By now you’ve probably read The New York Times feature “How Sacramento Turned Into a Great Restaurant City” by Ella Quittner. If you live here, it wasn’t anything you didn’t already know about our food scene, but there was a specific quote from Ben Roberts, owner of Pizza Supreme Being, that was incredibly refreshing to hear: “Sacramento is just Sacramento. It doesn’t need to be anything else.”
Sacramento has had good food for years and has been developing while staying true to itself, its history, and its people. Now, the nation is noticing. We wanted to explore people who are defining what it means to be uniquely Sacramento and ask them how downtown has impacted their stories. This series is called “_____ Downtown.”
Chef Ravin Patel embraces his Sacramento roots and is shaping the future of the city’s culinary scene. He is the Executive Chef at The 7th Street Standard and a Sacramento native who grew up surrounded by cooks. Like many other great chefs, he values family and food. After expanding his culinary repertoire in New York, he came back to Sacramento to start a family and was the Corporate Chef for Selland Family Restaurant Group at Ella Dining Room and Bar.
Chef Patel is proud of the food being created at The 7th Street Standard. He refers to it as modern California cuisine because it reflects the diversity of the region. Sacramento is a melting pot of different cultures surrounded by some of the highest quality produce in the world. The 7th Street Standard capitalizes on that and is further inspired by the restaurant’s staff, chefs, and cooks. Local cultures and real people influence the meals being made. The atmosphere in the restaurant is welcoming and luxurious without taking itself too seriously, the epitome of Sacramento fine dining.
The aura of The 7th Street Standard is also inspired by the history of its building. It operates inside the recently renovated Hyatt Centric which originally opened in 1911. During the 1920s–1950s, the hotel was a landmark for Sacramento’s jazz scene. Some of the biggest stars of the era, Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, and Cab Calloway played on the stage of the hotel’s Clayton Club. The hotel pays homage to its iconic Sacramento history with the new Clayton Club on the sixth floor.
Downtown Sacramento encompasses a dynamic mix of creatives, dreamers, and doers, making it full of opportunity and community. “We are a city, but we are not a big city.” Chef Patel sees himself operating downtown for as long as possible. As the heart of our city, this is where business intersects with entertainment and art inspires industry. We appreciate Chef Patel for sharing how our city has impacted him and in turn how he has impacted Sacramento. Our people’s individuality is what makes an impact on our city. If you could define downtown, how would you fill in the blank?