Farm to Pizza
Café Beaujolais & Wavelength Farm
by Holly Madrigal
You may have heard of the farm to table movement, highlighting the connection between a delicious meal, where it was grown, and the farmers that grew it, but have you ever heard about Farm to Pizza? Wavelength Farm and Café Beaujolais are pioneering just that.
Kelan and Carly Daniel are part owners of Wavelength Farm in Manchester, on the east side of Highway One. Kelan’s enthusiasm is infectious when he speaks about his farm. “Our farm is coming alive,” Kelan says. “Even though we’re not in the sun belt, we planted five hundred different fruit trees—citrus, plums, pluots, and apples. We are really digging in this year, solidifying our roots so that we can branch out with a ton of diversity.”
Their farming methods are both old-fashioned and forward-thinking. He elaborates, “We’re working to recreate the intensive grazing that used to be accomplished by herds of elk. Now we are doing that with sheep and goats. Our chickens are producing manure to fertilize the crops,” Kelan adds. “And my wife is an amazing, badass farmer. She studied regenerative agriculture at the University of Vermont. This is her eighth season doing this work.” They grow several annual crops such as beans, tomatoes, bell peppers, and squash. “We grow staples, but the purple version, the heirloom version, the most flavorful version. We do things differently,” he says. And because Kelan had worked as a chef for many years with Chez Panisse and other kitchens that focused on ultra-fresh cuisine, he cultivates specifically for certain flavors.
Kelan studied metalworking, woodworking, and landscaping in Santa Cruz, and he is still a novice to farming. He, Carly, and friends Kelsey LaCroix and Austin Carlson are learning constantly. “I have noticed over the past few years a whole new wave of young people choosing to make a life here, people in their 20s and 30s settling around Point Arena and Mendocino. We are part of this, and we learn from the work they are doing at Oz Farm, Nye Ranch, and Fortunate Farm,” he adds. “We love to collaborate with the restaurants that want to highlight the unique flavors we are growing.”
Chef Julian Lopez and his parents, Peter and Melissa, bought Café Beaujolais four years ago. They dove into the local landmark, retaining the high standards of quality cuisine while bringing in fresh and innovative ideas. In addition to the French American menu in the dining room, they began selling pizza, as well as their fresh baked bread, out of the Brickery window in the rear garden. The massive brick oven is nearly thirty years old, built by famed oven maker, Alan Scott. Utilizing the blistering heat of the oven, Julian has experimented to get the perfect dough, the most satisfying chew, and the most delicious flavors.
Julian has made deep connections with local farmers for both the restaurant menu and the Brickery. “When I roast these vegetables at their peak of freshness,” says Julian, “it adds a complexity of flavor that you just can’t get with other methods.”
Julian and his dad, Peter, had reached out to Lavi, Kelan’s dad, to redesign their large garden seating area at Café Beaujolais. Lavi is a true renaissance man—a painter, designer, and grower specializing in South African and Australian plants. He was able to weave these beautiful, drought-tolerant, exotics into the Café Beaujolais landscape, working in tandem with Julian’s restoration of the raised beds of vegetables and beehives.
Both families had grown up in Los Angeles but moved north seeking a different lifestyle. They all became friends, and the Farm to Pizza idea was born. Lavi designed a farmstand outside of the Brickery, built by repurposing old-growth redwood from salvaged barn flooring. Kelan and Carly come twice a week to fill it with whatever is freshest in season. Wavelength Farm values this relationship. “Peter became one of our biggest supporters,” says Kelan. “He appreciates the beautiful diversity in our soil, in our crops. These flavors come through when our produce is served at the restaurant.”
“Mendocino is a somewhat older community, but I have found that locals are hungry for new ideas,” Julian explains. “This farmstand allows us to collaborate with our friends, bring attention to their farm, and solidify the connection between our food and where it comes from.”
