If you prefer to keep your kitchen free of Frankenstein-type ingredients* like red dye 40 or “chocolate” chips that don’t actually have any chocolate in them, bring your shopping list to The Salted Table. The culinary workshop and market opened last week in Encinitas behind Salt Culture, the boutique created by world-renowned professional surfer Rob Machado and his wife Sophie.
Sophie Machado, along with her brother PJ Vilardo and his wife Jenna Vilardo, opened The Salted Table to pay homage to their Italian roots. It provides San Diegans a space to learn skills like bread baking and pasta making, along with ingredients to create nourishing meals for friends and family.
“We’re blessed with beautiful parents who told us to dream big,” says Machado. “If we’re going to teach the next generation, or even reteach the generations already here, I want to do it in a way where the ingredients you’re using are important.”
Salted Table carries specialty items like local honey on tap, Bayou cast-iron cookware, fresh-milled organic grain, pasta boards to make your own noodles, and Italian olive oils and balsamic vinegar, thanks to a partnership with local importer Baker & Olive. If you’re not sure how to use the goods you acquire, you’re in luck. The space holds 10 cooking stations for classes for children (on Tuesdays), adults (Thursdays and Fridays), and all-ages (Wednesdays).
Class cost varies by theme and ingredients, with children’s classes averaging $38 to $48, adults $68 to $98, and all-ages $38 to $58. Weekends are earmarked for private events, with priority given to Salt Society members.
The Salt Society is a yearly membership with different tiers: The Host ($249/year), The Gatherer ($149/year), and The Salted Circle ($99/year), with varying levels of perks like discounts, presales, guest passes, and priority access to workshops. “You get first dibs on registering for classes, and you also have the option to book out private [events] for Saturday and Sunday,” explains Machado.
Workshops will change with the seasons, with monthly themes like Pumpkin (October), Gathering Table (November), Chocolate (December), and Reset Table (January). Each month, guests will learn skills like how to make sides for Thanksgiving, baking pumpkin bread, or exploring the value of bone broths. And yes, you can eat what you create—just grab a seat at one of the bistro tables in the shared patio and garden.
Machado says she plans to go all-out for the holidays. Both Salt Culture and The Salted Table close on November 1 for complete transformations into immersive Christmas experiences, which they’ll unveil on November 5. “Our theme for Christmas [this year] is Della Robbia Christmas, which is a traditional Italian Christmas,” says Machado, explaining that in various parts of Italy, people decorate wreaths adorned with dried fruits and other sweets. (Expect the halls to be fully decked for the annual Encinitas Holiday Parade on December 5.) In the meantime, the trio of owners are giving it their all.
“My grandpa’s famous quote was, ‘Failure isn’t trying something and it not working out, but having an idea and doing nothing with it,’” she says. And while their grandparents are no longer with us, their legacy and influence lives on.
The Salted Table is now open at 932 South Coast Highway 101 in Encinitas (behind Salt Culture). Market hours are Thursday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Class availability varies, so check the class schedule for upcoming events.
*“Frankenstein’s Monster-type ingredients” just doesn’t have the same ring to it.
Courtesy of the San Diego Museum of Art
San Diego Restaurant News & Food Events
Beth’s Bites
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