Paso Robles restaurant gets new owner and elevated menu. ‘An exciting new era’
Paso Robles restaurant La Cosecha is under new leadership — and with that comes an all-new menu focused on serving up farm-to-table cuisine with a Spanish and Peruvian flare.
La Cosecha, located at 835 12th St., was taken over by longtime restaurateur Matthew Carfagnini and his brother, Eric Carfagnini, in May.
“We have had the opportunity to experience a lot of the restaurants around town,” Matthew Carfagnini said. “We believe we deliver a product that really stands out, which has been our mission. Our goal is to produce true farm-to-table food.”
In addition to a new set of owners, La Cosecha also has a new general manager — Benjamin Meyer. According to Carfagnini, Meyer comes from an “unbelievable” culinary and hospitality background.
Though the change in ownership took effect in May, Meyer joined the La Cosecha team just over a month ago. Since then, Carfagnini said, Meyer has made drastic improvements to the restaurant.
Meyer, who has worked for Michelin Star-earning chefs, said he joined the team at La Cosecha after seeing Carfagnini’s commitment to the restaurant’s menu.
“I saw how serious they were about quality of the food so I joined the team,” Meyer said.
‘Providing an experience’: La Cosecha values hospitality and quality
Meyer said that in addition to serving up high-quality food, he hopes La Cosecha’s hospitality will set it apart from other eateries in the area.
“My hospitality will be focused primarily on providing an experience to our guests,” Meyer said. ”The food will be breathtaking as it already has been.”
According to Meyer, he is taking time to train the staff and empower them to provide guests with a positive dining experience.
“I believe that hospitality is something that happens for you, whereas service is something that happens to you,” Meyer said.
How La Cosecha is putting a local spin on Spanish and Peruvian dishes
The use of locally sourced ingredients is important to the team at La Cosecha, Carfagnini said.
Under his leadership team, the restaurant has begun using small local purveyors rather than large national suppliers to source their ingredients.
This change is reflected in the meals served at the restaurant.
For example, Carfagnini said, the restaurant may take a traditional Peruvian dish but add locally grown avocado to it — putting a Central Coast spin on an authentic South American dish.
La Cosecha directly translates to “the harvest,” Carfagnini said. Inspired by that meaning, Carfagnini and the team are working to make the restaurant operate like a true farm-to-table restaurant.
The team works with local farmers and even goes out to roadside produce stands to source ingredients.
“Paso is a tremendous community,” Carfagnini said. “We are so excited to be here.”
More Information
La Cosecha is open Wednesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 11:30 p.m., and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. La Cosecha hosts a locals night on Mondays from 5 to 9 p.m. For more information, visit www.lacosechabr.com or call 805-237-0019.