Kelan and Julian discuss the “Pizza of the Week” that uses farmstand ingredients to best effect. The BLT Pizza is a regular favorite, featuring wild boar bacon, heirloom tomatoes, fresh basil, and “pizza greens”—a mixture of collards, chicory, and radicchio—topped off with fresh mozzarella and dusted with pecorino cheese. A visitor can stop by the farmstand, grab the ingredients for the Pizza of the Week, and bring it to the window to have it cooked right there, or the ingredients can be purchased to make the pizza at home. As the seasons change, the farm now has lots of winter squash, so the menu will soon boast roasted butternut pizza with toasted spices.
Collaborative relationships have helped carry all of them through this pandemic. “When this all first started, we partnered with Erica and Haley of Fog Eater Café and let them sell their pies here. It helped them make it through until we all figured out the outdoor dining,” Julian explains. “We are feeding more people than ever from the Brickery and the walk-up window for Café Beaujolais, but it has been challenging because the income is not the same as from the dine-in restaurant.”
Julian is constantly striving for what is new and innovative. His love of craft breweries has led Beaujolais to develop a collection of 120 different beers, and “we keep these constantly rotating,” he explains. “Most places will have their beer sitting around, but ours is rarely more than two months old.” A good friend always makes it a point to stop for pizza when in Mendocino, and her method is just to ask for an IPA. The house picks one for her. She has never received the same one twice, and she has never been disappointed.
Julian does not limit his fresh ideas to the beer selection. The family is working on sprucing up another structure on the property into The Waiting Room—part coffee shop with WiFi, part place to enjoy a cozy glass of wine or pint of beer before dining in Café Beaujolais. “It is beautiful in there,” says Julian. The space is wrapped in warm redwood walls with a wood stove to keep it cozy. It will be a great addition to Mendocino Village once we can safely gather indoors.
Until we are able to snuggle up again, we can still enjoy the outdoor offerings at this culinary delight. The beautiful gardens designed by Lavi create outdoor “rooms” to safely enjoy the pizza. The raised beds overflowing with kale, tomatoes, and various edibles are tended by Julian and his friends, Martin and Andres. Their three beehives buzz with activity as the residents zip out to pollinate the garden before returning to their community hub. All this activity reminds me of the friendship and collaboration between Café Beaujolais and Wavelength Farm, sharing their gifts with the rest of the hive.
DIY Pizza Dough
If you have some time on your hands and a hankering for the zen exercise that is kneading dough, give this recipe a try. Stop by the farm stand at Café Beaujolais for some locally grown toppings, grab your marinara sauce of choice and favorite cheeses, and you’re good to go!
Ingredients
1 packet active yeast
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c warm water
2 Tbsp olive oil
1-2/3 c all purpose flour
2/3 c fine cornmeal
Add the yeast and sugar to the warm (not hot!) water, stir gently, and let it rest for 5 minutes. Combine dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl, then add the yeast mixture and the olive oil. Mix roughly then transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 minutes. Roll the dough into a rough ball and place it into a clean bowl. Drizzle a bit of olive oil on top, then move the bowl in a circular motion so the dough rolls around to gather a light covering of the oil. Cover the bowl with a clean cloth and place in a warm area for an hour. Once the dough has doubled in size, knead lightly and roll out into a circle. Pizza sheets are great but a cookie sheet will work just as well. Be sure to oil it lightly first, and bake your pizza at 425˚F.
Café Beaujolais, 961 Ukiah Street, Mendocino, CA
Open Wed to Sun 11:30am - 7pm. Brickery Pizza open Wed to Sun 11:30am - 5pm.
(707) 937-5614 | Cafébeaujolais.com
Wavelength Farm produce can be found at Fort Bragg Farmers Market, CSA, and multiple wonderful restaurants. (310) 433-4604 | wavelengthfarm.com
Holly Madrigal is a Mendocino County maven who loves to share the delights of our region. She’s fortunate to enjoy her meaningful work as the director of the Leadership Mendocino program and takes great joy in publishing this magazine.
