Point Reyes Light - August 5, 1999
Prominent SF restaurateur to buy Nick's Cove
The owner of Nick's Cove in Marshall has agreed to sell her waterfront restaurant to a prominent San Francisco-based restaurateur.
Ruth Gibson, 79, who has owned Nick's Cove since 1972, accepted a written offer from restaurateur Pat Kuleto and two partners on July 21, and the deal is expected to enter escrow on Monday.
While the exact price was not disclosed, Kuleto confirmed that he would pay "close to $2 million dollars" for Nick's Cove and 10 acres of property along Highway 1 and Tomales Bay.
Kuleto and a party of roughly 30 guests visited the restaurant this past Sunday, and on Monday he confirmed that the deal was moving forward in a timely manner.
"Everything is moving along fine," said Kuleto, who co-owns Boulevard, Jardiniere, and Farallon restaurants in San Francisco. He has designed other city eateries including Kuleto's and Fog City Diner.
Along with the rustic restaurant and Gibson residence across the highway, the sale includes four dilapidated over-water cabins that Kuleto intends to renovate as bed-and-breakfast units.
Kuleto's plans are to renovate the restaurant and the adjoining pier in the near future. He said he intends to preserve the environment and flavor of the property, and to cooperate with the surrounding community.
"I feel it's a classic, historical property with great character," he said. "Our intent, simply put, is to restore Nick's and to basically keep it from falling in to the bay."
The pending sale comes amid objections from Marshall residents Tom and Renata Dorn, who have been working to buy the property themselves for the past eight months.
According to the Dorns, they were sealing the terms of a deal with Gibson and her attorney when Kuleto's cash offer was presented. "We were pretty upset after the meeting and the preemptive strike by Kuleto," Renata Dorn said.
Dorn explained that at their July 21 "deal-closing" meeting, Gibson's lawyer told her and her husband that Gibson intended to sell to Kuleto, who had come in with a more attractive offer.
Gibson, Dorn added, confirmed her lawyer's statement a few days later. "Many, many times in this period over the last eight months, Ruth has promised us of her intention to work with us," she said. "I'm very sensitive to the stress and difficulty this [sale] has meant for her, but it's unfortunate."
Feeling that the local charm and affordable fare will be lost to Kuleto and his partners, the Dorns have been trying to rally opposition to the deal.
Via the Internet, they are trying to warn West Marin residents of Kuleto's history of developing elegant and expensive "trophy restaurants," and have asked for community response and involvement.
"The community is aware of it," Renata Dorn said. "Initial response has been based on what Pat Kuleto has done in the city. If he does a similar thing here, it is a frightening prospect."
Kuleto called claims that he would do anything other than restore the restaurant "pure conjecture."
A Sausalito resident for 35 years, he said the purchase is based more on personal than financial considerations. He said his interest in Nick's Cove derives from a sincere appreciation of Marin and Tomales Bay. "I've been in Marin County for a long time," he said. "We don't want to do something that won't be right."
The prospective owner said he intends to keep serving fresh fish and barbecued oysters, and to keep prices affordable. First and foremost, he said, he wants to offer a "good, wholesome, and healthy restaurant."
Gibson, who bought Nick's Cove 27 years ago with her late husband Al, has no problems with Kuleto's plans. "He wants to keep it looking like it did, like an old fishing village," she said.
When asked about the negotiations with the Dorns, Gibson only commented that a deal had never been finalized. "There's never been any money that has exchanged hands," she said. "The things that [Renata Dorn] said, some of them are not true." Gibson added that she believes that "everyone will be pleased" with the way Nick's Cove turns out.
After the deal is done, Kuleto plans to invite interested Tomales Bay residents and neighbors to address concerns and exchange ideas. One topic is sure to be the inadequate septic system that forced the county to temporarily close the restaurant in 1992.
Kuleto said Monday that recent response from area residents has been "much more positive" since he released a letter outlining his intentions.
Gibson said she plans to retire to Clear Lake in Lake County. As for Nick's Cove, she said, "It's been a wonderful place to be."