Localist Guide: Spencer Johnston

Oct 7

Occupation: Executive Sous Chef, Rosewood Miramar Beach | Founder, Danior | Co-Founder, Mezo Beverages

Locale: Santa Ynez

For Spencer Johnston, a career in food has always been closely connected to the Central Coast. Born and raised in San Luis Obispo, Spencer got his start in the kitchen at just 15, washing dishes before moving onto the line by 17. More than 25 years later, he has built a career across California kitchens and now calls Santa Ynez home.

His connection to the region goes beyond simply calling it home. When Spencer founded Danior in 2015, he built the business around a 40-mile sourcing philosophy, working with the ranchers, farmers, fishermen and winemakers within that radius. To Spencer, the Central Coast has always had everything needed to create something special — from the quality of its ingredients to the people who grow, raise and produce them.

That same sense of place inspired Mezo Beverages, a chef-driven canned mezcal cocktail made with real spirit and real fruit. The Central Coast was the natural place to bring the concept to life, reflecting Spencer’s belief that great food and drink start with great ingredients and a strong connection to where they come from.

With deep roots in the region and a career shaped by its kitchens, Spencer offers a unique perspective on the people, places and flavors that make the Central Coast such a special place to eat, drink and explore.

Q & A WITH SPENCER

A: For a chef, Sunday is a relative term. It's whatever day your first day off lands on. Mine goes to getting outside with my girlfriend Molly and our dog Roux, a Pudelpointer. Depending on the season that means hiking, fishing, foraging, or hunting, and whatever we bring home usually becomes dinner. We just moved to Santa Ynez from Pismo Beach, so we definitely miss our old trails around San Luis Obispo. The Pismo Preserve and Montaña de Oro were regular stops for us. Here, we're still exploring, but so far Roux's favorites are Jalama Beach and wandering the Santa Ynez River bed. We're excited to keep exploring the trails, creeks, and backcountry of Los Padres National Forest.
A: A morning walk with Molly and Roux, then a lap through the garden beds to see what's ready, with coffee in hand before the kitchen gets loud. I'm a pour-over, black coffee guy. Usually it's a light roast at home. If I'm heading out, Bob's Well Bread in Ballard makes a great cup and is one of my favorite ways to start the morning. If I'm especially hungry, you'll usually find me at Paula's Pancake House in Solvang.
A: La Super-Rica in Santa Barbara. I order the veggie tamale whenever it's on the specials board, which is most of the time. I met Julia Child there when I was six. She was eating with a couple of chefs, and since PBS was so chef-driven back then and it was about all I was able to watch, I was mesmerized.
A: Clos Solène, Sinor-LaVallee, and Ledge Vineyards.
A: This is probably my favorite recommendation. Get off the 101. Drive the back roads, stop at a farm stand, and eat something grown within a few miles of where you're standing. Around Santa Ynez, Finley Farms on Refugio Road is a must. Their farm stand has phenomenal vegetables year-round and gives visitors a real sense of the agricultural heartbeat of the Central Coast.
A: This morning's read was Do Plants Know Math? As a cook and a gardener, I can't stop looking at the patterns in what I grow.
Molly, Roux, a good knife, and a rock hammer. There's always something worth pulling over for.
A: Two on the calendar. First, Sausalito, to cure sturgeon eggs and make caviar with my team at Rosewood Miramar Beach. Then Oaxaca, to hunt down new mezcals for Mezo in the small villages where families have been making it for generations. One trip for the kitchen, one for the bar.