Inspired by having to cook for his family from a young age, Avram Samuels is the former Executive Chef and current Director of Culinary Food and Beverage Operations at The View.
Raised in New England, he went to culinary school in Vermont and then worked in Michelin-level kitchens on the East Coast before being recruited to California as a restaurant consultant. Wanting to level up the restaurant at Chaminade post-pandemic, Samuels was hired and given the culinary reins.
Design touches of wood, leather and chandeliers pair with traditional elements of Spanish style to set the space’s vibe, and has a panoramic ocean view from the patio, thus the name. Samuels describes the menu as modern American, combining French technique and global influence with a focus on sustainable local ingredients.
Best breakfasts include housemade birria huevos rancheros and the Chaminade Benedict with heirloom tomatoes and pea shoots. The lunch favorite is the 805 beer-battered locally caught fish and chips. The signature dinner appetizer is the Monterey Bay calamari tossed with arugula, banana peppers and sweet chili sauce.
A winning entrée is the Bee Burger, smashed-style with honey bacon jam on a brioche bun with bee pollen fries. Other highlighted choices are ribeye frites and shrimp fettuccini. Desserts are a housemade ginger snap cookie ice cream sandwich and sticky toffee pudding with whiskey caramel sauce.
Describe your passion for locality.
AVRAM SAMUELS: We are extremely proud of our seafood and produce sourcing, and we have an on-site organic garden from which we harvest most of our summer tomatoes and herbs. With the seafood, we know daily what is coming in, when and where it was caught, the method by which it was caught and the name of the captain – everything but the surname of the fish. This level of locality keeps my team and I very inspired.
Tell me about your bees.
About a year ago, we started hosting some colonies of local bees. We draw not only honey, but also honeycomb from them, which we incorporate into many of our food and beverage recipes. We also do honey tastings paired with cocktails and California cheese and charcuterie. There’s nothing like having on-property sourced honey, and it’s also a privilege to help do our part to save the bees.
1 Chaminade Lane, Santa Cruz, 831-475-5600; chaminade.com
