http://www.cafegibraltar.com/
http://www.chez-shea.com/

Click here for Chef Ugalde’s recipe for Patatas Bastisi, a Turkish inspired vegan stew served at the World’s of Flavor Conference at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in November 2009.

Q: Who or what are your greatest influences as a chef?   

Seasonal fresh ingredients especially produce. Walking through fertile fields, seeing the produce growing and hand picking it myself, inspires me deeply.

Q: How are potatoes used in your cuisine?

In so many ways; braised, in potato pave, wood roasted, in croquets, pureed, in stew like dishes and in my vegan puree soups, and at Chez Shea for house made potato chips and French fries.

Q: What is your favorite potato dish?

Potato Leek & Watercress soup

Q: How do you incorporate Half Moon Bay local coastal ingredients into your menu?

I purchase eight varieties of potato as well as fennel, artichokes, carrots, chard, heirloom tomatoes, green onions, green beans, beets, eggplant, peppers, rutabagas, turnips, radishes and cauliflower from Pastorino Farm in Half Moon bay.  He has a field of an acre that is called Jose Luis’ field, and everything grown there is for me.  We also have local growers for berries, beans, pears, squash, pumpkin, leeks, onions and lettuces.  We buy fish from the local commercial fishermen and beef from the grass fed farm in Pescadero.

Q: What factors in your background have influenced your cuisine style?  

My Basque heritage brought forth in the aromatic cooking of my grandmother inspired me from an early age.  The cooking techniques, which were passed over generations, were so simple and wonderful.  Working in restaurants and creating menus from Italian to French to Pacific Rim to Southwest to California Cuisine to Vegetarian I was able to learn a great deal about culture and cuisine, and it led me to love the Mediterranean region, with its wealth of fresh ingredients and diversity of preparation.
 
Q: What does it take for a restaurant to garner the patron loyalty that Café Gibraltar has achieved over the years?  

For us, it has been for our patrons to witness our dedication to providing them with the most wonderful dining experience we possibly can, that has made all of the difference.  We handpick wines specifically for the menu, we have staff that care about the food, the patron and the restaurant, and I am behind the line preparing the food I create almost every evening we are open.  They feel a connection to us, to my vision and the path that it takes, constantly evolving; many of them feel a part of that process.  Many know about our children and our adventures, and we about theirs.  It is wonderful to be part of a community such as we have on the Coastside.


Biography:
Chef Jose Luis Ugalde of Cafe Gibraltar    

Chef Jose Luis Ugalde, emigrated from Mexico City, Mexico in 1985.  He is of Basque heritage, his passion for the art of cooking was ignited by watching his Basque grandmothers create uniquely delicious dishes.  He has worked as a chef in San Francisco, Alaska, Arizona and Seattle.  Jose Luis has created diverse menus, from North Pacific Rim, to Caribbean infused Southwest, and, of course, Mediterranean.  He was the creative force behind Carmelita, a unique Vegetarian restaurant in Seattle.  Carmelita was voted best new restaurant of the year for 1997 against such contenders as Wolf Gang Puck’s and Roy Yamaguci’s new restaurants.  He was also one of 18 chefs nation wide to be invited to participate in the March of Dimes Gala Charity Event in Seattle.

Jose Luis, his wife Liam, and daughter Shea, moved back to California in order to open a restaurant on the coast, in Montara, Cafe Gibraltar.  Liam and Jose Luis have worked side by side for eighteen of their twenty years together, meeting one another while employed at a San Francisco eatery.  It had been their dream, since the beginning, to open a restaurant of their own.  Finding the location in Montara was a fluke that was truly destined to be. After five years there, they moved just south, to El Granada, where they have been located for the past six years.

Upon arrival to the coast, Jose Luis was excited by the challenge of finally realizing the goal of owning his own restaurant and producing a truly flavorful and inspired Mediterranean menu.  He has risen above and beyond that challenge to create fabulously dynamic menus. Over the last eleven years Cafe Gibraltar has gathered a large and faithful following.  Jose Luis not only creates the menu, he executes it daily.  The menu changes seasonally.  Jose Luis’ seeks, as his on going challenge, to continue to be innovative while remaining true to the region.  He utilizes local organic ingredients and fish directly from the fishermen in the harbor.  Our local bounty and the bounty of the Mediterranean are similar in their great wealth.  Jose Luis pours his heart and soul into every dish he creates and executes.  His love is the delicate balance of flavors that allows each to come forth, in layers, without overwhelming any of the others.  Jose Luis’ gift is the innate understanding of this balance.