The Land & Water Company To End Run In Carlsbad

October 12, 2019

The Land & Water Company has been dishing up sustainable seafood driven sushi from a historic 1887-built mansion in San Diego's North County community of Carlsbad for 6 years, but the restaurant will close after this weekend's service hoping to relocate to a new location in 2020.

"This building may hold many memories for you, as it does for us," read a post to Land & Water Co.'s social media pages. "After 6 amazing years of serving the Carlsbad community, we will be closing our doors this Sunday. A BIG thank you to all of our guests and supporters over the years. We invite you all to stop in and say goodbye this weekend. We started this business 6 years ago with a goal to serve local and sustainably sourced food to the community and we have been very fortunate to have achieved that dream."

Opened in 2014 by Oceanside native Chef Rob Ruiz, The Land & Water Company offered a Japanese-inspired menu based around hyper-local, ethically raised and sourced ingredients. Ruiz honed his culinary chops working in Hawaii for a decade where he trained directly under James Beard award winner, Chef Alan Wong. He then went on to apprentice under Japanese sushi master chef Etsuji Umezu. In 2013, while working as Executive Chef of Old Town's Harney Sushi, Ruiz created edible QR codes to provide information on his sustainably sourced seafood. This led him to be contacted by the U.S. Department of Commerce to participate in their National Publicity Campaign featuring small businesses utilizing sustainable practices. Chef Ruiz is now considered one of the country's leading experts on sustainable seafood.

Chef Rob Ruiz is in the process of opening The Hold Fast in Liberty Public Market - a hand roll-based, omakase eatery that will source 100% of its ingredients from San Diego purveyors, including seafood from Tuna Harbor Dockside Market & San Diego Fisherman, and produce from certified organic area farms. The quick-service spot will open as early as Thanksgiving weekend with a menu of gourmet temaki (hand rolls), as well as a yakitori, sashimi, and a chef's special omakase, multi-course option available through reservation. Like was done at Land & Water, Ruiz will utilize whole fish, raise the bar for the No-Waste movement, and compost organic refuse. Hours will be based on when ingredients run out, as Ruiz aims to resource ingredients fresh for each day.

There are rumors of a possible Land & Water Co. revival to come to the building behind the Carlsbad location of Pizza Port in spring 2020, but nothing has since been confirmed. Ruiz and team will continue to operate The Charles Kenneth speakeasy in the basement of the building at 2978-2998 Carlsbad Boulevard. For more information, visit landandwaterco.com.