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After over a decade spent almost completely consumed by the administrative and managerial trappings of his trade, he is elated to be back in the kitchen and working with equally enthused chefs to develop the resort's new culinary program. ose teammates include Executive Sous Chef Tony Torres (Serẽa, Herringbone) and Chef de Cuisine Alan Nguyen (L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon, Roy's). Together the trio has revamped e Inn's private-event offerings, and now they're shifting their attention to the property's signature restaurant, Lilian's. Named for Lilian Jeannette Rice, the local legend responsible for site planning and the architectural design of Rancho Santa Fe, the all-day eatery is a popular and reliable haunt for the tucked- away community's residents. e menu leans into the traditional with salads of the Caesar, wedge, and tuna Niçoise variety, plus standards like crab cakes, roast chicken, and veal Milanese. It has a lot to offer already, which makes the prospect of adding to and improving it fun and enlivening. Ponsaty says seasonality of ingredients will be more important than ever moving forward. His team has spent the past few months scouring local farms for inspiration while strengthening relationships with purveyors. A short winter and recent heat waves have proven challenging, but they have a clear vision on the produce that will grace the spring menu when it launches later this month. e biggest challenge, they say, will be practicing restraint, applying technique without interfering with the natural flavors and textures of those plucked-from-the-soil gems. at MO is alive and well in starters like a warm crab and avocado salad served over butter lettuce with a sweet-tart dressing of Temecula olive oil, calamansi, lemon, lime, and local honey. And it's largely mirrored in the cocktail menu. Drinks like "e Velvet Voice," with its mix of vodka, limoncello, elderflower liqueur, sparkling wine, and butterfly pea flower, taste green (even if the cocktail is purple) and garden-fresh, while bourbon-based, vanilla-forward tipple "e Red Fox" comes across like a boozy Creamsicle. Another example of local produce done right are heirloom carrots which are lightly roasted to preserve their crunch before being dressed in labneh and sprinkled with an earthy blend of Greek spices. Bright and toothsome, they are the perfect counterpoint accompaniment to a tender, juicy wagyu New York strip from Australia's Mayura Station, featuring incredible marbling largely imparted by cattle feed laced with chocolate. Ponsaty has gilded that already decadent lily with a rich, viscous green peppercorn sauce, a family recipe dating back several centuries. Similarly bold is a sweet house hoisin served along beautifully lacquered Peking duck-breast medallions and crêpes so thin you can read the menu through them. But that's probably not the best way to scan the "beginnings" section, as one could miss a unique appetizer dubbed Big-Eye Tuna Pizza. is light, shareable starter Indulge dining ranchandcoast.com 48 MAY 2026 RANCH & COAST MAGAZINE <<