Behind the tirades of F-bomb raids, Gordon Ramsay is less intimidating than his TV persona when the cameras aren’t rolling, according to Lompoc-based chef Vilay Saikeo.
Her meeting with Ramsay involved a different kind of camera though.
“He happened to be there one of the days I was working,” said Saikeo, whose job at the time was at a restaurant in Los Angeles, where she also attended culinary school. “I was on my lunch break and I saw him pull up.
“So I was like, ‘Hey chef, can we take a picture?’” Saikeo whispered, authentically replicating the stealthy gesture. “He was like, ‘Yeah sure, come on but let’s hurry because everyone else is going to see and ask too.’”
The resulting photo is one of many framed mementos displayed on the red walls of Saikeo’s restaurant, Savory & Sweet Eats, located on Burton Mesa Boulevard in Lompoc. The eatery celebrated its grand opening about six months ago and offers a diverse selection of comfort food, including pizzas, sandwiches, and loaded macaroni and cheese bowls.
On average, Saikeo said she makes anywhere between 25 and 35 pounds of mac and cheese a day, thanks to the dish’s popularity at the restaurant.
Patrons have various topping options to choose from when assembling their mac and cheese bowls, including tri-tip, crispy chicken, bacon, battered jalapeño crispies, and more.
These appetizing additives are also apparent in other corners of the restaurant’s offerings, as sandwich additions or pizza toppings, for example. There are even occurrences of main course crossovers, such as the hot honey mac and cheese pizza and the grilled mac and cheese sando.
Instances like these make the menu feel like a Venn diagram of experimental deliciousness.
“I like to do soul food and different cuisines with my own twists,” Saikeo said. “Mac and cheese is one of the ultimate comfort foods, and pizza’s always kind of been part of my life. It’s just fun to eat and so diverse—you can throw anything on it and it’ll taste good, you know?”
When Saikeo isn’t working at the restaurant, open Thursdays through Sundays, she’s usually out catering or hosting a food truck pop-up.
“I’ve been doing catering for about three years,” said Saikeo, who’s worked in the restaurant industry for longer but didn’t start a business of her own until the spring of 2020.
“Restaurants were closing down because of the pandemic, so I started doing these weekly pre-order menu meals, and I’d deliver them. It was a no-contact service. Everything was ordered through my social media, through people DM-ing me,” Saikeo said. “That took off. It just really worked out for me. I did that for a good year and a half to two years.”
Once “the world opened back up,” Saikeo started getting hired to cater various get-togethers and gatherings. In November 2022, Saikeo bought an official food truck to help grow her catering business and host pop-ups more frequently and conveniently.
“Everything kind of fell into place,” Saikeo said.
In April 2023, Saikeo acquired a space—formerly Giant Manhattan Pizza—on Burton Mesa Boulevard to open a brick-and-mortar for Savory & Sweet Eats. She spent about three months renovating the site, which includes interior seating and a large outdoor patio, before opening in July.
“I didn’t want to open it until I kind of put my whole vibe and feel to it,” said Saikeo, who tasked several artists to complete various murals in the restaurant.
One of the eatery’s prominent murals is of Buddha, next to a graphic of the restaurant’s motto: Elevating your mind, body, and soul, one bite at a time.
“When you walk in here, I want you to have those nice Zen vibes and happy vibes,” Saikeo said.
Arts Editor Caleb Wiseblood strongly recommends the Cajun chicken deluxe sando. Send tips on new local restaurants and other foodie tidbits to [email protected].
