workers, andincreasing the purchasing of organic products from small local farms.

Chef NICOLE PLUE serves as Pastry Chef for Julia’s Kitchen at COPIA. Plue previously worked with AZ and Pazo restaurants in New York City, where she was the recipient of Bon Appetit magazine’s “Best Dessert, New York” award. She has served as pastry chef for such renowned dining establishments as Guastavino’s and Eleven Madison Park in New York, as well as Hawthorne Lane and One Market in San Francisco. She also worked as pastry chef for Martha Stewart Living Television, developing recipes for pastry and baking segments. Plue is a graduate of the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco and has completed specialty courses with the International School of Confectionery Arts.

Events

Special events are an important source of support for OFRF's research and education programs, as well as a unique opportunity for our supporters to enjoy great organic food, fantastic music and/or inspiring educational programs with other members of the organic community. We hope you will join us at one of our upcoming events.