Edible Santa Barbara Winter 2013

Santa Barbara edible

Celebrating the Local Food and Wine Culture of Santa Barbara County

The COOKS Issue

˜ Spring 2014 ˜

We’re boasting the

Foragers Pantry

Enjoy Cupcakes

Flagstone Pantry

The Pasta Shoppe

il Fustino, Oils and Vinegars

Rori’s Artisanal Creamery

JuiceWell

The Kitchen

Wine + Beer

Green Star Coffee

Belcampo Meat Co.

Crazy Good Bread Co.

Empty Bowl Gourmet Noodle Bar

Adding to the stellar lineup of artisanal purveyors, we’re pleased to welcome

Full of Life Flatbread

part of The Alma del Pueblo Community, adjacent to the Market.

SANTABARBA RA

SANTABARBA RA edible ®

FOOD FOR THOUGHT D

’m about to pull back the curtain on one of the secret treats of putting together this magazine. Maybe you’ve wondered about this, maybe not, but one of the more interesting parts of my job is not necessarily going out to eat at fancy restaurants or being a judge at a pie contest (although those are clearly fun). It’s going to photo shoots. Although I can’t be at every single photo shoot, I do make a concerted effort to attend as many as I can. Part of my job there is to make sure that what the writer has so eloquently expressed in words can be further enhanced and captured by the photographer. What this also means is that you’ll find me holding up a reflector or, in the photo above, pouring some champagne as a prop for Budi Kazali in the shoot we did at the Ballard Inn. There are times during a shoot when we struggle to find just the right backdrop or setting. Sometimes the lighting is challenging. And it’s often difficult to reconcile the demands of a print magazine and the need for a specific format with what just captures the eye of the photographer at the moment. But more often than not, what happens at these photo shoots is pure magic. We get a chance to talk to and hang out with the person we’re photographing. We get to be part of the creative process that is both technical and artistic. Everything clicks into place. And inevitably I learn something.

For our Cooks theme issue, I think it was appropriate that I learned something over lunch. Specifically it was lunch with Jim Clendenen and Bob Lindquist at their winery staff lunch. You’ll read more about Jim’s midday-chef tradition in Hilary Dole Klein’s article in this issue. But during the photo shoot, I learned how invaluable it is for people to come together over a shared homemade meal in the workplace. It may not be a cure for everything, but clearly getting people together around a table can have long-lasting benefits to communication, respect, camaraderie and good health.

For this issue Jim could have shared one of his fancy recipes that called for lamb’s tongue or truffles, but instead you’ll find his recipe for the winery staff’s favorite recipe. It’s a recipe that you can make for a crowd, too. I hope it inspires some of you to cook for your co-workers. And I hope we all treasure and appreciate the cooks in our professional and personal lives.

SANTABARBA RA

PUBLISHERS

Steven Brown & Krista Harris

EDITOR

Krista Harris

RECIPE EDITOR

Nancy Oster

COPY EDITOR

Doug Adrianson

DESIGNER

Steven Brown

Contributors

Pascale Beale

Jeffrey Bloom

Joan S. Bolton

Rosminah Brown

Fran Collin

Leela Cyd

Hilary Dole Klein

Erin Feinblatt

Becky Green Aaronson

Jill Johnson

Jennifer LeMay

Nancy Oster

Jamie Relth

John Salvador

Maya Schoop-Rutten

Carole Topalian

George Yatchisin

Contact Us info@ediblesantabarbara.com

Advertising Inquiries ads@ediblesantabarbara.com

Edible Santa Barbara® is published quarterly and distributed throughout Santa Barbara County. Subscription rate is $28 annually. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be used without written permission from the publisher. Publisher expressly disclaims all liability for any occurrence that may arise as a consequence of the use of any information or recipes. Every effort is made to avoid errors, misspellings and omissions. If, however, an error comes to your attention please accept our sincere apologies and notify us. Thank you.

Krista Harris, Editor

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© 2013 edible Santa Barbara

Edible Communities

James Beard Foundation Publication of the Year (2011)

FRAN COLLIN

Notables edible

A “Meading” Place at Whole Foods

The Buzz Hive is new concept for a tasting room: It is smack-dab in the middle of a grocery store—artfully located next to the wine and cheese sections at Whole Foods. It’s convenient, social and fun. They offer local wine, beer and mead by the glass or in tasting flights, along with cheese plates, small bites, sandwiches and salads. What’s even better is that a percentage of the net sales benefits the Santa Barbara Beekeepers Association and its Sweet Start Program (SBBA.org). Pause just outside to take a look at the live bee cam that shows the activity of the two beehives that they have on the roof.

The Buzz Hive hours are 11am–8pm daily with hours varying for special events. Whole Foods is located at 3761 State St., Santa Barbara; 805 837-6959; WholeFoodsMarket.com

Handcrafted Spirits

Ascendant Spirits Distillery & Tasting Room

Fueled by a passion for Scotch whisky he picked up on a couple of trips to Scotland, Steve Gertman left his job producing car and motorcycle television shows and, after learning the basics of distilling and an internship with a distiller in Colorado, opened Ascendant Spirits in Buellton in 2013. The result? These are no ordinary spirits—produced in small, handcrafted lots, they are smooth and nuanced and beg to be savored straight up. Besides bourbon, moonshine and vodka (including one flavored with local caviar limes) Steve also makes grappa and brandy for local winemakers. You can taste Ascendant Spirits at the distillery in Buellton and at many local bars and restaurants; they are also available for purchase at many local liquor stores and markets.

Ascendant Spirits is open for tastings and tours Fri 4–8pm and Sat–Sun 1–7pm. They are located at 37 Industrial Way, Suite 103, in Buellton; 805 691-1000; AscendantSpirits.com

Gourmet Popcorn

Santa Barbara Popcorn Co.

Once you start eating popcorn, you can’t stop. So, isn’t it great to find out that Santa Barbara Popcorn Co.’s popcorn is not only terribly addicting, but the healthiest and highest quality you’re likely to ever find? Made from organic corn grown in California on a sustainable family-owned farm, the popcorn is also GMO-free, gluten-free and vegan. The best part is the incredible flavors—from the simple Sea Salt and Olive Oil to the sweet Maple and Brown Sugar to the crave-inducing Honey Dijon. And the fact that it’s made here in Santa Barbara also makes it the perfect addition to a gift basket.

Santa Barbara Popcorn is available at Isabella Gourmet Foods, Santa Barbara Gift Baskets, Fairview Gardens, Isla Vista Food Co-op, Il Fustino and other local venues. 805 628-2177; SBPopcorn.com

The Buzz Hive

Thekla and Richard Sanford making Pinot Noir in the Sta. Rita Hills, 1976.

photo Tom Allen

edible Notables vertical TASTING

Gourmet Sausage

Hoffmann Brat Haus

The Hoffmann Brat Haus brings high-quality gourmet and exotic sausage sandwiches to Santa Barbara. You’ll probably be tempted by their house-made brats with classic, spicy or sweet variations, or by the exotics (believe it or not, they have things like Smoked Venison, Pheasant with French Herbs, and Rattlesnake and Rabbit with Jalapeño!), all of which you can top with raw or cooked sauerkraut and other toppings. They also have thick-cut Belgian Fries and Belgian Waffles. But it’s not all decadent delicacies here. You can also get vegetarian/vegan sausages, gluten-free buns and local, seasonal green salads. And, naturally, a selection of craft beers and wines to pair with your meal.

Crazy Good Bread

Delicious handcrafted artisan breads are all the rage now—and for good reason. There is nothing like a hearty loaf of bread to savor by itself, pair with other food or use in a recipe. Crazy Good Bread Co. has a name as unforgettable as each one of their tasty loaves. And their wide selection of breads inspired this vertical tasting. We had to limit our tasting to just four of their many different varieties. In addition to one- and two-pound loaves, they offer sampler loaves and many special seasonal varietals.

Original Country Loaf

Ingredients: bread flour, whole-wheat flour, water, salt

Using a starter and a long fermentation process gives their original loaf a tangy and complex classic flavor. The exterior is perfectly crusty and the interior has a pleasant chewiness. This is your go-to standard for everything from a grilled cheese sandwich to a fancy canapé with smoked salmon and avocado.

Lavender Country Loaf

Ingredients: bread flour, whole-wheat flour, water, salt, lavender

It’s amazing how just a slight hint of lavender transforms the original loaf into something slightly fragrant with subtle notes of spice. Don’t be afraid that this will be too strong or perfumey. We can’t stop thinking about it topped with a little soft goat cheese and honey. Pure bliss.

Hoffmann Brat Haus is open Sun–Thu 11:30am–10pm and Fri–Sat 11:30am–11pm. They are located at 801 State St., Santa Barbara; HoffmannBratHaus.com

The Perfect Cup of Chai

Goodland Chai Co.

The word “chai” means tea in many languages, but usually when you think of chai you are thinking of the Indian version that is made with a blend of aromatic and warming spices and black tea. Kimberly Goodland of Goodland Chai Co. has created her own locally handcrafted chai blend that is authentic and light-years from the massproduced concentrates and powders that pass themselves off as chai. Brew up a batch and then sweeten and add dairy or dairy alternatives to your liking. It’s as delicious chilled as it is hot, but we find it most habit forming as a hot cup on a frosty morning.

Goodland Chai is available at Goodland Kitchen, Isla Vista Food Co-op and other local venues as well as at GoodlandChaiCo.com

Rosemary Olive Loaf

Ingredients: bread flour, whole-wheat flour, water, kalamata olives, salt, rosemary

Now this is savory. Although it’s great by itself, one of our tasters said all it needs is a big slab of butter. It’s also the perfect accompaniment to a bowl of hearty soup. Or it could be a one-dish meal topped with some garlicky sautéed greens and a freshly poached farm egg.

Orange Chocolate Loaf

Ingredients: bread flour, whole-wheat flour, water, chocolate chunks, salt, orange zest The first time you taste it you can’t help thinking of all the wonderful things you could do with this bread—bread pudding, French toast, etc. Chocoholics will want to pair it with a nice big cup of hot chocolate. If you are fortunate enough to have any left the next day, you could also try just toasting it and drizzling with a little orange olive oil.

Crazy Good Bread Co. is located at 4191 Carpinteria Ave., #12, Carpinteria, open Mon–Thu 10am–5pm, Fri 9am–5pm, Sat 8am–3pm. They will also be in the Santa Barbara Public Market this spring, and their bread can be ordered directly from their website. 562 270-0680; CrazyGoodBread.com

Season this winter in

Winter Produce

Artichokes

Avocados

Basil

Blood oranges

Broccoli rabe (rapini)

Brussels sprouts

Cabbage

Celery

Year Round Produce

Almonds, almond butter (harvested Aug/Sept)

Apples

Arugula

Winter Seafood

Halibut

Mussels

Ridgeback shrimp

Rock fish

Celery root

Chanterelle mushrooms

Cherimoya

Cilantro

Citron

Collards

Dill

Escarole

Fava beans

Fennel

Grapefruit

Green garlic

Kiwi

Kohlrabi

Kumquats

Limes

Mustard greens

Beans, dried

Beets

Bok choy

Broccoli

Carrots

Cauliflower

Chard

Dandelion

Dates

(harvested Sept/Oct)

Garlic

(harvested May/June)

Herbs

(Bay leaf, mint, oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage, thyme)

Onions, green bunching

Papayas

Parsnips

Pea greens

Peas, snap

Persimmon

Pineapple guava

Pomelos

Radicchio

Romanesco

Rutabagas

Sapote

Sardines

Spiny lobster

Spot prawns

White seabass

Year Round Seafood

Edible flowers

Kale

Leeks

Lemons

Lettuce

Mushrooms

Onions, bulb (harvested May/June)

Oranges

Pistachios, pistachio oil (harvested Sept/Oct)

Potatoes

Radish

Raisins (harvested Sept/Oct)

Strawberries

Sunchokes

Sweet potatoes

Tangerines/Mandarins

Tomatoes, hothouse

Turnips

Shallots

Spinach

Sprouts

Squash, winter (harvested July/Oct)

Walnuts, walnut oil (harvested Sept/Oct)

Yams

(harvested Aug/Sept)

Abalone (farmed)

Black cod

Clams

Oysters

Rock crab

Sanddabs

Urchin

Other Year-Round

Eggs

Coffee (limited availability)

Dairy

(Regional raw milk, artisanal goat- and cow-milk cheeses, butters, curds, yogurts and spreads)

Fresh flowers

Honey

Olives, olive oil

Meat (Beef, chicken, duck, goat, rabbit, pork)

Potted plants/herbs

Preserves

Wheat

(Wheat berries, wheat flour, bread, pasta and baked goods produced from wheat grown locally)

seasonal Recipes

There are days when you want to tackle a complicated and rewarding recipe, and then there are days and nights when you just need something to eat — preferably quickly and without making a huge mess in the kitchen. Instead of resorting to takeout, put some of these recipe components on your “must try” list this winter. These few simple recipes have dozens of variations and ways to combine with each other.

Chard and Woodland Mushrooms

A mixture of seasonal greens and mushrooms makes a versatile dish. When chanterelles are available, definitely use them. But feel free to substitute different types of greens or different mushrooms. We particularly like the King Trumpet mushrooms that are available from Milliken Family Farms. This also becomes the core for many meals—with a poached egg, on top of a baked potato, over pasta or mixed into Soba Noodle Soup (recipes follow).

Makes 4 servings

1 ⁄ 2 pound chanterelles or other mushrooms

Butter or olive oil

Salt and pepper

1 ⁄4 cup white wine

Olive oil

1 shallot, finely chopped

1 large bunch chard, stems cut from leaves and diced; leaves cut in ribbons

Cut off just the base of the stems of the mushrooms if they are woody. Wipe them with a damp cloth or brush them. Cut them into bite-size pieces.

Heat the butter or olive oil in a large skillet. Add the mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat for a few minutes until they are soft. Add enough wine to deglaze the pan and cook until it has evaporated. Remove the mushrooms and set aside.

Add enough olive oil to just coat the pan and add the chopped shallot and chard stems. Season with a little additional salt and pepper. Sauté for a few minutes until the stems begin to get soft, then add the chard leaves. Continue to sauté until tender and wilted. Add the reserved mushrooms and stir until they are combined. Serve as a side dish or over pasta as a component in one of the following recipes.

To serve with pasta: Add the finished chard and mushrooms to freshly cooked and drained pasta, season with some additional salt and some red pepper flakes, then drizzle with olive oil and add a generous amount of grated Parmesan cheese.

seasonal Recipes

How to Poach an Egg

Break one fresh, local egg into a small bowl. It is important to use good-quality, fresh eggs, because they hold their shape better and have more flavor. Bring a pot of water just up to the point of a boil but before it becomes a vigorous boil. Some people add a teaspoon or so of vinegar to the water to help firm up the egg, but this is optional. With a spoon stir the water rapidly, creating a small whirlpool. Then gently slide the egg from the bowl into the middle of the whirlpool. With a spoon, you can guide some of the stray strands of egg white closer to the center of the egg, but it’s OK if it looks a little messy.

Let it cook for 3–4 minutes or until it appears slightly firm but is still soft when you pick it up with a slotted spoon. Let the water drain from it while still holding in the slotted spoon or put it on a paper towel for just a bit before serving.

Put an Egg on It

Although a poached egg is a wonderful thing by itself or on toast, why not take it a step further? Many dishes are better with an egg on top, effectively turning a side dish into a main dish. Try a poached egg on top of the Chard and Woodland Mushrooms recipe, on top of a baked potato, on pasta or on top of the Soba Noodle Soup recipe.

How to Bake a Potato

Yes, it’s the easiest thing to bake a potato, but hardly anyone ever does it anymore. Skip the microwave, here’s a refresher on something easy and satisfying.

Preheat oven to 425°. Take one large russet or Yukon Gold potato per serving, wash it and pat it dry. Prick a few times with a fork. Rub with olive oil or butter and sprinkle some salt and pepper on the potato. Place in the oven directly on the rack or on a baking pan. Roast the potato for approximately 1 hour or until it is very tender when pierced with the point of sharp knife. Cut open and add a little butter, salt and pepper. Then top with the Chard and Woodland Mushrooms recipe and/or a poached egg.

seasonal Recipes

Soba Noodle Soup

Soba noodles are Japanese buckwheat noodles and can be found in gourmet grocery stores or in Asian markets. This recipe uses the Chard and Woodland Mushrooms and Poached Egg recipes (pages 14 and 16) to create a satisfying bowl of hot, tasty broth, vegetables and noodles topped with a poached egg. This is not an authentic recipe, but it’s an easy, delicious one-bowl meal. Once you start making it, you’ll find yourself doing your own variations on it, and it will undoubtedly become your favorite quick, go-to supper or hearty lunch. Note: Buckwheat is not related to wheat, but not all soba noodles are entirely gluten-free. Check the label if that is a concern.

Makes 2 servings

1 piece kombu seaweed

4 ounces dried soba noodles

Chard and Woodland Mushrooms (recipe on page 14)

Tamari soy sauce

2 cups vegetable or miso broth

1 poached egg per serving, optional

Other optional garnishes: Finely sliced green onion, chives, fresh cilantro, wasabi, kimchi, freshly ground black pepper

Bring a pot of water to boil, add the piece of kombu and the noodles and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Drain, discard kombu and reserve noodles.

Add 2 cups of broth to the skillet just as the Chard and Woodland Mushrooms dish is done and heat until piping hot. Season with a little tamari soy sauce. Using tongs, divide the noodles evenly among bowls and then add the vegetables and ladle in the broth. Add an egg on top, if desired, and then get creative with any of the other optional garnishes.

