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| HOURS |
| SUN: 5:00 - 9:00 |
| MON: closed |
| TUE: 5:00 - 9:00 |
| WED: 5:00 - 9:00 |
| THU: 5:00 - 9:00 |
| FRI: 5:00 - 9:45 |
| SAT: 5:00 - 9:45 |
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CAFE GIBRALTAR |
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| 425 Ave. ALHAMBRA |
| EL GRANADA, CA |
| (650) 560-9039 |
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Jose Luis Ugalde
Chef-Owner, Cafe Gibraltar |
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| As chef-owner of Cafe Gibraltar in El Granada, Calif., Jose Luis Ugalde brings to the table a breadth of experience and passion that has earned the restaurant critical acclaim, including a three-star review from the San Jose Mercury News. Located on the coast, 25 miles south of San Francisco, Cafe Gibraltar serves authentic Mediterranean cuisine, including dishes from Spain, Greece, Morocco, Turkey, France and Italy. Ugalde takes advantage of the bounty of local purveyors, personally selecting organic free-range meat, fowl, produce and flour and the freshest seafood. Zagat Survey 2006 awarded Cafe Gibraltar 26 points for food, and Fodors.com calls it the best restaurant on the San Mateo County coast. |
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| Cafe Gibraltar is the manifestation of Ugalde’s lifelong dream to have his own restaurant, a goal not unique among restaurant cooks, but Ugalde’s journey was more difficult than some. As a child growing up in Mexico City, his enthusiasm for the art of cooking was ignited as he watched his Basque grandmothers create delicious meals with very little money. They substituted weeds for herbs and greens, and they used creative techniques to make the most of inferior cuts of meat. When Ugalde was only nine, he was thrust into the role of family cook, because his mother worked double shifts. He would stand on a milk crate to reach the stove. Over time, he grew to enjoy the challenge of creating appealing meals with limited resources. |
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| Ugalde was just 16 when he left Mexico for the United States. He settled in Los Angeles, where he wheeled an ice cream cart and worked in the kitchen at a burger restaurant. Then, after six months laboring in the agriculture fields of Southern California, he earned permanent residency when President Reagan declared amnesty for millions of illegal immigrants in 1986. Eventually, Ugalde made his way to the San Francisco Bay Area and began his culinary journey as a dishwasher and busser at Via Venetto in Oakland, Calif. The owners quickly took note of his talent and ambition, and within months, he was the lead line cook. |
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| After three years at Via Venetto, Ugalde took positions at Santa Fe Bar & Grill in Berkeley and Cafe Latte in San Francisco, where he met his wife, Liam Durkee. He then joined San Francisco-based La Brasserie Française and worked with chef Eric Branger, who had trained with Paul Bocuse in France. Alongside Branger, Ugalde further honed his cooking skills and mastered classical French presentation. |
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| Ugalde and Durkee then moved to Seattle for the opening of Spazo, a large-scale Mediterranean restaurant. After a year, the couple relocated to Alaska, where Ugalde developed a North Pacific Rim menu at a fine dining restaurant at the Grand Aleutian resort. Ugalde grew into a bit of a culinary guru in the community before heading back to Seattle, where he became the creative force behind Carmelita. An innovative vegetarian restaurant featuring Mediterranean- and Mexican-inspired specialties, Carmelita was voted best new restaurant by the Seattle Weekly in 1997. |
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| In early 1998, the couple returned to the Bay Area to be closer to family. They opened Cafe Gibraltar in Montara and later moved the restaurant to a larger space in nearby El Granada. Ugalde writes the seasonally changing menu and executes it daily from a vantage point where he can keep his eye on every table in the restaurant. He crafts dishes that showcase each ingredient, delicately balancing bold flavors and making sure that no element overwhelms another. |
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