MEET THE MOBILE PAELLA CHEF

Chef Brandon Miller puts on a show in your backyard and doesn’t just prepare paella for outdoor gathering — he cooks up a whole party!

He’s outdoors, standing behind a washtub. Bubbling and steaming, the food before him—mussel shells popped open, little pink arches of shrimp, strips of red bell pepper and handfuls of peas—is intricately arranged and riotously colorful, while the chef, grinning, spreads his arms wide to present his handiwork. For Chef Miller, the spectacle is nearly as important as the sustenance.

“I have great respect for the art of cooking live paellas,” he says.

Chef Brandon is a mobile paella caterer who typically cooks for groups of 10 or more, outside on patios or in backyards, at parties where there are often other diversions—at clients’ requests, he’ll arrange live guitar music, waiters and bartenders, even flamenco dancers. He travels all over Northern California doing family gatherings, weddings, birthdays, office parties, and so on.

Originating in Valencia, paella is one of Spain’s best-known dishes, a hearty combination of meat, seafood, and/or vegetables on a base of saffron-tinted rice. It’s food meant to serve a crowd, and indeed, meant to be prepared outdoors—as Chef Brandon notes.

To book your Paella Party, contact Chef Brandon Miller (831) 917-1176 • www.paellallc.com • brandon@paellallc.com

Kevin Fisher’s love for food began in his childhood home where his mother would make delicious meals. His father worked in the produce industry which made him a picky eater, but not in the traditional way. His desire for excellent quality in food and his natural love for cooking gave Kevin many opportunities in his career. Kevin began working at Hullabaloo with his brother in 2001, and from there his career took off. For the last 12 years Kevin has planted his roots at Hyatt Regency Monterey, where he found his passion with working in an expo kitchen. “I love that I have instant gratification of watching the plate land and seeing the reactions.” When Kevin isn’t preparing what he hopes to be a lasting impression with the restaurant’s guests, he loves all things car related, going camping, and enjoying the outdoors.

Ivan Guadarrama found his passion for the hospitality industry at an early age while helping with his family’s catering business. Working alongside his mother and sister, Ivan found working within a kitchen to be a very rewarding career path. In 2009, he decided to take his culinary skills to one of the most well-established restaurants in the Monterey Bay: Montrio. Shortly after he received the opportunity to expand his knowledge by joining the Tarpy’s team. “I am grateful to have had great mentors in the growth of my career at these restaurants who taught me that the love of cooking is loving oneself and loving what you do.” Ivan has proven his leadership skills within a kitchen and passion for the culinary arts as Executive Chef of Tarpy’s.

Luis Osorio began his culinary career in 1992 working for a local restaurant on the wharf in Monterey. Quickly finding his passion by 1998, he was running the kitchen at one of Monterey’s iconic restaurants, the Sardine Factory followed by tenure at Monterey Bay Country Club where he refined his kitchen leadership. In 2000 he moved to the OTONE Hospitality Group as Executive Chef. With OTONE, over the next 16 years, he was Executive Chef for Lallapalooza, and led opening the kitchens for their growth into Ellie’s, Lalla Grill, & Lalla Oceanside. In 2016, Chef Luis sought out an opportunity with Affina in Carmel to reinvent the restaurant and apply his talents to a new concept. He was eager for the challenge and was able to put his mark on the restaurant. In February 2021, five years later, following the impacts of COVID-19, Luis decided to take time off to spend time with his family and pursue private caterings while still volunteering at Shoreline Church. He is excited to take on the role of Executive Chef at Rio Grill, a part of the Coastal Roots Hospitality family. Chef Luis feels his culinary passions integrate well with the success of Chef Eduardo Coronel and looks forward to growing on the legacy of Rio Grill. His culinary philosophy has always been to cook simple homemade food, while sourcing local produce and fresh ingredients combined with spices from his hometown of Oaxaca, MX.

Chef Hondo Hernandez started competing in Backyard BBQ Competitions in 2014 then turned Professional BBQ Competitor in a little under One Year. Mentored in San Antonio, Texas, Chef Hondo has won many awards for his BBQ most notably the first Gilroy Garlic Festival in 2016, Ceres Smoke on the River Grand Champion, Ceres Battle of Champions Overall Champion and winning back to back years at the NHS Las Vegas Steak Cookoff '18 & '19. In 2019 entered the restaurant industry as an Executive Chef. Building a BBQ inspired menu from the ground up he introduced Championship quality BBQ to the Salinas Valley. Nominated two consecutive years for Best BBQ in Monterey County & Best Restaurant in Salinas. In 2022 got back into the competition arena and won Reserve Grand Champion in the Barbecue Category at the World Food Championships in Dallas, Texas to move on to the finals. After competing in a Single Category Turn In, Presenting to a Live Panel Judging from BBQ Legends (Famous Dave Anderson, Chris Lilly, LeeAnn Whippen, Harry Soo and Tuffy Stone) SHOWOFF BBQ Won Reserve Grand Champion Overall for 2022.

