Edible Monterey Bay: Winter 2019 | No. 34

Celebrating the Local Food and Drink of Santa Cruz, Monterey and San Benito Counties

Member of Edible Communities

EDIBLE NOTABLES

Everything’s coming up aces as Salinas bakery turns five; Asian street food by Full Steam Dumpling is a hit in Santa Cruz; Chefs are swooning over the savory seaweeds cultivated in Moss Landing

WHAT’S IN SEASON MEYER LEMONS Brighten up the dark months with these California classics

EDIBLE PROVISIONS CHOCOLATE

FOODSHED WINTER FARMERS’ MARKETS A complete guide for the Monterey Bay area

IN THE KITCHEN WINTER WARMERS Make this the coziest time of year with our three homemade soups 36 EDIBLE ENTERTAINING GOING CRACKERS Not all holiday treats are sweet

BACK OF THE HOUSE CHEF SHIFT Meet the new wave of big city chefs breaking over the Santa Cruz dining scene

ON THE FARM HEALTHY HEDGEROWS Bringing nature back to the fields has many benefits

EDIBLE D.I.Y. PUPPY LOVE Indulge your pets with these farm-to-canine dog treats

DINE LOCAL GUIDE 72 LAST CALL EL JEFE A tequila with local roots

RECIPES IN THIS ISSUE 9 Hand-Rolled Chocolate Truffles 22 Greek Lemon Chicken Soup 23 Frozen Lemon-Gingersnap Pie 32 Chicken and Rice Soup with Coconut-Peanut Topping 33 Celery Root and Apple Soup with Brown Butter Crab 34 Red Curry Chickpea Stew 39 Almond Crackers 39 Fruit and Nut Crispbreads 39 Beer Crackers 72 7D Paloma Cocktail

COVER PHOTOGRAPH

Celery Root and Apple Soup with Brown Butter Crab by Patrick Tregenza

COVER STYLING By Diane Gsell

CONTENTS PHOTOGRAPH

Monterey Bay Seaweeds by Patrick Tregenza

GRIST FOR THE MILL edible

Powerless. That’s how we were and that’s how I felt when our electricity was turned off for three days due to high fire danger in the Santa Cruz Mountains just as we were finishing up this winter issue.

So instead of being glued to my computer screen, editing stories and selecting photos, I found myself lighting candles, building a fire in the fireplace and trying to make the best of a bad situation by cooking up a comforting dinner.

Under normal circumstances I probably would have gone online and downloaded Suzanne Goin’s sublime short ribs recipe— which has become a winter favorite at our house—or tried Andrea Nguyen’s recipe for Viet Beef Stew with Star Anise that I’ve been saving on my computer for months.

But instead I pulled out a faded and stained handwritten recipe card from long ago and started to make beef stew the way one of my first housemates used to make it back when we were all learning to cook from each other. Yep, it calls for Worcestershire sauce. And maybe it wasn’t as tasty and sophisticated as I remembered, but oh, what memories that hearty stew brought back!

Home cooking not only nourishes and comforts loved ones, it also is one of the most powerful ways to create lasting memories—especially during the exciting holiday season. With that in mind, we put together this special Home Cooking issue of Edible Monterey Bay and packed it with more recipes than ever.

Inside you’ll learn how to make four wonderful soups starting with farmer Jamie Collins’ Meyer lemon Avgolemono and then three recipes from Caroline Chambers, a Carmel cook who loves experimenting in her home test kitchen. To accompany the soups, EMB contributors Amber Turpin and Jessica Tunis team up for some fun in the kitchen, making their own crackers—perfect for entertaining. And chef John Cox shares his ideas for making organic, farmers’ market treats for your dog.

We also have a sweet spot with chef Michelle Lee’s frozen lemon-gingersnap pie and, a treat to take you through Valentine’s Day, hand-rolled chocolate truffles from Adrian Jimenez.

Of course, we also know our readers love to eat out, so Mark C. Anderson introduces us to four restaurants and five big city chefs who are transforming the Santa Cruz foodscape, and much more.

With the holidays upon us, please use our Dine Local Guide to help you find the best local restaurants and shop at our advertisers. They are businesses that care about the local food community and demonstrate it by supporting EMB.

We are so grateful for our advertising partners and amazing readers all year round, but especially at this time of year. Wishing all of you a warm and wonderful holiday season and a Happy New Year,

MONTEREY BAY

EDITOR AND PUBLISHER

Deborah Luhrman deborah@ediblemontereybay.com 831.600.8281

FOUNDERS Sarah Wood and Rob Fisher

COPY EDITOR Doresa Banning

LAYOUT & DESIGN Matthew Freeman and Tina Bossy-Freeman

AD DESIGNERS Bigfish Smallpond Design Jane Bolling Design • Zephyr Pfotenhauer Melissa Thoeny Designs

CONTRIBUTORS

Mark C. Anderson • Elizabeth Birnbaum • Crystal Birns • Caroline Chambers • Jamie Collins • Laura Cook • John Cox • Ellen Farmer • Maria Gaura • Margaux Gibbons • Diane Gsell

• Jules Holdsworth • Coline LeConte • Michelle Magdalena • Kathryn McKenzie • Zephyr Pfotenhauer • Patrick Tregenza • Jessica Tunis • Amber Turpin

ADVERTISING SALES

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Mick Freeman • 831.419.2975

CONTACT US:

Edible Monterey Bay P.O. Box 487 Santa Cruz, CA 95061 www.ediblemontereybay.com 831.600.8281 info@ediblemontereybay.com

Edible Monterey Bay is published quarterly. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be used without written permission of the publisher. Subscriptions are $28 per year at www. ediblemontereybay.com. Every effort is made to avoid errors, misspellings and omissions. If, however, an error comes to your attention, please accept our apologies and notify us. We also welcome letters to the above address. Thank you.

Deborah Luhrman Publisher

EDIBLE NOTABLES

Sweet Dreams

Everything’s coming up aces as Salinas bakery turns five

BY KATHRYN MCKENZIE PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARGAUX GIBBONS

Adrian Jimenez had faith that her dream of owning her own bakery would come to pass, even though she had never done anything like it before, had no experience managing an actual storefront and didn’t even have money for the first month’s rent on a tiny space in Oldtown Salinas.

But her friend Terri Madrid pushed her. And Jimenez jumped in. She launched a Kickstarter campaign to get her fledgling business off the ground in 2015, and miraculously, by the end of the campaign, she had raised $13,000—enough to cover rent plus equipment and remodeling.

That’s how Blue Aces Bake Shoppe came to be. “I didn’t choose it; it chose me,” Jimenez says. But how it has grown is another story altogether.

Jimenez’s little bakery is now a beloved Oldtown institution, offering exquisite pies, cakes, pastries and various other handcrafted delights. Madrid’s Gold Leaf Tea, which originally occupied the space, is next

door. The bakery is definitely Jimenez’s happy place, full of beautifully decorated treats that range from bite-sized indulgences to familypleasing cakes and pies.

Blue Aces is famous for its macarons, the French almond cookies with ganache filling, and offers a flavor menu each month to tempt customers. But beyond macarons, there are seasonal cookies, tarts and cannolis, as well as vegan, sugar-free and gluten-free goodies. In addition, Jimenez and her team of six also create special orders for weddings, corporate events and birthdays.

“It’s been absolutely wonderful,” Jimenez says of the past five years—the bakery celebrates its anniversary in January. “This is my art form.”

And although the bakery is now in its busiest time of the year— Jimenez calls it “absolutely a whirlwind”—she welcomes every hectic moment: “The holidays are huge for us.”

Baker Adrian Jimenez hopes to expand her popular Salinas shop in 2020.

Goodies at Blue Aces Bake Shoppe include the coveted unicorn cake (above), cake pops (right) and hand-rolled chocolate truffles (previous page).

Her journey into baking began when she was six years old and made her first cake, in the shape of a bunny, complete with black licorice whiskers. She spent many happy hours in the kitchen with her mother and her aunt, times she never forgot, even though as an adult she began a completely different career as a housing project manager.

But after years of that work, she realized that she needed something more. “I was not happy in the corporate environment,” says Jimenez. “I had had my second child and wanted more time with my family…I wanted to put my energy somewhere else.”

Jimenez decided to indulge her creative side and go to culinary school. It rekindled her lifelong love of baking, and soon she found herself taking on catering jobs. One of her clients was Madrid of Gold Leaf Tea.

When Madrid decided to move her tea room to a larger space in 2014, she immediately called Jimenez and said, “You need to take this spot.” This kind of encouragement from another female entrepreneur was just what Jimenez needed to make her leap of faith.

“Our community has been wonderful to us. I was born and raised in Salinas and there’s a huge sense of community pride here,” says Jimenez. “Oldtown has the vibe of Main Street U.S.A.—it’s the heart of the community. I love it here.”

Jimenez has gotten big-time support, not just from other business owners but also from her husband Juan Saldana, who co-owns Blue Aces with her. The bakery is named for their two children, Antonio Blue and Acen, ages 12 and 6. “They have a great sense of pride in the bakery,” says Jimenez. “They want to work with me.”

No doubt Jimenez will appreciate their help eventually since the bakery’s business is growing rapidly, bolstered by mouthwatering photos of its wares on social media. That’s why she is now looking for a larger space, one where she dreams of holding classes for children and adults. And—more importantly—she’d like a back entrance to make it easier for people to pick up orders, and dedicated parking.

Blue Aces has become known for its Día de los Muertos goodies, like decorated sugar skulls, but that’s just the beginning of the bakery’s extensive holiday season. Special themes also create buzz, like the Harry Potter day in the week before Halloween. The shop is ramping up its stock of pies for the holidays, since there is no other dedicated pie shop in Salinas. Jimenez is bubbling over with other ideas for holiday offerings, like retro sugar cookies and Lebkuchen, puffy German gingerbread, for Christmas. “It’s absolutely one of my favorite things to make,” she says. She’s also hoping to adapt some of her grandmother’s recipes for

pies, holiday desserts and candies to sell in the shop.

In addition, Blue Aces is a vendor for two popular pre-Christmas artisan fairs, Flair on the Farm in Salinas and Goat Hill Fair in Watsonville, and then there are all those holiday catering and special orders for corporate gift giving.

It’s a lot to take on, and as you can imagine, Jimenez works many 12- to 14-hour days, often starting at 3am. But she’s not complaining.

“I used to be exhausted working eight hours a day,” she says of her former corporate job. “Now, I’m not tired. I’m very passionate about what I’m doing.”

Kathryn McKenzie, who grew up in Santa Cruz and now lives on a Christmas tree farm in North Monterey County, writes about sustainable living, home design and health for numerous publications and websites.

Blue Aces Bake Shoppe 8 W. Gabilan St., Salinas blueacesbakeshoppe.com

Hand-Rolled Chocolate Truffles

Courtesy Adrian Jimenez, co-owner, Blue Aces Bake Shoppe in Salinas

This recipe will be a crowd pleaser in any household, and is so simple—only two ingredients are required for the base—and there’s plenty of room for imagination and creativity in flavorings and coatings. It’s delicious, wholesome fun and makes a great gift for the holidays.

2 cups (16 ounces) Ghirardelli Fine Chocolate, finely chopped 1 cup (8 ounces) heavy whipping cream Flavoring or extract of your choice Cocoa powder, sprinkles or cookie crumbs for coating

In a heavy saucepan over low-medium heat, add cream and heat until cream is hot to the touch. Pour hot cream over chocolate and allow to sit for 5 minutes, melting the chocolate throughout. Stir until mixture is a smooth, consistent, beautiful chocolaty blend. From here you can divide the chocolate, if desired, into separate bowls so that each one can have a different flavor. Chocolate pairs so well with so many flavors—we personally love orange-infused chocolate truffles! Here are some other flavor ideas:

• Dried cherry, raspberry or cranberry

• Orange zest or orange flower water

• Tea packets or espresso

• Alcohol (may be substituted for 1⁄3 of the cream)

• Peppermint, herbs or florals

• Pecans, pistachios or caramel

Once you add flavorings, move the truffle mixture to the refrigerator and allow to cool at least 1 hour. During this time the chocolate will set, making it more pliable and easier to roll by hand. Using a tablespoon, scrape the top of the truffle mixture into equal-sized portions and hand roll into uniform balls. Once they have all been rolled, drop them gently into your coating and roll until the chocolate is covered and evenly coated. Your coating is what will finish the outside of the truffle, sealing in all that tasty chocolate and giving a beautiful finished look to a handmade showstopper.

Presentation is equally important; for parties, you can display on a cheeseboard with nuts and fresh fruits. You can also place in mini-cupcake wrappers and set on a platter, or simply pile high. For gift giving, you can set your truffles in mini-cupcake wrappers inside a tin, box or platter, tie with ribbon, and you’re good to go. Yields 40 truffles.

EDIBLE NOTABLES FULL TILT LIFE

Asian street food by Full Steam Dumpling is a hit in Santa Cruz

BY MARIA GAURA PHOTOGRAPHY BY CRYSTAL BIRNS STYLING BY LAURA COOK

Chef Andy Huynh doesn’t get much sleep these days. The creator of Santa Cruz’s Full Steam Dumpling pop-up restaurant not only works 12- and 14-hour days, he’s also newly wed to his high school sweetheart and expecting a baby in January.

“Everything happened all at once,” says Huynh. “I started the business, we got married, she got pregnant—it’s been nonstop. It’s been really good. It’s full steam, you know, full steam ahead.”

Full Steam Dumpling launched April 20 with an event at Shanty Shack Brewing in Santa Cruz and has been going full tilt ever since. Huynh’s pop-up eatery, based in rented kitchen space at the Santa Cruz Food Lounge, offers an ever-changing menu of fresh, meticulously hand-shaped dumplings, steamed buns and noodles. The current menu leans toward Pan-Asian, with its Japanese-style gyoza, Chinese bao and crystal dumplings, Korean hand-cut noodles and Vietnamese vermicelli salads.

Full Steam has been a hit since its launch party, drawing repeat customers with beautifully plated food and delicious twists on classic recipes. A recent event at Sante Adairius brewery offered gyoza stuffed with butternut squash and Fogline Farm pasture-raised pork along with pan-fried lamb curry bao with scallion cream and mint chimichurri. The menu also included two vegan options, a shiitake

and water chestnut gyoza and a soba noodle salad.

Huynh and his crew, including his younger brother Mikey, make all the dumplings from scratch, rolling the dough and filling and shaping the pillowy nuggets by hand. For an average event, the Full Steam crew will wrap 400–500 gyoza, 150–250 bao and 100–200 crystal dumplings, along with an assortment of soup dumplings, chili oil dumplings and noodles.

Which dumplings are most popular? “It’s hard to say,” Huynh says, “because the recipes are always different, and we usually sell out of everything.”

