AQUA TERRA Culinary, Inc.
529 Central Ave., Pacific Grove
(831) 657-9790, www.aquaterraculinary.com
Sometimes the Best of Monterey County transcends borders. Cutting-edge chef Dory Ford gave his catering shop its name with the brave motto that he wanted to prep anything from land (terra) and sea (aqua) anywhere on land and sea. Still, he wasn’t exactly envisioning the scale of parties like the one he and his team pulled off for 500 Safeway bosses and their guests in the parking lot of San Francisco Giants’ ballpark earlier this year, with busloads of local chefs and staff joining his own nuclear A-team to make it a roaring success. These Aqua Terra peeps are so into good grub that their team-building exercise – on a retreat to Central America – was to comb the local market and whip up an endless-course meal with everybody responsible for a meat or fish or salad dish. You can get their goodies without throwing a party by visiting Point Pinos Grill or Taste of Monterey, which Aqua Terra directs on top of the epic event circuitry.