{"id":483127,"date":"2026-10-02T20:52:18","date_gmt":"2026-10-02T20:52:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/483127\/"},"modified":"2026-10-02T20:52:18","modified_gmt":"2026-10-02T20:52:18","slug":"scotts-oaklands-unofficial-boardroom-is-turning-50-meet-the-chefs-who-have-made-a-million-cioppinos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/483127\/","title":{"rendered":"Scott\u2019s, Oakland\u2019s unofficial boardroom, is turning 50. Meet the chefs who have made a million cioppinos"},"content":{"rendered":"

Fifty years ago, Scott\u2019s Seafood Grill and Bar<\/a> sprang up in San Francisco\u2019s Marina District, before expanding across the bridge to Jack London Square.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Jack London seemed like the ideal destination for Scott\u2019s second iteration \u2014 it was growing, a hub lined by retail stores, boats and restaurants. Night clubs like Square Apple hosted popular funk acts like Tower of Power, while restaurants like Kirby\u2019s Elegant Farmer and The Grotto held down the waterfront dining scene with menus filled with fried clam raviolis and buffalo steak.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Some saw Jack London Square as the second coming of San Francisco\u2019s Fisherman\u2019s Wharf, as business owners and officials hoped to create an Oakland destination that could rival the wharf\u2019s buzz and active tourism. When Scott\u2019s came onto the scene in late 1984, replacing longstanding restaurant Sea Wolf, that promise was still alive. But that soon faded, and over time, the waterfront tourist destination saw a wave of closures.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"Scott\u2019s Seafood Grill and Bar, located at Jack London Square, celebrated its 50th anniversary in September. Ximena Natera for East Bay Nosh<\/p>\n

But not Scott\u2019s. The seafood restaurant has waded through economic downturns, crime, and even a global pandemic. Meanwhile, the original restaurant at the corner of Lombard and Scott Streets in San Francisco closed in 1998. In its four decades in The Town, Scott\u2019s has become a place where Oakland\u2019s power brokers meet and make handshake deals, and where families celebrate graduations, engagements and other momentous occasions. Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee is a frequent diner, and, thanks to its proximity to the Port of Oakland offices, Scott\u2019s has hosted many high-stakes business lunches. Scott\u2019s managing partner Ramiro Carabez credits this longevity to the restaurant\u2019s staff \u2014 their unwavering commitment to service has propelled the restaurant through its toughest years.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cOur number one asset is our employees,\u201d Carabez said. \u201cWe ensure that our employees are happy and, you know, they do a great job for us, and it\u2019s a big family. We have almost 100 employees and everyone works towards the same goal, providing a nice experience for our guests.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Thirty-four years ago, a 19-year-old Carabez, new to the U.S., walked into Scott\u2019s looking for a job. Carabez had moved from Michoacan, Mexico, and landed positions at places like 7-Eleven and Home Depot, but was looking for more. After his first visit to Scott\u2019s, Carabez says he fell for the bustle and infectious energy of the restaurant business, so he asked for a job, only to be promptly rejected. He was undeterred. Carabez went back eight more times until Scott\u2019s owner Ray Gallagher cracked and gave him a position in the dish pit.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cHe finally gave in, and he was like, \u2018Okay, you want to start working here? Grab a uniform and get to washing dishes,\u2019\u201d Carabez said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Scott\u2019s seafood saut\u00e9, Boston clam chowder, signature calamari and its seafood salad have been on the menu since it first opened in 1976. Ximena Natera for East Bay Nosh<\/p>\n

Carabez worked his way up year after year, moving from dishwashing to prepping then cooking, even choosing to come in on his days off. It was in this kitchen where he met Scott\u2019s tenured chefs \u2014 Gregorio Lopez, Juan Robledo, and Juan Martinez \u2014 who, combined, have over a century of experience at the seafood restaurant.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know, it\u2019s been fun. I mean, we\u2019ve grown older together, and we know each other so well that there\u2019s no secret between us,\u201d Carabez said. \u201cYou know, we\u2019ve seen each other making mistakes and learning and it\u2019s just been really fun because you have these very different individuals that come from different parts of Mexico and we all have the same goal.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

