The Sonoma Table

For acclaimed chef, restaurateur and Sonoma Dames Chapter Vice President, Dame Liza Hinman, her journey to the heart of the epicurean world began in a cubicle: a very coveted one, at that. After graduating from Middlebury College (with Dame Liza Shaw!) with a degree in history, Liza landed a job that would elicit envy in many a young foodie: editorial assistant to the food department at Gourmet Magazine in New York City. This was in the late-90’s: a time when chefs were being elevated to new heights with stardom, personalized brands and high profile careers. And she was witnessing it from a front row seat at one of the world’s leading food magazines.

“It was quite a position to score post-graduation,” admitted Liza. “I fell in love with the food world through my work in restaurants through college. And I loved research and writing - so this made sense for me. I got to dive into recipe development and some writing. It was incredibly inspiring and exciting.” 

Ultimately, Liza realized that creating recipes and witnessing the latest food trends and rapid celebrity chef rise from her cubicle was no substitute for working with food. She didn’t want to just talk about food, she wanted to make it (and lucky for us!). She applied to culinary school and moved across the country to San Francisco - leaving directly after 9/11 - to attend the California Culinary Academy in the city. It was here, not only through her culinary program, but also surrounded by chefs, restaurants and purveyors, that she was exposed to concepts and ideas that impacted her greatly -  influencing her cooking and shaping her view of her role in her industry and community in the future. First were the ideas of farm-to-table and seasonality, which were so intuitive here in California, but not really emphasized outside of the state as much in the 80’s and 90’s. These became the heart of her cooking and ethos, which she maintains today. 

A second incredible influence for Liza was her work with women in the industry. She ended up working almost exclusively with women, which really shaped her view of the industry and what it was like for women, which was not easy. Many of these women were restaurateurs running smaller businesses, which gave Liza insight into the complexity of day-to-day operations, and provided her with inspiration and knowledge for her later roles of chef and restauranteur. One of her most important mentors and examples was Loretta Keller of Bizou restaurant in San Francisco. It was through watching Loretta run all the details and aspects of the business and front of house that Liza realized what was possible, remarking

“There weren’t many role models for women chefs at the time. Watching Loretta run a successful kitchen and restaurant was really inspiring for me - and it helped me pave the way for the business I would ultimately open myself.”

Another impactful outcome of her work at Bizou was meeting her now husband, Joseph (Joe) Stewart, a native of Healdsburg whose family owned the beloved Downtown Bakery. After working for years in San Francisco, they opted to move north to be closer to his family. They are the proud parents of a son and twin girls. After working in some of the region’s top restaurants, including Geyserville’s now-shuttered Santi with Dino Bugica and Ari Rosen, she found her way to restaurant ownership with the opening of her Spinster Sisters in 2012. 

As Liza has worked to build her restaurant and additional projects, as well as raise a family, she had never forgotten the incredible influence of the women mentors in the industry who supported her and her vision of becoming a chef and restaurateur: a primary motivation for her leadership and mentorship with LDEI and other community and industry-focused organizations supporting women and their families.

As she states,  “I’ve spent many years of my career both saddened by the lack of women in the kitchens I’ve cooked in - and in the kitchens I’ve run. I’ve been determined to work towards helping open doors and have conversations about a better path that encourages women to stay a part of this field, and to think of it as a viable career option. I think the platform of the Dames is special because it focuses on creating opportunities in the hospitality fields for women.” 

A graduate of the James Beard Foundation’s Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership Program (of 2016), and as a Dame, Liza has found it incredibly rewarding to connect with women leaders in the food and hospitality industry who are working to make positive and important changes and constantly improve the foundation they have worked hard to build.

Says Liza, “As a business owner, I’ve also craved the opportunity to connect and converse with other accomplished women who understand the challenges and triumphs of being a chef, business owner and member of the hospitality industry. Being a Dame gives me access to so many amazing and accomplished women who I admire deeply and gives me the chance to build new relationships and share knowledge and experiences with these amazing women. It is truly a honor!”

Liza was a founding Chapter member and is currently a member of the Board and of the Executive Committee, Events Chair and now Membership Co-Chair. Liza, thank you for all of your past and continued hard work!

—Written by Dame Erin Hunt Moore