recipes
Story by Barbara Arciero • Photos by David Poller
Farmer and chef are partners in business and in life
It takes two
As a chef at a hyper-seasonal restaurant in Los Angeles, Juan Gonzales prioritized relationships with the local farmers who provided his ingredients—so much so that he married one of them. “I really appreciated her produce because of the quality. It was next level,” Gonzales says, recalling the beets, arugula, chard, spinach, melons and other produce his now-wife Megan Strom grew in the Coachella Valley. Today, the couple lives and works together in San Diego County. Their business, Mesa Agricola—which translates as “agricultural table” in Spanish—includes a quarter-acre farm and a five-day-a-week kitchen residency at the Little Thief wine bar in San Diego. In August, their residency moves to Vino Carta in Solano Beach. Gonzales describes their cuisine as ingredient-driven with global influences. “I just celebrate all the cultures that I’m interested in and put them in a dish,” he says with a mixture of humor and humility. Both Gonzales and Strom have backgrounds in food service. Gonzales grew up in Baja California, Mexico, and was inspired in his career choice by his grandmothers, who were cooks. He is primarily self-taught. A native of Minnesota, Strom went to culinary school but ended up farming through “a happy accident.” The couple collaborates on what crops Strom will plant at their farm in Valley Center, “focusing on things that we’re not seeing anyone else growing so that he can have really unique varieties on his menu,” she says. Their collaboration, both say, satisfies on multiple levels. “We open up our hearts to the people that we have as guests,” Gonzales says. “I really love seeing Megan when she talks to the people and have them experience what we are creating, because we really are passionate about all these things.”
Farmer Megan Strom grows many of the ingredients her husband, chef Juan Gonzales, uses on his menu.
Barbara Arciero barciero@californiabountiful.com
34
July/August 2023
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