When the news hit in late August that the Ginger Pig, Natascha Hess’ three-year-old Asian street food restaurant in Berkeley, had garnered a Bib Gourmand nod from the Michelin Guide, Hess was stunned. She never would have guessed that her little startup of a food-truck-turned-restaurant would receive such an honor.
That the Michelin Guide staff thought her food provided an exceptionally high value at a low cost wasn’t shocking; it was more that Hess’ culinary adventures had garnered any attention at all. Cooking is,