A cheery, light-filled, airy room with views of the trees and courtyard outside, the ranch country kitchen is one of the most popular gathering places on the property and the domain of Executive Chef Gerald Gass. Here, with his colleague Mark Rohrmeier, he plans and executes all ranch hospitality, from daily staff lunches to major events like the annual harvest party. The menu is determined seasonally according to the fruits and vegetables available from the nearby organic gardens courtesy of Head Gardener Margaret Koski-Kent and her talented crew. Everything, from vegetables and pastas to meat and fish dishes to bread and even sorbet, is made using our extra virgin olive oil.

Educated at the California Culinary Institute and trained at some of San Francisco’s top-rated restaurants, Gerald Gass joined the ranch in 1996 after five wonderful years as sous chef under the direction of celebrated chef Joyce Goldstein at San Francisco’s acclaimed Square One restaurant. As Joyce recalls in her Foreword to Gerald’s Olive Harvest Cookbook, she was heartbroken when he gave notice in order to move his young family to rural Sonoma County where he was on the opening team of Jan Birnbaum’s Catahoula Restaurant in Calistoga. Three years later when the opportunity came for Joyce to refer Gerald to Nan McEvoy, who as a frequent, long-time patron of Square One phoned looking for a recommendation for someone to cook at the ranch, she was more than happy to oblige, and a match was made.

Since that time, inspired by the wealth of seasonal produce that flourishes right outside the kitchen door, Gerald has authored a cookbook of more than 70 recipes combining extra virgin olive oil with the best the ranch has to offer. These olive oil-infused recipes are simple to prepare and draw on the fruits of nature as their main ingredients. Stunning photographs of the olive groves, gardens, and recipes make The Olive Harvest Cookbook a lovely gift for anyone who has ever dreamed of living off the land in their own little piece of Eden.