The legend of Esau's
The date was April 30, 1939. The place was the 1939 San Francisco World’s Fair. Working in one of the tents in the food pavilion was one W.C. (Tom) Esau, a talented young cook fresh from the Midwest. Visiting the World’s Fair was a prosperous restaurateur from Santa Barbara, looking for fresh ideas to brighten up the small beach town’s cooking scene. The fresh idea he brought back to Santa Barbara was none other than Tom Esau himself!
To continue the lineage, Taylor Stanley Fitzgerald and her husband Justin Fitzgerald are now taking over the coffee shop. While keeping decades old traditions alive they are easing in fresh young ideas to keep pace with our changing community. Keeping the name Esau’s was a decision to honor the late Tom Esau for his hard work and dedication to quality. Tom had the cafe for 25 years, and the Stanley’s have had it for 40 happy years and counting!
