The culinary world has suffered a major loss with the passing of Sally Schmitt, founder of world famous Michelin-starred Napa County restaurant The French Laundry.
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Schmitt died on March 5 at 90-years-old in the comfort of her Mendocino County home after several years of declining health, the Santa Rosa Press Democrat reported Saturday.
Food and Wine editor Narsai David told KCBS Radio Schmitt was one of the earliest pioneers of the farm-to-table movement that has taken high end eating by storm.
"It was really the beginning of something in Northern California. What they did in Napa was pretty amazing," David said.
Schmitt co-founded The French Laundry with her husband Don in 1978 in Yountville, Napa County, helping to put Napa on the map.
"There were a bunch of us who just really enjoyed cooking with fresh ingredients and doing things that were not just by somebody's book," David said, reminiscing on the 70s when many now-iconic Bay Area restaurants were just getting their start, including Narsai's Restaurant in Berkeley which was a hub for gourmet diners until its close in 1985.
The French Laundry building has an extensive history dating back to the 1800s when it was first built as a saloon and then converted into a French steam laundry. "People chuckle when they talk about going to The French Laundry," David said. "It just sounds like a kick."
Schmitt and her husband sold The French Laundry to Thomas Keller in 1994 and opened a large apple farm in Anderson Valley near Boonville. Her legacy will live on for decades to come.
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