An orange orchard in California’s Central Valley is a cool, but rather unconventional spot to grow up. Such a place is only seen in movies, for most of us, for Liz Sassen, it was just the beginning. Beautiful ingredients that grow from the earth, hard work, and family values found there are some of the simplicities woven into who she is today. These things cultivated a path which would lead her to culinary adventures, entrepreneurial success, true love, and the joy of motherhood.

 

She moved to a sprawling rural area of the Central Valley of California at age 9. She elaborated, “It was really an idyllic rural upbringing. The orchard was broken up into smaller lots, so everyone in the area was basically part of a big co-op. My parents had my brother and me doing the day-to-day tasks-- mowing weeds, digging the irrigation trenches, etc. The co-op managed bigger things like pest control and picking. The whole region sold oranges commercially. Aside from the orchard we also has a large garden. My dad worked in Agriculture and one huge perk of his was getting heirloom seeds and starter plants from his colleagues. His specialty was tomatoes and we often had over 30 varieties growing each summer, among other crops. We were outside all the time as kids.”

 

Once “grown and flown”, the country girl became a city girl. She began working in the California restaurant scene working with the produce grown exactly where she was raised. “That was a full-circle type of moment for me”, she explained. “and as I grew in the industry, I worked my way up and learned all the aspects of how the business worked”.

 

It was a chef internship in Madrid, Spain that led her eventually to Fred, now her husband. The restaurant in Madrid where she trained had roots back in San Francisco, where her boss had previously worked. When Liz returned stateside her boss had provided her with a glowing reference and Liz was hired. “Fred was my initial trainer. We ended up working very well together. We quickly became very close, as we realized many of our personal goals were highly aligned. We were very in-sync. We attribute these things to our initial success as a couple, and eventually as business partners.”

 

Once married, the pair moved to Oakland and started a restaurant of their own. Being self-starters, they found Oakland to be more within their reach. She described, “living there, we had the support consistent with what we wanted to create. We loved our community during the tenure of our restaurant.”

 

Liz calls the food they served there “New American” (their way of saying “whatever we wanted”). She describes the place as an upscale, yet comfortable restaurant with farm-to-table practices. The couple continued to be hands on in their work. Fred ended up moving more into the front-facing role with their management and front-of-house staff, while Liz ran the kitchen in the back. They both collaborated closely with their team on all the menus created throughout. “While that chapter is closed, I do appreciate the immense community we were part of there. We has so many regular customers it was surreal in many ways to have built that,” she recalls. “We really leaned into our community from all angles, including neighbors, friends in the industry and vendors. In the end, it was one of our deeply connected farmers who bought the restaurant from us when it was time for us to turn over a new leaf in our lives.”

 

After years of visits here to see family, they officially moved to Sarasota in 2021 with their rapidly expanding family of girls galore. They turned the move into a 30-day road trip, from California all the way to the Gulf Coast, showing the girls many slices of life along the way. It is still an experience the kids bring up all the time. Requiring a bit more space, they purchased what they refer to as their “rambling ranch” at 1863 Rose Street, right here in Southside Village. They have since completed a master renovation featuring open rooms with high ceilings, beautiful natural woods, a state-of-the art kitchen, and a huge pool in the backyard. Liz made the necessary shift to an appreciated role as a full-time homemaker. Aside from wearing numerous hats in the family, she enjoys volunteering at Southside Elementary with the kids, painting, reading, and writing. Fred made a big career change, and has become a very well-respected, highly successful realtor in the area, specializing in sales West of Trail and with waterfront properties.  He has formed a special partnership with his aunt, Barbara May, who has served as an excellent mentor to him in the process. He is also the new secretary of the South Poinsettia Park Neighborhood Association, and many other activities which support the growth of the town he now calls home. He loves drawing, playing piano, and developing his barista skills, tinkering with their espresso machine. Together, Liz and Fred share a love of crossword puzzles, a bonding activity they have enjoyed from their earliest days together.

 

Back to the mention of a rapidly expanding family, it is complete with FIVE daughters, including a set of twins: Emilia (9), Grace and Rose (7), Frances (5), and Juliette (3 in August). Their older girls will attend Southside Elementary this fall, with Frances just starting Kindergarten! “All of our children love music and are learning piano. Emilia also enjoys taking singing lessons and is an active member of her Girl Scout troop. Outside of that you can surely catch her reading, her #1 hobby. Grace loves learning Brazilian Jujitsu and can also be found saddled up next to Mom in the kitchen. She loves to cook! Rose is the resident queen of crafting and enjoys making art any way she can. She is currently curating a “gallery wall” in their playroom. Frances enjoys Brazilian Jujitsu with Grace and swimming as often as possible. Juliette has a blast tagging along to ALL of the activities and making herself at home wherever we are. Her top choice of activity is cuddling our Wheaten Terrier “Birdie” and any other dog she meets in street”. Don’t be too fooled by Juliette’s sweet face, she’s also something of a menace having broken her arm recently “innocently” jumping of the couch during some bedtime mania—she keeps Fred and Liz fully alert with her wild toddler and fifth-born antics.

 

Their dog, Birdie, is a nearly 2-year-old Soft-Coated Wheaton Terrier. A rambunctious one, she is nevertheless adoring of her “herd” (AKA the girls). Liz says it’s because she matches their “big energy” and inserts herself as one of the gang! Whether that means jumping right into all of their games in the yard, eating treats directly out of Juliette’s hands, getting sprayed by the hose, or running through the rain, you can bet she’s actively involved. She particularly enjoys sprinting laps around the pool while the family swims.

 

Obviously, there is never a dull moment in the house. Whether it is comedy hour with the girls, storytelling with friends, or family game night, they are enjoying every moment to the fullest. Each Sunday, the family has “Sunday Supper”- a huge, but casual themed meal held early in the evening at the end of each weekend. Liz had a similar tradition in her family, growing up where her parents would prepare a big roast with all the trimmings to enjoy as a family. When Fred first met Liz’s family he was sold for life on the concept. Their unique version in their own home sometimes includes “Fat Noodles”, which Liz describes as a rich, egg yolk pasta and family-favorite food. The menu item was coined by the girls. Sometimes they serve it with slow-cooked meat and Tomato Sugo, although there are many iterations, depending on the mood. The girls love pulling out the pasta maker and cranking their own noodles.

 

As far as their favorite part of the move to Sarasota is concerned, Liz states, “We love how everyone in our neighborhood is so friendly. We feel, as relative newcomers, that we have been welcomed with open arms. We love that so many people are frequently out walking their dogs around the neighborhood, walking their children to school, or what have you. People are always out! There is a real sense of community when you get to see and catch up with your friends and neighbors daily out on the street. Everyone is always there to lend a hand and share resources. It feels so supportive.”

 

Next time you spot the Sassens on a family walk, 5 daughters and a wagging tail in tow, be sure to shout hello to Liz and Fred and share a nice conversation. You will certainly want to smile when you meet them!