Chef Cecchini Finds Safe Harbor

Scott and Perry sound like a (misspelled) pair of polar explorers, but John Scott and Dave Perry locally are known as the owners of the Harbor Restaurant (Stearns Wharf, 963-3311). The two are celebrating 20 years of ownership that has burgeoned into a S.B. food empire that includes Longboard’s Grill, the Tee-Off, Harry’s Plaza Cafe, and El Paseo, Kona Ranch House in Goleta and Scotch & Sirloin in Ventura. Of course they made news of late by hiring David Cecchini, beloved for his stints at the Wine Cask and Nu, as executive chef. There’s little question they don’t just want to run a restaurant with Santa Barbara’s best view, they want the food quality to be just as spectacular. “We’re always looking to improve,” Scott said. “All of our restaurants go through transformations. Having David on the team is another step in the evolution.”