Rancho Cielo Drummond Culinary Academy

I had the Caesar salad, steak, and chocolate mouse! Hector our server was awesome, and the food was amazing (and $ 30 for an amazing 3 course meal was a great value). I’ll definitely be back!

First time for dinner last night at Rancho Cielo. Meal and service was excellent. Our waitress Lorie was very polite, professional and knowledgeable. We have definitely found a hidden jewel. Can’t wait to go back.

As good as it gets, food was done as I asked, portions were just right Friendly & helpful, they have learned well. Hector was the best server. Nice to know we are helping people get ahead,& learn a craft they love & are proud to be a part of. Never would have guessed they were learning, they had it down. Can’t wait to go back, what a wonderful experience.

Great ambiance, amazing food, and wonderful service! All for a good cause too! Couldn’t ask for more.

The C.I. A. has some serious competition. Casanova, move over.
We had a delightful evening at Rancho Cielo. We got a table for two, by the window, and were served by the nicest waiter. We ordered the mushroom soup, a salmon entrée and a pork entrée and finished off with a «Chocolate Snowflake» and a «Key Lime Margarita».
We were blown away. The food is phenomenal.
The mushroom soup was served up at our table and it brought back why we loved mushrooms so much. A perfect balance of creaminess and complexity. The salmon was prepared to perfection and the pork was moist and tender and was complemented with the Mexican flavors of the dish. The desserts were fabulous also, along with a exceptional bottle of McIntyre Pino Noir. What these students prepare under the leadership of Chef Patrick Hendon truly creates an extraordinary dining experience.

The food was great and the ambiance was incredible. It is awesome to see a program that helps our youth prepare for a career in the culinary and hospitality industry. Keep
up the good work!

Exceptional food from start to finish, as well as service. The volunteer staff work closely with the student servers and chefs to create an elegant, yet very affordable dining experience. Views out over the Salinas valley are par none. If you haven’t been– go!

Delicious food, wonderful service, beautiful surroundings and most of all a breath of fresh air to see our youth taking their first step in the right direction!

Ate here last night for the first time. It was amazing. We were a group of 20+ we were all pleased with our meal. Stephanie our server did a great job. Thank you Rancho Cielo for a wonderful dinner.

I don’t have anything to say but great things about this place. We had my Mom’s 75^th and my sister’s 50^th birthday here and it was absolutely awesome! From the moment I drove up and saw the green rolling hills covered with bright yellow flowers I knew this place was it. Laura was wonderful, she had answered my questions promptly and we had pulled off the party in less than 3 weeks! The food was superb, our guests were quite happy and satisfied. The service provided by the staff from the food preparation to the venue were nothing but excellent! I hope there will be more parties to come your way :)

The food was great, service was amazing, prices were very reasonable. We were a large party and everyone really loved their meal. These kids are the future generation of fine dining!

What an amazing find this place was! Tucked into a quiet part of Salinas, the culinary academy operates as a restaurant – but only on Friday nights. This means you need to plan well in advance and have a reservation if you want to experience this great program in action.
At-​risk youth, under the guidance of a top-​notch chef, learn how to prepare and serve high-​end cuisine. I don’t know if it always works this way but when we were there, the menu was a $ 30 three-​course prix fixe spread and it was all great. There were multiple choices for a first course and we all loved our different salads. The same was true for the main courses. The spaghetti with prawns was superb. Others in my party were equally pleased with the steak and chicken entrees.
And the desserts? Let’s just say I’m glad they were small portions because they were irresistible.
Jessica was our server and she was extremely personable and attentive.
The whole experience was an unlikely pleasure. Not only that, we felt like we were supporting a fantastic program that is offering a tremendous opportunity to kids who seem to understand how lucky they are to be able to participate in a local success story.
I don’t know when it will happen, but I plan to make another trip back to Rancho Cielo. It’s that good!

What is there not to like? The food, the servers, the service, and especially their mission. The best restaurant in Salinas. Be sure and take a Friday night out to Rancho Cielo and experience delicious cuisine and service with a smile =)

We toured Rancho Cielo as a work outing last year and got to dine at the incredible restaurant. All the cooks and servers are the students there that are trying to better themselves.
It is a very emotional experience, especially if you tour the premises while you are there. We met some of the nicest, more genuine people, who are trying to learn, grow, and become better people.
The food and service was exceptional, especially knowing that some of these students had never served in their life.
We all can’t wait to go back and continue supporting Ranch Cielo

Ate there on Friday April 10^th. Every course that we had was excellent. Kim and I ordered different things and shared. 1^st course we had lobster bisk and arugula salad with goat cheese. 2^nd we had salmon that was crusted with mustard. We also had the ranch steak, strip loin. Both were cooked perfect. For dessert we had chocolate cheese cake and a cream Bure. All the help were very attentive and our server Stephanie did an excellent job. Will definitely go there again. Has a nice view of the valley and we got to see a beautiful sunset.

I’m a fan! Last Friday was an exceptionally busy evening which meant that service was a little slow but the servers were working hard and were always polite and friendly. The kitchen ran out of two of the entrees by the time we got there but they complemented us with the wine. The food was very good and presented with style. We would definitely go there again and again because it is a good cause and the food is very good and the prices are right. Do support this fantastic program for the young people in Salinas!

Excellent first time experience. Delicious food with very friendly service. Highly recommend.

The view is exceptionally peaceful with rolling hills. Hit the 7:30 PM dinner service and watch the sunset in May. Service is efficient and attentive — pleasantly unexpected. The food is served at the right temperature, perfectly seasoned, flavorful, and elegantly presented. What an experience!
The youth program at the culinary school is a unique and much needed program in the community.
I look forward to the next Friday night dinner experience. (They only serve dinner on Fridays, 5:00 PM [I think] and 7:30 PM). Call to make reservations.

My boyfriend and I dined at Rancho Cielo last Friday, and we couldn’t believe we had been missing out on such an incredible local dining experience in Salinas! From the moment we arrived, we were greeted with warm hospitality and attentive service. The dining room atmosphere is fun and inviting, and our server, Nathalie, and our busser, Kassandra, were extremely professional and informative throughout the meal; they provided many helpful recommendations on the menu.
The dinner is designed to be a three course meal, and the price is definitely right! The presentation is exquisite, the portions generous, and the flavors were exactly on point. We were impressed every step of the way and we can’t wait to return! This place is definitely Salinas’ best kept secret.

Went for dinner the Friday before Christmas. Arrived and was amazed with the view and atmosphere. Received excellent service and fantastic food. The steak was cooked perfectly and everything from start to finish was great. I would defiantly return and recommend this place to friends and family. Only wish they were open more often. Looking forward to my next visit.