January 30, 2018 – Just shy of nine months in business Oasis Tasting Room and Kitchen in Santa Cruz has closed and the two men behind it—Alec Stefansky of Uncommon Brewers and Chris LaVeque of El Salchichero—are ending their partnership.
“Alec and I worked really hard to get that place up and running and this is really hard to see,” says LaVeque. “We just didn’t get enough butts in seats.” Meanwhile, Hoffman’s restaurant on Pacific Avenue has lost its lease and served its last meal yesterday.
LaVeque says he has moved his meats out of the curing room at Oasis and will concentrate on his successful butcher shop at the Swift St. complex, while Stefansky says he hopes to re-open the spot eventually with more of an emphasis on beer.
“We closed the door to reconsider our options and will continue on our own,” says Stefansky, adding that the size of the space was a real challenge. At 3,000 sq. ft. and 189 capacity, Oasis in the Old Sash Mill on River Street is one of the largest venues in the county.
“Essentially it was more of a restaurant and we need it to be more of a tasting room,” he says. “Most brewery tasting rooms are smaller and darker and people walking into ours entered this big, bright, open, airy space.”
“Once we get it back up and running it is just going to be a brewery,” says Stefansky. “And the food will be more beer-oriented.”
For now the brewer is focused on preparing new beers for several SF Beer Week events and the upcoming Twisted Tasting in Santa Cruz, but after that he will take another look at the Oasis space and what can be done with it.
Meantime, the Hoffman family is looking for a new location for their bistro-style restaurant, that has been serving customers on Pacific Avenue in Santa Cruz for 16 years. According to Facebook posts made last Friday, the restaurant lost its lease. “It is with a very heavy heart that we announce that we will be closing after lunch on Monday. Please come in this weekend to say Farewell. It has been our great honor and pleasure to serve you over these past 16 years.”
In response to messages of support from longtime customers, they wrote: “We are working on another location. We will keep you posted.” Hoffman’s is known for its fine pastries and underwent a Food Network makeover as part of Robert Irvine’s Restaurant Impossible show in 2012.
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At Edible Monterey Bay, our mission is to celebrate the local food culture of Santa Cruz, San Benito and Monterey Counties, season by season. We believe in sustainability, and we believe everyone has a right to healthful, clean and affordable food. We think knowing where our food comes from is powerful, and we hope our magazine, website and newsletters inspire readers to get to know and support our local growers, fishers, chefs, vintners and food artisans.
