June 20, 2017 – Chef Brandon Miller is joining brewer J.C. Hill at Alvarado St. Brewery & Grill in Monterey. The veteran local chef—who spent 13 years at the helm of Stokes Restaurant and eight years at Mundaka in Carmel—is brimming with enthusiasm for his new gig.
“It’s going to be a blast! It’s right in my wheelhouse, so it’s really cool,” says Miller, who has been brewing beer at home for 30 years. “I’m going to see what I can pair with J.C.’s big, hoppy beers and where I can incorporate beer into the food.”
After a good run serving tapas, paella and other Spanish specialities at Mundaka, owner Gabe Georis decided to convert the restaurant over to a Mexican seafood concept earlier this year and renamed it Pescadero. Miller helped with the changeover, getting the new restaurant ready to open by Cinco de Mayo, but soon he was looking for new challenges.
“I’d been hanging out quite often at Alvarado St. and got to know some of the people there,” says Miller, who is partial to sour beers and loves Alvarado’s occasional fruit-based ales. “It’s got great energy and a great staff.” Opening chef Jeremiah Tydeman recently left Alvarado St. to work with chef Todd Fisher at the soon-to-open Seventh & Dolores restaurant in Carmel.
Miller begins after the 4th of July, but has already started doing research for the new gig, traveling to the San Diego International Beer Festival last weekend and heading to Seattle next, to check out the beer scene there and visit family.
“I’m going to just be doing specials for the first few weeks and researching the best dishes to pair,” he says. “But then I’ll probably bring in some richer European flavors and maybe even a little Mexican.”
He also plans to use beer and spent grains in some of his dishes; he wants to build a charcuterie room at the brewery’s production facility in Salinas and start getting food out there on a regular basis; and he can’t wait to fire up the new smoker. “There’s so much fun staff to do!” he says, sounding like a kid in a candy store or, more precisely, a beer-loving chef in a brewery.
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.