SATURDAYS

Downtown Santa Barbara

Corner of Santa Barbara & Cota Street

8:30am – 1:00pm

TUESDAYS

Old Town Santa Barbara

500 & 600 Blocks of State Street

3:00pm – 6:30pm

THURSDAYS

Camino Real Marketplace

In Goleta at Storke & Hollister

SUNDAYS

Camino Real Marketplace

In Goleta at Storke & Hollister 10:00am – 2:00pm

WEDNESDAYS

Solvang Village

Copenhagen Drive & 1st Street

2:30pm – 6:00pm

FRIDAYS

Montecito

100 & 1200 Block of Coast Village Road 8:00am – 11:15am

3:00pm – 6:00pm Carpinteria 800 Block of Linden Avenue 3:00pm – 6:00pm facebook.com/SBFarmersMarket

DRINKABLE LANDSCAPE

Just Like Tom Plum’s Booze

by George Yatchisin

Agood winter cocktail is a tricky feat. As opposed to a toddy or some hot spiced rum, making a drink with ice these months can seem counterintuitive, even in as temperate a town as Santa Barbara.

But our general delight in overindulgence during the holidays also permits some risk with your cocktails you might not take on a hot summer afternoon when nothing beats a simple, exquisite gin and tonic. You can push ingredients, expand the sweet palate.

Yet there’s also a struggle working local ingredients, and something from your own yard, into a winter cocktail. One means for extending the seasons in the kitchen is preserving, and you can use that trick for your cocktails, too. This issue’s drink, Little Jack Horner, lets you pull out a plum… jam. Not only are we blessed with Santa Rosa plum trees in our yard, we’re even more fortunate to have a neighbor who collects them and preserves them, winning blue ribbons for his handiwork at the Santa Barbara County Fair. Then he gives us a bunch back.

Since the drink starts with this luscious deep fruit, I opted to go with even more fruit by adding another local ingredient from Cutler’s Artisan Spirits in the Funk Zone. Ian Cutler is making Grandma Tommie’s Apple Pie Liqueur, which is vodkabased but does have a perfectly balanced apple pie taste—mostly apple, with a touch of organic vanilla and cassia (which works better with savory flavors than cinnamon, so it is spot on here).

Between the plum and the apple, the drink would work perfectly at a Christmas dinner; far better than a can of storebought cranberry sauce, that’s for sure.

The liquor heart of the drink is rye, and alas we don’t yet have a local maker of that once-again-in-style whiskey. To be called a rye, a whiskey has to have at least 51% rye in its mash (bourbon is at least 51% corn) and, as you’d guess, rye is less sweet than corn. You’ve got enough sweet in the drink, so it’s time to work back the other way.

A higher-proof rye is also helpful. First, it’s winter, so you need more alcohol warmth. Second, you want to cut through

Little Jack Horner

ounce lemon juice (preferably Meyer lemon)

ounce Margerum Amaro

tablespoon plum jam

larger sage leaves plus 2 smaller sage leaves for garnish

Add the large sage leaves, the plum jam, the lemon juice and the rye into a shaker. Muddle briefly so the sage gets a bit bruised and the jam gets incorporated; in some ways you’re stirring as much as muddling. Add the Apple Pie Liqueur and the Amaro. Add ice and shake well till chilled, perhaps a bit more than usual so that jam gets mixed in well.

Strain into cocktail glasses in order to get any chunks of the plum and any torn sage out of the drink. Your muddler works as a fine tool to express the liquid out of what gets caught in the strainer. Garnish each glass with one of the smaller sage leaves; to make them even more fragrant, hold one leaf at a time in your palm and clap on it.

that apple and plum. Redemption Rye works particularly well. It’s not too expensive, it’s 92 proof, and what’s more, it really brings the rye, made with a mash at 95% rye. A fine standby like Old Overholt is a mere 80 proof, and they brag about being 61% rye—save it for your Sazeracs.

The last liquor ingredient is another local product, Margerum Amaro. Doug Margerum of Margerum Wine Co. and the Wine Cask decided he wanted to make his own version of the bitter Italian digestif and came up with a doozy, a magnificent mix of fortified Sangiovese, brandy, spices, caramelized sugar and natural flavors (a list that includes everything from bark to roots to lemon verbena). It gets to be your vermouth and bitters all at once, grounding this drink and giving it amazing bass notes.

Finally, your yard helps out in two more ways, with lemons for juicing— preferably Meyer lemons as they are a bit sweeter while still bringing the acid and zip. You’ll also use sage, which has the scent of the winter months and its heartier foods, from turkey stuffing to sage brown butter on ravioli.

George Yatchisin happily eats, drinks and writes in Santa Barbara. He blogs at GeorgeEats.com

EDIBLE GARDEN

Specialty Winter Vegetables to Captivate the Cook

by Joan S. Bolton

Stroll through any farmers market and what’s more likely to catch your eye: familiar long, tapered orange carrots or tiny, thumb-sized globes? Large, white orbs of cauliflower or cute little heads in cheery shades of purple, orange or lime green?

Name a winter vegetable and there’s bound to be at least a few offbeat variations in size, shape and hue. Whether such options captivate the cook, please the palate or are just plain crazy depends on your own sensibility. But to me, there’s something especially enticing about vegetables whose colors and forms are out of the ordinary.

What’s more, you don’t have to depend on specialty growers to grow them. Most of these attention-getters are just as easy to cultivate as their conventional kin. Some are heirlooms; others are modern hybrids. The key difference is that few are available as transplants. Instead, you’ll have to seek seed at local nurseries or on the internet. But these gems are worth the effort. They’ll be beautiful in your garden and beguile guests at your table.

The Basics

In the winter garden, edibles are most often harvested for their roots, leaves, buds or flowers. Regardless of the crop, they require a minimum of four to six hours of daily sunlight—on the days that the sun does shine. Fast drainage is even more important. Your cool-season vegetables may rot in cold, constant wet.

Roots

Loose soil is essential for beets, carrots and radishes, since you’ll be literally plucking them from the earth.

Heirloom Chioggia beets bear charming alternating rings of red and white, just like Christmas pinwheel cookies. They’re mild, sweet and quick to pick. They originated in Chioggia, a coastal city in northern Italy, more than 150 years ago.

Mild Golden beets are bright yellow-orange through and through. Unlike red beets, they don’t bleed color during cooking or pickling. They’re tasty sliced and served fresh in salads, or steamed or roasted.

Thumbelina carrots are sweet, round nubs that mature to the size of a small lime, and are easy to grow in shallow soil or containers. Parmex is even smaller. At an inch wide, it’s popular in European farmers markets and delivers a loud crunch.

Full-size carrots come in a rainbow of colors, with some emitting a nearly metallic glow. Purple Dragon grows six inches long. Its glistening purple exterior contrasts with an orangishyellow core. Cosmic Purple grows seven to eight inches long. Atomic Red reaches 8 to 11 inches long, but doesn’t reveal its bright scarlet skin until it’s cooked.

Snow White is pure white all the way through, except for a slender light-green core. Jaune Obtuse du Doubs is a stubby heirloom with pale yellow flesh. It was used to feed livestock in France in the late 1800s, but is enjoying popularity with humans today.

Radishes are easy and sweetest during cooler weather. Easter Egg comes in red, white and purple. French breakfast varieties, such as D’Avignon and Fire ‘N Ice, form three- to four-inchlong cylinders with red tops and white tips. Heirloom Red Head or Roodkopje has similar coloring, but forms a one-inch ball.

Romanesco Broccoli

Chioggia Beets Dreamstime.com 123RF.com

Watermelon, aka Beauty Heart or Chinese Radish, forms two- to four-inch balls in an unassuming pale green to white. Its interior is colored an improbable bright pink.

Leaves

Some cooks seek the largest cabbages possible. I prefer dainty minis that can be consumed during a single meal, rather than left to languish in the fridge. Pixie neatly fits the bill, forming a compact head five to six inches across.

Chinese cabbage, a broad group that includes bok choy and celery cabbage, also comes in diminutive sizes. Toy Choi forms slender, upright white stalks and smooth green leaves only four to five inches tall, while Little Jade grows about twice as tall.

In coastal gardens, kale is often a dusty green. But a jolt of winter cold turns the stems and veins of Redbor and Red Russian to dark pink, and their leaves to deep lavender. Both are a beautiful contrast to Dwarf Blue Curled Vates, which bears tightly ruffled leaves in a nearly turquoise blue-gray.

Radicchio, or red chicory, is pretty from the get-go. Its coloring intensifies with cold, too. Red Verona forms cabbagelike balls of thick, tightly packed reddish-purple leaves with white veins, while Treviso has similar colors, but grows upright, like Romaine lettuce. Verona’s leaves carry more bite than Treviso’s, although cooking brings out the bitterness in both.

Even if you don’t eat it, grow Swiss chard for its crazy cavalcade of colors.

Bright Lights and Neon Glow bear stems in vibrant shades of yellow, pink, red, orange, purple and white, all with dark green, crinkly foliage. Golden Sunrise and Pot of Gold are an intense yellow to yellowish-orange. Flamingo and Magenta Sunset bear hot pink stalks and ribs. Peppermint Stick is pink with white stripes. Italian Silver Rib bears silvery-white veins and ribs that are more broad than most.

Buds and Flowers

Romanesco broccoli is undeniably beautiful, and the culinary world has appreciated this Italian heirloom since the 1500s. It forms a dense head of chartreuse, swirly spiral cones, looking somewhat like a mad cluster of starfish or a million rocket ships about to explode. While it’s termed a broccoli, its mild flavor leans toward cauliflower.

Colorful mixes of cauliflower are a vast improvement over the rather uninspiring, traditional whites.

Orange or Cheddar cauliflower owes its hue to extra betacarotene. Purple of Sicily forms full-size white heads that look like they’ve been oversprayed with bright purple paint, while the florets of Violetta Italia drip with electric purple. When cooked, both Italian heirlooms turn bright green. Green Macerata is from Italy as well. Its apple-green heads are just as fresh and pretty in the garden as they are steamed, or presented raw on the plate.

Joan S. Bolton is a freelance writer, garden coach and garden designer who confesses to a lifelong love affair with plants. She and her husband, Tom, have filled their four-acre property in western Goleta with natives and other colorful, water-conserving plants. They also maintain avocado, citrus and fruit trees and grow vegetables and herbs year-round. SantaBarbaraGardens.com

EDIBLE EXCERPT

The A.O.C. Cookbook

by Suzanne Goin

One of the most important keys to a successful dish is the integration of flavors. I am constantly working to integrate and unite ingredi ents so that the sum of a dish is greater than its parts, so it’s delicious not just because each item on the plate is delicious (this should be the case, too) but because there is something in the way all the components are brought together that intertwines them and creates something above and beyond what they were when they started.

duck sausage as patties.) Portion the sausage into 5-ounce links, and roll each one into a coil.

Because this super-simple duck-sausage recipe has no spices and very few ingredients, the gamy, rich flavor of the duck itself is really the star. I like to make a big batch of the candied kumquats and keep it in the fridge at home. They are delicious spooned over roasted pork, grilled duck breast, and even over nut tarts and ice cream.

Duck Sausage with Candied Kumquats

Makes 8 sausages

2 pounds boneless, skinless duck leg meat, cleaned, cut into 1-inch chunks

6 ounces pancetta, diced

2 ounces pork fatback, diced

3 tablespoons white wine

3 feet lamb casings, soaked in cold water (optional)

4 ounces (1 head) frisée, cleaned and dried

2 ounces (1 bunch) mizuna, cleaned and dried

2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Candied Kumquats (recipe follows)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Note: You will need six bamboo skewers, 6 inches long, soaked in water for this recipe.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the duck, pancetta, fatback, white wine, 1 tablespoon salt and 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper. Mix well, cover and chill at least 4 hours or overnight.

Light the grill 30 to 40 minutes before cooking. Grind the meat through a medium die and stuff it into the lamb casings using a sausage

Skewer each coil with a bamboo skewer. Toss the frisée, mizuna and chopped parsley with 2 tablespoons olive oil, the lemon juice, salt and pepper. Arrange the salads on 8 plates. When the coals are broken down, red and glowing, brush the sausages with remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Place the sausages on the grill and cook for about 2 minutes. Give the sausages a quarter turn and cook for another minute. When they are nicely seared, turn the sausages over and cook another minute or 2, until they are just medium. Place the sausages on the salads. Spoon the candied kumquats and some of the syrup over and around the sausages.

Candied Kumquats

Makes 1½ cup

½ pound kumquats

1 cup sugar

Thinly slice the kumquats and discard the seeds. Place the kumquats in a clean, nonreactive pot and add 1¼ cups water. Cover and let sit 24 hours at room temperature. Bring to a boil over medium heat, add the sugar and stir constantly until the sugar is dissolved. Reduce the heat to low, and simmer about 15 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer reads 220°F. You can also check doneness by spooning a small amount onto a plate and seeing if it gels.

Excerpted from The A.O.C. Cookbook by Suzanne Goin. Copyright © 2013 by Suzanne Goin. Excerpted by permission of Knopf, a division of Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

Suzanne Goin is the author of Sunday Suppers at Lucques and one of Los Angeles’ most beloved chefs. She cooks with a palette of colors and flavors that showcase the best farmers and producers from the Southern California markets. Her fine-dining restaurants in Los Angeles include Lucques, a.o.c. and Tavern. Between Suzanne Goin and her husband, David Lentz, who owns three locations of The Hungry Cat in Hollywood, Santa Monica and Santa Barbara, the couple manages to operate nine restaurants and raise three small children.

Making Chocolate Truffles

by Maya Schoop-Rutten

PHOTOGRAPHY BY LEELA CYD

Tof chocolate confections handcrafted by a local chocolate artisan. But if you’ve ever thought of making your own chocolate truffles, you’re in for a pleasant surprise: Making classic truffles rolled in cocoa powder is not terribly difficult.

If you want a smooth, shiny chocolate coating, you’ll have to get into things like tempering your chocolate, which really does take some time and specialized equipment. But if you would like all the deep delicious flavor of the best chocolate truffles, this recipe is for you.

Maya Schoop-Rutten of Chocolate Maya graciously shared her recipe with us and allowed us to photograph every step, so you will have no excuse not to make these truffles.

Maya’s Dark Delicious Classic Truffles

Makes 20–30 truffles

SPICY VARIATION

2 cups (10 ounces) of high-quality chocolate discs or cut up bars of chocolate, 55% to 60% cocoa mass. (Naturally, you can find this at Chocolate Maya; Guittard or Valrhona chocolate is also recommended)

11 ⁄ 2 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature (Straus Family Creamery is recommended)

2 ⁄ 3 cup of the best-quality heavy cream (Straus Family Creamery is recommended)

1 tablespoon honey (Local San Marcos Farms honey, any variety, is recommended)

1 ⁄4 teaspoon pure vanilla or 1 ⁄ 2 teaspoon very dark rum

8 ounces high-quality unsweetened pure cocoa powder for rolling

Add a chili powder of your choice into the cream at the same time you add the honey: 1 4 teaspoon of red chili or 1 8 teaspoon of habanero chili.

LITTLE BONUS FOR VANILLA

You can make your own vanilla extract with fresh vanilla pods marinated in vodka. Split the vanilla pods lengthwise and soak in the vodka of your choice.

1

Set your chocolate in a bowl. The chocolate must be in chips, discs or cut into small pieces with a sharp knife. Cut the butter into very small pieces and spread them over the chocolate chips.

Set your cream in a pan ready for the stove top. Add the honey to the cream along with the vanilla or rum.

2

Make sure your chocolate bowl is not on a cold surface—put a towel between the counter and the bowl for insulation to keep your cream nice and warm. Get your cream to a boil, then pour onto the chocolate and butter. Let the cream soak into the chocolate and butter. Use a rubber spatula to gently move the cream to cover most of the chocolate for about 20 seconds or until the chocolate is melted.

A Truly Tasteful Experience !

Then, with a very strong wrist movement, you will whisk the chocolate and butter starting right at the center of your bowl.

The whole process will take approximately 1 minute. Your chocolate should look shiny, almost like chocolate pudding.

Note: If the chocolate doesn’t emulsify or “breaks” (looks grainy or curdled), try putting it immediately into a food processor and blending until smooth.

As the emulsion begins to form, continue whisking outwards to the edges of the bowl. Do not stop; you need to make an emulsion. 3 4 5 6 7 8

Set your 8 ounces of pure cocoa powder into a deep bowl.

Use a miniature ice cream scoop or a spoon to scoop a small amount of the ganache out to roll in your hands.

One very useful trick is to coat your hand with some cocoa powder so the ganache does not stick to your skin. Roll the rounded truffle into the cocoa powder in the bowl until nicely and evenly covered. Set on a flat tray, ready to eat anytime!

When your chocolate ganache is smooth and shiny, you will let it sit for 24 hours at a temperature no higher then 70°. I do not recommend the refrigerator for this recipe. After 24 hours your ganache will be set and ready to be rolled.

Keep out of the refrigerator or if you must put them in, use an airtight container (humidity is the worst enemy of chocolate). The truffles will keep 1 week, but like anything they will be better fresh!

Hunger on America’s Riviera

by Jill Johnson

Santa Barbara County is blessed with the natural beauty of the mountains, the expansive glistening ocean and the rich, fertile land that lies between the two. The mild climate and soil allows the county to be ranked among the top 1% of American counties for agricultural production, with annual sales of $1.2 billion.

The county is also known as a foodlover’s paradise with all of our amazing restaurants. We have a lot of restaurants.

