As Executive Chef at Zinfandel Grille, 29 year-old Eric Nava worked his way to the top. Born in San Diego and raised in North Carolina, Eric’s journey began as a 12 year-old washing dishes in a local restaurant. By 16 he was a line cook, and from there he never really left the kitchen. Eric moved to Sacramento five years ago, and received his diploma from the Institute of Technology Culinary School in Roseville. In his new role as Executive Chef at Zinfandel Grille, where he’s been working for the past year, Eric is relishing the opportunity to be creative. His current work-in-progress is a new, healthy menu for diners looking for low-fat, low-calorie dishes. Eric’s personal challenge is to create dishes that are healthy without sacrificing flavor. Judging from the feedback he’s already received, Eric’s new creations are hitting all the right notes – one taster sought Eric out in the kitchen to tell him how phenomenal the food from the new menu tasted.

For more about Chef Eric Nava and Zinfandel Grille, be sure to pick up this month's copy of Style-Roseville Granite Bay Rocklin edition. Click on the "Get Your Copy" link on the bottom of this page for some of our newsstand locations. Or, to order a copy of this issue, please email Gloria Schroeder at [email protected], or call her at 916-988-9888 x116.