Ox and Ocean Yokes Tradition to Innovation
Oxnard—like all of Ventura County, in fact—is blessed with a unique marriage of farming and sea. Chef Damien Giliberti, who heads up the kitchen at Ox and Ocean, has created a unique menu that celebrates that union.
The new restaurant is located in Zachari Dunes on Mandalay Bay, Oxnard, which is part of Hilton Hotels’ Curio Collection. The hotel was refurbished and renamed from the Embassy Suites to Zachari Dunes in October 2021.
“One of the great things about the Curio Collection is it allows old resorts to embody the distinct culture and spirit of the communities in which they reside,” says Andrew Sutrisno, director of marketing. “We want to honor the history of Oxnard with the Zachari Dunes name. Henry T. Oxnard originally wanted to call the city Zachari. Our branding team drew inspiration from the sand dunes of Mandalay Beach, with soft white sand that resembles sugar.”
The emphasis on locale extends to Ox and Ocean, where Giliberti has created a menu that emphasizes fresh and local, and includes some plant-based plates alongside very carefully curated meat and fish dishes.
“I’d a rather do a few things very well and then expand the menu. I wanted to start smaller to get the team working together. I’d rather do 15 items really well, than 30 items just OK,” says Giliberti. The goal, he says, is to expand both the team and the menu in the near future.
Another reason for the small but fun menu is the focus on making as much in-house as possible. Giliberti says he makes his own strawberry jams from local berries. He also makes almost all sauces and accoutrements by hand, which takes time and effort.
“Even our potatoes—we make own cultured butter that creates these wonderful sour tart crispy potatoes,” he says. “Our oxtail bao buns are made in-house. It goes with the whole ox theme of the restaurant. A lot of restaurants will buy bao buns, but we make our own. We also use house-made kimchi. I really believe in making stuff by hand.”
Currently, Giliberti uses local farms that are farmers’ market favorites, including Apricot Lanes Farms from Moorpark and Tutti Frutti Farms from Lompoc. Ultimately, he hopes to use some of the Zachari Dunes grounds to grow herbs, citrus and other food for the restaurant.
He says he doesn’t want the menu to focus on labels, such as vegan or carnivore. “I want people who aren’t vegans to eat my vegetable dishes,” says Giliberti, adding that the idea is to make things accessible to everyone. “Our oxtail bao buns have a similar vegan version with whole trumpet mushrooms, which is tasty for vegetarians and non-vegetarians. We have the roasted delicata squash with kale pesto main dish. We have a plethora of items for everyone to try.”
At last year’s Casa Pacifica Angels Wine, Food and Brew Festival, Giliberti won second place in the Yummy Culinary Competition with his grilled stone fruit with house-made ricotta, blackberry gastrique, pickled kumquats and puffed amaranth. (Note: Edible Ojai &Ventura County Publisher Tami Chu was a judge.)
“We live in a fascinating time when there’s a wealth of information about food and cooking available. I always work on ideas and finding techniques,” he says. “This dish was an idea I had that worked really well. It ties in to amaranth, an ancient grain originally from California. A lot of people don’t know where amaranth comes from. This allows me to teach.”
Giliberti recently returned from paternity leave, as he and his partner take turns caring for their 6-month-old. During 2022, he moved to Santa Paula from Santa Barbara, while working on creating the menu for Ox and Ocean. He explained that he is using his paternity leave “in chunks” as he tries to establish a healthy work-home balance.
“I want to run a successful restaurant and I want to be here for my family’s daily life. I know how demanding it is, and a lot of chefs miss out on the kids and family growing up. That’s something I don’t want to do,” Giliberti says.