Huynh, 27, grew up in West Covina, part of the vast culinary melting pot that is Los Angeles County. He learned the basics of Vietnamese cooking at home from his parents and grandparents who came to the U.S. as refugees during the Vietnam War. His mom’s homemade meals “were like a portal to Vietnam every time she cooked,” and his grandfather’s food and herb import business introduced a suite of flavors and ingredients rarely seen in U.S. markets.

Huynh moved to Santa Cruz eight years ago to be with his girlfriend Courtney, then a student at UC Santa Cruz. “This town is

super beautiful,” he says. “It’s a good environment with less concrete. And the sky is blue, unlike L.A., where it’s always smoggy.”

His first job—at Burger King—lasted only a week. But it turned out to be the first rung of an escalating restaurant career. Huynh went on to cook at Chipotle, Mission St. BBQ and U.S. Meal. Then came stints at Roux Dat, Assembly and 515 Kitchen & Cocktails, and an inspiring eight months with chef Brad Briske at Home restaurant in Soquel.

“I actually hopped around quite a bit,” Huynh says, “lots of short runs, lots of different styles of cooking. It was fun to cook in so many different styles. At some point, I just decided it was time to do my own thing.

“I noticed that there’s not a lot of good Asian food in Santa Cruz,” he says, sensing an unfilled niche. “Why is that? It always stumped me.”

The focus on dumplings was inspired by Briske’s savory housemade agnolotti, stuffed with either rabbit or crab. “They were so good and they reminded me of Asian street food,” Huynh says. “I started reading up on dumplings, started making them and just went with it.”

What started as a side gig quickly turned out to be fully immer-

He learned the basics of Vietnamese cooking at home from his parents and grandparents who came to the U.S. as refugees during the Vietnam War.

Diners crave Huynh’s handmade Japanese-style goyza and steamed Chinese bao.

Elderberry

sive, with pop-up events four times per week as well as catering jobs and special events.

“Hours per week? Oh, my god, I don’t even know at this point,” says Huynh with a pause and a laugh. “It’s pretty much all day, every single day. This week we cooked at four different places, four different days. Next week will be all different combinations because the menu’s always different.”

To date, regular customers have had to check Full Steam Dumpling’s Facebook or Instagram page for information about upcoming menus and events. But Huynh will pop up at the Food Lounge on Dec. 5, 11 and 18, then in January he’ll launch regular Wednesday evening service there, from 4:20–9pm throughout 2020.

“A regular schedule will allow us to calm down a little,” he says. “And I’ll be able to do a lot more with 12 burners, a hood and all my ingredients in the walk-in. It’ll be a different experience for the customers.”

Huynh would love to bring in his mom to collaborate on an event. “She’s stoked that I’ve got my own game going, that we’ve got a business.” The restless chef would also like to experiment with Turkish köfte dumplings, Polish pierogi and Italian agnolotti.

“It’s challenging but I enjoy it,” he says. “Sometimes at night I’ll have an idea and get so inspired it just keeps me up. At the end of the day, the end of the week, I’m pretty stoked.”

Maria Gaura is a lifelong writer, journalist and gardener. She lives in downtown Santa Cruz with her family, two elderly cats and an ambivalent garden that can’t decide if it wants to be a vegetable patch, a flower bed or a miniature orchard.

Full Steam Dumpling fullsteamdumpling@gmail.com 626.549.5574

Craft salts that bring the colors, tastes and aromas of Big Sur to you

Chef Andy Huynh, the dumpling darling of Santa Cruz

HOLIDAY PARTIES OCEAN VIEWS INSPIRED

COASTAL CUISINE

OCEAN FRONT CELEBRATIONS – HOW REFRESHING

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Chefs

EDIBLE NOTABLES SEA JEWELS

are swooning over the savory seaweeds cultivated in Moss Landing

BY KATHRYN MCKENZIE PHOTOGRAPHY BY PATRICK TREGENZA

As The Beach Boys so aptly put it, “Catch a wave, and you’re sittin’ on top of the world.” For Dr. Michael Graham, surfing the edge of an unexpected explosion in the sea vegetable business has put his company front and center with high-end restaurants throughout the country.

Graham, a seaweed biologist and professor at California State University’s Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, founded Monterey Bay Seaweeds five years ago, when he had a mere handful of land-based saltwater tanks growing West Coast dulse. Now, his bayfront patio in Moss Landing is filled with round white containers in which several types of sea vegetables are farmed, and new and intriguing projects are bubbling up on a regular basis. The business has been expanding 20–30% each year, he says.

“This is meant to be a think tank for aquaculture,” notes Graham, who has MLML’s blessing to use this facility for his side business. He strolls to one tank and pulls out a small strand of California sea grapes, one of the products that high-end chefs are clamoring for. The small

liquid-filled sea grapes deliver a burst of flavor when chewed, making them not just an attractive garnish, but also a pop of unique taste atop an appetizer or salad. Unlike sea grapes imported from Asia, they aren’t green but instead have a lovely rosy hue.

“It’s very mild,” he says of their taste. “There’s a pop of salt, then of sugar.” But the grapes grow “as slow as redwood trees,” he says, making them his most expensive commercial product to date, at $60 a pound.

Seawater, sunshine and big tanks are all that Dr. Michael Graham needs to cultivate culinary seaweeds.

Delicate red sea grapes and emerald green sea lettuce are Graham’s most sought after seaweeds.

In 2015, Bon Appetit broke the news of dulse, a delicate red seaweed that tastes like bacon when fried, which happened to be a product that Graham was just then starting to deliver fresh to local CSF, Real Good Fish.

But as an edible garnish, sea grapes are wowing foodies across the country. One of the seaweed company’s regular clients is the Michelin three-star restaurant Eleven Madison Park in Manhattan, where chef Daniel Humm tops a seasonal tomato and bonito dish with them.

The rest of Monterey Bay Seaweeds’ client list is similarly stellar. Wolfgang Puck in Beverly Hills, Indigenous in Sarasota, Alinea in Chicago, and A16 in San Francisco are among those serving its products, as well as local favorites, Aubergine in Carmel, Cindy’s Waterfront at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Sierra Mar at Big Sur’s Post Ranch Inn, Home in Soquel and more.

“It has been great to have a consistent source for sustainable, locally harvested seaweed,” says Aubergine executive chef Justin Cogley. “We have a lot of international guests and it is great to show them what our terroir tastes like. Plus we love it when Mike will bring us something interesting to try out.”

Monterey Bay Seaweeds has come a long way since 2012, when Graham and wife Erica, a chef and restaurateur, started their company with their eldest son Josh. Also involved from the beginning was Ross Clark, a leader in climate action and sustainability who works at MLML as well. Their aim from the beginning was to practice sustainable and responsible farming techniques while searching for new markets for their products.

Not too much later, fresh, raw seaweed— long a staple in Asian cooking—began to take on new recognition in the West as a desirable ingredient. Not only was it attractive to foodies, but also to those searching for a nomeat product that still had savoriness. “Vegan restaurants love our seafood,” says Graham. “It’s hard to get that umami from a plantbased food.” The taste, paired with seaweeds’ complement of protein, fiber, B vitamins and natural iodine, makes them irresistible.

West Coast dulse continues to be a popular product, and is grown using nothing but pumped-in water from the bay and sunlight to make it grow in carefully monitored tanks. And grow it does—in fact, Graham says it will double in size in a week. But now the company farms ogo and sea lettuce as well, and uses of those have exploded in the food world. Although people might think of poke, sushi or seaweed salad when they think of eating seaweed, that’s really just the beginning. Chefs are finding a variety of creative ways to use sea vegetables, from drinks to desserts to appetizers and entrées.

Graham and his team, made up of family members and grad students, harvest the fresh seaweed, pack it in sterilized seawater and deliver it by hand locally or ship it overnight to other locations. “Our chefs are loyal to us,” says Graham, who loves seeing restaurant photos of dishes using his seaweeds on Instagram.

While this enterprise is a side job for Graham, a well-known algae and seaweed expert whose research has focused on seaweeds in natural ecosystems and their utility in aquaculture, he’s also been able to form partnerships with others who benefit from what he’s doing, like Monterey Abalone Co., which raises its babies at the seaweed facility. Also being contemplated is a project where purple sea urchins would be fattened on seaweed to produce roe, also called uni, an ingredient for sushi and other cuisines.

And that’s just the beginning of possibilities for sustainable seaweed farming, which can also be used for nonedible applications that range from creating biofuel to absorbing carbon and slowing acidification in ocean waters.

Seaweed can save the world, Graham says: “We’re recognizing the utility and its usefulness in a variety of projects.”

Monterey Bay Seaweeds montereybayseaweeds.com 831.224.3444

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WHAT’S IN SEASON

Meyer Lemons

Brighten up the dark months with these California classics

BY JAMIE COLLINS PHOTOGRAPHY BY MICHELLE MAGDALENA

When I first laid eyes on my home ranch in Aromas, I imagined thriving Meyer lemon trees with yellow fruit hanging like ornaments on the hillside, and walkways lined with lavender. The lavender would attract and provide a habitat for bees, and in turn the bees would pollinate the lemons. A decade later, lovely balls of sunshine brighten my winter days and provide many months of delicious, thin-skinned, sweet-tart lemons that thrive in this microclimate. My vision of a lavender lemonade farm has come to fruition—we now sell our lemonade at the farmers’ markets alongside our lemons.

Meyer lemons are sweeter and more round than Lisbon or Eureka varieties, their skin is dark orange-yellow when ripe and they contain much more juice than traditional lemons. Often, I find lemon rinds lying around the farm from my snacking workers, proof that for some the Meyer lemon is sweet enough to eat like an orange!

Meyer lemons (citrus × meyeri) are not true lemons but actually a cross between a citron and hybrid of a mandarin and pomelo, discovered by a traveling U.S. Department of Agriculture agent named Frank Meyer, who brought back a specimen from China in 1908. By the 1940s, Meyers were flourishing in California until cloned Meyer lemons were found to be carriers of the citrus tristeza virus, responsible for killing all kinds of citrus throughout the world. To contain the virus, Meyer lemon trees were destroyed to save the citrus industry from collapse. In the 1950s, healthy and virus-free Meyer trees were found and later that decade the Improved Meyer Lemon, certified to be disease free, was replanted and back in action.

However, it wasn’t until the 1970s that Meyers were discovered by chefs. Alice Waters from Chez Panisse and Martha Stewart both stoked the flame of the Meyer lemon craze and helped make this special lemon very popular with their fancy tarts, lemon curds and sorbets. The desire for these sweet, low-acid lemons with a distinctive floral fragrance made them a must-have in the kitchen. Chefs use lemons in so many ways to balance flavors and brighten dishes.

Meyers were hot and hard to find a few decades ago, then as typical when there is a niche to fill and money to be made, farmers overplanted them and the wholesale price went down. It is still monetarily worthwhile to grow and sell them—especially considering they are relatively easy to grow, have high yield and people love them. Most homes on the Monterey Peninsula have a Meyer lemon tree, so although treasured, many people have access to them. This is a great thing, because these gorgeous lemons are so versatile in cooking and good for your health!

Each morning I start my day with a lemon squeezed into a quart of water for hydration and health benefits. Lemon juice is alkaline in the body, a good state for the body to be in for overall health. The juice purges toxins and cleanses the liver. It also contains a lot of vitamin C and potassium. The alkalinity naturally prevents acid from building up that can cause heartburn and acid reflux. The aroma and the skins are just as good for you! They contain natural terpenes called D-limonene that uplift mood, act as antioxidants, reduce inflammation and may prevent or slow cancer by inducing cell death. The peels are a concentrated source of this compound—a good reason to eat the peels in the form of lemon zest and pith. This same compound is found in nontoxic cleaners and organic pest controls that work amazingly well.

HOW TO GROW

Meyer lemons like full sun and require a good amount of water during the warm, dry season. They prefer well-drained soil and like to be watered well, but infrequently. They naturally grow to 10 feet tall and six feet wide, but can be pruned to any desired height and even thrive and produce fruit in containers as small shrubs. You can even grow a tree indoors as long as it has full sun, but you will need to hand pollinate by using the base of an electric toothbrush to vibrate the flowers releasing pollen, or a paint brush or Q-tip to move the pollen from one flower to another. Meyers are self-pollinating so they don’t need another kind of lemon tree to set fruit, however, bees and wind are

helpful for abundant fruit. Citrus are semi-heavy feeders, so I suggest a pelleted organic fertilizer that breaks down over a longer period of time and feeds the tree with each watering. Organic citrus fertilizers by Down To Earth are good choices.

Commercial farms pull off all the blooms for several years to encourage canopy and vegetative growth. I did not do that as I was antsy for any lemons that would ripen, besides the white and purple flowers have such an intoxicating scent, I couldn’t bear to remove them! Not pinching blooms did make my trees grow slowly, however it does not stunt them. If you plant more than one, it might be a good idea to leave flowers for fruit on one and pull the blooms off the other.

Once trees are about three to five years old, they will produce two crops a year, the heaviest being in the winter and the other in the spring. Some trees can hang fruit all season if you don’t harvest right away, which is nice for year-round lemons in the kitchen.

COOKING WITH MEYER LEMONS

My favorite winter soup is Greek Lemon Chicken Soup, also called Avgolemono, and it is perfect for keeping the funk away or curing a cold. I boil a whole organic chicken in 1.5 gallons of water in a large soup pot until it falls off the bones, remove the bones, strain the broth, and shred the chicken and put it back into the broth. Next, I sweat 4 sweet onions in a separate pan with large zest strips from six Meyer lemons on low to medium heat until translucent, and no color develops (as this will make your soup an ugly brown color instead of bright light yellow). Add 2 cups of long grain white rice and 2–3 bay leaves to the broth and bring to a boil with medium flame. Once the soup reaches a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until rice is tender, which is about 20–30 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and the zest strips

with a slotted spoon. Bring soup back up to a boil, then reduce to low heat. Use a stick blender and get half of the rice and chicken mixture blended smooth. In a separate bowl, whisk 4 large eggs and 4 large egg yolks with 1 cup of lemon juice. Add 4 cups of hot broth to the egg mixture and whisk, then add to soup pot. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until soup is thickened, about 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste, and more lemon juice if desired. Once soup is finished, reheat without simmering or getting temperature too high or it will make the soup texture sticky.

Salted lemon preserves with herbs are a staple in our house. So easy to make, all you need is to quarter the lemons, add salt to the jar and layer with woody herbs like thyme (or my favorite, Za’atar) and cover with salt. I use the preserved lemons to rub on chicken and fish, or any meat as a first layer before adding other sauces or olive oil. Preserved lemons can be chopped and added to stir-fries, blended into hummus, used in salad dressings. You name it, preserved lemons are going to add that zing to just about everything. If you don’t need the salt but want the lemon flavor, simply rinse off the lemon and cut up to put in your dish. The salt preserving really mellows the sour flavor and brings out the brightness.

