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A new restaurant downtown Livermore is bringing authentic Spanish cuisine to the city’s culinary scene.
Under the hand of Michelin-starred chef and co-owner Torsten Schulz, L Campo serves tapas, paellas and churros along with an assortment of charcuteries, cheeses and wines.
“I am very flexible — I can cook a lot of different things, but I think there is a lack of Spanish restaurants in the Bay Area,” Schulz told Livermore Vine. “The idea of L Campo is to keep it as authentic as possible, outside of Spain, but still keep it really simple and rustic.”
Located at 2059 First St., L Campo — which translates to “The Field” — follows a farm-to-table model with fresh and locally sourced ingredients.
“One thing in Livermore that is absolutely beautiful is that we have olive and wine producers here,” Schulz said. “It gets me excited everyday.”
Schulz also incorporates into dishes Spanish imports such as ham, rice, chocolate and some olive oils and wines.
Long before opening L Campo with his main business partner CJ Vural, Schulz first tried his hand at cooking in 1992.
“I never learned cooking at home or with my parents”, Schulz said. “Cooking at home was pretty boring.”
Instead, he took on a culinary apprenticeship at 16 years old.
“I was kind of thrusted into it by my sister, who stirred me into the direction of becoming a cook,” Schulz said. “I guess she saw something in me that I didn’t see.”
As he progressed with the apprenticeship, he found that he enjoyed the working environment.
“I like the high-octane energy in the kitchen. I like the stress. I like the need for coordination, the need for organization. It’s good for me,” Schulz said. “I love it. I’m kind of addicted to it.”
Schulz was also attracted to a career in cooking for the opportunity to travel the globe — something he took in stride during the following decades as he worked in Spain, Germany, China, Italy, England, Greece, Portugal and across the U.S.
“I’ve picked up a lot of different experiences in a lot of different countries, from a lot of different people, so I am fluid in gastronomy,” Schulz said.
Most recently, Schulz opened Kali Greek Kitchen with Vural in Palo Alto.
After the success, Schulz and Vural envisioned opening a second restaurant. The pair mutually agreed that they would serve Spanish cuisine.
Still on Schulz’s mind was a restaurant he opened in 2008 in the countryside of Spain — also dubbed L Campo — which shuttered due to an economic downturn.
It was time to revive the name, Schulz said.
L Campo later celebrated its soft opening Aug. 25 in Livermore.
