Executive Chef Jonah Rhodehamel has been at the helm of the Oliveto kitchen since November 2010.  It is amazing to us how much has changed at Oliveto over  these last six months.  First off, Chef Rhodehamel (and all of his crew) has been working like crazy.  Basically, the level of energy and focus has been turned up to eleven.

But most important, we are extremely proud of the food we are serving.  Our salumi has never been better.  Same goes for our pizza.  The whole-animal program is expanding into new relationships with ranchers raising goat and sheep.  We’ve been introduced to farmers Jonah has relationships with, including our new BFF Fred Hempel who is growing some amazing things on his farm in Sunol, CA.

There is a seriousness, and a precision that Chef Jonah brings to Oliveto but there is also a sly sense of humor, a wry wit, and the skills of a true leader.  Anyway, that’s a long way of saying we’re happy to see that all of this was apparent to Michael Bauer on his most recent visit.  It was so very nice for our kitchen to be acknowledge for all the hard work that they do.

THE FUTURE? Mr. Chang predicts that in the future, more fine-dining chefs will replace waiters and serve the food themselves, as they do at his Momofuku Ko in New York. D’Amico Kitchen in Minneapolis splashes a live streamed video of the action inside its kitchen on an outside wall. Several restaurants, from Oliveto in Oakland, Calif., to L20 in Chicago, publish elaborate blogs about their ingredients and cooking.

We come in peace.