“What do you know for sure?”
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“W h a t d o y o u k n o w f o r s u r e?”
James and I met in 1974 when he appeared in the kitchen at the Chez Cary , a deluxe restaurant in Orange County. I was the “chef grillade,” which meant I grilled the various cuts of meat. James was a handsome, mustachioed young man and a whit even then. I trained him on my station as chef grillade. I recall him reaching under my knife and getting cut. Stitches with a scar to this day. A sort of blood brother by accident. I left the Chez a few months later but kept in touch. I had gone back to the Disneyland’s private Club 33.
We reconnected in about 1976 at a food competition in the Disney Hotel. I did a complicated design on a table made by Disney imagineers, a ceramic tile platform with a sea-like wavy rim. Two sharks in apposition, a fish mousse, poached salmon and the like. I got some sort of award. There I saw James a g a i n with the chefs from the Chez Carey. We chatted about his working apprentice trip to France at the Hotel de Paris and the Ritz in Paris. I was blown away with the knowledge he gained from the experience over a couple of years. He waxed on about foie gras, tiny French beans with the flowers still on them, the variety of seafood from the Mediterranean, wild mushrooms from the local forest… I felt like I knew nothing. I resolved to learn more and go to Europe.
At the Disney competition, I also saw the chef team from the South Coast Plaza Hotel. They had done some elaborate, classic cold dishes that impressed me. When the chef at the Club 33 retired, and I was refused the chef position due to lack of “European training,” I left and went to the South Coast Plaza Hotel. I was cooking prime rib for 1500, 800 Beef Stroganoff and other large events. Factory cooking. Some months into that hotel job, I got a call from James.
In 1977, James was hired as Chef de Cuisine at a French bistro called La Serre, in Studio City. He called me to see if I would like to work with him. La Serre was his first head chef job, and my first sous chef position. He was now teaching me new dishes that he had learned in France. We were doing modern twists on French food as the Nouvelle Cuisine revolution was going on at the time. Later I took over the chef position when James left for another post.
Working together again was a great experience. We use to have our meals sitting at a table in the parking lot in our chef whites.
In 1978, I took a position as rotating chef at L’Orangerie, a new deluxe restaurant in Beverly Hills. After some 4-5 months, I left the restaurant. I secured a job with Chef Albert Roux of Le Gavroche in London. Oddly, not long after I left, James took on the chef position at L’Orangerie.
A patterns began to emerge where our lives and careers are woven around the theme of a passion of fine cuisine.
In 1981, after three years at Le Gavroche and doing a work-visit to the best French restaurants, I returned to the States and took a job with Paul Vercammen at the Olive Mill Bistro. That is a whole other story of bringing modern California-French cuisine to this seaside town.
James and Annie Sly 2008
In February of 1984 I chaired an event for the AIWF, American Institute of Wine and Food, Julia Child’s and Robert Mondavi’s institute dedicated to fine wines and the culinary arts. I called my friend James Sly and asked him to cook at the truffle station.
At that event, James met Ann Pinkow after eyeing her all day. The rogue asked her out, snuck a kiss and two months later whisked her off to work a summer job in Nantucket. A year or so later they married on his lunch break, celebrating with hot dogs, then back to work to preside in the kitchen of a just-opening 1789 Restaurant. They were both perpetually grateful for that fateful encounter.
In September of that year, 1984, I opened Michael’s Waterside. James came up from LA for two weeks to help open up the restaurant. He slept on the office floor. What a friend!
Here we are again, weaving our careers together.
In the ensuing years, James was in Palm Desert at the Hyatt Grand Champions. Some years later, about 1987, James took the job as executive chef at the El Encanto hotel in town here. He held that position for a number of years. He would come down to my restaurant after dinner service at the El Encanto. He loved to have Annie join him and they almost always had my Tart Tatin apple dessert.
It seems that we kept following each other.
In 1989, James persuaded me to computerize the restaurant. All of a sudden, I had three MacIntosh computers and fell under his tutorial umbrella. We would sometimes see the sun come up after a night on the computers. It was fueled by armagnac. James was a great advocate for Apple computers and help many people learn the magic. Early in The Berry Man’s formative years, James was hired by owner Guy de Mangeon to write software to manage the complexities of a produce business. His wife Annie, did the books there.
Programming was another skill where James excelled. He help me to learn to write software to manage my business and later my catering company. If fact, he was Mr. James Apple Computer. He helped numerous people to navigate the complexities of the Mac.
During an interlude between the El Encanto and Lucky’s, James worked in the private catering business. On one occasion he borrowed my kitchen at the Santa Barbara Polo Club, where I had the contract to do the food service.
Our culinary lives crossed again.