On any given day, Lopez, Robledo and Martinez, along with one other chef, manage the kitchen\u2019s 35-person staff, which consists of prep cooks, pantry cooks, banquet cooks and dishwashers. At 7 a.m., the trio start off each shift by checking ingredients, confirming the total number of reservations for that day, and prepping. Then, from 11 a.m. to close, the chefs lead their kitchen through a steady stream of orders, including staples like the Dungeness crab and seafood cioppino and seafood saut\u00e9, the restaurant\u2019s most popular dish. Made with pacific prawns, scallops, and Dungeness crab legs sauteed in a glossy lemon butter garlic sauce, and served over rice with an assortment of vegetables. The dish accounts for anywhere between 45% to 55% of Scott\u2019s dining room sales each day.\u00a0<\/p>\n

To Carabez, the restaurant\u2019s longevity isn\u2019t just a story about a prevailing business, but it\u2019s also about people like Lopez, Robledo and Martinez who have spent decades working behind its kitchen doors.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Nosh sat down with these three chefs to learn more about the culinary forces behind Scott\u2019s.<\/p>\n

Gregorio Lopez<\/p>\n

\"\"Head chef Gregorio Lopez, 57, immigrated to the U.S from Mexico and has been working at Scott\u2019s Seafood grill and bar for 37 years. Credit: Ximena Natera for East Bay Nosh<\/p>\n

Like Carabez, Gregorio Lopez started in Scott\u2019s dishwashing pit, but at the Walnut Creek location. After moving from his hometown, Zacatecas, Mexico, Lopez heard about the position from some old friends who were already working at Scott\u2019s and helped him get his foot in the door. On his first day, Lopez recalls his excitement upon entering; the kitchen felt unfamiliar, yet inviting.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen my friends brought me to see the place, I entered in the guest door, not in the back doors, so I saw everything,\u201d Lopez said. \u201cI saw the bar. I saw the tables. I saw some guests inside. I saw the cooks. I said to myself, \u2018I\u2019d like to stay here.\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

And he did. Over the next 37 years, Lopez worked his way up the food chain, holding positions as a line cook, then pantry and banquet cook, a position he held for almost two decades until he was promoted to head chef. Now, at 57, what Lopez enjoys most about his position is the variety: checking deliveries, inspecting ingredients, cooking and moving through the kitchen, directing his cooks. He often gravitates towards the saut\u00e9 station, one that, in Carabez\u2019s words, sees the most action, and regularly hops on the line with his cooks.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"One of the most popular dishes at Scott\u2019s is the Dungeness crab and seafood cioppino. Credit: Ximena Natera for East Bay Nosh<\/p>\n

But his favorite moments typically come after the kitchen has survived a busy holiday shift, or a dizzying dinner rush, where he\u2019s finally allotted a moment of rest with his staff before heading home.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t leave. I go through the line and say \u2018hey guys, thank you,\u2019 or \u2018thank you\u2019, to everybody, because all day we\u2019re busy working,\u201d Lopez said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ultimately, for Lopez, what has kept him at Scott\u2019s all this time isn\u2019t just the kitchen or the work environment, but that warm feeling he gets after customers praise the food prepared by him and his staff.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel very, very happy when the guests are happy, \u201c Lopez said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Juan Martinez<\/p>\n

\"\"Chef Juan Martinez, 50, started off as a dishwasher and worked his way through Scott\u2019s ranks over his 35 year tenure at the restaurant. Credit: Ximena Natera for East Bay Nosh<\/p>\n