In January of this year, HuffPost Food used data from the NPD Group’s annual ReCount survey, which takes a yearly census of the number of restaurants in the entire nation, to rank the Santa Barbara/ Santa Maria/San Luis Obispo metropolitan area 10th with 23.1 restaurants per 10,000 residents. We seem to be chock-a-block with food in our little paradisical region, but the sad unvarnished truth is: There is hunger here… a lot of hunger.

With the tough economic times, offering mainly temporary or low-wage service or agricultural jobs, the ability to afford healthy food is getting tougher. The high cost of living here has many residents staying in renovated garages or in situations where access to a full kitchen is not available, so creating a healthy meal at home is often not an option.

Some staggering statistics to chew on: The UCLA California Health Interview Survey noted that Santa Barbara is among the top seven counties with the highest food insecurity rates in California. In 2012, 104,500 people received food assistance from the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County; 51% of those were women and 42% children and approximately 52% were in North County, where a majority of the county’s agriculture is produced. Sadly ironic. Hunger affects our community in many ways. Poor nutrition or periods of hunger at any stage in life can have permanent lasting effects on learning ability, social interactions, behavior and overall health. Those who are hungry are not able to work or to study and are unable to stay healthy. The inclination to reach for junk food drops dramatically when a person has eaten a good breakfast, and there is a direct link between hunger and obesity. It surprises people to learn that Santa Barbara’s obesity rate is in the top 20% of all California counties.

At the forefront of the battle against local hunger is the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County. Started in 1982 by John Smith, who had a background of teaching agrarian heritage and nutritional concepts in local schools, and Vonna Breeze-Martin, who was at the time executive director of the Community Action Commission, it was originally located at the former Lincoln Elementary School on Cota Street. What began with one warehouse has expanded to two, with food distribution to 330 nonprofits and programs within the county.

Food donations come from a variety of contributors, from food drives to local growers and packers. The Foodbank’s Grocery Rescue program collects food from supermarkets on a weekly basis.

Last year alone the Foodbank distributed nearly 11 million pounds of food, of which half was fresh, nutritious produce.

Barbara, Common Ground Santa Barbara and Doctors Without Walls. They receive food from the Foodbank and local farmers, trying as best as possible to source organically. Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, on the corner of Foothill and La Cumbre Road, has established an organic garden and shares almost 80% of what they grow with the Organic Soup Kitchen.

Executive Director Anthony Carroccio plans on expanding. With their own kitchen, they will be able to accept enough food to feed five times their current quota. They will have the capacity to serve premium healthy food year round by making soups, casseroles, prepped blanched veggies, etc. and flash freezing them, hopefully inspiring others.

“Localization per se is not going to change people’s access to food. So that’s why groups like the Foodbank provide food assistance and education outreach to try to get people access to food.”— David Cleveland

Erik Talkin, the current executive director, knows that a foodbank just running programs and fundraising to deliver them is not sustainable in the long-term. He is interested in addressing both hunger and obesity and finding ways to involve the community to take ownership of various programs to benefit the area for years to come. Two of those programs are the Food Literacy in Preschool program, focusing on helping preschool children develop basic food preferences to establish healthy eating habits and the Kid’s Farmers Market program, which helps preteen children learn about produce, how to follow a simple recipe and take home food for their families.

One community member who has taken on the challenge of making sure there is “No Kid Hungry” in Santa Barbara is actor/singer/all-around good guy Jeff Bridges. He has been an advocate for childhood hunger issues for nearly 30 years, having co-founded the nonprofit organization End Hunger Network in 1984. He became the national spokesperson for the No Kid Hungry Campaign three years ago and has championed community involvement.

“When kids are hungry, the community suffers,” noted Bridges.

The Organic Soup Kitchen is another local nonprofit that works with the Foodbank. They serve approximately 1,400 people per month working with Transition House, Peoples’ Self Help Housing, Housing Authority of Santa

Anthony says, “There is no lack of food. I will also say there is no lack of healthy fresh food, but there is an abundance of food that goes to waste weekly due to cosmetic appearances.”

There is also an abundance of food that gets shipped out of the county. That’s right. Shipped out. David Cleveland, a professor at UCSB who presented at the Edible Institute in 2011, found during his research that Santa Barbara County exports 99% of what is grown here while 95% of the fruits and vegetables consumed here are shipped in from elsewhere.

“Picture two produce-laden tractor-trailers passing on the highway. One bringing food into the county; the other hauling it out… that just seems crazy,” Cleveland said. This system is not only illogical but wasteful: Many foodstuffs are damaged during transport and then join the “cosmetically challenged” food that is tossed out.

“Localization per se is not going to change people’s access to food,” Cleveland said. “So that’s why groups like the Foodbank provide food assistance and education outreach to try to get people access to food. Just having the local food there isn’t going to change people’s ability to buy it, or their ability to cook it, or prepare it.”

We have plenty of challenges on our communal plate, but many opportunities to solve them.

Food for thought. Time for action.

Jill Johnson is an artistic soul with an inquisitive mind and a hearty appetite for life… and food. You can find her musings on spilled milk and cookie crumblings at her blog, CookiesInHeaven.blogspot.com

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Catering to a Different Crowd

Step Inside the Walk-In with Jeff Olsson

by John Salvador

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEFFREY BLOOM

Jeff Olsson takes a break from the remodeling of the new restaurant and retail space called Industrial Eats, located in Buellton on Industrial Way.

The signs of a thriving catering company can be found front and center at Chef Jeff Olsson’s New West Catering kitchen on Industrial Way in Buellton. Just past the creaky screen door, canning jars are stacked five feet high, ready to be filled and sealed. Scores of picnic baskets await stocking with wine country lunches.

But look a little closer and you’ll find some whimsical items as well. A blackand-white cartoon extolling the virtues of salt is around the corner near the hand sink. And propped up amongst shelves and shelves of cookbooks (including one from NOMA and the five volume Modernist Cuisine) is the King himself: Are You Hungry Tonight?: Elvis’ Favorite Recipes.

Well, if your answer to that question is yes, then you’ll have a new way to satisfy that hunger this winter. Industrial Eats, Jeff’s first foray into a bricks-andmortar dining establishment, is opening right next door to his catering kitchen on Industrial Way.

Local beef, pork, chicken and rabbit will be available for purchase. Caviar, too, if you are celebrating something special. And Jeff has access to “amazing cheeses” from all over the world.

Jeff sees his restaurant-slash-retail space (which should already be open as you read this article) as a way for him to offer to the public what he serves to his catering clients. He butchers and smokes his own meats like pastrami, duck confit and bacon. Local beef, pork, chicken and rabbit will be available for purchase. Caviar, too, if you are celebrating something special. And Jeff has access to “amazing cheeses” from all over the world.

A few of the cookbooks at the New West Catering kitchen.

So this new venture is a way for Jeff to serve the foods he loves to the community at large. “It’s an extension of what we already do here.” As he figuratively notes, “I’m opening up my walk-ins for people to come in and shop.”

But Industrial Eats is more than a marketplace for high-end comestibles. Industrial Eats will also be a place to stop in for a taste of Jeff’s cuisine. In keeping with the industrial atmosphere along this wide corridor of warehouse units, an exposed ceiling will look down on communal tables made of concrete and butcher block.

Two wood-fired pizza ovens will turn out pizza and other savory selections. The menu is still being developed, but you can expect to see a handful of pizzas like classic margherita, tomatosauce-only, and a Seussian greens-with-eggs-and-ham (the ham is pancetta and Jeff is a fan of egg on pizza). Daily savory specials will run the gamut from whole fish to pork belly to meatballs. Expect to see a few salads made from local produce and a couple of desserts to round out the menu. To quench your thirst, Jeff will sell beer and wine on tap. Wines will stay local and rotate. Tap wine will allow him to offer a glass at a reasonable cost.

Beyond pizza and retail, Jeff sees the potential for preparing winemaker dinners at his new place. Similar to the Fatted Calf in San Francisco, which has a Butcher’s Happy Hour during the week, Jeff can envision moving his hog butchering class from his catering kitchen to Industrial Eats. Breakfast and brunch are other ideas that are being kicked around. Since the tables are on wheels, the possibilities for this space are limited only by Jeff’s imagination.

While the fruition of this labor of love has required lots of planning, the same cannot be said of Jeff’s early beginnings in the culinary field. First washing dishes, then busing tables, Jeff said he eventually got behind the stoves because “the cooks were cooler.” Born in Connecticut, Jeff’s family moved frequently as his father climbed up the corporate ladder. Jeff’s travels led him to work in a wide range of restaurants—from smoky Southern

barbecue joints with wood-fired pits to the more rarefied air of luxury hotel dining at the Watergate Hotel. Along the way, he met his future bride and business partner, Janet.

But it was not until he accepted a sous-chef’s position at the Mansion at Turtle Creek, one of the premier restaurants in the country at the time, that he felt his “job” turning into a career. A huge cut in pay. The promise of 60- to 70-hour work weeks. Cooking was no longer just a job to pay the bills.

From Turtle Creek, Jeff moved back to the nation’s capital to work at Mark Miller’s Red Sage restaurant. It was here that he learned about working directly with farmers and using ultra-fresh ingredients, lessons that have defined who he would become as a chef. While this may seem routine today, at the time it was avant-garde. Jeff credits Chris Cosentino, the season four winner of “Top Chef Masters” (but at the time, a Red Sage line cook), for opening his eyes to this way of cooking.

Two wood-fired pizza ovens behind Jeff Olsson at Industrial Eats.

Jeff holds up some freshly made sausage links.

Housemade sausage ready to twist into links.

Moving on to Restaurant Nora in D.C., Jeff experienced firsthand the collaboration between chefs and farmers under the Tuscarora Organic Growers Cooperative. Chefs would meet with co-op farmers before the planting season and tell the farmers what they wanted. While the chefs got in-season, farm-fresh produce, the farmers got a sustainable economic model wherein they could safely grow a broader range of vegetables, knowing there was a ready market for it.

Jeff also learned the efficient art of butchering at Restaurant Nora as whole animals would regularly be ordered by restaurant chefs. This was a valuable experience for Jeff since, as he says, “If you order a whole cow, you only get 14 rib chops but you get 600 pounds of stew meat. So you get creative. There was always a curry on the menu.”

If you are wondering how Jeff eventually found his way to the Valley, I have two words for you: Camp Zaca.

In the mid-’90s, Zaca Mesa Winery was looking for a unique way to reward their top wine sellers. Rather than treat them to an extended stay at a luxury resort, Zaca Mesa provided them with a wine country camping experience at Zaca Lake. “It’s a pond for people who know what a lake is,” says Jim Fiolek, who worked in Zaca’s marketing and sales department at the time. Guests would camp out in MASH-like tents and have white-tablecloth meals. Zaca Mesa invited chefs from all over the country to cook at these events. Jeff was working in the open kitchen at the Red Sage at the time when a chance meeting led to an invitation to come cook at Camp Zaca.

Smoked salmon canape.

That first year, Jeff came out on his own and prepared breakfast, lunch and dinner for the four-day camping event. There were no gas burners, just grills and other hardware provided by Lee and Randy Schlossberg of New West Catering. “He loved it,” said Jim.

The next time Jeff cooked at Camp Zaca, Janet came out with him and they formed a great relationship with Lee and Randy. Jeff also took to local farmers. Jim recalls Jeff’s enthusiasm: “‘God, did you know they’ve got 100 different varieties of heirloom tomatoes?’ Jeff was saying this before anyone thought of that being popular.”

Jeff and Janet stayed an extra week to enjoy the calm of the Valley, drinking beer and listening to coyotes. This serene atmosphere made an impression on Jeff that there was a cooking life to be had away from the daily grind of the restaurant business.

He returned to Camp Zaca each year through the late ’90s and continued to use New West Catering’s kitchen. In 1999, Lee and Randy asked Jeff if he wanted to buy a catering company. With fond memories of the Valley, and mindful of the

advice he once received that “you gotta open your own thing,” Jeff and Janet took over the reins of New West Catering.

Jeff has stayed true to his culinary training. He continues to work with area farmers. During one interview, we were interrupted by a text message from Finley Farms on what they had available for him to work with that week. In addition to his catering business, Jeff also uses local produce to help keep the shelves of Santa Ynez tasting rooms stocked. Keep an eye out for Green Chili Peach Salsa at Buttonwood Farm Winery to use the next time you have pork for dinner. Or recall the warmth of summer with a jar of Roasted Organic Tomatoes with Olive Oil and Garlic available at Gainey Vineyard.

Jeff also makes value-added products for Finley Farms like ketchup and sun-dried tomatoes. When told of Jeff’s new restaurant plans, Johanna Brown of Finley Farms said, “If you eat at Jeff’s, it’s going to be local, fresh, seasonal—all the buzzwords. A lot of people say that. He’s the real deal.”

An early visit to see how construction was progressing had me walking in on Jeff’s lunch. He was eating a half watermelon in his office with a large spoon (this is how chefs eat). When I asked Janet, eating a more civilized lunch nearby, if she was getting involved in the building of the restaurant, she said “This is Jeff’s baby” to which he kiddingly replied “Oh, c’mon!”

On another visit, I ran into Jake Francis, a local pig farmer and chef, who collaborates with Jeff on Jeff’s hog butchery class. He was loading five-gallon buckets, overflowing with parsley stems and cheese rinds and heirloom tomato scraps, onto his truck to feed his Berkshire pigs. Jake said he is committed to selling Jeff his first pig, which will no doubt make its way in some form or another through the doors of Industrial Eats.

This chance meeting had me thinking that, intentionally or not, Jeff Olsson has created a very efficient micro-ecosystem. Consider that he buys produce from local farmers, part of which will make it to the table and the remainder of which will be used to feed local pigs, which Jeff will eventually be slow-roasting or curing a few months down the road. The lesson of working with local farmers that Jeff learned so many years ago is helping to sustain this small part of the Valley’s agricultural system.

Having previously purchased a pre-existing business, the amount of work involved in building one from scratch has been a bit staggering. “It’s crazy the amount of cutting and digging,” Jeff says as he balances his footing on the dug-out back alley behind his “baby.” He points down the long narrow alley where his locally grown oak will be stored that will fuel his two pizza ovens. Inspections have come at him fast and furious—drains, electric, framing and insulation. He said the finished kitchen will be given two more final inspections before he can open his doors. This may well be the safest and tastiest place to eat in Santa Barbara County this winter.

As the King would say, thank you, Jeff, thank you very much.

John Salvador has written previously for Edible Santa Barbara. He is looking forward to Industrial Way in Buellton turning into a North County version of the Funk Zone.

Jeff in front of the newly installed sign for Industrial Eats.

You Are a Smart Cookie And Other Fortune Cookie Wisdom

by Becky Green Aaronson

chicken, our young daughter reached for a fortune cookie and simply asked, “Who invented these things anyway?” Then she wanted to know how all the fortunes got inside.

I didn’t have an answer so in my most absurd Bruce Lee accent I joked, “Aaah, Grasshopper, that’s an ancient Chinese secret,” to which my daughter looked at me as though I were nuts.

The truth is I’d never thought about who invented the fortune cookie, or how all those chirpy pearls of wisdom got placed inside each one.

What I discovered surprised me. The fortune cookie is unequivocally not Chinese. In fact, people in China don’t even eat them. Just ask my husband, who has been there 66 times on photographic assignments all around the country. These crispy confections are American through and through, originating in California in the early 1900s, inspired by a century-old Japanese recipe, and later popularized by Chinese Americans after World War II.

Yep, the fortune cookie as we know it is a classic American success story.

would be an understatement. Approximately three billion fortune cookies are made each year around the world. , and Americans make and consume most of them. After all, who doesn’t love a hollow, golden cookie filled with light-hearted advice, promises of love, success, harmony or even lucky lottery numbers?

The largest fortune cookie maker, Wonton Food, based in Brooklyn, New York, produces 4.5 million fortune cookies every day, using a database of over 10,000 fortunes. Early fortunes featured Biblical sayings or aphorisms from Confucius, Aesop or Benjamin Franklin. Now they contain everything from jokes and smiley faces to personalized messages. Since fortunes are relatively inexpensive to customize, everyone from Fortune 500 companies (how appropriate) to politicians and would-be fiancés are now using them for marketing and political campaigns, and even clever campaigns of the heart.

So how did this mainstay of Chinese restaurants get its start in California? That’s a good question, and the answer depends on whom you ask. There’s little official documentation from that time, but most sources credit an affluent Japanese immigrant in San Francisco for introducing the cookie. Makoto Hagiwara was an aristocrat who designed and funded

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Golden Gate Park’s famous Japanese Tea Garden. He and his family not only created and cared for this landmark garden, but also resided in it from 1895 until an anti-Japanese mayor fired him around the turn of the century. When a new mayor later reinstated him, Hagiwara had cookies made, based on Japanese tsujiura senbei (fortune crackers)—and included thank you notes inside to show his deep appreciation for those who had stood by him during his hardship.

Hagiwara’s cookies, known as “fortune tea cakes” at the time, were passed out at the Japanese Tea Garden between 1907 and 1914, and quickly became a Tea Garden staple. They were unveiled to the masses in 1915 at San Francisco’s world’s fair, the Panama-Pacific Exhibition—which, some sources say, helped the city claim the title “Fortune Cookie Capital of the World.”

A competing theory says that David Jung, a Chinese American who founded the Hong Kong Noodle Co. in Los Angeles, invented the cookie in 1918. The story goes that after World War I, he baked the cookies and stuffed them with inspiring passages from the Bible to lift the spirits of unemployed men near his bakery.

Most evidence leans toward the Japanese theory, though, and in 1983 a judge even ruled in Hagiwara’s favor during a mock trial held in San Francisco’s Court of Historical Review. The court has no legal power, but rather offers a symbolic ruling intended to put an end to such debates. It has also ruled on other important cases such as where the martini was invented and whether chicken soup deserves to be called “Jewish penicillin.”

