March 10, 2023 – Welcome to Santa Cruz La Laguna, Guatemala, which sits roughly 3,000 miles from Santa Cruz, California.
Here boat taxis zip locals, partiers and spiritual seekers alike around Lake Atítlan, tuktuks climb steep cobblestone streets in towns that feel like islands, and ancient volcanoes overlook the landscape with majestic detachment.
My favorite things about this lakeside Santa Cruz hamlet—population 4,000ish, elevation 5,000ish—include the warmth of the people (everybody says “Buenas” or “Hola”); the striking nature (this jungle-lake vibe is something special); the friendly semi-stray dog population (pro tip: keep uneaten tortillas from lunch to make amigos); and the soothingly swimmable waters (sorry not sorry, Lake Tahoe).
The tastiest element here, though, rises above the others here, literally and figuratively, perched high above the modest dock: Café Sabor Cruceño (in English, roughly, “Cruz-Style Flavor Cafe”).
The concept proves awesome in theory and practice: Students train and staff every post in the place, learning and dishing plates on the level with much-more-trafficked destinations like Antigua and Guatemala City.
The view from its rooftop heights rivals the pretty specs on the plate. I went for the most famous Guatemalan staple, pepián, a molé-like stew of nuts, seeds, cacao, spices and slow-simmered chicken.
That wasn’t an easy decision. Also featured on the traditional front are pulique, a corn-based celebratory Santa Cruz-specific treat, and kaq’ik de dos carnes, a chicken-and-beef dish with avocado, cilantro and rice.
They pair well with fresh juice blends, a Central American strength, including the verdecito (or “little greenie”) with celery, pineapple and parsley.
The welcoming vibe extends from the textile retail side where students learn to craft and sell tapestries to the working kitchen where visitors queue up for classes.
Café Sabor Cruceño immediately reminded me of the inspiring work of Rancho Cielo.
Out on Old Stage Road, on a lesser-known side of Salinas, Rancho Cielo also transforms students into citizen-chefs, and invites eaters along for the ride.
Its Drummond Culinary Academy, a sibling to its other schools for ag mechanical-electrical, auto repair and construction training, gives at-risk youngsters real-world experience, a path to a high school diploma, and the tools and inspiration to dive into higher ed.
For the appetite-inclined, Drummond hosts three-course Friday dinners for $40—an outright steal, considering what you get.
This Friday, which sold out weeks ago, the options include duck cassoulet, Monterey Bay cioppino, braised short rib, and a vegetarian acorn squash-turnip-quinoa cornucopia. (Pro tip #2: Get your 5:30-7pm reservations logged at least a month out.)
As with Cruceño, newcomers will be rocked by the quality of the comida and the youth of the kitchen team.
Estevan Jimenez, one of the realer and most approachable chefs I know, oversees the kitchen after extended stints at Aquaterra and Monterey Bay Aquarium.
He feels most proud of how his crew—almost entirely teenagers—demonstrates real character pursuing a job that takes them to dozens of events like the Culinary Round-Up and Car Week’s Quail Motorsports Gathering every year.
“I just admire their resilience,” Jimenez says. “A lot of these students fell really far behind, and they’re not quitting. They’re determined to graduate.”
Program director Mark Bruszer finds new guests most surprised by the excellence that lands on their plate.
“It’s a fine dining experience,” he says. “It blows [diners] away that they’re getting that type of meal from someone who’s been working in food for a semester. People often say we’re better than the high-end restaurants on the Peninsula.”
That leads to restaurants begging them to staff their stations.
“We have enough job offers I could place every student, today,” Bruszer says. “We get calls continuously for people who want kids with culinary training.”
Back here in Santa Cruz South, the school-restaurant inhabits the sort of town that delivers irresistible awakenings with a simple walk to the market for individually sold eggs.
Between the endless street art blending historic and contemporary identity, the tidy young man in the rare suit and pressed shirt belting out Christian proverbs on a portable speaker, and the curbside toddler pulling on a cat’s tail, every twist in the steep streets tickles the mind across multiple dimensions.
It’s inspiring in a very specific way. Much like Rancho Cielo.
More at ranchocieloyc.org.
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.
