As staffers at the landmark Far Western Tavern prepare to move from a site the business has occupied for more than half a century, another popular Santa Maria-area restaurant, Chef Rick’s Ultimately Fine Foods, bites the dust.
Both pieces of news come as a bit of a shock to locals used to a certain culinary order on the Central Coast. For thick juicy steaks served amid red velvet wallpaper and cowhide-covered doors, there was no place but the Far Western Tavern, and diners who craved hearty fare with a Southern flair always headed to a cozy table at Chef Rick’s.
Proving the adage “When one door closes, another one opens,” after Chef Rick Manson shuttered the eatery he has helmed since 1989, he promptly assumed a new post at Guadalupe’s Far Western Tavern, co-founded in 1958 by the Clarence Minetti family.
“I’m not going away—I’m just moving up the road,” Manson said, “and I’m gonna love where I’m going. This is a great opportunity and I thank the family for offering it to me.”
When it seems nothing will change, a shift invariably happens, and this particular one heralds the merging of two powerhouses of the local food scene. Chef Rick closed his restaurant on June 26, and with barely a hitch in his stride, began working at the Far Western, recently named one of the West’s “Top 10” barbecue restaurants by Sunset Magazine.
“I’m looking forward to opening my mind, being creative, and honoring the tradition of the Far Western,” Manson said, “and maybe finding a fresher and brighter way of presenting it. I hope to make some new signature dishes, too.
“I don’t think the framework is that much different,” he continued. “Western ranch food is as much soul food as southern farm food. It’s just using what you have and finding the local flavors to spice it up a little bit.”
Manson replaces Chef Barbara Abernathy, niece of the late Clarence Minetti and his wife Rosalie. Abernathy has worked at the restaurant since 1974 and will remain on staff, helping Manson make the transition, until her retirement next year.
Manson, who has known the Minettis and their daughters, Susan Righetti (founder of Susie Q’s Brand) and Marie Will, for more than 20 years, feels as if he’s been hired by family. The Wills live a few doors away from Manson and his wife, Cathy, and the two clans often vacation together, while patriarch Clarence Minetti helped Manson launch his local catering career in the late 1980s.
“Clarence was one of the true characters of this world,” Manson remembered. “He was Mister Hospitality. I don’t know of another guy like that that’s left from the ‘West.’ He was a rancher and he was just so hospitable.”
In June, during the last dinner service at Chef Rick’s Ultimately Fine Foods, a customer asked if the experience was bittersweet. Manson answered that he was simply looking forward to where he was going.
“It wasn’t until my son Burk, who worked as our executive busboy, came in,” Manson said with a slight catch in his voice. “That triggered an emotional thing, because he grew up in that restaurant.
“We didn’t have a party that night,” he added, “but it turned into a party, a real send off. My new secret to running a restaurant is tell them you’re closing, because we were swamped.”
Manson will continue to film his dynamic “Cooking Fresh with Chef Rick” television spots, which air Friday evenings on the local Fox affiliate. The three-minute spots offer the chef a perfect forum for sharing his recipes in his patently zany, always entertaining style.
“They’re very excited about doing the TV spots at the Far Western,” Manson said. “I love doing [the spots], they’re a lot of fun.”
As for catering, Manson will continue to fill his schedule with campground feasts and winemaker dinners. When the Far Western moves to Orcutt in the spring of 2012, he’ll have access to the venue’s upstairs banquet rooms, available for parties, business events, and other group functions.
“You don’t have to have a Far Western meal,” Manson said. “You can have the full scope of Chef Rick’s, because we’re offering the same menu, if not more. … It’s kind of Chef Rick’s catering at the Far Western.
“It’s exactly what we talked about for some time,” he added. “I’m me, this is what I do, and I can’t wait to do it some more!”
The Far Western Tavern is located at 899 Guadalupe St., Guadalupe, 343-2211. In early 2012, it will move to 300 Clark Ave., Orcutt.
For more information, visit farwesterntavern.com.
Chef Rick Manson’s television spots air Fridays at 7 p.m. on Fox 11. To see previous shows, go to myfox11.com and click on “Cooking Fresh with Chef Rick.”
K. Reka Badger loves a merger between best and better. Email her at rekabadger@hotmail.com.
This article appears in Jul 14-21, 2011.