After Makoto Hagiwara introduced the fortune cookie in the early 1900s, Japanese bakeries in San Francisco and Los Angeles produced these novel after-dinner treats for both Japanese and Chinese restaurants.

Fortune cookies moved from being primarily a Japanese American confection to a Chinese American confection sometime around World War II when over 100,000 Japanese Americans were rounded up and forcibly sent to internment camps. Japanese bakeries all along the West Coast were shut down, including those that produced fortune cookies. This gave Chinese entrepreneurs an opportunity to step in and fill the void, especially as Chinese food rose in popularity. By the end of the war fortune cookies were indelibly associated with Chinese food and culture.

In 1964, however, the fortune cookie industry changed forever. That’s when Edward Louie of San Francisco’s Lotus Fortune Cookie Co. invented a machine that could mechanically fold the cookie and insert the fortune inside. A decade and a half later, the first fully automated machine, the Fortune III, was made, allowing for mass production. With that, the price dropped, enabling them to become the Plow to Porch Market 3204 State St., Santa Barbara • 805 895-7171 Walk through Buddha’s Garden or park around back and our back door is always open! www.plowtoporch.com

So how are these crunchy confections made? Before the 1960s, fortune cookies in the U.S. were all painstakingly made by hand. Bakers would mix the batter, typically comprised of sugar, flour, vanilla and eggs, and then pour it out into threeinch circles to bake. Once removed from the oven, they’d quickly place a fortune in the middle and use chopsticks to fold it into its familiar shape before the sugary dough cooled and hardened into a crispy cookie.

courtesy desserts everyone expects along with the bill at Chinese restaurants today.

So now that you know the history of the fortune cookie, next time you’re sitting around the table with family and friends after a Chinese meal, don’t be surprised when you crack open your crunchy little dessert and it says, “You are a smart cookie.”

Becky Green Aaronson is an award-winning writer who lives with her husband and daughter in Santa Barbara. She’s currently writing a book, The Art of an Improbable Life: My Twenty Years with an International Photojournalist and writes a blog with the same title: AnImprobableLife.com.

RECIPES

Fortune Cookies

After sharing the history of the fortune cookie with my curious daughter, we both felt like smart cookies and decided to try making them ourselves. The recipe is simple and the process is fun, but it takes time and patience.

Makes about 16 cookies

2 tablespoons water

1 tablespoons mild olive or grapeseed oil

2 egg whites

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 ⁄ 2 cup sugar

1 ⁄ 2 cup flour

Fortunes: Each strip of paper should be no more than 3 inches long by ½ inch wide. Prepare these in advance so they are ready to place inside while each cookie is warm. This is the fun part—be creative!

Combine water, oil, egg whites and vanilla. Then add sugar and flour, blending until smooth. The batter can be kept in the refrigerator for up to a day before baking the cookies.

When ready to start baking cookies, preheat oven to 350° and line a couple of sheet pans with silicon liners, such as Silpat.

Measure out 1 tablespoon of batter and spread out in a 3-inch circle. You can do a second or even a third once you get the hang of it. The key to successful fortune cookies is making sure the batter is thin enough, and spread out evenly on the cookie sheet. The best way to spread the batter is by tilting the cookie sheet and tapping the pan. Bake the cookies 5–8 minutes, watching carefully so they don’t overbrown. They should be golden brown ¼ to ½ inch from the edge. Remove from oven and be prepared to work quickly.

Use a thin spatula to lift each cookie and flip it over. Quickly place fortune inside and fold the cookie in half, gently pinching the edges together. Bend the folded cookie over the edge of a glass to form it into its classic crescent shape. If you have a hard time tolerating the hot cookies when they first come out of the oven, white cotton gloves can make it easier.

Put the formed cookie in an empty muffin tin to let it cool while holding its form. After you’re done baking and forming all the cookies, turn off the oven and place the filled muffin tin in the warm oven to crisp the cookies, leaving in the oven until it’s cool. Store cookies in an airtight container.

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The Vintner as Chef

How Jim Clendenen Nourishes His Winery

by Hilary Dole Klein

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEFFREY BLOOM

Jim Clendenen with his dog Emmy.

In the 30 years since vintner extraordinaire Jim Clendenen started Au Bon Climat, he has played a major role in putting Santa Barbara County wines on the global map, while adding Clendenen Family Vineyards, Barham Mendelsohn, Ici/La-Bas and Vita Nova to his stable of labels.

Wine writers are crazy about him; his wines have been called “the most balanced and delicious this side of Burgundy.” Publications throw awards at him. He has been short-listed for “Best Wineries in the World” (Robert Parker 1989 and 1990); named three times “Winemaker/Grower of the Year” (Los Angeles Times, Food & Wine, Wein Gourmet). More recently he was inducted into the James Beard Foundation’s “Who’s Who of Food & Beverage in America.”

The staff of Au Bon Climat and Qupé gather for lunch.

An award named for an iconic “foodie” is an apt one, for cooking is central to how Jim works, plays and shares his unique charisma. When he’s not traveling the world, promoting his wines and showing up for gala dinners, he can be found at the winery, cooking lunch for a dozen or more vineyard workers, cellar rats, interns, staff, visiting retailers, winemakers and friends. When I joined them for lunch recently, I saw for myself how these meals enrich a sense of community and camaraderie and, inevitably, gratitude.

While the meal is a time for everyone to come together, it’s also a working lunch that involves a selection of wines, often with a theme, with focused tasting and assessing what works and what doesn’t. This marriage of practicum and a jolly good time has to be the envy of other wineries.

The barrel-filled winery and warehouse—where Clendenen and Bob Lindquist, who produces highly respected wines under the Qupé label, have shared space for 30 years—is remarkably unpretentious except for its size. Known as “the Shed,” it’s sited on the Bien Nacido property, famed for its vineyards, where much of Jim and Bob’s grapes are grown to their particular specifications.

In a corner near the winery’s entrance, an open kitchen appears not at all ready for its Architectural Digest moment. But it’s impressively equipped, with a huge range, rotisserie, chef’s faucet with overhead spout, three-door refrigerator, tons of cabinets and every gadget a chef requires, all jumbled about an enormous wooden island that dwarfs Jim, who is a tall man. Stackings of spice and herb containers and dozens of wine

Above: Jim in the winery kitchen. Below: the spread set out for lunch.

bottles, including magnums and jeroboams, form a barrier that gives him a measure of privacy.

Along with today’s lunch, he’s simultaneously preparing a vat of spicy red sauce for a penne dish that will feed 400 people at the winery’s twice-yearly Open House. A hundred pounds of lima beans and four crates of cauliflower await his attention. And while he’s cooking, everyone except his assistant, Doreen Simmons, knows to leave him alone.

I edge closer to see what he is doing. “I don’t want to talk when I cook,” he warns me. “This is my time to think. If someone enters my space, inevitably they want to chat and ask questions. So then I get irritated, and I say ‘get the !#*% out!’” He pulls a mock sad face. “And then they don’t think I’m a very nice person.”

In fact he proves himself to be a pretty nice guy and a lot of fun when it comes time to eat the meal he’s prepared that day for the hungry souls who have begun to wander in, while Bob Lindquist affably opens a raft of bottles and places them in a row down the middle of the long wood-slab communal table. An everyday lunch for the winery will soon prove to be a peak experience for me.

Finished cooking, Jim proves to be captivating and witty, and he likes to make people laugh. It’s easy to see why he hangs out with the famous personalities in the world of food and wine. As the others begin to serve themselves, Jim takes four containers of homemade hot sauces from the refrigerator, rapidly running through their ingredients. He uncorks a wine bottle and the surprising fragrance of a distinctive vinegar escapes. “We’ve had homemade vinegars for years, but this is really special,” he says with pleasure.

The lunch menu consists of tender slices of flank steak, a salad with beets and feta, and three vegetable dishes that vie for favoritism on the plate: Carrots and Russian kale with hazelnuts, thyme and caramelized onions; eggplant with non-spicy peppers; and summer squash with cooked tomatoes, basil, Meyer lemon, Turkish oregano, anise, green bell peppers and mushrooms. Jim slaps a bottle on the table of his Jolokin hot sauce, made with homemade vinegar, Meyer lemons and hot, hot, hot peppers.

A native of Ohio, Jim came to UCSB with the intention of becoming a lawyer. “I started cooking in Isla Vista in my first apartment,” he recalls. “Then when I went to Europe in my junior year, I bought a VW van that had a kitchen with a stove and I traveled around discovering regional ingredients and regional cuisines.” He had friends who were attending a university in Bordeaux, and he plugged his camper into one of the dorms and stayed put for a while, learning about wine and playing third-division professional basketball.

Asked to describe his style of cooking, he says, “I get fresh ingredients, and I cook.” He always goes with a theme—one lunch might be Northern Indian, another Thai. “Today I made a French meal; yesterday was Mexican. Whether I do it right is another question,” he says, adding, “I had an Italian-theme meal, and the Italians told me, ‘Your food is so good, where is it from?’ People don’t always understand the influence of contemporary cooking on their traditional food.”

When asked to name his favorite tool in the kitchen, he says: “I’m a blender guy.” He likes to throw together Meyer lemon juice, roasted garlic, basil and wine to make a sauce to finish a dish. “A lot of chefs use immersion blenders, but I love the real thing.” He also loves the knives he bought in Japan. “When I touch my Japanese knives I’m dreaming. When I go back, I’m going to buy every kind they have.”

At the moment he’s enamored with tomatoes. “But I will only cook with them in season.” He always has on hand a supply of garlic cloves that he roasts himself, his homemade vinegars and hot sauces, and fresh herbs from his garden. His huge garden in Los Alamos has supplied the lunch with most of its vegetables. “I have 24 laying chickens, turkeys, pheasants and some red-tailed deer,” he boasts. He does all the cooking for his family, too.

“I think my wife only cooked one meal the whole time we were together,” he jokes.

Snippets of conversation flow around the table: “2001 might well have been the greatest vintage in Bien Nacido history…” “New York is a great market for us…” “We had two 19th-century wines from Inglenook—unbelievable and not fake…” “I love this wine; it’s a wine I sent to every critic in America…” “Mario wants me to celebrate my birthday in Hong Kong…” “If you make the style of wines we make, it’s a no-brainer to market them in France…”

Although still waiting for the Syrah to ripen, most of the harvest is in. Really, really good fruit, everyone agrees, although the tonnage is almost too much to handle. Au Bon Climat’s new tasting room in downtown Santa Barbara is going well, inspired by Jim’s decision to start selling his massive library. “I’m such a compulsive hoarder,” he says. “I have all that wine put away that

I could never drink.” And with the holidays coming, “Why buy a $40 wine that is seven years from drinkability, when you can buy a $40 wine that is ready to drink?”

Jim sources mostly from Bien Nacido, which he considers the iconic vineyard that put Santa Barbara on the map, although he buys from other vineyards that he loves, too. The movie Sideways did its own version of Santa Barbara map-making, and Clendenen admits the movie changed his life. The folks who came to scout and research for the movie discovered him. Naturally, he ended up cooking Thanksgiving dinner for the cast and crew.

I myself will never again take a sip of one of Jim’s great wines without wondering, “What’s for lunch?

Hilary Dole Klein spent her early years in Santa Barbara under the impression that the only restaurant in town was a Chinese one. She has since written about travel, restaurants, food, wine, artists, bugs, health and family. A new dish, a new restaurant or a big personality has never failed to enchant her.

RECIPES

Roasted Garlic

Roasted Garlic is a staple of Jim Clendenen’s kitchen. This recipe is for 4 bulbs, but he says, “I usually make a whole bag at once and use them for the next few weeks.”

4 bulbs garlic

4 tablespoons olive oil

Preheat oven to 350°. Take as much dry papery skin off of the bulbs as possible and snip off the top so the cloves are exposed. Put the bulbs in a small baking dish or pan, close to each other. Drizzle oil over bulbs—about 1 tablespoon per bulb. Seal pan with foil. (I sometimes add 1 or 2 tablespoons of water.) Bake about 45 minutes or until soft. Let cool. Remove garlic cloves from skins into a bowl. Spread on toast, put in soups, stews, sauces, mashed potatoes, etc.

Ravioli with Butternut Squash, Brown Butter and Sage

Jim says: “This is a simple and fun dish that has become very popular at Au Bon Climat/Qupé Winery for some unknown reason, maybe deliciousness. There can be endless short cuts—frozen squash, etc.—depending on the self-esteem of the preparer.”

Makes about 16 –25 servings

2 medium-size butternut squash

1 ⁄4 –1 ⁄ 2 pound butter

15 cloves fresh garlic

1–2 cups white wine

1 bunch fresh sage

1 quart vegetable stock

2 Meyer lemons

2 (24-ounce) packages of cheese ravioli

Jim holds a pan of his Ravioli with Butternut Squash, Brown Butter and Sage.

Salt, pepper, red chili flakes, lemon zest

Crema Mexicana Agria or Mexican-style cultured cream 2 cups grated white Italian cheese (4- or 6-cheese blend) Endless olive oil

Cut open and seed the butternut squash. Roast in the oven, covered with foil, at 375° for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until soft. A little water can be added to the pan.

In a large Dutch oven, brown ¼ pound butter. Add 10–15 cloves of diced garlic, cooking until browned. Add 1 cup wine puréed with 10–15 sage leaves, 1 butternut squash (cooked, peeled, and chopped), 1 quart vegetable stock, and the juice of 2 Meyer lemons. Cook into a sauce, adjusting with wine or stock for texture. Correct seasoning with salt, pepper, chili flakes, butter, garlic and lemon zest to taste.

Boil enough lightly salted water to cook ravioli as per directions.

Oil a large baking pan (a full-size stainless steel hotel pan works well) and place 1 layer of ravioli in the bottom. Layer sauce mixture over the ravioli and then place a second layer of ravioli. Cover with cheese and drizzle generously with the Crema Mexicana. Add remaining squash (cut into small cubes), salt and pepper and artfully apply sage leaves to the top. Moisten with olive oil. Finish by baking uncovered in the oven at 350° until the surface is melted, gooey and aromatic.

STEVEN BROWN

Chef Ron True

The New American Kitchen

by Nancy Oster

PHOTOGRAPHY BY FRAN COLLIN

It’s 11am at the Arlington Tavern and the kitchen is humming with activity. The cooks are cleaning and prepping romaine from Roots Organic Farm and fresh asparagus from Life’s a Choke, trimming Rancho San Julian beef, portioning fresh-caught king salmon, making rye cracker dough, simmering broths, reducing red wine for sauces, baking breads and cakes and organizing their workstations for service at 5pm.

This is the time of day that co-owner and chef Ron True describes as “working hard and fast” so they will be “prepared to work harder and faster tonight when the order tickets start printing, tension grabs the kitchen and service staff are flying in from all directions to pick up orders.”

It’s Ron’s job to be the calming hand, to stay focused on the basics—getting the food out hot, seasoned and beautifully plated. Sometimes his job includes sending a special appetizer to the table when there is a delay or providing an explanation when the kitchen runs out of an item.

Nancy was the first in a line of on-the-job mentors who taught Ron both the skill and art of cooking. In the past 25 years he has worked in the award-winning kitchens of Judy Rogers (Zuni Café, San Francisco); Tom Colicchio (Gramercy Tavern, New York); and Michael Romano (Union Square Café, New York). He also did a work-study and certification program at Ann Willan’s Ecole de Cuisine La Varenne in France.

Ron specializes in New American Cuisine. This is classic American food taken to a new level by putting fresh, locally sourced ingredients into the skilled hands of a talented chef. Ron brings techniques he learned in top-notch restaurants to classic recipes like beef stroganoff, mac & cheese and Caesar salad.

Creating simple, fragrant, mouthwatering versions of American classics, that’s Ron’s role as the creative force behind Arlington Tavern’s menus.

Ron learned the importance of this role as a cook in New York when a quail appetizer he had grilled was returned to the kitchen for a little further cooking. He put the quail onto the grill. When he looked back a few seconds later it was a pile of tiny charred bones. “It was scorched, and it was the last one.”

Things like this happen in busy kitchens.

Occasionally it means calling in his managing partner, Diego Barbieri, from the front to help out and rolling up his own sleeves to wash dishes. Ron says, “If somebody had told me in 1988 that I’d learn from some of the best people in the business and in 25 years I’d have my own restaurant but I’d still be cleaning deep fat fryers and doing dishes, I might have thought differently about my choices.”

But Ron’s easy laugh, passionate discussion of fresh ingredients and his close working relationships with local farmers, ranchers, fishermen and his cooks tell me that his roots as a chef are deeply and firmly planted here in Santa Barbara.

In fact, Ron grew up in Santa Barbara, getting his first cooking job with Nancy Weiss at Zelo during the summer of his junior year in high school. After graduation he went to work for Nancy at her new restaurant, SOhO, originally located where Arlington Tavern stands today.

For example, he saves tender trimmings from his steaks for his version of stroganoff, which includes a three-day reduction “liquid gold” wine sauce, and a touch of mustard he makes inhouse using Firestone 805 Blonde Ale. The noodles are homemade, inspired by noodles he watched his grandfather make.

Ron’s grandfather was a fisherman and a good cook. Ron remembers hauling in king salmon on his grandfather’s boat. “The fresh-cut salmon smelled like fresh-cut melon. Not fishy—it was sweet smelling. Still when I break down a salmon and slice it open for the first time, I smell it and reflect on the simplicity of the food he would make and how I can incorporate that simplicity into my own menu.”

