The old and the new take on Thousand Oaks restaurants
Restaurants all over the country come and go, from chains, to drive-throughs, to mom-and-pop shops. Here, in Thousand Oaks, both new and old restaurants thrive in the welcoming community that the city has to offer. Each and every restaurant has their own story of how they got here. The Thousand Oaks Meat Locker, located on Thousand Oaks Boulevard, opened its doors in the early 1960’s. Fast forward 60 years, Cedros, an authentic Italian restaurant, owned by two longtime friends opened in Feb. 2024. Although the substantial difference between the length of how long each of these restaurants have been open, the one thing that has not changed is the sense of community the business owners feel in Thousand Oaks. It is important to support the new restaurants while also honoring the established restaurants that came before.
Cobb Oxford, co-owner of Meat Locker and Newbury Park High School alumnus, grew up in the restaurant. He spent his afternoons sweeping the sawdust off the floors, earning a quarter for being the “official broom guy.” Getting his family involved was always a big priority, and they would put together their money to purchase jerky from the front of the store. Robin Oxford, Cobb’s wife and co-owner, joined the restaurant in 1986, when she was pregnant with their daughter.
Meat Locker was first opened by Cobb Oxford’s father, who learned to cook while in the military. After having a vision to open up his own place, he rented the space that became the meat shop, where people could rent a space in the walk-in freezer: hence the name, Meat Locker. “Back in the day, everybody had their butcher [and] their baker,” Cobb Oxford said. So, Thousand Oaks Meat Locker became the butcher shop that many community members were in need of, including Ronald Reagan. “[Cobb Oxford’s] dad used to tell stories about Reagan [getting] away from the public [and hiding from the press] before he was president. He would come down here and they would just sit [in the back of the restaurant] and talk,” Robin Oxford said.
Originally selling only raw meats and jerky, the Oxford family decided to open a barbecue restaurant in the front of their store. While it used to remain open only on the weekends, it is now dedicated to barbecue all week long.
Although much newer than Meat Locker, Cedros is a family place just the same. Matteo Di Nicola and Mattia Raimondi, co-owners, relocated from their homeland of Italy to start their authentic Italian restaurant, Cedros. Cedros acquired its name from Di Nicola and Raimondi’s grandfathers, both named Cedro. “You need to know that every person who is here is like family,” Raimondi said.
Di Nicola, head chef, is the secret ingredient to the delicious dishes prepared from scratch daily. “Only a couple of days of sauce are ready, but the rest of it gets ready at the moment,” Raimondi said. But, with that responsibility and hefty expectations comes stress. “I work in the kitchen, so I can tell you about stress and pressure. It’s a balance when you work in the kitchen. [Working in the kitchen], is the most stressful part, but usually it depends on the service,” Di Nicola said.
Raimondi and Di Nicola chose Newbury Park for the community and location. “In Italy, [we were] near the big town, it [had] some community, like Newbury, and usually people appreciate food,” Di Nicola said. “Newbury Park has a very nice community, it feels like Italy.”
