When Chef Kevin Weber joined the Cliff House team nearly 40 years ago, expectations were already incredibly high. As Mark Twain wrote in the San Francisco Daily Morning Call after a 1960’s visit, “the appetite is whetted by the drive and the breeze, the ocean’s presence wins you into a happy frame, and you can eat one of the best dinners.” Chef Kevin—who is now Director of Food Operations for the Bistro, Zinc Bar and Lounge, and Sutro’s—more than met those expectations. He is credited with helping to take the site’s restaurants to yet another impressive tier in quality while satisfying a variety of different tastes and budgets.
Chef Kevin is also a role model both at the Cliff House and within our community. With others, he has worked to create a family atmosphere at the restaurants for staff and visitors. The effort has extended to fundraising and other support for numerous organizations, including several LGBT non-profits and groups. Long before gay marriage was legalized, he helped to organize some of the first commitment ceremonies and receptions for LGBT couples. It is little wonder that a quarter, and possibly more, of all wedding events at the Cliff House are now for such couples.
We recently caught up with Chef Kevin to learn more about his life and work. Our thanks go to him and to Lisa Bellomo, Bob Kovacs and Arthur Bradley of the Cliff House team for their help in putting together this special section.
San Francisco Bay Times: Please describe one of your earliest food-related memories and how such moments might have influenced your later work.
Chef Kevin Weber: Some of the earliest and most memorable food memories are of fishing and gardening with my grandparents. While we fished we would rake up seaweed from the beach to throw in the compost pile back at their house.
All the fish scraps as well went into the compost.
This was long before the concept of umami had reached the culinary world and the produce they grew was some of the best tomatoes, raspberries and melons that I have ever tasted. Never did they use any chemical additives for the soil and this was 60 years ago, so the idea of organics came early and out of necessity; they grew food to live on.
San Francisco Bay Times: Who were some of your early mentors and role models?
Chef Kevin Weber: I came out to the West Coast in 1976 to visit my two brothers who were already working here at the Cliff House. I have been here ever since. There is a special quality about working here that encourages longevity in our employees. Even at almost 40 years, I am still not the most senior employee here. My assistant has also been here almost 40 years, and as the employees grow and start families, the tradition continues. I was recently best man at one of our employee’s son’s wedding. He also is employed here at the Cliff House. He is the son of an employee from 41 years ago. We are very much a family driven employer.
San Francisco Bay Times: Are you from this area? When did you first visit the Cliff House, and what do you most remember about that visit?
Chef Kevin Weber: I have been very lucky throughout my working experiences and have always had managers who were passionate about the industry and hospitality in all its forms. Jean Michel from the Culinary Academy was a genius concerning the importance of service and the concept of hospitality as fine art. Chef Robert Albert Tordejman was a Master Chef who was an inspiration simply to watch. The speed, precision and passion that he put into every dish was like watching a painter paint a masterpiece. Every ingredient had a part to play in the whole dish. Balance was the key and the quality of the food was of utmost importance.
San Francisco Bay Times: We’ve noticed that many quality local products, such as Acme breads and Peet’s coffee, are featured at the Cliff House restaurants. Are most of your products and ingredients sourced locally? What are some of the other qualities that you look for when purchasing such items?
Chef Kevin Weber: At the Cliff House we are very much aware of our footprint on the environment, and we try to act accordingly. As much as possible we buy local, whether that be fish, produce, bread, wine or even Peet’s coffee. We actively research our vendors and make sure that they utilize best practices. I have even gone down to Salinas to pick strawberries to check on that source with our produce. It was eye opening to experience what the pickers do each and every day. I now have a profound respect for what it takes to get the food that we sometimes take for granted the plate. Continuing education at the Culinary Institute’s Worlds of Flavors Conference every year helps keep us current on developing food trends as well as future directions for food to develop. Also, attending conferences helps to develop the importance of bringing pulses more to the center of the plate. Beans, grains and other veg- etables will be vital sources of protein that we must develop to alleviate live- stock’s effects on the planet. We have recently installed a wind turbine to the building to help offset our imprint on the grid. We have also worked with Washington to help bring awareness to the issue of light pollution in the world. We are situated in a beautiful natural environment and we want to keep it that way.
San Francisco Bay Times: Please highlight some of your own favorite dishes on the menus and how those recipes were developed.
Chef Kevin Weber: As far as fa- vorite dishes here at the Cliff House, we do have some dishes that our public simply will not let us change. Our popovers, clam chowder, Crab Louis and award-winning Bloody Marys are just a few dishes we must keep for our regular customers. They simply won’t let us change them! I think that is probably what guides my culinary direction the most; I am here to give the guest what they want. This is not about me or any single person here. We want the experience here at The Cliff House to last a lifetime. Every table is treated like they are family and I hope that shows in the great service and cuisine that we provide.
San Francisco Bay Times: Please talk a little about the Cliff House’s long- standing, and continuing, connections to the LGBT community.
Chef Kevin Weber: We have been active in the LGBT community for years as it is so important to me on a personal level. The Cliff House has always provided a welcoming and accepting place both to work and be a guest. We have been celebrating commitment ceremonies here at the Cliff House long before we achieved our current status on gay weddings. I am proud to say that many of our gay couples come back year after year, and it is great to touch base with them. I like to think that we create an environment that goes beyond their expectations, and from our feedback, I think we achieve that. Twenty years ago we celebrated a commitment ceremony for a Jewish lesbian couple complete with huppah on our private terrace overlooking the ocean. The Terrace and ceremony are visible from our Bistro restaurants, and a family who was dining there strained to get a better look at the ceremony. The wife commented how beautiful the bride looked, but she couldn’t find the groom. She asked her server, who explained the service, and the husband commented, “That’s right honey…We’re in California now.”
It’s hard to give a percentage, but I would say 20–30 percent of our weddings are for the LGBT community. We have also been active in community services and help fundraise for several LGBT organizations. Whether it be for services for gay youth, outreach to homeless youth or specific communities within the LGBT community, such as the Asian & Pacific Islander Wellness Center, the Cliff House takes pride in being able to help.
San Francisco Bay Times: It amazes us that so many tragic events have threatened to shut down the place forever, and yet it always comes back stronger than ever. To what do you attribute that enduring strength and appeal?
Chef Kevin Weber: The Cliff House is very much a living entity. We are not static in our approach to the community and our place in the world. We have survived earthquakes, fires, floods and even a government shutdown, and each time we bounce back stronger than ever. It has happened more than once that a former employee has come back and told me that this was the best job they ever had. I don’t think you can get any better validation than that!
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