Grace & Rose Paso Robles: Farm-to-Table Dining Rooted in Local Farmers, Seasonal Ingredients, and Wine Country Community

This month for our Wellness Series we are featuring Julie & Justin Fischer of Grace & Rose Paso.

If you’ve spent any time in Paso Robles, you know the food and wine scene here is the real deal. The farmers are your neighbors, the winemakers are at the next table, and when a restaurant tells you something is local, they mean it. Steve and I have known Julie and Justin Fischer for several years now, and they embody everything that hospitality should be. They care deeply about where your food comes from, what’s in season, and that your experience at the table is every bit as important as what’s on it. Their restaurant, Grace & Rose, tucked inside a beautifully restored 100-year-old farmhouse on the south side of town, is one of those places that could only exist here. Many of you will remember them from their beloved wine bar The Paso Robles Wine Merchant. Grace & Rose carries that same philosophy forward, sourcing locally, cooking simply, and letting the Central Coast speak for itself. Let’s dive into Grace & Rose Paso Robles: Farm-to-table dining rooted in local farmers, seasonal ingredients, and wine country community.

The Paso Robles Wine Merchant had such a loyal following. When did you first start thinking, “we could do more than this”? Was there a specific moment, or did it creep up on you?

We were about three years into running our wine bar and eatery in the Paso Robles Market Walk when we learned of a renovation project in an old farmhouse located on the south side of town.  This sparked our interest in growing our concept into a bigger space in order to expand our menu and accommodate more guests.

Small bites at a wine bar and a full restaurant kitchen are very different animals. What surprised you most about making that leap — something you didn’t anticipate until you were already in it?

Our team grew from 6 people to 20!  We are extremely grateful for our team, who operate collaboratively and work together to support each role and successfully operate the restaurant. It’s a true team effort. 

What did you deliberately carry forward from The Wine Merchant — the things you knew had to come with you — and what did you just as deliberately leave behind?

Our philosophy remained the same; source locally and feature what we love most about Paso Robles and the Central Coast on our menu. There are a few menu staples from the Wine Merchant we had to continue; our kale salad, Morro Bay oysters on the half shell, goat cheese stuffed dates, and ETTO pasta.  Also, we continued offering some wines on tap for by the glass, which we love because they are more sustainable than pouring through cases of glass bottles, it keeps the wines fresh, and also, it’s fun which we believe is an important part of enjoying wine.  

We haven’t continued our artisanal grilled cheese at Grace & Rose, which was very popular at the Wine Merchant, but more of a lunch item.  We’re hoping to bring that back when we open our Garden Bar menu in the backyard this summer!

Additionally, our wine list has expanded to include a selection of imported wines in addition to the local wines we’ve always carried. This offers more of a global perspective while continuing to focus on sustainably farmed small producers.

Editors Note: Grace and Rose just recently received the coveted Wine Spectator Award of Excellence which celebrates the worlds best restaurants for wine.

Walk me through how your sourcing actually works. Is it farmers calling you, you calling them, showing up at the farm? What does that relationship look like on a practical Tuesday?

We source from several suppliers; all are small which requires deliveries multiple times a week.  We are lucky to have two Farmer’s Markets to shop at and great relationships with local farmers built over the years who deliver to us!

Who’s a farmer or grower in the Paso area that guests might not know by name, but whose work is quietly all over the menu?

Windrose Farm, Mighty Cap Mushrooms, and during tomato season Munak Ranch is our go-to tomato supplier.  Fresh, local ingredients make all the difference in our simple rustic style of cooking.

What’s growing or available right now that you’re most excited about — and how are you featuring it? 

Tomato season is one of our favorites of the year and we feature Munak Ranch heirlooms on our tomato burrata sourdough toast with a little drizzle of olive oil, saba, and fresh basil.  It’s simple but so flavorful.  

Has a farmer ever brought you something unexpected — a variety, a surplus, something they just wanted you to try — that ended up changing the direction of a dish or even a whole section of the menu?

Bronze Fennel from Windrose Farm. Its unexpected anise flavor profile enhances our brick chicken and branzino dishes.

Tell me about the first time you walked into this building. What did you see, and what did you imagine? 

The first look of the house; completely rundown on an unkept, weedy lot that seemed to be forgotten.  The attic had been overtaken by a colony of bees and the ground floor overrun with feral cats.  Still, it was love at first sight, and the vision for an expanded concept of our wine bar took shape in that moment. 

A 100-year-old farmhouse has a personality of its own — quirks, limitations, things that push back on you. How did the space itself shape the restaurant rather than the other way around?

We wanted to honor the history and character of the house.  The footprint remains the same as it always has with the original staircase and layout.  We didn’t move the kitchen or bathrooms; we renovated and made the necessary commercial upgrades.  The result is a cozy dining room, a service station in the hallway, and a kitchen with windows and natural light!  

Is there something about the history of the building that guests might not notice but that you think about all the time?

The gorgeous, mature pomegranate tree that marks the entrance to the restaurant is a gracious gift from nature.  The natural beauty of this old tree inspired the pomegranate in our logo.

Your commitment to local ingredients wasn’t born at Grace and Rose — it was already there at The Paso Robles Wine Merchant. Where does that actually come from for you, personally? Was it a value you brought to Paso Robles, or one Paso Robles gave you?  

