Style Magazine Folsom and El Dorado Hills November 2018

15 TOP CHEFS
Angelique Miller
Zest Vegan Kitchen, 2620 Sunset Boulevard, Suite 1,
Rocklin, 916-824-1688, zestvegankitchen.com
Plant-based kitchen virtuoso
Angelique Miller traveled for
work when she was young,
studying food every new place
that she went. In 1995, she
began a vegetarian diet, and
further honed her producetransforming
chops after going
vegan in 2008. Now she’s
devoted to demonstrating how
delicious food can be without
meat.
First memory of food: My
dad, who is Croatian, would
make palacinkas, which are
like a thick crêpe. I used to
smother them in jam and roll
them up.
Food philosophy: I love to
celebrate plants in all their
beautiful glory. Delicious
colors, flavors, and textures
can happen with the simplest
ingredients. I strive for food
being not only delicious and
beautiful, but nourishing and
joyful.
If I wasn’t a chef, I’d be:
I’d love to spend more time
being creative and innovative
while other trusted individuals
handled the daily business
aspects of running a restaurant.
Top cooking tip: Use whatever
tools you can find to make
cooking fun and easy, and get
in there and play.
The best thing I ever ate: I’m
still haunted by the memory of
a breathtaking chile relleno I
had as a kid in Arizona at a tiny
hole-in-the-wall restaurant. So
uniquely and freshly prepared,
it inspires me to this day. I
also once had a cherimoya
fruit that was so perfectly
sun-ripened and flavorful
that it was bliss beyond belief,
eliciting audible moans and
head-to-toe tingles. I’m still
chasing that experience each
time I buy a cherimoya.
One food I’ll never get
behind: Animals.
Guilty pleasure food:
So Delicious cashew ice
cream (salted caramel and
snickerdoodle).
Favorite ingredient to work
with: Besan (a smooth yellow
chickpea flour found in Indian
grocery stores). It’s shockingly
gross when tasted raw, but
borderline magical after it’s
freshly cooked.
For dinner last night, I ate:
Veggie enchiladas, green
cilantro rice, chips, and salsa
Favorite food pairing: Fruit
and herbs, like blackberries
and sage or watermelon and
mint.
Favorite restaurant and dish:
The vegan OMFG roll from
Lou’s Sushi in Sacramento.
You’d never know it, but: My
kids were born in Haiti, and
I have a deep appreciation
and love for Haitian culture
and food, which is mainly
Caribbean with a French
influence. I offer Haitian dishes
sometimes at Zest and am
thrilled when people try them.
Kara Taylor
The Farm Table, 311 Main Street, Placerville, 530-295-
8140, ourfarmtable.com
Kara Taylor started working in coffee and donut shops
when she was 13, followed by a pie-making stint at an apple
orchard. By 15, she was cooking on the line at a fine dining
Italian restaurant. Today? You can find her slinging some of
the best duck confit in Northern California, among other
things.
First memory of food: Eating lobster at a birthday party
when I was four. Growing up in coastal New England, it was a
family tradition to eat lobster on our birthdays.
Food philosophy: Less is more.
If I wasn’t a chef, I’d be: Doing community development
work in the nonprofit or public sector.
Top cooking tip: Don’t rush it. Dishes cooked “low and
slow” like confits and braises are my specialty.
The best thing I ever ate: Lobster in butter, lobster bisque,
lobster roll—I really love lobster.
One food I’ll never get behind: I can’t think of anything I’ll
never like!
Guilty pleasure food: Fried chicken, but I don’t really feel
guilty about it.
Favorite ingredient to work with: Pork.
For dinner last night, I ate: A sausage sandwich with
grilled peppers and onions.
Favorite food pairing: During fall, butternut squash and
chipotle chili.
Favorite restaurant and dish: Chile Relleno and Blood
Sausage Tacos from Santa Maria Taqueria.
You’d never know it, but: I spent a year working as a tool
librarian, lending out tools and fixing small engines on lawn
mowers.
58 stylefedh.com // NOVEMBER 2018 // /stylefedh /stylemediagroup /stylemediagroup /stylemagfedh