Pete Dumas takes over as chef de cuisine at Camper in Menlo Park

You could say that Camper Chef de Cuisine has come full circle. It was in Menlo Park where he started on his career path many years ago.

“In 1996, I’d just graduated from Colgate with an anthropology major and wasn’t sure what I wanted to do,” he told InMenlo. “But I got a job at a little deli in downtown Menlo Park, and somehow I just took to restaurant work — and saw it as a profession I could stick with.”

Pete’s journey to Camper began with a chance meeting with Camper Chef Greg Kuzia-Carmel at Blue Plate in San Francisco.

It’s was an encounter he’s thankful for.

“Camper is a healthy, busy restaurant that serves the community — and that’s great for us in the kitchen.

“The restaurant business is fickle but I’ve been lucky enough to walk into something that’s in great shape!”

We always enjoy asking chefs what they like to eat along with what they like to cook.

“I’m a bakery kind of person,” Pete says. “My wife and I still go to Chuck’s Donuts on Woodside Road.”

“As for what I like to prepare, I’d say fish, which changes frequently on Camper’s dinner menu.”

Camper is located at 898 Santa Cruz Avenue in Menlo Park. Reservations are strongly recommended.

Photo by Linda Hubbard (c) 2025