A brand new “Dunneville Market” sign has replaced the old and weathered one, but regulars of the establishment near Hollister need not worry—the original will be preserved and be on display in the restaurant’s patio.
It is one of the small changes made with care, coming almost two years since Sean Shelton took over the Dunneville Market and Kitchen from Bill Regentz, but it indicates his respect for the previous owner and the tradition of the place as he works to make the place his own.
“It was Bill, his wife Gloria and their daughters and granddaughters,” he said. “They ran it for 48 years and built something that’s just crazy, but it works. I want people to know that I will keep the soul of this place intact because it is part of my childhood memory as well—I had my first chicken fried steak on the patio here when I was a kid.”
Shelton grew up in the Spring Grove area of Hollister before attending culinary school in San Francisco. He and his wife, Sophia, took over the market in May 2021 after the pandemic forced the closure of The Pocket, a restaurant he had been hired to open in Carmel.
“It was two days before our first service when the covid shutdown started,” he said. “We packed it up thinking, you know, in two weeks, we’ll be back, and we’ll get it going. And everybody knows how that worked out.”
Regentz had been interested in selling the business; for Shelton, it was a perfect fit. After working at Fresh Cream and the Plaza Hotel in Monterey and Pèppoli in Pebble Beach, as well as four different restaurants in Australia, the collapse of The Pocket made him want to return to his roots.
“We started thinking about coming home to Hollister to start a family,” he said. “And I loved everything about this place. When I was a kid, living just down the road, this was where we went on Saturdays or Sundays to get breakfast. I grew up eating tri-tip sandwiches. You just keep coming back to those flavors.”
And those familiar flavors, particularly the tri-tip and the barbecue sauce, will be as safe and protected as the old, worn Dunneville sign.
“The first thing I did was to nail down those sandwiches,” he said. “That is something I will not mess with. I will not give away Bill’s secret, because it is a good one, but it is an important memory for many people around here and, for new people coming to town, it’s this cool and amazing thing.”
That isn’t to say that he has not been making some changes and additions, though. He has added new items like pulled pork, fried chicken and calamari sandwiches, and a mushroom-based veggie burger, as well as house-made Jalapeño Cheddar, Hot Italian and Sweet Italian sausages.
“I wanted to make sure we’re good before we started messing with the menu,” he said. “Then I can start using that knowledge I picked up from those fine dining restaurants, things like making all our own stocks. We are going to get Calavera and Vertigo coffees. We want to get breakfast fully going again and, hopefully, table service. But we are not going to do anything like that until we are ready and we can make sure we are doing it right.”
The community has responded well to the continuity and changes, seeking the market out even during the recent flooding, and for the Sheltons, things are going well.
“We’re super happy,” he said. “We just had our first baby five months ago, and I work just 15 minutes down the road. I can’t complain—the staff is great, the food is very good and we’re having some fun.”
The food of the Dunneville Market and Kitchen.
House-made sausage – “I was trained in sausage at Pèppoli, and over the years I kept making it,” Shelton said. “We make it here—we get the meat, we grind it, we stuff it, and we smoke it. Then we throw it on the grill to finish it. Pretty straightforward.” The pork sausage is served on a hoagie roll, with sauteed peppers and onions, and the type rotates daily. The one I had, the Jalapeno Cheddar, was juicy and a bit sweet, with pieces of roasted pepper that provided a nice kick to the back of the throat, blending well with the slightly melted cheese. It holds together well, with a smooth texture and a great meat-to-fat ratio. While the ones used in the sandwiches are smoked, unsmoked sausages are also available for sale, and I can’t wait to try the hot Italian variety.
House-made veggie burger – “We make it with a mushroom base and brown rice with tons of herbs and spices,” he said. “We ran through seven or eight versions before we nailed down the right mix. We didn’t want it to look like beef or one of those Impossible Burgers. We just wanted substance, flavor and consistency.” I have never really been impressed with fake burgers before, but this was a revelation. It is a beautifully substantial browned patty topped with arugula, roasted red peppers, sauteed onions and roasted garlic mayo, served on a Telera roll. You will not mistake the texture for meat—there is a chewiness to the outer crust that gives way to the tender interior—but the flavors and mouthfeel are extremely satisfying. I would say that this is a must-try for anyone who does not just automatically order the Market’s tri-tip. It is totally unique and very delicious.
Chicken sandwich – “What makes this special is the breading,” Shelton said. “I worked with a couple of chefs at another restaurant playing with different mixes of starches, flours, buttermilk and spices. We brine the chicken and then bread them to order.” The fried chicken breast is given a very thin and crisp coating and then topped with apple cole slaw, pickles and chipotle mayo then served on a Telera bun. The chicken is tender and juicy without being weighed down by an over-oily breading, and the slaw and sauce provide the sweet and sour with a touch of umami savoriness. (A non-breaded version is also available.)
Tri-tip and cheddar Sandwich – I must admit, every time I have gone to the Dunneville Market for lunch over the last 15 years, I have ordered the 8 oz Rancher Tri-Tip sandwich, dabbed it with the house-made barbecue sauce, and I have been happy, happy, happy, to the point of trying nothing else. The slow-cooked meat is the most flavorful tri-tip I have ever had and is insanely cuts-like-butter tender. So it was nice to have the chance to try this variation, 5 oz. of meat with a cheddar cheese sauce and crispy onions. It added a pleasant sharpness and saltiness, but I could not resist adding some of the barbecue sauce. You can’t go wrong when you start with such a well-prepared tri-tip and, honestly, with other versions served with au jus, horseradish, bacon, avocado, or sauteed onions and peppers, you are guaranteed to find your own favorite to get locked into ordering every time.
Recommendations for future Eat, Drink, Savor articles can be emailed to roberteliason@benitolink.com.
BenitoLink thanks our underwriters, Hollister Super and Windmill Market, for helping to expand the Eat, Drink, Savor series and give our readers the stories that interest them. Hollister Super (two stores in Hollister) and Windmill Market (in San Juan Bautista) support reporting on the inspired and creative people behind the many delicious food and drink products made in San Benito County. All editorial decisions are made by BenitoLink.
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