The Arlington menu changes frequently with the season and specials incorporate the best of the produce and proteins available that day.

“In the winter,” Ron says, “I look forward to braising, turning a root vegetable that’s hard, almost inedible, into something that’s fork tender and mouthwatering.”

Creating simple, fragrant, mouthwatering versions of American classics, that’s Ron’s role as the creative force behind Arlington Tavern’s menus. And yes, sometimes his role includes cleaning the fryer and washing dishes… whatever it takes to move fresh American farm food smoothly from kitchen to table.

Nancy Oster remembers mac & cheese before it was made from a box (her mom used Velveeta cheese garnished with dried Wonder Bread crumbs). Nancy is grateful to chefs like Ron True who are taking these classic home recipes to a new level of freshness and flavor.

Chef Kim Schiffer The Art of Culinary Collaboration

by Jennifer LeMay

PHOTOGRAPHY BY FRAN COLLIN

“When I think of good food, I am transported back to Louisiana to my best friend Susie’s house,” says Kim Schiffer, private chef and caterer. “Every time I walked through that door, I was invited to sit and eat (saying no was not an option) and join a loud, boisterous affair of bickering, laughter and love over spicy platters of hot duck gumbo, crawfish or boiled crab with corn and potatoes.”

Re-creating this feeling of conviviality, being cared for and nourished at the table, has motivated Kim throughout her career.

Passionate about cooking with quality seasonal ingredients, Kim cultivates supportive relationships with local farmers, purveyors and with her kitchen staff. These collaborations are integral to her life as a chef—exchanging ideas and knowledge.

This collaborative approach to sourcing the best ingredients, then working with fellow cooks in the kitchen to showcase those ingredients, has transformed Kim’s way of working and expanded her means of artistic expression.

Moving to Santa Barbara 20 years ago, she embarked on her next food adventure: catering and serving as a private chef, and continuing to promote fresh, local and organic ingredients. She worked the business around raising her children, and seized opportunities to work alongside world-class chefs such as John Ash, Deborah Madison, Suzanne Goin and others, and to cook in the kitchen at Chez Panisse in Berkeley and at Zuni Café and Quince restaurant, both in San Francisco. She also cooked with Chef Benedetta Vitali at Cucina Zibibbo in Florence, Italy.

While she enjoyed creating art in the studio, over the years Kim discovered that the culinary world provided more opportunities for collaboration and sharing her creations with other people.

Eight years ago, Kim found another outlet for sharing her passion for food by starting a cooking school in the Andalucía region of Spain, where she leads culinary adventures. The trips include forays to the famed Mercado Atarazanas in Málaga, where participants are given a shopping list and instructed to buy fruit, vegetables, meat, fish and “anything beautiful” that calls to them. Kim says, “Food has an aliveness to it that is very palpable if you’re tuned in to it.”

Kim believes that collaboration that supports the best in each person takes the work to a higher level. An artistic soul (with a college degree in fine art) Kim loves experimenting and exploring new ways of cooking. She likes to play, blending her passion for fresh, quality ingredients with a propensity for giving classic recipes a delicious new twist—for example, topping Chinese velvet corn soup with crispy fried okra.

Pasta is a favorite. Kim makes hers from scratch, creating tasty dishes such as her exquisite pear and pecorino-filled pasta purses with hazelnuts and brown butter.

While she enjoyed creating art in the studio, over the years Kim discovered that the culinary world provided more opportunities for collaboration and sharing her creations with other people.

After college, Kim began growing and cooking healthy, delicious food. She cultivated a California-inspired cuisine that led to starting her first food business in Colorado, called Fresh! Foods, making macrobiotic sandwiches and salads for health food stores.

After the market, everyone enjoys a scenic drive along the coast before heading up the mountain to Casa Ana, in the small village of Ferreirola. Hikes to collect wild herbs and visit hidden natural springs are interspersed with classes, tours and, of course, delectable seasonal meals featuring California-influenced Spanish specialties, tapas and perfect paellas. Kim loves the village’s Moorish influences and architecture, and the beautiful people and culture of the region.

At home Kim has found another source of inspiration in her newly built wood-fired oven, which has been used to cook everything from pizzas and vegetables to desserts and, on one occasion, two whole pigs. In January, she will co-teach a 10-day class on baking bread in the wood-fired oven with a good friend who ran a bakery in Idaho for many years.

Now that all of her children have been “launched,” Kim is spending even more time learning, expanding her palette and building the relationships she has come to cherish along her successful culinary journey.

Jennifer LeMay is a designer and artist who appreciates great local food. Her business, J. LeMay Studios, provides communication and design services. Visit JLeMay.com.

Nick Flores and Jason Paluska.

Chef Jason Paluska and Chef Nick Flores Culinary Conductors at The Lark

by Jill Johnson

PHOTOGRAPHY BY FRAN COLLIN

Food experiences and rail travel have a long storied history together, from the famous Harvey Houses of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway to the stylish dining cars designed to entice passengers to come ride and explore.

The Lark pays homage to those golden days of travel. Named after a popular Pullman line that ran through Santa Barbara, the restaurant is designed to give diners a slight deja vu of station history and a community table encourages sharing the dining experience.

The culinary conductors for your dining experience at this new venture are two outstanding young chefs, Executive Chef Jason Paluska and Executive Sous Chef Nick Flores. It is often the case that the tracks for those in the food industry are laid down early on in childhood. It certainly proved to be so with both Lark chefs.

Jason grew up watching his barbecue enthusiast father cook up smoked pork, turkeys or blackened redfish in Tomball, just outside the greater Houston metropolitan area.

various kitchens they worked. They also found it with the chefs they encountered, especially in Michael Mina Group’s respected San Francisco restaurant, RN74, where the two met.

Flavor balancing was something that truly identified their experience there, but they walked away with a deep respect for Executive Chef Jason Berthold. His influence on the way they approach not only the food but also the kitchen and the staff is palpable.

“The guy just motivated you through his own work ethic and how he felt about and explained flavors,” says Nick.

An evening sharing the edible art of Jason and Nick brings spice and warmth, happiness and satisfaction to the soul.

“All Texans are interested in food, especially my family. It was either cooking or mixing micheladas by the pool,” he reminisces. “Although Tex-Mex pretty much owns everybody in that part of the world, Houston has such a diverse dining scene that it leads you into enjoying phenomenal Vietnamese, Indian and Thai cuisine.”

Nick grew up in Salinas, California, the “Salad Bowl of the World,” with food infused childhood memories as well.

“My mom cooked every night for us and was making wedding cakes for friends on the side from her own job. Being half Hispanic and a mix of German and Irish, we ate a lot of different foods—from choucroute garnie to menudo. And homemade tamales for Christmas was always a given.”

As they got older, both decided to take their interest in food arts to another level. Jason studied hotel and restaurant management at the University of Houston and the Tante Marie’s Cooking School in San Francisco and Nick matriculated at the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco. Along their culinary travels, they found knowledge and inspiration in the

Watching the action through the multi-paned windows, you can see the Lark kitchen hum along smoothly, so much so that one could walk away with the thought that running it is easy. Jason reminds us, that is it not, “even for one day.” Both Lark chefs have their hands full, cooking and working together on developing menus for both the Lucky Penny and The Lark.

“We have a big concept going here that people really don’t realize,” Nick mentions. “We serve easily over 600 people a day between the restaurants, Les Marchands and Figueroa Mountain Brewing.”

As busy as they are, and as traveled their palates, they are appreciative of the delectable bounty that Santa Barbara offers. They are quick to point out favorite local ingredients. For Nick, it’s all about the citrus. “It seems to be on every tree in my neighborhood. It’s easy to balance out a dessert’s sweetness with fresh citrus and they bring subtle floral notes that I love.”

For Jason, “I’m in love with Hope Ranch mussels. Sustainable, sweet, plump and juicy. Couldn’t ask for more.”

Food, like a train trip, is a journey flavored by those we meet along the way. An evening sharing the edible art of Jason and Nick brings spice and warmth, happiness and satisfaction to the soul. The taste of their dishes say “All Aboard!” and the chefs encourage you to hop on. Go. Enjoy the delicious ride.

Jill Johnson is an artistic soul with an inquisitive mind and a hearty appetite for life… and food. You can find her musings on spilled milk and cookie crumblings at her blog, CookiesInHeaven.blogspot.com.

Chef Cindy Black Night and Day

by Rosminah Brown

PHOTOGRAPHY BY FRAN COLLIN

Since childhood, Cindy Black has enjoyed baking. She credits her grandparents for teaching her how to bake with logic and intuition and without measuring ingredients. She’s also been a night owl, and on those nights she was up late as a youngster, she’d bake to while away the time. Rather than wake her parents in the night with her kitchen noise, she’d take her prep work out into the yard; estimating portions and mixing the dough with water from the garden hose were among other “make-dos” to fit the conditions she was working in.

That sort of creativity has flowed into her current business with the Blue Owl, although she doesn’t get her water from a hose anymore. Cindy started her late-night eatery as a simple pop-up within the Zen Yai kitchen, resulting in surprisingly minimal start-up costs. And she ran it on weekends in a very DIY fashion. She ran the kitchen, service and order taking herself, with one friend watching the front long enough to call to her that customers were approaching. Perhaps you remember those times, rolling out of Velvet Jones, looking for a snack, and finding a somewhat shy but confident woman in the doorway of Zen Yai, with a flop of curly brown hair covering one eye, while the other is looking straight at you, and she’s patiently taking your boozeaddled order for Thai Basil Tri-tip Sandwich or Porkducken.

belief that food can be delicious as well as ethically sourced, approachable and affordable.

Now with her own location downtown on West Canon Perdido, and serving both daytime and nighttime crowds, it is a challenge to compete with other daytime restaurants that provide cheap sandwiches with mass-produced meat and non-organic produce. But business is growing as more people discover her ingredients come from the local food community.

Cindy has a deeply held belief that food can be delicious as well as ethically sourced, approachable and affordable.

She is taking a new approach to feeding her customers with a new sandwich line called Stankwiches. These have a primary ingredient that is fermented, like bok choy or cabbage kimchee and cheese. They are tangy, creamy, tasty and practically meat-free. While Cindy loves meat, she is conflicted about animal suffering. It is not enough to source locally and ethically—which is quite expensive—she wants to continue using meat, but as an accompaniment rather than a feature. Her occasional Sunday evening soup dinners may be primarily wholesome vegetables and grains, but the broth is a heady pork base, full of the umami we all crave. Her curry is vegan, with fine crisp-tender vegetables. Still, her curry and sandwiches are under $10.

Cindy may not be a Santa Barbara native, but her formal training and industry work is locally grown. She moved to Santa Barbara in 2003 and enrolled in SBCC’s School of Culinary Arts, completing the coursework and taking her first job at a local catering company. This job helped shape her range of professional expertise. She moved into pastry chef work at fine restaurants in Santa Barbara, including the Wine Cask and San Ysidro Ranch, but it was her time in catering that gave her the push to start her own business.

She quit her job and moved in with her sister to save money. She called some family to scrape together a couple thousand dollars. And within just two weeks, she opened her pop-up called the Blue Owl inside Zen Yai in downtown Santa Barbara.

Slow, organic growth sits comfortably with Cindy. She courted the downtown clubs with her delicious Asian-fusion sandwiches and fried rice. Soon she had a following from diners seeking late-night nosh that was not only very tasty but sourced locally and organically where possible. Cindy has a deeply held

What keeps Cindy motivated in the local restaurant scene? First, it’s the community that has rallied around her, from the pop-up days to her current Canon Perdido location. No matter if drunken revelers nick her silverware, her loyalty to the supporters who helped make her successful keeps her going. She also has a deep love her for dog, Hambone. When the Blue Owl has enough cash flow that she can hire additional management, she’ll have more time to spend with her pet, which is a bond as strong as family. And when the Blue Owl can be fully managed by her staff, she’d like to hold pop-ups in other cities, possibly New York.

Meanwhile, she continues her 4am weekend work shifts as well as her lunchtime service. She co-hosts pop-ups around town, and select Blue Owl sandwiches are also sold at the Santa Barbara Bowl. But does she have any special requests? Why, yes: Keep the late-night drunk chanting down, she says with a smile, we want to be able to deliver food orders fast, and people want to eat with a little peace.

Rosminah Brown is a Santa Barbara native who types fast and eats slow. She once jumped in the Neptune Pool at Hearst Castle. She is still upset that JR’s BBQ closed. You can read her blog at Gutfud.com.

Chef Budi Kazali Ballard and Beyond by

Jamie Relth

PHOTOGRAPHY BY FRAN COLLIN

If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to spend half of your childhood on the Indonesian island of Java—one of the most densely populated places in the world—and the rest amid the fineries of the quaint California “Riviera” that is Santa Barbara, Chef Budi Kazali of the Restaurant at the Ballard Inn can explain it to you with just one sizzling, slow-braised bite.

Blending a touch of the exotic into classic French-style dishes—perhaps a tamarind broth with his black cod, a pasilla crème fraîche with crispy fritters, or a teriyaki balsamic demiglaze with a rack of lamb—Budi lives and breathes food and is naturally fluent in the art and finesse of Asian-fusion cuisine.

At the age of 12, he and his parents left Indonesia to join his older siblings in Santa Barbara, where the family continues to operate a number of hotels. From a young age, hospitality and minding the “front of house” was a deeply instilled instinct. But in the background, intertwined with every memory and experience of his formative years, were the savory, spicy smells of his mother’s cooking. And though his parents had moved to California so that Budi could pursue any professional path he wished, it was that scent of those spices that he chose to follow.

Blue Ginger in Boston that he really began to pursue the EastWest culinary style.

“What I like about it is that you can be really creative about your food. I’m not stuck in doing just French food, and I’m not stuck in doing just Asian food. I can use couscous one week and then I can use rice another week. There’s nothing that says ‘you can’t do this.’”

In 2004, he finally had truly free rein to explore cross-cultural cooking when he and his wife, Chris, moved to the tiny town of Ballard to take over the Ballard Inn and the inn’s restaurant. And so it is that from this tiny outpost made up of two businesses, one little red schoolhouse and three churches tucked amid Western horse ranches and vineyards, visitors find big-city fine dining that probes the rich and fragrant borderland between Asian and French cuisines.

Budi opens his doors to travelers from near and far, presenting them with a menu that is somehow both intriguingly exotic and familiar; both surprising and self-evident.

“I just love food. I think that’s how I got into it,” Budi recalls, adding that at the time, his parents were not thrilled about his choice: “Being a cook was not a glorious job—not until the Food Network made it a glorious job. Now a lot of people want to be a chef.”

Glory or not, after earning a degree in economics, he took off to San Francisco and the California Culinary Academy to follow his heart, and stomach. After getting the requisite solid foundation in French-style cooking classes, his real education began in a string of high-profile restaurant jobs including at La Folie, one of the top French restaurants in San Francisco; Campton Place, a ritzy hotel restaurant; Restaurant Gary Danko; Ozumo, a French-Japanese restaurant; and, in Boston, at Ambrosia and Blue Ginger.

Budi says that during this time, he started to become interested in the mixing of Asian and French cuisines, which was not uncommon in San Francisco restaurants due to the large Asian community there. “Being Asian, I know the spices already,” he says. But it wasn’t until he worked with a like-minded chef at

And perhaps that’s not such a surprise, given the fact that Ballard, founded in 1880 around a Wells Fargo stage stop, has always been something of a way station between the East and the Wild West. True to that background as much as to his own multi-cultural life and education, the warm and affable Budi opens his doors to travelers from near and far, presenting them with a menu that is somehow both intriguingly exotic and familiar; both surprising and self-evident.

His popular Red Roast Kurobuta Pork Belly with Napa Cabbage Fondue is a prime example. Based on a classic, timetested pairing—pork with cabbage—it takes a delicious new turn in Budi’s hands: He infuses a traditional Chinese recipe for roasted pork with a dash of novelty by adding a French-style fondue (made by cooking the cabbage in its own juices and butter) and an Asian pear salad.

“When I create my dishes they’re not something completely crazy, completely random,” he says of his version of fusion.

“I don’t try to invent the wheel; I just try to follow it.”

And with just one bite of that rich, delightful, utterly decadent concoction, we know we will follow right along wherever that wheel leads him next.

Jamie Relth is a freelance writer based on the Central Coast. She covers food, wine, travel and the Central Coast lifestyle for a number of publications.

homemade sausage party It Takes a Community to Extrude a Sausage

Photos and Words by Rosminah Brown

It started innocently enough. We were at a garden party in the lower Eastside to celebrate a friend’s newly constructed teahouse, chatting over cocktails and snacks. Somehow the subject of sausages came up. I said I had wanted to make my own for ages. My friends Nathan Vonk and Erin Smith said they had a meat grinder. This was the summer of 2009, and it was the start of a wonderful friendship and bonding over our mutual love of making sausages.

We would meet up, usually once every three months— sometimes more frequently if our stockpile of sausages ran low, sometimes less frequently if we got busy with other commitments. Either way, the actual making of sausages, which we’d dubbed Sausage Fests, were a combination of hard work at the machine, gentle coaxing of the sausage meat into its casings and a lot of community fun as we tested new recipes, drank wine and got caught up in the chatter of our lives.

Four years later, we’ve grown up some, gotten busier with our lives and Nathan and Erin even got married. And our sausages have gone from true experiments of burst casings, watery portions of over-spiced meat and curiously wrong textures, to fine specimens of fat, juicy and extremely tasty sausages using fresh, seasonal ingredients from our gardens or the farmers market. Nathan and Erin bought a home and built

a dining table big enough to grind up and extrude long ropes of casings, which we curl into a giant tabletop wheel and then twist into individual sausages.

