You don’t expect to see a herd of elk right before brunch. You expect mimosa-sipping influencers and eggs that might as well have been cooked last week. But this is Salinas, not Soho. And this isn’t your average brunch. This is the Drummond Culinary Academy, where a kitchen full of young chefs is learning how to cook with real ingredients, in real time, under the guidance of someone who cares about them.
So yes, the elk were a good omen.
At 11am last Sunday, the inaugural brunch service launched with the kind of precision and care that tells you everything you need to know about what’s going on behind the scenes here. The weather was gorgeous. The service was polished. This isn’t the type of brunch that makes you wonder why you left your cozy bed to eat dry eggs and cold pancakes. This is something else.
Let’s talk about the hits.
There was an eggs-to-order and omelet station that didn’t just crank out sad, lifeless folds of egg – they were doing real work: breakfast meats, good cheese, actual vegetables. Pancakes came hot off the griddle, not off a steam tray. Blueberry, chocolate chip, maple syrup – simple pleasures done really well.
But it was the artichoke and mushroom frittata that made me stop mid-bite and nod, like, “Yes, these kids are being taught well.” They used Metzer Farms eggs, Rancho Cielo Swiss chard and Schoch Farms Jack cheese, sourced with care.
Then there was the smoked salmon display: rosti potatoes, crème fraîche, capers, onions. The breakfast meats? Baker’s Bacon, Fra’ Mani sausage and uncured ham. And then, the cherry clafoutis. After spooning the last bite, my 11-year-old daughter, and unofficial dessert connoisseur, exclaimed, “This is the best dessert I’ve ever had!”
DCA Head Chef EJ Jimenez is the real deal. No fluff. No fusion-for-the-sake-of-it. Just a guy who knows food and knows where he came from. This coming Sunday, he’s bringing that hometown soul with New Mexican enchiladas. These traditionally unrolled enchiladas emit the earthy heat of dried Hatch chiles he hauled back from his family trip. With an over-medium egg on top, because that’s how it’s done in Hatch. You can’t argue with that.
“I never really get to bring this kind of food to the students,” he said, while teaching them how to break down the dried chiles.
Also on deck for Sunday: chicken and waffles with hot honey made from Rancho Cielo’s own bees. Sweet, spicy, sticky and local. The kind of dish that never gets old.
DCA General Manager Wanda Straw gets it. “We season our food very well,” she says. And her wine pairings are spot on. The Murgo Brut Rosé is a standout – crisp and not overly sweet, and pairs well with everything from smoked salmon to New Mexican enchiladas.
So, if you’re thinking about brunch this weekend, go where the elk roam, where the eggs are cracked to order and where a team of young chefs is getting a real education in how to cook with heart.
Trust me: this one’s worth waking up for.
Limited space is available. Make reservations now!
