Coastal: 130 Recipes from a California Road Trip

“With his debut cookbook, Clark, chef and owner of Dad’s Luncheonette, wanted to celebrate California’s Central Coast. He succeeds on every count.” —Library Journal, starred review

"Between lush photos from Cheyenne Ellis, gorgeous descriptions from Andrews and recipes that make the most of local bounty (think perfect Meyer lemonade and Dungeness crab rice), it’s a treat for all senses." —The Los Angeles Times

Named a Most Anticipated Cookbook of 2025 by Book Riot

A celebration of California home cooking with 130 recipes and more than 300 photos that capture the beauty, magic, and bounty of the coast. From acclaimed chef Scott Clark, who flipped his fine dining chops into the ultimate railroad-car diner at the edge of the Pacific.

Coastal is a visual feast of free-spirited Californian cooking and living, set against the surf, peaks, curving roads, and sunsets of the westernmost United States. This inspired collection of crave-worthy recipes, gorgeous photographs, and vivid stories takes us on a road trip beginning at Chef Scott Clark’s beloved sandwich-and-pie shop, Dad’s Luncheonette, in Half Moon Bay and ending in Ventura County. Along the way, it visits the fishermen, crabbers, farmers, winemakers, and foragers who stretch along the Pacific Coast Highway between San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Clark’s accessible seasonal recipes deliver the adventure of the coast in smart, creative, unfussy, and delicious ways. They express the breadth of California cooking and its regional and cultural influences, organized into thematic chapters, including: Road Trip Snacks (Furikake Popcorn, CA Muddy Buddies, Perfect Meyer Lemonade) Fishing and Foraging on the Coast (Dungeness Crab Rice, Lingcod Ceviche, Fries with Eyes) Lunch in the Vineyard (Smoked Mackerel with Lemon-Dill Relish, Deviled Quail Eggs, Barley and Wine Grape Salad) Back Home with the Kid (Fish Stick Hand Roll Bar, Matcha Mochi Waffles, Watermelon Aqua Fresca)

Coastal is more than your average California cookbook; it brings the Californian table, way of life, and state of mind to home cooks and armchair travelers anywhere.

About the Author

Scott Clark started his culinary career with a backpack full of his mother’s borrowed knives, big dreams, and a hunger for the craft of cooking. He cooked at Vidalia in Washington, DC, and at Restaurant Eve in Alexandria, Virginia, where the kitchen showcased the Chesapeake region’s ninety-seven bounties. In San Francisco’s Michelin-starred kitchens Benu and Saison, he came to know and deeply appreciate the harvest of Central California and, specifically, of Half Moon Bay. Clark is now the owner and operator of Dad’s Luncheonette and lives in Half Moon Bay with his daughter.

Betsy Andrews is a James Beard, International Association of Culinary Professionals, and Society of American Travel Writers award-winning journalist. She lives in Brooklyn, but she’s been traveling the Central California coast and staying with family there since childhood. She is a contributing editor at Food & Wine, SevenFifty Daily, and Imbibe and writes for many other publications. She is also a prize-winning poet; her books are New Jersey (University of Wisconsin Press), The Bottom (42 Miles Press), and Crowded (Nauset Press). 

Cheyenne Ellis is fourth-generation Californian and the daughter of a photographer and a stuntman turned film director. She works from a home base in Bonny Doon on the Central California Coast, splits her time between Los Angeles and San Francisco, and travels the world for projects. She is most at home in nature, and her images are very much about having a good time. In Ellis’ book, everyone deserves an all-access pass to happiness.