Meals and Steel Wheels

When chef JP Brough started his new position in Fillmore, the rocking and rolling on the job took some getting used to.

Back in January, Brough’s first responsibility was to launch food service aboard the Fillmore & Western Railway Co.’s murder mystery dinner train runs. Lunch service was later added to day-trip excursions.

Brough jokes that the transition from working in a conventional kitchen to chugging down the rail line was like “learning to cook during a 6.5 earthquake.”

“If you’re trying to flip eggs and then there is a sudden shift, the pan is in place but now the eggs are about four feet over,” he said.

Brough grew up in Ventura and studied his craft at the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco. He now cooks in the confined, stainless steel kitchen on the rail company’s refurbished San Cayetano Diner Car.

Built in 1949 for Southern Pacific, the car was first used on treks between California and Chicago. About half of the 85-foot car is devoted to kitchen space, while the window-lined dining area seats 48.

The newest development on the diner car--named for Mt. San Cayetano, which stands in the distance above Fillmore--is “static” lunch service. Taking advantage of a dearth of restaurants in Fillmore, the rail company opened its diner car for lunch Wednesdays through Fridays from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. While the diner car rests in the city’s quaint downtown area near Central Park, Brough prepares a menu of salads, soup, sandwiches, chili, a hamburger and other fare. Everything is prepared daily on board and made to order. Brough said he will soon be expanding both the lunch and dinner menus.

The rail company, an integral part of the city’s redevelopment efforts, continues to expand its entertainment services. It is refurbishing a car that will be used for dancing. Watch for Saturday night dinner-dancing excursions to begin in a month or so. Also, Brough said that static dinner service will begin in about a month, with service Wednesday through Friday evenings.

DETAILS

Fillmore & Western Railway Co. is in downtown Fillmore at 351 Santa Clara Ave. Full-service lunch aboard its San Cayetano diner car is served Wed.-Fri. from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Lunch service is also available during weekend train rides to Santa Paula and back. The company also operates Saturday Night Murder Mystery Dinner Trains. For more information, call 524-2546.

*

From the “Where Are They Now?” folder: Executive chef Rex Hale, formerly with the Ojai Valley Inn & Spa, has surfaced in the British Virgin Islands. Hale was hired recently to develop a new culinary concept for Little Dix Bay, a resort in Virgin Gorda sporting three restaurants.

The 30-something Hale received kudos in these parts for overhauling the cuisine at the Ojai resort’s three restaurants and banquet facilities, utilizing a heavy dose of fresh goods produced by local farmers, ranchers and fishermen. His tenure there ended in February 1998 when he resigned after just 1 1/2 years on the job.

After his departure, Hale continued to live in Ojai while trying to launch a small hotel-spa venture in the countryside between Ojai and Santa Barbara. When that project did not come to fruition, Hale began seeking employment elsewhere.

Originally built 35 years ago by Lawrence Rockefeller, Little Dix Bay sits on a crescent-shaped beach surrounded by hills.

“This is an extraordinarily beautiful property,” Hale said. “It was a pretty easy decision to make.”

The much-traveled Hale is no stranger to exotic locales. Before coming to Ojai, he cooked at a resort in Antigua, with stops along the way in South Africa, New Orleans, Kansas City and Dallas.

*

Leeward Winery in Ventura will hold its springtime open house this weekend, offering visitors a chance to taste current releases and nosh on barbecued meats.

A highlight will be a vertical tasting of the winery’s Edna Valley Reserve Chardonnay, including the 1995, ’96 and ’97 releases, plus a barrel tasting of the ’98 vintage. Barrel samples of a 1998 pinot noir will also be available.

The open house will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. today and Sunday. Admission is free. The winery is at 2784 Johnson Drive.

*

Rodney Bosch writes about the restaurant scene in Ventura County and outlying points. He can be reached at 653-7572, fax 653-7576 or by e-mail at: rodney.bosch@latimes.com.