So what makes a good sausage? My answer is simple: fat. You need fat. That’s what makes them so wonderfully juicy. For chicken, we use thighs as the dark meat has good flavor and enough fat that we don’t need additional fat in our recipes. For pork, shoulder works well, and we buy additional fatback to incorporate into the grind. Farmed animals tend to have more fat naturally, while the occasional game meat (wild boar in our case) has needed a lot of fatback. We’ve also had lamb, but our main meats have been chicken and pork.

Before the actual sausage-making takes place, all the basic supplies need to be acquired—chicken, pork, additional fat and seasonal ingredients that will make the flavorings, as well as casings which come dry, and need to be soaked a day beforehand.

We cover the work surface entirely in plastic wrap and have separate cutting boards for the different meats, and one for non-meat. We wash our hands often. All the meat is kept very cold, sometimes extra firming is done in the freezer. The warmer the meat gets, the more it loses texture, much like making a piecrust with butter: You want to keep it cold and manipulate it as little as possible.

The sausage is extruded into a long casing.

First we coarse-grind the meat and put it in a large bowl. It’s loud and messy, and it is cold to work with. But then comes the fun part: adding all the flavorings and tasting it. Sometimes we follow specific traditional recipes, but I personally tend to improvise with whatever is currently in the garden and cupboards. After all the basics are added, we test for flavor balance and make adjustments. It is often a matter of adding a little more salt or pepper to the mixture. To taste the sausage, form small patties of the sausage meat and fry them in a small skillet. Does it taste good? Yes? OK, it’s time to stuff!

We use a manual sausage stuffer, which is admittedly a one-trick pony, and is in no way an absolute requirement for making sausages. But we have found that the texture comes out better, and we have greater control over the stuffing when it’s extruded manually in this press.

Finally, we twist them into the individual sausages. Three twists in one direction, and then the next link gets three twists in the opposite direction, until the whole rope is used up. Leave enough empty casing on each end—about five inches—for the sausage meat to distribute out during the twist process and for tying the end knots.

We then refrigerate the sausages for at least an hour or overnight. This allows the collagen in the sausage cases to firm up, and we can cut the links easily without the ends bursting open. Then we pack them into small baggies (a vacuum sealer would be best), three or four sausages per baggie, and divide them out. We depart with our respective hauls, our bags straining under the weight of some five to 10 pounds each of beautiful and tasty sausages. In a few months, it’ll be time to message each other again, “So, Sausage Fest, anyone?”

Nathan Vonk cooking a test batch.

Resources

If you have a KitchenAid stand mixer, you can buy a grinder and sausage stuffing attachment. We prefer using a dedicated grinder and stuffer for bigger production, and we like the variety of textures, but we also are the types that have sausage-making parties.

For those who are curious, lack all the gear and are not ready to make much of a financial commitment, there are a couple options. Sausage-making can be as easy as buying fresh ground meat and fat, combining the flavorings and forming small patties for frying, like breakfast patties. It can be that simple. Or take a class. New West Catering/ Industrial Eats in Buellton is now offering sausage-making classes.

The following gear and supplies that we can’t find locally, we buy from SausageMaker.com.

Meat Grinder

For the home enthusiast, a simpler grinder works fine, like one that can process about 10 pounds. Price: $150.

Manual Stuffer

The five-pound model works well for us. It is the biggest financial commitment, since it’s expensive and does nothing else but stuff sausages. Recommended if you want to become sausage fest fiends like us. Price: $150.

Natural Sausage Casings

These come salt-dried—they last indefinitely in this state. Rehydrate them in water overnight. You can also get these locally at Shalhoob Meat Company in Santa Barbara. Price: $8–$15.

Meat and Seasonings

Buy your meat from local shops you trust. Use fresh and freshly dried herbs and spices. Price: varies.

Sausage Making with Wine

Have a drink. See? Your sausages taste better already and the company you’re with is a hoot! Just kidding. Get something good and local, luckily we have a lot to choose from in Santa Barbara. Enjoy this with your friends as you make delicious things to eat. Price: some laughter and maybe your dignity.

RECIPES

Rosminah’s Pork and Persimmon (or Apple) Sausage

I used to live in England, where a popular sausage is pork and apple. But here it’s not so easy to find—chicken and apple, yes, but not pork. This is actually what started my desire to make my own sausages. If I couldn’t buy them, I’d make them. And I did.

I also have a persimmon tree, and Fuyu persimmons can be used interchangeably with apples. When the persimmons are abundant on the tree or at the market, I make this sausage with persimmons. But you can use apples or any combination of apples and crunchy persimmons.

Makes approximately 5 pounds of sausage

4 pounds pork shoulder, cut into 1-inch cubes and stored in the freezer for 30 minutes

1 pound pork back fat, chopped and stored in the freezer for 30 minutes

3–4 Fuyu persimmons or sweet apples, peeled, cored and finely diced

1 onion, finely diced and sautéed

2 tablespoons salt

1 teaspoon ground pepper

1 tablespoon dried tarragon

Erin’s Chicken Curry Sausage

These were the first sausages we ever made, and they have a special place in our hearts.

Makes approximately 5 pounds of sausage

5 pounds ground chicken

5 tablespoons curry powder

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon fennel seeds

1 tablespoon mustard seeds

1 ⁄ 2 large onion

1 teaspoon black pepper

2 ⁄ 3 cup diced dried apricots

1 ⁄ 2 cup golden raisins

1 bunch chopped cilantro

2 teaspoons minced ginger

Garlic (lots)

2 ⁄ 3 cup dried unsweetened coconut

Nathan’s Wisconsin-Style Bratwurst

Our first attempt was a true lesson learned. We needed fatback, didn’t have any, but did have bacon. We used bacon. It all tasted like bacon. Not a bad thing! But also not bratwurst.

Nathan has since perfected the recipe.

Makes approximately 5 pounds of sausage

4 pounds pork shoulder, cut into 1-inch cubes and stored in the freezer for 30 minutes

1 pound pork back fat, chopped and stored in the freezer for 30 minutes

3 tablespoons kosher salt

1 tablespoon sugar

1 1 ⁄ 2 teaspoons grated nutmeg

1 ⁄ 2 teaspoon coriander

1 ⁄4 teaspoon celery seed

2 teaspoons ground black pepper

1 ⁄ 8 teaspoon ground marjoram

11 ⁄ 2 teaspoons ginger

DIRECTIONS FOR ALL OF THE ABOVE RECIPES

Coarse-grind the meat into a large bowl. Take half the ground meat and run through a medium grind. For the bratwurst, all the meat can go through the medium grind.

Keeping the bowl and meat as cold as possible, add all spices and flavorings, mix it all up with your hands. Optional: Store this overnight in the fridge to allow flavors to develop. We rarely do this, but it does help. Form a small flat patty, similar in thickness to a burger patty, and fry it on medium heat in a skillet. When cooked through, about 3–5 minutes, remove to a plate, let it sit for a minute, then slice it and taste it amongst your group. Adjust seasoning as needed. Things are rarely perfect the first time around. Keep the ground meat in the fridge during this time.

When the flavoring is to your liking, load it into the stuffer. Thread a set of casings onto the neck of the stuffer. Keep about 3–5 inches of empty casing on either side. We like to pin the casing shut with a hairpin while we’re working.

With one person monitoring or turning the machine, another person holds the sausage tenderly like a little chick and coaxes it into the casings. Tie a knot on one end. Starting on the knotted end, begin twisting the sausages into links, at least 3 twists to each link.

Store in the fridge for at least an hour or overnight, then cut into individual links.

Note: Store-bought sausages usually take well to frying and grilling and the assorted abuses that this handling entails. We suspect this is because there is an obscene amount of fat in the recipe. We prefer to roast ours in the oven at 375°, as they are less likely to burst.

Rosminah Brown is a Santa Barbara native who types fast and eats slow. She once jumped in the Neptune Pool at Hearst Castle. She is still upset that JR’s BBQ closed. You can read her blog at Gutfud.com.

Homebrewing Winemaking Cheesemaking Supplies and Equipment

PH 805-691-9159 515 Fourth Place, Solvang, CA 93463

The Essential Utensil

by Pascale Beale

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ERIN FEINBLATT

Ihave just moved. It was the Herculean task that packing, relocating and unpacking in a very short space of time can only be.

One of the very kind people who helped me pack commented on the plethora of kitchen gadgets, tools, spoons, bowls, plates, glasses, more bowls, more plates, more tools and more gadgets that we carefully wrapped into the dozens of boxes that contained my kitchen.

“Do you really need all this stuff?” she asked as she held out one of the cutting boards. The answer, of course, was YES!

There are cheese boards, boards for cutting roasts on, chopping boards, small boards that you can take on a picnic. There are the bowls I make my bread dough in, salad bowls, mixing bowls in many sizes, soup bowls and little bowls that I use for serving nuts and olives.

And then there are the spoons: slotted spoons, serving spoons and salad spoons, with their cousins the wire whisks and spatulas.

I thought about all of this “stuff” as I unpacked each box a few days later and thought about the layout of my new kitchen. I admit that there are items I only use a couple of times a year— a raclette machine, a pudding mold—but many items have become indispensable extensions of my hands in the kitchen. Can a gadget make you smile? The answer, as I unpacked my favorite items, was yes.

One large box contained all manner of baking things: cookie cutters, cake tins, tart pans, shortbread and Springerle molds, and my 18-inch-long tapered French rolling pin. Oddly (given that I have multiples of most items) it is the only rolling pin in my kitchen. It has a wonderful patina developed over 25 years of use. I roll out everything from gingerbread dough to short crust pastry with it. Its tapered ends allow for easy maneuvering and even thickness of the dough. It is by far the best rolling pin I have ever used.

Above: Torching créme brûlée; blending mayonnaise; rolling tart crust.

Rolling pins have been around for a very long time. The first traces of them go back to the Etruscans in 900 B.C. They also appear in medieval etchings, Renaissance paintings, Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales and Punch and Judy shows—their shape and purpose (for cooking or otherwise) unchanged for nearly 3,000 years. I like the idea that you could step back in time and find some of the same kitchen tools used in the same manner we do today.

There are of course many different types of rolling pins; those for rolling chapatis, tortillas, ridged ones for rolling out different types of pasta; with or without tapered ends; made of stone, marble, stainless steel, plastic and wood. In the end it comes down to the feel of the pin in your hand, and I believe that comfort is what makes us like certain items more than others.

As Julia Child once said, “I think everyone should have a blowtorch.”

Comfort and ease of use is certainly what draws people to use a specific item, or if it has some familial importance. In my family it comes down to knives; small knives in particular. This fascination—a coveting of sorts—stems from the tiny Opinel knife my grandfather carried around in the pocket of his welltailored suits. It was used for everything from taking the foil off wine bottles to slicing pears on picnics.

At home our “Opinel” was a very small, very sharp paring knife that lived in the top drawer in my mother’s kitchen. We fought over le petit couteau because it was so easy to use. “I get the small knife,” we’d cry. That knife has been worn down over the last 50 years. It is now half its original size. Still sharp and still a favorite when slicing apples for an apple tart, taking the eyes out of potatoes or the stem end out of a tomato. It makes us all smile when we use it in her kitchen for it has helped produce many memorable meals.

A good meal or favorite dish can arouse a surfeit of emotions, usually pleasurable ones. For the person making the food, the ritual of that task, the use of a trusted and dependable tool makes creating that dish all the more enjoyable.

Immersion blenders are one of those tools for me. My grandmother had one in her kitchen with which she made soups. My mother had one with a nifty attachment that made great mashed potatoes. This is one of those gadgets I would find room for in even the smallest kitchen. They can do everything from purée vegetables to make mayonnaise. You can whip cream with them, make pestos, grind nuts, make fruit coulis and smoothies too. I have started making vinaigrettes packed with herbs and tomatoes with the one in my kitchen. It is—for me —an essential utensil.

I have unpacked almost every box now, and I am getting the feel of the new kitchen, the foibles of the new ovens, the layouts of cupboards, the trick with the ice maker and a place to put the proofing baskets and bench scrapers. I seem to be missing a couple of things, though, a few bowls and ramekins. I am sure they will turn up soon, and I will find a place for them too.

There is always room for a dish that holds a crème brûlée and the indispensable tool with which to finish it. As Julia Child once said, “I think everyone should have a blowtorch.”

RECIPES

Ginger Crème Brûlée

Makes 8 servings

7 egg yolks

4 cups heavy cream

3 ⁄ 4 cup sugar

1 ⁄ 2 vanilla bean

4 ounces chopped crystallized ginger

Granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 350°. Pour the heavy cream into a heavy-bottom saucepan and scrape the vanilla bean into the cream and then bring the cream to a boil.

In a separate bowl whisk the egg yolks with the sugar. Slowly add the boiling cream to the egg yolk/sugar mixture, stirring constantly. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve or chinois into a large bowl or jug. Add in the chopped crystallized ginger and stir to combine well.

Place the serving dishes in a roasting pan. Fill each dish with the cream mixture, making sure you divide the ginger evenly between the ramekins. Pour hot water into the roasting pan, around the dishes—being careful not to pour any into the cream. The water should come halfway up the side of the serving dishes. Place in the oven and bake until set—about 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and baking dish and allow to cool in the fridge.

Sprinkle a little granulated sugar over each custard and then caramelize with a torch or under the grill until just crunchy. Serve immediately.

Pear and Almond Tart

This tart is a play on the French classic version which combines an almond cream with sliced pears. I love the pear-almond combination and used almond meal in the dough which gives it a wonderful nutty flavor. The dough is easy to make, very forgiving and easy to roll out. It’s a sweet treat on a chilly day.

Makes one 10-inch tart

FOR THE CRUST

7 ounces unbleached all-purpose flour

2 ounces almond flour

2 tablespoons pistachios, roughly chopped

1 large heaped tablespoon powdered sugar

51 ⁄ 2 ounces cold butter, cut up into small pieces.

Zest of 2 lemons

Juice of 1 lemon

1 large egg

Pinch of salt

FOR THE TART

2 tablespoons butter

2 pears, peeled and diced

Juice and zest of 1 lemon

1 tablespoon sugar

1 ⁄ 2 -inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated

5–8 pears, halved and peeled

1 tablespoon sugar

1 ounce butter

1 ⁄ 4 cup whole almonds

Preheat oven to 400°. To prepare the pastry crust, place all the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Use repeated pulses until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Use longer pulses until the dough has formed a ball. Wrap up the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate it until ready to use. You can make the dough ahead of time and leave in the fridge. You will need to remove from the fridge approximately 20 minutes before using it.

Butter a 10-inch round tart pan. Remove the pastry from the fridge. On a lightly floured board roll out the pastry dough into a circle, in an even manner so that the dough is no more than a ¼ inch thick. Roll the dough up on a rolling pin. Transfer the dough to the prepared tart pan, ensuring that the dough comes up the sides. Trim the edges of any extra dough (you will have some left over). Then prick the surface of the dough with the tines of a fork. Place the butter in a small saucepan placed over medium heat. Add in the chopped pears, ginger, sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice. Stir to combine and cook for 5–7 minutes. You should have a soft pear purée. If it’s a little chunky, break it down with the tines of a fork. Spoon the pear mixture all over the tart dough.

Carefully slice each of the pear halves from almost the stem end down to the root end. You need to be able to fan each pear half out. Place the pears halves, fan side out against the edge of the tart shell working your way all around the tart. Place the remaining pear halves in the center of the tart forming a circular pattern. Sprinkle a little sugar over the top of the pears and dot with butter.

Place the tart in the center of the oven and bake for 25–30 minutes. The pastry should be golden brown. Remove from the tart from the oven.

Place the almonds in a cast-iron pan and dry roast them on the stove for 3–4 minutes. Dot the surface of the tart with the toasted almonds. This is delicious with a little crème fraiche or a little vanilla ice cream… or both.

Fingerling Potato and Bacon Salad

(From Pascale Beale’s new book Salade )

I like good homemade mayonnaise. I have spent many hours carefully whisking in 1 drop of oil at a time to try and create the perfect mayo. There were times when I thought I would just make a mustard vinaigrette instead because I did not want the hassle (there’s no denying that it usually is) of making homemade mayo. No more! All you need is an immersion blender. (Sometimes they’re called stick blenders). It is absolutely worth buying one of these, if only to make mayonnaise, but really because it makes blending soups so simple. I could not believe how easy it was to make mayo— 1 minute at the most—and it is really amazing.

Makes 8 servings

21 ⁄ 2 pounds fingerling potatoes (try to use different varieties)

8 slices bacon

FOR THE MAYONNAISE

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 egg yolk

2 ⁄ 3 cup mild olive oil

Juice of 1 small Meyer lemon

1 tablespoon lemon basil leaves, chopped

1 teaspoon lemon thyme leaves

1 teaspoon chives, chopped

1 tablespoon parsley, chopped

Pinch of salt

Place all the potatoes in a large saucepan of boiling water with a pinch of salt and cook until tender. They should not be falling apart. Drain, let cool, cut into ½-inch-thick slices (if some of the fingerlings are small, leave them whole) and place them in a salad bowl.

Cook the bacon in a large skillet or under a broiler until crispy. Place on a paper towel to cool, and then chop the bacon into thin slices.

To make the mayonnaise, place the mustard and egg yolk into tall plastic cylinder or glass jar—it should not be too wide. Next, add the olive oil and lemon juice. Finally, add all of the remaining ingredients to the beaker. Place the immersion blender in the beaker so that it touches the bottom. Run the immersion blender until you have a thick mayonnaise. You will have to tilt the blender a little to incorporate all the oil. Taste the finished mayonnaise. If it’s very thick, add some lemon juice or a tablespoon of water and blend again.

