Now He’s Cooking

Sandy Smith is back in his own kitchen full time and he’s loving it.

After pulling out of a restaurant merger that had the Ventura resident overseeing chef duties at three eateries, Smith has returned to his Rosarito Beach Cafe and cooking six nights a week.

“I’m back to doing what I love most,” Smith said.

In the summer of ‘95, Smith and fellow Ventura restaurateur Ed Warren--owner of the Busy Bee Cafe and what was then Smokey’s--struck a deal that gave them equal ownership of all three restaurants.

It looked good on paper: Warren would handle all the finances; Smith would oversee the kitchens.

Life after the merger wasn’t so sunny.

Expansion plans at downtown’s Busy Bee never transpired. Joe Daddy’s Cajun Creole restaurant--a reincarnation of the Smokey’s site--never took hold with customers. Smith was expending most of his culinary energy at Joe Daddy’s, but he and Warren didn’t share the same philosophy on menu fare.

“It was just a realization that he was into different concepts of foods and felt like Rosarito Beach was where he belonged,” Warren said.

Finally, Smith yearned for the focused creative time he once enjoyed at his cafe, concocting “regional Mexican cuisine.”

“Rosarito requires a lot of care--the food is essentially prepared to order,” Smith said. “After the merger, I was basically overseeing its kitchen as opposed to a hands-on operation. The quality of the food started to slip. I didn’t want that to happen.”

The pair decided a couple of months ago to split, amicably.

With separation legalities nearly complete, life has returned to what it was before the merger: Warren operates his two restaurants; Smith operates Rosarito Beach Cafe with two silent partners.

While Smith continues his creative pursuits happily holed up at Rosarito, Warren has been busy reinventing one of his establishments. Joe Daddy’s Cajun is out--enter the Santa Clara House Grill & Barbecue.

“The style of food was good, but it just didn’t have a broad enough appeal,” Warren said of the Cajun cuisine. “We’re going back to basic favorites: ribs, steaks and chicken.”

First built in 1970, the Santa Clara Street location has undergone several conceptual changes through the years. The distant past has returned: “We’re back to what it was originally called at the very beginning,” Warren said.

With chef Raymundo Sanchez at the helm, the Santa Clara House will concentrate on old-fashioned barbecue. All meats will be prepared over a grill fired by oakwood, Warren said.

Besides all the sizzling meats and ribs, a new menu includes a sizable list of sandwich options and take-out Family Value Packs, serving four to 20 people.

As for decor, the Cajun motif has been removed, although customers will still recognize it as Joe Daddy’s.

“We’re working with a decorator to come up with some new concepts,” Warren said. “Nothing is happening yet, but we’re leaning to a more Western decor.”

And blues fans need not fret: Warren said he will continue his policy of providing live music Friday and Saturday evenings.

* The Santa Clara House is open daily, 4:30-10 p.m.

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The Let’s Get Cookin’ culinary class series will continue on April 17 with “A Contemporary Passover Luncheon” with Myrna Spiegel.

When you think of Passover fare, think heavy: beef brisket, roasted chicken, potatoes and the like.

“For a Passover Seder you want to feast,” said instructor Spiegel, “and some of the foods are high in fat.”

Spiegel--a cooking teacher at the Westlake Culinary Institute and former pastry chef at Michael’s in Santa Monica--will show the class how to keep it light for the big feast.

The class will be held at noon and Spiegel will focus on recipes of the healthful, low-calorie kind.

“It will be short, about an hour,” she said, “so people can come during their lunchtime and eat too.”

The class menu will include:

Organic Carrot Soup--made with vegetable and chicken stock.

Tomato-Spinach Matzo Pie--a kind of vegetable torte, this entree features layers of grilled tomatoes and spinach.

Passover Lemon Tart--remember, it’s Passover, so there is no flour here. This crust is all matzo meal, with lemon curd and a merengue topping.

* Westlake Culinary Institute, 4643 Lakeview Canyon Road, Westlake Village; $10 class at noon April 17, reservations required; (818) 991-3940.