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A Nostalgic Recipe for Holidays on the Peninsula, from Kitchen-by-the-Sea
For Carmel natives Maddie and Jules Clark, cooking has always been a connection to family traditions and hometown heritage. The sisters, who now split their time between Carmel and San Francisco, where they work in tech and retail respectively, regularly serve up decadent desserts and seasonally inspired dishes for their more than 345,000 followers on Instagram, @kitchen_bythesea. “Our grandma and mom are incredible cooks and bakers. Every day our mom would pick us up from school and we'd climb on the counter and make something,” says Maddie. “We have all these recipes, so we started putting them on Instagram and it just kind of took off.” (Think Tiramisu Brownies with 42 million views on Instagram.) Yet, the most frequent question the duo gets outside of cooking is always, “What should I do in Carmel?” So, we walked through all their local must-visits, for the holiday season and beyond.
AM
Start the day with:
Walking on Scenic Drive around 7 a.m., in that perfect moment before the city wakes and all of the visitors get out of their hotels. It’s the most peaceful thing on the planet. Our favorite pastries are at Parker Lusseau in Monterey—we get the almond croissant every time. But we also love the coffee at Acme Coffee Roasting Co. in Seaside. It’s our absolute addiction. For brunch, Stationaery is just the best thing ever. Owners Anthony and Alissa Carnazzo are so sweet. Anthony's mom was our Spanish teacher and his sister was our babysitter growing up.
Our best of list:
Pizza at La Bicyclette. Dinner at Chez Noir. Their cocktails are the best we've ever had, even in San Francisco. We're going there for Julia’s birthday. The bread at Ad Astra Bread Co. And the fries at Cella Restaurant in Monterey are so delicious. That’s a fun place to just sit outside and catch up. Also, we’re obsessed with Elroy’s Fine Foods in Monterey. Their produce section is so fun because they put the farmer on the label and you’ll see a lot of them at the farmer's market.
Farmer’s Market finds:
We always try to be in town by Friday morning to go to the farmer's market at Del Monte Shopping Center in Monterey with our mom. Everything is so incredible there. There's a place called Brokaw Avocados, and they are the best avocados on the planet. Every single one is hand-selected and is perfectly ripe. Also, Minazzoli Farms. We bake with a ton of fruit, so every time we see he has certain varieties we love, we'll get flats of them to make our pies. In the fall/winter, we're big on squash. We do a butternut or honey nut squash mac n’ cheese, with sage and gruyere and a little bit of nutmeg.
PM
Always essential to visit:
The Monterey Bay Aquarium has such a special place in our hearts. The jellyfish and the otters. We still feel like kids when we go there. Anytime you can beat the crowds there, it's fun—in November, it’s excellent.
Holiday memories:
Seeing the tree in The Lodge at Pebble Beach. We sit in the lobby with our mom and just get a cup of tea. The tree is so pretty, and they decorate the hotel so beautifully—they deck it out there. It's so gorgeous.
Favorite festive recipe:
Milk Bread Cinnamon Rolls. We make these every year to enjoy on Christmas morning. You can find the recipe on our site, kitchen-by-the-sea.com. And we have lots more holiday recipes coming up...stay tuned!
Best local food gifts:
Lula's Chocolates’ Sea Salt Caramels, Jeffrey's Grill’s Spiced Pecans, and Acme Coffee Roasting Co.’s coffee beans.
Outdoor adventures:
We like to walk 17-Mile Drive and do a picnic on the tables along the path near Bird Rock. There’s no better public picnic tables in the world than those. They're just stunning. We'll bring charcuterie and look for otters and wildlife. Winter has some shockingly nice days out there.
End the day with:
Sunset and a drink at The Bench in Pebble Beach. They have a cocktail called the Bench Warmer, which is sort of a play on a margarita, but it's spicy. It's got chipotle and it's a little bit smoky. Sit outside by the fire pits. It’s so lovely.
PLAN YOUR DAY
on the Peninsula
- Parker Lusseau
Monterey, CA - Acme Coffee Roasting Co.
Seaside, CA - Stationaery
Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA - La Bicyclette
Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA - Chez Noir
Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA - Ad Astra Bread Co.
Monterey, CA - Cella Restaurant
Monterey, CA - Elroy’s Fine Foods
Monterey, CA - Del Monte Farmer's Market
Monterey, CA - Monterey Bay Aquarium
Monterey, CA - The LodgePebble Beach, CA
- Lula's Chocolates
Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA - Jeffrey's Grill
Carmel Valley, CA - 17-Mile Drive
Pebble Beach, CA - The Bench
Pebble Beach, CA
