WHY YOU CAN TRUST CHEF VALETTE

There’s no pretense here. The servers wear jeans, albeit nice jeans. You’ll rub elbows with company CEOs, teachers, and firefighters.

Visit Healdsburg’s native son, Chef Dustin Valette, and he may tell you to get out – as in get out and experience new places, go hiking, go biking, make new memories. That’s sound advice from a celebrated chef whose own broad range of experiences inspires his menu. “I think people need to get back out and get dirt under their fingernails. You haven’t tasted an heirloom tomato until you pick it ripe off the vine still warm from the sun or bite into a treeripened peach so juicy that it drips all the way down to your elbows. I grew up here, but didn’t know how special it was until I left,” he says. He’s traveled the world mastering his craft. First at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. Then in the kitchens at some of the most renowned fine dining establishments around the world. Now, he co-owns Valette with his brother, seasoned restaurateur, Aaron Garzini. But, don’t expect this restaurant to be highfaluting. There’s no pretense here. The servers wear jeans, albeit nice jeans. You’ll rub elbows with company CEOs, teachers, and firefighters. One of latter is Dustin’s and Aaron’s father, Bob. He flies a Tanker 86 dousing fires, and is one of the pilots who recently helped save Northern Sonoma County and the Healdsburg area from damage. Come to Valette in wine country casual attire or dressed to the nines, but don’t show up for lunch. It takes them all day to prepare dinner. Ask this tastemaker to describe his culinary style, and he’ll say, “Eclectic. I cook things I like.” He likens his approach to a game of chess, “For every action, there’s a reaction. I’m always thinking several steps ahead. Right now, someone is roasting peppers because we’re making a sofrito. We use Sofrito in our sole dish. Sole is very light and delicate. You can’t use just bell peppers,” he says as a figure of speech. The produce at Valette is not “just” anything. Coaxed to be the best they can be, the exceptional ingredients he uses are thanks to the bevy of nearby ranchers and farmers, and mother nature. When one artisan passes these organic jewels to another, they become evenrarer. On my first visit shortly after they opened, I ordered his “Trust Me” menu. It’s what I have ordered every time since. The meal is a feast, thoughtfully layered and building to a crescendo. But when the dessert arrived during my first visit, I was skeptical. It was called, “Bread, Butter and Jam.” It sounded ordinary to me. It wasn’t. To this day, it’s one of the best courses I’ve ever had, so I asked him what inspired him to create it. “I was making French Toast for breakfast one morning, and the butter browned. I thought this is a fricking great idea for a dessert,” he says. The result? “Bread, Butter and Jam,” which is toasted brioche, fresh homemade jam and salted brown butter ice cream. For diners at Valette, tasting begins with the intoxicating aromas that are meant to stir your olfactory senses. Breathe in through your nose as your server arrives, and those little sensors wake up to a hint of sweet Espelette Pepper that heralds the Butter Roasted Petrale Sole, for example. Just as you swirl, smell and sip wine, Valette purposefully involves all of the senses in his creations, and more – they pull on your memory. I must admit that part of the reason that I had such an overwhelming reaction to the Bread, Butter and Jam dessert was that it hinted at flavors from my youth, but was oh so much better tasting. Chef Valette likes to elevate the best ingredients to new heights, but he also wants you to relax. Put your elbows on the table. Have fun. Like Healdsburg, Valette is a place where everyone is welcome, and the experiences are unforgettable.