Sara Kramer & Sarah Hymanson Author Talk • Kismet: Bright, Fresh, Vegetable-Loving Recipes

Sara Kramer, a born and bred New Yorker and former Broadway performer, loves hosting dinner parties and enjoys all dairy everywhere. Kramer, in addition to being co-chef & co-owner of Kismet and Kismet Rotisserie, oversees the big picture and broader operations for the restaurants. When she’s not working, you can find her practicing her serve on the tennis court or amongst her garden’s fruit trees with her pup, Kevin.

Sarah Hymanson, a Chicago native and former acrobat, feeds off of the multi-cultural vibrance of the broader LA restaurant community. A chef’s chef and co-owner of Kismet and Kismet Rotisserie, she’s a fiend for details, and when not in the kitchen with the restaurant teams, you’ll often find her eating Cambodian food in Long Beach or Sichuan in the San Gabriel Valley. On her days off she can be found collecting an ever-growing list of hobbies, including but not limited to gardening and sewing her own pants. 

Emma Lipp, co-chef and managing partner, Valley and Valley Swim Club
Emma Grew up in Napa and started working in restaurants at 17, eventually landing at the wine-focused Navarre in Portland, Oregon and working harvest at Antica Terra in the Willamette Valley. Following Oregon, Emma moved to NYC where her career included time working front of house at Prune and Estela, as well as assisting chef David Tanis with his weekly New York Times column “City Kitchen” and the production of his cookbook One Good Dish. After helping friends launch New York’s first sustainable fish market, Mermaid’s Garden, she was inspired to start her own ceviche stand Loncheria at her neighborhood farmer’s market, catalyzing the desire to cook for her community. In 2014, Emma moved to Sonoma, where she developed and ran the culinary program at Scribe Winery for 5+ years, leaving to open Valley.

Stephanie Reagor, co-chef and managing partner, Valley and Valley Swim Club
Stephanie began cooking in chef-driven restaurants in Chicago in 2006 at Blackbird and the Publican, then moved to NYC in 2010 where she spent time at The Spotted Pig, Prune, Roman’s and Hart’s. Stephanie came to Sonoma in 2018 in search of new surroundings. Enamored by the energy of Northern California’s rustic beauty and natural bounty, she stayed to open Valley.

In 2020, Emma and Steph opened Valley on the Sonoma plaza with business partners Lauren and Tanner. Nestled in a historic adobe, Valley is a neighborhood restaurant that showcases the best of local ingredients in a casual but considered culinary approach, In 2023, the team opened Valley Swim Club in an old hamburger shack, to bring their ethos and sensibility to the roadhouse.

Kismet: Bright, Fresh, Vegetable-Loving Recipes— Starring more than 100 recipes, Kismet captures the casual, superfresh, vegetable-forward cooking the award-winning Los Angeles restaurants are known for. Thoughtfully adapted for home cooks, recipes like Salty-Sweet Persimmon Salad and Harissa Party Wings are a tantalizing blend of casual California cool and vibrant Mediterranean-inspired flavors.

Host the perfect cocktail hour with the chapter devoted to dips and schmears with variations of labneh, tahini, and zhoug that pair beautifully with Flaky Bread (Malawach), plus recipes for Peanut Muhammara and Garlicky Bean Dip. In the Salady chapter, there’s a modern Wedge Salad with Miso-Poppy Dressing, along with an inspired Marinated Feta topped with Dates and Rose Water Onions or with Spice-Roasted Tomatoes and Grapefruit, perfect for a summer picnic. And while vegetables may be the stars of Kismet, recipes such as Blistered Shishitos and Shrimp, Freekeh “Polenta” with Poached Eggs, Weeknight Steak with Grapes and Grilled Peppers, or Roast Chicken with Schmaltzy Potatoes will stun any dinner spread.

Kismet has a delicious vibe that folds assertive, bright flavors into dishes that can be served any night of the week or made to celebrate special occasions.