Who We Are

We are a family in Monterey County, California - the salad bowl of America.    Andrew Renard and Michelle Carter at the helm and three kiddos in tow.  We're a small family with a BIG passion.  The idea of the kitchen table precedes us, started by ancestors, handed down through the generations, maintained by stewards from every part of our world. Our vision is to keep it going - to spread the knowledge, to preserve the history, to nourish the body, to feed the soul.  The family is at the center.  The kitchen table is where we meet.

 

Andrew got his start in St. Louis, MO, in Mamo's kitchen where he found his love for real food and his curiosity for its myriad preparations.  Several stops later, he landed in Berkeley, CA in a holistic nutrition and culinary arts program.  After joining the renowned worker-owned coop learning kitchen Three Stone Hearth, he further explored his joy for traditional foods, developing a fermentation and preservation department where he proudly offered krauts, kvass, kombuchas, and kimchis, among other letters of the alphabet.

 

Michelle, interestingly enough, got her start in Berkeley, CA, though it would be many years before she would cross paths with Andrew.  Having spent her younger years in the South Pacific and Europe, she was exposed to a wide variety of cultures and cuisines.  Along with her discriminating palate, she brings to the table many years in project management, office (and domestic) administration, and her sound critique of Andrew's latest flavor combinations.
   
Together, we have formed a family, combining the rich and storied traditions of our different backgrounds, added three more place settings, are opening the doors to KTC, and now invite YOU to join us at the table!