March 18, 2014 – Fans of Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing’s highly inventive and delicious craft brews will get to see its founder unleash her imagination in the kitchen when she opens her first restaurant by this fall in an 1876 vintage hotel in Felton.
SCMB owner and brewer Emily Thomas is teaming up with Bob Locatelli, owner of the Felton and Boulder Creek New Leaf Markets, to open The Cremer House—named for the historic building, which once operated as boardinghouse for loggers and teamsters.
“I grew up in the San Lorenzo Valley and originally wanted to have the brewery up there,” said Thomas, explaining that water and sewage problems prevented her. “So I’m really excited to be getting back to my roots and bringing the beer up there to share.”
The Cremer House will have 25 rotating taps, with SCMB beer and other local brews, and ten keg wines. The bar, currently under construction, is being crafted out of wood salvaged from an early 1800s Pennsylvania barn.
The menu-driven restaurant will feature seasonal, organic food from local farms that are already working with Locatelli and New Leaf.
Thomas—who was voted Beverage Artisan of the Year by readers of Edible Monterey Bay—is also a dedicated chef and recipe developer. She’s been working on the project for more than two years creating dishes that use beer in the cooking process and pair well with SCMB beers. See EMB February, 2012.
She’s already designed a novel menu organized according to serving vessels, with categories such as jars, bowls, plates and platters. And we can hardly wait to sample the delicious creations that are served in them. The restaurant will offer lunch and dinner and is expected to open when construction is completed in about six months.
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.
