Our People

Executive Chef/Co-Owner

Dustin Christofolo

Culinary passion is in his roots. As Executive Chef and Co-Owner of Quiessence at The Farm, Chef Dustin Christofolo’s inspiration for specialty handcrafted pastas, house-cured meats, and unique layering of fla¬vors all begin with the exceptional ingredients that are harvested from his on-site garden, Soil & Seed Garden at The Farm.

Each season, Chef Dustin curates each row and oversees the seasonal bounty. His partnership with local farmers and purveyors compliment the Soil & Seed Garden harvests for his authentic Arizona farm-to-table menus.

Chef Dustin has also produced a world-class wine program, recognized by Wine Spectator, to compliment his refined rustic menu at Quiessence. Chef Dustin’s passion for local and seasonal food was acknowledged with an invitation to cook at The James Beard House in Spring of 2016 and The James Beard Foundation Taste America: Phoenix event in 2017. Quiessence at The Farm has been awarded a 4.5 star review from Arizona Republic Dining Critic, an excellent review by PHOENIX Magazine food critic, and has been named as one of the “Most Romantic” restaurants in the U.S. Quiessence’s most recent accolades include OpenTable Diner’s Choice Awards, TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence, Wine Spectator Award of Excellence, and AAA Four Diamond Award.

Executive Chef Dustin Christofolo is a graduate of The Italian Culinary Academy, Manhattan, New York, and the culinary program at La Scuola Internazionale di Cucina Italiana in Parma, Italy. He is a graduate of the Wine Immersion Program at the Culinary Institute of America, Napa Valley, California.

Pat Christofolo

Pat Christofolo, an Arizona forerunner in the farm-to-table movement, has been in the local culinary scene for over 30 years. Pat is the owner and CEO of the Seasonally Fresh Culinary Family businesses: The Farm at South Mountain, The Farm Kitchen, Botanica Modern Market, Soil & Seed Garden, Artisan by Santa Barbara Catering, and Palette at Phoenix Art Museum. She is also co-owner of Morning Glory Café and Quiessence at The Farm with her son, Chef Dustin Christofolo.

In 1997, Pat opened a sister company, Santa Barbara Cooks at The Farm, and took over the culinary operations on the beautiful property known as The Farm at South Mountain. The Farm at South Mountain is an international destination with over 200 events and 100,000 visitors a year. It wasn’t long after this that she opened up two more restaurants in the 10-acre pecan grove; Quiessence for authentic farm-to-table dinner and Morning Glory Café for patio indulging breakfast. She later opened Botanica, a modern market at The Farm. Most recently, Pat and Chef Dustin took over the operations of the organic-style garden on the property, Soil & Seed.

Pat Christofolo and her businesses have been featured on The Food Network, Travel + Leisure, USA Today, James Beard Foundation, Wine Spectator, Sunset Magazine, MSN.com, The Knot, Wedding Wire, Zagat, Wall Street Journal, Modern Luxury, and Thrillist.

Being a Certified Woman-Owned Business owner, Pat Christofolo has been recognized several times for her professional endeavors. Most recently, Pat was named “Outstanding Woman in Business” by The Phoenix Business Journal, “Who’s Who in Business” by Arizona Republic, and “Women Who Move The Valley” by Arizona Foothills Magazine.