Cutting Edge > Groundbreakers

Jesse Ziff Cool

Jesse Cool is one of our heroes. Restaurant owner, chef, teacher, author and spokeswoman, she owns and runs the Flea Street Cafe and jZcool Eating and Catering Company in Menlo Park, California, and the Cool Cafe at the art museum at Stanford University. For over 26 years, Jesse's restaurants have used as much organic food as possible...from produce to coffee, from milk to legumes. The restaurant is not considered "health food", but is renowned for serving exquisitely prepared, locally grown and truly seasonal food. Her restaurants have blazed the trail to prove that organics are both feasible and profitable.

For more than four years she was a regular teacher at Draeger's Culinary School (Menlo Park, CA) and has had the pleasure of being the guest chef for ten years at Yosemite's "Chef's Holidays", which is longer than any other chef in the history of the program. For the past four years, she has been mistress of Ceremonies for the Connoisseur's Market Place, one of the largest street fairs in Northern California, and responsible for organizing and facilitating 12 celebrity chef cooking sessions, averaging 250 attendees at each.

She was the produce columnist for the San Jose Mercury News for eight years, promoting fresh, seasonal, organic produce. For more than 18 years as a member-supporter of sustainable agriculture organizations such as California Certified Organic Farmers, Organic Farming Research Foundation and Community Supported Agriculture, Jesse has supported local, low-income community gardens. She is a spokesperson for Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo (California) Counties and serves on the board of Chef's Collaborative 2000, a group of more than 1,500 chefs nationwide who are devoted to educating the public and other chefs about the importance of sustainable agriculture as part of the Oldways Preservation and Exchange Trust.

How to cook with organics by combining seasonal flavors and creating exciting, elegant dishes can be found in Your Organic Kitchen. Nationally known chef and restaurateur Jesse Ziff Cool offers up a treasure trove of 160 recipes that reflect her love of food and her commitment to sustainable agriculture and cuisine. This essential guide to selecting and cooking organic foods breaks down the recipes into seasonal sections from First of Spring through Deep of Winter. Includes: Balsamic Asparagus with Cheese Toasts, Cherry-Cheese Pudding, Potato and Spinach Stuffed Pasta, Herb and Flower-Crusted Halibut, Fava Bean and Orzo Salad, Zesty Zucchini Quesadillas, Rosemary Grilled Figs, Stuffed Portobello Burgers, Coconut Custard Tartlets, Creamy Autumn Soup, Persimmon-Berry Crisp. Yum!

To read our feature story from eNewsletter 43 about cooking and tasting Seeds of Change varieties with Jesse at the Ferry Street Farmers Market, click here. This article includes two delightful recipes! To check out Scott Vlaun's review of "Your Organic Kitchen" click here.

For more information about Jesse Ziff Cool and her terrific restaurants and writing click here.