Spring-2023

FORAY USES RARE AND LOCAL INGREDIENTS IN CARMEL Husband-and-wife team Chef Michael Chang and Caroline Singer recently opened Foray in Carmel, a coastal California inspired restaurant that also reflects Chang’s classical training in French cooking. “Chef Michael keeps an open mind when it comes to techniques in the kitchen,” Singer says. “He is never afraid to try something new. He chooses the best in each category that are grown or produced in the best way possible… We are lucky to have connections all over the West Coast that help us keep up to date with any new and exciting products. We forage a lot of ingredients ourselves and use local pro- fessional foragers to help us maintain enough products to serve our guests.” Standout items on the menu include the Kumamoto oyster bite, served with makrut lime granita, pink celery and fennel blossom; the Monterey Bay Abalone Milanese starter, with tangerine lace and abalone liver sauce; and the SRF American Wagyu Tenderloin, with black trumpets, carnaroli risotto, sweet corn elote and chicharron crumble. The service at Foray is exceptional and the dishes are plated beautifully. Some dishes utilize micro flowers and truffles, found by the owners’ truffle dog Falco and his canine friends. “We consider ourselves perfectionists and are trying to maintain as much integrity in the food and service as we can as we grow,” Singer says. Foray is located on the NE Corner of San Carlos Street and 5th Avenue in Carmel. For more information, visit www.forayrestaurant.com or call 831/250-6100. AD ASTRA BREAD OPENS OPERATIONS IN MONTEREY Chef Ron Mendoza understands the com- fort of fresh-baked goods. His Ad Astra Bread Company is so well received, that he can’t keep up with customer demand at his current loca- tion in Seaside, where he shares a space with Other Brother Beer Company. In Monterey, in the location of the former Mucky Duck/Bull and Bear Taphouse, Mendoza is building out a much bigger kitchen in order to produce larger quantities of bread, pastries and more. “We will have a storefront, but not a café,” Mendoza explains. “We will have grab-and-go items, coffee, some premade sandwiches, salads and different things to make a picnic basket. There will be jams and imported (or our own) cultured butter. We will have pretzels, challah, rye sandwich breads and hot dog and ham- burger buns. We will make our own bagels and donuts. Basically, if it’s made with some kind of dough, we will get into it.” A pastry chef for over 20 years, Mendoza worked in high-end restaurants but couldn’t find the sourdough breads he wanted to eat. “I believe every town should have its own bread company and coffee company,” he says. “It’s the total opposite of what I used to do with fine dining. I love the idea that bread is simple and there is no ego to serving it.” Ad Astra Bread is coming soon to Alvarado Street in Monterey and can currently be found at Other Brother Beer Company in Seaside as well as at local farmers markets and specialty markets around the peninsula. 140 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • S P R I N G 2 0 2 3 Due to its cult-like following and general popularity, Ad Astra Bread Company has outgrown its current location. Owner Ron Mendoza, a pastry chef and expert baker, is expanding production and setting up shop on Alvarado Street in Monterey. Photo: Kelli Uldall