From Our Editors
For Connie Luna, opening Connie's Kitchen was a much-needed deceleration. She’d spent the previous 25 years aboard moving trains as a private railcar chef, zipping across the country while honing techniques that would contribute to her restaurant's menu of comfort food. Today, she stays grounded in a room filled with cheery sunflower wallpaper, colorful teapots, and the aromas of homestyle entrees such as chicken piccata in lemon-and-caper sauce. Also in the kitchen is her son Michael, who earned the nickname "the Ladle King" for his proficiency in conjuring up savory soups.
The family pair whips together breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and teatime meals, trying to incorporate organic ingredients whenever possible. Much of their produce arrives from local farms, where it grows without receiving additives or having its big-city dreams smashed to pieces. To further their commitment to health, the mother and son have also refused to install a deep fryer. Their oven still churns out crispy eats, however, baking english shepherd's pie, artichoke-stuffed garlic bread, and fish 'n' chips. Vegetarian and vegan options also join the catalog of internationally inspired plates with meatless lasagna and chili.