Try making lemon curd and adding thyme, Meyer lemon chutney, lemon lavender pudding cake or candied lemon peel. Come down to the local Santa Cruz farmers’ market and grab your lemons, Route 1 Farms sells them as do Twin Girls, Groundswell, Rodoni and of course Serendipity!

Jamie Collins is the owner of Serendipity Farms and attends all of the Santa Cruz Community Farmers’ Markets, where you can find its fresh organic fruit, vegetables and nutrient-dense prepared food items.

Meyer lemons are sweeter and more round than Lisbon or Eureka varieties, their skin is dark orange-yellow when ripe and they contain much more juice than traditional lemons.

Frozen Lemon-Gingersnap Pie

Courtesy Michelle Lee, sous chef, C restaurant, InterContinental The Clement in Monterey

This dessert features one of my all-time favorite flavor combinations, lemon and ginger. The base of this recipe is a French parfait, which is a light frozen mousse. This parfait is basically lemon curd with whipped cream folded into it. I love parfaits because they’re easy to make and the result is ice cream like without the hassle of churning in a machine. You can use pretty much anything as a mold—a 7–8-inch pie pan, a cake pan, a loaf pan, even a small bowl will work fine.

When ready to serve, remove from the freezer and garnish last minute with whipped cream, candied ginger and pomegranate seeds. If you’re feeling fancy, top with bits of baked meringue and edible flowers.

Lemon Parfait: 1 cup sugar

Zest of 1 Meyer lemon

6 egg yolks

¼ cup Meyer lemon juice (from about 2 lemons)

Pinch salt 1¾ cups heavy cream

Crust: 1 cup gingersnap cookie crumbs (I love the Triple Ginger Snaps from Trader Joe’s and use about 12 of those)

Garnish: Whipped cream

Candied ginger, cut into slivers Pomegranate seeds

Grease pan lightly with cooking spray, then line with plastic wrap, pressing wrap into corners and allowing extra overhang for easy removal. Set aside in freezer.

Using your clean hands, rub the lemon zest into the sugar well to help release the fragrant oils from the zest.

Whisk together the yolks, zesty sugar, lemon juice and salt in a bowl until well combined. Rest the bowl on top of a pot of simmering water, and whisk constantly until thick. (You’re gently cooking the eggs and whipping air into them at the same time. This process should take several minutes.) When the mixture is thick and the sugar is dissolved, place into a larger bowl of ice water, whisking occasionally until cold. Remove from ice water and set aside.

Whip cream to soft peaks. Fold into egg mixture with a rubber spatula until homogeneous, being careful not to deflate the mixture too much. Spread half the parfait into prepared frozen mold, sprinkle a thin layer of crushed gingersnaps on top then top with remaining parfait. Freeze until frozen, at least 4 hours, overnight if possible.

Press remaining gingersnap crumbs into the top of the parfait (once inverted, this will be the bottom). Return to freezer to set. Once set, to unmold parfait, loosen with the help of the plastic wrap overhang, and invert onto serving plate or platter. Return to freezer. When ready to serve, pull parfait out of freezer and garnish with some whipped cream, slivers of candied ginger and pomegranate seeds. Serves 8.

FOR OVER 80 YEARS, SHOPPERS CORNER HAS BEEN PROUDLY SERVING THE SANTA CRUZ COMMUNITY.

WE DELIGHT OURSELVES IN BRINGING YOU THE HIGHEST QUALITY MEATS, PRODUCE, WINES AND SPECIALTY ITEMS, MANY OF WHICH COME FROM LOCAL VENDORS RIGHT IN OUR OWN BACK YARD. OVER THE YEARS WE HAVE FOUND THAT BY USING THE BEST AVAILABLE INGREDIENTS, YOU GET THE BEST POSSIBLE MEALS! SO WHEN LOOKING TO PREPARE THAT PERFECT FEAST, KNOW THAT WE ARE HERE AND HAPPY TO HELP. FROM OUR FAMILY TO YOURS....THANK YOU FOR MAKING SHOPPERS CORNER A CHERISHED PART OF THE SANTA CRUZ COMMUNITY.

EDIBLE PROVISIONS

BY ELIZABETH BIRNBAUM

Monterey Bay confectioners are ready for the holidays with an array of chocolate treats, tempting us to indulge locally. On the table, top-to-bottom: truffles from the restaurant Chocolate (Santa Cruz); peppermint chocolate square and six bonbons from Heritage Chocolates (Corralitos); sipping chocolate from Mutari (Santa Cruz); chocolate covered marshmallows from Alta Bakery (Monterey). On the top half of the tray, caramels and creams from Lula’s Chocolates (Monterey) and, on the bottom half, an assortment of colorfully decorated chocolates from Ashby Confections (Scotts Valley).

PHOTO AND STYLING

IN THE KITCHEN WINTER WARMERS

Make this the coziest time of year with our three homemade soups

BY CAROLINE CHAMBERS PHOTOGRAPHY BY PATRICK TREGENZA STYLING BY DIANE GSELL

Soup is the ultimate comfort food. Not only does it warm our cold, weary bones in the wintertime, it’s also incredibly simple to prepare, a comforting fact all on its own. These three soups are perfectly delicious as they are, but become gorgeous, restaurant-quality feasts when topped with their respective accoutrements. A crunchy coconut-peanut topping provides a textural punch to a chicken and rice soup, a swirl of creamy yogurt and fresh soft herbs balance the heat in a curried chickpea stew and succulent Dungeness crab is cooked in brown butter and artfully spooned over a puréed celery root soup. It’s time to bust out your biggest soup pots and start simmering.

Chicken and Rice Soup

Inspired by my travels in Southeast Asia, this simple-to-make soup is punctuated by subtle Asian flavors thanks to an infusion of ginger, lemongrass and soy sauce. The tender rice and chicken are topped with a crunchy coconut and peanut combination for a textural balance that will keep everyone coming back for more.

1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs

2 (2-inch) pieces of ginger, peeled and sliced

3 garlic cloves, smashed

3 lemongrass stalks, cut into 3 pieces

½ teaspoon kosher salt

7 cups chicken stock

1½ cups sushi rice

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons brown sugar

Juice of 1 lime, plus wedges for serving Scallions, sliced, for serving

Coconut-Peanut Topping:

1 teaspoon coconut oil

¼ cup chopped peanuts

¼ cup shaved coconut

Pinch of kosher salt

Place chicken, ginger, garlic, lemongrass and salt in a large pot. Cover with chicken stock.

Bring pot to a boil over high heat. Cover and reduce to a simmer. Cook for 20 minutes.

Remove the chicken to a holding plate. Stir rice, soy sauce and brown sugar into the pot. Cook at a simmer until rice is tender, about 20 additional minutes. While the rice is cooking, use two forks to shred the chicken.

Also while the rice is cooking, make the coconut-peanut topping. In a small

skillet, warm the coconut oil over medium-high heat. Add the peanuts and stir until lightly browned. Add the coconut and a pinch of salt and continue stirring until golden-brown. Set aside to cool.

When the rice is tender, use a slotted spoon to fish out the ginger, garlic and lemongrass. Use the side of a chef’s knife to smash the garlic into a paste, and return it to the pot. Discard the ginger and lemongrass.

Stir the shredded chicken and lime juice into the soup. You can enjoy it immediately, or if you have time, cover the soup and refrigerate, and the rice will continue to absorb the liquid and the soup will thicken.

Enjoy the soup with a sprinkle of the coconut-peanut topping, scallions and a lime wedge. Serves 4–6.

Celery Root and Apple Soup with Brown Butter

Crab

My husband and I love to go to The Stationaery in Carmel and were thrilled when the café started serving dinner. We attended its first-ever dinner service, and a gigantic bowl of this stunning soup was the first dish that was set before us. The smooth soup brimmed with buttery Dungeness crab, making it reminiscent of an elevated, modern crab bisque. This is an easy-to-make-at-home version of that spectacular dish.

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 medium yellow onion

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

5 cups low-sodium chicken stock, plus more if needed

1 (1½ pounds) celery root, peeled and chopped 3 medium granny smith apples, peeled and chopped

1 teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon garam masala Pinch of black pepper

Crab Topping:

4 tablespoons unsalted butter ½ cup Dungeness crab meat 2 tablespoons chives, chopped

Warm oil and butter in a large pot over mediumhigh heat. Cook the onion for about 5 minutes, then add garlic and cook for an additional minute. Stir in the stock, celery root, apple, salt, garam masala and pepper and bring to a boil over high heat.

Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 20 minutes. Allow to cool slightly.

Working in batches, blend in a high-powered blender until completely smooth, 45 seconds to 1 minute. Do not overblend or it may become starchy.

Return the soup to the pot and heat over medium to re-warm.

To cook the crab, melt butter in a skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently until it browns, 4–6 minutes. Add the crab to the soup and stir to warm through.

Pour the soup into bowls, and gently spoon the crab and browned butter over top. Sprinkle with chives. Serves 4–6.

Red Curry Chickpea Stew

Chickpea curries are my ultimate pantry meal. They’re what I throw together when I can’t fathom a trip to the grocery store and have to rely on staple ingredients from the fridge and pantry. By happy accident, I once added too much liquid to my curry, and this soup was born. The warm flavors are perfect for a cozy, winter night.

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large yellow onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, grated

1 (2-inch) piece of ginger, peeled and grated

3 tablespoons red curry paste

2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed (3 cups of cooked chickpeas or 2 pounds of fresh chickpeas)

2 (15-ounce) cans coconut milk

2 cups low-sodium vegetable stock

1 tablespoon fish sauce

1½ teaspoons kosher salt

1 bunch Swiss chard, stems removed, roughly chopped Red pepper flakes (optional)

Yogurt, mint, cilantro, for garnish

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and ginger and stir using a wooden spoon until onion is soft and starting to brown, 3–5 minutes.

Add the curry paste and stir until very fragrant and beginning to darken, about 1 minute. Stir in the chickpeas and, using the wooden spoon, smash them to release their starches.

Stir in the coconut milk, stock, fish sauce and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook uncovered, scraping the bottom of the pan every so often, for 45 minutes. Stir in the chard and cook for several more minutes, until it wilts. Taste. If not salty or spicy enough, add more salt or red pepper flakes.

Serve with a big dollop of yogurt, and leaves of fresh mint and cilantro. Serves 4–6.

Carmel resident Caroline Chambers grew up in North Carolina, where she was raised on the robust flavors of the South. She has owned and operated a farm-to-table catering company in San Diego and has worked as a recipe developer and stylist for publications and brands including The New York Times, Robert Mondavi Wine, Food Network and MagicChef. Her first cookbook, Just Married (Chronicle Books), was published in October 2018.

EDIBLE ENTERTAINING

GOING CRACKERS

Not all holiday treats are sweet STORY AND

PHOTOGRAPHY

BY JESSICA TUNIS AND AMBER TURPIN

Let’s pretend that none of us ever eats crackers for dinner. Yes, crackers are solely for company, and while they may not be the heart of the meal, they certainly can set the mood for a gathering, alongside some distinguished cheeses, dips and seasonal fruits.

Making your own crackers is one of those tricks that looks way more impressive than it is. And in this most festive of seasons, it takes just a few moments to whip up a batch or five, tailored to the dietary and ethical constraints of your guests. Gluten free? Vegan? No problem. Butter deficient? We have a cracker for that. Here’s a crunchy, crispy slice of what we’re baking up this season.

BAKING TIPS

Watch crackers carefully, even setting a timer to make sure you check often to prevent burning. The difference between almost done and overdone is slight. Rotating the baking sheets during cooking is highly recommended, especially if your oven heats unevenly.

Get fancy with your cutting! You can use special wheel cutters for decorative edges, or even cookie cutters for fun shapes.

Feel free to play around with flavor enhancements and combinations! The more you experiment, the more satisfying the end result will be. Matcha powder in the Almond Crackers was subtle and wonderful.

To make sure your guests who don’t eat gluten are taken care of, serve the gluten-free crackers on a separate plate or in a separate bowl. Making ingredient labels to serve with the crackers might be too fussy...or it might be just right, depending on your crowd.

Almond Crackers (Gluten Free)

1 large egg

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1¾ cups finely ground almond flour

Preheat the oven to 350° F. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg, salt and ground pepper. Add the almond flour, stirring to combine well.

Place the dough on a sheet of parchment paper and pat it out with your hands. Top with an additional piece of parchment and roll out the dough to about a 1/8-inch thickness.

Remove the top paper, and cut into mediumsized squares. Move the cut crackers, along with the bottom parchment, to a baking sheet.

Bake for about 15 minutes, until light golden brown. The crackers around the perimeter will tend to brown more quickly, so transfer those to a cooling rack and return the pan to the oven to finish baking the remainder.

Remove the baking sheets from the oven, and transfer crackers to wire racks. Cool the crackers completely before storing in an airtight container. Makes 2 dozen medium squares.

Variations:

• Skew it sweet by dipping half of each cracker into melted dark chocolate and sprinkling with flaked sea salt.

• Make it cheesy by whisking 1 cup of grated sharp Cheddar and ½ teaspoon smoked paprika into the flour-egg mixture.

• Because these crackers are quite blond, they pick up color quite well. Play around with green matcha powder, red beet powder or ground turmeric, displacing 2 tablespoons of almond flower with the colored powder of choice.

Fruit and Nut Crispbreads

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

2 cups buttermilk

¼ cup brown sugar

¼ cup honey

1 cup dried fruit, chopped

½ cup nuts, chopped ½ cup seeds

Preheat oven to 350° F. Combine flour, baking soda, brown sugar and salt in a medium bowl. Add buttermilk and honey and stir to combine. Fold in the chopped dried fruit and nuts.

Pour into two greased loaf pans and bake at 350° F for about 30 minutes.

Remove from pan and allow to cool completely on a wire rack. Slice the loaves as thinly as possible and arrange in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Reduce oven temperature to 300° F, and bake for about 15 minutes.

Flip each cracker and return to the oven for an additional 5–10 minutes, depending on how thin the slices are.

Remove the baking sheets from the oven, and transfer crackers to wire racks. Cool the crackers completely before storing in an airtight container. Makes 6–8 dozen sliced rectangles.

Variations:

• Any dried fruit and nut combination will do; some pleasing combinations are apricot and almond or cranberries and pecans.

• Spice up your fruit and nut combinations by including minced candied ginger or ground cinnamon or adding 1 tablespoon of crumbled dried rosemary.

Beer Crackers

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons salt, divided ¾ cup light beer 4 tablespoons olive oil

Preheat oven to 450° F. In a medium bowl, combine the flour with 1 teaspoon salt. Make a well in the center of the flour, and add the beer. Mix until well combined. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for 5 minutes, then let rest for 10 minutes.

Grease 2 standard baking sheets with 1 tablespoon of olive oil each. Divide the dough in half, and roll with a rolling pin quite thin, directly on each baking sheet.

