November 26, 2003
Food for Thought
Primavera Founder Back in the Kitchen

If women are supposed to get wiser with time, why is Helena Darling opening another restaurant?

It’s not like the Ashland chef and entrepreneur doesn’t know better. The last time she started one was 15 years ago, when her catering business expanded into Primavera, the legendary Ashland dining spot.

Darling sold the place in 1997, exhausted by the conflicting demands of two young children and a full-time kitchen.

"It was a struggle to keep it open," recalls Darling, 42.

But here she is, six years later, wiping her hands on her apron, pouring a cup of coffee and settling down in the morning-bright dining room of Restaurant Verdant.

That’s the name Darling chose after Duane Smith, owner of the Lithia Springs Inn outside Ashland, wooed her back into the kitchen.

"I had told everyone when I retired that I’d never do it again unless I
had two things," Darling says.

She wanted to cook just one fabulous multi-course meal a night. And
she wanted to cook food grown in an on-site garden. Smith agreed to
both conditions.

"I’ve been working on her for 15 years," said Smith, 64, who has
invested $100,000 in the new venture. "If I’m nothing else, I’m
tenacious."

With that out of the way, Darling’s longstanding passion for food sealed
the deal. For her, cooking is art in an edible medium.

"Who would put themselves through this if there wasn’t some inner
reason to do it?" she says.

This time, Darling’s inner drive is inspiring her to pursue what she calls "a Rogue Valley cuisine," dishes and meals based solely on what’s local, fresh and in season.

She plans to combine Northwest flavors with European cooking techniques to create a melange of textures and tastes.

The restaurant’s Nov. 20 opening menu, for instance, featured a scallop mousse with carrot and chive oils, an assortment of elegantly flavored root vegetables, and a pork loin stuffed with onion chicken forcemeat and served
with a blue cheese bread pudding. For dessert, Darling served a glazed apple tart with fresh-made pistachio ice cream.

Darling says the restaurant benefits from a stellar staff. Sous chef Lisa Rand worked at the famous Chez Panisse restaurant.

That skill will be devoted to creating an ambiance that is at once elegant and comfortable — "not snooty," Darling says.

Intially, the restaurant’s five-course evening meals will be $29 per person, with wines matched to each selection for $20 more. Dinner will be served from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays.

Lithia Springs Inn is at 2165 W. Jackson Road, where Valley View Road intersects with Highway 99.

Fifteen years after she started her first restaurant, Darling says she knows better now how to avoid the pitfalls of the past. Her children are teenagers; her kitchen is simpler. The way Darling sees it, she’s opening Restaurant Verdant with open eyes and a willing heart.

And if that’s not wisdom, she says, what is?

Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail jaleccia@mailtribune.com