Farm Cart Organics + Satellite
Here we are, the first week of boxes in 2021 and they look amazing! We are always so fond of the winter boxes because of the hydrated, healthy looking greens and the dense vegetables. We hope you are enjoying the variety of the winter bounty!
We are excited to do another restaurant collaboration with another one of our favorite restaurants, Satellite! Some friends of ours turned us on to this cute little niche wine bar on State St. about a year ago. And now we are hooked! Satellite is a farm to table restaurant and wine bar that is open for lunch and dinner. “With a full farm to table, vegetarian menu, satellite is the place to discover uncommon, honest, flavors, meet friends, and learn about food & wine.”
We met with Executive Chef Emma, who we have known for years through farmers market. Emma was a former owner of one of SB’s favorite late, famed restaurant Julienne. Now she brings her skills to her own small kitchen in Satellite. Emma knowledge she has on farm to table food comes from her relationship she has with the farmers at farmers market. And her passion for fresh, flavorful food shines through the dishes she creates. So when we asked Emma what she would do with a farm box she was eager to show us what’s possible. Emma created Japanese Sweet Potato Taquitos with a Warm Kale Salad. Scroll down to see her recipe and Q&A’s.
Who are you? How long have you been cooking? Hi, my name is Emma and I am chef/owner of a restaurant/natural wine bar named Satellite. Our mission is to bring our consumers farm to table food and farm to glass wines. I am 33 years old and have been in the restaurant/hospitality industry since I was 16. There has been a range of roles that I have played in the game of restaurants and looking back, it is really cool to see all the expressions and passion of the times and of my life. It all started when I was a little girl, watching and helping my mom throw dinner parties at our house. She would always have so much fun planning and cooking and hosting, I couldn't help myself, I had to get involved. That lead to my teenage years working for a local caterer on the weekends and at a crêpe shop after school. Directly after hight school I went to culinary school in San Francisco, that's when things started to get serious. I met my best friend and partner (at that time) in culinary school and just a few years after we graduated we opened our first restaurant together in 2008 called Julienne. Julienne was our baby, we were absolutely in love with the place and it was such a wonderful and intense time of my life, I was only 21 when we opened and I felt so serious and yet I didn't know anything. I think that is such a special feeling and a huge part of the industry. Just to be present in the space and do your job the best of your ability... you never really know what is going to happen, and that to me is pretty exciting.
What does satellite specialize in? What values does Satellite hold? Satellite is super cool. It has been such an amazing work in progress and I finally feel like we have created a unique identity for ourselves. Our mission and intention is farmer to plate and farmer to glass. We focus solely on sourcing ingredients and wines from farmers. Our food program is predominately plant based, sourcing produce from our wonderful and abundant farmers here on the central coast. We are trying to bring our eater plant based food that doesn't taste like vegan food, but something that is innovative, fresh, and that would go great with a glass of wine. Our wine program is really neat, we source organic, natural, and biodynamic farmers from around the world! Really trying to bring our drinker something cool, fresh, and unique while supporting responsible farming across the world. YUM YUM
Seriously how difficult has 2020 been for you guys? What has been the most difficult aspect of covid in the restaurant world. 2020 has been such an amazing year. There has been so much new opportunities for us to learn and to grow. I have truly value and respect all the people I am surrounded by and feel like we have created something more meaningful and passionate. These time have brought me back to so many different scenarios of my life, like the times of opening my first restaurant and being so serious, yet not really knowing a thing... Covid times have felt like we have been opening a new restaurant about every week.... and that really is a rush. I have learned so much about myself and how my body reacts or doesn't react, and all in all, I can't help but to feel so grateful for all that surrounds me, it has truly brought me closer to my true self.
What’s your favorite thing to create? Oh wow, such a fun question. I love trying new recipes, either following a recipe from some of my favorite chefs or writing a new recipe, I love that unknown, that feeling of being kind of nervous and unsure of what is going to happen.
Who inspires you in the kitchen? Or where do you get your inspiration from your dishes? First off, I am so inspired by the people that I work along side with at Satellite, just our general dialogue and riffing is so cool and I feel so lucky to work with such talented people. I am also, so damn inspired by our farmers markets and the dialogue and riffing with the farmers and general public that happens. I feel so involved and connected with our community when I shop there, which is endlessly inspirational. Lola, my 6 year old daughter, is really the bees knees in the kitchen. She is so detail oriented and loves to finish a task and is super clean in her work, it is so inspiring to see in the youth. Lastly, the big dogs that I love.... Yotam Ottolanghi, Thomas Keller, Naomi Pomeroy, Daisy Ryan...
What do you wish people would know about operating a restaurant right now? To be inclusive and stay true to your intention. Keep things simple and clean. Less is more.
Any 2021 goals? I think it would be cool to open a Satellite in the valley.... and to be more focused on photographing recipes and dishes and organizing them digitally, in hopes to compose a book.
Warm Kale Salad
1 bunch of Tuscan Kale
1/2 leek
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
2 TBSP Grapeseed Oil
1 TBSP Sherry Vinegar
Salt & Pepper
Edible Flowers (optional)
Method: De-stem kale, rinse and cut into thin strips, set aside. Cut leek into 1/8 inch wide disks and saute with grapeseed until brown in a cast iron pan. Once brown and crispy, add kale, sherry vinegar, salt and pepper. Saute for about 30 seconds to a minute. Cut heat and top with pumpkin seeds and edible flowers.
Enjoy!
