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Farm Focus: Meet Mario
We are so excited to welcome Mario Hernandez as our new Culinary Coordinator! Mario will be working on recipe development for the farm as well as streamlining our Farm to Table Cafe at the S.F. Ferry Building.
Mario’s love of food developed at a young age. The early part of his life was spent in Japan. He remembers shopping in the open air markets, similar to our farmers markets, which were prevalent at that time. His Mom was very particular about choosing their food with a scrupulous eye, taking into account variety, size, and condition and how that food would translate onto their plate. Mario considers sourcing, cooking. His ethos around creating recipes is to showcase the fruits or vegetables he is working with in order to let their flavor profiles speak. He draws inspiration from cultures with long histories in cuisine, particularly Mediterranean and Asian cuisine.
Mario started his chefs training at Oliveto restaurant in Oakland. Mario began volunteering regularly on Saturdays and assisted breaking down ingredients, making soups and mak-
ing salads. After a few weeks, they offered him a job, which he turned down due to the pay structure, but continued to volunteer for a few years every Saturday and Sunday.
Since then, Mario has had many culinary adventures including opening a very popular cafe in the East Village in New York, acting as the Market Chef for the Pacific Coast Farmers Market association and more.
Mario’s recipes are driven by seasonality and he loves being able to showcase the flavors of high quality produce, so he’s found a good home at Frog Hollow Farm. Keep an eye out for
his recipes in the newsletter, and hopefully, look forward to trying some of his soups as add-ons!
