From Citrus Groves to MICHELIN Stars

This hands-on education exposed her to varietals quality that she wouldn’t fully appreciate until years later. “One of the biggest impacts growing up on a citrus grove and fruit orchard was the quality and variety I was exposed to,” she explains. “It wasn't until I moved out that I fully realized that most people don’t have access to eating this way. What I learned is people don’t enjoy fruits and vegetables because the raw product they have access to doesn’t taste as it should.”

Her palate was shaped by ingredients rarely found in mass production – Melogold and Oro Blanco grapefruits, pomelos, Chironja oranges, multiple avocado varieties beyond the ubiquitous Haas, plus guavas, cherimoyas, loquats, and fresh nuts with “distinctive flavors and qualities that can be lost when not fresh.” 

Early Kitchen Lessons 

Rachel’s formal introduction to cooking came through family members who each contributed something unique to her culinary foundation. Her grandmother introduced her to baking by working through a cookie cookbook together, while also teaching her to handle unusual vegetables from Rachel’s mystery seed collection. 

“She was not the best cook,” Rachel admits with affection, “but we spent a lot of time in the orchards and kitchens together. Our culinary journey was mainly making pies, jams, and utilizing the fruits and vegetables in the daily dinner she would put on the table.” 

Her mother’s contribution was perhaps even more valuable: freedom.  

“My mom gave me the freedom to fulfill my curiosity in the kitchen. Her gift to me was allowing me the ingredients, time, and space to take over her kitchen, make a mess, and have failures without judgment.” 

As a teenager, her grandfather added his influence, providing garden produce along with recipe clippings – his way of saying “here's what I want you to make for me.” His winter squash soups became a recurring theme in her developing repertoire. 

During these formative years, Rachel discovered Bon Appétit magazine and read about an emerging chef named Thomas Keller who was transforming American fine dining at The French Laundry. “At the time, it seemed like such a far-off wonder,” she remembers. 

Professional Training Begins

After high school, Rachel enrolled at the California Culinary Academy – Le Cordon Bleu in San Francisco, where she learned the classical French techniques that would become her foundation. But as she would later realize, “Culinary school teaches you the ‘how,’ but working in great kitchens teaches you the ‘why.’ You learn not just to execute a technique but to understand its purpose.” 

Her stage at The French Laundry, though brief, left an indelible mark. Thomas Keller would walk through the prep kitchen in the evenings, occasionally commenting on her work. “More than my culinary approach, it influenced my physical sense of technique, precision, efficiency, speed, multitasking, and respect for the team,” she reflects. 

But it was The Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton under Ron Siegel that proved most formative. “The team was incredibly tight; we were like a family, albeit competitive. Because we were relatively small, the ability to learn was vast, and our ingredients were second to none.” 

Ron Siegel offered something beyond technical training – a model for work-life balance in a demanding profession. “Chef Ron’s style in running a kitchen was different from what I had seen – he was calmer. While we pushed in terms of hours and days and worked hard, he had a family, and I aspired to somehow find the ‘balance’ like he seemingly did.” 

At Wolfgang Puck’s Postrio, she encountered a chef whose exacting standards pushed her perception of excellence in scenes that could have been straight out of “The Bear.” “I remember him telling me – or yelling – that I didn’t plate something the same way he did, and at the time I couldn’t see the difference. Today, when I’m teaching finesse and precision to new cooks, I remember that moment in my career when I couldn’t yet perceive that level of intricacy and detail. Now I approach training with the patience I wish I had received – helping others develop their eye gradually rather than expecting immediate perfection.” 

Developing a Culinary Philosophy

Through these varied experiences, Chef Rachel developed her distinctive approach to cooking, one deeply rooted in sustainable ingredients and the authentic flavors of fresh food. “My ethos is to highlight the main ingredient of the dish, utilizing techniques and complementary ingredients to enhance both the ingredient and the overall dish,” she explains. “My culinary style is to present food that is beautiful and pleasing to the eye, but impactful when eating – connecting diners to the pure, original taste of quality ingredients in a way that evokes emotions and even nostalgia.” 

