Ron Zimmerman’s posthumous cookbook reflects its author’s passion and enduring curiosity for local foods
In the world of farm-to-table fine dining, The Herbfarm reigns as an institution, a textbook example of letting the land and the seasons guide every aspect of your life. Ron Zimmerman and Carrie Van Dyck truly built something special when they started their small cooking school and luncheon program in a garage alongside their family’s operating herb farm in Fall City in 1986.
Zimmerman’s vision and passion for perfection found a winning match with Van Dyck’s organization and leadership, though both would later reflect it took many years before they could pause to appreciate it. The luncheons were part of an educational class, Zimmerman and Van Dyck guiding folks around and explaining the herbs and how to use them, and sharing dishes using the herbs to their guests.
“We joined his parents on the actual herb farm, and Ron put together a five-unit plan,” said Van Dyck in a recent interview, laughing. “We were going to expand the nursery. We were going to expand the retail store and add mail-order to it. We were going to have classes. And then, we were going to manufacture some products and have special events. One of the classes was the educational luncheon, where you could have an entire meal that featured herbs so that you can learn about herbs and buy more herb plants. We were so busy I feel I didn’t know we actually had a restaurant until at least 10 or more years into the process.”
Van Dyck reflected that Zimmerman’s plan was to try a bunch of approaches, and then narrow down The Herbfarm’s focus after seeing what worked. The only problem (or the opposite of a problem) was, everything seemed to work. It was many years before they removed anything, instead of adding more.
Together, the couple and their crew created an experience for guests that grew and evolved with them, as well as the seasons. Many of our favorite events—like the Washington Brewers’ Festival over Father’s Day weekend—started on The Herbfarm. Famous for their hyper-seasonal themed menus like “A Mycologist’s Dream,” dinner at The Herbfarm seems like falling out of time for a few hours.
When Zimmerman tragically passed away from cancer in 2023, he had already completed much of the cookbook and memoir that would become The Spirit of The Herbfarm Restaurant. In the very natural way of their relationship, Van Dyck took the manuscript and, with the help of their friends and colleagues, completed the book.
The pages are full of The Herbfarm’s journey from garage to full-service restaurant, the victories and defeats. There are many delicious recipes in the book, but it’s clear that Zimmerman cared as much for concept and technique, and applying those skills to improve any dish as needed. As current co-owner and chef Chris Weber said, “Recipes are secondary to flavor.”
The Spirit of The Herbfarm Restaurant is a testament to the passion for truly local cuisine that everyone involved with The Herbfarm shared.
Readers can sense the love for food and community on every page.
“He always wanted to create an experience for our guests where life could be as perfect as possible for just a few hours,” wrote Van Dyck. We’re pleased to share the following excerpt from The Spirit of The Herbfarm Restaurant. The chapter on autumn, or as Zimmerman titled it, “The Feasting Season,” celebrates a slower pace after the hectic summer. The recipe we share is full of fresh wild mushrooms, and simultaneously feels decadent and very rustic.
The Spirit of The Herbfarm Restaurant is available at spiritoftheherbfarm.com. Direct purchases of the book help fund the Ron Zimmerman Scholarship Fund, which honors the restaurateur’s legacy in hospitality.
THE FEASTING SEASON
Excerpted from The Spirit of The Herbfarm Restaurant, with permission You first notice it as a soft chill caressing your cheek on a windless day. A bit of snap vibrates in the refreshed air. Then overhead come the calls of geese, their honks rising excitedly in pitch as they bank over fields and farms before setting down. The “Feasting Season” has begun. With some luck, summer extends its lease well into September. Now the payoff.
Crops we’ve been tending since spring march to center stage. Plump heritage tomatoes test their sagging vines. Melons, apples, pears, plums and quince join with huckleberries, grapes and saskatoon berries in desserts. Potatoes, corn, winter squashes and shelling beans announce their entrance. They will stay until spring. Before the rains come, Eric Fritch reaps and winnows our wheat. We will have bread for another year. And it’s the traditional time for harvesting livestock, which keeps the kitchen busy curing hams and featuring fresh cuts and dark-meated fowl. Let’s feast.
