The Herbfarm

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The Herbfarm is an American restaurant and an early practitioner of local food. This is a philosophy that promotes the growing, enjoyment, and consumption of foods from a limited region.

The Herbfarm is located outside Seattle, Washington, in the city of Woodinville. It was one of the first modern restaurants in America to focus solely on preparing regional foods from local sources. Other well-known practitioners include Alice Waters' Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California, the Sooke Harbour House in British Columbia, and Odessa Piper's l'Etoile in Madison, Wisconsin. Like those restaurants, it is a member of Slow Food, an international movement to preserve artisanal food.

The Herbfarm began not as a restaurant but as an herbal nursery in 1974. In 1986, Ron Zimmerman joined the establishment along with his wife, Carrie Van Dyck. That year they converted a farm garage into a small restaurant and named it The Herbfarm.

In January 1997, a fire destroyed the restaurant.^[1] Difficulties in securing building permits caused the Zimmermans to move in 1999 to the Hedges Wine Cellars in Issaquah, Washington. The Herbfarm opened in current Woodinville quarters in 2001.

Jerry Traunfeld, winner of the 2000 James Beard Award for "Best American Chef: Northwest and Hawaii"^[2] was the executive chef from July 1990 - November 2007. He is the author of The Herbfarm Cookbook and The Herbal Kitchen: Cooking with Fragrance and Flavor. Traunfeld has appeared on Martha Stewart Living, Better Homes and Gardens, The Splendid Table and other American television and radio programs.

As of 2006 and 2007, the sommeliers at The Herbfarm were Tysan Pierce and Lisa Rongren.

[edit] Recognition

Nathaniel and Andrew Lande named The Herbfarm number one on their list of Top Destination Restaurants in the world in 2006 in the book, "Passport to the Best--The 10 Best of Everything: an Ultimate Guide for Travelers."^{[citation needed]}
In 2005, The Herbfarm was honored as "Restaurant of the Year" at the third annual Washington Wine Restaurant Awards.^[3]
In 2006, Gayot put the restaurant on its "Top 40 Restaurants in the United States."^[4]
In 2005 it was awarded first place in Restaurant Hospitality's 16th Annual Best Wine Lists in America Competition.^[5]
In 2005, The Herbfarm was the only American restaurant with the AAA 5-Diamond Award north of San Francisco and west of Chicago.^{[citation needed]}
It was inducted into the American Restaurant "Fine Dining Hall of Fame" in 2003.^{[citation needed]}
In October 2001, Gourmet magazine named The Herbfarm number 15 in its ranking of "America's Best 50 Restaurants."^{[citation needed]}
It was also among the few restaurants in America to rate 28 or 29 points on the Zagat Survey 30 point scale.^{[citation needed]}

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