Wednesday, January 11, 2006

Seasonal Chef: Napa restaurant's garden keeps Victor Scargle stocked with superb ingredients

It's not easy being head chef at a high-end restaurant, particularly one named after the high priestess of American cooking Julia Child. Victor Scargle, of Julia's Kitchen, a restaurant at the nonprofit center in the Napa Valley called Copia: The American Center for Food Wine and the Arts, has thrived in just that situation thanks in part to the superb ingredients at his disposal. About 60 percent of what he grows -- more in summer -- comes from the 3.5 acre farm on the grounds of the restaurant. Here's more about Scargle.