By Michael Gaither

Adam Bergeron is no stranger to Santa Cruz. A few months ago, he returned to his old post at the helm of The Crepe Place. The Sentinel recently caught up with Bergeron to chat about his early years working and owning the restaurant and venue, and what it’s like to be back running things.

“I worked as the general manager and kitchen manager from 1990 to 1999,” he recalled. “I left, came back and purchased it from the original owner in 2006, running it until 2018. In the 35 years of The Crepe Place, I’ve been there for 21 of them.”

When he and his wife sold the restaurant/venue, “it made sense because of where we were at in life.” They were living in San Francisco and commuting. “There was a lot of back and forth to Santa Cruz, which is fine, but it’s not ideal.” Plus, at the same time, he was also operating 12 Galaxies, a music venue in the city.

His ties and time owning 12 Galaxies is how the music program came into being at The Crepe Place in its present location on Soquel Avenue. “Beginning in 2007,” Bergeron said, “I was able to parlay my relationships with musicians in San Francisco to have them play in Santa Cruz.” That also explains why Bay Area artists including Chuck Prophet and Sean Hayes made regular appearances down our way at Bergeron’s place in the early days.

“Then it snowballed and became the little venue that could,” he said. “And in the years that we had it the first time, there were so many bands and artists who were just up-and-coming and doing their first, second or third tour but later went on to get huge, like The Lumineers, Justin Townes Earle, even Norah Jones.”

(Personally, I still fondly remember seeing songwriter Eilen Jewell playing in the bar at The Crepe Place her first time through Santa Cruz. We play her music literally every day on KPIG radio.)

“Santa Cruz is such a perfect spot for bands on tour,” Bergeron added. “It’s 75 miles from San Francisco, so if there’s a ‘radius clause’ (which limits how far between venues a band can play in a short amount of time), we’re beyond that. And because of the separation of the mountains, we’re a completely different market.” That’s also why so many great bands and artists come through Santa Cruz midweek.

The music continued in Bergeron’s absence, and the bands continue to play on as he and his wife have returned. Regarding The Crepe Place, “I always thought The Crepe Place was ‘the one that got away.’ When the opportunity presented itself, we hopped right on it and we moved back to Santa Cruz. We even bought the building and upgraded the roof, floor and kitchen. We went all in.”

He continued, “Chuck Platt, who I bought the building from, did a fantastic job of maintaining the space. The garden looks as beautiful as it’s ever. We’re adding a couple of sandwiches to the menu, but that’s it. … The old Crepe Place menu will remain intact. Plus, our hot cider is a classic.”

And this time, Bergeron and his wife are here for good. “San Francisco is a gem of a city, but there comes a certain point in life where you long for something slower, and Santa Cruz is just a magical spot. And for the music,” he added, “there are just so many genres represented here, and it’s a great scene, both for those who play concerts and for those who attend them.”

Michael Gaither is a performing songwriter, radio DJ and the music writer for The Santa Cruz Sentinel.