Damon Stainbrook

Coming Up

Redwood and French Laundry mark the first two stations in Damon Stainbrook’s progression toward Pig in a Pickle: training first, then the pressure of a Sous Chef role in a kitchen known for pace, precision, and standards. By 2013, that sequence had narrowed into ownership, with Damon Stainbrook stepping into the chef-owner role at Pig in a Pickle and making the restaurant’s identity part of his remit.

Where They Are Now

At the Corte Madera restaurant, the title carries into the food itself. The work reads as deliberate and specific, with barbecue handled as a practice of timing and control rather than shorthand for rustic cooking. The pace is set by the pit, and the menu reflects that restraint. The brisket, with its 14-hour cook time, is the clearest expression of that approach. It is a dish built around waiting, then density of flavor. The hot links bring a Cajun andouille reference into the mix, not as decoration but as a named point of reference. And the pulled pork shoulder, seasoned with dry rub, smoke, and a vinegar-based sauce, gives the menu another register: bright, forceful, and tied to a specific barbecue vocabulary. Taken together, the menu draws from Central Texas, Cajun andouille, and North Carolina as working frameworks rather than loose influences. That gives the cooking a defined line. Each component has a job, and the barbecue speaks in clear regional terms.

In Their Words “I’ve always enjoyed live fire cooking in general — cooking whole animals — and that kind of morphed into barbecue.”

Honors

Damon Stainbrook has received Michelin Guide — Bib Gourmand (2019). Damon's honors include Michelin Bib Gourmand (2019).