Brush each surface of the dough with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil or melted butter, and sprinkle with flaked sea salt (and herbs, if using), to taste.

Using a pizza cutter or a sharp knife, cut the dough into large squares.

Bake until golden brown, about 5–8 minutes. Remove the baking sheets from the oven, and transfer crackers to wire racks. Cool the crackers completely before storing in an airtight container. Makes 3–4 dozen large squares.

Variations:

• Teetotaling? Prefer apples to barley? Replace the beer with sparkling water, apple cider or even carbonated kombucha.

• Rosemary or dill makes a particularly lovely, green-speckled cracker, or choose a blend of sesame and poppyseed for a seedy crunch.

Jessica Tunis lives in the Santa Cruz Mountains and spends her time tending gardens, telling stories, and cultivating adventure and good food in wild places.

Amber Turpin is a freelance food and travel writer based in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

BACK OF THE HOUSE

CHEF SHIFT

Meet the new wave of big city chefs breaking over the Santa Cruz dining scene

BY MARK C. ANDERSON PHOTOGRAPHY BY ELIZABETH BIRNBAUM, JULES HOLDSWORTH AND COLINE LECONTE

Sometimes the answer you seek is sitting right there, in front of your face, from the very start.

So it was on this odyssey to understand Santa Cruz’s current culinary soul.

One answer appeared on the counter at the first stop of many, Pretty Good Advice in Soquel, awaiting everyone who enters: organic goods as colorful as they were comely, including variegated pink lemons, pastel eggs from the restaurant’s farm, Concord grapes, blackberries, raspberries and three types of apples—green, albino Fuji and spitzenburg.

Pretty Good Advice chef/farm chief Matt McNamara and his team didn’t arrange the farmers’ market-like establishing shot because it looks pretty good and gets appetites going. (It does both.) They just needed somewhere for all the plunder before it stars in all-vegetarian dishes like the best-selling black bean patty cheeseburger, arugula and apple salad, heirloom Hawks Havens bean chili and “Korean barbecue” sandwich with portobello mushrooms and kimchi.

“That just came about,” McNamara says. “We never had that as a plan. We just needed a place to put it.”

But there was a bigger plan at work, one that reflects Santa Cruz’s foodie potential as a whole.

Clockwise from top left: Tim Oegema and Matt McNamara, Pretty Good Advice; Jeffrey Wall, Alderwood; Brett Emerson, Barceloneta; and Jesikah Stolaroff, Vim

PGA came from a fine dining desire to offer the best product without the pomp, in Santa Cruz rather than San Francisco. South Bay born and raised, Mc-

Namara has staffed multiple Michelin starred spots in Europe (L’Arnsbourg of Baerenthal, France) and others that deserved the recognition (Dal Delicato of Naples, Italy). Back in the States he worked at celebrated Michelin-starred Eleven Madison Park then started Sons & Daughters, giving San Francisco an adored destination, earning a Michelin star and pioneering one of the city’s then-rare tasting menus.

It was an unqualified hit, but other elements were at play for McNamara and staff, including then-cook Tim Oegema, who now serves at PGA in a role McNamara describes alternatively as “backbone” or “the man,” line cooking, consulting on farm science, occasionally balancing books and growing a harvest of 250 pounds of mushrooms every month at the farm.

Element No. 1: Their buddies couldn’t cough up the $250plus for a tasting menu and wine pairings, so they never got to eat McNamara and Oegema’s food. No. 2: They were deepening an affection for farming. McNamara—who in Europe would pocket produce discoveries for research and then procure his own seeds— started growing more of Sons & Daughters’ menu in Mom’s backyard.

When his family invested in an 83-acre property in the Santa Cruz Mountains near Summit Christmas Tree Farm in 2013, they sowed a new era for it. What was then an open expanse with a small orchard now boasts 250 varieties of fruit trees including 35 types of citrus, plus tropical plantings like pineapple, guava and passionfruit, among other treasures.

“We built the farm to have something that I could use at every point of the year. You roll with the property,” McNamara says.

“We built the farm to have something that I could use at every point of the year. You roll with the property.”

Photo by Coline LeConte

Aged short ribs, woodfired peppers, nettle pasta, and king salmon with elderflowers are seasonal specialties at Alderwood, photos by Elizabeth Birnbaum.

(Opposite page) Matt McNamara harvests yuzu at Ox & Willow farm.

As his life started moving away from Sons & Daughters, it started, as he says, “creeping into the mountains.”

“I love Sons & Daughters, fine dining, the artistic element and the steps of service, but when I started farming, I became obsessed with the ingredients,” he continues. “How can I make it where it’s just the food, just the ingredients? Pretty Good Advice is the closest thing.”

Gone are the linens, servers, carpet, fleets of wine glasses, animal proteins and steep bill. Instead of four chefs with precision tools plating roasted beets with cucumber yogurt, French curry, pickled mustard seeds and microgreens for a triple-digit tasting menu, now it’s a side of beets with similar dressings for $5, ordered from a counter and delivered to your table.

“I believe in local agriculture, I believe in community, I believe in incredible food,” McNamara says. “There’s no reason we can’t all eat it. High-quality ingredients are for fine dining only? It doesn’t have to be that way.”

There are other wider trends at work here—the ongoing rise of fast casual, the move away from meat, the exploding costs of running a res-

taurant in the Bay Area—but the two most central to Santa Cruz’s shifting food scene are most vivid: 1) the influx of San Francisco Bay Area chefs like McNamara and 2) their passion for the local produce like that covering the counter.

TECH DRIVEN

Timing, someone once said, is everything. Five minutes before Alderwood opens on a recent Saturday, people are already gathering on the Walnut Avenue sidewalk. Ten minutes later, all the prime seats in Alderwood are full. Fortunately, there are a lot of good seats to go around, and a lot to see between what’s stirring in the immaculate bar and sizzling in the sleek kitchen, particularly from the “chef’s counter” spots directly adjacent to cooks throwing around Nakagawa filets and grilled swordfish.

The arrival of this wood-fired and seasonally driven spot in Santa Cruz was right on time too, as evidenced by the enthusiastic response chef-owner Jeffrey Wall banked on in relocating from award-winning, farm-fed Kimball House outside Atlanta, Ga.

“We want to become part of the fiber of Santa Cruz…we aim to be

Vim’s Jesikah Stolaroff, persimmon salad with fried ricotta balls and her signature chocolate cake with Nutella buttercream, pink chocolate ganache, hazelnuts and blackberry jam, photos by Jules Holdsworth

“It does tie into the tech industry setting up shop here. That new influx is attracting new palates and people who are used to living in a place like San Francisco and are clamoring for that here.”

a hub for everyone,” he said when Alderwood opened at the tail end of 2018.

Nine months in, he adds this: “We felt like we could open a place that caters to people interested in good food, with technique and well-curated ingredients.”

General Manager Mike Falco echoes the sentiment. “The Santa Cruz restaurant scene is definitely progressing,” he says. “I feel like we have talent that’s spilling over from San Francisco and Los Gatos and San Jose. It does tie into the tech industry setting up shop here. That new influx is attracting new palates and people who are used to living in a place like San Francisco and are clamoring for that here.”

“That,” to be more specific, is big-city sophistication that doesn’t sacrifice easygoing atmosphere, fueled by things like a craft cocktail menu (including 11 signature elixirs), a raw bar (oyster options, caviar, king crab cocktail and more), and fun happy hour deals ($10 cheeseburger and beer).

“There can be a guy in a three-piece suit or a hoodie and flip-flops ordering 10 ounces of steak,” including $35-an-ounce A5 Japanese ribeye, Falco says. “It’s cool when it’s bustling and there’s that spectrum of diverse people.”

SEASONAL PRODUCE

Chef Jesikah Stolaroff, the architect behind the third stop on the odyssey, also migrated south to open a new place in Santa Cruz. But her movement was more circular than that of her peers. She grew up in Surf City—and loved its low-key and community-centric vibe—but realized she had to leave the area to evolve her craft.

“It’s a surf culture, it’s a student culture, but not a restaurant culture, though now it’s definitely trying,” she says. “People that really care about cooking and serving in restaurants, like me, go to San Francisco to learn under chefs, which means our area loses out on good staff and better restaurants.”

But, more and more, they are coming here, for at least one reason that sounds increasingly familiar: “The places I worked in San Francisco and Oakland were using Santa Cruz produce,” she says.

After gaining an up-close look at the bays’ comparative restaurant cultures, with stops at Oakland’s Michel Bistro and high-end catering operation Elaine Bell, she’s giving Santa

Cruz something it’s never seen: Vim Dining & Desserts, which opened on Mission Street last May.

Her seemingly strange formula of FrenchIndian-Latino fusion, with a penchant for pastas and dynamite desserts, finds uncanny intuition via dishes like the hand-rolled fettuccine with chorizo and tomatillo sauce, tomato- and chile-braised chickpeas with hoja santa cashew cream, and sweet corn gnudi with padrón peppers and maitake mushrooms.

Bar Director Kayla “Beans” Bienert provides a tidy take on Stolaroff’s approach— while crafting an “Ancho Smash” of Woodinville Bourbon, Ancho Reyes, lemon juice, maple syrup and smoked chile bitters, part of an inspired drink menu.

“Jess does a really good job of using familiar flavors in a new and interesting way,” Bienert says. “It’s comfort food that makes you think.”

The desserts could carry an eatery on their own—note the flourless triple chocolate tort and the sticky toffee pudding with poached pear, coconut cream, cinnamon and pepitas. They are a personal prerequisite for Stolaroff.

“I love the celebration aspects that desserts have,” she says. “People get really excited and have extra joy you don’t get with other food. They bring a lot of happiness.”

She’s as obsessed with seasonal produce as are the other Santa Cruz upstarts. On EMB’s early autumn visit, she recommends the cheesecake—which proves levitating—because it’s the last chance for fresh raspberries.

Stolaroff says she came back home because she simply felt ready. “I wanted to cook my own food. I didn’t want to cook other people’s food anymore.”

Maybe it was because Santa Cruz was ready, too. Stolaroff doesn’t envision Vim or her hometown’s upgraded restaurant relevance as the end goal. Instead, it’s the beginning of something bigger.

“I’d love to build a better restaurant industry,” Stolaroff says. “It’s something we should build together.”

TOES IN THE SAND

The final restaurant of this new crop—and perhaps the most anticipated of the four—debuted in mid-October.

It gives downtown a splash of Old World Spanish flavor with a Santa Cruz accent.

Chef Brett Emerson, who owns Barceloneta with his wife and general manager Elan, formerly owned and operated Contigo in San Francisco for about a decade. Contigo shared much of the same Spanish strengths as Barceloneta—named for the swanky coastal neighborhood within Barcelona—and it also enjoys what Emerson calls “new toys” in the form of a wood-burning grill and Spanish churro fryer.

Twenty different tapas form the backbone of the menu, with flavors like chorizo and calamari in squid ink; lamb skewers with Moorish spices and cumin yogurt; and the best-selling golf ball-sized “bombas”—mashed potato balls stuffed with sausage then breaded and fried. Paella has been another crowd pleaser, done one of three ways, including vegan, traditional Valenciana with chicken, and seafood with sustainably raised Hawaiian shrimp, mussels, clams and squid. The attentive staff is also very enthusiastic about the house specialty churros.

The setting is contemporary and clean, with blond wood, woven light fixtures and beachy booth fabric; drinks are limited but wellcurated with Iberian-leaning elixirs like the Spanish Manhattan, passionfruit-powered Mallorca and 20 wines and vermouths imported from Spain.

The move south allows the Emersons’ daughter a place to grow up with her toes in the sand and her head in redwoods. And to be that much closer to produce like dry-farmed Early Girl tomatoes, which Brett is 100% crazy about and uses on Catalan-style pan con tomate that beats any I’ve tried in Spain, and in memorable gazpacho so dense it doesn’t need bread thickening.

“One of the reasons we moved down here is so many of the farms

we would buy from were in the Watsonville-Santa Cruz-Salinas area,” he says. He ticks off three farmers’ markets he’s attended in the last few days, and smiles when he says he can get direct deliveries from sources that would’ve been impossible up north.

After four years of living in Santa Cruz, most of them spent commuting to Contigo in San Francisco, he and Elan are stoked on what’s happening here, and what’s coming next.

“We’ve seen a lot of changes,” he says. “I love seeing all these other restaurants blossom. I feel the whole quality of the food scene has increased. The produce has always been here, and we’re right on the Monterey Bay looking out at salmon, halibut, crab, sardines and squid, which I’ve always gotten from Monterey Bay.”

He pauses, then adds a final thought. “But now we’re right here, so it’s really fun,” he says. “I do feel like Santa Cruz is on the verge of becoming a great foodie mecca.”

Mark C. Anderson is a roving writer, editor and entrepreneur loosely based in Monterey County. Follow and/or reach him on Twitter and Instagram via @MontereyMCA.

Barceloneta owners Brett and Elan Emerson with their bestselling bombas and a seafood paella, photos by Jules Holdsworth

ON THE FARM HEALTHY HEDGEROWS

Bringing nature back to the fields has many benefits

BY ELLEN FARMER PHOTOGRAPHY BY COLINE LECONTE

Wouldn’t it be amazing if the rumors were true? All we have to do is plant several billion trees worldwide and we can reverse global warming! This idea is so timely that it was just announced in the Philippines that students are required to personally plant 10 trees in order to graduate from high school. Trees sequester carbon from the atmosphere as they grow by breathing in the CO2 we exhale. Fortunately for us, trees exhale oxygen—a handy exchange. It’s how nature works. We’re part of it. But there’s more.

What’s not so easy to swallow is that the way we’ve traditionally grown our food accounts for nearly one-fifth of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions—a huge contributor to global warming. Much of this is caused by tillage—the backbone of industrial farming—not just burning fossil fuels in heavy-duty farm equipment, but actually releasing excess CO2 from the ground when crops are turned in to the soil at the end of the growing season. Those bare fields you’ve driven by? They

may look weed free and tidy, but to reverse global warming, they need to stay green. What tools does agriculture have to accomplish this critical change in its practices?

Planting hedgerows around the perimeters of farm fields, including trees and woody shrubs, can be a huge help. Hedgerows act as living fences, barriers and boundary lines, stabilizing waterways and providing erosion protection. They also improve the water-holding capacity of soils and provide cooling shade during heatwaves. They are especially attractive to organic and regenerative farmers who strive to provide habitats for beneficial insects and pollinators who eat the pests bugging their crops.

Farmers may now apply for funds from the California Department of Food and Agriculture to pay for planting hedgerows through the Healthy Soils grant program. Next season’s allocation is $28 million, and Governor Gavin Newsom has made it clear that the Healthy Soils program is a passion of his.

