Meet Charles Koll of Viewpoint Brewing in Del Mar

Today we’d like to introduce you to Charles Koll.

Charles was born in South Africa and moved to Del Mar, a coastal community just 20 minutes north of downtown San Diego, when he was five years old. He grew up surfing and dirt biking along the coast, making him a passionate advocate for nature early on. He traded the beach for the mountains when he moved to Vermont after high school, attending a small liberal arts college.

After two years of studying but mostly snowboarding, Charles decided to move to Colorado, where he would teach young kids how to snowboard. He took a second job at a local sandwich shop, and he remembers it being the first time he worked for someone who had an intense passion for something he had always thought to be so simple – food. He started experimenting with flavors and making off menu sandwiches and had a lightbulb moment: he could get paid for playing with food.

From then on, he worked in kitchens and took classes at the Culinary School of the Rockies. He left Colorado and did a brief stint in San Francisco – where he worked in the kitchen at neighborhood tavern The Monk’s Kettle – before returning home to San Diego. He joined the culinary workforce, spending time in the kitchen at esteemed fine dining institution Mille Fleurs and later at Prepkitchen Del Mar, part of local restaurant group Whisknladle Hospitality’s portfolio.

Through this work experience, he found himself engaging with experienced professionals and gaining a deeper understanding of restaurant operations, turning his attention from creativity in the kitchen turning out dishes to creativity in business. Experimental by nature, Charles also turned to home brewing to create brews to pair with his food. The idea of opening his own brewery and restaurant in his adopted hometown was on his mind, and he decided to partner with his father, established businessman Malcolm Koll, to make the idea feasible.

His drive was not just his desire to create something of his own, but to give those in the industry a place to experiment, learn and thrive. As luck would have it, he drove by the new home of Viewpoint Brewing Co., then the studio of potter John Laver, and saw a for rent sign. He knew that this commercial space, in such a pristine and unique location, was the spot where he could bring his idea to life.

The fact that the location ended up being in Del Mar, where he was raised, brought him full circle. He leaned on family and his network of industry friends while he developed the concept. Early on, he knew he wanted the project to be about collaboration, and he brought on friends he had made along the way to help him see his vision to fruition. Charles seeks to provide a venue for the evolving community of Del Mar, providing a distinctive space for people to gather, connect and appreciate timeless food and drink.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Our biggest struggle was getting open! The space we chose for Viewpoint Brewing Co. needed a lot of work, and we took it upon ourselves to do all the work. We restored, enhanced and updated the building for over two years to make it what it is today. During that time, we also had to go through the City of Del Mar’s exacting review process and faced a procedural challenge from former mayor Al Corti, who lives nearby. It was a long road to become Del Mar’s first brewery, but here we are!

Viewpoint Brewing Co. – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
The idea of Viewpoint is that it’s about perspective. We’re constantly playing with themes and design elements that make you look twice, How you see things is always going to be different than the person next to you; the same is true for flavor and food and beer. Viewpoint is all about building a team of individuals that each brings a different perspective to the table. That really allows us to build and create things as a collaborative team. I take pride in the fact that the chef, the brewer, and I actually have different palates and different tastes, and we work together to make a range of styles that can appeal to all of us.

Our menu is a collaborative effort between myself and our executive chef, Gunnar Planter, formerly of Mille Fleurs, and our beer list is a collaboration between myself and our head brewer Moe Katomski. Moe, Gunnar and I all come from culinary backgrounds, so we are very aware of food/beer pairings and make food that’s designed to complement our beers and vice versa. What sets us apart is definitely our unique location on the San Dieguito Lagoon, but also the fact that we’re a waterfront brewery that’s also a full-service restaurant. We are equally as proud of our food as we are our beer.

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Since Viewpoint Brewing Co. is all about collaboration, I measure success by how well we are all working together behind-the-scenes to create an experience for our community that we ourselves are proud to be a part of.

Contact Info:

• Address: 2201 San Dieguito Drive Del Mar, CA 92014
• Website: www.viewpointbrewing.com
• Phone: (858) 356-9346
• Email: info@viewpointbrewing.com
• Instagram: viewpointbrewingco
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ViewpointBrewing/
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/viewpoint-brewing-co-del-mar-5

Image Credit:
Sam Wells, William Perls

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