Big Sur Bakery Cookbook - Michelle Wojtowicz [82]
Photographs by Heather Engen.
Bartering
Thanks to Big Sur’s plentiful orchards and gardens, neighbors often stop by the Bakery with bags of limes, lemons, grapefruits, oranges, and even tomatoes and avocados. Sometimes we buy the produce; other times, we barter. When the trees are really in full swing, people occasionally just give their fruit away.
Wayne helps us get chanterelles, but he’s also an informal source of fresh meat. Unfortunately for our customers, there are stricter regulations around meat than around produce, so we usually have to eat his catches ourselves—with certain exceptions, like fresh rockfish or mackerel he harvests right off the coast.
But he doesn’t just bring us food from the sea. Wayne spent much of his childhood living off the land, learning to hunt everything from deer to quail, wild pigeons, turkeys, and gray squirrels. He takes well-deserved pride in knowing that if something calamitous happened and we didn’t have access to our normal store-bought supplies, he could support a small community of people by hunting and foraging. He has passed along his knowledge to his two sons, Noel and Rowan—right now, he’s teaching Rowan how to use a bow and arrow.
Since Highway 1 has yet to crumble entirely into the ocean, so far we haven’t had to rely on Wayne for our survival. Instead, we just get to enjoy the food. Wayne likes bringing his catches to us because he’s as impressed by Phil’s cooking as Phil is by Wayne’s hunting, so the two of them have developed a great symbiotic relationship: Wayne supplies the materials, and Phil turns them into dinner. The rest of us are lucky if we’re around to taste the result.
Photographs by Sara Remington
Photographs by Sara Remington
PROFILE: WAYNE/HUNTER AND FORAGER
Photographs by Sara Remington
Past jobs:
I owned a gas station in Monterey in the early 1970s. I was an electrician and a carpenter and an engineer. I’ve been a commercial fisherman for at least thirty years. I built an abalone boat. In my wild days, I sailed boats from north of Norway to the Arctic Circle and back down to England.
Current job:
In addition to fishing, I oversee one end of a property called Rancho Rico. I’m in charge of all the infrastructure. I thought I was in charge of the renters’ happiness, too, but I found that was beyond my ability.
Favorite job:
I love ocean fishing. I feel like out of all the things I do, providing food for other people—large groups—is what I do best.
What attracted you to the Bakery?
I like people who are workers, who have a strong work ethic in their lives. I’d known Gilly for years, and I met Phil and Michelle the first day they were here. Their dedication fires me up and makes me want to help in any way I can.
Family background?
My grandfather was one-hundred-percent Miwok—California Indian. My father was half British.
Why teach your sons to be outdoorsmen?
So they’ll grow up to be stewards of the land. I want them to understand how the natural world works—and where the food is.
Do you ever hunt for sport?
I killed a lot of birds with a BB gun when I was little. Then one time my friend and I were killing sparrows and his dad goes, “You know, you don’t really have to kill those little birds.” And for the first time we thought about what we were doing and realized we were just being mean. After that I changed. I only kill for food.
What are some of the most dangerous creatures you’ve seen in the ocean?
I’ve seen numerous great whites. I’ve been charged by a blue whale twice. I had a rogue killer whale come and circle me once—I sailed away when I got the feeling that I was bait.
What happened to your original house?
It slipped down the hill toward the ocean in a landslide in 1997. I kept living in it for about nine months, but then it started to slide again. I tried to convince Rowan’s mom that we should anchor it on cables so we could slide along