October 3 - 16, 2017
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New chef wants to revive more than restaurant
Maili Halme intends for Mattei’s history to come alive in food and decor By Raiza Giorgi
news@santaynezvalleystar.cm\om
W
hen Chef Maili Halme was shown the old bar’s mantle, portraits of the Mattei family, and other relics of the historic Mattei’s Tavern, she started jumping up and down with glee. “I can’t even begin to tell you the amazing response I’ve had since we announced that we are restoring Mattei’s to its former glory days and breathing new life into it,” she said. Halme, the new chef and owner of the restaurant that will open early next year in the Los Olivos tavern, will host an open house on Dec. 2. For the occasion, she is pulling out all the stagecoach stops; she plans to have old carriages on display as a fundraiser for the Santa Ynez Valley’s Carriage Museum. “People have been contacting me from all around saying they have photos of their first date, rehearsal dinner, artifacts from the restaurant, historical photos, and I am just soaking up all of it. I keep pinching myself that this isn’t a dream,” Halme said. Those that have grown up in the Santa Ynez Valley know the significance of the historic white building on Highway 154 in Los Olivos, and many have wondered what it was like when trains rolled up in front of Mattei’s Tavern. “Mattei’s became to me what it was to everyone else in the valley: the place we all gathered to celebrate birthdays, graduations and anniversaries. It was a beloved restaurant filled with memories of personal celebrations,” Halme said. She also recalls a fond memory of sitting on the fence at Mattei’s and thinking that one day she would like to own it. Halme started her career as a chef at 19 years old, cooking for the Barrack family and working as a waitress at Mattei’s. Her mother and sister own the world-famous Solvang Bakery, where she helps out when she can, and her grandfather
Photo left by Raiza Giorgi; photo right contributed Renowned local chef Maili Halme says she is beyond thrilled to bring a piece of Santa Ynez Valley history back to life by reopening Mattei’s Tavern early next year. The Mattei family came to Los Olivos from Huasna Valley in Arroyo Grande and left a 40-year family legacy of running their hotel, stagecoach and railway stop.
“Mattei’s became to me what it was to everyone else in the valley: the place we all gathered to celebrate birthdays, graduations and anniversaries. It was a beloved restaurant filled with memories of personal celebrations.” was a chef who owned Bray’s 101 in Goleta. “I loved their tomato soup so much that I snuck into the kitchen to copy the recipe and I made that tomato soup from then on. I loved the crisp salad bar with the cold plates. I loved the squaw bread and the artichokes. I loved everything about it,” she said. Halme has built a fine reputation of her own, cooking for numerous dignitaries and celebrities, including Oprah Winfrey.
“I am a total history buff and love collecting cookbooks. It’s fitting that I have a cookbook from the White House in 1887 and I hope to incorporate some of those recipes from the day into the restaurant,” Halme said. On a tour of the restaurant as a construction crew restored the floors, took out modern lighting and replaced the original lamps and portraits, she paused as she took a step on the stairs. “You can’t know the feeling of excitement I
had when I got to go upstairs for the first time. I have wanted to do that my whole life.” At the top of the stairs are the original hotel rooms, which are now used as offices. The rooms were tiny, as guests got only a bed and a dresser. At one time, the hotel and tavern built by Italian Swiss immigrant Felix Mattei were an important link in the transportation chain through Santa Barbara County. Mattei was born in 1854 in Cevio, Switzerland, the son of a doctor. He emigrated to New York and rode the train to California to visit relatives near San Francisco, according to a history book by Walter A. Tompkins. He then became a dairyman and worked his way down to San Luis Obispo County and operated the Huasna Rancho near Arroyo Grande. He married Lucy Fisher, daughter of a San Luis Obispo gunsmith, in 1879, and they had five sons. In addition to the ranch they also operated
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