PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHEYENNE ELLIS
Head towards the coast, make a left and you’ll be on one of the grandest drives in the United States. It’s scenic for sure, but also one of the most productive and bountiful stretches of real estate for food lovers.
The plentiful foodways of the Central Coast are something we celebrate in every issue of Edible Monterey Bay, so I couldn’t wait to get my hands on a copy of chef Scott Clark’s new cookbook Coastal: 130 Recipes From a California Road Trip and read about our area from a chef’s point of view.
“It’s been burned by wildfires, desiccated by drought, and swallowed by flooding and landslides,” he writes in the introduction. “But somehow, this place perseveres, providing a cornucopia that chefs like me, and the people who eat our food, are fortunate enough to enjoy.”
Clark is a veteran of multi-Michelin-starred restaurants like Benu and Saison in San Francisco, but in 2017 he left the world of high-pressure kitchens, got sober and started running ultramarathons.
He now operates his own roadside eatery in a converted red caboose alongside Highway 1 in Half Moon Bay. It’s called Dad’s Luncheonette and dedicates itself equally to serving simple comfort foods and maintaining a sane quality of life. To wit, Dad’s grassfed burgers and maitake mushroom sandwiches are only available from 11am–4pm, Thursday–Sunday.
Published in March, Coastal is a “love letter” to the Central Coast.
On some of his days off, Clark has been visiting purveyors along the coast. From Half Moon Bay to the Channel Islands, he met with farmers and fishermen, foragers and ranchers, hunters and winemakers. He also went surfing, sailing, kayak fishing, foraging, shopping at farmers markets and picnicking on the beach with his young daughter Frost.
The book—written in collaboration with award-winning food journalist Betsy Andrews— weaves together his adventures and recipes inspired by each journey, along with profiles of people he meets along the way.
In one section, for example, he gathers mushrooms in Del Monte Forest with local forager and chef Anthony Gerbino—former owner of Julia’s Vegetarian Restaurant in Pacific Grove—and Clark emerges with two recipes: Porcini with Guanciale Ravigote and Chicken-Fried Morels with Red-Eye Gravy.
On a different page he pops in on Dee Harley at Harley Farms Goat Dairy in Pescadero, a visit that anchors a chapter of unusual breakfast ideas, like Brussels Sprout Latkes and Asparagus Grain Bowl Benedict.
Later, he takes his daughter to the Downtown Santa Cruz Farmers Market to shop the huge variety of fresh organic produce and scarf down a couple of cones from The Penny Ice Creamery—a trip that inspires a recipe for Pumpkin Bread with Salty Butter and kid-friendly Watermelon Agua Fresca.
Jumping from one idyllic spot to another, always within sight of the Pacific Ocean, Coastal is a kind of magical mystery tour. The book itself is designed with psychedelic day-glo orange recipe titles and 1960s-style bubble writing on the cover, lending it a California Dreamin’ quality.
“For me this isn’t only a cookbook. It’s a love letter to my chosen home, California’s Central Coast,” Clark writes.
When it comes to defining the essence of Central California cuisine, the author has a few tricks up his sleeve.
Seafood and foraged ingredients are a big part of the fare—from the melted anchovy sauce on his charred broccolini to the Japanese-inspired Seaweed-Shiitake Miso Soup. He also makes liberal use of Meyer lemons throughout the 130 recipes, like the roasted snap pea salad (see recipe below).
Another secret flavor bomb that Clark makes by the quart—and uses in many of the recipes in the book—is Umami Oil, which incorporates shiitake mushrooms, kombu and bonito flakes.
“I’m constantly striving for the best and simplest way to make flavors sing, full throttle,” writes Clark. And full throttle is the perfect way to experience the Central Coast.
About the author
Deborah Luhrman is publisher and editor of Edible Monterey Bay. A lifelong journalist, she has reported from around the globe, but now prefers covering our flourishing local food scene and growing her own vegetables in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
