Gardener's hobby evolved into world-class restaurant

By Leslie Fulbright
Seattle Times Eastside bureau

	Lola Zimmerman
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Born Lola Kammer on Nov. 10, 1919, Mrs. Zimmerman died Wednesday, Feb. 18, at the age of 84.

After growing up on a Nebraska farm, she moved to California to live with her sister after her father's death. She met William Zimmerman at a Burbank rooming house where she worked. They married in December 1941.

After the war, the Zimmermans moved to Gold Beach on the Oregon coast, where they built and operated a fishing resort. They moved to Bellevue in 1954 when he got a job as an engineer at Boeing.

The couple purchased the farm for retirement, and Mrs. Zimmerman, long a homemaker, began to grow small plants and herbs. In the spring of 1974, she had a surplus of chives so she put potted plants in a wheelbarrow under a walnut tree on the side of the road with a sign that read "Herbs for Sale." Next to it was a jar for customers to make change.

"People would come by, take plants and put money in," said her son, Bob Zimmerman. "She would jingle it, laugh and say she made some money."

The herbs were selling so quickly that the couple started building greenhouses. They took over a storage shed and converted the garage for what soon became a burgeoning herb-growing operation.

William Zimmerman retired from Boeing a year later and converted the barn into a shop, where they continued their nursery. In 1986, the couple was ready to retire again when their other son, Ron Zimmerman, and his wife, Carrie Van Dyck, joined the business.

They helped expand the store, which sold 1,000 different herbs. The Herbfarm also started a national mail-order business and a school that taught more than 300 classes each year on cooking, crafts, gardening and the medicinal use of herbs.

In 1987, the family remodeled part of the farm's home and garage into a 24-seat restaurant. It was known not only for its six-course lunches and nine-course dinners but for its educational approach, with the staff explaining to diners exactly what went into each meal.

In 1997, after an extensive remodel and expansion, The Herbfarm was destroyed in an electrical fire. It reopened later at a temporary location in Issaquah. The couple finally retired, Bob Zimmerman said, and moved to North Bend. Mrs. Zimmerman still raised fruits and vegetables for the new restaurant.

The Herbfarm reopened in 2001 in Woodinville, shortly after her husband passed away.

Mrs. Zimmerman spent her final years in an assisted-living home. Even there, with no garden of her own, she would sneak down and plant bulbs, her son said.

Mrs. Zimmerman is survived by her son Bob and his wife, Valorie, of Kent; her son Ron and his wife, Carrie Van Dyck, of Woodinville; and grandchildren Thomas, Paul and Anne of Seattle.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Friday at the Fall City Cemetery. A reception will follow.

Leslie Fulbright: 206-515-5637 or lfulbright@seattletimes.com

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