FOOD TRUCK
Wide variety of produce feeds Clif Bar founders’ ‘bruschetteria’
Story by Ching Lee • Photos by Lori Eanes
Even for a food- and wine-centric region such as the Napa Valley, it’s practically unheard of for a food truck to have an entire farm at its disposal, especially one devoted to growing fresh produce year-round for the truck’s seasonal menu. The prospect seemed “too good to be true,” said John McConnell, executive chef of the Clif Family Bruschetteria Food Truck, recalling his job interview with owners Gary Erickson and his wife, Kit Crawford. “I remember after meeting them and thinking to myself, I would be a fool to turn this away,” McConnell said. If the single “f ” in the Clif name looks familiar, you probably recognize the energy bars that also bear the moniker, named for Erickson’s father, Clifford, who was an avid gardener and loved fruit trees—so much so that the couple named their orchard after him. After starting Clif Bar & Co. in 1992, Erickson and Crawford moved their family to the Napa Valley in 1997 and began expanding their business into winemaking, farming and other foods. “Growing food and sharing it with our neighbors was part of my family life growing up,” Crawford said. “When we moved to the Napa Valley, I knew I would like to grow food on a larger scale.” The process began with Crawford and her brother Brad planting an orchard that slowly evolved into a working farm as they added more fruit trees and a vegetable garden. It was “a family affair” from the beginning, General Manager Linzi Gay said, pointing out that as the farm grew, the family needed an outlet for all the produce.
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