A Conversation with True Food Kitchen Executive Chef Michael Stebner
We’ve seen the headlines in the New York Times, USA Today, and in numerous research studies. The Mediterranean Diet, high in good monounsaturated fats, is heart-healthy, protects against strokes, and supports weight management. Key ingredients of this diet — a lifestyle, really — are seasonal and sustainable eating and living. Fortunately, we don’t have to move to Spain or Greece to enjoy these benefits as California has a similar climate and topography to the Mediterranean, allowing for abundant fruits and veggies with anti-inflammatory effects.The foundation of the diet is produce: enjoying what’s available at its peak of ripeness. Our local farmers’ markets can provide inspiration and ingredients for Mediterranean-style meals. We can also enjoy dining out and taste the benefits of this approach from a chef guided by these principles, such as True Food Kitchen’s Executive Chef Michael Stebner. Chef Michael talked to us about the Mediterranean Diet and how it inspires the menus at the True Food restaurants, located in So Cal, Colorado, and Arizona, which are a collaboration between restaurateur Sam Fox and famous integrative physician, Dr. Andrew Weil.
Red Jen: How do the Mediterranean diet and related health studies inform your menu planning?
Chef Michael: The Mediterranean Diet is a seasonal, vegetable-centered way of eating and that’s exactly what we’re doing at True Food Kitchen. Produce is the center of the plate, not protein, as is the case with traditional restaurant models.
Produce is what makes our food unique; it’s the farm-to-table concept. It’s about letting the perfect produce speak for itself. Like Andy [Dr. Weil] says, “It doesn’t have to be diet food to be healthy; you can eat delicious food.” That’s what we’re doing at True Food – delicious, produce-driven food showcasing the best of what’s in season locally on a multi-restaurant scale.
Red Jen: So, the menu just happens to be healthy, as studies on the Mediterranean Diet have demonstrated?
Chef Michael: At True Food Kitchen, “It’s good food first, and it just happens to be packed with a lot of nutrition.”
Red Jen: Where do you live and find inspiration?
Chef Michael: I live in Phoenix now but used to live in San Diego where I operated a seasonal restaurant called Region. One of the benefits of seasonality is produce pricing; for example, when asparagus is in season, it tastes best, is abundant, and affordable. Most of our produce comes from California. We do work with some local farmers in Arizona, as well, since they have a nine-month growing season. Colorado has a very short growing season, but we use local sources when we can.
Globalization presents a learning curve since people perceive that strawberries are available all year long. Recently, one of our cookbook buyers who made a summer soup in the middle of winter was frustrated that it didn’t turn out well. There’s a challenge to educating people about how good food tastes when in season and that seasonal recipes are based on the quality of the starting ingredients. So for example, if it’s spring and we’re working with lots of peas, asparagus and artichokes, it isn’t time to make a soup with corn, tomatoes, and peppers.
Tips for a Mediterranean Diet
Red Jen: The shorter the distance between the farm and the fork, the better the produce will taste. So, how do you plan the menus for the various restaurants, given that seasonality is defined by locality?
Chef Michael: The menus are currently congruent across all locations in Colorado, Arizona, and Southern California, but that will change as we move east; our next location to open is Dallas.
Red Jen: How often does the menu change?
Chef Michael: We change the menu each season. We just changed to our spring menu in the beginning of April and will transition to summer in late June. As soon as we roll out the new menu, I start creating dishes for the next season. While we do have a handful of items that return to the menu each year, I like to innovate for the sake of innovation, given seasonal inspiration.
I come up with maybe 10-12 new seasonal dishes, and then get together with Andy [Weil] to try them out together. Once we agree on what we like, I make them for Sam [Fox, owner of Fox Restaurant Concepts, which owns and operates True Food Kitchen] who’s the reality check. For example, we just put a chia seed pudding on the menu and Sam said, “What’s a chia seed?” We educate him on why we’re doing what we’re doing, and if he likes the taste, he gives the thumbs-up. Sam represents the customer’s perspective, while Andy brings in the latest nutrition insights or ingredients. Sam approves 75% of what I put in front of him.
Check out Chef Michael Stebner’s Quinoa Johnny Cakes recipe from True Food Kitchen for quinoa pancakes that showcase delicious blueberries, typically at their peak of season here in California in May and June. Photos and recipe courtesy of the cookbook, True Food: Seasonal, Sustainable, Simple, Pure (Little, Brown & Company, 2012) by Andrew Weil, MD, Sam Fox, and Chef Michael Stebner.
In California, True Food Kitchen has locations at Santa Monica Place in Santa Monica, Fashion Valley Mall in San Deigo, and Fashion Island in Newport Beach. For more information about True Food Kitchen, visit: truefoodkitchen.com
Red Jen Ford is a Certified Holistic Health Coach, yoga instructor and seasonal eating expert who teaches the benefits and simplicity of eating local, sustainably grown food. Enjoy her seasonal recipe booklets or work with her one-on-one: Redjenford.com
Red Jen Ford is a Certified Holistic Health Coach, Yoga Instructor and Seasonal Eating Expert. Jen teaches her clients the benefits and simplicity of eating local, sustainably grown food. Enjoy more of her dishes in her seasonal recipe booklets or her online course, Simply in Season: Recipes to Celebrate Healthy, Easy Seasonal Food.