Meet Cafe La Haye’s Chef Jeffrey Llyod

Every town needs a charming little neighborhood spot to pop into for a lovely Friday night date, a quick bowl of pasta any old evening, or a special occasion dinner with your sweetie.  Cafe La Haye is exactly that sort of spot.  There is never an evening when you’re not greeted by the super hospitable owner, Saul Gropman, or when the laughter and clinking of wineglasses from happy groups of diners doesn’t spill out from the windows, thrown open, onto the Plaza sidewalk, or when you might slip into an open stool at the food bar overlooking the minuscule kitchen next to a local winemaker or possibly a world famous rock star.  There certainly is never a time when the compact dining room – made much sweeter after a recent renovation – doesn’t feel as comfy as dining in your very own home, bright and cheerful during long, warm summer evenings, and romantic and cozy when the winter rains are spattering against the restaurant’s oversized front windows.

That teeny kitchen manages to whip up a fairly amazing amount of food most nights thanks to Chef Jeffrey Lloyd, whose food perfectly fits the homey, Wine Country atmosphere at La Haye.  Simple salads and appetizers change frequently, featuring locally grown produce and Sonoma County cheeses.  Entrees are eclectic, but straightforward and aren’t excessively played with, also featuring the best of local ingredients…food you might prepare at home, if you were a talented trained chef.  Chef Lloyd seems a very quiet, calm presence in the kitchen here, and I thought it a nice idea to get to know a little more about him.  For more information visit cafelahaye.com or call Cafe La Haye at 935.5994.  Located at 140 E. Napa Street.

Kristin Jorgensen: “What is your most vibrant food memory from childhood?”

Jeffrey Lloyd: “My mom teaching me to cook eggs sunny side up at age five.”

KJ: “Was there one pivotal moment that made you want to be a chef?”

JL: “At age 15, as a dishwasher at the Hillcrest Supper Club, watching the hustle and bustle of the kitchen and knowing that world was for me.”

KJ: “The restaurant business is crazy stressful, what do you to blow off steam?”

JL: “Golfing, Fishing & Shooting.”

KJ: “On death row….what’s your Last Supper?”

JL: “Dry aged, bone-in New York Strip Steak with Dungeness crab and a touch of Hollandaise.”

KJ: “Dream foodie trip…what is it?”

JL: “Paris and Spain.”

KJ: “What was your most dramatic kitchen disaster?”

JL: “Every Valentine’s Day!”

KJ: “Most memorable meal?”

JL: “At Ducasse in New York, a16 course white truffle menu.”

KJ: “What foodie thing/spot does Sonoma most need?”

JL: “Something like the Oxbow Market (in Napa).”

JK: “Tell me a little about your background, training, etc.”

JL: “CIA Hyde Park, NY.  10 Years with Michael Mina at Aqua and as Chef de Cuisine, Restaurant Michael Mina.”

KJ: “Tell me about Cafe la Haye.  What is your favorite dish, your future plans for the restaurant, etc.”

JL: “Always a work in progress…”

Catalan Tomato Bread

Inspired by a hors d’oeuvres made by one of my best friends recently, this grilled bread with tomatoes is one of the most addictive ways to use our bounty of beautiful summer tomatoes up right now!

Yield: Makes about 10 large toasts

• 1 loaf Della Fattoria’s Campagna Boule (rustic round loaf found locally at Sonoma Market)
• 2 large garlic cloves, halved crosswise
• 3 to 4 ripe tomatoes, halved crosswise
• 3 to 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Coarse salt to taste

Prepare grill for cooking. If using a charcoal grill, open vents on bottom of grill, then light charcoal. Charcoal fire is medium-hot when you can hold your hand 5 inches above rack for 3 to 4 seconds. If using a gas grill, preheat burners on high, covered, 10 minutes, then reduce heat to moderate. Cut bread into 3/4-inch-thick slices (cut baguette on a long diagonal for 6-inch-long slices). Working in batches of 3 or 4 slices, grill bread on lightly oiled grill rack, covered only if using a gas grill, turning over once, until grill marks appear, 1 to 2 minutes total per batch. Remove bread from heat and immediately rub 1 side of each slice with cut side of a garlic half, then rub with cut side of a tomato half, using 1 tomato half for 1 to 2 slices of bread and allowing most of pulp to be absorbed by bread (discard remainder of garlic and tomato halves). Brush bread with oil, then sprinkle with salt and serve immediately.

On The Menu

Head to the coolest little vineyard in Sonoma for Little Vineyard’s “Jammin’ in the Vineyards” on Thursday, September 13.  From 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. enjoy live music by Rich and Josh Little, Dave Ronconi, and Bill Nelson while sipping wine and enjoying gorgeous valley views.  Little Vineyards is located in Glen Ellen at 15188 Sonoma Highway.  For more information, visit littlevineyards.com or call 996.2750.

On Sunday, September 16, experience the annual “Kathmandu Festival” held at the Sonoma Veteran’s Memorial Building from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.  This, always fun, festival celebrates the exotic sights, sounds, and flavors Nepal and the Himalayans through food, music and dance performances.  Visit childrensmedaid.org/kathmandu-festival or call 938.1807 for all the details.

Another tasty sounding Dining Club Rive Gauche, where guests will dine on an “Italian Harvest Menu” with live music by Dave Aguilar and Peter McCauley of Tudo Bem.  On Wednesday, September 19, at 6 p.m. dine on melon and Prosciutto, a local tomato Caprese salad, herb-roasted chicken with polenta, and a Frangipane tart.  This month’s dinner is held at the Finnish American Home Association at 197 West Verano Avenue and the cost is $35 per person, service not included, byob.  Call 996.0900 to make your necessary reservations.

Kristin Jorgensen is one of Sonoma’s most passionate, food obsessed residents. In this weekly column, she covers all the delicious happenings, foodie events and restaurants in Sonoma, the rest of Wine Country and beyond.  Find her blogging daily as the Cook at thecardiganandcook.com or via email at [email protected].