Cambrian Wine Bar Doesn’t “Stand on Ceremony”
Photography by Richard Fusillo
Success in the restaurant industry isn’t easy. Around 60 percent of these businesses don’t make it past year one, according to the National Restaurant Association, in part because employee turnover is so pervasive that they lose $150,000 a year on average due to staff changes.
But tucked away in the coastal town of Cambria, a 5-minute drive off the popular Highway 1 and a stone’s throw from the scenic Moonstone Beach, a charming enclave has stood the test of time with uncommon dishes like Spanish octopus and stuffed quail.
“I opened the restaurant in 2003 and named it after my eldest daughter, Madeline. My wife Jessica and I have five children, only one restaurant, though!” says David Stoothoff, chef and owner of Madeline’s Restaurant and Wine Shop.
The establishment has lived a lifetime in 18 years, serving the cross-section of locals and tourists who pass through town. The longevity of this business is paralleled in the staff. Miguel Gonzalez has held the title of Madeline’s sous chef for 11 years and Grady Pope, the marketing director whom David calls the “Swiss army knife of employees,” is now 13 years into his role.
Even David’s daughter, whom the restaurant was named after, has a long history there.
“I worked as a busser when I was 12, working a few shifts a week until right around when I graduated from high school. I grew up there,” Madeline Stoothoff says. “The summer before seventh grade I was trying to make the volleyball team and Dad helped me practice in the alleyway behind the restaurant.”
Madeline now lives in Santa Barbara, close to her sister Gigi. Whenever she makes it back to the restaurant, Madeline squirrels away a slice of her favorite lime pie from the kitchen and hides it in the back of the fridge to avoid sharing it with her siblings.
Grady met David back in 2008 for a 15-minute Sunday morning meeting. Employed then by Martin Resorts, Grady suggested an ambitious plan to raise Madeline’s sales 100 percent in exchange for a portion of gross sales. “I always tell people this — it was the right place, with the right owner, at the right time, with the right set of ideas. Ever since then it has continued to work,” says Grady.
That “right place” is the restaurant in the original location on Main Street. The storied structure is styled in the architectural character of Cambria — a little bit European village chalet meets dreamy California. With cut wooden timbers accenting the exterior, the aesthetic is reminiscent of old Europe in a California beach town setting; Old World meets new.
The same can be said for the cuisine, what David describes as “baseline French, with an influence of California.” The menu features traditional dishes combined with inventiveness and a commitment to locally farmed produce. It’s a menu that has created something irreplaceable and unparalleled in the area’s culinary landscape.
David’s personal favorites include the slow-cooked Spanish octopus simmered in roasted tomato, saffron, paprika, garlic and lemon, atop a crispy risotto cake, followed by the Belgian chocolate truffle cake — a delicacy he’s made for nearly 25 years. Grady’s favorites include the spicy seafood gumbo and the pan-seared duck breast with dried cherry and brandy reduction.
The food and the service are fine dining but not stuffy. “We don’t stand on ceremony,” says David.
And then there are the wines.
Since the restaurant and wine shop’s inception, David has focused on hard to find, highly rated local wines, most of them produced in 500 or fewer cases. Think Aaron, Alban Vineyards, RN Estate and Cerro Mitico, to name a few. Three years ago, David partnered with winemaker Jeff Branco, who is only the third American to graduate from University of Bordeaux since its founding in 1441.
Jeff began his career at Bordeaux’s Pape Clément, an 800-year-old winery. In the 1990s, Justin Winery recruited Jeff to California, where he received the first Wine Spectator Top 10 Wine in Paso Robles honor and over 30 90-plus point scores in Wine Spectator, Robert Parker Wine Advocate and Wine Enthusiast. He now oversees his own label, Jeff Branco Cellars, while simultaneously creating Madeline’s wines. The Madeline’s Petite Verdot, Cabernet Franc, Cuvee and Malbec especially have received rave reviews.
As the restaurant and wine shop mature, so does Madeline’s commitment to provide for the community in food, drink and goodwill. “One of my favorite memories was a fundraiser for Camp Ocean Pines here in Cambria. The Abalone Farm donated a lot of abalone and I made five different courses all with abalone. So delicious and a lot of fun,” says David.
Like many others in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic hit Madeline’s hard. With a menu that doesn’t easily lend itself to takeout, sales have slumped 50 percent over the past year. “I have applied for grants and loans; we are limping along, trying to keep staff employed and the restaurant running,” David shares.
As the country moves towards lesser restrictions and the re-opening of businesses, the hope is that we diners show up for Madeline’s, just as Madeline’s has shown up for us over the past two decades.