In 1995, I went to Charlotte, NC, to go back to work for Albert Roux. Chef Albert had an executive dining service and I was selected to manage the foodservice at the Bank of America’s head office. James bought a lot of my equipment before I left for his occasional catering jobs. Since I was not able to break away from my new position, I referred James to Archie McLaren, Director of The Central Coast Wine Event. This was an annual event at Hearst Castle. I had been coordinating the kitchen aspect for a number of years. James took it on and built on the success for the ensuing 20 some years
Again we were bobbing and weaving careers.
In 1999, he took on the position of chef/manager of the Lucky’s restaurant. His culinary and management skills created the reputation they enjoy to this day. The menu he devised remains largely in place.
In 1999. I returned to California, taking a job in Palm Springs, following James to his old dessert haunts. I bounced around there until 2001 when James called my about an opening at the Burnham Wood Golf Club. I was happy to come back to Santa Barbara.
Thank you James for pulling my back to your circle.
After I left the Burnham Wood, James advised and helped me to establish a catering business, Michael’s Catering. He would give me access at Lucky’s when I need a little more space to work from.
Another juncture in our careers.
Jame’s next culinary venture was a lifetime dream to have his own restaurant, Sly’s was the result. That was in 8/8/08. It was quite a start to a great 10 year run. He boasted that he made “Tired Old favorites.” The Slys sold the restaurant in August of 2018.
I was there to help with the opening night as a reciprocal gesture for his help in opening Michael’s Waterside.
Early culinary successes. He discovered that his mother's baking soda being too old was the cause of failed chocolate chip cookies. James was a Boy Scout and achieved the Eagle Scout rank. His early culinary success was a pineapple upside-down cake baked over a campfire.
James was a very giving, generous person. I think he would prefer to solve someone else challenges than his own. He lived in several worlds: as a car tech writer for “VW & Porsche” and “European Car” from the 1970s until shortly before his death, he had a large circle of “Gear heads” the met regularly for brunch at Sly’s to talk cars.
As a chef, he had a large circle of professional colleagues. Those who worked for him admired him and appreciate the superb training they received. When he sold Sly’s, there were numerous calls from people wanting to hire his crew.
James was a humble, unpretentious man who did not flaunt his wide knowledge and deep intellect, he shared it. As a language student in college, James was fluent in French and Spanish and conversant in German and Italian. This facilitated his and Annie's many trips to Europe.
In a final twist of our lives, he passed away at Serenity House, just minutes away from our condo and the Mortuary providing services was just behind our commercial catering kitchen.
The theme of of our lives has been the passion for food that ran through it and our deep abiding friendship. We have been joined at the w h i s k over four decades.
In his final days I asked him, “What do you know for sure? He managed to responded, “Not much.”
When I told him once that he was like a brother, his response was, “No I am not. I am better.”
Ask me, “What do you know for sure?” My response, James was a great friend…
Thank you
James Brian Sly
Born Fullerton, CA, May 19, 1952
Died Santa Barbara, CA, August 23, 2019
Left to Right
Michael Hutchings, James Sly, John Downey, Norbert Schultz, Pastric Lasec, Tim Cunningham
Prelude to the Share Our Strength Event
Merci Julia from Reality Media, Inc on Vimeo.
Tribute to Julia Child 1993 on her 80th Birthday
James Sly, Kurt Grasing, Marvin Lee
At Patricia Lee Farms
Dietmar Deilbacher, James Sly, Michael Hutchings
Getting a little courage!
Michael's & Christine's Wedding 2008
James at Mushroom Event February 1984
Truffled Risotto & Scrambled Eggs with Truffles
A Special Thanks
Many thanks to the friends and colleagues who donated, time, food, and beverage for the celebration of James’ life.
The Food Liaison, (Narisha Rodgriguez) Carpinteria
Delgado’s, (Kristina) Carpinteria
D’Angelo Bakery, (The Eilbacher Family) Santa Barbara
C’est Cheese, (Michael and Kathryn Graham) Santa Barbara
Sushi Terri, (Laxman Perera) Carpinteria
Harbor Meat and Seafood, (Al and Crew)Santa Barbara
Newport Meat, (Robert Esser) Newport Beach
Jordano’s Foodservice, (Pete and Gerd Jordano)Santa Barbara
Hitching Post Restaurant (Frank Ostini), Buellton
The Berry Man Produce, (Guy deMangeon) Santa Barbara
The Tent Merchant, (John and Sharene Leenhouwser) Santa Barbara
Christine Dahl Pastries, (Christine Dahl) Santa Barbara
Valerie Powdrell & Volunteers
David Powdrell, Carpinteria Arts Center
Carpinteria Arts Center
Island Brewing Company, (Paul Wright) Carpinteria
Margerum Wines, (Doug Margerum) Santa Barbara
And Chef James' Kitchen Brigade
Fredy Orduna
Gilver Ramirez
Felipe Muñoz
Hugo Alvarado
Marino Carachure
Abraham Alvarado
Belisario Alfaro
