MENLO PARK, Calif. — Nestled near the picturesque Santa Cruz Mountains, just a stone’s throw away from the hustle and bustle of Silicon Valley, Madera, the restaurant at the exclusive Rosewood Sand Hill hotel, is pushing the limits of hyper-local cuisine by sourcing 97% of its ingredients within 500 miles of its location just outside of Palo Alto.
“I think for us at Madera, the cuisine is really driven by the product,” said Executive Chef Roman Petry. “Everything that we use comes from here. So it’s really paying homage to the rich traditions of the Bay Area and California as a whole and all the people that make this area so special.”
Petry, a native of Germany who spent decades working for Michelin-level restaurants across Europe and Asia, said the key to his cuisine is to not do too much to the ingredients, letting its freshness and quality shine.
In the kitchen, Petry showcases a current menu item that reflects the Madera ethos, poaching a halibut filet freshly caught in Half Moon Bay in olive oil sourced from Sonoma County, and serving it with butter beans from Iacopi Farms — also from Half Moon Bay — and porcini mushrooms grown in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
“The fun thing is if you come here and you look at the mountains, you can actually see where everything is coming from on the dish,” Petry said.
Indeed, the setting is just as important as the ingredients for the overall experience. Rosewood Sand Hill sprawls over 16 lush acres that is a quick drive for diners coming from Menlo Park, Palo Alto, South Bay and the San Francisco Peninsula.
“The moment you step out of your car and you come here, you can relax. You can breathe the fresh air from all the redwood trees around us,” Petry said.
Another highlight at the hotel includes Madera Bar and its dedicated bar program showcasing local spirit producers, distilleries, and wineries.
“What I really want people to experience is a sense of place,” says Petry. “For me the most memorable meals are when you travel somewhere and you lean back, you enjoy and you feel like you’re part of something.”
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