Peri-Peradise: Surfing and camping up the PCH.
Never a bad time to get into nature for some fresh air and good food. We gathered an assembly of assorted vagabonds and headed towards Big Sur.
Some featured personalities included Rain, maybe the actual Most Interesting Man in the World. He’s a bubbly Englishman who also happens to be a professional stuntman, with his girlfriend Lauren, another professional stuntperson. Despite being so cool and nice and interesting, you could tell him a story about a bug you saw on the sidewalk and he’d listen like you were telling him a truly important story.
Ben Becker, a man who’d gone through 2 travel vans in 2 months, the most recent of which is named “The Pinball”. He totaled his last van just after finishing renovations, hitting black ice out in Wyoming on his way west.
And the main character of this trip, Guy, our Jewish, South African, food genius. Guy studied Culinary Arts in Santa Barbara, He’s a badass, loves surfing and would be just as happy cooking on an open fire outdoors as he would be in Buckingham Palace. He loves what he does and loves bringing happiness to other people.
We also had others, some coming in and out along the way. Dalyah, Jaxon, Jacob, Quincy, and John were a part of our troupe too.
Before we hit the road we made a last pitstop at the Pacific Palisades Farmers Market, open every Sunday from 8:00AM to 2:00PM. We grabbed some seasonal snacks, fresh fruit and herbs, and some free eggplant from pals at Frecker Farms– we agreed we’d have to head out to Carpinteria and see what other organic produce Alex had in season another day.
Our journey included the extraordinary pleasure of driving 5 hours along one of the most beautiful stretches of coastline on Earth. This didn’t just happen; Big Sur’s beauty has been preserved alongside decades of arguing about how the land should be used. It now has some of the most restrictive rules for development found anywhere. This also isn’t guaranteed; as recently as 2017, politicians have been eyeing opening the marine sanctuary along the coast for oil exploration. If that sounds uncool to you, make sure you pay attention to your local politics to keep things like it from happening.
We arrived at Willow Creek Beach to catch some evening waves. Chef Guy got dinner started while we hit the surf. Roasted eggplant, topped with the works; tahini, sesame seeds, chili za’atar, parsley, and of course Peri Peri. With some chips from the farmers market, the food was warm as the sun went down and we rolled in with the evening tide.
There’s nothing better than fine cuisine off a paper plate. Jacob, Guy’s roommate, was crashing with us for this evening, fixing some cocktails with Thai ginger ale and Jamison while we waited for the main course. Steak, a beautiful kale salad, rice, and broccolinis all taste better grilled on the beach. We played chess until the night got old. Even I’ll admit that it got pretty brisk out, and at the end of the night we stuffed into vans like packages of sausage and slept.
We woke up and hopped into the water to surf, hoping to freeze the hangovers out. Chef Guy made breakfast tacos with potatoes, shredded gouda, eggs, onion, beans, and more Peri Peri, topped with a little arugula to finish. We ran into some more seasoned Big Sur beachgoers searching the sand for jade and emerald, and decided to play treasure hunter for the afternoon. These locals gave us a tip: if you’re not sure you have an emerald, try to scratch it. Genuine emerald is a hard stone, and shouldn’t scratch with a knife.
After becoming amateur prospectors for a chunk of the day, we headed north for lunch at Big Sur Bakery. The scenic roadway doesn’t allow for big billboards or advertisements, so make sure you know what you’re looking for along the way. We rendezvoused with another peregrine; our friend Quincy has been biking from Oregon to Mexico since October, surfboard strapped to his back. All of us stopped at Pfeiffer Beach for one of the most incredible sunsets I’ve seen in my life.
Quincy was staying at a family-run campground in the woods that evening, not on the beach, and we followed suit. The sound of water was still nearby, in the form of a quiet stream running between the redwoods. Guy took over for dinner proper, and we ate chicken wings as an appetizer, followed by a simple arugula/veggie salad, and baked potatoes loaded with chutney, mayo, and other tasty things. Our morning surf didn’t do the job of getting rid of hangovers completely, so we turned in early.
As we explored our campsite the next easygoing morning, Chef Guy got to work again. Avocado toast with egg and Peri Peri. We made toasties over a new day’s campfire using a pie iron and some leftover berries from the farmers market. After skipping north a short way, we took a mile’s hike down to the beach, wading through a stream both ways, finding a secluded spot to catch waves and sun.
We met up with John in Santa Cruz and snagged dinner from Pizza my Heart. John lives right on top of steamer lane, so we surfed until the day ran out of light and then headed back up shore to relax around a fire in John’s backyard. We solved the world’s problems over a chess board, and traded surf stories, like the time some friends found an elephant seal with a chunk bitten out of it washed up on the shore. We pondered the depths of the ocean we’d spent so much time in over the past few days, and decided that it was enough to retire for the night. We car camped in front of John’s before heading home the next day.
Accompanying our band of friends the whole way was Peri Peri. It was the perfect blend to match our ragtag bunch. Locally sourced, quick on the tongue, vegan, gluten-free, and most importantly, tasty. It’s got a flavor that’s hard to describe, in a good way. You’ll have to pick some up for yourself and try it out on your favorite campfire meals. Deliveries start the 18th, DM us to place an order here