Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/599676
When guests dining at ZaZu Kitchen + Farm in Sebastopol, California, take a bite of the signature dish called the Whole Pig, they immediately receive a burst of flavor which covers every part of the mouth. But to say the dish is delicious is an understatement. For beyond the meaty taste of pork, each bite represents the entire pig, including a mixture of meats from different parts of the body, a little skin that lined the pan and the gelatinous substance taken from head, and the bones that are used to hold all the goodies in the square-shaped entree together. In essence, it's one of the many culinary wonders that the talented chef duo of Duskie Estes and John Stewart have created since they opened their original restaurant in 2001. "We like to say we take casual very seriously," quips John with a smile. Prior to starting the restaurant, the two met in Seattle. At the time, both were working for chefs who would have serious impacts on their lives. A California native, Duskie started cooking at the age of five while growing up in San Francisco. After becom- ing a vegetarian in her teens and graduating from Brown University, she began honing her skills in Seattle in the mid 1990s. Moving up the ladder at various restaurants, she eventually became the executive sous chef under the tutelage of Seattle culinary legend Tom Douglas. At the time, Douglas was helping develop the farm-to- table movement. To do this, he worked closely with a core group of farmers and hosted annual seed meetings where he would tell the farmers what to plant and how he wanted them to grow it. As a result, Duskie became by Christopher Sawyer / photos by Alexander Rubin Chef Duskie Estes with one of the friendly black rabbits who live on her family's farm in Forestville. 9 0 | t h e c l e v e r r o o t