Great Restaurants Have Deep Roots
And Cowboy Surfer Grill is no different.
A story of three owners, whose dreams led them to this place: in the 1940s, Jim Botkin returned from his service in the Pacific, married his love and settled in a small farming community in Central California to start a family. Not too many years later, a young Jim Bolin was growing up in Huntington Beach and discovering the ways of the surf. As the 60s arrived, veteran Jim B. welcomed his youngest son Steve. Meanwhile, surfing was becoming world famous, and the younger Jim B. threw himself into the culture. Inland and north just a bit, Steve grew up admiring John Wayne, listening to the Beach Boys, and watching Frankie and Annette. The 70s... well, perhaps it's best not to dwell. During the 80s, surfer Jim moved inland and discovered his inner Cowboy, and Steve found his way to the beaches of San Diego, where he started his own family of foodies. Far, far away a young Loretta Lee heard tales of California and cowboys and surfers… The 90s found Jim settled in Corona but with a burr in his saddle, Steve in Wyoming with his growing family, and Loretta dreaming of a world far away. As the new century unfolds, Jim built his dream, and The Cowboy Surfer Grill was born!
2005 found Steve rekindling lost love and moving to Corona, where he discovered this wonderful dining establishment and declared it his dream to own a place just like it. He is, after all, a cowboy surfer as well. As time went on, his bride, the love of his life from high school, listened many times, shaking her head, as he talked of his dream to replace Jim some day. Because Steve was unable to convince his wife of the wonderfulness of the idea in 2008 when Jim decided to rest his spurs, grab his board and head for the sunset, it happened that Loretta and her family had made their way to California, and she took up the reins and began to learn the way of the Cowboy. Finally in 2015, once again we find the reins being passed, this time to Jim B’s son and the other Jim B’s prodigy, Steve. Having finally worn down his wife Kathy (who has seen the ocean and knows people who have horses, and has even ridden a horse along a beach!), he is the busting-his-buttons-proud owner of the Cowboy Surfer Grill! He looks forward to leading the Cowboy Surfer into its next chapter, with the help of his family -- including son/chef David, who himself was born on a beach and raised in the wilds of Wyoming. Round up them dogies and head 'em in, because Surf’s Up at the Cowboy Surfer!
