Rajat Parr is a James Beard award-winning author, wine professional, and sommelier based in Cambria, California. After training as a chef in Calcutta, India, he moved to the U.S. and graduated from the Culinary Institute of America at Hyde Park, where he discovered his passion for wine. In San Francisco, he joined the team at Rubicon, a wine-focused restaurant founded by master sommelier Larry Stone. He later led the wine program at the Fifth Floor restaurant and became wine director for over 20 of Michael Mina’s restaurants nationwide. After collaborations with winemaker friends, Parr gradually transitioned from sommelier to wine producer.
Tell us a bit about yourself.
I am a farmer on the California coast living in a small town called Cambria. I previously worked as a sommelier in restaurants in San Francisco for 18 years. Now I have moved over to winemaking and growing grapes, apples and vegetables using regenerative principles, and since 2020 I have my own farm here in Cambria.
What are you currently working on?
I own and run an operation called Parr Collective in Cambria. We have a small collection of wines we make in Cambria from our own vineyards and some purchased grapes. We farm 40+ acres of vines, apples and vegetables.
What are your favourite restaurants in Cambria?
Cambria is a very small town. The best restaurant in Cambria is called Brydge - a simple Californian restaurant in an old house that feels a bit Scandinavian. Plenty of vegetables and simple but delicious food like salads, steaks and roast chicken done really well.
The closest high quality restaurant to us is Bell’s in Los Alamos. It's definitely French and they serve seasonal French cooking.
Another one that I like further South is Coast Range & Vaquero Bar in Solvang. It's more of a California steakhouse with a lot of seafood and shellfish from Santa Barbara, and they dry-age their own meat, and it's a country-like small steakhouse.
Mattei's Tavern in Los Olivos is a historic building that used to be an old tavern, from the 1800s, and now it's redone. They serve dishes made with good ingredients in an old American tavern.
What are your three favorite food cities and your favorite restaurants in those cities?
1. Paris
Vantre is well known for its enormous wine list and has really young chefs cooking really creative food. I remember a delicious Asian-style fish collar I had there. Great French creative cooking and the place is well known for its wine list.
Parcelles – Located on a small street, Parcelles serves modern French cooking, has a great atmosphere, great wine and very friendly service. I go there as often as I can when I go to Paris. If you go for lunch, it's great—a lot of light. The Food is fantastic and the wine is fantastic.
Septime is a world-class restaurant. I remember going to Septime from the time they had just opened, and now they've upped the game a lot. It used to be very simple, and now it's very different and the products are amazing. Great seafood, and last time we had an amazing pigeon dish.
2. Copenhagen
Noma is always a great experience. I was there last year in the summer.
I love Kadeau and its ambiance, and the wine list and service is great.
I always go to Fiskebar to have lunch. I love the seafood in Scandinavia, and it's a great wine list also.
3. Charleston
Chubby Fish is an amazing restaurant focusing on seafood. It's super casual, but the food is still amazing. They focus on ingredients from the South and it's so, so good.
Vern's is a casual restaurant, but the cooking is really, really great, with great vegetable and some meat dishes.
Sorelle has a beautiful bar, but they also have a beautiful small restaurant. It's owned by Michael Mina, so it's kind of a Mediterranean-Italian focus. A beautiful, amazing restaurant with a small dining room and a big bar.
What are your favorite wine regions, and which restaurants do you enjoy there?
Piedmont, Italy
Il Centro in Priocca is a one Michelin star restaurant, but it's slightly more elevated and they have an amazing wine cellar.
Osteria Veglio serves food that you want to eat every day: amazing pasta, really something you wish for every meal. It's delicious food trattoria-style.
Burgundy, France
Le Soleil in Savigny-lès-Beaune is a wine bar with a restaurant and an inn where you can stay overnight. The food has some Asian and other influences, but it's mostly small plates and just great natural wines. It's really a place you want to go to every day.
Caves Madeleine is maybe the best restaurant in Beaune — great classic French cooking, but with great ingredients and a great wine program.
Aux Terrasses is off the beaten path. It’s in the Mâcon, so slightly south of where everything is. It's a really top, top restaurant. Great wine program, really good cooking — some little Japanese influence in the food. The chef is a huge wine lover. It’s more like a tasting menu. They also have a hotel above it — a great place to stay and the restaurant is super fantastic.
Is there an up-and-coming chef or sommelier you’re keeping an eye on?
Chef Oliver Pastan, Bar del Monte in Washington DC. He is a young chef His father, Peter Pastan, is a famous chef and the son is cooking like his father. The place is Italian and has no reservations. Oliver Pastan is a very talented chef in one of my favourite restaurants in the country.
Which wine expert’s restaurant recommendations would you love to see?
Christina Rasmussen is one of the most passionate wine people I’ve ever met. She is Danish and lives in London and has a company called Littlewine.
