Cooks don’t have a tendency to stay round lengthy within the trendy American restaurant scene, the place ladder-climbing appears extra rewarding than loyalty. However the longevity of Chef Jason Paluska is why The Lark stays a darling of the Santa Barbara culinary scene, a full decade after he was a part of the group that opened this Funk Zone hotspot and fueled the seaside neighborhood’s ongoing maturation.
“One factor that stands out about The Lark is the massive coronary heart the group brings to it each day,” mentioned Sherry Villanueva, who left her company advertising profession to open the restaurant in 2013, then went on to open a number of eateries and resorts beneath the Acme Hospitality model. “There is no such thing as a higher instance of that than Jason. He and Skyler Gamble had been each a part of our opening group, and we’d not be the place we’re with out them.”
Raised in Houston, Paluska was lured to Santa Barbara (a metropolis he didn’t know) after years of sharpening his abilities in San Francisco (a metropolis he beloved). He’s since change into ingrained in the neighborhood, elevating twin 8-year-old daughters collectively along with his spouse in Carpinteria.
We spoke for almost an hour on the telephone just lately, and Jason was as considerate, eloquent, and reflective as ever. I’ll principally let his personal phrases do the speaking right here.
On coming to S.B.: It felt like an enormous threat. I had loads of stability dwelling in San Francisco, and I wasn’t searching for to get out as a result of I used to be considerably obsessive about it. I grew up in Houston, which is just about the exact opposite of San Francisco. It simply clicked with me on a distinct stage.
Discovering out about The Lark undertaking was out of nowhere. I believed that perhaps this was my probability to reside in a quintessentially Californian place. Being from Texas, you’re all the time in search of the postcard.
I had solely visited Santa Barbara as soon as prior, and it simply didn’t appear to be an actual place for me to land. It was nearly an excessive amount of of a postcard, the place the ATM appears like a vacation spot in itself. I used to be actually overwhelmed.
We didn’t anticipate it being that busy. It’s such an enormous restaurant. I keep in mind going to the Hungry Cat earlier than we opened to see what individuals advised me was the most well-liked restaurant on the time. If that is as busy because it will get, and there are like 35 individuals in right here, how are we gonna fill rooms this huge? I began to get fairly nervous about it.
So it was positively dangerous for me to leap straight out and not likely know if there was something to catch me. It was a leap of religion. However I related with Sherry instantly in our first dialog. I appreciated her as an individual. I trusted her as a result of she was so well-spoken and clever.
On sustained success: I don’t have ego with reference to who I’m. I don’t put on a chef’s coat with my identify embroidered on it to inform individuals who I’m. That doesn’t matter to me. Are we related? Are we good at what we do? Are we happy with what we do? That’s how I’ve all the time measured success.
Ten years in the past on paper feels like an actual very long time, however I’m nonetheless so invested and related to it. I’ve grown to like and admire the place I’m at utterly. I used to be eager for San Francisco after I first arrived, however the longer you keep right here, you actually get to know the explanation why so many individuals hunt down to be right here. It goes past sunny days.
On the Funk Zone’s evolution: Every day that I drive to work, I’ll park and spot that one thing has gone up or modified. Sherry had this cool imaginative and prescient and he or she was attempting to get everybody on board. It’s actually difficult to get individuals to consider when it’s simply an concept on paper. It wasn’t just like the neighborhood made me nervous, nevertheless it positively wasn’t tremendous engaging from a bodily standpoint.
Once we first opened, I obtained pulled over by the police a handful of occasions as I used to be leaving work tremendous late in the midst of the night time. “Why are you on this neighborhood?” they’d ask. Leaving work at 2 a.m. within the morning is quite common in eating places, nevertheless it was awkward. “Right here’s my enterprise card. Right here’s my knife roll.” That was the state of issues again then.
On their service: We’re enjoying to an enormous viewers, and we need to ensure that all the pieces we’re doing is tremendous tight and well-rehearsed. We don’t need to be winging any element in any respect. I’ve by no means as soon as seemed on the restaurant and mentioned, “Okay, right now’s a straightforward day. Let’s name it early.” We go above and past each day as a result of we actually take pleasure in what we do.
On the menu: Through the first six months of the menu, I used to be type of mimicking issues that different cooks had proven me in San Francisco. It was my first govt chef job. I used to be 31 once we opened, so my id wasn’t my very own.
The menu has stayed, for essentially the most half, fairly constant. We’ve stayed as hyper-seasonal as we will. However I’ve had a few tremendous inventive individuals within the kitchen, and I allow them to train their creativity and contribute to the menu. I need to ensure that individuals in these positions really feel like they’ve a solution to contribute to what we’re doing.
After I write menu objects, I begin with a clean piece of paper and crunch my mind ’til one thing comes out. If I learn a cookbook or am on social media too lengthy, I’ll simply take in one thing else. I don’t need that to be the character of what we do. I do know meals isn’t wildly unique in any capability, however I just like the concepts to really feel like they got here from someplace private.
I’m attempting to maintain the meals slightly easier, the plating slightly easier. We’ve obtained smoked ribs and potato salad on the menu with a caramelized peach glaze. It’s essentially the most sincere factor I’ve ever placed on a menu. It’s as apparent because it will get. All of the culinary college, high quality eating methods are there to make one thing so simple as that. When individuals join with a well-recognized factor and it’s executed effectively, they’ll come again.
On S.B.’s rising culinary star: The key is out on Santa Barbara. It was solely a matter of time. The pandemic pushed individuals out of cities and had them trying elsewhere to reside and thrive. Culinarily, it’s cool to see individuals transfer right here and to lift the bar so excessive. I really like that Bell’s obtained the Michelin star and put the Central Coast of California on a nationwide scale. When eating places elevate and actually push their very own bar, it pushes everybody else round them. That’s a extremely good thing.
I’ve all the time been excited and impressed by individuals who need to work as arduous as they will to do what they’re doing. That turns into an vitality that’s instilled within the meals scene and shared between eating places.
On cooking with Nancy Silverton: One of the vital influential meals I’ve ever had in my life was consuming at Mozza. When she and Michael Cimarusti got here to prepare dinner dinner with me right here in February 2020, I’d by no means felt so Wayne’s World we’re-not-worthy. This dinner is donating again to the James Beard Basis as a result of they’re so invested in all the pieces we help. It’s such an honor.
The Lark’s Anniversary Dinner
To rejoice its 10-year anniversary, The Lark is internet hosting a $250 dinner on Thursday, August 24, at 5:30 p.m., ready by Chef Jason Paluska and well-known Los Angeles restaurateur Nancy Silverton, with wines chosen by famous person sommelier Caroline Styne. See thelarksb.com for data and reservations.
