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HEROES OF MARIN
2016
COMMUNITY SPIRIT:
Heidi Krahling
By Tanya Henry
W
ith the seemingly
unstoppable
popularity of
cooking shows like
those featured on the Food Network
and Bravo’s Top Chef that hungrily seek
out their next celebrity chef, it might
be surprising to learn that some chefs
shun the spotlight and big stage in
favor of something they feel is more
sustaining and meaningful.
Heidi Krahling is one of those
chefs. The San Anselmo-based
restaurateur and owner of both
Insalata’s and Marinitas is the
recipient of this year’s Heroes of
Marin Community Spirit award.
“Community is our stage—it is
what is important and what feeds
us,” explains Krahling who, along
with her husband of 34 years, Mark,
takes a moment to come out of the
kitchen, sit down and talk with me
about her work, and what it has
meant for her and her family to be
part of the Ross Valley community
for the last 20 years.
“What do you mean you aren’t
hungry? It’s 1pm—it’s lunchtime—
of course you’re eating,” insists the
ever-gracious chef, as I retrieve my
notebook. It doesn’t take much
convincing for me to give in to her
pleas, especially since she plans to
by Risley in 1987. It’s safe to say that
she has quietly been feeding and
nourishing her community for
20 years.
As a business owner, Krahling is
frequently asked for donations, and
while she accommodates as best
she can, her husband points out
that there is a rhyme and reason to
their giving. “The cause needs to be
local (within the community), foodrelated and will ultimately help
people who are helping themselves.”
As anyone who has been in the
restaurant business knows, it’s a
highly risky enterprise. Krahling
expresses gratitude to her loyal
customers who have stuck with
her and supported her through
multiple economic downturns.
Insalata’s will turn 20 this year,
and she opened Marinitas in 2009,
right when the recession was hitting
hard. Today, both establishments
are thriving, and the longevity and
success of her restaurants (especially
in a town of revolving dining
options) is clearly a testament to her
getting it right.
Fittingly, Krahling will be
celebrating the 20th anniversary
of Insalata’s in April by hosting a
dinner to thank her many loyal
customers. Cookbook giveaways
and plenty of activities—including
the introduction of 20 special wines
to commemorate the milestone—
are planned for the entire month.
Clearly, Krahling enjoys feeding
people—and it doesn’t seem likely
that that will change anytime soon.
With two cookbooks under her
belt—Insalata’s Mediterranean Table
(2009), and Insalata’s & Marinitas:
The Story of Two Restaurants (2014),
a nomination for a lifetime of
culinary excellence award from the
Women Chefs & Restaurateurs
professional organization and a
work schedule that still exceeds 10hour days, she doesn’t appear to be
slowing down a bit.
When asked what’s next,
Krahling, replies, “I’d like to make
soup with the excess from my
restaurants and feed everyone in my
community who is hungry.”
Yep, Krahling is a hero alright.Y
PA CI FI C S U N | M A R CH 9 - 1 5 , 2 0 1 6 | PA CI FI CSUN.CO M
Heidi Krahling
Heidi Krahling, owner of both Insalata’s and Marinitas, says, “Community is our
stage—it is what is important and what feeds us.”
join me—which for the record, is
the first time that I have ever seen
the always-on-the-move chef sit
down in her restaurant.
In between bites of Insalata’s
beloved signature fattoush salad—a
sumptuous medley of romaine
lettuce, sheep’s milk feta cheese,
olives and tasty bits of toasted
pita bread, I learn that Krahling’s
generosity starts close to home with
her staff, all of whom she considers
part of her own extended family.
“We try to do the right thing,
of course we are going to help the
people who have been loyal to
us for all of these years,” explains
Krahling, who takes some prodding
when asked about specific acts of
charity. Mark, however, is more
forthcoming in singing his wife’s
praises, and recounts the time
that Krahling brought a pitcher of
Manhattans over to the merchants
on San Anselmo Avenue when their
storefronts were flooded in 2005.
The following day she showed up
with hot mugs of soup for the
entire block.
Perhaps one of Krahling’s biggest
fans is Marv Zauderer, founder of
ExtraFood, an organization that
collects excess food from businesses
throughout the county, delivers it
to those in need and serves 40,000
people. Krahling not only donates
the excess from her restaurants to
the organization, but she goes above
and beyond with her “planned
giving” meals that reach Marin’s
most vulnerable population who
suffer from food insecurity. Hunger
is an issue that Krahling has cared
about long before she became
a chef.
Growing up in Ventura in
Southern California, Krahling
recalls her family “cooking for
everyone.” They had a large orchard
and she says that they were always
giving fruit away. Her parents
cooked for school functions, Knights
of Columbus and St. Vincent de
Paul. The notions of community
and charity were instilled in
Krahling at a young age. Today,
her sister runs Table to Table, a
community-based food rescue
program that delivers food to those
most in need in New Jersey.
When Krahling was enrolled
in Tante Marie’s Cooking School,
founded by Mary Risley, she got
involved with Food Runners—a
hunger relief organization founded
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