Spoon the herb mayonnaise over the potatoes, add the bacon and toss to combine. This is great for a picnic or with a barbecue, or even served with a simple green salad!

Pascale Beale grew up in England and France surrounded by a family that has always been passionate about food, wine and the arts. She was taught to cook by her French mother and grandmother. She is the author of A Menu for All Seasons—Spring, A Menu for All Seasons— Summer, A Menu for All Seasons—Fall and A Menu for All Seasons— Winter. Visit her website at PascalesKitchen.com.

DECEMBER

DECEMBER

14–22

Holiday Shop n’ Roll

11am–9/10pm at Earl Warren Showgrounds, Santa Barbara

Celebrate the holidays Santa Barbara style! Shop local at the Holiday Mart, show off your roller disco moves on the roller rink, learn from local artisans and chefs how to make homemade sustainable gifts, savor prepared foods from the locavore food court. ShopNRollSB.com

JANUARY

WINTER EDIBLE EVENTS

WINTER EDIBLE EVENTS

WEDNESDAY JANUARY 29

Starting a Cottage Food Business

6–9pm at the Wake Center, Santa Barbara

Students will gain an understanding of the new California Cottage Food Law (AB 1616) and how to start a homebased food business in this Life Long Learning class. $15. To enroll, go to SBCC.edu/CLL.

THURSDAY

DECEMBER

12

Edible Santa Barbara Winter Issue Release Party

5–7pm at Industrial Eats, Buellton

Join us at Jeff Olsson’s new Industrial Way eatery as we celebrate the release of the Winter issue of Edible Santa Barbara. Pick up a copy of the magazine and mingle with fellow foodies. Event is free; food and drink available for purchase. Details at EdibleSantaBarbara.com

FRIDAY JANUARY 10

“Words to Live By” Speaker Series

6 pm at Casa Dumetz, Los Alamos

Clos Pepe winemaker Wes Hagen presents a Sprited History of Man’s Relationship with the Grapevine: Pangaea to Pasteur. Wine by the glass or bottle will be available for purchase. 805 344-1900; CasaDumetzWines.com

WEDNESDAY JANUARY 29

Edible Supper Club

6:30pm, Arlington Tavern, Santa Barbara

Back by popular demand! Join us as we experience the best of Santa Barbara cuisine, prepared by Chef Ron True. A great opportunity to enjoy a meal and conversation with likeminded individuals. Tickets and more information at EdibleSantaBarbara.com.

SATURDAY DECEMBER 21

Los Alamos Third Saturday Evening Stroll

4–8 pm, downtown Los Alamos

The Los Alamos merchants on Bell Street invite everyone to join the fun and experience Los Alamos community charm first hand with its Third Saturdays program. The theme for December is “Deck the Halls Holiday Party.” Ongoing. 805 344-1900.

THURSDAY JANUARY 16

In the Kitchen with Chocolatier Jean-Michel

Learn about and taste the Chocolates du CaliBressan. A taste of 10 chocolates, a glass of sparkling wine and all the fun you would like! Reservations necessary, $20 per person. 805 684 6900; ChocoCaliBressan.com

JANUARY 30 THROUGH FEBRUARY 9

Santa Barbara International Film Festival

Visit SBIFF.org for a complete listing of screenings and special events.

FRIDAY

DECEMBER

13

“LIVE In the Winery “ Singer Songwriter Series

7–10 pm at Standing Sun Wines, Buellton

Aoife O’Donovan is the musician for Standing Sun Wines’ songwriter and music series. $10 cover; $5–$7 glasses of wine, $6 tacos plates. Ongoing. Check the winery website for more music events. StandingSunWines.com; 805 904-8072.

DECEMBER 25

Christmas Day

JANUARY 19–25

Santa Ynez Valley Restaurant Week

Restaurants throughout the Santa Ynez Valley are offering special 3-course tasting menus for the price of $20.14 (excluding tax, tip and beverages). Reservations are highly recommended. Restrictions may apply. See VisitTheSantaYnezValley.com/Dining/ RestaurantWeek for participating restaurants, hours and menus.

FEBRUARY

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 7

Fish, the Whole Fish and Nothing but the Fish

6–9:30pm at the Schott Center, Santa Barbara

Learn how to take a whole fish and prepare it into a variety of cuts. You’ll also learn tips, tricks and gain lots of hands-on experience in this Life Long Learning class. $31. To enroll, go to SBCC.edu/CLL.

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 15

Tequila and Wine Tasting Dinner

Union Hotel, Los Alamos

Casa Dumetz winery, Zuma foods, The Union Hotel, Asom Broso premium tequila, and Chef Michael Batke have teamed up together for an extravagant multi-course culinary dinner experience. For more info 805 344-1900; CasaDumetzWines.com

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 2

The GMO Forum

4pm at the Ojai Valley Inn & Spa, Ojai

The GMO Forum is presented by the Ojai Chautauqua on the Future of Food. The question of genetically modified food is a critical one. Ventura County Superior Court Judge Fred Bysshe moderates a panel on the controversial issue of GMOs with Professor Alan McHughen, Gregory Jaffe and John W. Roulac. OjaiChautauqua.org

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 15

Chicken Dinner at Bell Street Farm

6pm at Bell Street Farm, Los Alamos

On the third Saturday of each month, enjoy a prix-fixe chicken dinner at Bell Street Farm. Endless antipasti bar, followed by a family-style rotisserie chicken dinner with roasted vegetables and potatoes and dessert. $40, not including tax or gratuity. For reservations, call 805 344-4609; BellStreetFarm.com

SATURDAY MARCH 8

Cooking Fresh from the Farmers Market

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 8

Cupid’s Arrow Archery Lessons and Wine Tasting

10am–12pm at Riverbench Vineyards & Winery, Santa Maria

$15 per person includes the archery lesson and wine tasting. Reservations required. Please call Laura Perez at 805 937-8340 for availability.

TUESDAYS FEBRUARY 4–18

Secrets of a Professional Baker 3 Tuesdays, 10am–1:30pm at the Schott Center, Santa Barbara

Includes demonstrations of a variety of traditional and contemporary baking techniques in a professionally equipped kitchen and introduces students to the principles of baking in this Life Long Learning class. $91. To enroll, go to SBCC.edu/CLL.

FEBRUARY 14

Valentine’s Day

MARCH

9:30am–1:30pm at the Schott Center, Santa Barbara

Class will meet at the Santa Barbara Farmers Market for an educational shopping experience, then return to the kitchen to prepare purchased ingredients in this Life Long Learning class. $42. To enroll, go to SBCC.edu/CLL.

FEBRUARY 28 THROUGH MARCH 1

World of Pinot Noir

The Bacara Resort & Spa Bringing extraordinary Pinot Noir producers from around the globe together with Pinot Noir enthusiasts for a weekend celebration and education. To purchase tickets for the tastings, seminars and dinners, go to WorldOfPinotNoir.com.

MARCH 12–16

Taste of Solvang

Since 1993 Solvang has celebrated its rich culinary and cultural heritage with the Taste of Solvang Food & Wine Festival featuring local desserts, delicacies, wines and live entertainment. Advance ticket purchases are highly recommended and can be made online at SolvangUSA.com or call 800 719-9106 to purchase by phone.

Dining Guide edible

Santa Barbara County has its own unique food traditions—from Santa Maria barbecue to Santa Barbara spot prawns and the world-class local wines that accompany them—so we’d like to help you find some of the area restaurants that create the distinctively Santa Barbara dining experience. Restaurants are invited to advertise in this guide because of their emphasis on local, seasonal ingredients and their commitment to real food.

South County

Arlington Tavern

21 W. Victoria St.

Santa Barbara 805 770-2626

ArlingtonTavern.com

Offering a winning combination of local, farm-fresh fare, exceptional service and a unique relationship between beer, wine and food. Chef Ron True crafts his seasonal menu using only the highest-quality, simple and honest ingredients. Farm Friendly Dinning Certified. Dinner Mon–Sat 5–10pm, Sun 5–9pm; bar 4pm–midnight, Sun 4–10pm.

Backyard Bowls

Santa Barbara Locations:

331 Motor Way

805 845-5379

3849 State St., La Cumbre 805 569-0011

Goleta Location: 5668 Calle Real 805 770-2730

BackyardBowls.com

Santa Barbara’s most innovative breakfast and lunch spot featuring Acai Bowls and smoothies. They also offer oatmeal, yogurt and more.

Book Ends Café

602 Anacapa St., (upper patio)

Santa Barbara 805 963-3222

Book Ends Café offers unique handcrafted sandwiches and seasonal selections of farm-fresh salads, quiches and treats, all prepared with ingredients sourced from local farmers. Enjoy organic, fair-trade coffee while sitting on the secret and tranquil rooftop patio. Mon–Thu 8am–6:15pm; Fri–Sat 8am–2pm.

Bouchon

9 W. Victoria St.

Santa Barbara 805 730-1160

BouchonSantaBarbara.com

Bouchon sources all of its ingredients using an “as-freshand-as-local-as-possible” approach. Experience fine dining, excellent regional wines and relaxed service in a warm, inviting ambience. Private dining in the Cork Room is available for groups of 10–20. Dinner nightly 5–10pm.

C’est Cheese

825 Santa Barbara St. Santa Barbara 805 965-0318

CestCheese.com

In addition to being a local source for the finest cheeses and artisanal foods, C’est Cheese also serves lunch— sandwiches, soups, salads and, of course, grilled cheese sandwiches. Mon–Fri 10am–6pm. Sat 8am–6pm.

Closed Sun.

Cielito Restaurant

1114 State St.

Santa Barbara 805 965-4770

CielitoRestaurant.com

Chef Ramon Velazquez explores his passion for Mexican- and Latin American–inspired cuisine with bold, sophisticated flavors showcasing the highest-quality, seasonal ingredients from land and sea. Full bar, awardwinning wine list. Lunch, happy hour, dinner. Private dining available. Tue–Sun 11:30am–2:30pm; Tue–Wed, Sun 5–9pm; Thu–Sat 5–10pm.

Giannfranco’s

Trattoria

666 Linden Ave. Carpinteria

805 684-0720

Giannfrancos.com

Experience authentic Italian regional cuisine at this family-owned and -operated trattoria in downtown Carpinteria. Chef Giovanni prepares each dish from the freshest local and imported foods to offer his creative take on Tuscan grill specialties. Weekday lunch served 11am–3pm. Weekend lunch served noon–3pm. Dinner served 5–9pm. Closed Tuesday.

Goodland Kitchen & Market

231 S. Magnolia Ave. Old Town Goleta 805 845-4300

GoodlandKitchen.com

The Goodland Market is a grab-and-go eatery in Old Town Goleta, specializing in delicious, locally sourced and affordable meals. They prepare food in small batches and utilize produce from local farmers to provide an exceptional culinary experience. Mon–Fri 8am–2:30pm; Sat 8:30–2:30pm.

The Lark

131 Anacapa St.

Santa Barbara 805 284-0370

TheLarkSB.com

The Lark offers a new dining experience in the heart of the Funk Zone, featuring artisanal and seasonal ingredients that celebrate our local community. Enjoy dinner and drinks in the architecturally urban-inspired dining room, at the communal table, the bar or out on the patio by the fire. Open for dinner Tue–Sun 5–10pm; until 11pm on Fri and Sat.

edible SANTA BARBARA SUPPER CLUB

Our next Supper Club will be held on Wednesday, January 29 at Arlington Tavern in Santa Barbara. For details, sign up for our email newsletter and visit the Events section on EdibleSantaBarbara.com

Lucky Penny

131 Anacapa St.

Santa Barbara 805 284-0358

LuckyPennySB.com

The Lucky Penny take-away café offers wood-fired pizza, artisan coffee, handmade pastries, seasonal salads, fresh squeezed juices, beer and wine. Enjoy your meal onsite in the picnic area or grab it to go. The perfect place to stop as you meander along the Urban Wine Trail in Santa Barbara’s Funk Zone. Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner 7am–9pm seven days a week.

Renaud’s Patisserie & Bistro

Loreto Plaza at 3315 State St.

Santa Barbara 805 569-2400

Arlington Plaza at 1324 State St.

Santa Barbara 805 892-2800

RenaudsBakery.com

Renaud’s is a bakery specializing in French pastries and French-style cakes, as well as a bistro offering an extensive menu for lunch and dinner. Open Mon–Sat 7am–5pm, Sunday 7am–3pm.

Sama Sama Kitchen

1208 State St., Santa Barbara 805 965-4566

SamaSamaKitchen.com

Sama Sama creates meals inspired by Indonesian food and local farms and markets. Their food and cocktail menu is constantly changing depending on availability from our local sources. They are locally owned and operated and part of the Shelter Social Club family. Tue–Fri 11:30am–2pm and 5:30–10pm; Sat 5:30–10pm; Sun Brunch 10am–3pm.

Scarlett Begonia

11 W. Victoria St., #10

Santa Barbara 805 770-2143

ScarlettBegonia.net

Scarlett Begonia will always strive to have interesting, thoughtful food. Menus change weekly with an innovative, fresh approach to breakfast, lunch and dinner. Showcasing progressive, modern cuisine, Scarlett Begonia features sustainable, organic, high quality ingredients coupled with innovative cooking to provide one of the most food-centric experiences in Santa Barbara. Open for dinner and cocktail hour Tue–Sat 4–9pm, breakfast and lunch Tue–Sun 9am–2pm.

South County (continued)

Silvergreens

791 Chapala St.

Santa Barbara 805 962-8500

900 Embarcadero del Mar Isla Vista 805 961-1700

Silvergreens.com

Committed to sustainability and nutrition, Silvergreens offers a made-from-scratch menu with soups, salads and sandwiches using fresh, local ingredients. They are also Santa Barbara’s first Certififed Green Restaurant. Catering and School Lunch Program available.

Simply Pies

5392 Hollister Ave.

Santa Barbara 805 845-2200

SimplyPiesSB.com

The pie cottage offers sweet and savory pies, quiches and salads handcrafted with fresh, local organic ingredients. Vegan, gluten free and sugar-free options. Open Tue–Fri 7:30am–5:30pm; Sat 10am–5:30pm.

Sly’s

686 Linden Ave.

Carpinteria 805 684-6666

SlysOnline.com

Sly’s is known for great food, with an emphasis on farmers market and local produce, great cocktails and great times in Carpinteria. Open Mon–Fri for lunch 11:30am–3pm, lounge menu weekdays 3–5pm; dinner Sun–Thu 5–9pm; Fri and Sat 5–10pm; and weekend brunch & lunch Sat–Sun 9am–3pm.

Sojourner Café

134 E. Cañon Perdido St.

Santa Barbara 805 965-7922

SojournerCafe.com

The Sojourner has been serving unique dishes created with wholesome natural ingredients for 35 years. They purchase organic produce from local growers, carry local wines and beers and are known for their innovative desserts. Hours: Open Sun–Wed 11am–10pm (desserts and drinks until 10:30); Thu–Sat 11am–11pm.

The Wine Cask

813 Anacapa St. Santa Barbara 805 966-9463

WineCask.com

The Wine Cask Restaurant features the freshest local ingredients, the best wine list in town, and seasonal signature cocktails. They offer fine dining in their exquisite Gold Room and casual dining in the courtyard, and at their Intermezzo bar. Lunch: Tue–Fri 11:30am–3pm. Dinner: Tue–Sun from 5:30pm. Last seating at 9pm Sun–Thu, 10pm Fri–Sat.

North County

The Baker’s Table

3563 Numancia St.

Santa Ynez

805 688-4856

TheBakers-Table.com

The Baker’s Table offers artisanal baked goods handcrafted from organic, local and fair-trade ingredients. The café incorporates carefully selected, high quality ingredients in order to offer soups, salads and sandwiches to feed the body and soul. Open Tue–Sat 7:30am–2:30pm.

Ballard Inn

& Restaurant

2436 Baseline Ave.

Ballard.

800 638-2466

805 688-7770

BallardInn.com

Chef Budi Kazali's award-winning cuisine, an extensive wine list, exceptional service and a romantic atmosphere create a memorable dining experience in the heart of the Santa Ynez Valley. Open for dinner Wed–Sun 5:30–9pm.

Bell Street Farm

Eatery & Market

406 Bell St.

Los Alamos

805 344-4609

BellStreetFarm.com

With farm-fresh cuisine and sophisticated yet comfortable design, Bell Street Farm offers a distinct environment to enjoy a meal, snack or a wine tasting. The market showcases picnic baskets and accessories for creating a portable meal, as well as gifts and merchandise from local artisans. Open Fri–Mon 10am–6pm.

Cecco Ristorante

475 First St.

Solvang

805 688-8880

CeccoRistorante.com

Award-winning Chef David Cecchini offers rustic Italian cuisine, handmade fresh pasta, artisan pizza from an authentic wood-burning oven, grilled meats, seafood, salads, an extensive wine list including Santa Ynez Valley & Italian varietals, plus premium draft beers. Reservations accepted. Open 11:30am–3pm & 5–9pm.

Fresco Valley Café

442 Atterdag Rd.

Solvang

805 688-8857

FrescoValleyCafe.com

Fresco Valley Café offers a broad menu of dishes made from scratch using homemade family recipes and organic and fresh local ingredients. You will also find fresh pastries, a fine list of local beer and wine and a plentiful catering menu. Wed 11am–3:30pm; Thu–Sat 11am–8:30 pm; Sun 11am–3:30 pm.

