A portrait of Dana Jaffe, Executive Chef, Saddles

I have photographed several events at Saddles. The lobby decorated with cowboy paraphernalia and a stately horse set the stage for the charm of this place. So it seemed only appropriate that I should photograph Dana Jaffe in this special spot.

MacArthur Place Executive Chef Dana Jaffe began her culinary career with a 3-year apprenticeship through the AFC (American Culinary Federation), working for such companies Cunard and Stein Eriksons. She graduated at the top of her class in 1986, and was granted CWC certification in 1988. She has lived in Sonoma County for the past twenty two years and worked at Restaurant Matisse, Tre Scalini, John Ash & Co. Korbel and Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa prior to joining MacArthur Place in 2001 where she has served as Executive Chef for the last 10 years.

Saddles is Sonoma’s premier steakhouse specializing in steaks, chops and fresh seafood. Set in a magnificently restored 100-year old barn on the historic estate of MacArthur Place Inn & Spa, Saddles provides a truly unique setting for a memorable dining experience.

Sonoma Photographer: Manuel Azevedo

 

A portrait of  Maneul Azevedo

Manuel Azevedo will be one of the featured chefs at the Feast of the Olives in Sonoma on January 28, 2012. One of features that stands out in his restaurant are the lovely copper pots hanging above the bar. Manuel is very personable and I so enjoyed our photo session.

Azorean-born chef Manuel Azevedo has been the owner, manager, and head chef of Sonoma Valley’s acclaimed LaSalette Restaurant since 1998. Named after Chef Azevedo’s mother, LaSalette celebrates the historically vast and varied flavors found in traditional Portuguese cuisine while delivering a modern interpretation of Portuguese food and cooking. This unique blend of traditional Portuguese flavors presented with a contemporary edge is the basis of Chef Azevedo’s signature Cozinha Nova Portuguesa – new Portuguese cuisine. At the heart of the philosophy of Cozinha Nova Portuguesa is the belief that using local, fresh, seasonal ingredients will not only result in healthier and more sustainable food consumption practices, but it will also create appreciably tastier dishes. To this end, LaSalette draws upon the finest local Californian ingredients to create its distinctively Portuguese dishes.

La Salette Restaurant offers fresh, Inventive Mediterranean and Iberian Cuisine in the heart of the Sonoma Valley Wine Country. Seafood and Portuguese Cuisine are our specialties. Many of these dishes come steaming hot out of the wood-burning oven and fill the dining room with the exotic aromas of true Mediterranean cuisine. The menu reflects the commitment of Chef and Owner Manuel Azevedo to creating the unique culinary delights of his native Portugal and its neighbors.