One particular taste memory from a teenage trip to Paris remains vivid: “I don't remember using white pepper much at home, but I do remember as a teenager having a ham and cheese with white pepper crepe in Paris. That combination, while so simple and so basic, resonates with me today.” Now, she cherishes when her husband makes Swedish pancakes for the family, “always with good cheese, good ham, mushrooms, and of course, white pepper.” 

“While my cuisine is not French, the cooking technique is French. The cooking in the restaurants that I ‘grew up in’ had French technique, but many welcomed ingredients from varying places of the world.” 

Her signature dish exemplifies this philosophy: a sunchoke velouté with oyster, caviar, apple, and horseradish. “I think this dish is so elegant and has surprisingly delicate flavors, but all impactful. While it sounds so simple, it resonates so deeply with flavors and surprise.”

The Journey to JUSTIN 

After establishing herself in fine dining, Rachel moved to the hotel world but found something missing. “While at hotels, I yearned to cook from my heart in a way that would be fulfilling to me,” she explains. 

The path back began at the Balboa Bay Club through a series of wine dinners. “I could express my culinary skills in partnership with a winery we paired with. Through my food and beverage director, and with my inclusion in picking the wines, I expanded my wine knowledge and food and wine pairings.” JUSTIN was one of their partner wineries.

When a position opened at The Restaurant at JUSTIN, everything aligned. “It was everything I was looking for: the nostalgia of home (small town), the ability to cook from my heart and the land, and every dinner was a wine dinner! But beyond that, the operation was multifaceted, so I knew the operation would challenge me in every way.” 

One of her first major projects was establishing an on-site garden. “What is so special about having a garden, aside from the obvious, is that it allows us to grow ingredients that we could not otherwise access. Additionally, it forces us to think outside of the box and pushes us to be creative when we need to utilize a new ingredient, or if we have more of a particular ingredient than we can use.” 

Unexpected Recognition

When Chef Rachel arrived at JUSTIN, earning a MICHELIN Star wasn’t even on her radar. “When I moved to Paso Robles, MICHELIN was not in the Central Coast. It focused on Northern California. I never expected that they would come to Paso.” 

She focused instead on building excellence for its own sake. Then MICHELIN expanded its California coverage, and when the 2022 guide was announced, The Restaurant at JUSTIN had earned a star – the only winery restaurant in California to achieve this recognition. 

The accolades didn’t stop there. The Restaurant also earned: 

• A MICHELIN Green Star for sustainability 
• Forbes Five-Star 
• AAA Five Diamonds
• Wine Spectator Best Of award of excellence 

The Restaurant at JUSTIN has retained both its MICHELIN Star and Green Star with the 2025 awards, marking three consecutive years of this prestigious recognition and cementing its status as a culinary destination. 

Sustainability as Core Value

The MICHELIN Green Star recognizes Chef Rachel’s comprehensive approach to sustainability. “It’s about creating a system or ecosystem that evolves and becomes strong with time,” she explains. “The ethos is not just within our farming, but our business and our kitchen. If we can achieve these goals, then our food system is tastier and healthier, our staff, partnerships, and community are stronger – all leading to a stronger business.” 

“Everyone has a role that they can play in making the land and community more sustainable; this is how we can play a role. The question and challenge is HOW we achieve this.” 

This philosophy manifests through partnerships with local farms, comprehensive waste reduction (carrot tops become chimichurri, citrus peels transform into oils), composting programs, and menu design that features seasonal ingredients at their peak. 

The Wine Advantage 

Being a part of JUSTIN Vineyards & Winery provides unique opportunities for creating perfect harmony between food and wine. “I am, and many on our restaurant team are, Level One Somms,” Chef Rachel notes. “Being able to speak to a wider spectrum of wine experts – somms, winemakers, etc. – helps deepen the understanding and appreciation for wine. So, when Scott Shirley (JUSTIN’s head winemaker) validates or agrees with a pairing or opinion on wine, I feel encouraged in my ability,” she adds, showing that even accomplished chefs value expert collaboration. 

