Tucked in the heart of San Francisco on Sutter Street is One MICHELIN Star 7 Adams—Serena and David Fisher’s sophomore project in the world of gastronomy. Conceptualized to become a five-course accessible dining experience, the restaurant utilizes seasonal California ingredients and creative flavor combinations to create an effortlessly unique dining experience.
“We wanted to pay respect to our roots as a way of acknowledging how our past paves the way for our future,” Serena recalls. “A dining experience that would be accessible to any working person in California—a place with excellent service and creative food at an attainable price point,” David adds.
To achieve that, the couple first had to figure out what the menu would look like and how to balance their relationship in the kitchen with the one outside of it.
The menu part came easy—David knew that the starting point would always be seasonality. “I select an ingredient and begin to build a dish by drawing on whatever is in season at the moment. Then, I incorporate certain techniques or an element of nostalgia to tie these components together,” David explains. “As I deepen my understanding of how I like to cook, the flavors become more harmonious, and the textures make more sense than they did in the past. I have even taken old dishes and turned them into something different by bringing in new techniques.”
Standout dishes from the menu include the Alaskan halibut wrapped in squash blossoms, served with scallop mousseline, celtuce, and heirloom tomato juice (David’s favorite), and the hyper-seasonal lacquered duck breast and duck leg croquette featuring peaches and summer squash (Serena’s favorite).
The bigger challenge was figuring out how to work with each other. “So much of our identity and time is intertwined with our careers,” Serena says. “You don’t have all the time you would like to have,” notes David.
For Serena, the key to creating a work-life balance was setting boundaries for the restaurant and their relationship at home. When the pair is outside of the restaurant setting, they prioritize each other, their hobbies, interests, and personal goals. “It’s been a real focus of ours to build our lives outside the restaurant in a wholesome and well-rounded way,” Serena states.
For David, it is about experiencing life together—traveling, relaxing, and most importantly, finding new places to dine at.
That balance, along with 7 Adams’ creative menu, has catapulted the restaurant to gastronomic success. The Sutter Street spot was included in the 2023 California selection as a recommended restaurant and awarded a One MICHELIN Star at the 2024 California selection.
But perhaps more importantly, working together has created a newfound sense of admiration between the two.
“I’ve never met anyone who has such a passion and dedication to his goals,” Serena admires. “He’s the hardest-working person I know, and I’m constantly inspired by his drive and tenacity.”
“I love seeing how far we have come,” David reminisces. “Serena brings joy to so many people, and that’s necessary for all of us.”
Working with a loved one can be an extremely difficult task—comments feel personal, conflicts bleed into the relationship at home, and over time, you may forget why you even started working together in the first place. But when done right, there is rarely anything that can compare. David and Serena are proof of that.
Their advice for couples wanting to follow in their footsteps? Listen to each other and be open to constructive criticism, know that the relationship is more important than the project, and most importantly, remember to have some fun.
Hero image: Tara Rudolph / David and Serena Fisher
Thumb image: Tara Rudolph / David and Serena Fisher
