Chef Kyle Swain

WATERSHED MILL VALLEY

One of the things that has long made the tiny hamlet of Mill Valley seem such an idyllic town has been its central gathering place, the Depot Plaza, within an easy walk for many of the town’s residents. More recently, the town’s lucky denizens have a second such destination, the Mill Valley Lumber Yard. In many North Bay towns with growing populations and non-budging city limits, developers have come in to frame new commercial centers around housing hubs. The Mill Valley Lumber Yard is an organic, and naturally charming, version of this trend.

Matt and Jan Mathews, the developers of this not-very- long-ago working lumber yard right at the entrance to downtown Mill Valley, are longtime locals, and their renovation of the historic property in the shadow of Mt. Tam retains much of the rustic charm of this cluster of restored wood-clad buildings and outdoor space. The tenant mix at the Mill Valley Lumber Yard is also reflective of the couple’s mission to create a new place for locals to work, eat and shop, right in the heart of town.

This ethos is perhaps most evident in Watershed Mill Valley, the MV Lumber Yard’s new seen-and-be-seen full-service restaurant. Watershed’s co-owner, Ged Robertson, is also the owner of Mill Valley’s Bootjack Woodfired Pizza (formerly Molina and, before that, Robertson’s longtime local hangout Small Shed Flatbreads) and Shoreline Coffee Shop. The restaurant’s investors are also locals, furthering the chances that the tables will be filled with Mill Valley folks.

Watershed’s chef and co-owner, Kyle Swain, is also a local. He first began working with Robertson as chef de cuisine, then head chef, at Molina. Swain and his partner, Caitlyn Hubel, and their 2-year-old daughter live within walking distance to the “office.” That’s a very good thing, since the restaurant is open for lunch every day, and dinner Wednesday through Sunday. Hubel is Watershed’s pastry chef.

Swain was born in San Diego, the third of four children. His father was an accountant; his mom worked for the school district. His kitchen origin story is firmly rooted outside the home, working front of the house in fine dining restaurants. “My mom made really good chicken enchiladas, and I never saw my dad cook once,” he says. He worked up the ladder of service—busing, serving, tending bar. While working “expo” (expediting food from the pass to the server), he became interested in cooking, and decidedly disinterested in school.

When he saw an ad on Craigslist for an oyster-shucking position at San Francisco’s storied Zuni, he applied and headed north. “First I went to Whole Foods and got some oysters to try, so I would have something to say.”

After Zuni, he labored in the California cuisine trenches, working four years at Jardienière, first as garde mangier and ultimately as the meat cook. And then spent a long longue saison at Saison. “I was there eight months, which is a lifetime in Saison years,” he says of the notoriously intense kitchen. There, he says he learned to “coax flavors from ingredients,” like grilling white soy marinated fish bones to put them in a stock that would end up as a sauce for the same fish.

At Molina, now Bootjack—which has only one source of heat, a 1,000° Alan Scott–built wood-burning oven—Swain says he learned how quickly you need to evolve and define yourself. And how important it is to set a vibe at a restaurant. Like Molina, you will find a record player spinning vinyl at Watershed—creating instant chic.

Post-Molina, while Watershed was under construction, Swain did a stint at the Michelin-starred Madcap, the San Anselmo restaurant helmed by Ron Siegel—but Swain was involved in the complicated restaurant-from-scratch build-out process, from menu planning down to the drawer pulls.

Robertson and Swain are both firmly committed to supporting local food and drink producers, sourcing mainly from farmers’ markets and small businesses who deliver their wares. The menu is California modern, yet there is something on-the-oblique about each dish. The flank steak salad has hearty cubes of meat, rather than the expected thinly sliced fan. The chicken on your salad is roasted and handpicked off the bone, rather than diced bland breast meat. The burger is made with Marin’s Stemple Creek Ranch grass-fed and -finished beef. Seasonal ingredients are highlighted.

“I’m a working stiff,” says Swain. His passions outside the restaurant are mostly food-related, too, he says, and even when his partner Hubel is not beside Swain in the Watershed kitchen making her desserts, you will often find her and the couple’s daughter hanging around the creek that runs below the restaurant. “It’s like people are coming into your home,” says Swain. From the popularity of the restaurant, it seems their customers like coming into their home, too.

Edible Marin & Wine Country: What was the first meal you made that you were proud of ?

