Photography by David Miller

In 2005, Todd Aarons left the world of being a chef/restaurateur at his first incarnation of Mediterranean seasonal cooking, New York Times rated Mosaica restaurant, to design and implement the concepts behind Tierra Sur at Herzog Wine Cellars. The Herzog family elicited his expertise of seamlessly producing finely crafted food that also adhered to the highest of kosher standards. As Amy Scattergood, food writer for the Los Angeles Times, once wrote about Todd, “characteristically, Aarons uses the rules as a jumping off point rather than a limitation.” Through the design of the restaurant, the wood-burning grill, the seasonal menu, and even the name, Todd has built a restaurant and concept strongly rooted in the rustic styles of cuisines from Tuscany, Spain, Provence and Mexico.  Scattergood also writes, “At Tierra Sur, a fine-dining kosher restaurant, you can read Aarons' cultural résumé on his menu. The cooking is pan-Mediterranean, with not only Cal-Ital influences, but also Middle Eastern, Mexican and North African.”

Todd’s first establishment as chef and restaurateur was a little bistro/trattoria named Mosaica that he and his wife Nava built and opened up in 2002. It was located in a small crossroad of a town named Vauxhall, New Jersey. Vauxhall connects Springfield and Millburn, Maplewood towns of Northern New Jersey and serves as a colloquial small town suburb to Manhattan. Todd had prayed for a kitchen – any little place he could cook and call his own. His prayers were answered when he found the gutted out space that would later become his first restaurant. Todd served as the general contractor, and for two months, even did all the construction work himself. He wanted to bring his dream to life, and start the next step in a great career that lied ahead. Mosaica was reviewed by the New York Times and received a “very good” 3-star rating and was also one of the handful of Times reviewed restaurants that was featured in the ‘Best of New Jersey’ issue for 2003.

Before landing on his native shores of America, or Asbury Park to be more specific, Todd was hired as a consultant to Italian coffee company Cremcaffe of Trieste, Italy to develop Italian/Mediterranean menus for new cafes in Netanya and Tel Aviv, Israel. He began to spend time in Jerusalem, learning more about his own Judaism along the way. His adventure took a turn and became a spiritual quest. This, along with many trips to the shuk, or outdoor markets in Israel, Todd became the observant Jewish chef he is today. He immersed himself in the eclectic cuisine of Israel and became familiar with the dietary laws of Kashrus (Kosher dietary laws) through this miraculous trip. One of the most important things Todd acquired while in Israel was his wife Nava, who is of Yemenite background. Todd confesses that this is the reason why Yemenite flavors and spices permeate some of his most beloved dishes.

Chefs have lineage, just like Kung Foo masters have a teacher and specific school of style. In 1999, Todd met the Chef that would become his ‘master’ in Savoie, France – that was Chef Peter Hoffman. Todd was selected to attend an exclusive post-graduate program headed by none other than Madeleine Kamman, at Beringer Vineyard’s School for American Chefs in Sonoma County, California. A dream come true, this valuable time spent with Madeleine instilled and developed a working knowledge of food and wine pairing that continues to influence his cooking today.

Todd remains dedicated to the food philosophies he learned and lived while working at Savoy Restaurant in NYC from his mentor and teacher, Chef/Owner Peter Hoffman. Todd recently returned to this SoHo icon for the 20th anniversary celebration, and helped prepare a dinner in its honor at the James Beard House. He was reunited with the people that helped create what he describes as “the perfect time and place to cook in New York City.” This pivotal time of his career, from 1994-98, turned him from line cook to chef, under the tutelage of Chef Peter Hoffman.Todd took on his first responsibility as chef of the twenty-five seat upstairs dining room where he created innovative, seasonal four-course menus based on available ingredients from the Union Square Green Market. Todd recreated Tuscan-influenced menus with dishes prepared in Savoy’s wood-burning fireplace based on his first-hand experiences in Italy. At Savoy, Todd’s work was ultimately reviewed by Ruth Reichel of The New York Times, and his menu items were featured in New York Magazine.

During a year long sabbatical from Savoy, Todd lived and worked in Tuscany, Italy. He worked at four restaurants while in Tuscany, but one establishment, Restaurante Da Delfina, stands out most in his culinary memories. Restaurante Da Delfina is where he lived and worked with the Chef/Owner Carlo Cioni. “The connection of land, its people, and the bounty that is tilled from it and the cuisine it produces” sums up Todd’s Toscana education. An enduring love affair and fascination with rustic Tuscan culture and cuisine continues to be widely present on his menus.

In 1992 Todd graduated from Cal Poly University in San Luis Obispo, and to his parent’s dismay, enrolled at California Culinary Academy in San Francisco the very next day. This is where he earned his Culinary Arts degree. While attending the Academy, Todd developed and refined his culinary crafts at the renowned Zuni Café in San Francisco, under the supervision of Chez Panisse alumna and Chef/Owner Judy Rogers. It was here that he was first exposed to a highly efficient, passion driven kitchen, which wielded wood- fire to cook some of its greatest dishes. Zuni Café will always set the bar of quality that Todd tries to live up to. This is apparent to anyone who reads the sign that hangs in Todd’s kitchen:
“This kitchen may seem large but there is no room for mediocrity.”

At Tierra Sur, Todd’s global travels and expert experiences culminate in flavorful, rustic cuisine reminiscent of the Mediterranean, with seasonally available ingredients from the area’s best farmers and purveyors. Tierra Sur was dubbed “one of the best restaurants in Ventura County”, by Los Angeles Times food critic S. Irene Virbila, and for good reason.