Q. If you were to order for us off of your menu, what would we be eating?

A. The rabbit dish, because I’m able to support a local rabbit farmer that produces a great product. We utilize the whole animal, organs and all, make the pasta in-house and source local cheese.

A. We all play a different role –- from front of house, to back, from accounting to organizing events. We all have the same common goal to succeed and be proud of what we put on the plate and how we can support our local wineries and farmers.

Q. Ingredients seem very important to you, what are some items that you can recommend for home cooks to have on-hand in their pantry?

A. Guisto’s organic flours and grains. I went to the facility in person 10 years ago and have been using them ever since. It is a excellent, consistent product that we use in all of our baked goods and breads. We use rice flour to dredge abalone, chick pea flour for panelle, polenta for grits, all-purpose for pastas, etc.

Millenaire Fleur de Sel de Guerande (French grey sea salt). We use it plain or by adding lemon zest, dried lime, bergamot, etc. to flavor the salt and then use it to finish sliced proteins.

Piment D’Espelette A.O.C. (espelette pepper). We currently use it to finish our halibut dish. It's sweet, has a little bit of heat, has a great dried chili flavor without bitterness. It adds complexity to the dish. We've also used it in brodetto, crudos, risottos, soups, stews, braises, etc.

Olea Farm olive oil (www.oleafarm.com).

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FIND...

Q. Who are the purveyors that you use that really inspire you and what do you love about them?

A. Windrose Farm – because Bill and Barbara Spencer are some of the hardest working farmers I know that have dedicated their lives to growing things the right way. What they grow inspires me because they put effort into growing seasonally appropriate product.

Rinconada Dairy – Christine McGuire makes cheese with her own hands and stays up all night with newborn lambs. This woman is inspiring because she doesn’t take any shortcuts. She makes the best product, because she puts everything she has into it.

Charter Oak Meats – Debbie Paver’s ranch is a model of what local, sustainable ranch should always be. She takes amazing care of her animals from the moment they are born until harvest, nothing is mass produced or farmed out.

All of the farmers that are at our local farmers markets. They all work incredibly hard and provide us with great product year-round. Seeing great product that is fresh and new is inspiring in itself.

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Q. A chef’s knife is such a personal choice, which one do you use and what do you like about it?

A. Kikuichi hammered Santoku because it stays sharp and it’s light.

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Q. Is there a cooking resource (store / website) that you can pass along as a good place to get information or products?

A. JB Prince for equipment and hardware.

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Q. Is there a market that you like that is worth going out of your way to visit for food buying or gawking?

A. Berkeley Bowl in Berkeley CA.

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EAT...

Q. Who else in your field is doing interesting things?

A. Interesting to me is well executed simple food. Gjelina in Venice, California, The River Cottage in England, NOPA in San Francisco, A.O.C./Lucques both in Los Angeles, Locanda Verde in New York.

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Q. Aside from your own restaurant and home, what restaurant serves food that you crave?

A. Furaibo in Gardena, Ton Kiang in San Francisco.

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Q. What restaurant do you like that’s off the beaten track?

A. Sushi Nozawa in Studio City -- it’s all about the fish and the rice -- that’s it.

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Q. What specific restaurants would you jump on a plane to go to ... the food is just that good?

A. Thai Noodle Café on Geary in San Francisco –- nothing like street style noodles. Got me through culinary school and reminds me of the food my grandma cooked for me growing up. Also Maywah in San Francisco for the best Vietnamese street food.

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DRINK...

Q. For visitors to the Paso Robles area, is there a winery you could suggest visiting?

A. Halter Ranch – has kept the property historically correct. It’s a beautiful restored Victorian house, restored old barns and other buildings, sustainable farming practices, environmentally dedicated people and great every day wines.

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Q. Is there a spirit / wine that you’ve come across lately that you were really impressed with?

A. Vermont Spirits White Vodka – added a creamy vanilla honey aroma to a martini. I had a small sample bottle at home and will definitely buy more.

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Recommendations

Details of Chris Kobayashi’s recommendations for where to eat, drink and shop in California and New York.

Recipes

- Artisan Smoked Gouda and Porter Fondue

- Artisan Mussels

- Tomatillo Soup with Pork Shoulder, Cilantro and Crème Fraîche

Photo Credit: Rob Stark Photography