The Secret Kitchen - A Tasty New Outpost in Southern Sonoma Country

Day Four. Owner and executive chef Brenda Anderson with business partner Janice Clement greet customers with their farm fresh Asian and Latin cuisine at their newly launched West Petaluma country Secret Kitchen.

I was on my way back into Petaluma, following an assignment out at Dillon Beach (tough job on a warm and breezy Friday morning in May!), starting to feel a tad peckish, it being around lunch time, when a parking spot beckoned in the lot behind Agius Market, on Bodega Avenue, just a few miles before town.

My radar (and friends with taste) told me not to waste another moment to sample the culinary wares of one of the most exciting new food enterprises to have popped up in the region in a long while.

Though I had been hearing glowing early sneak-preview reports, I wasn't sure what to expect of the enticingly named Secret Kitchen. A quick look at a blackboard menu on the wall of the compact, colorful country kitchen and the visual of chicken sizzling on an outdoor grill reeled me in for a spontaneous pit-stop sampling of the Secret Kitchen's super fresh Korean BBQ Chicken and Citrus-ey Pork Tacos.

A steady stream of intrigued customers joined the line for black bean tamales, fresh Asian spring rolls, Northern Thai noodle soup, watermelon salad, teriyaki rice bowls, iced tea.

Brenda, who has had an extensive career as a high-flying food educator, having taught at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA), launched healthy food operations internally for Google before looking to retreat from Corporate America.

The executive chef's move to rural west Petaluma (just a couple of miles from her new kitchen) is in keeping with her philosophy of supporting local agriculture and keeping life manageable and enjoyable.

"Our farmers drop off eggs and produce to the window," Brenda, shared. There's one door in and one door out of the kitchen. Customers may take away or sit on picnic tables under umbrellas to eat on the spot. Right on cue, a fresh-faced rancher hopped out of his truck.

Brenda is half Japanese. Her signature flavorings focus on Asian as well as Latin cuisine. "We're moving towards as much gluten free as possible," she said. "No cheese, either."

The kitchen is currently open Wednesdays through Saturdays, 11 am to 7 pm. "We will be expanding our days into the summer," Brenda said. The coastal crowd will no doubt catch on soon. Word of mouth will undoubtedly do wonders for this enterprise, given the originality, integrity, flavor and quality of the food.

Tables and chairs, umbrellas and grill are packed away each evening, after the kitchen closes. Low impact. Street food with a more permanent address.

I'll be back. Next time I'm bringing lunch or dinner dates to try a range of the Secret Kitchen's menu items.

Find your way there! 4701 Bodega Ave, Petaluma, CA 94952. Call 415 827 1055.