April 19, 2016 – Acclaimed Big Sur chef John Cox is leaving Sierra Mar restaurant at the Post Ranch Inn in search of new horizons and chef de cuisine Elizabeth Murray will assume the reins as executive chef.
“We celebrate the time, culinary contributions and enormous passion that John has shared with Sierra Mar and Passport Resorts over the years, and wish him the very best in his new adventures. He will always be part of the Passport Resorts family,” said managing partner Mike Freed.
“Chef Murray will continue to offer Post Ranch Inn guests the exceptional dining experience they have come to expect,” he added.
Murray, who was personally selected by Cox three years ago, has worked at top restaurants such as Coi in San Francisco, Georges at the Cove in La Jolla and Josephine’s in Arizona. She completed stages at Noma, Manresa and Meadowood. She studied at Cornell University and the French Culinary Institute in New York.
“I’m just very excited to continue the growth of the team that’s been put in place by John and just march on and continue that for the Ranch and the community,” Murray said.
Cox said the decision to leave was a tough one: “I’ve worked at Post Ranch a total of seven years and lived on the ranch for four years, and I’ve never been anywhere so incredible or so stunning, but I still have places to see and adventures to have.”
The 35-year-old chef will stay in his post until June 1st and then it’s off to Southeastern Alaska for a month to visit friends who are “wild crafters” and homesteaders.
Cox is a frequent contributor to Edible Monterey Bay magazine, writing on culinary themes, local history and anthropology—always accompanied by gorgeous photos which express another side of his artistic talents. He plans to photograph and write about his Alaska trip on his new blog www.chefjohncox.com and just bought a big Tacoma truck to make the trek.
Cox says he hopes to remain based in the Monterey-Carmel area and is looking for new projects to get involved in. “I want to do something that is outside the day-to-day running of a kitchen,” he says. “The job of executive chef is not always as glamorous as people imagine. Ordering, scheduling and inventory are not really my passion.”
He hopes his life in the future will be a combination of travel, writing, special culinary events and business projects—such as the water-saving air compressor dishwashing device he invented last year in the midst of the drought.
Known for his inventive and delicious micro-regional cuisine, Cox was the subject of the cover story in the spring issue of Edible Monterey Bay entitled “Sense of Place: How chef John Cox developed his signature Big Sur cuisine.”
In the article he talks about foraging for ingredients, cooking with acorns and building an edible paradise on the spectacular 100-acre Post Ranch property that includes a chef’s garden, chicken coop, orchards, bee hives and a greenhouse for growing mushrooms.
He says the article was a kind of turning point for him, pointing out all that he had accomplished at Sierra Mar.
In a Facebook post he wrote: “There was a moment a few weeks ago, as we rolled out our new tasting menu, when I realized I finally completed what I set out to do. I never wanted to be perfect, or even to be the best, I just wanted to create something that reflected my deep love for this part of the California Coast—and I finally saw that vision come to life in this menu.”
To read more about chef Cox, be sure to pick up a copy of our spring issue. It’s the one with a beautiful picture of one of his dishes on an abalone shell on the cover. Or read about him online here.
And to read some of our favorite stories that Cox wrote himself for Edible Monterey Bay, see his stories on:
The food ways of Big Sur’s Esselen people (Fall 2014, https://ediblemontereybay.com/fall-2014/edible-history/)
Cooking jellyfish (Summer 2014, https://ediblemontereybay.com/online-magazine/summer-2014/in-the-kitchen-moon-jellyfish/)
His up-close and personal experience of learning where his pork comes from (Fall 2012, https://ediblemontereybay.com/online-magazine/fall-2012/foodshed-600/ )
The Sicilians who made Monterey their home (Summer 2015, https://ediblemontereybay.com/online-magazine/summer-2015/edible-history-remembering-spaghetti-hill/)
Foraging and cooking seaweed (Fall 2015, https://ediblemontereybay.com/online-magazine/fall-2015/on-the-coast-tidal-treasures/)
Monterey Bay’s famed mollusk, the abalone (Fall 2011, https://ediblemontereybay.com/fall-2011/edible-history/)
His fine-dining chef’s guide to holding a local and organic dinner party on a budget of $5 per guest (Summer 2013, https://ediblemontereybay.com/online-magazine/summer-2013/dinner-party/).
Many more can also be found online at www.ediblemontereybay.com.
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.
