Chef Profile: Chef Reylon Agustin
Culinary Director of Sierra Mar Restaurant at Post Ranch Inn
For Chef Reylon Agustin, Culinary Director of Sierra Mar Restaurant at Post Ranch Inn, every menu starts in the soil, sourced from local farmers who care as deeply about how food is grown as how it’s served.
“I learned early on about the importance of letting Mother Nature dictate the menu,” Chef Reylon says. “This is really what formulated my strong connection with not just the ingredients themselves, but with the farmers — getting to know them as people, getting to know their partners and children... It’s crucial to build this kind of extension of the kitchen with them.”
While his career has taken him through some of the world’s most respected kitchens, Chef Reylon’s vision of true farm-to-table cuisine led him back to California’s Central Coast, where he is helping spearhead the regenerative agriculture movement between chefs and farmers.
While ingredient-led cooking isn’t a new concept, Chef Reylon recognized the need for a new model that not only offers the best ingredients but also supports the farmers who grow the food. Supply for ingredients can be inconsistent as small producers often lack volume and rely on slim budgets. These factors helped spark a conversation between Chef Reylon, Post Ranch Inn owner Mike Freed, and the Regenerative California team. Together, we began exploring a bold idea to create a farm that helps small farmers succeed by providing long-term, affordable leases on organically certified farm land, along with training in regenerative farming practices that improve soil health, water conservation, and biodiversity.
As a result, the Regenerate 68! Farm was born. While the farm serves as an innovative model for regenerative agriculture, the partnership allows Sierra Mar Restaurant to source produce at a much closer ripening stage. “Produce can be picked at peak flavor and texture,” says Chef Reylon. “Restaurants like ours can help lead, but the goal is bigger than us—it’s building a system where supporting local farms becomes standard practice across the industry.”
Regenerate 68! Farm aims to help both farmers and patrons better understand and ultimately transition to regenerative, organic agriculture by demonstrating the results firsthand. By sharing land with other farmers and showcasing regenerative methods, the Farm creates opportunities for observation, experimentation, and collaboration. “It becomes a kind of poster child for what the future could look like,” says Chef Reylon. “When farmers see cost savings on water and inputs, healthier soil, higher-quality crops, and restaurant diners can taste the difference on the plate… it creates a complete cycle to support the regenerative movement.”
Regenerative farming is the next step in sustainable food practice. Whether it's visiting a farmers market, a local grocery store or dining at a local restaurant, it's important for us to get comfortable with talking about regenerative practices as part of our food language. "My relationships with farmers involves dialogue, where we might discuss how this growing season is different from the last and how it affects the outcome on the plate,” Chef Reylon says. “The honest dialogue and commitment to the relationship of a chef and farmer is what keeps small farms in business."
To further the movement, Chef Reylon calls on the local chef community to join him in building bridges between diners and the farmer. He also knows more needs to be done for the general public to truly understand the benefits in farming this way.
“[Our local farmers] are the people that we want to continue to support and really pull for, because they are in the community and we want them to succeed,” says Chef Reylon. “Regenerative agriculture is more than a sourcing model, it’s a way to reconnect chefs, farmers, and diners with the land that sustains them.”
Are you or someone you know a local chef or restaurateur who would like to expand their menu to offer locally grown produce? Partner with Regenerative California’s farm now to influence varietal selection, flavor profiles, quantities, and harvest windows. Together, we will grow the standards for flavor, soil health, and community impact.