A 24-hour experience at The Herbfarm
You’ll begin your day at 8 a.m. as you join The Herbfarm’s garden staff at the farm. There you’ll help the crew harvest food for the restaurant kitchen. LEARN MORE
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Meet The Herbfarm Staff
Jonathan Julia Sous Chef
Jonathan Julia attended college in Colorado where he maintained a 4.0 grade point average. He then was accepted to the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, graduating with honors in 2004.
Since then, he has had a meteoric career in restaurants, working in Colorado, Oregon, and Washington state. He was the sous chef and executive chef of T's Restaurant in Port Townsend and was a sous chef at Jon Sundstrom's award-winning Lark in Seattle.
Jonathan lives in Seattle with his wife and young son.
Toby Kim Sous Chef
Sous chef Toby Kim has been with The Herbfarm for seven years. He is a graduate of the University of Washington with a BA in psychology. After college, Toby spent seven years working in benefit administration, doing 401-K rollovers.
With a life-long interest in food, Toby returned to school, this time to Culinary School, graduating with a perfect 4.0 and honors in 2001. Toby was the Gold Medalist in the Future Chefs Culinary Competition, a Silver Medalist with the American Culinary Federation Hot Food Team Competition, and was the recipient of the Holt Webster Memorial Scholarship for academic achievement and community service.
Alex Shroff Pastry Chef
Herbfarm Pastry Chef Alex Shroff began his career in High School, working in restaurants in Hawaill and California. He is a graduate of the California Culinary Academy and the French Pastry Institute. He spent two years at Citizen Cake and a year at the Inn at Spanish Bay Pebble Beach. Alex is a former pastry chef at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel in Seattle as well as the Fairmont in Chicago. Alex worked with Gale Gand at Tru in Chicago and Parker-Lusseau Pastries in Monterey, California. He has continued his advanced pastry education through the Culinary Institute of America, Greystone Campus, Napa Valley.
Alex lives in Seattle with his wife, Holly, who is also a pastry chef. They hope to have their own pastry shop some day.
Tysan Pierce Sommelier
Tysan Pierce grew up in disparate parts of the world, living and traveling in exotic locations such as Europe, China, and Illinois. Her precocious education led her to Vassar, in Poughkeepsie, New York, where she graduated while still in her teens. Her graduate studies were at the School of Visual Arts in New York City.
For the past 18 years, Tysan has been immersed in her passion for food and wine. Prior to The Herbfarm, she was manager and sommelier at The Heathman in Portland, which had the largest selections of wines in Oregon. Since 2003 she has been a board member of the International Pinot Noir Celebration.
Tysan is a diploma graduate and an instructor for the International Sommelier Guild. She has been featured in many publications including Sunset, the Oregonian, and the Wine Spectator. She was awarded the Gold Medal of Honor by the Academie Culinaire and a diploma from the Maitres-Cuisnieres de France.
Lisa Rongren Sommelier
Herbfarm sommelier Lisa Rongren is a Seattle-area native who was elected in college to the Phi Theta Kappa Honors Society. While in college, she also played bassoon with the nationally acclaimed Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra.
Lisa comes to The Herbfarm with over eight years of restaurant wine experience. She worked at Scott Carsberg's Lampreia in Seattle, John Howie's Seastar in Bellevue, and was the Wine Director at the venerable Ray's Boathouse in Seattle before taking up her current position as sommelier at The Herbfarm.
Lisa has extensive experience as a wine judge, both in Washington State and California. She holds Level 1, Level 2, and the Diploma certification from the International Sommelier Guild. She has also passed the Introductory and Certificate Level with the Court of Master Sommeliers and has been accepted to sit for the prestigious Advanced Level with the Court.
