Episode 1 🍞 Clark Staub | From Dough to Soul - Full of Life Flatbread

Food

Aug 14

Written By Keith Saarloos

Chopping It Up with Keith Saarloos · Released August 14, 2025 · Santa Ynez Valley, California

▶ OPEN THE SHOW ON SPOTIFY · Open this episode on Spotify for Creators

Apple Podcasts — this episode

About this conversation

For the inaugural episode of Chopping It Up on Krazy Country 105.9, I sat down with someone I’ve admired for decades — Clark Staub, the founder of Full of Life Flatbread in Los Alamos, California.

Clark isn’t just a chef. He’s a builder of communities, a keeper of stories, and the kind of guy who can turn a 23-ton wood-fired oven into the beating heart of a small town. We talk about his winding path from the corporate music industry to running an organic bakery in Claremont, starting a farmers market from scratch, and eventually landing in Los Alamos — long before it was a food destination.

This conversation isn’t just about pizza (though we talk about plenty of that). It’s about creating something that matters in a place that matters. Clark shares how he built Full of Life by hand, piece by piece, with benches made from a single salvaged tree, a kitchen anchored by an oven inspired by Spain and Quebec, and a menu that changes every single week based on what local farmers bring to market.

We get into the big stuff — the joy and grind of running a restaurant for 23 years, the employees who’ve been with him since day one, the chefs he’s mentored who’ve gone on to start their own places, and the endless inspiration that comes from cooking with purpose. We also talk about why he refuses to “chase the dollar” by opening every day, choosing instead to focus on quality, seasonality, and zero waste.

I tell Clark exactly what his restaurant has meant to me personally — how it’s been a touchstone in my life and my family’s life for over two decades, how it’s the place I send people when they ask where to eat in the Valley, and how I believe Full of Life helped spark the entire culinary renaissance of Los Alamos.

There’s a difference between eating and being fed. For 23 years, Clark has been feeding people — body and soul. If you’ve ever had one of his flatbreads, you know it’s more than food. It’s a story, a community, and a little bit of magic pulled from a 700-degree fire.

We also talk lamb and egg soup, chocolate clams from the Sea of Cortez, smoked Pacific whitefish, pork loin pizza, and even homemade Peeps (yes, really). And of course, we hear about what’s on the menu this Easter Sunday.

This isn’t an interview. It’s a conversation. A chance to hear from one of the people who’s helped shape the Santa Ynez Valley into the place we love. Pull up a chair, pour a glass, and join us.