When you put California Grown goodness in the hands of a masterful chef, the results are undeniably delicious. Experience East Sacramento’s Canon Restaurant, where each family-style dish and small plate is a love letter to the Golden State.

To say that Chef Brad Cecchi knows his way around a kitchen is putting it lightly. The Sacramento native dove into the restaurant industry straight out of high school, and then worked in restaurants across the US and in Europe before returning to California to serve as Executive Chef at Solbar at Solage in Calistoga. At Solbar, Brad focused on sharing an authentic taste of the region, highlighting Sacramento-area produce and products. Under his creative direction, Solbar earned two back-to-back Michelin stars. 

In 2017, embracing the opportunity to return to his Sacramento roots, Brad partnered with Clay Nutting to found Canon Restaurant. Canon is a chef-driven Sacramento neighborhood restaurant focusing on fresh ingredients and family-style playful small plates. 

In 2025, the Michelin Guide awarded Canon Restaurant a 6th Michelin Bib Gourmand!

Seasonal flavor first

Central California chefs have unrivaled access to fresh fruits and vegetables. Brad takes full advantage of the area’s abundance, working closely with local growers to source the best seasonal produce. Brad shares, “The majority of what we use in the restaurant is from California. We operate in a ‘flavor-first’ point of view here. That short travel time between the field and our restaurants helps to preserve a lot of that flavor. Oftentimes, we let them tell us what they have in the field, and that kind of dictates the menu.”

Some of the fruits, vegetables and herbs featured on the menu were grown in the restaurant’s on-site culinary garden. The small garden doesn’t produce a huge yield, but Brad and his team think creatively and make sure nothing goes to waste. Brad smiles and explains, “We can’t grow enough heirloom tomatoes here to supply an heirloom tomato salad, so we submerge them in Shio Koji and make a tomato tamari out of the tomatoes we grow here. We grow a wide variety of spicy peppers because we can dehydrate them, and we turn them into hot sauce, which allows for longer usage.”

A little goes a long way! Canon’s culinary garden is small but mighty. The tiny entrance garden yields a diverse array of fruits and herbs, including finger limes, basil, blueberries, kumquats, heirloom tomatoes, cucumbers, potatoes, heirloom corn, lemon verbena, lavender, roses, geraniums, rosemary, thyme, oregano, oranges, and pomegranates. 

Waste not, want not

Conserving limited resources is a cornerstone of sustainability. The team at Canon views food as a precious resource and looks for creative ways to reduce waste.  Brad elaborates, “Sustainability has to be the cornerstone of what we do – some of our methods are waste-driven. When we put a new item on the menu, we’re conscious of the waste streams – whether it’s going to go into compost or whether we’ll be able to dehydrate it and use it. At the same time, we also have to support our farmers. We often choose (to partner with) farms that are practicing regenerative farming or using technology to minimize their waste streams or to create eco-friendly farming practices.” 

Canon Restaurant: A delicious way to support California agriculture

Sacramento is the Farm-to-Fork Capital of the World. Being surrounded by some of the nation’s most productive farmland – and tasting the benefits daily – Brad is passionate about supporting California agriculture. He declares, “Sacramento is the heart of our agricultural region here in California – we grow 400 and something specialty crops here. We have a culture of farmers markets, of supporting local and sustainable agriculture. Supporting California agriculture supports a sustainable food system for the globe”.

Canon’s CA GROWN Menu Items: Shareable, Seasonal Fare made with local ingredients

One incredibly easy way to support California agriculture is by choosing restaurants that work with Golden State growers. Canon Restaurant is proud to offer seasonal CA GROWN dishes on their menu.

Brad explains, “We’re really excited! This year, we’re doing heirloom tomatoes with a roasted garlic labneh. So, a lot of Mediterranean flavors, sweet peppers grown in California, and some fresh spring onions get pickled into a relish that goes over the top of our heirloom tomatoes and labneh. It’s really delicious and refreshing.”

Brad continues, “The other California Grown menu item that we’re featuring is a dessert – a Sweet Peach Pavlova.

We take peaches from up the hill in Newcastle at Twin Peaks, we toss them in a syrup made of sweet tea, and it goes into a pavlova with lavender from our garden. Then, we use some sweetened condensed milk, vanilla and a little more of that sweet tea to round it all out.”

Next time you’re in the Sacramento area, visit Canon Restaurant and ask about their CA GROWN seasonal specials. Brad adds, “We’re very excited to invite you guys to come visit us here at Canon and taste all of our California Grown specialty menu items.”

Visit Canon Restaurant

Ready to experience some of California’s finest seasonal cuisine, courtesy of culinary mastermind Brad Cecchi? Visit Canon Restaurant in East Sacramento!

1719 34th St. Sacramento, CA  95816

(916) 469-2433

Open daily from 5 pm -9 pm

Make a reservation

Ready to visit Sacramento? 

Heading to Sacramento? We asked Brad to share a few of his favorite local restaurants, wineries and activities. “If someone were coming to Sacramento for the weekend, we have so much to do. Sacramento has really kind of come into its own in the last 15 years – and is now finding its way in the national food conversation. We have a great restaurant scene -restaurants that have been around here forever, like The Waterboy and Mulvaney’s. There are new, really exciting cultural concepts, like Binchoyaki or Kru, that do really great stuff with the bounty of our region, but interpret it in a very Japanese way. Our Mexican food culture at Nixtaco is really authentic and impactful.

We have a proximity to Folsom Lake and the Amador Foothills wine growing region, where people can kind of get out of the city, hike, but also see some world-class wine growing.” 

While you’re in the area, be sure to check some of our favorite Sacramento restaurants! 

Article by Hilary Rance. Photography by Hilary Rance, James Collier and Leah Judson.