Tasty New Options in Moorpark
OUTPOST IN THE ALLEY
Nick Simpson followed his passion for food after decades in a different career. Opening The Outpost in the Alley last fall in the shared space left by Fire and Vice, he wanted to bring his love for wood-fired barbecue and food to Moorpark. A third-generation Angeleno, he cites his “huge Serbian family” as training in cooking for crowds. “For barbecues, any time you have family over 40–50 people show up and that’s who you’re grilling for,” he says.
A career in sports broadcasting took Simpson to Santa Ynez, where he first gained exposure for Santa Maria–style grills and open-flame, wood-fired food. He worked as a line cook in college and on the Central Coast before taking a sports anchor reporting job in Idaho, then Tennessee.
The Outpost in The Alley
330 Zachary St. #109; Moorpark
www.TheOutpostMoorpark.com
Settling in Moorpark in 2017, Simpson lamented the absence of tri-tip sandwiches he’d grown to love. He continued to work in television, this time behind the camera, with its pressure and deadlines—another great preparation for the restaurant industry.
When the space at The Alley became available, Simpson jumped at the chance and bought it. Working with the city to approve a permit for an open outdoor grill took months, but he succeeded. “We retrained the staff on pizza and reworked the dough recipe, then added California red oak to the oven, which gives food great flavor,” says Simpson.
Adding more great flavor, Simpson sources YOUBITE Gourmet German Sausages in Camarillo for preservative- and nitrate-free links for the menu. Sandwiches and sausages come with a side of fries, mac ’n’ cheese, potato salad or housemade baked beans. Simpson’s two young daughters frequent The Outpost, so offering a kids menu was a priority, along with adding three new burgers.
Spring brings fresh salads and Simpson looks forward to working with Underwood Family Farms in the future. “It’s hard being a small business in California; costs are high. We want to keep it local and work with other businesses,” he says.
Ultimately, it’s about “Good, simple, clean barbecue and wood-fired food.”
CALIOH COFFEE
A couple miles down the road, Calioh Coffee debuted in Moorpark last August, brightening up the existing space with a slate-blue coffee counter and complementary tile. The coffee menu offers all your favorites (and seasonal specials), but it’s the freshly roasted beans that make Calioh stand out.
Owner and coffee roaster Matt Powers knows all the elements that comprise the cup of coffee you order. “I loved coffee and have had coffee and espresso machines since I was 20,” he says.
Coffee wasn’t the beginning for Powers, who started his dream job as a firefighter in Ohio (thus the name, Cali + OH), before moving west to work for the City of Ventura Fire Department. After 10 years, he was ready for a different lifestyle.
Roasting beans in 2016 marked the beginning of Powers’ career in coffee, but after acquiring a damaged espresso machine he found his niche in repairs. His combined skills as a machinist and first responder made him a natural for solving equipment issues, and Calioh Coffee began selling espresso machines for commercial and residential use in 2018.
“Working with machines got me into all these coffee shops,” says Powers over an oat milk cappuccino. “I’m behind the counter at closing time having face-to-face time with owners who are telling me their challenges with employees, health inspectors, costs, etc.” Powers was not deterred by the challenges, but felt encouraged by the opportunity to do better. With so many details at his disposal, he opened Calioh Coffee in Moorpark in short time with low capital.
Opening the café is just the beginning of the path he sees before him. With the help of his fiancée, Nallely Contreras (who loves decaf Americanos), Powers looks forward to opening more locations. “To create the coffee community and the coffee culture we want, we have to have credibility,” he says. “You can’t have credibility unless you have a brand. For people to get behind us we have to be a known entity.”
Powers wants to cultivate appreciation for everything that happens before you have a cup in hand. Partnering with Primavera Green Coffee importers has helped. “They’re a small importer and, like us, they have the opportunity to grow,” says Powers. He wants to see stewardship of land, fair treatment for growers, and is a member of 1% for the Planet.
“We have to take care of the land the coffee comes from or we’re not going to have coffee anymore. A lot of people don’t understand that.”
Calioh Coffee
252 Los Angeles Ave., Suite D; Moorpark
www.CaliohCoffee.com