One of the heroes of hedgerows, Sam Earnshaw, the founder of Hedgerows Unlimited, lives in our backyard. If you’ve been on the annual EcoFarm Bus Tour, you may have encountered Earnshaw, a longtime host along with Amigo Bob Cantisano.

A Santa Cruz County resident since the 1970s, Earnshaw became an essential planner of this popular EcoFarm tour because he got to know most of the area’s farmers as an organizer for the Community Alliance with Family Farmers. He hosted monthly breakfast meetings and farm visits where discussions of what has come to be known as “biological farming” prevailed, and in 1996 he began helping farmers plant hedgerows in San Juan Bautista and the Salinas Valley. With the advent of Healthy Soils grants in 2017, Earnshaw is busier than ever.

The CDFA is incentivizing farmers to try regenerative agriculture techniques and pays for supplies. They can choose among compost application, no-till or reduced-till farming or cover crops, but one of the most cost-effective techniques is adding hedgerows to the edges of farm fields. Earnshaw always uses California native plants because insects that combat pests have co-evolved alongside the natives.

When giving tours, Earnshaw often gets the question, “Aren’t those just bushes?” But before the popularity of hedgerows, it wasn’t so long ago that tractor-manicured fields with ditches for edges were a normal sight in our area. The “bushes,” Sam points out, are deliberately selected native shrubs, trees, perennial forbs and grasses providing many advantages beyond carbon sequestration.

Hedgerow evangelist Sam Earnshaw marks out a new planting at Live Earth Farm in Watsonville.

Farm edges, unsuitable for planting, often became a tangle of weeds and weed seedbeds, so mechanical scraping and herbicide use prevailed for a time. Run-off (filled with chemicals), dust, wind and a proliferation of persistent weeds resulted. As part of the organic farming movement, solutions that emphasized biodiversity, nature and wildlife habitat began to emerge. Now that carbon sequestration is also desirable, the addition of perennial herbaceous and woody plants on farms helps balance the CO2 release caused by tillage.

When asked how the Pajaro and Salinas valleys used to look, an oldtimer closed his eyes and told Sam, “I see houses.” What he was talking about were all the small family farms with houses and barns dotting the landscape. Many of these farms maintained trees for shade and hedges for windbreaks and boundaries around their homes and fields. But as industrial farming took over, agricultural plots started looking like factory floors without walls. Earnshaw likes introducing the aesthetics of flowering, sometimes towering, shrubs and trees back into our rural areas.

“My goal in helping farms become more regenerative is to establish more habitat on the farms as part of their agricultural operations,” says Earnshaw. “Making biology part of agriculture and increasing awareness that growing food is a biological system leads to diversity.” Also serving the Natural Resource Conservation Service as a technical service provider, Earnshaw helps individual farmers research the most effective plants to use for their hedgerows, windbreaks, filter strips and grass waterways.

“Recently they asked if I could help with agroforestry,” he tells me. A good example is a high school in Morgan Hill where he helped plant a harvestable hedgerow including citrus, pineapple guava, lavender, rosemary and edible flowers.

One speed bump in advancing the popularity of hedgerows involved the E. coli scare in 2006. Food safety rules emphasizing sanitized food production made farmers wary of planting hedgerows that host wildlife. But eventually a study by a group of scientists at UC Berkeley found that removing non-crop vegetation from farm fields contributes to foodborne pathogens. The reason is still under study, but Earnshaw believes buyers and inspectors of fresh produce need better training so they don’t alarm farmers unnecessarily. Farming involves soil, which must be properly washed from fresh produce. That’s where regulations can be more stringent, but we don’t do ourselves any favors by eliminating nature from farms.

In 2018, the CAFF and The Farmers Guild published the second edition of Earnshaw’s guide Hedgerows and Farmscaping for California Agriculture, which you can download from either website.

Ellen Farmer is a freelance writer and organizer living in Santa Cruz.

The addition of perennial herbaceous and woody plants on farms helps balance the CO2 release caused by tillage

How many times have you gone to the local farmers’ market and passed the sign prohibiting dogs and thought, “but my dog would love it here?” Doesn’t it seem like a farmers’ market is, in fact, the ideal place for a dog with the crowds of people to love, ground littered with bits of food and an unending supply of new and exciting scents? Sadly, the health department is unlikely to soon welcome your pet to the farmers’ market…but you can bring the farmers’ market to your pet.

Beyond a desire to share our love for local food with our pets, there are other practical reasons for considering freshly prepared dog treats, such as: reducing packaging, supporting local farmers, finding uses for often overlooked products such as offal and, most of all, knowing exactly what we’re feeding our cherished animals.

As trained chefs, my wife and I have often thought we should surely be capable of cooking healthy, local treats for our beloved dog (and equally beloved cat). After all, when we are at home cooking for ourselves, we do prioritize locally caught fish, limited, ethically raised meats and organic vegetables. We try to stay informed about where our products are sourced and how they are produced. In this ever-complicated world, we value many of the same principles embraced by so many readers of Edible Monterey Bay and we try our best to keep our family ethically fed.

If you have ever seen a dog roll in ecstasy on top of a rotting seal carcass, or lick up a bit of cat poop with relish, you probably understand that your dog’s flavor preferences may differ slightly from your own. Any good chef knows that it is important to cook with your guest’s personal tastes in mind, but what is a dog’s vision of culinary perfection? While they tend to migrate toward pungent aromas, we don’t recommend reaching for the truffle oil or Époisses cheese.

Your dog’s affinity for fetid smells is rooted in the fact that they have only one-sixth of

the taste buds of a human but over 10 times more sensory glands, in their noses, therefore aromatics are more enticing than flavor. Unlike humans, dogs and cats both have a special set of taste buds located at the tip of their tongues that register the flavor of water. These taste buds become more active when the animal has consumed salty or sugary foods that might cause dehydration, a natural adaptation that prompts the animal to drink water and rewards it with a pleasure response. Dogs and cats have historically relied on diets largely composed of meat and therefore do not need to seek out additional sources of sodium. Human taste buds, on the other hand, reward the intake of salt to promote the intake of sodium, which in moderation is necessary for good health.

It was a crisp fall day when we embarked on our first canine-inspired farmers’ market trip. Baskets overflowing with apples and pumpkins of every shape and size filled every corner of the market. We stopped by a local rancher’s table to see what kind of offal they

had available, and came away with a pristine slab of crimson heirloom pork liver and a large bag of organic chicken hearts. As we moved through the cornucopia of autumnal ingredients, we picked out a small pumpkin, a handful of honey crisp apples and a half-dozen fresh eggs. In total, the shopping adventure came to around $20.

HEART OF GOLD

Back in our tiny boat galley, we decided to start with a simple recipe: dehydrated chicken hearts. Offal—including the heart, liver and lungs—is often less desirable and far less expensive. Organ meats are an oft discarded byproduct of the meat industry, and if your goal is to provide responsibly sourced food for your family, don’t turn your nose up when it comes to the viscera. Heart and liver are two of the best “starter” organ meats, because they are rich in minerals, vitamins and protein. They are easy to source, simple to cook and often inexpensive compared to other meat cuts.

Brooks eyes a plate of Farmers’ Market Dog Biscuits made with pumpkin, apple and pork liver.

California Almonds

The author’s well-behaved dog loves dried chicken hearts, beef knuckle bones and a good homemade treat.

Perhaps the easiest recipe we’ve ever had to follow, our dried chicken hearts simply required opening the bag, putting the contents on a sheet tray and cooking at 150° F in a convection oven for an hour or until dry. Reducing the moisture content is a critical step in preserving the meat and making it shelf stable. The more dehydrated a product is, the less susceptible it is to harmful pathogens. When properly dried, chicken hearts should be perfectly safe left out for a few weeks at room temperature, but you can also take the added precaution of storing them inside a sealed container in the freezer. In their frozen state they will last for up to a year. Both our dog and cat began sniffing the air as soon as the hearts went in the oven.

Like any good chef would, when the hearts came out of the oven, we took the first taste ourselves. The fava bean-sized snacks were deeply savory with a crisp exterior and pleas-

ant chewiness. While the seasoning was lacking, as expected, we were pleased to note that they were not in the least bitter. With a bit of seasoning, they would actually make a delicious human snack! Brooks, our dog, gave the dehydrated hearts his enthusiastic approval.

GIVE YOUR DOG A BONE

Another simple treat for your hound is a good local bone. Each time a local cattle rancher takes a steer to market, they end up with hundreds of pounds of bones, many more than can be sold to restaurants and consumers. Chewing and gnawing bones can be beneficial for dogs. It helps prevent plaque build-up, can remove trapped food particles and can satiate dogs that need a little extra activity—especially younger, chewing-througheverything dogs.

Determine with your vet whether bones are a good fit for your dog. Not every breed

has a jawbone structure for processing bones safely. Dogs that are not used to real meat bones can have trouble digesting after their first bone. It is also important to choose the right size of bone for your dog, too small, and you run the risk of a greedy pooch attempting to swallow it whole. For a large dog, a beef shank is a good size.

While you may be tempted to hand over your chicken drumstick or ribeye steak bone at the end of the meal, don’t do it. Baked, broiled or barbecued bones tend to splinter, and can be a real hazard to your pets. Dogs love raw bones, but owners may be turned off by the mess. Some dogs may also have an instinctual desire to bury fresh bones; who doesn’t like an aged steak? Raw bones also provide more nutrition, because the collagen hasn’t been boiled off into the water.

A simple trick we adopted was to simmer beef knuckle bones with water until the meat falls off. At this point you can remove the bones, cool them down and then give them to your dog. Continue to reduce the beef liquid, adding your choice of onion, garlic, celery, carrots, ginger or other vegetables to create a rich, nutritious stew or stock for yourself.

FARMERS’ MARKET BISCUITS

Once you have mastered the simple dehydrated offal treats and local bones, you can try your hand at a more traditional dog biscuit. For our Autumn Market Biscuit, we chose pumpkin, apples and pork liver. We cut everything into chunks and gently sim-

mered them in a small amount of unsalted water until the pumpkin was soft. We combined it in a blender and pulsed it to a “lumpy smoothie” consistency. Once the mixture cooled, we added two eggs and about three cups of ground oatmeal (oatmeal that had been processed to a rough flour consistency in the coffee grinder). We poured the mixture out onto a parchment-lined baking pan, and baked it at 350° F until it had the consistency of brownies. Indeed, these cookies seem a lot like brownies were it not for the liver aroma.

Brooks loved the freshly baked dog biscuits, but he wasn’t the only neighborhood dog with his eye on the treat bag. While out for our daily walk, we met up with Brooks’ puppy trainer and his dog, Cooper. As you might expect of a dog trainer’s personal companion, Cooper is an immaculately behaved canine. He sits at attention, reacts to the slightest gesture and is an inspiration for every dog owner he encounters. On this particular afternoon, however, Cooper was so enticed by the bag of dog treats sitting on our bench that he waited for a moment when the humans weren’t watching and absconded with the entire bag! Now if that isn’t a glowing endorsement for a dog treat recipe, I don’t know what is.

former executive chef at Post Ranch Inn’s Sierra Mar, John Cox is now pursuing a number of projects, including serving as a partner and contribution chef at Cultura—comida y bebida in Carmel and Cult Taco in Monterey. For more, go to www.chefjohncox.com or follow him on Instagram and Facebook.

APTOS

Persephone 7945 Soquel Drive 831.612.6511 • persephonerestaurant.com

With a namesake like the mythic Persephone, this restaurant in Aptos proclaims its deep reverence for seasonal cooking. Themes central to harvest, winter and spring are core to Persephone’s story, and are reflected in the changing menu at this fi ne dining destination, where chef Cori Goudge-Ayer presents inventive, ingredientdriven creations. The restaurant is a family-run passion project, bringing together parents, siblings and a long history of culinary arts in a beautifully redesigned space overlooking Aptos Creek. Open W–Su 4:30–9pm.

BIG SUR

Sierra Mar at Post Ranch Inn

47900 Highway 1 831.667.2800 • postranchinn.com

Executive chef Jonny Black uses exceptional ingredients, many grown on site, deliver a unique gastronomic take on the Big Sur experience. Lunch offers a 3-course prix fi xe menu, while dinner features a 4-course prix fi xe menu. Choose from almost 3,000 different wines from the Wine Spectator Grand Award-winning wine list. Arrive before sunset for breathtaking views from this iconic restaurant’s fl oor-to-ceiling windows and cliffside terrace. Open daily for lunch noon–2:30pm, dinner 5:30–9pm. Advance reservations required. Please note that dinner guests will not be admitted before 5pm.

CAPITOLA

East End Gastropub 1501 41st Avenue 831.475.8010 • eastendpub.com

East End Gastropub is the newer baby sister to the popular West End Tap & Kitchen, but aside from sharing owners and chefs, East End’s beautiful, recently renovated modern interior is entirely diff erent from West End and off ers its own robust, sophisticated, beer-friendly menu. Chef Geoff rey Hargrave has created dishes that are familiar yet innovative, such as crispy gigante beans with smoked creme fraiche and coq au vin. Share plates, pizzas and salads come in generous portions for a family-style meal. The restaurant also off ers its own brews, along with local rotating taps and a strong wine list.

Open Su 10:30am–9:30pm, Sa 10:30am–10pm, M–Th 4–9:30pm, F 11:30am–10pm. Brunch Sa–Su 10:30am–2:30pm. Happy hour M–F 4–6pm.

Margaritaville

231 Esplanade 831.476.2263 • margaritavillecapitola.com

For more than 30 years, Margaritaville has been welcoming guests to Capitola Village. An ownership change and complete remodel in 2015 have made the restaurant better than ever, dedicated to serving Mexican cuisine made from scratch with an emphasis on seafood. The dogfriendly patio is a great place to enjoy a margarita and a Baja fi sh taco, or raw oysters on the half shell. Other menu favorites are chile verde and chicken mole enchiladas. Online ordering is now available. Handcrafted cocktails are made using fresh juice and local produce—

Wine Bar in Pacific Grove serves roasted Mary’s chicken breast

Photo by Coline LeConte

PEARL OF THE OCEAN

Happy Hour M–F 3–6pm. Open M–Th 11:30am–9pm, F 11:30am–10pm, Sa 11am–10pm, Su 11am–9pm.

Mijo’s Taqueria

200 Monterey Avenue, Suite 2 831.465.0228 • mijostaqueria.com

Serving the local community and visitors alike in Capitola Village, Mijo’s Taqueria features bold and unique flavors in a new age taqueria setting. Chef Anthony Guajardo’s passion for cooking developed from being in his Mexican and Italian grandmothers’ kitchens growing up. Eager to combine his authentic family recipes with a modern culinary twist, he opened Mijo’s, conveniently located just a quick walk from the beach and available for dining in or ordering to go. Open M, F, Sa 11am–7:30pm, Tu–Th 11am–6pm, Su 11am–7pm.

