EATS

Chef Michael Campbell - Culinary Director

A culinary artist with over two decades of experience, Chef Michael Campbell blends honest flavors with refined techniques across a portfolio of South Orange County concepts that include Pacific Pearl Café in San Juan Capistrano and Costa Mesa, and White Rooster in Dana Point. He now brings that same ethos to Capo Leisure House as Culinary Director, where the kitchen is dedicated to Comidos Californios — a style of cooking that traces the cultural and culinary line running from the historic missions of San Juan Capistrano down through the surf breaks, ranchos, and roadside cocinas of the Baja shore.

At Capo, that coastal sensibility meets the slow, deliberate craft of fire and smoke. Comidos Californios is built on the meeting of the two shorelines and the long, low traditions of wood-fired cooking. Campbell’s three-decade relationship with smoke takes center stage here, expressed through a deep bench of slow-smoked meats: brisket pulled after long overnight cooks, 24-hour smoked tri-tip, smoked carnitas, and ranch-style proteins built on patience rather than shortcuts.