Our Story – Restaurants — Rustic Canyon Family – Santa Monica
Rustic Canyon – Helmed by Executive Chef Andy Doubrava and James Beard-nominated Chef/Owner Jeremy Fox, this hyper-seasonal, Michelin-starred restaurant is constantly inspired by the beautiful ingredients that come from local farmers and purveyors. We make everything from scratch here (even the sea salt) and the menu changes up every day. Our award-winning wine list, curated by Rustic Canyon Family Wine Director Kathryn Coker and Sommelier Kathryn Spencer, runs 300+ bottles deep.
Huckleberry Bakery & Café – What started off as a series of weekend breakfast pop-ups at Rustic Canyon turned into a breakfast and lunch spot that debuted in February 2009. Pastry Chef/Partner Laurel Almerinda keeps the pastry case overflowing with biscuits, tarts and doughnuts, while Executive Chef Catie Randazzo whips up a savory, market-driven menu featuring fresh salads, sandwiches and comforting breakfast fare. Zoe, Josh and Laurel also published a cookbook in 2014 called Huckleberry: Stories, Secrets and Recipes from our Kitchen. It features over 115 simple recipes for our signature pastries and sweet/savory breakfast dishes!
Sweet Rose Creamery – As one of the few homegrown Los Angeles ice cream shops, Sweet Rose was born out of Josh, Zoe, Colby and Founding Chef Shiho Yoshikawa’s desire to create delicious ice cream in a nostalgic setting. The first shop opened in 2010 at the Brentwood Country Mart and have another charming shop on Santa Monica’s Main Street. Our small batches of organic ice cream feature ingredients from the farmers’ market and are handcrafted daily, with flavors ranging from nostalgic classics to more whimsical, seasonal offerings.
Milo + Olive – This neighborhood bakery and pizzeria debuted in winter 2011, and it’s also the bread-baking hub for our group. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, pop in early for a morning bun, honey latte and a fresh loaf of bread to-go. Later in the day, dig into classic and seasonal wood-fired pizzas, handmade pastas, farmers’ market vegetable dishes, Italian-inspired proteins, plus more. Don’t forget the Garlic Knot—it’s a local favorite!
Cassia – This critically-acclaimed, James Beard-nominated Southeast Asian brasserie opened in June 2015 as a partnership with Chef Bryant Ng and his wife Kim Luu-Ng. Taking its roots from Bryant and Kim’s culinary heritage and experiences, it celebrates the fresh, vibrant flavors of Southeast Asia, while striking a unique balance of soulful, ancestral cuisine and a California sensibility, utilizing the best quality ingredients from local farmers.
Esters Wine Shop & Bar – Right across the hall from Cassia is this chic wine shop, bar and restaurant that opened in July 2015. Co-owned by Rustic Canyon Family Wine Director Kathryn Coker and her husband Tug, you can come for a glass of champagne and a meal, buy a special bottle for a friend, stock your wine cellar and attend weekly Sunday tastings. There are 250+ wines to choose from, along with cocktails, charcuterie & cheese and more composed plates for dinner.
Tallula’s – Just steps from the beach, this neighborhood Mexican spot debuted in May 2017. Josh and Zoe both grew up going to this location in its former incarnation as a Tex Mex restaurant. With a focus on high-quality, organic ingredients, everything is sourced from the nearby Santa Monica Farmers’ Market or regional farmers, fishermen, ranchers and purveyors with sustainable practices. The team also calls on time-honored recipes to make fresh chile pastes and salsas in-house, as well as their own heirloom corn masa for fresh tortillas. There’s also a great bar with one of the largest collections of Mexican, small-batch spirits on the Westside.
Birdie G’s – Tucked away within Santa Monica’s historic Bergamot Station, this fun, neighborhood restaurant opened in late June 2019 from Jeremy Fox. It takes inspiration from Jeremy’s Eastern European roots and California’s abundant produce, and imbues a sense of nostalgia, no matter when and where you grew up. The comforting menu features a variety of California wood-grilled meats and fish, beautiful seasonal vegetable dishes and salads, handmade pastas and whimsical mashups like the “World Famous” Rose Petal Pie. The 250+ wine list also features over 90 half bottle options, and the bar (aka “The Bird’s Nest”) is the perfect spot to post up for a wildly creative cocktail or a classic Martini.
The Dutchess – This all-day bakery, café and Burmese-Californian restaurant is in the heart of downtown Ojai, and housed in an historic building on the site of the town’s first bakery. It’s an “everything place” that captures the spirit of Ojai’s farmers and artisans, and is a fun eclectic collaboration amongst friends and family—Zoe, Josh, Baker Kelsey Brito and Chef Saw Naing. Daytime features great coffee and tea from local purveyors, rustic breads and pastries, and seasonal soups, salads, sandwiches and flatbread pizzas. Nighttime shifts into an energetic restaurant featuring Burmese fare, as a celebration of Saw’s heritage, along with farmers’ market-driven classic cocktails, regional craft beers and small production wines focused on grapes farmed in an ecologically-responsible way. Everything is crafted from beautiful ingredients, with the majority coming from within 50 miles, including Zoe and Josh’s 50/50 Farms and other farms focused on soil health.