About
For many generations the Walchef family farmed the same plot of land in rural Bulgaria. As a boy on the farm, Luben Walchef dreamed of moving to America and becoming a respected physician. With a lot of hard work and a little luck his dreams came true.
By 1972, Dr. Luben Walchef had found his way to another rural area in the gentle rolling hills of east San Diego, a place called Spring Valley. In this lush setting he found a quaint two-bedroom home for his family. There he planted a wonderful vegetable garden and enjoyed the hearty dishes it made possible. Eventually the good doctor decided to share his love of classically prepared, great tasting food with the people of his community.
In the 1980s, Dr. Walchef turned his home into a charming family restaurant, and it soon became one of Spring Valley’s most popular eateries. In the years since then, various owners have contributed their ideas to the development of the restaurant, enriching its character while remaining faithful to its tradition of providing wholesome family meals.
To continue the Doctor’s dream of family-friendly dining on Troy Street, his eldest grandson, Shawn Walchef, who has worked as a bus boy, server and manager at the restaurant since September 1994, has teamed up with business partner, Corey Robinson to open Cali Comfort Restaurant and Sports Bar.
Shawn has a deep understanding of the restaurant industry and is fortunate enough to have experienced and learned from the many successes and failures of previous operations in this location. He is also privileged to have worked in other well-established restaurants such as BJ’s Restaurant and Brewery, where he worked throughout college in Boulder. Now that he is able to call Cali Comfort his own, Shawn has never felt more comfortable in applying his experience and education to serving the welcoming community of Spring Valley.
Corey was also raised in his family’s restaurant in Aspen/Snowmass Village, Colorado, which to date is a local’s favorite and the longest running restaurant in Snowmass Village. He began working as an ice cream and shake boy in his young teens and grew through every position in the restaurant including that of a managing owner. Throughout college, Corey worked in other eateries and would return to the family restaurant whenever he had a break from school. Corey is well aware of the numerous components that go in to running a successful establishment.
Shawn and Corey met at the University of Colorado in Boulder and became great friends through their shared passion for athletics and their competitive drive to always work hard and play even longer. Now that the opportunity to open their own restaurant has come forth, they have been working diligently as a team in creating their vision. The Cali Comfort Team is dedicated to continuing Dr. Walchef’s legacy by providing the restaurant’s patrons with delicious American-style meals and warm Southern California hospitality. Thank you for joining us.
To learn more about the history of how Cali Comfort came to be and the amazing life travels of Dr. Luben Walchef, check out his book, “The Harvest: How a Bulgarian Farm Boy Grew Wealthy in La Jolla, California.” Available on Amazon or at Cali Comfort!