24 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY APRIL 30-MAY 6, 2026 www.montereycountynow.comcom “You do a grilled avocado with an ounce of caviar,” Black continues. “Call it avocado toast.” Sounds of approval ring around the table. As this is going on, Chef de Cuisine Barkley is sauteing morels in butter, the first step on the way to a sauce for next week. Barkley is from Seattle, but has most recently been cooking in Los Angeles. He came to Chez Noir only a month ago. More of the crew arrive. Black is back at his station with his head down when the kitchen is jarred by a ringing clang like a cymbal as a lid falls. “Hello Jordan,” the chef says, chuckling privately. Jordan Chipman is a 19-year-old cook from Santa Cruz who started with Chez Noir two years ago. He begins measuring ingredients for the staff meal. “Just watch your temperatures and your times,” Black tells him, coaching the young cook. “Hit your marks and everything should be fine.” Black is now cleaning Monterey Bay rock cod. The restaurant only serves fish caught on the West Coast, keeping it local as much as possible. “Mackerel is out there—really great mackerel,” he says to Gore. “But people around here treat it as bait fish.” “That’s weird,” Gore replies, shaking his head. Both are fans of the oily fish, but few diners agree. Black put it on the menu just once and learned his lesson. There is choreography to all of this. The kitchen team moves about in a choppy series of “Behind” warnings. Service manager Paige Book arrives for a pre-opening meeting with the Blacks and Dahlquist, going over guest preferences and allergies. Line cook Leno Garcia, who began his Chez Noir career on morning prep but has moved up, begins portioning half a wheel of raw milk blue cheese from Schoch for a sauce that will dress a presentation of mussels. “It sounds weird on paper,” Black admits. “But if you eat it, it makes sense.” Later, during the staff meal, Garcia speaks of his new role in the kitchen. “While you are doing one thing, you are thinking about the next moment,” he says. “The main thing is to keep going, and make sure all around you is organized.”The Blacks’ 10-year-old son James joins the staff meal. He chats about the menu with Garcia, about the cut of beef with his father, about anything related to food. For his birthday, James wanted to try a three-Michelin-star restaurant. So the family traveled to Quince in San Francisco, where Jonny and Monique Black once worked. The younger member of the family can describe a pasta dish in detail. Organization and details. On another chart, labeled “Daily Kitchen Pre-Shift,” Black and Gore have listed some necessaries, but much of it is used for encouragement: “Strong finish tonight,” “Niiice sear on beef.” “Let’s go Quinn!” Quinn Thompson is in the kitchen on Monday. He’s a veteran local chef whose credits include Il Grillo turned super-sub who helps the team out when needed. “Which is pretty frequently,” Barkley observes. When doors open at 5pm, everything is in order and ready—routine. “It’s not about wanting to get a star,” Dahlquist says. “It’s about good food and warm hospitality.” The finishing touches and the start of another evening at Chez Noir. Top: The tables are set. Middle: A bit of decoration before the first course goes out. Below: The guests arrive— 17 expected for early dining, 47 throughout the night.
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