A New Restaurant Brings the Pali Wine Family Out of the Cellar and Onto the Farm

A new restaurant in Hillcrest is taking the meaning of farm-to-table to a whole new level. Opening on Thursday, June 6, Cellar Hand is the first full-service restaurant from the team behind the Pali Wine in Little Italy. Co-owners Nick and Carmen Perr and executive chef Logan Kendall are working directly with 26 local farmers to incorporate seasonal produce into the coastal Californian and Mediterranean menu.

Kimberly Motos

Kimberly Motos

While working with renowned suppliers, including Chino Farms and Hukama Produce, the team also works directly with legendary fishmonger Tommy Gomes to feature dishes such as grilled whole rockfish and Baja scallop crudo. This attention to small-batch seafood extends all the way down the menu to the conserva dishes like line-caught sardines with kumquats. Thompson Heritage Ranch provides the pork chop served with cherries and house burger with idiazabal cheese, a smoky Spanish cheese made from sheep milk.

Kimberly Motos

“Our goal is to forge deep connections with the land and its artisans, farmers, and stewards, creating a space where every meal and glass reflects the passion of our region,” said the Perrs in a press release.

Fermentation plays a big role in the restaurant’s ethos, with a dedicated fermentation chef on the team. “We come from a background in wines, and wine is all about fermentation. It makes sense we use the process in our kitchen,” Nick Perr tells Eater San Diego. Dips like labneh and Chino Farms tomato matbucha are accompanied by a light, fluffy pita made with dough that’s undergone 24 hours of fermentation before wood firing.

Kimberly Motos

The Perr family started Pali Wine in Santa Barbara County in 2005. The Central Coast vineyard produces three labels: Pali Wine, Tower 15 Winery, and Neighborhood Winery. There are five wine outposts for Pali Wine, including in San Diego’s Little Italy location, Los Angeles, and Santa Barbara.

Kimberly Motos

The indoor/outdoor casual restaurant seats 60 guests in a 960-square-foot interior space and an additional 60 people in the alfresco 1,100-square-foot patio with outdoor fire pits. Local architectural firm Tecscape Design developed the restaurant’s look. Artist Nick Perr created the artwork on the walls. Local artists made the handmade ceramics.

The restaurant anchors an office complex and has ample parking available right at its doorstep. It will be open from Wednesday to Sunday, 4 to 10 p.m. Within the first month, a weekend brunch service will be launched. Planned events include winemaker dinners and tastings featuring Pali Wine and other winemakers.

Kimberly Motos

Cellar Hand is the first full-service restaurant from the wine family, which could serve as the model for expansion to other locations in San Diego and other areas in central and Southern California.

“We’re seeing this as an opportunity to kind of hopefully spawn more ideas,” Nick Perr tells Eater. In the future, they’re considering an immersive hospitality experience, like an inn on a small farm or a smaller restaurant project, to make the culinary experience even more hyperlocal.

Kimberly Motos

Kimberly Motos