The Penny Ice Creamery

820 41st Avenue 831.204.2523 • thepennyicecreamery.com

Open Su–Th noon–9pm, F–Sa noon–10pm

See The Penny description under Santa Cruz for more.

Shadowbrook

1750 Wharf Road 831.475.1511 • shadowbrook-capitola.com

A Santa Cruz County landmark since 1947, the worldfamous Shadowbrook continues to be an overwhelming favorite with locals and visitors alike. Its fi ne food, extensive wine list and unparalleled setting and ambiance have earned it numerous awards, including Northern California’s “Most Romantic Restaurant” and “Best Date Night Restaurant.” Gift cards and reservations available online. Open M–F 5–8:45pm, Sa 4:30–9:45pm, Su 4:30–8:45pm.

CARMEL

Aabha Indian Cuisine 3690 The Barnyard 831.250.5940 • aabhaindian.com

For authentic Indian food in Carmel, look no further than Aabha Indian Cuisine, which offers lunch and dinner daily at The Barnyard. Master chef Bhupender Singh has more than two decades of experience in creating tantalizing dishes, with expertise in balancing spices and complex flavors. Chef Singh began his career working at Bukhara restaurant in New Delhi, one of the 50 top restaurants in the world, later opening popular restaurants in the Bay Area and Sonoma. Open daily for lunch buffet 11:30am–2:30pm, dinner 5–9pm.

Allegro Pizzeria

South West corner of The Barnyard 831.626.5454

Carmel’s neighborhood pizzeria for over 30 years, Allegro features eclectic award-winning pizza, as well as traditional Italian fare. With private dining rooms and patios, Allegro is a great spot for any event with complete meals to match any budget. Featuring pizza, pasta, seafood & steak as well as an array of new pub fare inspired by the on-site craft brewery. Kids make their own pizza, puppies eat free and gluten free, vegan & keto choices are available. Yes, we deliver! Open M–Th 11:30am–8:30pm, F–Sa 11:30am–9:30pm, Su 11:30–9pm.

Aubergine

Monte Verde Street at Seventh Avenue 831.624.8578 • auberginecarmel.com

Recently awarded a one-star Michelin rating and located within the romantic L’Auberge Carmel hotel, Aubergine feels like a trip to Europe. Executive Chef-Director Justin Cogley was named one of Food & Wine ’s best new chefs of 2013. He has been nominated multiple times for a James Beard award, and it’s no wonder—he’s an

Award Winning Chef Ayoma Wilen Best Chef America 2013

eloquent and imaginative interpreter of coastal seasonal ingredients. Executive Pastry Chef Yulanda Santos delights with stunning and inventive desserts at this temple of fi ne dining. Open Tu–Su 6–9:30pm.

Billy Quon’s SUR

3601 The Barnyard, Suite A-21 831.250.7188 • surcarmel.com

SUR is the latest restaurant for Bill and Teresa Lee, who over the years have created local favorites like Bahama Billy’s and Bixby Bistro at The Barnyard. Executive chef Herman Hernandez gets rave reviews for an exciting and eclectic menu. Favorites include his famous Southern fried chicken and waffles, fi sherman’s bouillabaisse, filet mignon, burgers and a variety of vegetarian dishes. SUR has a full bar and holds two happy hours nightly, from 3–6pm and 8–9pm, plus happy hour all night every Tuesday. A wide selection of local wines is available. SUR has a special doggie menu for canine patrons! Open Tu–Su 11:30am–9pm, all-day menu served continuously.

Earthbound Farm’s Farm Stand Organic Kitchen

7250 Carmel Valley Road 831.625.6219 • earthboundfarm.com

At its newly renovated Carmel Valley Farm Stand, Earthbound Farm’s 100% certified organic kitchen delights with housemade soups, sandwiches, a newly expanded salad bar, baked goods and fresh juices and smoothies. Food is available to be enjoyed on our beautiful grounds or for takeaway. Experience picturesque Carmel Valley as you stroll through Earthbound’s organic gardens and learn about its pioneering local heritage and commitment to organic integrity. And as always, pick up some fresh, local organic fruits and veggies. Visit our website or check out Facebook for hours, special events and classes!

Edgar’s 8000 Valley Greens Drive 831.620.8910 • quaillodge.com

Taste the fresh ingredients harvested from local farms and fi sheries hand-selected by Edgar’s executive chef Brian Parks and exquisitely prepared by the culinary team. Edgar’s features casual elegance with its indoor and outdoor fi reside dining against the backdrop of the golf course and Santa Lucia Mountains. It offers authentic California cuisine with hints of alternate influences, with modern takes on familiar classics using time-tested techniques. Voted “Best Restaurant on a Golf Course” by locals. Visit quaillodge.com/edgars for most up-to-date hours.

États-Unis French-American Bistro Dolores between Fifth and Sixth avenues 831.238.6010 • etatsuniscarmel.com

French comfort food made with locally sourced organic ingredients is a winning combination for États-Unis, helmed by award-winning chef Soerke Peters. The cozy, casual restaurant in downtown Carmel-by-the-Sea features breakfast and lunch favorites like crêpes, escargots, bouillabaisse and ratatouille, as well as housemade pâtés, charcuterie and hearty hors d’oeuvres, perfect for enjoying with a glass of wine. Green Restaurant certifi ed. Open daily 8am–-3pm.

Folktale Winery & Vineyards 8940 Carmel Valley Road 831.293.7500 • folktalewinery.com

Folktale Winery is renowned for its wines, but great food is also on the menu there. The winery off ers small bites that are perfectly paired to its vintages, from the artisan cheese and charcuterie boards to Folktale’s deviled eggs with Baker’s bacon or Imperial caviar, and Niman Ranch meatballs. Salads and vegetarian options are also avail-

Enjoy family.

able, as is a selection of savory fl atbreads. They’re just the thing to enjoy while taking in the idyllic beauty of the setting and enjoying a wine fl ight of Folktale’s fi nest. Tours and special wine and food pairings are also available by reservation. Winery open Th noon–8pm, F–Sa 11am–9pm, 11am–8pm, kitchen open noon–8pm.

From Scratch Restaurant 3626 The Barnyard 831.625.2448 • fromscratchrestaurant.com

When a restaurant is called From Scratch, customers expect a meal prepared with the freshest ingredients and cooked to perfection. Th at’s exactly what you get when you dine at this charming family-owned spot. Breakfast is served all day, featuring hometown favorites such as eggs Benedict, made-to-order omelets, French toast made with homemade cinnamon bread and huevos rancheros. A variety of lunch specials is available, including soups, salads and sandwiches. A pet-friendly patio welcomes those who come in with furry friends. Open daily 8am–2:30pm. Lunch served starting at 11am.

Il Grillo

Mission Street between Fourth and Fifth avenues 831.238.9608 • ilgrillocarmel.com

A more casual yet equally outstanding sister to Carmel’s La Balena, Il Grillo is staking out its own creative culinary personality with the addition of longtime local chef Brandon Miller. Homemade desserts are by Emily Garcia. Both Miller and Garcia share a wealth of local food knowledge and traditions shine through their cooking. Dinner menus are driven by local and sustainably raised ingredients, with beautiful and delicious results. Garden seating available. Open M–Sa 4–9pm.

La Balena

Junipero Street between Fifth and Sixth avenues 831.250.6295 • labalenacarmel.com

Winner of EMB’s 2014 Local Heroes award for Best Chef/Best Restaurant, La Balena has a seasonal menu that changes daily but always expresses an inventive take on the rustic food of a Tuscan trattoria. The outstanding culinary team sources ingredients from local organic farms and prepares the restaurant’s pastas and slow-cooked meats from scratch daily. Owners Anna and Emanuele Bartolini have created an excellent Italian wine list and a warm, inviting atmosphere, complete with back garden seating. Open Tu-Su 11:30am3:30pm, 5-10pm.

Lafayette Bakery & Café

3659 The Barnyard, Suite E-22 831.915.6286

Whether it’s a rustic loaf of bread or a delectable French pastry, you’ll find what you’re looking for at awardwinning Lafayette Bakery & Café, a favorite stop for both locals and visitors to The Barnyard. Master baker Jean-Bernard Vial and the rest of the Vial family bring their French heritage to their authentic artisan breads and handcrafted pastries such as custard brioche and almond croissants. Coffee, baguette sandwiches and salads are also served with a smile. Open M–Sa 7am–6pm, Su 7am–4pm.

Robata Grill & Sake Bar

3658 The Barnyard, Lower Level 831.624.2643 • robata-barnyard.com

Robata Grill & Sake Bar in The Barnyard has been a locals’ favorite for more than three decades, providing traditional Japanese cuisine and a sushi bar. The perfect place for any occasion, the restaurant features a full bar and wine list as well as a good selection of sake and Japanese beer. Robata welcomes private parties and off ers catering as well. Open M–Sa, lunch 11:30am–1:30pm, dinner at 5pm.

TASTING ROOM-SAN CARLOS & 7TH, CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA FAMILY-OWNED & ESTATE GROWN SINCE 1972 • SCHEIDFAMILYWINES.COM

KURT GOLLNICK – COO, TYLER SCHEID – PROJECT MANAGER, SCOTT SCHEID – CEO, HEIDI SCHEID – SR. VICE PRESIDENT, AL SCHEID – CHAIRMAN, FOUNDER

Seventh & Dolores Steakhouse (7D)

Seventh & Dolores

831.293.7600 • 7Dsteakhouse.com

The heart of this restaurant is a classic steakhouse, but with the energy and influences of coastal California and beyond. The restaurant, owned and run by the team behind Folktale Winery, is both a favorite neighborhood spot as well as a place to celebrate special occasions. Executive chef Thomas Snyder chooses all-natural meats from Niman Ranch that include 28-day, dry-aged beef, all humanely and sustainably raised, in addition to fresh local seafood and housemade desserts. Open for lunch 11:30am–3pm and dinner 5–10pm daily as well as brunch Sa–Su 11:30am–3pm.

Waypoint Bar & Kitchen

8205 Valley Greens Drive 831.620.8910 • quaillodge.com

Inspired by The Peninsula Hotels’ Signature Motoring Events hosted annually at the Quail Lodge & Golf Club, Waypoint provides an authentic yet casual atmosphere featuring real motorcycles provided by the Moto Talbott Collection, motorsports-themed artwork by renowned local artist Molly McCall, and billiards and darts. Waypoint offers a café-style breakfast with a selection of craft coffee and teas, complemented by breakfast favorites that include fruit and yogurt, bakery items, eggs any style, breakfast sandwiches, buttermilk pancakes and an array of delectable sides such as applewood smoked bacon, chicken apple sausage, potato pancakes and more. In the evening there is casual, yet elevated fun fare complemented by a selection of craft beer, whiskey, wine and cocktails. Visit quaillodge.com/dining for the most upto-date hours.

CARMEL VALLEY

Jerome’s Carmel Valley Market

2 Chambers Lane 831.659.2472 • jeromescarmelvalleymarket.com Already known for its specialty groceries, meats and fresh local produce, this beloved market is now serving classically French-trained chef Jerome Viel’s delicious hot prepared foods, sandwiches and mostly organic salad bar for eating at comfortable outdoor seating or takeaway. The off erings start with breakfast burritos, croissants and other French pastries in the morning, followed by favorites such as coq au vin, spaghetti carbonara and chicken enchiladas for lunch. On Friday afternoon, the big paella pan appears just in time to take some home for dinner. Open M–Sa 7am–7pm, Su 7am–6pm.

Lucia Restaurant & Bar

Bernardus Lodge & Spa • 415 W. Carmel Valley Road 831.658.3400 • bernarduslodge.com Indulge in artisanal California country cuisine, awardwinning wines and an expansive heated outdoor terrace with the fi nest restaurant view in Carmel Valley. Named for the Santa Lucia mountain range and wine appellation that beckons to the south, renowned chef Cal Stamenov serves both his signature tasting menu and dishes à la carte. Wine list is equally notable. A private chef’s table and wine cellar are also available. Enjoy live music Monday, Tuesday, Friday and Saturday evenings and at Saturday and Sunday brunch. Open daily 7am–10pm.

Sangria Wine and Tapas Bar

5 Del Fino Place 831.298.7281 • sangriawinetapasbar.com

Th is unique wine and tapas bar features a warm and inviting atmosphere where customers can relax. Th e emphasis on local wines and Spanish and Latin American tapas and small plates is the inspiration of owners Robert and Colleen Mann, assisted by Sommelier/Sangria Manager Pablo Antinao. All-day Sunday brunch

available as well as happy hour W–F 4–6pm. Reserve the beautiful secret garden for parties and events. Open W–Th 3–9:30pm, F 3-–0pm, Sa 11am–10pm, Su 11am–8pm.

Trailside Café and Beer Garden

3 Del Fino Place 831.298.7453 • trailsidecafecv.com Here, visitors will fi nd the best local beer selection on the Central Coast, with 15 draft beers and one cider in rotation in addition to more than 50 bottled brews. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, the café has an extensive menu including burgers, sandwiches, salads and evening entrées such as grilled salmon, chicken satay and stuffed portabellos. Live music in the beer garden on weekends, locals’ specials and a pet-friendly patio make it an area favorite. Check the website for special events and menu additions. Open daily 8am–9pm.

DAVENPORT

Whale City Bakery

490 Highway 1 831.423.9009 • whalecitybakery.com Davenport’s artistic charm and oceanside location make it hard not to slow when you pass through on Highway 1. Those in the know always stop at the historic Whale City Bakery. The bakery tempts with housemade breads, pastries, muffi ns and pies—and that’s only the beginning! Whale City also offers a full restaurant that serves up comfort classics and other hearty dishes. The bar and live music every Thursday attract a loyal local following. Open daily 6:30am–8pm.

FELTON

The Cremer House 6256 Highway 9 831.335.3976 • cremerhouse.com Housed in the oldest building in Felton, Th e Cremer House showcases progressive, made-from-scratch food and drinks with a nod to its historic mountain surroundings. Th is alehouse has fi lled a niche in the San Lorenzo Valley, bringing to this restored and revered property craft beer, cider and wine on tap, and combining it with organic and sustainable fare made with local ingredients. Open Tu–Th, Su 11:30am–9pm, F–Sa 11:30am–9:30pm.

Wild Roots Market

6240 Highway 9 • 831.335.7322 (Felton) 13159 Highway 9 • 831.338.7211 (Boulder Creek) wildrootsmarket.com

Wild Roots’ 100% organic produce, natural groceries, organic meats and FishWise-certified seafood all go into the prepared foods offered by the store’s full-service deli, salad and soup bar and juice bar. Open daily 9am–9pm. Enjoy on the patio or take home.

