 Rachael Levine Rachel Levine, a local star chef, grew up in Rocklin, moving to Woodland when she was 16 years old, and has worked in numerous kitchens, but always in Yolo County. Except when she was cooking in Shanghai, Beijing, Hong-Kong, Dusseldorf, or Ottawa, representing the California wine industry. In 2005 she was the guest chef for the California Pavilion at PROWINE, the largest wine expo outside of VINEEXPO in Bordeaux. She toured with the California Wine Institutes Asia tour, cooking in the California Restaurant at the exclusive IW Marriott, and Intercontinental Hotel in Beijing, among others. She was the executive chef at RH Phillips Winery in the Dunnigan Hills, where for more than 8 years, she directed and cooked, special lunches and dinners as part of the winery’s hospitality program, where she focused on cooking fresh, local, seasonal dishes using ingredients from local farmers and producers, and developing food and wine pairings with RH Phillips wines. “It’s different pairing food and wine when you work at a winery,” she recently explained, “because you start with the wine and then find the food that best accompanies it, rather than the other way around.” However, no matter where she is, she brings her own vision of food with her. “What I do is completely grounded in my sense of community – which ties back to the people I love. Whether in a restaurant, winery, or Nugget, the joy and pleasure of welcoming guests into my ‘home’ – to share my love of food is a gift I feel I have to give people. Food, for me, is about caring and community.” And community for Rachel encompasses both the rich agricultural land and the people of our region, but like anyone, she has favorites. “Capay Valley is a very special place to me, and driving through there I see and feel so much of what is happening on those farms that fill the valley. I love the Davis Farmers’ market, full of activity, the exchange and banter between the customers and the vendors, and among the vendors themselves. It is such an exchange of energy. For me, the Wednesday night summer market is ground zero for food, agriculture, and community, a place where it all comes together.” Not surprisingly, Rachel brings her passion for food and community to her new job as Nugget’s Executive Chef, where she is working on reshaping the flavor profiles of the deli section, re-organizing the prepared food offerings to reflect seasonality, bringing new, local products to the deli and the store, and working with other departments to develop cohesive cross-marketing. If, for example, you buy a rice salad with dried fruits and nuts from the deli, you will be able to find the same rice, nuts, and fruits on the market shelves. “We’ll be using the same foods that guests can find right on our own shelves. It’s a challenge, but exciting,” she says of her new position. |
