About Us

Cheryl Stotler
Owner

Cheryl specializes in house made pastries and desserts, which she has always loved to eat and realized a love to create during her training at the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco. All of the delectable cakes, tarts, ice creams and sorbets offered at WaterBarge Restaurant are made on-site under her supervision .

An accomplished catering chef as well , Cheryl oversees the banquet catering and manages the day -to-day operations of the restaurant. With Cheryl's expertise in event planning and catering - no one loves a party more! - WaterBarge Restaurant & Tavern is an ideal location for your group's meeting, your family's party and your club's banquet. Whatever your needs, Cheryl and her staff work closely with you to create an enjoyable and successful event.


John Coss
Chef/Owner

John 's father owned a factory that produced prepared foods for the service industry , so he grew up in the San Francisco food business, tagging along when Dad presented his products at industry shows.

A product of the Hotel and Restaurant Management Program at San Francisco's City College, John started his career in San Francisco 25 years ago and honed it in the Napa Valley for 15 years. During his 8 years as executive chef at the well-regarded All Seasons Cafe and Wine Shop in Calistoga, he specialized in the pairing of fine food and wine, while building a reputation as a versatile, creative chef with a passion for fresh, seasonal, well-handled food. At WaterBarge, John makes almost all of the menu items in-house, from smoked fish and meats to sausages, pasta, pickles, sauerkraut, and of course, all of the stocks and sauces.

John 's fascination with escargot was apparent at the tender age of 3... Photo courtesy of San Francisco News Call Bulletin 1960 at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco

Cheryl + John = WaterBarge

So , how did a couple of classically trained chefs end up in Vallejo?

Before opening WaterBarge Restaurant & Tavern--in fact, before even knowing each other-- John and Cheryl were travelers. While John was exploring the jungles and mysteries of Costa Rica, Panama, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and the South Pacific, Cheryl was bumming around Europe, the Caribbean and West Indies until she too discovered a love for Asia, including Korea, China and Indonesia.

The pair met and realized they shared a passion for food, culture and--oddly enough--baseball. John collected autographs and baseball cards as a child, and Cheryl, a spring training veteran, has visited more than half of the major league baseball stadiums in the United States and Canada. They went on to cook together, travel together and share San Francisco Giants season tickets. Rather than rush off to the culinary Mecca's of France or Italy, this unconventional couple decided their first adventure together would be India.

In 2001, after years of cooking for wine aficionados, celebrities and tourists, John decided it was time to get back to his roots and cook simple, hearty, rustic dishes at reasonable prices. Research indicated that the Vallejo Marina, a perfect Bay Area location with rapidly changing demographics, could support a quality restaurant and that the diverse cultures that make up the city's population was a good fit for John and Cheryl's personalities and lifestyles.

So far, so good . WaterBarge Restaurant & Tavern is attracting customers from not only Vallejo, but from all over Solano, Napa and Contra Costa Counties as well.

Diners are gravitating to the honest, sophisticated dishes on the menu, the warm and inviting atmosphere and the welcoming friendliness of the staff. WaterBarge Restaurant & Tavern is one of Vallejo's best kept secrets, but maybe not for long!

Contact either Cheryl or John by phone at 707-642-8984 or email.