Rodney Worth / Danville, CA
Photo Credit: Rodney Worth
Spirit-Free and Flavorful
Transforming winter menus with fresh flavor and bright colors doesn’t have to be complicated. Chef Rodney Worth, owner of the Worth Group in Northern California, relies on The Perfect Purée for fresh flavor all year. “I’m a very seasonal and fruit-forward chef so I use a lot of [purées],” he says.
That includes appetizers and desserts at his four locations: The Peasant & The Pear, The Peasant’s Courtyard, The Little Pear and The Bourbon Pear. At The Peasant & The Pear, specialty craft cocktails include a blood orange martini, fall sangria with pear and smoked blackberry moonshine.
For people seeking zero-proof options in January and beyond, Rodney and his staff developed two seasonal drinks — Prickly Pear Nogarita with The Perfect Purée Prickly Pear and Pear Flower with Pear (his favorite flavor).
Prickly pears are the spiky reddish fruit that grows on top of the flat cactus pad. When peeled, their pulp has a delicate melon-fig taste and bright fuschia hue. Harvested from late summer through early winter, prickly pears appear frequently on winter menus. They’re not widely available however and might be one of the most difficult purées to make by hand.
Rodney says before he found The Perfect Purée, he and his team were making everything in-house. “[It was] very, very expensive, time-consuming, and not very consistent with different employees making them,” he says.
User Tip: Fortify the Flavor of Fresh Fruit
Since Rodney opened his first restaurant more than 20 years ago, labor costs have consistently risen, especially in California. “You have to cut corners on some things,” he says. “The Perfect Purée is still very, very high-end and a great price but it takes a lot of labor out of the equation.”
He advises using just a little purée to fortify the flavor of fresh fruit. “It gives a depth and it’s so easy and cheap,” he says.
The jar itself is user-friendly compared to purée brands sold in flat boxes that spill easily. “One thing I really like — this might be weird — is the size of the jar,” Rodney says. “For the bartenders, it’s easily stored at the bar with a screw-on lid and it’s very nice.”
Diablo Destination
Rodney was making apple pie from scratch by the age of 10. In high school he enjoyed grilling sausages at ball games and became known for getting friends to try out new recipes.
Rodney got his first job at Taco Bell but soon left the fast food industry for a local grocery chain. While he learned important business aspects of the food industry, the life of a grocer didn’t feel right either. What did feel right was the concept that good food that makes people feel good. With his big smile and infectious energy, he had the temperament of a restaurateur and went to Diablo Valley College to become a chef.
He became passionate about using quality ingredients and taking extra steps to enhance flavor working at Wente Vineyards and Bizou with acclaimed Chef Loretta Keller. Rodney opened The Peasant & The Pear in 2004 in Sam Ramon. Within two years it moved to a larger location in Danville, where it’s been a local culinary institution ever since. The Peasant’s Courtyard opened in Alamo in 2009. In 2023, Rodney opened The Little Pear in Walnut Creek and The Bourbon Pear in Livermore in 2024.
The Tri-Valley region loves him. Rodney has won numerous awards including “Best Chef of the East Bay” from Diablo Magazine. He’s had write-ups in the Michelin Guide, Zagat, and many other high-profile publications including Bon Appetít for his signature lamb shank recipe.