September 4, 2018 – Chef Joshua Plesh is now heading the kitchen at the seafood-centric Wild Fish in Pacific Grove.
A promising newcomer to our local dining scene, the L.A. native began cooking when he was 21, training under chef Jason Neroni, owner of the buzzy Rose Café in Venice Beach. Later he ran a seasonal pop up restaurant in Anchorage called Harvest, offering a nine-course tasting menu that proved so popular that the five-month season was fully booked on its second day in business.
More recently Plesh worked at the renowned The Willows Inn on Lummi Island in the San Juan Islands of Washington, where he cooked alongside Noma-trained head chef Blaine Wetzel.
The Willows Inn is a true farm-to-table restaurant that operates its own farm and has its own fisherman, so Plesh said he was totally spoiled there. “Here I go to three farmers’ markets a week and all the fish is brought in fresh,” he says. “I like to let the farmers and the produce speak for itself in my cooking.”
“We make sure to put the names of the farms we buy from on the menu and that holds us accountable,” he adds.
Plesh says the philosophy of Wild Fish owners Liz and Kelvin Jacobs “is right in my wheelhouse” and that he is enjoying life in Monterey. “We are thrilled to have chef Joshua going us,” says Liz.
Meantime, Wild Fish has started opening for lunch from 11:30am to 2:30pm Fridays to Tuesdays, with farm-fresh salads, chowders, a smoked fish plate and some dinner entrées available, as well as oysters and champagne and a few seats outdoors for sidewalk café style dining.
About the author
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.
