A Narsai David Tribute

Last Bite

 

 

NARSAI DAVID WAS A LIVING LEGEND. First lured to the Bay Area from Turlock to study math and pre-med at Cal, the soon-to-become entrepreneur took his place in the culinary cocoon of 1960s Berkeley as a cook and then grew himself into a restaurateur, author, and food media personality. His reputation and influence over Bay Area food culture expanded throughout the decades, nearly up until he passed away in June 2024 at the age of 87.

During the 1970s and ‘80s, when David presided over his eponymous restaurant and market in Kensington, he put his Narsai’s brand on a variety of house products. Perhaps the most beloved of those was the Mudslide cookie, a huge, nutty piece of chocoholic heaven that some fans found life changing.

“The Mudslide was one of his most requested recipes, and he was famously tight-lipped about sharing how to make them,” says Scott Miller, executive chef of Market Hall Foods, who started his own food career at Narsai’s.

In December, Narsai’s son Danny shared the recipe with Miller for a celebration of Narsai’s life and arts patronage that Miller’s team was catering at Berkeley Rep. The Market Hall Bakery chefs updated the recipe, and the team decided to offer the Mudslide at the bakery as an ongoing celebration of Narsai David. “Bringing the beloved Mudslide cookie to Market Hall Bakery seemed like a perfectly sweet tribute,” says Miller.

Roberta Klugman, another food professional nurtured under Narsai’s wing, became curious about the inception of the recipe and called up Narsai’s longtime recipe and product developer Maggie Mah, who had an early version of the recipe on an old piece of Narsai’s letterhead. Mah recalled that to create the Mudslide, they adapted a recipe in Maida Heatter’s Book of Great Desserts. She specified that they used Guittard chocolate and that the coffee was instant espresso.

Curious about that early recipe rendition, we asked photographer Judy Doherty to bake it up and create this photo. As she set up the shot, she couldn’t help but take a bite. Her verdict? “Heavenly! Dangerous!  ♦

 

Find photographer Judy Doherty at judydohertyphotography.com.