It was during those years that she became fascinated with the way the organisms would retain nutrients and thrive in their dry, barren environments.
“They’re so resilient,” she said of the cacti. “Literally, you can break off a piece of a succulent, put it in the ground and it flourishes. That’s an amazing trait in a living thing; that it’s got so much resilience and beauty, and delicacy as well.”
After several years in the restaurant business, Miranda and her husband, Brian Champlin, are looking to bring those same qualities to the Valley in the form of their new Solvang eatery, the appropriately named Succulent Café and Trading Company. The restaurant, which opened its doors at 1555 Mission Drive last September, sets itself apart from most area eateries with both its look and its menu. The outdoor patio features a fountain and a surrounding garden, maintained by Miranda’s brother, and the indoor walls are lined with shelves displaying the restaurant’s jarred jams and preservatives and locally produced wines.
It is with its menu, though, that Succulent is looking to really distance itself from the norm.
“We really wanted to fit in, but we’re not Danish and we’re doing something different,” Miranda said. “So you see the ‘farmy’ idea, but we didn’t want to be too pigeon-holed into something.”
The Charcuterie restaurant gets all of its meats, fruits and vegetables from local farmer’s markets in Santa Barbara County and does its own jarring and pickling for out-of-season vegetables – “If I can make it in-house, I will,” Champlin said. The wine and beer selection is also based either in-county or from the West Coast.
One of the most popular menu items thus far has been the smoked meatloaf – a recipe for which the owners can thank their dog.
The couple was having drinks one night at a Santa Ynez restaurant and struck up a conversation with a local rancher. During the discussion, they learned the rancher also had a large dog, so they set up a date to let the two canines get acquainted.
“We went out to his ranch in Santa Ynez and he knows we’re cooks and everything – sometimes people are intimidated by that – but he says, ‘I made you guys dinner. I made you some meatloaf,’” Miranda said. “We were both like, ‘Ok, great.’ We sat down and it was just amazing.”
“We were floored,” Champlin quickly added.
They asked if they could use the recipe and the rancher, Dave, obliged. The restaurateurs put their own spin on it – they added scallion cornbread with house tomato jam, melted pepperjack cheese and their house bacon – and “Dave’s BBQ Meatloaf” was added to the menu.
Since the restaurant’s opening, which was just a week after the owners’ wedding in Cabo San Lucas, the pair said they have been somewhat surprised by the local following they have acquired. They assumed that at least half of their clientele would be tourists – which played a large part in their choice of location – but have found that about 80% of their customers have been Valley residents.
They largely credit that local success with their primarily local business plan and their attention to customer service, a key area they both emphasize after many years working in the industry.
“Cynthia and I both come from fine-dining experience, and we made a strategic move to slow our roll and still keep the food at that level, but have it approachable and cost-effective,” said Champlin, adding that the owners are looking to add quality food to go along with the area’s rich selection of wines.
Miranda, who grew up in Phoenix, said that opening a place like Succulent has been a lifelong dream for her. Her father owned a Mexican restaurant, so she has been around the business her whole life. With a degree in hotel and restaurant management, she has even owned other establishments. She had been working in Santa Barbara for 16 years before opening up shop in Solvang.
Champlin, originally from Orange County, took a slightly different route into the industry. He owned an Internet business for about nine years before deciding to give professional motocross a try.
“That went downhill, literally,” he said with a slight wince as he reflected on the injuries that derailed that career about nine years ago.
After that, he got a degree in culinary sciences in Santa Barbara and went to work in the field, where he eventually met his wife.
Both owners said they are having a blast running the restaurant, despite the many required hours of hard work. Succulent is open five days – Wednesday through Sunday – and just recently added a Thursday-Saturday dinner menu, but Miranda and Champlin estimate they log about 80 hours per week at the business.
When comparing it to his other career paths, Champlin, now 36, said the restaurant business presents its own set of thrills.
“In a different level, I’d say that this is much more exciting,” he said. “Obviously, your life evolves and changes. I think where I’m at in my life; I’m in a perfect position to be a restaurant owner – with my wife on top of that. If you do what you love, marry it. That’s exactly what I did.”
The owners said the Solvang location is just the start of their plan for the Succulent brand. They hope to open at least one more location in the county within the next two years and also intend to begin selling and shipping their jarred jams and jellies.
“We think this is a re-creatable concept, so our long-term goal is to open more,” Miranda said. “We like the local idea and to have our hands in all of them, but each one will be unique, based on the space and the locations that can have a succulent garden.”
Champlin said that each potential new restaurant, including the original in Solvang, will stick to the owners’ core values of great food and customer service.
“When we opened our doors, we set our standard high,” he said. “I think part of success is not to lower that bar at all. As we carry on, and if we get more popular, the bar has to stay there. If that requires more hours or more employees, we’ll do what we have to do to keep the bar there.”
Succulent Cafe
1555 Mission Drive, Solvang
(805) 691-9444