Cella Debuts New Sunday Brunch

October 3, 2023 – The handwriting slants left. (The writer is a lefty?!) The script loops and leans. The capital letters bubble in shape, like they’ve just eaten.

To the right eye, the paper looks like a handwritten scroll detailing some sort of secret blessing.  

And to the right palate—namely, those who like brunch—it is a blessing, though now it’s not a secret. 

Cella introduces brunch, softly, this Sunday, 10am-2pm, on the picturesque garden veranda and indoors. (PSA reminder: Soft-openings mean bring your patience and constructive feedback, leave attitude at home.)

Its author, Cal Stamenov, has a library of experience that speaks to the promise of this blueprint, having evolved memorable brunch experiences at destinations like Hyatt Carmel Highlands and Bernardus Lodge. 

The difference now: He’s found a heart home of sorts, as Edible detailed when he came aboard at Cella: He’s partnering with a longtime collaborator in chef/co-owner Ben Spugin, and has the product, space and audience to execute his scribbled visions vibrantly.

A few brunch items to whet the appetite: 

• Autumn quiche with squash, leafy greens and forged mushrooms

• Moroccan fried chicken with bacon cornbread, romesco sauce and chili cumin butter

• Vanilla bean French toast with poached Bartlett pears and a date-verbena whip

• Baked ratatouille with poached eggs and chickpea pansies

• Short rib hash with poached eggs, horseradish, hollandaise and pickled onions

• Duck charcuterie three ways; hanger steaks and eggs; French omelets; smoked salmon; and grilled radicchio dishes 

• Brown butter huckleberry muffins and Alta croissants

• Raw options like chilled oysters, steak tartare and base scallop and hamachi ceviche

and

• The most mysterious, which might be the most exciting as a result: “Ben’s Grandest Slam.” 

A final menu note: It’ll change every Sunday. 

“The idea is to do food that’s a little more Northern European and Mediterranean,” Stamenov says, “Not eggs Benedict and a giant stack of pancakes, but more vegetables, lighter and more feminine, not too ponderous.”

More at Cella’s Instagram page.