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When the rent reached $21,000 a month, Fresco Cafe owner Mark Brouillard knew it was time to let go.
The rent for the spot in the Five Points Shopping Center on State Street in Santa Barbara had crept up over the years, most recently rising from $18,000 a month.
Brouillard opened Fresco Cafe in 1995, and with its fresh sandwiches, salads and pastries, the healthy spot was an instant hit. Today, the place is consistently packed largely with return customers, some of them having dinner or lunch there every day of the week that Fresco Cafe is open.
But like so many restaurants and retailers in the dog-eat-dog world of commercial real estate, Brouillard wasn’t able to keep up with the escalating rents. He said the Florida owner of the shopping center took him to court over back lease payments. Brouillard lost everything and was forced to move.
“It’s been a long run, 27 years,” Bouillard said Thursday evening at the restaurant. “Don’t get me wrong — they did treat me horribly, they did break me, they did ruin everything, but it was a blessing in disguise.”
Brouillard, a scrappy Rhode Island native who taught himself to cook and make the desserts and dishes for which Fresco is known — the flourless chocolate cake, the chocolate-topped vanilla muffin and the gorgonzola walnut salad — said he knew he invested too much of his life and love into Fresco. His business was just too big to shut down.
He found a new place, perhaps in a better location, at 23 E. Canon Perdido St. in the historic El Centro Building, next to the iconic Lobero Theatre.
“Even though I have nothing, I feel like I have everything,” Brouillard said.
The spot was previously occupied by restaurant and wine tasting room SevTap, which lasted less than a year. The owner had invested in a new kitchen, so Brouillard is walking into a modern spot. It’s smaller, about 2,300 square feet compared with 3,200 square feet, but Brouillard said he expects to keep his longtime employees, some who have worked for him from the beginning.
Brouillard has held many odd jobs over the years and taught himself to cook after a life of mowing lawns, working in scrap yards and as a construction laborer and a submarine welder, and other hard jobs where he used his hands. However, he took jobs at restaurants, specializing in desserts. He got his start making pastries at Espresso Roma, as a pastry chef for Brigitte’s, then as a pastry chef at the Wine Cask, briefly started his own business called Mark’s Pastries, then opened Fresco with his ex-wife, Jill.
Per the property owner, Brouillard has to close Fresco in Five Points by Aug. 31. Brouillard hopes to open the new Fresco on Canon Perdido Street by that date or shortly thereafter.
He plans to be open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Wednesday and from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday to Saturday. Fresco is closed on Sundays.
For Brouillard, with the rising rents, he said the struggle has been real for about seven years. There were times when he didn’t cash his own paycheck in order to pay his employees. When the federal pandemic money came, he paid all of his employees and bonused them $500 to show how much he appreciated them. The restaurant now is all his. There was a period of time when his children ran it, but they have since moved on to other careers.
Other versions of Fresco have existed, including franchises in Santa Ynez and Goleta. They have long closed.
He said he feels lucky, however, to have the new El Centro spot, managed by Jaeger Partners, to keep the Santa Barbara store alive. He said he is paying half of what he paid in Five Points. He also plans to do some catering for the Lobero.
“I dodged a bullet,” 67-year-old Brouillard said. “I am actually going to be viable and make money for the first time in 10 years.”
Funk Zone Closure
Seven Bar & Kitchen is closing its doors at 224 Helena Ave. in the Funk Zone in Santa Barbara. The restaurant will close its doors Aug. 28.
“We will be closing our doors after 10 long years,” the company said on Instagram. “We love you guys and the business was doing well. Our landlord has decided to go in a new direction with new tenants. These new tenants were very persistent on getting us out of there. We were heartbroken to hear the news and we know a lot of you will be, too. We love you, thank you for loving us.”
The restaurant and bar is planning a big event from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Aug. 14 with DJ Set, False Puppet and Mony’s Food.
New Cappello & Noël Attorney
G. Michael Brelje, a civil litigation trial attorney who specializes in complex business, real estate and construction business litigation, has joined the Santa Barbara law firm of Cappello & Noël LLP.
“All of us who have gone up against Mike in litigation matters could see his talent and commitment. His joining our firm is a great asset to our clients and our team,” A. Barry Cappello, managing partner at Cappello & Noël, said in a news release.
Brelje’s practice includes all forms of civil procedure, discovery and motion practice, as well as trial and appellate appearances.
Brelje preiously was a senior attorney at Rogers, Sheffield & Campbell LLP and Grokenberger & Smith. He has represented clients involved in real estate transactions and disputes, construction, landlord/tenant and trust administration, and estate-related issues.
He received his bachelor’s degree with honors in communication and sport management from UC Santa Barbara and his juris doctorate from the Santa Barbara College of Law.
Montecito Estate on Market for $68 Million
Montecito estate Far Afield, on nearly 10.5 acres, has been listed for $68 million by Joyce Rey and Timothy Di Prizito, Coldwell Banker Global Luxury Property Specialists affiliated with the Beverly Hills office of Coldwell Banker Realty.
The newly renovated estate at 670 Hot Springs Road has more than 25 cultivated and native gardens and a 20,000-square-foot residence, seven bedrooms and 14 bathrooms.
“Far Afield has recently been renovated and redesigned with over 25 separate gardens surely to be considered as one of the top private gardens in America,” Di Prizito said in a news release. “The garden renovation took six months with significant investment. It’s not the same property as it was in 2021. It’s an entirely new experience.”
The Far Afield gardens include portions of the original Bridal Path connecting horticultural, botanical, native and formal parterre gardens across acres of fertile land. It also features the historic statuary of Rose Farwell “The Lady” and Dionysus & The Historic Folly.
“There are incredible natural orchards and groves such as The Citrus, Stone Fruit Orchards, Forest Pansy and Oak Cathedral Groves,” according to a news release. “In addition, there are several formal rose gardens and dozens of other varieties of native flora.”
For more information and to view the property, contact Rey at 310.285.7529 or joyce@joycerey.com or Di Prizito at 310.266.2777 or tdipri@gmail.com.
— Noozhawk staff writer Joshua Molina can be reached at jmolina@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
