Summer 2023

Despite a humble facade and a location liter- ally on the wrong side of the tracks, the young men saw promise in an old building sitting dark and vacant above the bay, high on the corner of Wave and Prescott. At the time, the area was a vast wasteland of derelict canneries. But, deter- mined and eager, they took a chance on the seemingly out-of-the-way spot, seeing potential in what had originally been a cannery workers’ canteen, and later a gym, a ballet studio and a Portuguese hall. With help from an investor— Balestreri’s dentist, Dr. Orland Caselli—they were in business, leasing the building for $200 a month with the option to buy, eventually pur- chasing the property for $98,000. The largest expenditure to get the business up and running was the cost of the liquor license, barely feasible at $19,000. But by pooling their resources, they had just enough to make it happen. Though their means were limited, they knew the restaurant needed to be high on style, so the young men brought in an experienced designer, Roy-Ami Hamlin, a set designer for 20th Century Fox who owned an antique store on Cannery Row. Hamlin had a vision for opu- lence and was able to create the desired atmos- phere on a shoestring budget.With little money for building repairs, Hamlin suggested painting the walls of the old canteen gray, which, in dim light, would hide all the imperfections. The young men used their ingenuity to find low- or no-cost solutions to their needs.They fashioned pipes into railings for the exterior stairs and they used coffee cans for the exterior light- ing—which are still in use today under the red awning. With no money for landscaping, they purloined ice plant from the side of the high- way. They couldn’t afford a walk-in cooler, so they found an old milk truck that fit the budget because it no longer had an engine, and parked it outside the kitchen.When workmen left their tools over the weekend, the young men would Above: The Wine Cellar plays host to exclusive dinners and holds one of the most award-winning wine cellars in America. Below: The Steinbeck Room, adjacent the bar, has a club-like feel. 204 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • S U M M E R 2 0 2 3 Photos: Courtesy of The Sardine Factory