Local chef – and La Jolla native – Sebastian Becerra has signed the lease on a spot in The Village to open a brick and mortar eatery.
Called “Pepino,” Becerra’s restaurant will offer an homage to his Peruvian heritage and family in an all-day cafe.
Located at 7556 Fay Ave. in what was once Pizza Pronto, Pepino will serve sandwiches, salads, pastries, coffee and more and is slated for an early 2025 opening.
“We’re so stoked,” Becerra told lajolla.ca, to be opening a static location in La Jolla, where he was born and raised.
After looking for a restaurant spot for two years, he learned of the empty Pizza Pronto building from a friend while walking at Windansea.
“It all just turned out to be this local community full circle moment,” he said. “I couldn’t have asked for a better situation or opportunity.”
That full-circle community moment began during COVID, when Becerra, who went to culinary school in New York and honed his experience at COI, Rich Table, Eleven Madison Park and Herb & Wood, returned to his hometown.
Becerra began doing a weekly takeout service for neighbors, which gained popularity by word of mouth and grew enough to become a MEHKO (Micro Enterprise Home Kitchen Operation), serving out of his La Jolla backyard or popping up at nearby locations.
Becerra, who “always knew I wanted to come back here when I left,” said the next evolution, Pepino, is his “token of gratitude for this town … that’s been so amazing to me and my family.”
Pepino, which means “cucumber” in Spanish, is also a nickname for Becerra’s Peruvian grandfather, who was “the glue that would get the family to put all their differences aside, sit down at the table,” Becerra said.
“I have these beautiful memories of being at the table with him [and] listening to his stories,” he said.
Becerra’s goal in opening Pepino in his grandfather’s honor is “to recreate that vibe and channel those memories into something that’s tangible and real,” encouraging similar memories for Pepino’s guests.
