About
Our Story
The Dutchess is a collaboration between friends and partners Kelsey Brito & Saw Naing, and restaurateurs Zoe Nathan & Josh Loeb.
Each day at 4am, The Dutchess comes alive as the bakers trickle in to fill the pastry case where Pastry Chef Kelsey Brito showcases her ode to Southern California’s bounty, which on any given day is bursting at the seams with an assortment of her sourdough breads, seasonal croissants, danishes, cakes, cookies, pies, and other pastries. Throughout the morning and afternoon, the bustling cafe led by Chef Saw Naing cranks out both the classics and dishes leaning toward Southeast Asian inspiration, such as Congee and his Burmese Fried Chicken sandwich, tying it all together.
By night, diners find a lively restaurant with a seasonally driven cocktail menu paired with the bright, vibrant flavors of the Burmese-Indian fare of Chef Saw’s childhood. The Dutchess is a platform for Chefs Saw & Kelsey to be unapologetically themselves and share the food they love to make, all while highlighting and supporting the work of the local farmers, ranchers, fishermen, and winemakers who make it all possible and share their commitment to quality, sustainability, soil health, and leaving the land better than they found it.
Meet the Team
Executive Chef/Partner Saw Naing arrived in the United States in 2007 from Burma with a musician’s heart and $200 in his pocket. While his instruments changed, his passion for composition remained, finding a new rhythm in the culinary arts. Saw views a kitchen much like an orchestra; a place where discipline, timing, and soul create something moving.
Having refined his craft under world-renowned mentors like Thomas Keller, Jeremy Fox, and Sydney Hunter, Saw spent years treating every food style like a new musical era. Today, he brings that “rock and roll” energy to Ojai, California. Whether he’s honoring his roots at The Dutchess or firing up the pits at the high-vibe Joplin’s BBQ, Saw continues to prove that great food, like great music, is a universal language.
Pastry Chef/Partner Kelsey Brito has spent the last 15 years honing her craft throughout Phoenix, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. Her baking style is influenced by the Italian-Portuguese household she was raised in, and her formative years spent making French-inspired pastries at Tartine in San Francisco. Her approach to her sourdough bread and croissant programs has been mostly self-taught. After moving to Ventura in 2020, Kelsey opened her dream bakery at The Dutchess where she leans into the spirit of abundance and the 8-foot-long pastry case fills to the brim each morning with her baked goods and sourdough breads.
Partner Zoe Nathan is the celebrated founder of Huckleberry Bakery & Café and author of its namesake cookbook. As the Co-Owner and Chief Creative Officer of the Rustic Canyon Family, she and Josh are partnered with talented chefs, bakers and a wine director behind some of Santa Monica’s most beloved dining destinations. Zoe and Josh were also James Beard semifinalists for “Outstanding Restaurateurs” in 2018. She lives with her three kids in Ojai.
Partner Josh Loeb became inspired to open his first restaurant after doing dinner pop-ups out of his childhood home in Santa Monica’s Rustic Canyon. Josh opened the critically-acclaimed, flagship restaurant in 2006, and as Co-Owner and CEO has organically grown the Rustic Canyon Family with Zoe into a collection of welcoming, neighborhood restaurants. A major advocate for land reciprocity and responsible sourcing, Josh created an Organic Transition Grant in 2021 with the restaurant group and The CCOF Foundation to help 10 small farmers in California transition to regenerative, organic practices.
The Buzz
- New York Times – “The New Key to Restaurant Success”
- Michelin Guide – Selected for the 2023 California Guide
- Sunset – “Burmese on the Barbecue”
- Los Angeles Times – “Looking for the Perfect Croissant? It’s in Ojai”
- Michelin Guide – “New Additions to Michelin Guide California: Nov 2022”
- Bon Appétit – “Where To Eat In Ojai, California”
- Los Angeles Times – “Young Restaurateurs Are Invigorating The Dining Scene In Laid-Back Ojai”
- Saveur – “At This New SoCal Restaurant, Burmese Dishes Take Local Produce To Another Level”
- Ojai Valley News – “The Dutchess is the Talk of the Town for a Delicious Reason”
- 805 Living – “Culinary Reunion”
- Santa Barbara Life & Style Magazine – “Going Dutch”
- Sunset – “An Ideal Day in Ojai”
- Variety – “Ojai’s The Dutchess Restaurant Brings Cali-Burmese Flavors”
Vogue – “America’s Most Anticipated Restaurant Openings of 2022” - Edible Ojai & Ventura County – “New Beginnings from Old Azu”
