San Diego · Wood-Fired Mobile Kitchen
A wood-fired kitchen, on the move.
A chef-driven mobile kitchen in San Diego cooking everything over live oak and almond wood. The menu shifts with the season and the market — a short list of small plates and wood-fired mains, plated with the care of a dining room, served from a truck. Chef Daniel Mercer left fine dining to cook closer to the fire, and closer to you.
Tonight's fire
Liberty Station
Coals are lit
The truck moves with the season. We post each week's stops — and any market-driven menu changes — the day before.
From the pass
What comes off the fire
Live oak
The only heat we use
Smoked beet
Roasted in the coals
Charred cabbage
Brown butter, hazelnut
Market fish
Whatever came in fresh
Plated to order
A dining room on wheels
The fire
Tended all service
The chef's story
From the dining room to the fire.
Daniel Mercer spent the better part of a decade on the line in fine-dining kitchens — tweezers, tasting spoons, the quiet intensity of a dining room at full service. He loved the craft and grew tired of the distance it put between the cook and the person eating. He wanted to be closer to the fire, and closer to the people he was cooking for.
So he built a kitchen around a wood-burning grill and put it on a truck. Everything on Ember & Oak is cooked over live oak and almond — no gas, no shortcuts. The menu is short on purpose and changes with what the market and the season give him. The plating discipline came from the dining room; the fire, and the directness, are new.
You will usually find Daniel himself at the pass, calling tickets and finishing plates. Pull up a stool, watch the coals, and eat something cooked the way he has always wanted to cook it.
Private events & catering
Bring the fire to your event.
We take the truck to weddings, private dinners, and one-night residencies across San Diego County. Every event gets a seasonal menu built for the day — designed with you, cooked entirely over wood.
Weddings
A live-fire station as the centerpiece of your reception — guests gather around the coals, plates come out warm and unhurried. We design a seasonal menu around your day.
Private dinners
Long-table dinners in backyards, vineyards, and rooftops. A set tasting menu cooked entirely over wood, served family-style or plated, paired to whatever you are pouring.
Pop-ups & residencies
We partner with wineries, breweries, and galleries for one-night residencies. Bring the truck to your space and we will build a menu that fits the room.
Tell us about your event
Share the date, the headcount, and the kind of evening you have in mind. Daniel reviews every inquiry personally and replies with availability and a proposed seasonal menu.
Call or text — Daniel answers when he is off the line. hello@emberandoak.example
Best for detailed event briefs.
- We travel throughout San Diego County
- Seasonal menu designed for your event
- Plant-based and dietary options on every menu
- A deposit reserves your date