For 50-year-old Juan Martinez, the road to Scott\u2019s kitchen started with his brother, who was already working at the restaurant when Martinez arrived from Mexico City. Like Lopez, he started at Scott\u2019s as a dishwasher, then moved on to work as a busser, pantry cook, and prep cook before his promotion to chef.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Martinez\u2019s first day at Scott\u2019s was, like others, marked by excitement, yet he also vividly recalls the fear he felt. It was a new environment, a new language and new techniques that he had to catch up on. Still, he saw the kitchen as an opportunity to learn. He quickly learned the rhythm of the restaurant, and studied cookbooks in his free time to improve his technique.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I started, I liked it, but it was just different, you know, cooking,\u201d Martinez said. \u201cBut you learn more, more and more. I love it\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"The stuffed tomatoes are another staple of the Scott\u2019s menu. Credit: Ximena Natera for East Bay Nosh<\/p>\n

This love of learning has carried him through his 35 years at the restaurant. Martinez\u2019s favorite memories at Scott\u2019s are marked by holiday parties and celebrations at the restaurant, including the staff\u2019s annual Christmas celebration. For Martinez, these moments reflect how the restaurant is more than just a workplace.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s like a family,\u201d Martinez said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Juan Robledo<\/p>\n

\"\"Chef Juan Robledo, 64, joined Scott\u2019s staff in 1991 as a prep cook. Credit: Ximena Natera for East Bay Nosh<\/p>\n

What stood out most during Robledo\u2019s first day at Scott\u2019s wasn\u2019t his excitement, or any first-day nerves that come with a new job, but the food. When Robledo first walked into Scott\u2019s on April 29, 1991, to start as a prep cook, what stood out to him the most were Scott\u2019s ingredients.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first day I came to work, I [was] a new guy starting, and I had to see everything first,\u201d Martinez said. \u201cEverything was fresh, and everything was quality.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The vibrant colors of the vegetables and seafood stuck with him, cementing how important a first impression can be, an ideal he\u2019s carried throughout his time in the kitchen. While freshness and quality matter to the 64-year-old, the true measure of a good restaurant comes down to customer satisfaction.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe most important [thing] is the customer,\u201d Robledo said. \u201cAlways we are looking to do the best things for the customer, for everybody.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

That ethos has become something of a kitchen philosophy for Robledo. Although its menu has changed over time, some dishes have endured, like the seafood saute, Scott\u2019s famous Boston clam chowder, and the restaurant\u2019s signature calamari.<\/p>\n

\"\"Juan Robledo\u2019s traditional work uniform and work shoes. Robledo has cooked at Scott\u2019s Seafood Grill and Bar for 35 years. Credit: Ximena Natera for East Bay Nosh<\/p>\n

Robledo\u2019s favorite moments aren\u2019t confined to the kitchen. Over the years, the cook has watched politicians, celebrities, professional athletes, and musicians walk through the restaurant\u2019s doors. Yet the famous faces aren\u2019t what\u2019s kept him clocking in for over 35 years; it\u2019s the standard that he and other colleagues have set for each person who walks through Scott\u2019s doors.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think Scott\u2019s is the best restaurant in the Bay Area,\u201d Robledo said. \u201cIt\u2019s a little expensive, but everything is fresh and everything is good.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tRelated stories<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"This\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\tThis Cal student stepped away from school to build his protein bar business<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\tSeptember 23, 2026Sept. 24, 2026, 2:35 p.m.\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"On\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\tOn a quiet street in the Oakland hills, a Thai chef is making noise with seasonal twists on Royal cuisine<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\tSeptember 30, 2026Oct. 1, 2026, 10:53 a.m.\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"What\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\tWhat Cafe Colucci\u2019s signature platter tells us about rising restaurant prices<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\tSeptember 17, 2026Sept. 23, 2026, 11:20 a.m.\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

“*” indicates required fields<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Fifty years ago, Scott\u2019s Seafood Grill and Bar sprang up in San Francisco\u2019s Marina District, before expanding across…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":483128,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[26427,143,145,144,2593],"class_list":["post-483127","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-oakland","tag-jack-london-square","tag-oakland","tag-oakland-headlines","tag-oakland-news","tag-oakland-restaurants-and-bars"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/483127","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=483127"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/483127\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/483128"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=483127"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=483127"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=483127"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}