It’s how we like to eat and drink and therefore what we like to cook and serve.  We’re lucky to have such a bounty here in the Central Coast for food and wine!  We’re always inspired by what’s in season and by the farmers and winemakers in our community.

There’s a lot of conversation right now about food as medicine — the connection between what we eat and how we feel. Is that a philosophy that shows up consciously in how you build the menu, or is it more of an undercurrent? 

We believe food is medicine and there’s a definite correlation between what we consume, how we feel and our overall health.  It’s not something we intentionally try to build the menu around, but it’s a common thread that naturally becomes an undercurrent when sourcing sustainably farmed and fresh ingredients.

Seasonal menus sound romantic, but they require real discipline and flexibility. What does that look like week to week in your kitchen?  

A thoughtfully curated menu is key to keeping it seasonal.  Seasonal updates are easy to incorporate if the menu isn’t too big or overwhelming.  A constant connection to Farmer’s Markets and seasonal produce naturally inspires creativity and a small, focused menu allows flexibility to add weekly seasonal specials.

What do you wish more people understood about why local and seasonal eating matters — beyond just taste? What’s the thing that doesn’t get said enough?

Regenerative agriculture is imperative for the future of farming and the ability to grow our food sources sustainably.  Harmful chemicals used in conventional farming methods and mass production deplete soil and nutrients resulting in an unsustainable ecosystem.  Supporting regenerative farming in what we buy and how we consume is vital for securing our global food supply, conserving water, and creating climate-resilient farming communities.  

For someone who wants to bring more of this philosophy into their home cooking — not open a restaurant, just cook better and more intentionally — where do you tell them to start?

Farmer’s Markets are the best way to easily access fresh local ingredients.  Fresh ingredients simply prepared with some butter and herbs is an easy and delicious way to cook at home.

Paso Robles has such a distinct winemaking culture — it’s not Napa, it’s not the coast. How do those relationships with local winemakers actually shape what ends up on your wine list? Is it a conversation, a collaboration, something else?

The majority of our wine list is locally focused, and we rotate our offering regularly to offer a broad range of wines that showcase the region’s diversity. With a commitment to sustainability, we partner with many small production wineries to offer wines on our list that showcase not only the wines, but the passion and care behind them. 

Is there a pairing on the menu right now that came directly out of a specific relationship with a winemaker — something where the wine almost told you what to cook? 

Our winemaker events and wine dinners are the best expressions of these collaborations. We taste through the wines each winemaker is featuring and build special food menus around them. It’s an opportunity to be creative and offer different menus intentionally designed to pair with the wines.

The Paso Robles Wine Merchant was built around wine. Does Grace and Rose think of itself as a food restaurant with great wine, or a wine destination with serious food — or have you stopped making that distinction entirely?

We still think of Grace and Rose as a wine bar, although there’s no “bar” now lol.  We’re proud of our thoughtfully curated and extensive wine list that offers older vintages of Paso Wines and some hard to find gems, alongside fun wines on tap, there is something for everyone.  Maybe it’s more like an invitation to a dinner party hosted by friends.  A gathering place to enjoy a delicious meal with some beautiful wine, celebrate community, connect and make memories together.

What’s a dish on the current menu that feels like a perfect expression of this moment — something that couldn’t exist two months ago and won’t exist two months from now? 

An expression of Spring: English Peas on Toast; whipped ricotta, Meyer lemon, mint pistou.  

Paso Robles has changed a lot, even in the time you’ve been here. Where does Grace and Rose fit into that story — and where do you want it to fit?

We are honored to be a small part of the collective hospitality community here and hope to help tell the story of the farmers and winemakers through our menu. It was a true labor of love to renovate this historic farmhouse. We’re thrilled to have the doors open for the community to enjoy the space that’s been a part of downtown Paso Robles for 111 years. 

You’ve watched the food and wine community here grow. What does it mean to you to open a restaurant rather than just a wine bar at this particular moment in Paso’s evolution? 

This quote summarizes nicely why we feel our work is important and why we are passionate about what we do:

“The table remains of the few places where we can still come together. It’s where ideas are born, relationships deepen, and memories are made. It’s a place to tell stories, and to hear them.”  

-Will Guidara, Unreasonable Hospitality 

What do you hope a guest feels when they leave — not just about the meal, but about this place, this town?  

We hope they leave with a life memory made and are inspired by our community’s collaborative spirit.  It’s what inspires us to share what we love most about this special place we’re so grateful to call home!

What strikes me most about Julie and Justin isn’t just the food, it’s the intention behind it. From the restaurants name (grace and rose after their two daughters, the pomegranate tree that inspired their logo, to the bronze fennel from Windrose Farm finishing a perfectly roasted chicken. Every detail at Grace & Rose connects back to something real: a relationship with a farmer, a conversation with a winemaker, a genuine love for this town. Their favorite quote from Will Guidara says” the table is one of the few places we still come together”. Grace & Rose is exactly that kind of table for Paso Robles. Go if you haven’t. Go back if you have. Scout has already voted yes!

If you can’t make it to the Central Coast anytime soon, at least head to your nearest farmers market this weekend. Julie and Justin would approve.

Follow Grace and Rose on Instagram here, on their website here, and on Facebook here.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/graceandrosepaso 

Website:  https://www.graceandrosepaso.com/