Wow, I can’t believe it’s the middle of February—time is just flying by! We are in the midst of a transatlantic move, but my busy life is also thanks to the month I recently spent back in the U.S. I left a very rainy Berlin in early January, taking nine flights in less then four weeks(!) to jet back and forth from the East and West coasts.

The trip started in San Francisco, where I met some of the city’s top chefs with StarChefs.com‘s Editor in Chief Antoinette Bruno. Then it was back home for a few relaxing days in Virginia with my mom and dad, enjoying the East coast and their company. In early February, TH met me in Brooklyn for a quick visit to some of our favorite haunts. And then we both travelled to San Francisco to see family and friends, celebrate birthdays, enjoy California’s nature with hikes and drives along the coast, and cook plenty of great meals.

I love our life in Berlin, but it was really nice to be back in California, where everything is a little bit sunnier and the produce can’t be beat. It doesn’t hurt that Antoinette and I had some incredible meals during our tasting trip. We both eagerly awaited our visit to Benu, where Chef Corey Lee and Sommelier Bobby Conroy treated us to a very special night. It was also so wonderful meet the talented Pastry Chef Yigit Pura, who has to be one of the happiest and most positive chefs I know. We got to stop by one of my favorite places, the Ferry Building farmer’s market, and we attended the 20th Annual Women Chefs & Restauranteurs conference. It was an action-packed two weeks and such a source of inspiration.

I was also able to visit with my best friend Jessica during my California trip, and she took me on an adventure to a citrus farm in Santa Cruz. I’ll share some citrus photos next week but for now here are a few pictures from my incredible meals in San Francisco.