Chef Ron Siegel Parts Ways with Marin’s Rancho Nicasio

After just one year, Michelin-starred chef Ron Siegel is ending his experimental run at the Rancho Nicasio roadhouse way out in West Marin. Siegel, a San Anselmo resident anxious to end a long daily commute to kitchens in San Francisco, took over the stove at the rustic Rancho last December.

After years in high end restaurants— most recently as executive chef of Michael Mina’s flagship restaurant, Michael Mina —Siegel retuned the establishment's Western Room to a fine dining experience, while the Rancho's other kitchen continued to serve the bar and barbecue crowd. SF Chronicle critic Michael Bauer awarded the arrangement three stars in June, saying that the tiny town of Nicasio, CA was "the unlikely home of the best and most modern food in Marin County."

In a statement released today, Rancho owner Bob Brown said that, after much "soul searching," he and Siegel have decided that the slightly erratic arrangement will no longer work, saying that “this arrangement just did not seem sustainable.”

Siegel's last meal in Nicasio will be two seatings on New Year's Eve and will likely sell out fast; in the meantime, it sounds like Siegel is on the hunt for his own restaurant space. Stay tuned for more details.

• Marin's Rancho Nicasio Gets the Michelin Treatment from New Chef Ron Siegel [ESF]
• Party of Three (Stars) for Michael Bauer This Week [ESF]