Photograph by Paul Myers
The Laurel Mill Lodge in the Santa Cruz Mountains will hold a series of three brunches on March 24, April 14 and April 28. Lodge owners Esther Seehof (left) and Bob Kundus will host the brunches.
Sunday brunch at Laurel Mill Lodge a once-a-year delight
By Suzanne Cristallo
Harried residents looking for escape from the crush of cars and humanity in the valley might enjoy the respite the Laurel Mill Lodge in the Santa Cruz Mountains is offering again. Starting March 24, the 100-year-old resort will be holding a series of three brunches, which owners Esther Seehof and Bob Kundus say their customers have come to anticipate as an annual event.
"We've been getting calls from folks wanting to know which Sundays to reserve," Seehof says. Two more Sunday brunches will be held on April 14 and 28. Reservations are a must.
Mountain chef and caterer Craig Ponkey is planning this year's menu around the dishes that were most popular last year, plus something new. Heading the list is his three-egg lumberjack omelet stuffed with smoked salmon, caramelized onions, mushrooms and jack and cheddar cheeses. It's topped with sliced avocados and includes oven-roasted herb potatoes for $14.
Ponkey also is whipping up sourdough waffles and pancakes for $12, but his new offering is a wild mushroom and scallion quiche with an old-fashioned flaky crust and alpine lace Swiss cheese on top for $15. "We heat the cheese just before serving, so it's freshly melted and bubbly," he says.
The a la carte menu also includes a favorite with kids--green eggs and ham. The Canadian bacon and eggs with oven-fried potatoes are served with green cellophane covering the plate. "We worried that green coloring in the food might startle the parents," he grins.
The Sunday brunches are a respite for Ponkey, who commutes from the mountain residence he shares with wife Shannon and daughters Alexandra, 11, Jaina, 5, and Grace, 1, to Fremont each weekday to install engines in Toyota pickups. He grew up in Detroit, Mich., where generations of his family were autoworkers, but he branched off from his family's tradition in the industry to nurture the love of cooking his grandmother inspired in him.
He came west to cook for the Radisson and Marriott hotel chains, as well as the San Jose Country Club and Sea Cloud restaurant in Santa Cruz. A chance meal at a Good Earth restaurant brought him in contact with Shannon, who was working as a waitress while attending school to become an occupational therapist. "She made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up," he recalls, describing his meeting with his future wife. "Thirteen years later, she still does." Shannon will be helping out on brunch days.
The Laurel Mill Lodge is a creation in progress for partners Seehof and Kundus. For 11 years, the pair has whacked back the encroaching forest of blackberry vines, Scotch broom and thistles grown rampant through years of neglect under previous owners. The 27-acre property now offers 2 acres of lawn bordering a half-mile of Soquel Creek, private cabins, dormitories and campgrounds for stay-over guests, miles of trails shrouded in redwoods and a hot tub, which legend says has accommodated "a record 99 people, but we say 20," according to Kundus. A new pavilion stands ready for dancing.
The big lodge has a great room that has been the scene of reunions, weddings and seminars and serves as the observation point for the annual show of wildlife.
Brunches will be served on the lodge deck overlooking the lawn between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., while the sun is high. In case of rain, guests will be moved to the great room, where they can warm up by a lively fire in the 4-foot-high fireplace. The lodge has no liquor license, but guests are welcome to bring their own wine or champagne.
Laurel Mill Lodge, 16770 Redwood Lodge Road, Los Gatos. Sunday brunch March 24, April 14 and April 28. Call for directions and reservations: 408.353.5851.
Saratoga, California Since 1955
