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Richard Tarlov’s Life in Food Takes Him from Farm to Market  Son of a college professor and grandson of restaurateurs, Richard Tarlov spent summers on scientific expeditions in Indonesia and Peru, in marine labs in Europe, all the while taking meticulous notes on the flora, the fauna... and the food, “quietly making notes about the cooking and the flavors.” Intrigued by the link between agriculture and local cuisine, he became partner in a rural Vermont organic farm. "While the farm was being organized I had lots of day jobs including milking Jersey cows, smoking hams, and my first retail management position at the local natural foods co-op. It was Food 101.” It is not at all surprising Tarlov ended up linking agriculture and cuisine right in our very own bread-basket. "Northern California combines so many of the critical elements of great food and cuisine," Tarlov says. "A Mediterranean climate and diverse micro-climates, great wine-growing districts, dedicated farmers and fishermen, passionate eaters and cooks—it’s one of the very few areas of the world where you can find this combination of factors." Turns out there is hardly a food emporium in the bay area - or New York for that matter - that hasn’t felt his touch. And he credits each of these stops along the way with furthering his education. Five years at Dean & DeLuca’s ground breaking Prince Street location “when SoHo was an emerging neighborhood” followed by stops at Eli Zabar, Native Farms and Manhattan Fruitier, landing at Balducci’s , “the Harvard of Food, due to the depth of their knowledge in food, produce, preparation and display.” With almost 15 years as an SFPFS member and consulting for specialty food retailers, importers and catalog companies, I ask Tarlov what originally brought him to California. Turns out, it’s the cheese. “Importing and distributing Androuët cheeses through Chantal Plasse’s La Ferme Beaujolaise on Russian Hill. Androuët, the great Parisian cheesemonger and affineur, air-shipped the cheeses to San Francisco where I learned to age them perfectly before delivery.“ Native: Chicago Education: Middlebury College. Turning Point: In 1984 Tarlov moved to Paris for a year, drawn, he says, "by the twin forces of love and good food.” Between catering jobs and teaching English he audited classes at La Varenne, the cooking school. "My time in Paris brought me into contact with some of the great working chefs of Europe and taught me how food could be elevated to a very serious level. I learned about bread baking in the cellars of Poilâne, shopped in every open-air market in Paris and ate the best food I'd ever tasted—in both truck stops and three-star restaurants.” Accomplishments in Food: Oakville Grocery - 8 years, ultimately as Vice President, Merchandising The Pasta Shop - PR, web, catalog and brochure development The American Market Café at Copia - Design, merchandising and grand opening Boudin Bakery @ Fisherman’s Wharf - Early design for the new flagship restaurant, cafe and production bakery Nona’s East Side Market in Sonoma - Design, construction and opening Fine Cooking magazine - co authored, with wife Janet Mason Tarlov, a cheese educator, an article on serving a cheese course at home Currently: Opening a 7,000 square foot retail place of his own, Canyon Market, an “urban hybrid” combining natural, specialty and mainstream grocery with a focus on the natural and specialty components, including prepared foods, sandwiches and baked goods. In addition to every hurdle faced by aspiring retailers, this Glen Park location, projected to open in October, is in a new building development requiring the city to re-map the area, a tedious process Tarlov hopes none of us have to live through. Publications: ‘Toward Self Reliance: Vermont's Food System’, Rodale. Numerous trade and consumer articles on food. About SFPFS : “The SFPFS has always been my comfort zone, providing a network of people in the industry to learn from and share ideas with. We all nurture each other in carving out a place of our own.” |
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