Twenty years ago, Jeffrey Madura first stepped into the kitchen at John Ash & Company, the venerable Wine Country restaurant owned by Don and Rhonda Carano and founded by its namesake. He says he was “lured to the area” by Sonoma County’s abundance.
“I was working at Mudds in San Ramon,” says Madura, “which has a five-acre, full production garden at its disposal. But this is such an amazing place to live and work. The draw of Sonoma County—the availability of fresh seafood, meat, produce, herbs, honey….” His voice trails off, but it’s easy to envision his chef’s mind conjuring another delectable treat made from local fare.
“I practice the art of cooking,” he continues after a while, “but I couldn’t do that without all the local producers who do the hard work of raising, farming and growing.”
Madura also credits the Caranos (“owners who think long term and care about growing their business”) for the restaurant’s longevity and success. The Caranos and Madura have worked together over the years to establish their own supply of fresh and seasonal goods. There’s a 2.5-acre garden at Ferrari Carano Winery in Dry Creek Valley, and the grounds of the Vintners Inn (where John Ash & Company is located) have been gradually planted with a variety of culinary basics and gourmet delights.
“We have olive, fig, apple, pear and citrus trees; blackberries and raspberries; all sorts of herbs—our goal is to produce all our own herbs this year; and some edible flowers as well,” says Madura. “We recently planted Alpine strawberries, which are hard to transport, so we typically haven’t been able to use them more than three or four days each year. But now that we’ll be growing our own, I hope to change that.”
Madura says his food focus is to “offer a sense of what’s seasonal and regional. We’re blessed with distinct growing seasons, which means I always have a variety of choices.”
He uses the “meltdown,” a popular flourless chocolate cake with a ganache center, as an example: “It changes to reflect the seasonality. I can use homemade peanut butter or fresh fruit, depending on the time of year. People really love them.
“And our onion soup is a staple,” he concedes. “I get in trouble for taking it off the menu. It always comes back.”
In addition to the full dinner menu (and an extensive wine list of both local and international producers), the restaurant’s Front Room lounge and cocktail area offers a separate menu of smaller plates.
Sounds like he has the food well under control. So what, beyond that, makes John Ash such a popular choice for the business crowd? “I think the layout of the restaurant, with its different areas, creates privacy,” Madura offers. “But more than that, I think we answer a lot of service issues: We provide what you need before you have to ask. And that’s what people want.”
That, and great food.
