Great chefs are obsessed by their food sources and work intensely to create special relationships with farmers. Half their battle is getting access to ingredients that we as normal consumers can’t acquire. But the best chefs also have a creative imagination that builds startling layers of flavor. No one in the Bay area does this better than Chad Johnson. I still have vivid memories of his rye fettuccine, with a heady mix of spicy merguez sausage, pungent ramps, briny octopus, and the surprise of bright fresh mint.
This article appears in Sep 20-26, 2012.