Grab a Bite at the Patch (No, Not Here Online, at the Cactus Patch)

Address: 197 E. High St., Moorpark

Chef: Luis Martinez

Signature dish: Big Country Breakfast

Cost: Most meals are $10 or less.

What happens when a gourmet chef who hails from Mexico and a proper English woman born and raised in London get married and decide to buy a small eatery in downtown Moorpark? You get the Cactus Patch restaurant.

Looking back, Luis and Joan Martinez laugh about how they had to learn to cook for their Moorpark customers

“It was very hard,” Joan said, “because Luis had never cooked this kind of food. The customers would come in and ask, ‘What the (expletive deleted) is this (expletive deleted)?’ Then they would look at Luis and ask ‘Where’s he from?’ Then they’d hear my accent and ask ‘And where are you from?’ The customers just wanted regular American-style food. I used to go home and cry.”

Yes, it seemed that Luis’ initial experiments with cooking in a small-town café needed a bit of fine tuning.

“I had to learn from the people what they liked,” he said.

Fortunately for them, the experiment in home style cooking paid off. They have owned The Cactus Patch on High Street in downtown Moorpark for 35 years, and for restaurant patrons around Southern California, it’s now considered a local landmark.

Of course, things have changed in that time. In the beginning, the main drag ran through High Street. All the truckers and farmers came in. They even had a hitching post outside for horses.

“It was kind of fun,” said Joan, “because all the town’s executives came here. They used to discuss and argue about issues in Moorpark.”

These days, Los Angeles Avenue has replaced High Street as the main drag. Still, their customer base remains loyal. Maybe it’s the homey interior or the friendly service. Or maybe, as Luis points out, it’s the food they serve. As proof, he pulls down a plaque he has displayed on the wall.

“In 1990, we had a dinner for the Ventura County Chefs Association,” Luis said. “There are three to five judges who critique the dinner. It’s based on presentation, texture, and practicality. We won Dinner of the Year in Ventura County.”

Luis really is a world-class chef. He’s a member of the prestigious American Academy of Chefs and worked for such swanky establishments in Los Angles and Beverly Hills as Scandia Restaurant, Via Frascati, and Chasens. His customers included Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Jane Russell, and Larry from the Three Stooges.

“He used to date a waitress at my restaurant,” he said.

The Cactus Patch has drawn its own share of celebrities. Many of their signed photos are posted on the walls; stars like Dick Van Dyke, Joel McCrea, Walter Brennan, and Ernest Borgnine. Gene Gleeson from Channel 7 News stops in when he does a story in the area.

The cafe’s interior reflects Luis and Joan’s travels around the world. There are shelves along the walls with knickknacks and souvenirs, and several paintings of rural scenery. The colonial style chandeliers were brought up from Mexico. The large wagon wheel window in the front corner was Joan’s idea. But it’s the deer heads on each side of the room that gives the interior it’s rural flavor. One of them came to Luis and Joan by accident.

“The whole deer was given to us by one of our cooks who had worked for us,” said Joan. “We paid to have the head mounted and hung it up at our house. I didn’t like it though. ‘That’s gotta go,’ I said. So we hung it at the restaurant.”

Luis and Joan enjoy chatting with many of their customers. They know most of them by name and feel that the Cactus Patch has become an important part of the Moorpark community.

“We may not be the best, but we try. It comes from here,” Luis said, pointing to his heart.

Joan agrees and feels that the people who fill their café have become an important part of their lives.

“The most enjoyable part has been getting to know the customers and the people who have come continually to support us,” she said.  “It’s almost like family now.”