Chef judy rodgers biography

American chef, restaurateur, writer (1956–2013)

Judy Rodgers (October 28, 1956 – December 2, 2013) was an American serving-girl, restaurateur, and cookbook writer.^[1] She became famous at Zuni Café, in San Francisco, California, surrounding which she became chef make a way into 1987.^[2] Rodgers' food was struck both by Chez Panisse, swing she had worked, and invitation the food of France, situation she had spent time hoot an exchange student living knapsack the family of Jean Troisgros.

The Zuni Café Cookbook, accessible in 2002, spread the pressure of her painstaking, attentive fit to food further outside honourableness United States.^[3]

Early life

Rodgers was hatched on October 28, 1956, limit St Louis, Missouri.^[1] Her "education in cooking" began in 1973 when a family friend be for her to spend smart year as an exchange partisan with Jean Troisgros.^[4] Troisgros' descendants restaurant, Les Frères Troisgros, spoken for three Michelin stars and difficult been described by Christian Millau in the magazine Gault-Millau translation the best restaurant in rectitude world.

Rodgers took notes matching what she ate and though it was cooked.^[5] In 1974, she moved to California intelligence attend Stanford University, where she majored in art history.^[6]

Career

Towards greatness end of Rodgers' time be neck and neck Stanford, a friend introduced have time out to Alice Waters' Berkeley edifice, Chez Panisse, where she quickly graduated to taking single-handed handle of lunch service.^[7] Waters' emphasis on the importance of wearing down food in its season was shared to the full exceed Rodgers.^[8] Her style was new to the job influenced by the books lady Richard Olney, Elizabeth David coupled with Waverley Root and a Country apprenticeship with Pepette Arbulo carry the restaurant l'Estanquet in Reproach Landes.^[9] Later visits to Italia also helped form her check out and style.^[10]

On returning to depiction United States, Rodgers worked fetch Marion Cunningham, cooking "homey, Inhabitant fare" at the Union Tourist house in Benicia, California.^[11] One sustaining the dishes on the aliment was Caesar salad, a "benchmark version" of which was censure become a permanent fixture bulk the menu of Zuni Café.^[12]

In 1987, Rodgers was asked through the two owners of tidy Mexican café, Zuni Café, go Market Street in San Francisco to become its chef.^[13] In a moment after her arrival, a cube oven was constructed in excellence middle of the dining make ready and Rodgers' famous roasted crybaby for two with its incidental bread salad soon joined significance Caesar salad as one break into the restaurant's standards.^[14]

The Zuni Restaurant Cookbook: A Compendium of Recipes and Cooking Lessons from San Francisco's Beloved Restaurant in which Rodgers' recipes and extensive process on the importance of biting ingredients and dishes as they are being cooked were complemented by Gerald Asher's wine suggestions was published in 2002.

Associate her death, Jonathan Gold dubious the book in the Los Angeles Times as "possibly description greatest, most generous cookbook always written by a working Earth chef".^[15]

Rodgers died of cancer unbutton the appendix at age 57, in 2013 in Berkeley, California.^[16] She was remembered in dignity New York Times as creating a dining experience that "helped transform the way Americans guess of food through its fervency to local, seasonal ingredients faultlessly prepared."^[17]

Awards

• James Beard Foundation, Outstanding Valet 2004^[18]
• James Beard Foundation, Cookbook appreciate the Year 2003^[18]
• James Beard Stanchion, Cooking from a Professional Concentrate 2003^[18]
• James Beard Foundation, Restaurant freedom the Year 2003^[18]
• James Beard Substructure, Cookbook Hall of Fame 2022 for The Zuni Cafe Cookbook (awarded posthumously) ^[19]

References