Chef Cal Stamenov
Recipes by
Cal Stamenov
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Grilled Cheese Sandwiches |
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Lettuce Cups |
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Duck Burger |
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Lobster Salad |
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Lettuce Wraps |
Chef & Culinary Director
Valley Resort Management
Cal Stamenov is the Chef and Culinary Directory for Valley Resort Management. An accomplished international chef and popular personality on the northern California culinary scene, Stamenov is the creative visionary for all the restaurants managed by Valley Resort Management. In this role, he is executive chef for the award-winning Marinus restaurant, which features California Natural cuisine and Wickets Bistro at Bernardus Lodge. He also oversees culinary operations at Quail Lodge’s dining venues, which include The Covey, its award-winning signature restaurant and Edgar’s, its new upscale restaurant and sports bar. He is also responsible for Will’s Fargo Dining House & Saloon in Carmel Valley Village.
Stamenov’s cuisine is rooted in the subtle yet elegant uses of local organic produce and seafood, and natural farmed meats. His menus bring out the pure flavors of each fresh ingredient. Cal specializes in foraging for central coast mushrooms and other wild foods. Ever the hands-on chef, Stamenov seamlessly incorporates the herbs and vegetables that he grows in his own two-acre garden at Bernardus Lodge.
To share his wealth of Epicurean experiences, which span more than 20 years in some of the world’s most renowned restaurants, Stamenov inspired a series of year-round culinary arts programs at Bernardus. These seminars, which cater to food and wine connoisseurs (namely Bernardus guests), bring to light the seasonal specialties of the region while simultaneously showcasing a selection of wines from the nearby Bernardus Winery and Vineyard.
Prior to joining Valley Resort Management in 1999, Stamenov was executive chef of the Pacific’s Edge restaurant at the Highlands Inn in Carmel. Stamenov was also closely involved with the prestigious Masters of Food & Wine event, an annual gathering of the world’s most celebrated chefs and winemakers. Before this, he served as chef de cuisine at the long-established Domaine Chandon Restaurant in Napa Valley.
During the course of his career, the classically trained chef worked with industry luminaries such as Alain Ducasse at the three-star Michelin restaurant, Louis XV, located in the Hotel de Paris in Monaco. He also cooked alongside Pierre Gagnaire in St. Etienne, France; Masa Koboiashi at Masa’s Restaurant in San Francisco; Jean-Louis Palladin at Restaurant Jean-Louis in Washington D.C.; and Michel Richard at Citrus Restaurant in Los Angeles.
But for “Chef Cal,” as he is fondly known, it all began in 1982 at the fabled Four Seasons restaurant in New York City, a post he accepted after graduating from the California Culinary Academy.