Ron Zimmerman (1948–2023) and his wife, Carrie Van Dyck, converted a garage on his parents’ farm east of Seattle into a small restaurant in 1986. The initial twenty-four-seat affair served a prix fixe, six-course luncheon or nine-course dinner using only local ingredients. Soon, The Herbfarm received rave local and national press. Multi-page articles listed it as one of the top fifty restaurants in America. In 1997, a fire destroyed the restaurant. Ron and Carrie vowed to make its replacement even better. Through many trials and delays, they rebuilt. In 2001, they became one of forty-nine AAA five-Diamond restaurants in America. This is Ron’s memoir of those days of struggles along with 150 pages of Herbfarm-inspired recipes and culinary ideas. Learn more about the book at [...]

Dr. Sinclair Philip is the former co-owner, operator, and wine director of Sooke Harbour House Hotel and Restaurant, which was named the Best Restaurant in the World for Authentic, Local Cuisine by Gourmet and Best Restaurant in Canada by the Globe and Mail. Philip is the recipient of the Governor General of Canada's Nation's Table Award for Mentoring and Inspiration and he is a member of the British Columbia Restaurant Hall of Fame. He is the cofounder Slow Food Canada and former vice president of the Southern Vancouver Island Mycological Society.