Chef Kyle Swain: I cooked for my brother’s wedding in an avocado grove down in San Diego. I had never done an event like that myself, so it was a tremendous learning curve for me. At the end, there was a nice spread and people ate well. It felt great putting that together for so many friends and family.

What was your favorite food as a kid?

Kielbasa sausage and black Mission olives, eaten with my grandfather.

What food do you wish you loved?

Everything in food can be appreciated and done in an elevated way.

What food do you love unreasonably much?

Seafood, from raw oysters to roasted sea bass. There is no mistaking the quality, and the best almost always comes from the closest source.

What is the most difficult cooking technique to do well?

Fermentation is always a tricky technique. Whether you are fermenting sausages for charcuterie or making sauerkraut, you’re dealing with moisture, temperature, time and exposure to other naturally occurring cultures.

What are you exploring in your kitchen now?

We’ve been enjoying cooking whole fish, mostly Petrale sole from Half Moon Bay. There is something very satisfying about putting an entire fish on a plate.

What nonculinary influence inspires you?

I always draw inspiration from craftspeople. Admittedly, they usually tie in the culinary world: ceramicists, knife makers, woodworkers, people making aprons and linens, cutting boards. Being involved with the build-out at Watershed also led to a great appreciation of the skills of carpenters and builders.

If you could do one other job, what would it be?

Park ranger or vegetable farmer. Something that would allow me to be outside in incredible settings.

What is your idea of a very healthy meal?

A bowl of lentils, some pickled herring on seeded toast and an avocado.

What is your favorite ingredient?

I love cooking with chilies and peppers. They are so versatile in the kitchen. They can be sweet, spicy or floral, and they can be used smoked, dried, fermented, crushed or fresh. You can showcase them by themselves or use them subtly in beans or sauces.

What is your favorite hangover meal?

Carne asada tacos with a spicy salsa. Or anything in taco form.

What restaurant in the world are you most dying to try?

Asador Etxebarri. I can’t pronounce its name, but the food really resonates with me for its rustic soulfulness. I admire the sensibilities of Spanish and Basque cooking, especially Asador Etxebarri that cooks over open fire.

What kitchen utensil is most indispensable to you?

It’s always been a medium-size serving spoon. When working on the line, it almost never leaves my hand. In a pinch, you can use it as a sauce spoon or a spatula; they are used to baste and turn meats and plate food.

Whom do you most like to cook for?

I enjoy cooking for people who are looking to enjoy themselves and connect with their companions. I know this sounds sort of ridiculous because it’s so obvious, but I’ve seen people writing reviews in the middle of their dinner or two people looking down at their phones, their entrees sitting there in front of them.

What is your favorite midnight snack?

Cold roasted chicken from the fridge and some good bread, either from Parkside Bakery in Stinson Beach or Brickmaiden in Point Reyes, making some really rudimentary sandwiches with whatever condiments are at hand.

What most satisfies your sweet tooth?

I tend to crave sweets early in the morning, so a chocolate croissant usually does the trick for me.

What would you eat at your last meal, if you could plan such a thing?

I imagine I would find it difficult to the think about food if I knew I was going to die, but if I had to choose it would probably be my mother’s chicken enchiladas with chile verde.

What’s your favorite place to go for (and what is your favorite thing to order) for … ... a splurge meal?

Madcap in San Anselmo. It’s a splurge meal, but it’s a deal considering the level of food and ingredients.

... breakfast?

Shoreline Coffee Shop at Tam Junction for the machaca hash and the great service.

... pastry?

Portside Bakery in Sausalito. The salmon croissant is unbelievable.

... a late night/after work meal?

Options are slim in Marin outside Marin Joe’s and In-N-Out. Your best bet is to make it into the city. Zuni or Nopa are sure bets that are open late.

... groceries?

Good Earth at Tam Junction. They carry Full Belly and Green Gulch produce. Great bulk section and the food coming out of their kitchen is always tasty.

... kitchen equipment?

Cookin’ in San Francisco. The lady who owns it is really ornery and makes sure your experience there is very uncomfortable—that is, until you warm her up by talking food and cooking. The store itself is a mad clutter of used cookware from all over France and California.

... ice cream?

Posie’s in Larkspur has the best quality, most interesting flavors of ice cream anywhere.

... chocolate?

Dandelion Chocolate

... favorite local beer & wine?

Ghost Town in Oakland just came out with a wet-hopped ale that is so juicy and fresh.

Gamay from Domaine Sérol in Roannaise near Beaujolais. Perfect pairing for this time of year.