Farm-to-Table Family Meals in San Francisco

Throughout the shelter-in-place order, restaurants have had to step up and showcase their creative prowess. Renowned Chef Michael Tusk explains, “We had two options: put some food in a to-go box, or come up with ideas to generate something fun and delicious that could also entertain people during this quarantine.” Tusk drives to work from his 20-acre organic farm in Bolinas, CA, which provides some of the freshest ingredients for his three restaurants in San Francisco: Quince (the recipient of three Michelin Stars), Cotogna, and Verjus (a Basque-inspired wine bar and finalist for the James Beard “Best Restaurant of the Year Award”). Together with his team, he developed a themed menu for pick-up. Themes change each week, but every menu combines rustic flavors of Italian cuisine with the freshest products that come from the farm. The chef decided to merge his three kitchens into a mega-food laboratory, producing one full meal each day – with just a single pick-up point at Cotogna, his most casual restaurant in the heart of the Financial District. “Some dishes are meant to be served as family meals; some are for individuals; and others have a ‘cooking action’ involved,” says Tusk.

From the Tuscan spring soup garmugia, a recipe that comes traditionally from Lucca, to the spit-roasted pork loin with porcini cream and spring onion sauce, creativity and seasonal ingredients are the stars of the show on Tusk’s shelter-in-place menus. Tusk reflects, “My inspiration comes from many trips to Tuscany and Emilia Romagna, but also from my childhood in New Jersey where Italo-American food really formed my palate.” Until now, Task’s meals have been available for pick-up only, but he may start offering delivery as well. “Hospitality is our specialty, so we aren’t very excited about the idea of opening at 50 percent capacity. We’ve started to think about how we can loop customers into our creative process and plan to move ahead with this concept for a while. For example, we started to create some kits where, instead of serving a to-go cooked pasta that doesn’t travel well, we involve people in the final steps of the prep process. That way they can learn some skills and enjoy a proper dinner.” Task’s team has started to create videos as well, which customers can use for guidance after picking up their meal kits. One of the video tutorials demonstrates a tricky technique: how to make wild nettle ravioli di ricotta. Tusk learned this recipe at a restaurant outside of Imola, Italy; now, it’s one of his signature dishes.

Chef Tusk opened his first restaurant after a long career working in different kitchens — he also worked at Chez Panisse towards the end of the Eighties — in both the United States and Europe. He has two special gifts that you can taste in every dish: a passion for fresh flavors and a love for slow-cooking. Also, he reminds people that a shared meal always tastes better when you add a glass of wine and genuine conversation. “Right now, we are developing ideas based on the products we have available. We are pretty spontaneous and willing to make adjustments. We are also trying to support our foragers during these difficult times. Some folks are afraid to go to the market, so we are making healthy, tasty food available for them. They don’t have to go out if they aren’t comfortable.” Together with his team, Tusk has also created a foundation called Feed The Future to support all restaurant workers during these difficult times. To raise funds, they’ve created an online auction. All proceeds from the auction go directly to the relief fund.