About Bart's Backyard

In the early eighties, life in Silicon Valley reflected a unique blend of California's agrarian past and the beginnings of a tech revolution. The region's expansive crop fields, fruit orchards, and food processing plants began transforming into office buildings needed for the burgeoning tech industry. Iconic companies like Apple, Intel, and Hewlett-Packard, fueled by venture capital from Sand Hill Road and eager Stanford students, were beginning to make their mark with early computing products, laying the groundwork for the digital age.

This technological transformation urbanized the region, and suburbs grew, but the region's mix of readily available fresh food, a pleasant climate, inviting landscapes, and the entrepreneurial spirit made for an exceptional quality of life. The old world mixed with the new, and people from diverse backgrounds spent time outdoors enjoying family, friends, and... backyard fare.

Bart's backyard was an actual backyard in the southern portion of Silicon Valley known as the Almaden Valley. Technologists, real estate professionals, entrepreneurs, doctors, lawyers, and carpenters all came to Bart's to enjoy good food and good company after recreating together. The recipes on this site came from, or were inspired by, these gatherings of friends and family. Enjoy!

Want to save our recipes? The Utensil recipe clipper makes it easy to save recipes, put them on your calendar, and export ingredients to your shopping list. Download Utensil and check it out!