New international cuisine restaurant opens in Paso Robles. What’s on the menu?
A family’s passionately shared dream of owning their own international-cuisine restaurant has finally materialized, after a long personal, culinary and career journey that led them from Honduras to Malibu and finally to right here on the Central Coast.
Sabor & Sazon opened for dinner service in Paso Robles on Aug. 23, with an eclectic menu showcasing specialties from Italy, Spain and South America, according to Jorge “Junior” Magdonal Jr., the restaurant’s floor manager and one of the its three owners.
Elements of French, Cuban, Greek and North American cuisine are also represented on the menu.
The family is expected to start serving lunch at the restaurant in September.
The other two owners are Junior’s 25-year-old sister, Belyn Magdonal, who is the general manager, and executive chef Jorge Magdonal, their 45-year-old father.
Matthew Madgonal, 16, is also in training at the restaurant, currently working there as a busser.
How family decided to open restaurant in Paso Robles
Belyn and her father were born in Honduras while Junior, now 22, was born in Los Angeles.
Their father spent nine years working at the illustrious restaurants, Giorgio Baldi in Santa Monica and Marmalade Café in Malibu, as did his uncle Santos MacDonal.
Then in 2009, while Jorge was visiting the MacDonals, who were opening the Il Cortile Ristorante in Paso Robles, he fell in love with the area and “the kind people there.”
“He found it was the perfect place to raise his kids,” Junior told The Tribune.
Very soon thereafter, Jorge moved his wife and four children to North County. He subsequently worked at his relatives’ fine dining, southern Italian restaurant and their La Cosecha Bar and Restaurant for more than eight years.
Even then, some of Jorge’s family was involved.
“My sister and I worked in the back,” Junior said with a chuckle, remember as children they would do chores around the restaurant like wrapping silverware in napkins.
Then in 2023, Jorge’s aunt and uncle sold La Cosecha and the Magdonals had the chance to open their own restaurant where Vic’s Café had been.
How did the restaurant get its name?
The motto of the restaurant and the family is “el sazon es nuestra esencia,” or “seasoning is our essence.”
The translation of “sabor” is “flavor,” while “sazon” does translate to “seasoning” — though it’s also an almost ubiquitous spice blend in South America and some other Latin countries.
It’s not a consistent blend though, varying substantially between different kitchens and cooks, becoming a culinary representation of who they are.
Jorge “has his own special ingredient he puts in, but we can’t share that with the public,” according to his son.
“Every dish is cooked with flavor, and sazon fits in with the personality and essence of my father,” Junior said.
For the Magdonal family, “sazon also means the essence of who people are,” he added.
“If they walk down the street with a swagger and pride in what they know and what they hope to bring to their community, they’re said to have sazon,” Junior said.
It’s that kind of pride and hope the Magdonal family wants to share with Paso Robles and San Luis Obispo County, along with the culinary spirit and flavors of their heritage.
“We want to share that sense of family we have at our own kitchen table, and show that with hard work and effort you can achieve anything you put your mind to,” Junior said.
“It also takes strong faith in yourself and God,” he added.
They have big dreams as well.
“We also hope someday to earn a Michelin star and be an important part of the community,” Belyn said.
What’s on the menu?
At Sabor & Sazon’s core are chef Jorge’s 15 years of experience in high-quality restaurants.
Among its specialties are Espadon a la Manabi (Ecuadorian swordfish), a shellfish-heavy paella, Honduran pastelitos (appetizers stuffed with ground beef and potatoes), Italian pastas and Colombian Bandeja Paisa.
The latter delicacy is skirt steak with white rice, red beans, over-medium egg, chorizo made in house, chicharron, plantains, avocado and arepa.
“We wanted our customers to be able to try new flavors that are generally unknown in this area,” Junior said.
Sabor & Sazon’s offerings also include steaks, halibut, rack of lamb, baby backs and pork chops, Chilean sea bass, mandarin-basil salmon and vegetarian options, plus salads and appetizers such as a corn souffle on Parmesan fondue sauce.
Even the desserts are multi-cultural, including flan de coco (coconut), tarta de ricotta with cocoa, tarta de chocolate with vanilla ice cream and crème brulee.
For more information
For details about the restaurant, located at 841 13th St., in Paso Robles, you can email, go to their website, Facebook, TikTok or Instagram page or call 805-221-5048.
Customers can order online too.
The restaurant is currently open seven days a week from 4 to 9 p.m.
This story was originally published September 4, 2024 at 5:00 AM.
