The Power Plant coffee house in Moss Landing features a recently expanded artisan food menu served amidst a light, plant-filled Bohemian-vibed space with thoughtfully curated environmental innuendo.
Chuck Drake is the owner and founder, opening the doors five years ago as his first venture into the restaurant industry after developing a passion for it through associations with respected chefs.
Before that, he was a Navy pilot who then worked in finance in London, pursued a real estate career in Carmel and was also an engineer who focused on sub-sea robotics. Drake says Power Plant’s food and drink menu are based on locality, with morning favorites of toasts like the caprese avocado with pickled onions and everything bagel seasoning on thick local bread, breakfast burritos and build-your-own ciabatta breakfast sandwiches. Local pastries are also offered along with coffee, as well as local beer and wine. Lunch is served Wednesday-Sunday by The Food Lab, led by chefs Martha Heath and Todd Willamson. Popular picks are the panko-crusted rock cod fish tacos with cilantro citrus slaw and the house specialty New England-style clam chowder with pasilla chili pesto garnish. Another strong send is the double smash-burger with grilled onions, house chili and American cheese alongside garlic parsley fries.
How do you conceptualize The Power Plant?
CHUCK DRAKE: We aspire to create a friendly, unique, welcoming and verdant environment for locals and area visitors to be able to enjoy our local bounty of food and drink. As far as our physical space, we are going for open, light and alive, as an intentional juxtaposition between the fossil-fuel burning power plant across the street and living, breathing plants. Our space is an invitation to rest in harmony with the natural environment and to suggest consciousness for it subtly and maybe even humorously.
How has your background prepped you for the restaurant industry?
It hasn’t, actually. I have an incredibly diverse and varied professional background, but nothing could have prepared me for owning a restaurant. This is the hardest thing I’ve ever done for work, and it has given me such a profound respect for restaurateurs and anyone working in the industry. Besides the obvious challenge of managing a team of employees, ensuring product quality and maintaining consistent supply chains is an ongoing and complex task as well.
7990 Highway 1, Moss Landing, 831-453-0022; thepowerplant.store
Hi Chuck,
There isn’t signage on your building that indicates that you can get innovative food from the RINCON FOOD LAB. That’s would be a big draw for foodies heading toward the peninsula.
There needs to be press up North and also signage.
Plus, although the food from the truck was great, well worth the stop, the counter where you order was unmanned, and a nice person eventually showed up and had no wine knowledge, didn’t let us know anything, except go out and get your food or the chef may deliver it. I understand this person gets the tip? The chef delivered the food and gave us silverware. He should get the tip.
The lack of service with a service tip expected isn’t a great idea.
My sense is that you need to man that wine bar with a person who has food and wine knowledge, can deliver food, (food runner) and can bus a table if it’s been used.
You could attract a following for your FOOD LAB with a few minor adjustments, and that fresh innovative food merits it!
P.S.
My wife has a 25 year long foodservice background, including opening Post Ranch Sierra Mar restaurant with Todd. He’s a lucky find!