KING CITY

The Cork & Plough

200 Broadway Street 831.386.9491 • thecorkandplough.com

It’s no wonder that The Cork & Plough is a favorite stop for travelers on the Hwy. 101 corridor and Salinas Valley locals alike. The downtown location is convenient; the hip, airy room and its massive tinted concrete bar are inviting; and the terrific food is prepared by chef/proprietor Travis Childers and his team with super-fresh ingredients directly from local farms. If you’re not the designated driver, don’t miss the cocktails crafted with housemade infusions by head bartender Rob Marshall or the wines and beers carefully curated by co-proprietor Anna Childers. Open Su–Th 11am–9pm, F–Sa 11am–10pm.

The Club Room

2 Portola Plaza 831.649.2698 • portolahotel.com/dining/the-club-room

The Club Room inside the Portola Hotel & Spa off ers a fresh, seasonal, breakfast buffet featuring made-to-order omelets, assorted housemade pastries and muffi ns, sliced cold cuts, fi ne artisan cheeses, bottomless mimosas and much more all for $19.95. Dine in the cozy fi reside dining room, or breathe in the fresh coastal air on the outdoor, pet-friendly, heated patio. Open for breakfast daily 6–11am.

the C restaurant + bar

InterContinental The Clement Monterey 750 Cannery Row 831.375.4500 • ictheclementmonterey.com

Step into the C restaurant + bar, and the bustle of Cannery Row will seem like a world away. Elegant yet relaxed, the C offers stunning ocean views from its floorto-ceiling windows and oceanside deck. Executive chef Matt Bolton provides equally gorgeous food, imaginatively prepared from sustainably sourced seafood, meats and produce. Creative cocktails include international specialties, as well as sparkling wine fl ights from around the world. Open daily 6:30am–10pm, Happy Hour 4–7pm Su–Th. Live Music F–Su noon–3pm, Th–Sa 6–9pm.

Jacks Monterey

2 Portola Plaza 831.649.7830 • jacksatportola.com

Jacks Monterey offers “California Cultural Cuisine” and seats guests beneath the trees in a glass-topped atrium where they can enjoy the sun by day and the stars at night. Reflecting the palette of the Monterey Peninsula, the new space is decorated with ocean blues, driftwood browns and the greens of coastal flora. Chef Danny Abbruzzese’s new seasonal menu provides a melting pot of fl avor profi les from the entire California coastline and other exotic locales. Open for lunch daily 11:30am–4pm, dinner daily 4–11pm, Sunday brunch with live music 11:30am–3pm.

Pacific Rolls & Bowls

475 Alvarado Street 831.583.8433 • pacificbowlsandrolls.com

The eatery that led the revival of Alvarado Street is now getting its own makeover. The Poke Lab is now Pacific Bowls & Rolls, with a new look and new menus. PBR continues to offer signature poke bowls as well as salads, nori rolls and bahn mi sandwiches. Pick your protein from among Kalbi barbecued beef, shoyu chicken, pork belly, ginger tofu, ahi tuna and more, and then select toppings and extras. Online ordering available. Check the Facebook page for updates.

Paris Bakery

271 Bonifacio Place • 831.646.1620 (Monterey) 1234 Broadway • 831.394.7798 (Seaside) parisbakery.us

Paris Bakery has been a local favorite in Monterey since 1985. Founded by baker Jackie Jegat, who learned his craft in Paris, the bakery provides deliciously authentic croissants, éclairs and napoleons, as well as cakes, cookies, pies and breads, all baked freshly daily. Breakfast selections include continental breakfast, quiche and oatmeal, and for lunch, sandwiches, soups and salads. Holiday specialties include bûche de noël, galettes des rois, Christmas stollen and Mardi Gras cake. Open daily 6am–4pm.

Peter B’s Brewpub

2 Portola Plaza 831.649.2699 • peterbsbrewpub.com

Experience Monterey’s original craft brewery, Peter B’s Brewpub, located behind the Portola Hotel & Spa. Enjoy great food and award-winning handcrafted beers. Watch your favorite game on one of 18 HDTVs or enjoy the pet-friendly heated patio with fi re pits. Peter B’s is open daily with nightly Happy Hour from 4–6:30pm, as well as late night happy hour Su–Th 9:30–10:30pm. Open Su 11am–11pm, M–Th 4–11pm, F 4pm–12am, Sa 11am–12am. Sunday breakfast and football 9:30–11am (Sept.–Dec.).

Schooners Coastal Kitchen & Bar

Monterey Plaza Hotel & Spa 400 Cannery Row 831.372.2628 • schoonersmonterey.com

Sit out on the newly remodeled oceanside patio if you can, but it’s still considered seaside dining if you are seated inside the dining room, where polished wood, bay windows and seafaring décor seem like the interior of a sailing ship. Schooners Coastal Kitchen & Bar serves sustainable seafood and prime steaks. Th e restaurant takes a creative Californian approach to soups, fresh salads, sandwiches and wood-fi red fl atbreads, paired with a diverse wine list featuring local favorites. Open daily 6:30am–11pm.

TusCA Ristorante

Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel & Spa

1 Old Golf Course Road 831.657.6675 • monterey.hyatt.com Blending the beauty and bounty of Tuscany and California, TusCA executive chef Dan Elinan off ers seasonally inspired menus made with fresh locally sourced produce. Try the Castroville artichoke fritters or entrées such as shiitake and fava risotto or cedar plank salmon with local bok choy rabe and Carmel Honey Co. miso. Open daily for breakfast and lunch 6:30am–1:30pm, dinner 6–9pm Tu–Sa.

Wild Plum Café, Bistro & Bakery

731 Munras Avenue 831.646.3109 • thewildplumcafe.com

Located in Old Monterey in a vibrant and diverse neighborhood, Wild Plum draws people from all walks of life with sustainable bistro fare that uses organic, locally sourced produce, hormone-free Diestel turkeys roasted on site, grass-fed beef and house-baked bread and pastries. Breakfasts include scrambles, omelets, and breakfast tacos and burritos, and for lunch, choose among soups, salads, sandwiches and paninis, burgers and house specialties. Food to go and catering available. Open Su–M 7am–3:30pm, Tu closed, W–Sa 7am–5:30pm.

PACIFIC GROVE

Happy Girl Kitchen Co.

173 Central Avenue 831.373.4475 • happygirlkitchen.com

The menu changes daily at Happy Girl’s airy and bright Pacific Grove café, but the food is always delicious, organic and reasonably priced. The sandwich of the day is $6.50, and a bowl of the soup of the day is $6. To drink, you’ll fi nd kombucha on tap and freshly roasted Verve coff ee brewed to perfection. Homemade baked goods include a daily scone, cookies and turnovers. Check the website for information on seasonal workshops. Open daily 7:30am–3pm, coffee and tea served until 5pm.

Jeninni Kitchen + Wine Bar

542 Lighthouse Avenue 831.920.2662 • jeninni.com

Inspired by flavors of the Mediterranean, Jeninni Kitchen + Wine Bar’s rich and decadent cuisine takes you on a journey from Morocco and Spain to the Levant, birthplace of owner and sommelier, Thamin Saleh. Don’t miss chef Matthew Zimny’s charred octopus, lamb burger with signature eggplant fries and occasional paella nights and other special events. Open every day except Wednesday, 5pm until close. Happy Hour—”sips and snacks”— 4–6pm.

Mezzaluna Pasteria & Mozzarella Bar

1188 Forest Avenue 831.372.5325 • mezzalunapasteria.com

Featuring Italian fare that is simple, yet sophisticated, and precisely prepared, Mezzaluna is the latest restaurant to be helmed by chef Soerke Peters, a sustainability leader on the Monterey Peninsula. Peters sources only the freshest local ingredients and he and his staff make pasta, mozzarella and gelato daily. Enjoy selections from the antipasto or mozzarella bar menus, or choose from entrées such as gnocchi, ravioli, rigatoni and others. The bar features an impressive lineup of Italian bitters, negronis and gin tonics. Aperitivo hour 4:30–6:30pm M–F, bar dining only. Open for lunch Su–F 11:30am–2:30pm, dinner 5–9pm M–F (closed Tu) and 5–10pm Sa–Su.

Passionfi sh

701 Lighthouse Avenue 831.655.3311 • passionfi sh.net

If you’re looking for a restaurant with playful, spectacular food and a scrupulous commitment to sustainability, this green-certified restaurant is hard to rival. The elegant dining room is celebratory yet relaxed, and the award-winning wine list features many sustainable names and is priced at retail. Chef Ted Walter’s menu is ever changing with the seasons, but always includes delicious organic local produce, inventive slow-cooked meats and an array of sustainable seafood choices. Open daily 5pm.

Wild Fish

545 Lighthouse Avenue 831.373.8523 • wild-fish.com

Owners Liz and Kelvin Jacobs welcome you to feast on the bounty of nearby waters and farms at their 100% local and organic seafood house, enjoying exquisite dishes like crispy sablefi sh and swordfi sh au poivre, accompanied by succulent native seaweeds. Fresh oysters, innovative salads, house-baked bread and sides like fi ngerling potatoes with poppyseed crème fraîche or baby carrots with wild nettle pesto, make this a dining destination. . Did we mention English sticky toff ee pudding? Or the live jazz on Friday nights? Open for lunch F–Tu 11:30am–2:30pm, dinner Su–Th 5–9pm, F–Sa, 5–9:30pm.

PEBBLE BEACH

The Bench

The Lodge at Pebble Beach, 1700 17-Mile Drive 866.543.9318 • pebblebeach.com/dining

Overlooking the 18th hole at Pebble Beach Golf Links, Th e Bench at Th e Lodge at Pebble Beach delivers an eclectic menu inspired by international styles and methods, which uses the innovative technique of wood roasting and open-fl ame cooking. You can also enjoy one-ofa-kind craft cocktails, as well as an array of draft beers and wines by the glass. Open daily 11am–10pm.

Gallery Cafe

The Lodge at Pebble Beach, 1700 17-Mile Drive 866.543.9318 • pebblebeach.com/dining

Overlooking the fi rst tee of Pebble Beach Golf Links, Gallery Cafe offers a wide selection of breakfast choices, from light smoothies to omelets and pancakes. For a casual lunch, try the excellent burgers or choose from a delicious selection of artisan sandwiches, plus the best milkshakes this side of the 1950s. Open daily 6am–2pm.

Pèppoli at Pebble Beach

The Inn at Spanish Bay, 2700 17-Mile Drive 866.543.9318 • pebblebeach.com/dining

At Pèppoli, the scents of Italian herbs and spices fi ll the air, and the décor transports you to a cozy Tuscan villa. The menu is big and bold, ripe with traditional pastas, seafood and meats. The extraordinary wine list is matched by equally impressive dishes, including delicious desserts, all with stunning views of Spanish Bay. Open daily 5:30–10pm.

Roy’s at Pebble Beach

The Inn at Spanish Bay, 2700 17-Mile Drive 866.543.9318 • pebblebeach.com/dining

It’s all about big fl avors and the gorgeous ocean view at Roy’s at Pebble Beach. Fresh seafood is front and center, where sushi, sashimi and blackened rare Ahi tuna are prepared to perfection, but many exciting meat dishes and island salads are also featured on the extensive Hawaiian-fusion menu. Add a dynamic wine list, exceptional desserts and an energetic environment, and you have one impressive dining experience, all overlooking Spanish Bay. Open daily for breakfast 6:30–11am, lunch 11:30am–5pm, dinner 5:30–10pm.

Stave Wine Cellar at Spanish Bay

The Inn at Spanish Bay, 2700 17-Mile Drive 866.543.9318 • pebblebeach.com/dining

A combined wine lounge and retail shop, Stave Wine Cellar is a luxurious yet casual space that is ideal for special wine dinners or gathering with friends and colleagues. You can pair varietals by the glass with a menu of cheese and charcuterie plates. In addition to nearly 30 wines and eight craft beers by the glass, Stave has more than 200 wines for purchase by the bottle, including a wide selection of coveted bottles. A knowledgeable staff, including certified sommeliers are on-hand. Open Tu–Sa 2–10pm, Su–M 2–7pm.

Sticks

The Inn at Spanish Bay 2700 17-Mile Drive 866.543.9318 • pebblebeach.com/dining

Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, Sticks is the perfect place for seasonally diverse California cuisine in a lively sports bar atmosphere. Savor a tasty meal, a cold draft beer, specialty cocktail or one of the many appetizers, while enjoying sports on fl at-screen TVs. Outside on the patio, enjoy seating next to a fi re pit while soaking up gorgeous views of The Links at Spanish Bay and the Pacific Ocean along with nightly bagpiper music. Ask about specials and new menu additions. Open daily 6am–9pm.

Stillwater Bar & Grill

The Lodge at Pebble Beach, 1700 17-Mile Drive 866.543.9318 • pebblebeach.com/dining

Stillwater Bar & Grill prides itself in off ering the freshest and most flavorful in sustainable seafood and organic produce. Whether it’s breakfast, lunch or dinner—or Stillwater’s famous Sunday Brunch—the menus are sure to delight. Shellfi sh lovers will marvel at the bountiful seafood tank, while those who prefer turf to surf can choose from a variety of meaty options. Each of these delectable

Bay and the 18th hole of Pebble Beach Golf Links. Open daily 7am–10pm.

The Tap Room

The Lodge at Pebble Beach, 1700 17-Mile Drive 866.543.9318 • pebblebeach.com/dining

The Tap Room is more than a legendary 19th hole with an outstanding selection of draft and bottled beers, vintage wines and top quality spirits. It’s also a world-class steakhouse serving up hearty all-American fare, from burgers to prime rib to fi let mignon. Renowned for its extensive collection of prized golf memorabilia, The Tap Room is a comfortable and inviting place for watching televised sporting events or recounting your successes on the courses of Pebble Beach. Open daily 11am–12am.

SAN JUAN BAUTISTA

Vertigo Coff ee Roasters 81 Fourth Street 831.623.9533 • vertigocoffee.com

Artisanal coff ee roasted on site as well as fresh pastries baked in-house, brunch items, local craft beers plus wood-fi red pizzas have made Vertigo a locals’ favorite as well as a great fi nd for visitors en route to the San Juan Mission, Pinnacles or other area attractions. Open M–W 7am–3pm, Th –Su 7am–9pm.

SANTA CRUZ

Alderwood

155 Walnut Avenue 831.588.3238 • alderwoodsantacruz.com

Alderwood, a neighborhood oyster bar and restaurant for people looking for a fun and friendly night on the town, puts its emphasis on cocktails and beef, with a wide variety of steaks cooked over its wood-fi red grill. Partner and chef Jeff rey Wall—an Iowa native and previously opening chef at Atlanta’s top-rated Kimball House farm-to-table restaurant—believes in local sourcing and makes good use of the the downtown Santa Cruz Farmers’ Market, practically across the street. Open Tu–Su 4pm–close, Happy Hour 4–7pm.

an epicurious lifestyle 104 Bronson Street, Suite 13 831.588.7772 • anepicuriouslifestyle.com

An event-based commercial kitchen and dining space in the historic Seabright Cannery building, an epicurious lifestyle is available for unique private events and hosts a monthly, seasonal family-style dinner for 20 that is open to the public. Other public events also have a limited number of tickets; check the website for future dates and to sign up for email invites.

