July 29, 2025—In Gus we trust.
That’s not written on any currency or imprinted on any plaque, but it is imprinted on area eaters after they see a bundle of names of small farms, fishermen and purveyors written on Gus Trejo menus.
Now he’s transferring his hunger for smart sourcing from Jack O’Neill Restaurant (in Santa Cruz’s Dream Inn)—where he helped transform the dining program from tourist trick into locally-sown treat—to Lucia Restaurant & Bar (at Carmel Valley’s Bernardus Lodge).
That smells like a win-win for Ensemble Hospitality, which manages both properties.
Trejo’s team in Santa Cruz has been imprinted with the power of connecting with curated producers to make both flavor and storytelling shine, and is ready to take the helm.
Lydia Bates, director of sales and marketing at Dream Inn, chimes in there.
“Gus brought heart, creativity and a deep sense of place to our culinary program,” she says. “He helped us create something truly rooted in the Central Coast—building lasting relationships with local producers and mentoring what is now a confident [and] deeply seasoned culinary team.”
At Bernardus, with notable chef Christian Ojeda moving on to other projects, Trejo is performing a homecoming-of-sorts, having spent a decade evolving nearby Carmel Valley Lodge’s field-to-fork program in partnership with loco local-sourcing legend Chef Tim Wood.
“I’ll always be hyper-local, bringing my whole arsenal of area farms with me, serving whatever I can from them and just spreading the love so small farms can go up a level,” Trejo says. “As we bring Bernardus back to what it once was—a culinary destination—I’ll get the community involved as much as possible.”
Almost reflexively, he starts ticking off a tiny share of his supply squad, Monterey Abalone Company, Corvus Farms, Swank Farms, Monterey Bay Seaweeds and Big Sur Sea Salts among them.
“Sourcing within my region is what my game is,” he says. “That’s how that I’ve been successful: elaborating on something that already excellent.”
He pauses, then adds this: “I’m going to bring on a lot of products that we should have on every menu in the region. I’m going to continue to push that envelope.”
That transports me to a stunning lunch perched above the Pacific loaded with catch-of-the-day ceviche and vibrant produce.
That was this month two years ago, just as folks were coming to realize the new Jack O’Neill had a whole new cut to its jib.
“In a strong community everyone supports each other—and in everything we do, we support the local network,” Trejo said in July 2023. “Why use industrial farms when we have micro-farms available to us?”
He went on to tease what will be most meaningful for the Dream Inn chefs continuing his tactics.
“I don’t care if you don’t know how to cook—we can teach you that—we care whether you respect ingredients, are changing cutting boards, cutting the fish well,” he said. “It has to be treated like something alive, organic, that we’re not going to get again…which it is.”
Trejo’s first day at Bernardus arrives Aug. 8.
“It’s been a good run at O’Neill’s,” he says. “Now I’m going back home to the valley!”
Bernardus spokesperson Pilar Florez testifies she’s among many counting the days before Trejo kicks the property’s epicurean sustainability into overdrive.
“Truly we are so excited about this opportunity for him to go back to being in a small luxury boutique hotel, and also it’s wonderful for us to continue to develop relationships with local growers and purveyors he is genuinely passionate about,” she says. “We are in the county full of beautiful things and we want to be sharing that with everyone.”
She goes onto describe other synergies, then circles back to another thought that’s been on her mind.
“The other piece that’s really important for us is: How do we go back to Bernardus being a beloved place for locals?”
Well, this qualifies as a vital step in that direction.
More at jackoneillrestaurant.com and bernarduslodge.com.
About the author
Mark C. Anderson, Edible Monterey Bay's managing editor, appears on "Friday Found Treasures" via KRML 94.7 every week, a little after 12pm noon. Reach him via mark@ediblemontereybay.com.