Chef Jason Giles is the Executive Chef and Director of Nutrition Services at Salinas Valley Health. Chef Jason has an extensive resume in the hospitality industry having worked at some of the finest restaurants and resorts on the Monterey Peninsula.

The American Culinary Federation Monterey Bay Chapter honored Chef Giles with the 2016 prestigious Chef of the Year award and is now changing the face - and taste – of traditional hospital food at Salinas Valley Health Medical Center.

Chef Jason enjoys cooking with fresh, healthy ingredients and is pleased to share some of his healthy recipes with you.

About the owner, My name is David Pasculli and I was born in beautiful Monterey, California, and raised in the Salad Bowl of the World, The Salinas Valley. I believe I was destined to be a chef because I first started cooking at age 5. I still remember my first recipe, it was a cinnamon and sugar cake, but looking back it was cinnamon, sugar, butter, and puff pastry, not so much a cake after all. Growing up, while the majority of kids were watching cartoons, I was watching Top Chef and Food Network absorbing the techniques and recipes of the culinary world. I was simply amazed and knew I wanted to pursue culinary as a career.

As a chef, I am repeatedly asked what my favorite food is, it’s hard to pick just one, so I think back to my childhood and how much I loved sandwiches. Then, I get asked what my favorite sandwich is, I always say the b.l.t with avocado.. I would always order it when it was on the menu or ordered a burger. Sandwiches are the perfect meal because they can be served day or night and have unlimited combinations. For me, a sandwich has to have the perfect ratio of bread, spreads, veggies, cheeses, and proteins. This creates and balance of flavors and textures making you savor every bite.

After 13 years of practicing cooking techniques at home, I landed my first culinary job at Earthbound Organic Farm stand in Carmel Valley as a prep cook at age 18. There I was educated about farm-to-table and the basics of a prep cook. After a year, I was offered my first line cook position restaurant opportunity at the Award-Winning Sardine Factory working for Chef Burt Cutino. I’ve worked at Restaurant 1833 with Chef Mikey Adams, former Executive Chef of the Proper Hotel in San Francisco. From there, I have worked at one of the largest lettuce companies in the world, Tanimura and Antle educating guests on the company’s values as well as how they grow their products.

A few years later, I accepted a line cook position at The Bench at Pebble Beach working under Executive Chef Benjamin Brown and Chef Aaron Burns. Today, I am at Post Ranch Inn as well as Saltwood Kitchen and Oysterette at the Sanctuary in Marina, CA working with Chef Jonathan Rodriguez and Nestor Marin.

At Post Ranch, I work under Chef Reylon Augustin, former Executive chef at Gordon Ramsay London, and at other Michelin-star restaurants around the globe. Executive Chef Hoon Kang, former Sous Chef of Madera in Menlo Park CA, and Chef Jonathan Rodriguez, former sous chef of 3 Michelin star restaurant Atelier Crenn in San Francisco.

In 2021, I decided to pursue my dream of opening a restaurant or food truck but did not know what I wanted to specialize in. I thought back to my childhood and what food I loved the most and I thought of all the different types of flavors I have been exposed to over the years. I landed on the name Sammich’d of my belief that sandwiches have to have the right ingredients in order to make them special. I made the decision to start a food truck and specialize in locally sourced gourmet sandwiches. I am excited to share with you my passion for food and sandwiches and create a place where people will gather and share a meal together because food is about flavors, creativity, presentation, and bringing people together.

Growing up on the South Coast of England in a quaint village similar to Carmel-by-the-Sea, Sarah Cook developed a passion for cooking, baking and celebrations.

Her dream? To open a cozy, warm and welcoming tea or coffee shop where friends and neighbors could gather — a respite from the real world. Sarah imagined a place where she could personally greet guests and serve fresh, from-scratch food made from the heart. 

In July of 2019, Sarah seized the opportunity of a lifetime, moving her family to Carmel to live out her dream by taking over Café Carmel.