In the realm of home maintenance, cleaning the grill is one of the most annoying chores.
It’s gonna take more time than you think, as each component — the grate, the burners, the hood, etc. — requires different techniques and tools. You’re gonna get super dirty, so much that you’ll spend considerable time cleaning yourself afterward, perhaps also with special soaps or scrubs. And then, when all is said and done, your grill doesn’t look all that different than it did before the cleaning, as that stubborn grease and grime endures even your best efforts.
I know because I’ve cleaned a few barbecue contraptions in my life with varying degrees of success, from charcoal kettles and gas grills to both barrel and electric smokers. But I’ve also been guilty of just using a grill ’til its death (or at least until its donation to others) rather than bother with the cleaning. I’ve even got two electric smokers in my shed right now that have been in limbo for years almost entirely because I don’t want to clean them.
That brand of sloth doesn’t fly when you’ve got a built-in grill, which we do thanks to building an outdoor kitchen as our pandemic project. I’ve been cooking on it for five years now, realizing for at least the last two that it needed a good scrub-down. Yet I still lack the proper motivation and, more importantly, the available time to start such a project.
So I turned to the internet in search of “barbecue cleaning services,” wondering whether they even existed and then if there are any around here. I quickly found Central Coast Grill Cleaners, which appeared to be the only Santa Barbara-based company of its kind. (I did also see the Grill Service Man, but it’s based in Buellton.)
“It’s a very niche thing that people don’t know about,” owner Shane Reeder told me, explaining that most of his business since starting in the summer of 2024 is through word-of-mouth. “So it’s fun to tell your friends.”
Though raised mostly in Telluride, Colorado, Reeder was born to a longtime Massachusetts family in Nantucket, where he works summers on recreational fishing boats and as a beach attendant at resorts. Grill cleaning is a big, albeit seasonal, business in Nantucket, where the tourist hordes really just come for the summer, renting out houses all over the island, all of which have barbecues. Reeder started working for a friend’s grill cleaning company there, and launched his own company here when he came to study communications at UCSB.
“You can grill in Santa Barbara year-round,” said Reeder, whose work here is more for homeowners and managers of long-term rental properties, as our seasonal vacation home market is nothing like Nantucket. He cleaned 15 grills the week that he came to my house, though sometimes does less than a handful a week. “It fluctuates for sure,” he said.
His process, which takes about two hours depending on how dirty your grill is, begins by hauling three loads from his truck. There are multiple tarps, specialized tools, and a big bucket, plus he needs access to water and electricity. This collection was influenced by the time he had to clean a grill to prepare for his sister’s graduation party. “It took me like two hours and it looked worse than it was,” he said. “I realized you had to have the proper stuff to do it.”
His most important weapon is the Dupray steam cleaner. “It’s powerful, hot steam that melts grease and residue,” said Reeder. “A lot of people do hand-scrubbing, which is a big mess, and water rusts grills. It’s nice to let the client know that there is no water.” Steam is obviously water, too, but it was a surprisingly dry process to see the soot from my grill vanish under the blast, which evaporates immediately.
He uses the degreaser Zep to clean the parts of the barbecue that don’t touch food, and then takes a Walt hand grinder to the grill grates, shearing off all that caked-on char. The before and after looks of the grates alone are convincing enough, though it was also nice to see the metal sheen reappear inside the hood as well. He also polished up my outdoor gas burner.
Central Coast Grill Cleaning’s prices depend on size. Smaller built-ins like mine (which is a 30-inch Coyote) are about $265, while smaller Weber Spirits are just $150. “The main grill in Santa Barbara is the Genesis, which is $210,” said Reeder, and then big built-in ones go up to $350.
“I can live up to my word on that,” said Reeder. “It’s expensive and people understand that. But if they can afford it, I do a great job.”
Reeder is actually moving to the North Shore of Oahu at the end of October, but will continue managing his business from there, as two of his college buddies are now cleaning the grills. “It’s nice to leave and feel comfortable with the way I’ve trained my employees,” said Reeder, whose company works from Carpinteria to the Santa Ynez Valley.
As a recent college grad just trying to find his way, Reeder doesn’t know what will become of this business, but it’s doing well enough right now to keep it alive. “There’s really not much in the Santa Barbara area,” said Reeder of the grill-cleaning competition. “That’s certainly a plus.”
See centralcoastgrillcleaners.com.
Toasting Eric Sonquist
Hundreds of people gathered at the UCSB Faculty Club on Saturday to toast the life of longtime UCSB Foundation CFO Eric Sonquist, who also played critical roles over the years at the Santa Barbara Bowl, UCSB Arts & Lectures, and for Santa Barbara Vintners. Speakers from all corners of his life gave moving, memorable speeches, and then the party moved toward the wine and food.
Numerous wine legends were in attendance, from Drake Whitcraft, Greg Brewer, and the Foxen Boys to Richard Sanford, Rick Longoria, Kathy Joseph, Karen Steinwachs, Norm Yost, and Frank Ostini. Many bottles were popped, though the best that I tried was Longoria’s 2000 Blind Faith Vineyard pinot noir from his property in the Sta. Rita Hills. Those grapes were actually grown before the Sta. Rita Hills became an official appellation in 2001, and before the Longorias had to change the name of the vineyard to Fe Ciega due to legal pressure from another winery.
It was the first harvest of those vines, which were in their third leaf in 2020, although the miniscule yield only amounted to 12 cases of wine, so the Longorias never released it commercially. As Rick and Diana Longoria shared their magnum with us, they explained that this 2020 Blind Faith pinot is now being served at the Hitching Post II in Buellton.
Supplies are very limited — and half-bottles are available too — so I’d suggest a trip up there to taste some history. Raise your glass to Eric while you’re at it.
Ernst Storm at Mattei’s Tavern
Aside from attending a couple of events and the opening party, I’ve never really properly dined at Mattei’s Tavern in Los Olivos.
That will change tomorrow, as Ernst Storm invited me as his guest to a winemaker dinner he is hosting there on Saturday, October 10. But he won’t just be pouring his always excellent Storm Wines. Rather, Ernst is sharing the wines he makes for both Grimm’s Bluff and Donnachadh, so there will be a wide mix of styles and flavors to enjoy.
If you’re not busy, come join us, as seats are still available. Click here for info and reservations.
Dom Crisp x Julian Martinez Dinner
Two of Santa Barbara’s most inventive chefs are putting their knack and knives together to host two collaborative dinners this month and next.
Dom Crisp of Dom’s Taverna and Julian Martinez of Bistro Amasa (and Barbareño) will be serving together first on Thursday, October 15, at Dom’s, where the focus will be on beyond-Basque dishes such as grilled watermelon with shio koji and hazelnut-neonata relish; Cubano lobster roll with mojo and speck; and tri-tip with salsa vizcaína, and espelette butter.
The second dinner will be at Bistro Amasa on Thursday, November 12, and that menu is still in development.
Get your reservations for October 15 through Dom’s Taverna on Open Table.
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