Bonnie Carroll's Life Bites - Chef & Hotel Profile

Award-Winning Restaurateurs Perfecte and Alia Rocher Become the Stewards of

Husband-and-wife restaurateurs Perfecte and Alia Rocher—acclaimed for their imaginative dining concepts in Los Angeles and Seattle—proudly unveil The Rochers at the Ranch House, a reimagining of the legendary Ojai restaurant originally founded in the 1950s by Alan and Helen Hooker.

The Rochers plan to open to the public by the end of July 2025Over the past several months, the couple has lovingly restored and renovated the historic property, breathing new life into both the restaurant and its iconic gardens. More than 250 new plants have been added, honoring the lush legacy that has made the Ranch House beloved for decades.

Nestled on a 15,000-square-foot garden estate, The Rochers at the Ranch House is both a restaurant and an event venue. The grounds feature koi ponds, waterfalls, winding stone paths, and edible gardens—along with hidden corners for quiet moments. One of the highlights is a Japanese-style Tea House, which doubles as an intimate dining retreat or, during weddings, a serene bridal suite. Tables are set beneath trees and alongside gently running streams, offering a dining experience that feels deeply rooted in and inspired by nature.

The restaurant will offer a seasonal four-course tasting menu, priced at $120 or $140 per guest, which celebrates the local terroir. Chef Perfecte Rocher sources ingredients from the thriving on-site garden—citrus, herbs, fruits, and flowers—as well as from biodynamic and organic farms and long-term purveyors who share the Rochers’ values. His cooking is thoughtful and precise, combining boldness with restraint to allow each ingredient to shine.

In addition to dinner service, The Rochers at the Ranch House will host private events ranging from intimate gatherings in the Secret Garden (up to 30 guests) to full-property buyouts for larger celebrations.

Alia and Perfecte Rocher bring decades of global culinary experience and a deep commitment to exceptional hospitality. Their former Seattle restaurant, Tarsan i Jane, earned a rare four-star review from The Seattle Times and was twice named one of GQ Magazine’s Best Restaurants in America. Known for blending elegance with warmth, their approach to hospitality is both artful and heartfelt. In Los Angeles, Perfecte’s acclaimed restaurant Smoke.Oil.Salt. drew praise from Pulitzer Prize-winning critic Jonathan Gold. He has also been a frequent participant in GELINAZ!—the boundary-pushing global collective founded by Italian food writer Andrea Petrini, where visionary chefs collaborate on improvisational events that blur the line between food, performance, and art.

The Rochers at the Ranch House is now accepting reservations via TOCK. Dinner will be served Thursday, Sunday, and Monday from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 5:00 to 9:30 p.m.

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Perfecte Rocher grew up in the small village of Villalonga, nestled in the citrus-laden hills outside Valencia, Spain. Surrounded by olive trees, mountain air, and a community deeply connected to the land, he developed an early appreciation for honest, expressive ingredients—and the people who cultivate them. Though he first strayed from his family’s restaurant roots in pursuit of punk music, it was during a tour through London that he unexpectedly fell in love with the kitchen, working in a Michelin-rated restaurant and discovering a new creative calling. From there, he pursued a career shaped by rigor, excellence, and imagination.

Alia Rocher’s path began far from the kitchen, rooted in marine biology and zoology. But food—an anchor throughout her upbringing—pulled her toward restaurants, where she found a purpose in nurturing thoughtful, welcoming spaces. Her work has long centered on sustainability, storytelling, and hospitality that feels as personal as it is polished. Together, Alia and Perfecte built the acclaimed Tarsan i Jane in Seattle, earning four stars and a devoted following.

The Ranch House began with a simple but powerful vision shared by Alan and Helen Hooker: to offer good food, warm hospitality, and the quiet beauty of a garden. In the late 1940s, the couple left Columbus, Ohio, and moved into one of Ojai’s oldest homes, where they opened a vegetarian boarding house. With Alan’s instinctive cooking and Helen’s

heartfelt hosting, they served meals around a shared table for $14 a week—creating a soulful, nourishing experience that quickly gained a devoted following. By 1950, the demand for Alan’s food led them to open The Ranch House restaurant. After an early setback forced a brief closure, they reopened in 1956 on a modest half-acre with sixteen seats, secondhand furniture, and a $3.50 prix fixe menu. They lived in a small partition of the dining room, with Helen waiting tables and Alan cooking every dish. Though originally vegetarian, they eventually adapted—adding meats and allowing guests to bring wine, which they chilled in the garden stream. In 1964, Alan secured a wine license and began building what would become one of the nation’s most respected wine lists, honored by Wine Spectator and celebrated by chefs and sommeliers. As the gardens grew and word spread, The Ranch House became more than a restaurant, it was a destination. Guests dined beneath wisteria and sycamores, with seasonal dishes served in handmade ceramic bowls. Loyal admirers included Chefs Julia Child and Alice Waters along with celebrities Paul Newman, Barbra Streisand, John Lennon, and countless others, drawn not just by the food, but by the feeling.