I first met David more than 10 years ago when he started at Big Sky Cafe as a Dishwasher. He was young and hardworking but after a period of time, David moved on to be part of some other operations. Some years later he contacted me with interest in returning to our fold. There was very little question in my mind, of course! Upon his return, David returned as a Line Cook and quickly showed that he had developed a focus and passion for the craft. He also came back
with a beard...

Side note: while he continued to be one of the pillars here at Big Sky Cafe, David also accented to the crew at Remy’s Kitchen & Wine Bar where he showed his adaptability and interest in learning new things. He still mentions how much fun he had working at Remy's!

David was a natural take on the Sous Chef role. He has an aptitude for consistency and execution. He continues to look for ways to improve efficiency and ensure our dishes are everything you expect them to be.

​If you peek behind the curtain, you will see David is a big part of who we are here at Big Sky Cafe. He endeavors to please as he leads the crew by example, is always excited about new things, and is a great role model!

Chef Dom

As a recertified five-star member of the Green Dining Alliance since 2018 in the areas of water conservation, awareness an2018d education, energy conservation, recycling & waste reduction, and sourcing, we don't just talk the talk.

​We do it by:

• recycle all glass, paper, cardboard, metal, plastic, wine corks, vegetable oils, light bulbs, and batteries
• preparing all curbside orders in recyclable containers and only offering utensils upon request
• compost all organic waste
• re-use wine bottles to serve water to guests upon request
• depend on local farmers to source seasonable and sustainable products such as meat and produce
• source sustainable seafood using the Monterey Bay Seafood Watch App
• purchase renewable energy through Pure Power Ameren
• serve straws upon request (and provide compostable straws for those who would like one)
• re-purpose materials to use in decorating

For us, it IS easy being green.

After almost 30 years at Big Sky Cafe, I’m sending you this message to inform you that Dominic Weiss has purchased this great restaurant. Many of you know Dominic as the chef, general manager, and more recently, the defender of Big Sky Cafe from the challenges of the last couple of years.  

Many of you may not know that Dominic was here at Big Sky Cafe since the very first few weeks of opening. He has worked in management positions at all of my restaurants, but more importantly, he has managed and directed Big Sky Cafe through without question, the toughest last two years of its existence. There is no better man to carry on Big Sky Cafe's tradition and no one who cares more for the staff and the customers they serve. As Big Sky Cafe evolves and moves forward, Dominic will meet more of you, canvas for your ideas, and work to deliver the dependable quality hospitality experience that you know and love. 

Many times when I’ve been complimented about an experience at Big Sky I have responded with “It’s a we thing, we have a lot of great people.”

I’ve been caught polishing glasses at the bar and asked, “Aren’t you the chef?”My answer is, “Sure, but it's a we thing, we all work together”.

The most important part of any restaurant is its team of people. No matter how creative or talented a chef can be, they can’t run a kitchen without a crew. The most welcoming manager a the door can't take care of a dining room without a knowledgeable team of servers. And no one can make a move without someone in a dish pit making sure all the materials are clean, sanitized, and ready to go. Each person has their role to play, but we have learned long ago that no matter how terrific any one person can be at what they do, it makes little difference without the rest of the team.

Instead of telling you my feelings about beets or divulging a story about me burning (and ruining) my mother’s cookware in the backyard as a kid, I am sharing this because we are looking to add people to our team.
It’s hard to miss the news about the difficulties of finding people lately. We have a terrific core group of people with tons of experience to share with someone new. We have opportunities in both the front and back of the house. Maybe you know someone looking to join our team like ours? Help us make a match!

Just purchase a designated bottle of sustainable wine in the restaurant or for curbside service, and we will donate 29% to our adopted cause, charity:water.

Not interested in buying a bottle? You can drop your spare change in the wine bottle by our front door or donate directly to the cause here. For all donations made (wine or direct), we match them by 20%! 

Since 2009, Big Sky Cafe has been committed to the cause by raising enough money to help over 550 people in need. Previous "Wine Into Water" events have gone directly to fund water projects in Uganda and Mali and we can't wait to see who we will help this time!

It only takes $40 to supply clean water for one person's lifetime. And all you have to do is drink wine to do good.

Don't feel like making it?

Though we have caramel sauce at Big Sky year-round, this is the time of year when it becomes the most popular. Our caramel sauce recipe is a simple one with only four ingredients and four steps, and since we make it often, you would think it is breeze for us! But like many things in the kitchen, you can go from a long period of waiting for the right moment to a very short period of just right that can be immediately followed by an evident and demoralizing “missed it!”. Most of the people I’ve worked with in a kitchen over the years have had at least one caramel incident. I know that I have found myself with a pot of black molten sugar more than once!

Here are some tips for the perfect caramel sauce:

• Mix the water with the sugar before you put it on the stove. Dry pockets under the surface in the bottom of the pot can melt and burn some of the sugar before the rest.
• You need a hot burner. A lack of heat can allow the top of the sugar mixture to become too cool and crystalize before caramelizing and you will find yourself straining the sauce.
• Best results are made with a whisk, and only use it when it’s time to add the cream.
• Have your cream at the ready because that sweet spot of when to add it doesn’t last long. Add when the sugar is a deep amber color with just a whiff of sugar (think of creme brûlée).
• Be careful of the steam and bubbling! Add the cream at a moderate pace while continually whisking. Too fast and you get a candy ball that is tough to whisk out, too slow and the steam will overtake your whisk hand with a chance of boiling over (that’s a mess, trust me).
• If you choose a plastic container to finish your caramel sauce in, make sure it is heat resistant. Just sayin’...

​It is not my intention to make something simple appear over complicated and I definitely don’t want to deter anyone from making this recipe, it really is easy to do right. Just passing on some of the mistakes that I’ve learned not to make over time, -rest assured there’ll be more.