Bistro One Twelve 1060 River Street, Suite 112 831.854.7458 • bistro112sc.com

Driven by the farm-to-table philosophy of Frenchtrained chef Shannon Madison, Bistro One Twelve is the dining destination and gathering spot for the Santa Cruz Tannery Arts Center. Its “Decidedly Local, Aggressively Seasonal” menu is plant forward, with food layered to accommodate various dietary options. Breakfast, lunch and dinner with Taco Tuesday and Trivia Th ursday; local craft beers and carefully curated wines available. Open M–W 8am–6:30pm, Th –F 8am–9pm, Sa 10am–9pm, Su 10am–2pm

Breakfast at Burn Westside and Live Oak farmers’ markets burnhotsauce.com

You’ve loved Burn as a hot sauce—now its creators have branched out into breakfast. Chef Amanda Heyse is serving up to-go fare every Saturday 9am–1pm at the

271 Bonifacio Place, Monterey | 1232 Broadway Avenue, Seaside

Westside farmers’ market and Sundays 9am–1pm at the Live Oak market. She dishes up hot cakes, griddled banana bread, eggs over arugula and cherry tomatoes, fried eggs and crispy potatoes, breakfast burritos and other morning delights. Menus are ever changing and always organic.

Charlie Hong Kong

1141 Soquel Avenue 831.426.5664 • charliehongkong.com

Charlie Hong Kong has been providing the Santa Cruz community with healthy, sustainable, aff ordable and high-quality food since 1998. The colorful, casual eatery’s delicious fusion of Southeast Asian influences and the Central Coast’s local organic produce has made it an inclusive, family-friendly, neighborhood favorite. Its slogan is “love your body, eat organic,” and its cuisine is proof that fast food can be good for you. All signature dishes are vegan with the option to add meat or fi sh. Gluten-free modifications available. Dog friendly. Open daily 11am–11pm.

Chocolate 1522 Pacific Avenue 831.427.9900 • chocolatesantacruz.com

As its name suggests, there are all kinds of decadent chocolate desserts at Chocolate the restaurant, but this farm-to-fork local favorite is much more than a dessert spot. Everything is prepared simply and with local and organic ingredients whenever possible. From sandwiches, salads and soups at lunch to dinners that include chicken mole, barbecued roast pork and polenta plate, it’s all about celebrating the best of the Central Coast. Cocktails made with Santa Cruz-based Venus Spirits, a hot chocolate menu and local wines and beers can be found here as well. A party room for your special celebration is available, with seating and menu options to suit the occasion. Open Su–Th 11:30am–10pm, F–Sa 11:30am–1pm.

The Crow’s Nest 2218 E. Cliff Drive 831.476.4560 • crowsnest-santacruz.com

A perfect spot to enjoy lunch or catch a sunset over the harbor, the nautical-themed Crow’s Nest is a Santa Cruz institution that never goes out of style. There’s always something happening, from free seasonal Thursday night beach parties to comedy nights and happy hours. Famous for its salad bar and house-smoked salmon, The Crow’s Nest is a member of Seafood Watch and is a certified green business. Open daily for breakfast 7:30am–11:30am; lunch M–F 11:30am–2:30pm and Sa–Su 11:30am–3pm; dinner M–F 5pm, Sa–Su 4:30pm.

Laílí 101B Cooper Street 831.423.4545 • lailirestaurant.com

Exotic fl avors of the Silk Road are served in a stylish dining room decorated in eggplant and pistachio colors and on a hidden candlelit patio. Locals rave about Laílí’s homemade naan served warm from the oven with a selection of Mediterranean dips. There is a wide variety of deliciously spiced vegetable dishes and all meats are hormone free and free range. Open for lunch Tu–Su 11:30am–2:30pm, dinner 5pm–close.

La Posta

538 Seabright Avenue 831.457.2782 • lapostarestaurant.com

A cozy neighborhood bistro not far from the Santa Cruz yacht harbor, La Posta chef Dante Cecchini prepares traditional rustic Italian cuisine using local ingredients. The emphasis is on simple, seasonal selections, with the balance of the menu reflecting whatever produce is freshest right now. A sister restaurant of Soif Restaurant and

Wine Bar, La Posta also offers a great selection of wines. Open Tu–Th 5–9pm, F–Sa 5–9:30pm, Su 5–8:30pm, M closed.

Pearl of the Ocean 736 Water Street 831.457.2350 • m.mainstreethub.com/pearloftheocean Award-winning chef/owner Ayoma Wilen goes beyond the expected traditional spice-infused dishes of Sri Lanka, creating locally inspired daily specials using fresh, organic produce from farmers’ market produce and sustainably harvested seafood. Customer favorites include butternut squash curry, crab curry and wild salmon curry. To round out the fl avor experience, there is a dizzying array of sides, like coconut leek sambal and kale mallam. The warm colors, altars and blessings that decorate the space help guests get a sense of Sri Lanka’s world-class hospitality, culture and beauty. Open for lunch daily 11am–2:30pm; dinner Su–Th 5–9pm and F–Sa 5–9:30pm.

The Penny Ice Creamery 913 Cedar Street 831.204.2523 • thepennyicecreamery.com

Lines out the front door of its converted Spanish bungalow are evidence of Penny’s popularity. All ice cream, including bases, is made from scratch on the premises using local organic ingredients when possible. Dozens of exotic fl avors rotate seasonally, but two favorites are chocolate caramel sea salt and strawberry pink peppercorn. Open daily noon–11pm. See also The Penny under Capitola.

The Picnic Basket 125 Beach Street 831.427.9946 • thepicnicbasketsc.com

Across the street from the main beach, owners of The Penny Ice Creamery have opened an alternative to boardwalk fast food. Sandwiches, organic salads, coffee and beer, all from local food artisans, and of course Penny’s popular ice cream, are all on offer to eat in or outside with your feet in the sand. Open daily 7am–4pm. Expanded hours some weekends and holidays. Expanded hours during summer.

Snap Taco 1108 Pacific Avenue 831.824-6100 • eatsnaptaco.com

Th is festive taco spot draws its inspiration from food tra-

ditions around the world, with imaginative tacos created using the best fresh, local and sustainable ingredients. Great for a quick bite or gathering with friends and family. Choose from snacks, tacos, bowls and sandwiches on the menu, as well as draft beers, the Snap Rita, and specialty cocktails. Open Su–Th 11:30am–9:30pm, F–Sa 11:30am–10:30pm.

Soif Restaurant and Wine Bar

105 Walnut Avenue 831.423.2020 • soifwine.com

Inspired by the off erings from local farmers and provisioners, executive chef Tom McNary’s cuisine shows California fl air with super, seasonal dishes, all paired with local and exotic wines (and a great burger!). A cozy, new bar offers cocktails in addition to the best wine selection in town. Th e bottle shop next door provides a world-class selection of wines and a welcoming seating area for sipping and tasting. Raw oysters and live jazz every Monday. Open Su–Th 5–9pm, F–Sa 5–10pm. Wine bar opens noon Tu–Sa, 5pm Su–M.

West End Tap & Kitchen

334D Ingalls Street • 831.471.8115 westendtap.com

At West End, perfect for any parent who is looking for a happy hour to satisfy the whole family, adults and kids alike can’t get enough of the duck fat popcorn, fried calamari and flatbread pizzas. A diverse, season-driven menu with offerings like seared scallops with mascarpone and lemon risotto, trumpet mushrooms, Marcona almonds and tarragon-basil vinaigrette, and a long list of craft beers, ciders and wine options make West End a Westside staple. The outdoor patio is perfect for people watching amidst the bustling Swift Street Courtyard. Open Su–Th 11:30am–9:30pm, F–Sa 11:30pm–10pm.

SCOTTS VALLEY

Kitchen Table/1440 Multiversity 800 Bethany Drive 844.544.1440 • 1440.org

1440 is the number of minutes in each day, and at the new learning destination in Scotts Valley, 1440 represents the many opportunities there are to be mindful in this life we live. Th at philosophy certainly translates to the food we choose to eat, which makes the on-

site Kitchen Table a wonderful canvas for showcasing the vibrant, healthful and delicious ingredients we have available locally. Chef Kenny Woods, who came here from Arizona to be part of this unique project, brings an intensive and enthusiastic culinary background to creating plantbased menus that change with every meal, every day, for the diverse, global community that gathers here. Registration for a 1440 program, personal getaway or special event is required to dine at Kitchen Table.

SOQUEL

HOME 3101 N. Main Street 831.431.6131 • homesoquel.com

Located in charming Soquel Village, HOME serves the fi nest local seasonal produce and locally raised animals used nose to tail, hand butchered by chef Brad Briske. Th e style is New American bistro and the setting is warm and welcoming, with a fi replace, plants and classic furnishings. The menu changes from day to day, and season to season. Begin the meal with house-cured appetizers such as duck liver pâté and HOME’s big green olives, then move on to inventive pasta dishes, seafood, and selections like Fogline fried chicken and dry aged strip loin. Complementing the meal are Santa Cruz area beers and ciders and Central Coast wines. Open Tu–Sa 5–9pm.

Pretty Good Advice 3070 Porter Street 831.226.2805 • prettygoodadvicesoquel.com

Talk about cooking from scratch—chef Matt McNamara goes the extra mile and actually grows most of the produce for his new Soquel restaurant. The Michelin-star chef decided to create a restaurant with quality, aff ordable food, leading him to open Pretty Good Advice earlier this year. The hyperlocal, fast-casual restaurant features sandwiches such as Aaron’s Avocado Toast, a Korean BBQ sandwich, and the E.L.T. (roasted eggplant, lettuce and tomato), creative beef and vegan burgers, and sides that range from butternut coconut soup to tahini ranch salad. Check Instagram for updates! Open daily 8am–5pm.

WATSONVILLE

Gizdich Ranch

55 Peckham Road 831.722.1056 • gizdich-ranch.com

Visitors from all over love this third-generation, family-run farm business that popularized the “pik-yorself” experience just east of Watsonville’s Interlaken neighborhood. Tour the farm, pick fresh apples or berries or watch the action inside the juice-pressing barn. No one leaves hungry if they spend time at the bakery-deli that pleases with its fresh pies, shortcakes and pastries, along with hearty sandwiches and box lunches. Th is family friendly experience is also a treat for kids, who will enjoy the wide-open spaces and the homemade popsicles. Open daily 9am–5pm.

LAST CALL

EL JEFE

An award-winning tequila with local roots STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY

BY MARK C. ANDERSON

It’s all in the name. El Jefe’s Carmel-native creator Ryan Sanchez isn’t afraid to admit it.

“The whole industry is about marketing,” he says. “We have the most marketable name for tequila. I don’t think I knew the value when I registered it.”

In fact, he was confident enough in his choice that he turned down more than $1 million for the name well before he filled his first shot glass.

“I knew it was the one opportunity I’d have to create a household brand,” he says. “It was risk-versus-reward, and the ‘journey’ part of it I was really intrigued with.

“Besides,” he adds, “I wasn’t gonna think of another name that good.”

Maybe not all in the name: There are other elements to recommend Carmel’s quasi-hometown spirit, including its source, Casa Maestri Distillery in the town of Tequila, Jalisco. Maestri is the most decorated distillery in Mexico, with its partner brands scoring 53 medals at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition in the last decade alone. The quality of the 100% blue weber agave in the silver, reposado and añejo tequilas speaks for itself, with a smooth mouthfeel and a touch of natural sweetness—plus roundness on the aged tequilas born of time in American oak cabernet sauvignon barrels.

Sanchez’s nose for tequila has been developing for some time. After spending his youth working at his family’s store, Bruno’s Market, he opened high-end spirits emporium Surf N Sand next door in 2003 at the tender age of 25. (He’s since opened small deli-grocery spots Corral de Tierra Market and Valley Hills Market.) Surf N Sand allowed him to study the category as it was surging in popularity—

and as brands came and went. For years he also hosted some of the area’s deepest spirits tastings, with a bias toward tequila, fanning out dozens of top cactusjuice brands for interested locals.

“There’s always shifts in liquor trends,” he says. “Back then there were a lot of tequilas popping up on the market, and consumers were better educated about it. I gravitated to that varietal.”

Now El Jefe is as boss as ever thanks to a few factors. One is the development of nitrodraft margaritas on tap at major venues for big-time events—including backdrops like WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Save Mart Center and Chukchansi Park, along with festivals like Grizzly Fest, California Roots and Monterey Jazz Festival. (Jose’s Mexican in Seaside is the rare restaurant that pours them.)

Another is an increasingly solid roster of restaurant accounts like Seventh & Dolores in Carmel, Seascape Beach Resort in Santa Cruz and Michelin-starred Plumed Horse in Saratoga. El Jefe’s presence in California cities from San Diego to San Jose continues to be strong. A timely sponsorship deal with rising Central Valley boxer Jose Ramirez years ago means El Jefe appears prominently on a world title holder’s robe and trunks in front of millions on national networks; his next title fight happens in February on ESPN.

Celebrated Montrio Bistro’s “spirit smith” Anthony Vitacca has been a believer from the beginning. He features El Jefe’s reposado in

his rich and savory Mexican Manhattan along with mezcal, mole bitters and Spanish sherry.

“I was looking for tequila with nice characteristics—some oak, some earthiness—that’s not overwhelming,” Vitacca says. “It’s a nice balanced reposado with vegetal, banana and anise notes, and more body and flavor than other tequilas.”

He pauses for half a second, then continues: “Plus it’s El Jefe! It’s the boss!”

7D Paloma

Courtesy Carlos Colimodio, bar director, Seventh & Dolores in Carmel

2 ounce El Jefe tequila

¾ ounce grapefruit syrup

¾ ounce grapefruit juice

1 ounce lime juice

3 ounce club soda

Chili-salt-lime for the rim

Pour all ingredients into a double old-fashioned glass rimmed with the chili-salt-lime, garnish with a thin grapefruit wheel. Makes 1 cocktail.

See EMB website for Colimodio’s recipe for grapefruit syrup.

Gather Gather

with family, friends, and visitors.

Whether it’s a mini-retreat or a quick stop-in, we welcome you into our Carmel Valley home to experience the delightful details we’re tending to all year round. Satisfy your hunger with the delicious flavors of the season, house-made right in our unique certified organic café like house-made sandwiches and salads, smoothies, ice-cream – right on our patio or taken to-go. Wander through our flourishing organic gardens, beautiful even in winter. While you’re here, pick up some farm-fresh certified organic fruits and vegetables to take with you.

For a calendar of special events, visit us at Earthboundfarm.

OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK

FARM STAND & CAFÉ

7250 Carmel Valley Road, Carmel, CA 93923 (3.5 miles east of Highway 1) (831) 625-6219