Chef's Bio

Jessica Sequoia Stutz, Chef/Proprietress

Jessica has had a love affair with food her entire life and will settle for only the best.

Jessica's childhood was spent in the Santa Cruz Mountains with her mother raising goats, chickens, ducks and rabbits. She had the responsibility of collecting the eggs, milking the goats and feeding the animals. Jessica's father was a renowned commercial and big game fisherman working in the waters of the Pacific Northwest, Caribbean, the coast of Africa and South America, specifically Ecuador.

Her childhood summers were spent picking blackberries, making jam and fishing for King Salmon on the Klamath and Rogue rivers. She learned to bake by watching her grandmother turn pastry by hand. From an early age Jessica understood how to grow, catch and prepare food respecting the bounty that comes from land and sea.

Her first professional culinary experience started at Gayle's in Capitola in 1990. Since then she has worked in the some of the area's finest establishments including Michael's on Main, Café Gabriella, Kelly's French Bakery and Convivio. With 20 years experience working with local vendors and purveyors, she uses only the finest quality products in her cuisine.

Jessica, age 7, trout fishing

Mark, Jessica's father, fishing off the coast of Africa