The history of a historic spot
Eight years after buying the Crepe Place with friend Eric Gifford, co-owner Adam Bergeron took a moment on a Thursday afternoon to reflect on the midtown eatery and show venue. GT sat down with Bergeron in the Crepe’s garden patio to talk about the restaurant’s vibes, food and music.
GT: What atmosphere do you go for out on the patio?
Adam Bergeron: It’s mellow like your backyard is, but a nice backyard, where people wait on you.
Do you have a favorite crepe?
I’m a big Cobb salad guy. Eric, his favorite crepe is Zorba the Greek. Add red pesto and chicken.
How often does Dan P. from the Bricks work here?
He has one permanent shift per week, but when he’s in town, he can work as many as five days a week.
What’s the history of this building? It looks like something out of ‘Calamity Jane.’
This building was the Isaac Graham Distillery, which wasn’t actually a distillery. It was a restaurant. That was in the early ’70s. Then in the late ’70s, it became the Buffalo Trading Company. It was really a hippie situation. They were really busy. It was a classic Jewish deli with a bunch of Santa Cruz twists. They did a lot of big brunches, and a lot of the employees lived upstairs. It was a communal atmosphere. You’d wake up, go downstairs, and go to work. It was open from 1979 to 1989, and then they took the money and bought an actual commune in Oregon. Shortly after, the Crepe Place was here. [The building] started out as a house, in—I want to say—1880s, 1890s. Old Victorian—it’s such a great building. It’s old. It’s a little creaky.
Do you have any vegan crepes?
There’s lots of vegetarian and vegan options in the salad end of things but not in the crepes. They’ve got eggs in them. And butter.
Which is more fun, eating or listening to music?
Well, you’ve got to do both, right? There’s plenty of time in the day to do both. I love this setting for that. It’s pretty unique—the fact that so many things happen in the same environment. There’s a baby shower happening here, and a rock concert happening there, and they’re all just coexisting.
1134 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz, 429-6994. PHOTO: Crepe Place co-owners Eric Gifford (behind bar) and Adam Bergeron (with beer). CHIP SCHEUER
