Cal Stamenov Moves Over to Cella Restaurant in Monterey

May, 13, 2023 – Iconic chef Cal Stamenov has reunited with longtime colleague and fellow chef Ben Spungin, which has both—and local foodies—watering at the mouth.

The former gets back to his veg-centric, ingredient-inspired, hyper-local fare, and the latter gets the chef he wanted all along. 

“A chef’s chef,” Cella co-owner/founding chef Spungin says. “A chef other chefs look up to.”

Eaters, meanwhile, get a master plying his craft in a beautiful setting that complements sommelier Bernabe de Luna’s wines and cocktail guru Josh Perry’s drinks.

Along the way, relatively new—and quite promising—Cella can realize its freshest potential.

In short, the fit feels right.

Still, the move took some convincing. Fortunately that came from a persuasive source: Stamenov’s adult daughters.

“All three talked me into coming over here,” he says. “They love the bakery, they eat at the restaurant. They said, ‘You gotta do it.’”

For eight years, Stamenov and Spungin shared the kitchen at Bernardus Lodge, making it comfortably one of the very best in the tri-county area. 

Spungin eventually left for various Coastal Luxury Management projects and later settled at cult hit Alta Bakery (next door to Cella), which he’ll continue to direct in addition to the restaurant.

“Chef Cal and I work really well together,” Spungin says. “We all know what he can do in the kitchen, and he has such a following with the community—and not only that, he knows all the farmers and cool foragers and fishermen of the area.”

They’re already workshopping the new menu, with a half dozen new items, while keeping the same format. 

Stamenov mentions soft shell crab, heritage duck, and deepened enthusiasm for “the raw stuff”: tartares, oysters and fish crudo. 

“The focus is a lot of vegetables with small-portion proteins,” Stamenov says, “the way you would like to eat.”

After a stint at standout Carmel steak spot Grasing’s Carmel with his good friend and fellow chef Kurt Grasing, Stamenov is eager to serve a youthful and health-focused demographic with intensified seasonality, widened creative authority and an intimate space that allows for closer attention to each plate.

“I can do different food here,” he says, “and it’s a lot more hands-on.” 

Spungin then cuts to the key takeaway.  

“This is going to be chef Cal’s show,” Spungin says. “He’s going to be the operator of the restaurant—a great small venue that will really adapt well to loving the special ingredients he can get.”

More at cellarestaurant.com.