July 7, 2015 – Carmel is more than spectacular scenery, quaint homes and exclusive businesses, it’s a community of people who make the place so special. That’s the premise behind a new book called Legendary Locals of Carmel-by-the-Sea written by frequent EMB contributor Lisa Crawford Watson. She packs it with 190 luminaries who have contributed to the character of Carmel—everyone from Ansel Adams, Doris Day and Clint Eastwood to restauranteurs Walter Georis, Rich Pepe and Tony Tollner.
“This was a labor of love,” says Crawford Watson. “I took it on because this is my home, and because my grandmother, Ruth Watson, was a true Carmel character and a gormandizer of the culture of this community.”
The author remembers being taken to the Spinning Wheel restaurant—where Aubergine is currently located—by her grandmother as a treat for showing lovely manners.
“Her favorite restaurants were Walter Georis’ La Boheme, and she kept the monthly prix-fixe menu on her refrigerator; and his Clambox, at which she dined on Fridays,” she says of her grandmother. “One time the line was so long during the early-bird hour that she said loudly to her dining companion, ‘Too bad they don’t serve fish on Fridays.’ At which point, a lot of people cleared out and she slipped in to enjoy her fish.”
One of the hardest parts of writing the book was deciding who should be in it. While she included 190 artists, writers, photographers and others, she kept a second list of 300 more people who “should have been included” in the 124-page volume that also includes 190 photos.
“Talking with people about their lives and loves here, gathering photographs, and looking into the lives of those who came, contributed and departed, became a responsibility and an honor,” says Crawford Watson. “As I held moments of people’s lives in my hands, I was only further reminded how spectacularly special this place is that I have known my whole life.”
An entire chapter of the book is dedicated to “The Cuisine Community.” Among many others, you’ll find the stories of chef Cal Stamenov, Chloe and Jay Dolata of Carmel Belle, Wendy Brodie of the Art of Food, Bill Lee, David Fink of Aubergine, Walter Georis, Rich Pepe, Tony Tollner and more.
A book signing for Legendary Locals of Carmel-by-the-Sea will be held Thursday, July 16 at the Carmel Bay Company on Ocean Street & Lincoln in Carmel from 5-8pm. Appetizers and beverages will be provided by some of the restauranteurs profiled in the book.
Books will be available for purchase for $21.99, with part of the proceeds going to fund the Carmel Youth Center Creative Arts Bridge. It’s a new artist-in-residence program at the center—which was established in 1949 by the late Bing Crosby, also profiled as a Legendary Local.
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.
