The Kitchen Restaurant

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

A Family Table, Three Decades Deep

The Kitchen Restaurant began as a catering facility on Broadway in Sacramento, where chef-owners Randall Selland and Nancy Zimmer started hosting what they called "Demonstration Dinners" — just one night a month at first, then weekly as word spread. Their adult children Josh Nelson and Tamera Baker ran the front of house, pouring wine and serving food while their parents cooked and conversed with guests behind the counter. That serendipitous format became the restaurant's signature. By the time The Kitchen marked its 25th year, it had been booked solid for more than two decades.

The Selland Philosophy

From the start, the family positioned The Kitchen at the center of Sacramento's farm-to-fork identity — a term and civic movement that co-founder Josh Nelson helped bring into being. It was Nelson who developed the "Farm-to-Fork Capital" concept and logo, worked with local government to make it an official city designation, and eventually turned the brand over to the city so it could grow beyond any single restaurant. That instinct — to build something bigger than themselves — runs through everything the family does. Relationships with local farmers, ranchers, and artisan producers have been part of The Kitchen's operating model since 1991, not a marketing afterthought.

The Kitchen Today

Executive Chef Kelly McCown, who joined the Selland family in 2015 after stints in Seattle's culinary scene and Napa Valley, leads a kitchen that balances precision with personality. His menus shift with the seasons, drawing on regional sourcing and the kind of produce Sacramento's agricultural surroundings make possible. Chef de Cuisine Allyson Harvie — whose background includes time with Chris Cosentino and Brandon Jew — brings additional technical depth to the team. The wine program, overseen by sommelier and Director of Operations Joseph Vaccaro, earned Wine Spectator's Best of Award of Excellence and has drawn Vaccaro invitations to Pebble Beach Food and Wine every year since the event's founding.

Recognition That Reflects the Work

The Kitchen's record of national recognition is striking for a restaurant outside the major coastal markets. The AAA Five Diamond Award — held for nine consecutive years — places it alongside The French Laundry, Per Se, and Gary Danko among fewer than 65 restaurants in North America to hold the designation. The restaurant has also earned a Michelin star, James Beard Outstanding Restaurant semifinalist status, and top marks from both Wine Spectator and Wine Enthusiast. It sits consistently at the top of OpenTable and Yelp national rankings.

What to Expect

The format remains true to its origins: a chef's table experience where the kitchen is part of the theater. The current menu offers seasonal American fine dining with optional wine, cocktail, and mocktail pairings — from a curated seasonal selection to a limited reserve list for those who want to go deeper. Classic dishes from the restaurant's history have included White Corn Chowder with Summer Truffles, Beef Wellington with Pan Seared Foie Gras, and Maine Lobster Pot Pie — the kind of cooking that earns a restaurant its legends.