Pop-up hooks up with Santa Cruz Food Lounge for healthy comfort food
Ty Pearce has been cooking for over two decades. Recently he’s started Ty’s Eatery, a pop-up company that focuses on healthy, organic food that is also tasty and familiar—he calls it healthy comfort food. About two months ago, Ty’s Eatery got connected with Santa Cruz Food Lounge and has been doing brunch every Sunday and dinner every Wednesday. We spoke with Pearce about how he designs menus and his extraordinary cinnamon rolls everyone is talking about.
Does the menu vary week to week?
TY PEARCE: I get my produce from the farmers market, and whatever I get that day, that’s what I prepare. People get really excited, like ‘What’s going to be on the menu?’ I get lots and lots of vegetables. I take things that are in season. Sometimes I think people forget how good fresh fruit tastes. Things are so processed nowadays.
You describe your food as healthy comfort food.
I make very familiar food. I just use good ingredients—you don’t have to add a bunch of stuff to make it taste good. I go to the farmers market and I see some wonderful nectarines that are in season and are sweet. I take them back and I want to make a cobbler or something. I’ll taste as I go, so I won’t need to put in a ton of sugar and processed stuff. Last Wednesday, there was only one dessert that had gluten in it, the rest of the menu was gluten free. It’s fresh food. It’s real food.
How are your Sunday brunches and Wednesday dinners different?
On Sundays, I use organic eggs. I use kale, lots of vegetables, polenta. It’s kind of like wholesome grains, farmed vegetables—it’s simple foods prepared well. For dinner, it’s an outside barbecue. We’ve got barbecue and live music. It’s like going to someone’s backyard barbecue. I smoke all the meats. I created this wonderful rub that doesn’t have sugar in it. The dinner is smoked meats, like smoked barbecue ribs, smoked pulled pork, grilled chicken and tons of different vegetables and salads, like we made pickled green beans last week, cole slaw, potato salad.
Your menu seems designed to suit different people’s diets.
People are busy. They need food fast. So what I’m trying to do is create a menu that is custom. You want meat and potatoes? I have meat and potatoes. Are you paleo? You can choose paleo options. People who just want fresh vegetables, or maybe someone who just wants a lot of meat, or vegetarians. They can come in and do that.
You’ve got some delicious-looking cinnamon rolls.
I don’t want to be known as just the healthy place. I want to be known as a place where you can go and there’s healthy options—hopefully one day you might try them. You want cinnamon rolls? I’ll use really good ingredients. It’s going to be really delicious. Hopefully next time you’ll try something else. I try to get people to try different things. That’s kind of the goal.
1001 Center St., Santa Cruz. 925-451-7944. PHOTO: Pearce of Ty’s Eatery shows off his California omelet. CHIP SCHEUER
