By Flora Tsapovsky
The Sunday Marin Farmers’ Market in San Rafael scored a new and intriguing resident over Memorial Day weekend—The Surf ’n Turf Shack. Technically, it’s not really new, but a welcome unity of two neighboring stands that frequent market-goers know well: Same Day Seafood and Prather Ranch Meat Co.
“The idea came out of conversations with Doug from the meat stand,” says Gary Root, the man behind Same Day Seafood and the owner of the shack. “There [are] zero miles between the source and the customer.”
Root believes that the stand will highlight the seafood and meat by the two collaborators, and add to the fun, interactive approach he’s already taking. “We do a lot with kids, educating young people about fishing, local seafood, wild versus farmed, and we’ll expand that to explaining how meats arrive at a market,” he says.
The Surf ’n Turf Shack serves land and sea dishes like steak sandwiches, salmon cakes, ceviche and sashimi, and in the near future, will offer combo platters that include side dishes like mac & cheese.
“We both spend a lot of time explaining to customers how to turn our offerings into meals at home,” Root says. “The shack will give them a number of ideas.”
Root recruited Efren Sandoval, the executive chef of San Francisco’s Scoma’s, to manage Sunday’s cooking activities, and wanted to give him “flexibility in the cooking process, so he can accommodate people’s requests.”
Root’s belief in the Shack is so strong that he’s already looking into a permanent location in San Rafael or San Francisco, where Prather and Same Day Seafood would partner up. Stay tuned.
The Surf ’n Turf Shack; 415/944-7871; facebook.com/surfnturfshack.