Leading With Purpose 

As a woman in fine dining, Chef Rachel brings an important perspective to kitchen leadership. “Even though women are in powerful places and ‘have a seat at the table,’ we need to go a step further and also ‘allow those females to have a voice’ at the table, not just a seat,” she explains. 

She’s candid about the challenges: “The main reason for gender disparity is the kind of work. It is hard to take care of others when you spend so much time at work.” Her own success, she acknowledges, comes with crucial support: “Female chefs that are also mothers must have a supportive partner or system at home to be successful professionally. I am extremely lucky that I have a partner who has done the caregiving so that I could forge ahead on this career path.” 

A Day in the Life at The Restaurant at JUSTIN 

Daily Excellence 

A typical day for Chef Rachel begins early, often in the garden selecting ingredients for that evening’s service. This hands-on approach connects her to her agricultural roots while ensuring she understands exactly what her team will work with. 

The kitchen operates with ballet-like precision. Stocks simmer, breads rise, proteins are portioned exactly. Rachel moves through it all – tasting, adjusting, teaching. Her standards are exacting, but her feedback constructive, informed by her memories of learning precision. 

At service, she takes her position at the pass, where every dish receives final approval. “Every plate that leaves this kitchen carries our reputation,” she states. “It doesn't matter if it’s the first guest of the evening or the last – each one deserves our absolute best.” 

The Cuisine in Practice 

Chef Rachel’s cooking style balances technical sophistication with ingredient integrity. Her treatment of local halibut exemplifies this approach – the fish seared precisely, topped with citrus beurre blanc that echoes her childhood grove, resting on garden vegetables each cooked to preserve their distinct character. 

Her vegetable preparations show equal creativity. A summer tomato tasting might feature five varieties, each prepared differently – one simply dressed with olive oil and salt, another confited, a third transformed into a clear essence. The plate becomes an exploration of what a single ingredient can be. 



Personal Touches 

Despite the pressure of running a MICHELIN-Starred kitchen, Chef Rachel maintains refreshing honesty about her personal food preferences. “I don't often eat it, but when I have both really good bread and butter, I eat too much,” she admits. She loves triple-cream Brie, has a weakness for salty French fries, and stress-eats chocolate. 

These simple pleasures remind us that even the most accomplished chefs remain, at heart, people who simply love good food. 

A Lasting Impact 

Chef Rachel Haggstrom has achieved something remarkable. She’s proven that a winery restaurant can earn the same recognition as any urban fine dining establishment. She’s shown that sustainability and luxury complement rather than contradict each other. Most importantly, she’s created a model for what California cuisine can be when it truly honors its ingredients and setting. 

The young girl who learned patience watching seeds transform into vegetables has become a leader in American fine dining. Yet she remains grounded in the values her family instilled: respect for ingredients, commitment to craft, and the belief that great food creates lasting memories. 

For guests at The Restaurant at JUSTIN, each meal becomes part of this continuing story. They taste not just exceptional food and wine, but the culmination of a journey that began in a citrus grove and reached for the stars – MICHELIN Stars, to be exact. 

In Paso Robles wine country, where the land gives generously of its bounty, Chef Rachel and her team transform that generosity into experiences that nourish both body and soul. The Restaurant at JUSTIN stands as proof that with vision, dedication, and uncompromising standards, even the loftiest dreams can become a delicious reality. 

But she’s not resting on these achievements... 

Experience the Excellence 

For those ready to experience Chef Rachel’s extraordinary cuisine, The Restaurant at JUSTIN offers multiple options: 

The Tasting Menu provides the full experience over 2.5 to 3 hours, with each course paired with JUSTIN wines. Seasonal à la Carte courses during the tasting room’s lunch hours allow customization while showcasing the kitchen’s best work. Special Events throughout the year highlight different aspects of the program, from winemaker dinners to harvest celebrations. Private Dining creates customized experiences for intimate gatherings or larger celebrations. 

This is destination dining at its finest. Reservations are highly recommended, especially on weekends and during special events.