Santa Cruz >> Along the Central Coast, we can enjoy fresh seafood from the waters of the Pacific or ripe fruits and vegetables from the fields of the Salinas Valley, but we tend to ignore what’s growing in our own backyard. Increasingly, chefs are finding not just inspiration, but ingredients, right beneath their feet.
Zachary Mazi, executive chef for Santa Cruz’s popular LionFish SupperClub pop-up dinner series, finds a feast in foods foraged from his surroundings.
“I am a forager. I grew up in Oregon and learned what I could eat from the wild, so I tend to favor foods from the woods, especially nettles and fiddleheads, the curled up bits of certain ferns,” he said. “I’ve been enjoying edible flowers recently and really like how delicate they are in both texture and flavor.”
Mazi has found an assortment of flavorful flowers growing all around, ready to please the palates of adventurous diners.
“I found delicious chamomile flowers recently that were reminiscent of pineapple,” he said. “I have been using fennel flowers, borage, mustard … there are so many!”
And Mazi isn’t alone — a restaurant menu these days might read more like a nature guide than a traditional bill of fare.
At Aubergine in Carmel, chef Justin Cogley’s California coastal cuisine often incorporates ingredients foraged during runs through the hills or along the shore.
“Wild chamomile is everywhere right now. We’re making a tea with chamomile, bonito and soy,” he said.
Cogley has found miner’s lettuce and sorrel on some of the more shaded trails. “But radish flowers are the most abundant right now. We’re saving the radish pods and pickling them for the summer.”
Farther south, chef John Cox creates edible art in the kitchen at Sierra Mar at the Post Ranch Inn and uses plants foraged from the inn’s property perched atop the cliffs of Big Sur.
“I’m a big fan of wild radish and mustard flowers. They have a spicy flavor similar to arugula and are delicious in salads,” he said.
This time of year, nasturtium is also in bloom.
“You can use them like horseradish as a condiment for oysters or steak,” he said.
Cox is keeping a watchful eye on the inn’s gardens, waiting for them to bloom under the summer sun.
“Wild fennel flowers should be popping up soon,” he said. “They are the perfect complement to wild king salmon.”
Aromatic lavender is a favorite for chef Mazi’s menus. For most, lavender evokes soaps or spas, not snacks or supper, but lavender has several culinary applications.
“Lavender has a special affinity for licorice type foods, like fennel, and there’s a great synergy with mushrooms and earthy flavors,” he said. “I also like the sweet aspect of lavender and the fact that it’s just as easily a dessert flavor, a gentle aroma to cleanse the palate.
“Wander around the neighborhood for five minutes. Oregano abounds, thyme is not hard to find, lavender is everywhere.”
Of course, Mazi cautions prospective foragers should follow the guidance of experts on what is edible and what isn’t, and always be respectful of foraging on private property.
Mazi’s passion for the feast of the forage stemmed from his study of permaculture garden techniques, simmered with a longtime love of cooking.
“At an early age, I fell in love with cooking. Among my friends, I was the one making the dinners, and taking care of them,” he said.
He studied at Le Cordon Bleu, emerging as a personal chef focused on healthy and sustainable cuisine.
In 2014, Mazi met Tighe Melville. Mazi’s culinary experience proved a perfect pairing for Melville’s hospitality know-how. Together, they launched LionFish SupperClub, a pop-up dinner series that’s become the talk of Santa Cruz.
In lieu of a brick and mortar shop, LionFish SupperClub hosts events around town at diverse venues from farmers’ fields to breweries to home garden patios. Mazi and Melville’s goal for LionFish SupperClub is simple — to bring people together to celebrate life’s bounty with each bite of food, sip of wine and second of conversation.
Look for LionFish SupperClub next in the new Santa Cruz Food Lounge on June 16.
Raul Nava is a Herald correspondent.
