Hollister native cooks creative cuisine in Carmel
Sometimes you run into Hollister people in the most unexpected
places.
Recently, I had the opportunity to meet chef Matt Bolton, a
hometown boy made good, and now in charge of a rather fancy and
award-winning restaurant in the Carmel Highlands.
Hollister native cooks creative cuisine in Carmel
Sometimes you run into Hollister people in the most unexpected places.
Recently, I had the opportunity to meet chef Matt Bolton, a hometown boy made good, and now in charge of a rather fancy and award-winning restaurant in the Carmel Highlands.
Matt was named executive chef at Pacific’s Edge restaurant at The Highlands Inn last May, and even in Carmel, where there are many spectacular places to eat, Pacific’s Edge is something special.
Zagat’s, Wine Spectator and other critics regularly praise it, and it also has the distinction of having the longest wine list I’ve ever seen – 63 pages – with 1,700 selections. Also, it’s got the most stunning ocean views, and the food and wine to do justice to those Pacific vistas.
“It’s such a majestic view,” Matt said, looking out the glass walls of the restaurant’s dining room. “You never get tired of it.”
And yet Matt is a pretty regular guy, despite the fact that he is now moving in some rarified food circles. He is now in demand as a guest chef at special events, like the Big Sur Wine & Food Festival and at Chef’s Holidays at the Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite.
Interestingly – and unlike most chefs these days – Matt never went to culinary academy. Instead, he learned everything he knows in the most important and vital way: on the job and at the side of some of the best chefs in the West.
He started his career at a Hollister steakhouse as a teenager. His first job: washing dishes. But it turned out he had a knack for food, and he went on to work at a number of Monterey-area restaurants, like the Duck Club at the Monterey Plaza Hotel. After three years of steady advancements there, he departed as its lead cook.
Matt also worked at The Covey at Quail Lodge and Marinus in Carmel Valley, with Marinus especially highly thought of by foodies.
One of his main inspirations is his former boss, Cal Stamenov, who is executive chef at Marinus (and, incidentally, former executive chef at Pacific’s Edge).
“I got my food education with Cal – really got my flavors down,” Matt said.
Matt started at Pacific’s Edge in 2009 as executive sous chef and not long after was asked to take the top spot as executive chef. He’s now the big boss, overseeing all the daily operations, which includes not only the restaurant, but also banquets and staff management.
Matt is shy when talking about himself, but get started on food and he has a lot to say. His philosophy is to spotlight area produce and seafood, and to change the offerings seasonally to reflect what’s best and freshest.
So you’ll see things like a Brussels sprout salad and California white sea bass on the menu, everything local and extremely fresh.
He is a big fan of wild mushrooms, like the chanterelles that now can be found in the Big Sur area, and you’ll find them in lots of selections on the menus.
The restaurant is also renowned for its steaks, Monterey Bay abalone, and creative dishes ranging from roasted beet carpaccio to short ribs.
You can find more about Matt and Pacific’s Edge at the restaurant’s website, www.pacificsedge.com.
And by the way, hooray for Matt. Here’s a guy in his early 30s who’s already making his mark in a tough and exacting business, and is making beautiful food as well. That’s the kind of success story that I like to hear.
