December 12, 2017 – “Nothing happens fast in the abalone biz,” says Tom Ebert, owner of the American Abalone Farms (AAF) in Davenport. He is mostly speaking of the slow growth rate of the California red abalone that he farms here, where even the smallest ones take 2-3 years to mature. But his statement is also a little sarcastic, referring to the pace of progress he has seen running his business here since 1994.
From an outsider’s point of view, Ebert’s perspective doesn’t seem true. A new venture for the farm began over Labor Day, launching a marketplace, oyster bar and seafood take-out spot on weekends, and has quickly drawn attention to this hidden gem ever since. Business is booming, a large new deck and open air market space has been built, and plans are in the works to build a boardwalk that will continue from the new space all the way to a second perch on the western-most side of the property, with beach access to Davenport Landing Beach. Despite the fact that Ebert was actually selling abalone and crab to the public in a farmstand format every Saturday for years, not many folks knew about it…until now.
“The idea was mine,” says Daniel Merino, the growth and sales manager for the farm. “As a surfer and former attempted café owner, I saw the potential for an incredible café style market here and pitched it to Tom. The location is just too good to not be used for hanging out! The market as it stands is a testament to the awesomeness of small business, as Tom listened to our ideas, thought they were good, and four months later we have an incredible space!”
There’s nothing quite like gazing out at a sparkling seascape while slurping down some oysters and sipping a cold glass of something (no booze for now, but there are plans to team up with local wineries and breweries soon). And it is a formula that the AAF crew is quickly pursuing to serve more and more visitors. But this is no quantity over quality tourist fish shack. The integrity of the seafood the farm offers is the main attraction, and encompassing philosophy behind Ebert’s business as a whole.
“All of our seafood is sourced locally from persons who practice sustainable harvesting methods. Whether it is hook and line fisherman pulling up local salmon, sea urchins caught by our diver up in Mendocino, or sustainably farmed oysters from Northern California, everything is of the highest quality and good for the environment. The oysters are purchased from our partners at the various oyster farms scattered across the west coast, but what sets ours apart is that once delivered to us, we put the oysters back in our saltwater tanks and keep them alive in the pristine Monterey Bay water,” explains Merino.
Now that crab season is here, the marketplace developments are not slowing down in the least. In fact, that slow progress Ebert spoke of is laughable at this point. In addition to having locally caught live crab for sale from tanks directly to the public, Merino says, “We are revamping our new market area and using the slowtime this winter to build out a full kitchen and larger dining area, as well as expanding the deck. We liked it so much in the few months we were up that we want to have more options for food, drinks, seating and perhaps events come next spring. In the meantime we have teamed up with a local food truck (Lindsay’s Palate Pleasers) to cook up our fried abalone and other dishes here while also looking at being available for private events.”
At the beginning, a handful of dishes were on offer, including items like fried abalone, locally harvested seaweed salad, sea urchin, and a Filipino-style ceviche called Kinilaw. Now that construction has temporarily shut down the onsite hot food sales, the person behind these creations, chef Otto Markel, is turning his energy to other outlets, like the recent Night Market pop-up at the Food Lounge in November. Markel’s background includes working at a bbq joint and a deli, but attributes most of his food knowledge and skill from his Filipino roots and his grandfather who worked in the fields as cook. Also, he says, “I read a lot…like a lot!”
The farm and market will be open throughout the winter season, even with the expansion project. So plan a visit to pick up some super fresh seafood (maybe oysters for NYE?) and linger awhile. If you go on a Sunday, you can jump onto a tour of the facility, which Merino leads now every week. “They cover the history of the sustainable abalone fishery, the workings of an abalone farm, usually a couple good laughs, and finishes with a shucking demonstration and some abalone sashimi,” he says. The tour is every Sunday at 2:30pm, lasts about an hour and costs $15 per person.
About the author
Amber Turpin is a freelance food and travel writer based in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
