In the mid-1990s, the teenage granddaughter of a citrus grove farmer in Temecula, California, kept hearing about a small, mostly unknown restaurant located an hour north of San Francisco and the accolades it was receiving. Already a fixture in her family’s kitchen and learning how to cook vegetables from their backyard garden, she wondered how one restaurant in the middle of culinary no-man’s-land could garner such enormous attention.

That restaurant was The French Laundry – chef Thomas Keller’s iconic, three-MICHELIN-Starred achievement – and the buzz it generated inspired that young girl, Rachel Haggstrom, to pursue her own dreams of achieving culinary success.

Fast-forward to today, and she’s certainly done that.

Now executive chef at The Restaurant at JUSTIN, nestled in the rolling hills of Paso Robles, Haggstrom is leaving her own mark on California’s culinary scene. For Haggstrom, The Restaurant is equal parts test kitchen and art studio.

“I like honest food that isn’t overcomplicated, that is rooted in fundamental French techniques versus modern molecular gastronomy,” Haggstrom says. “I make dishes that highlight an ingredient or complement flavors, to showcase ingredients in their truest and best form.”

People have noticed. And, as it turns out, that includes the most prestigious food critics on the planet. The Restaurant at JUSTIN is the only winery restaurant with a MICHELIN Star – one of the culinary industry’s highest recognitions – as well as a MICHELIN Green Star for sustainability practices. Additionally, The Restaurant has received a Five-Star rating from Forbes Travel Guide and Five Diamonds by AAA. These coveted honors cement Haggstrom’s status as a world-class chef.

So how did that curious young girl make it this far? After graduating from the California Culinary Academy of San Francisco, she rose through the kitchen ranks at places like The Dining Room at The Ritz-Carlton in San Francisco, the Balboa Bay Resort, the St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort, and, yes, even The French Laundry.

“From The French Laundry, I learned efficiency, urgency, and a sense of team,” Haggstrom recalls. “At The Dining Room, Ron Siegel taught me a different, gentler kind of mentorship and management. My eyes were additionally opened to many new ingredients.”

Part of looking into the future, she says, is discovering and growing the absolute freshest ingredients possible. Ingredients, for Haggstrom, are nothing short of inspirational.

“Inspiration comes in multiple forms – sometimes from something casual I prepare at home or a new technique I’m trying. Other times it comes from ingredients I see and how I want to highlight or pair them together.”

And when your restaurant is in the heart of one of the Central Coast’s best wineries, wine becomes an essential component to the dining experience that Haggstrom wants her guests to enjoy.

“Generally, my inspiration is food first, then I consider the wine pairing,” she says. “Luckily, we have a large portfolio. Once I envision or taste a general pairing, I will alter the dish and/or try another wine to find the perfect pairing.”

We in the wine business love to talk about the perfect pairing. So, what do we have here? A world-class chef creating MICHELIN-caliber dishes alongside world-class wines, against the stunning backdrop of the JUSTIN Vineyards & Winery. Sounds like a pairing worthy of any palate – including those of the best food judges in the world.