Chef Judy Rodgers of Zuni Cafe Passes Away at 57

I sadly never got a chance to meet or talk to Judy Rodgers. Those who knew her well can better explain what her loss means to the culinary world, not just in the Bay Area, but around the country. But it’s obvious that San Francisco has lost a culinary giant, a true innovator, beloved chef and perhaps more importantly, a mentor to so many in the food community.

I have only been to Zuni Cafe once. After being prodded several times by a friend, we finally went for a birthday lunch a little over a year ago. The restaurant, where Rodgers started in the kitchen in 1987, is San Francisco. If there’s a bucket list of restaurants that must be visited while in San Francisco, Zuni MUST always be on that list. It’s a destination dining spot, worthy of a special occasion, casual date night, or even to just grab a drink at the bar - many a memory has been made at her iconic restaurant.

People will talk about the famed Zuni Roasted Chicken or the Caesar Salad, the Oysters and Wood Oven Pizza. But the one word that comes to mind for me: home. Zuni felt like a place a diner could call home, where the kitchen cooked from their heart and soul, where dining companions could ACTUALLY have a conversation, all the time while enjoying the love and compassion of a home-cooked meal. Zuni is the epitome of what a restaurant should be - providing memorable experience after memorable experience and for many, offering a lifetime of memories.

It is not all about the food when you talk about what makes a great chef. But the truly great ones are also great mentors to younger chefs, take the time out to not only successfully run their restaurant, but to also use it as a teaching platform, not only about cooking, but life itself. In reading articles and tweets about what Judy Rodgers meant to some of those she mentored, it’s amazing to hear the love and admiration. There are so many, who either by eating at Zuni, or working with Rodgers, are deeply affected by her loss.

“Raw ingredients trump recipes every time; farmers and ranchers who coax the best from the earth can make any of us appear to be a great cook.” - The Zuni Cafe Cookbook.

RIP.