WHEN YOU THINK of the careers
a former Marine from North
Texas might possibly opt into,
caviar farmer probably doesn’t
spring to mind. But that’s what
Michael Passmore, together with
his wife Vandy, is doing at his
84-acre sustainable aquacul-
ture farm near Sacramento.
Passmore had zero intention of
producing caviar when he moved to
California to pursue a law degree in- But his neighbor happened
to be aquaculture guru Ken Beer;
soon Passmore had excavated
eight ponds and was farming
black bass, catfish, and, crucially,
sturgeon. But, he says, “We never
got into it to do caviar. It wasn’t
exactly something I ate. But our chef
customers kept saying, hey, you’ve
got sturgeon, why aren’t you doing
caviar? So we thought, well, why
don’t we salt these damn things.”
Today, top chefs on both coasts
serve Passmore’s caviar. Kyle
Connaughton of three-Michelin-star
SingleThread says, “The Passmores
have such a commitment to quality
and sustainability—it’s been incred-
ible working with such a unique
product made with such care here
in California.”
Best of all? Last fall, Passmore
started selling his sturgeon caviars
and trout roes to consumers as well.
—RAY ISLE
THE
GOOD EGGS
CAVIAR CONNECTION
RANCH RESERVE, the top
of the Passmore line, comes
exclusively from estate-grown
white sturgeon. It’s ultra-silky
and gray-green in hue, with firm
eggs that pop deliciously in
the mouth. ($129/30 grams)PASSMORE SELECT also
comes from Passmore’s estate-
grown sturgeon. More black
than gray-green, these eggs
are luscious and more buttery,
with a bit broader, less saline
flavor. ($94/30 grams)CIRCLE 41 white sturgeon
caviar is sourced from sustain-
able partner farmers around
Sacramento. Somewhat saltier, it
offers excellent quality; it’s a great
introduction to the Passmores’
work. ($49/30 grams)STEELHEAD ROE’S large,
brilliantly orange spheres burst
saltily on the tongue. Passmore
offers four different cures right
now—Classic, Mirin, Truffle, and
Whisky—but plans for more in
the future. ($13/30 grams)PASSMORE RANCH
SLOUGHHOUSE,
CALIFORNIAMICHAEL & VANDY
N PASSMORE
AME
COMPANYPassmore Ranch caviars and roes are available individually or through the ranch’s new Caviar Club at passmoreranch.com.53
In addition to its sustain-
able sturgeon caviar,
Passmore Ranch offers
steelhead trout roe
(pictured) cured with
truffle, mirin, or whiskey.FO
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PHOTOGRAPHY BY VICTOR PROTASIO