Table with a view

Pull up a chair and dive into the cookbook that serves up the history and recipes of Nick’s Cove

“This property is a love affair,” says Dena Grunt, proprietor of Nick’s Cove, the first hint of her deep feelings about the former fish shack on Tomales Bay. Grunt first worked with Nick’s in 2010, brought on part-time to manage human resources, accounting and operations for renowned restaurateur Pat Kuleto, who had completed the major renovation of the property and owned it with Chef Mark Franz at the time.

When Kuleto and Franz sold Nick’s to one of the project’s original investors, Prescott Ashe, “We sat down,” said Grunt with a wave. She had been in human resources for years and expected Ashe, a managing director in a San Francisco private equity firm, to ask her to stay on as part of the Nick’s team. Instead, he asked her “What would you do?” The possibilities seemed infinite.

Grunt already knew that the property’s water was sourced from Poncia Spring, more than two miles away. That septic was another mile away. And countless other intimate details that make Nick’s—and any spot in West Marin—a quirky locale to operate. Where others shied away, Grunt dug in. “I wanted to be in a place where helping people enjoy things had meaning to me—whether that meant helping someone in their job or helping someone enjoy their cottage experience,” Grunt said.

Joy comes up often in every conversation with Grunt that involves Nick’s. Despite the pressures of wrangling everything from water and hotel check-ins to the recent financial jiggery of PPP loans and staff changes, Grunt is up to the task of managing all things Nick’s.

“Just looking at the sunset and the natural beauty can spark, well, joy,” she says. “The lack of cell coverage—there are no phones going off in the middle of our dining room—we get happy comments about that, our amazing staff, and what we do here all the time.” There is joy in peaceful togetherness.

Grunt, who lives in Petaluma, says she appreciates the “town” of Marshall’s “not far, yet nowhere near anywhere” feeling every morning on her 23-minute drive to work. Well, not work so much as “lifestyle.” Grunt’s husband, Hans, grew up nearby and the two became engaged on Hog Island. “It’s visceral—we are all really possessive of this place called West Marin,” Grunt says. Petaluma, which spiritually belongs as much to Marin as to Sonoma, is where the Grunt’s son, Bohdan, was born and raised. And Grunt’s Petaluma connections are what led her dream of a Nick’s cookbook to become a reality.

A fellow parent at Cherry Valley School in Petaluma, Chris Gruener, runs Cameron + Company, a boutique publishing house. Connected by mutual friends, Gruener quickly came to share Grunt’s feeling that ‘This place needs a cookbook.’ Grunt jokes that she put the project on layaway, making payments on it as she plugged away at the myriad details that bring a cookbook to life.

Wrangling the stories and recipes that make Nick’s uniquely “Nick’s” into a book took its toll. “Some pieces needed more help than I had the bandwidth to handle. And then COVID happened. All our deadlines got pushed,” Grunt says. “Humanity took precedence”.”

Grunt was dealt another blow when Ashe died unexpectedly in July 2020. Grunt tears up as she speaks of her partnership with Ashe. “He was like a brother; he was someone in my corner no matter what. I would not have been able to do any of it without him. We were best friends. His kids were friends with my son. We traveled together.

Like anyone else who has struggled in recent months, Grunt mines the silver linings. “Knowing that change is coming is hard, but also OK. The legacy that Prescott and I began will continue. At the end of the day, I want nothing but for future generations to experience the magic that I was a part of,” she says.

Nick’s current Executive Chef Kua Speer contributed his own recipes and helped to codify iconic dishes developed by previous Nick’s chefs dating back to 2007, while General Manager Wade Nakamine curated highlights of Nick’s extensive cocktail library. Frankie Frankeny’s stunning photographs bring it all to life.

Yes, you’ll find the recipes for Nick’s famous Dungeness Crab Mac and Cheese, Cioppino and Bloody Mary in the book, but you won’t learn the secret to Nick’s legendary barbecued oysters. Grunt says that recipe will never be given out. For that experience, grab a seat on the patio of Nick’s new Raw Bar. Order the oysters and a Marshall Manhattan and settle in to watch the moon rise. Without even noticing, you have become a part of Nick’s history. And that is exactly how Grunt knows it should be.

Reserve your spot at one of the upcoming Nick’s Croft Cookbook Brunches at NicksCove.com.

Table With a View: The History & Recipes from Nick’s Cove (Cameron + Company, 2021) is available at Nick’s Cove and local booksellers.