Full of Life Flatbread

225 W. Bell St.

Los Alamos 805 344-4400

FullofLifeFoods.com

On weekends Full of Life Flatbread converts their production flatbread bakery space into a restaurant and offers an extremely innovative menu based almost entirely on what is grown locally and in season. Open Thu–Sat 5–10pm; Sun 4–8pm.

Global Gardens

380 Bell St.

Los Alamos 805 344-2222

GlobalGardensOnline.com

The Global Gardens Caliterranean Cafe is located inside their new Los Alamos destination store featuring an extensive tasting bar, house-made balsamics and an allorganic, hyper-local menu that changes weekly. Winter Hours 11am–5pm Thu–Sun.

The Hitching Post II

406 E. Highway 246

Buellton 805 688-0676

HitchingPost2.com

From Santa Maria–style barbecue to more contemporary cuisine such as smoked duck breast, ostrich, homemade soups and outstanding pastries, The Hitching Post II also offers their own world-class Hartley Ostini Hitching Post Wines. Open daily except major holidays. Cocktails/wine tasting Mon–Fri at 4pm, Sat–Sun at 3pm. Dinners only Mon–Fri 5–9:30pm, Sat–Sun 4–9:30pm.

Los Olivos Wine

Merchant & Café

2879 Grand Ave.

Los Olivos 805 688-7265

LosOlivosCafe.com

The Los Olivos Wine Merchant & Café brings together the best flavors of the Central Coast. Their award-winning wine list offers over 500 wines, primarily from Central Coast winemakers, to enjoy with their fresh, seasonal and local cuisine, or to enjoy at home. Open for lunch and dinner daily 11:30am–8:30pm.

Succulent Café

Wine Charcuterie 1555 Mission Drive

Solvang 805 691-9444

SucculentCafe.com

Succulent Café is a newly renovated family-owned business specializing in handcrafted and artisan culinary goods. Featuring buttermilk biscuit breakfast sandwiches, gourmet sandwiches and salads at lunch and unique local-centric plates at dinner. Breakfast Wed–Monday 8:30am–1:00, Lunch Wed–Monday 11am–2:30pm, Dinner Wed–Sun 5:30–9pm. Charcuterie bar open every day.

Tecolote Book Shop

edible Source Guide

The Edible Source Guide is a compact listing of all of our advertisers. Please visit them to pick up your free copy of the magazine and let them know how much you appreciate their support of Edible Santa Barbara.

BREWERIES AND DISTILLERIES

Figueroa Mountain Brewery

Quality craft beer has been the focus of family-owned “Fig Mt Brew” since they started production in 2010. Try their famous Davy Brown Ale or Hoppy Poppy IPA at their flagship tasting room and beer garden in Buellton (45 Industrial Way, Open Mon–Thu 1–9pm and Fri–Sat 11am–9pm) or their new tasting room in the Funk Zone in Santa Barbara (137 Anacapa, Suite F, open daily 11am–9pm). 805 694-2252; info@FigMtnBrew.com

Telegraph Brewing Company

Handcrafting unique American ales that embrace the heritage of California’s early brewing pioneers and use as many locally grown ingredients as possible. Visit the tasting room at 418 N. Salsipuedes Street, Santa Barbara, Thursday 4–6pm, Friday 4–8pm, Saturday 2–6pm. Telegraph beer is available at many restaurants and grocery stores in Santa Barbara County and throughout California. TelegraphBrewing.com

CATERERS AND PRIVATE CHEFS

Le Petit Chef

Personal chef, private parties, cooking lessons. With her Weekly Meal Delivery service, Le Petit Chef now proudly offers healthy, gourmet, seasonally inspired dishes delivered to your door every Tuesday and Thursday. Sign up via email to receive weekly menu updates at denisse@lepetitchefsb. com. 805 637-3899; LePetitChefSB.com

Main Course California

Main Course California is a creative, service-driven catering company that specializes in sustainable, from-scratch cuisine and personalized care. They are dedicated to food that is sustainable and delicious—specializing in off-site catering for private parties, corporate events and weddings. 805 658-8900; MainCourseCA.com

New West Catering

Uniting the artistry of fine restaurant cuisine with the versatility of full-service catering, New West Catering is your unparalleled choice for special events in the Santa Barbara County wine country and beyond. 805 688-0991; NewWestCatering.com

COMMERCIAL KITCHEN SPACE

Goodland Kitchen

Goodland Kitchen, located in downtown Goleta, rents the use of its licensed and insured facility on an hourly basis to local food producers and re-packagers. It is also available as a teaching venue and for special event food processing. 805 845-4300; GoodlandKitchen.com

FARMERS MARKETS

Santa Barbara Certified Farmers Market Eight markets, six days a week. See schedule on page 19. 805 962-5354; SBFarmersMarket.org

FARMS AND RANCHES

Drake Family Farms

Making locally produced farmstead artisan goat cheese in Ontario, California. At Drake Family Farms every goat has a name and their goat cheeses are made on the farm with milk exclusively from the farm’s own animals. Available at local farmers markets and at DrakeFamilyFarms.com

The Center for Urban Agriculture at Fairview Gardens

Fairview Gardens is a non-profit organization that was established in 1997 to preserve and operate the historic farm where their products are grown. Farm stand is open daily 10am–6pm at 598 N. Fairview Ave., Goleta; 805 967-7369; FairviewGardens.org

Fat Uncle Farms

Fat Uncle Farms grows almonds in Wasco, just northwest of Bakersfield, and they sell fresh whole raw almonds as well as roasted and flavored almonds and many other almond products at the Saturday, Tuesday, Friday and Thursday farmers markets. 866 290-0219; FatUncleFarms.wordpress.com

Rancho Olivos

Located in beautiful Santa Ynez, Rancho Olivos creates distinctively fresh artisan extra virgin olive oils from their sustainably grown Italian and Spanish varietals of olives. Open for olive oil tasting daily noon–4pm. 805 686-9653; RanchoOlivos.com

Rancho San Julian Beef

Rancho San Julian Beef produces high quality beef from cattle raised humanely and healthfully on an agriculturally sustainable ranch in Santa Barbara County. Available at the following farmers markets: Saturday in Santa Barbara 8:30am–12:30pm, Tuesday in Santa Barbara 3–6:30pm and Friday in Montecito 8–11:30am as well as at RSJBeef.com

FOOD PRODUCTS

Crazy Good Bread Co.

Crazy Good Bread makes the good life a little bit better, with handmade artisan breads. Be breadventurous and try one of their many flavors of levain loaf, crisps or croutons. Open Mon–Thu 10am–5pm; Fri 9am–5pm; Sat 8am–3pm. 4191 Carpinteria Ave. #12, Carpinteria; 562 270-0680; CrazyGoodBread.com

Goodland Chai Company

Goodland Chai offers the perfect blend of tea, spices and organic sugar in a bulk chai tea that is full-bodied, full of flavor without being overly sweet—what chai should taste like. GoodlandChaiCo.com

Green Star Coffee

Green Star Coffee sources only the finest Certified Organic Fair Trade coffees and teas from the premier growing regions around the world. GreenStarCoffee.com

Joëlle Olive Oil

Joëlle Olive Oil offers a full line of fresh, cold-pressed, extravirgin olive oil estate grown in California. Award winning in international competitions, all of their oils are unfiltered, extra-virgin and date-stamped for year of production. JoelleOil.com

GROCERY STORES & PRODUCE DELIVERY

Isla Vista Food Co-op

A community-owned food co-op open to the public and highly regarded for its sustainable business practices and high-quality foods. Highlighting tri-county local, organic, fair-trade, farmer-owned, vegan, vegetarian, kosher, raw, gluten-free and all-around sustainable ways of being. Open daily 8am–10pm. 6575 Seville Rd., Isla Vista. 805 968-1401; IslaVistaFood.coop

Lazy Acres

Santa Barbara’s best source for wholesome, natural and organic foods and products with real people dedicated to providing unmatched personal service. Monday–Saturday, 7am–11pm, Sunday 7am–10pm. 302 Meigs Rd., Santa Barbara; 805 564-4410; LazyAcres.com

Los Olivos Grocery

Los Olivos Grocery offers a wide selection of local products, wines, beers and produce. Their delicatessen is a valley favorite, with a wide lunch menu. Breakfast is served on their enclosed patio. Friday, Saturday and Sunday, BBQ is offered. Open daily 7am–9pm; 2621 W. Highway 154, Santa Ynez; 805 688-5115; LosOlivosGrocery.com

New Frontiers Natural Marketplace

New Frontiers Natural Marketplace is a full service natural foods grocery store and deli. Located in Solvang at 1984 Old Mission Dr. (corner of Alamo Pintado and Mission Dr.); 805 693-1746; NewFrontiersMarket.com

Plow to Porch Organics

Local organic/pesticide free/chemical free and all natural produce delivery service and organic market. The market carries a wide array of seasonal and local food products, located at 3204 State St. (walk through Buddha's Garden), Santa Barbara. Open Monday–Friday 10am–7pm. 805 895-7171; PlowToPorch.com

Santa Barbara Public Market

The Santa Barbara Public Market, located in the heart of the performing and cultural arts district, will house handcrafted, regionally sourced and sustainably made food and wine. With an ardent focus on local farms and artisanal ingredients, the Santa Barbara Public Market will present residents and visitors alike with a well stocked pantry for daily foraging. SBPublicMarket.com

Whole Foods Market

Founded in 1980 in Austin, Texas, Whole Foods Market, a leader in the natural and organic foods industry and America’s first national certified organic grocer, was named “America’s Healthiest Grocery Store” in 2008 by Health magazine. 3761 State St., Santa Barbara; 805 837-6959; WholeFoodsMarket.com

HOTELS & INNS

Ballard Inn & Restaurant

Comfortably elegant accommodations, attentive staff and award-winning cuisine make the Ballard Inn & Restaurant one of the most sought-after small luxury inns in the Santa Ynez Valley Wine Country. 2436 Baseline Ave., Ballard. 800 638-2466, 805 688-7770; BallardInn.com

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

American Riviera Bank

Offering a local and sustainable approach to banking. The founders of American Riviera Bank are a carefully selected group of successful, prominent, experienced and influential community and business leaders who understand the unique needs of the Santa Barbara community. Monday–Thursday 8am–5pm, Friday 8am–6pm. 1033 Anacapa St., Santa Barbara; 805 965-5942. AmericanRivieraBank.com

Center For Sustainable Medicine

Specializing in nutrition, allergies, weight management, women’s health and preventative medicine. Dr. Andrea Seiffertt, DO, osteopathic physician, board certified in internal medicine, certified Ayurvedic practitioner. 136 W. Cota St., Santa Barbara; 805 966-0055; CenterForSustainableMedicine.com

Community West Bank

Five, full-service branch offices in Santa Maria, Goleta, Santa Barbara, Ventura and Westlake Village. With an emphasis on business banking, they offer a full range of commercial and retail banking services, focusing on mid-market companies and their owners/operators, agriculture, manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, technology companies, service companies and retailers. CommunityWestBank.com

Nest

Nest is an integrative medicine spa combining the best of conventional and natural therapies. Dr. Kristi Wrightson ND, RD along with her staff of professionals offer services from preventative primary care to anti-aging treatments, specializing in women’s health and hormones, optimal weight control and detoxification. 523 Chapala St., #2, Santa Barbara; 805 770-2607. NestSpaSB.com

Patricia Figueredo Interior Design

From kitchen design to residential and commercial interior design, Patricia Figueredo Interior Design provides innovative and quality design services in Santa Barbara County and beyond. Call for more information 760 4592522; FigueredoInteriorDesign.com

Scent From Heaven

Amy Bacheller, M.Ed, NC, CMT is honored to offer classes, private consults and individual healing sessions in Santa Barbara as part of her Scent From Heaven holistic healing practice. Amy specializes in essential oils and raw foods. 415 450-5000; ScentFromHeaven-SB.com

RESTAURANTS— Edible Dining Guide

A listing of Local Restaurants on page 70.

SPECIALTY RETAILERS & PRODUCTS

Chocolats du CaliBressan

Enjoy Jean-Michel Carre's delicious artisan chocolates created fresh right here in Santa Barbara County. JeanMichel’s experience and creative culinary skills have earned him many world-wide accolades. In Carpinteria, they are open Mon–Fri 10am–6:30pm and Sat 10am–5:30pm at 4193 Carpinteria Ave.; 805 684-6900. In Santa Barbara, they are open Tue–Fri 10:30am–6pm, Sat 10:30am–5pm, Sun noon–5pm at 1114 State St.; 805 568-1313; ChocoCaliBressan.com

Chocolate Maya

Chocolate Maya scours the world for pure, luscious chocolates and offers incredible savory bars, truffles, bonbons and gift baskets as well as a wide choice of organic and fair-trade chocolate products. Monday–Friday 10am–6pm, Saturday 10am–5pm, Sunday 10am–4pm. 15 W. Gutierrez St., Santa Barbara. 805 965-5956; ChocolateMaya.com

Global Gardens

Global Gardens is the most awarded Certified Organic EVOO producer in Southern CA. The Caliterranean Cafe is located inside their new Los Alamos destination store featuring an extensive tasting bar, house-made balsamics and an all-organic, hyper-local menu that changes weekly. Winter Hours 11am–5pm Thu–Sun, 380 Bell St., Los Alamos. 805 344-2222; GlobalGardensOnline.com

Grapeseed Company

The Grapeseed Company creates botanical spa and skin care products handcrafted from the byproduct of wine plus antioxidant-rich local and organic ingredients. Located at 21 W. Ortega St., Santa Barbara and open 11am–6pm Mon–Sat. Closed Sun. 805 456-3655; TheGrapeseedCompany.com

Here’s the Scoop

Here’s the Scoop offers the finest gelato and sorbet made fresh daily from local farms and farmers market fruit. They specialize in seasonal flavors as well as traditional Italian flavors. Monday–Thursday 1–9pm. Friday–Saturday noon–10pm and Sun noon–9pm. 1187 Coast Village Rd., Montecito. 805 969-7020; ScoopSB.com

il Fustino

Purveyors of the finest and freshest olive oils, specialty oils and vinegars attainable in today’s market. All oils are grown and milled in California and many are secured from small boutique growers, which provides unparalleled taste. 3401 State St., Santa Barbara and coming soon to the Santa Barbara Public Market, W. Victoria at Chapala, Santa Barbara. 805 845-3521; ilFustino.com

Isabella Gourmet Foods

A boutique artisan grocery combining the down home charm of a New England general store with an upscale boutique setting and highlighting the local food community with products grown and produced in the Santa Barbara and Central Coast area. Specializing in locally-inspired culinary gift baskets. 5 E Figueroa St., Santa Barbara; 805 585-5257; Hours: Open Sun 11am–5pm, Tue–Fri 9am–6pm, Sat 10am–6pm, closed Mon. IsabellaGourmetFoods.com

McConnell’s Fine Ice Creams

McC’s was founded in Santa Barbara in 1949 with one goal: to make the finest ice cream in the world. 70 years later, the dream is alive. Authentic, uniquely indulgent ice creams, handcrafted with love by people obsessed with getting it right. 728 State St., downtown Santa Barbara. McConnells.com

Olive Hill Farm

Gus Sousoures has been making his olive oils for many years in the Santa Ynez Valley and now you can taste and buy them, along with other oils, vinegars and gourmet food products at his cozy store in Los Olivos. Open daily 11am–5:00pm. 2901 Grand Ave, Los Olivos; 805 693-0700; OliveHillFarm.com

The Santa Barbara Company

Discover the best from local farms, artists and artisans at The Santa Barbara Company HQ or shop online. From local artisanal olive oil to inspired stationery, we are your source for all things Santa Barbara. 214 E. Victoria St., Santa Barbara; 805 845-3700; SantaBarbaraCompany.com

Santa Barbara Gift Baskets

Santa Barbara Gift Baskets creates handmade gift baskets featuring local gourmet foods and area wines and craft beers. Local delivery and nationwide shipping. 805 689-7561. SantaBarbaraGiftBaskets.com

Tecolote Bookstore

Tecolote Bookstore is an independent bookstore located in the upper village of Montecito at 1470 East Valley Rd. Open Monday–Friday 10am–5:30pm, Saturday 10am–5pm, closed Sundays. 805 969-4977

Wonder

A local, independent boutique, Wonder delights with its eclectic collection of unique, finely crafted gifts, home accents and jewelry. Open daily 10am–6pm; Closed Sun; 805 965-6888; 1324 State St., Arlington Plaza, Santa Barbara; WonderSB.com

Valley Brewers

This local, independent shop supplies everything needed not only for home brewing, but for home winemaking and cheese making. They also offer classes and have a popular homebrewers club with monthly meetings. Open Wed–Sat 10am–6pm, Sun 10am–4pm and Mon 10am–6pm. 515 Fourth Pl., Solvang; 805 691-9159; ValleyBrewers.com

WHOLESALE PRODUCE DELIVERY

Harvest Santa Barbara

Delivering freshly harvested wholesale produce—sourced directly from local family farms to schools, restaurants, hospitals and retail businesses. Their mission is to be the catalyst for a healthier, more sustainable food system by strengthening the ties between farmers and the community. 805 696-6930; HarvestSantaBarbara.com

WINERIES AND WINE RETAILERS

Alma Rosa

With certified organic vineyards in the Sta. Rita Hills, Alma Rosa focuses on Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, as well as other food friendly wines with the high acid and extraordinary balance for which Richard Sanford’s wines have been known since 1976. Open 11am–4:30pm daily. 7250 Santa Rosa Rd., Buellton. 805 688-9090; AlmaRosaWinery.com

Alta Maria Vineyards

Alta Maria Vineyards and its subsidiary wine brands. They strive to make the best wine possible in a conscious manner utilizing organic and sustainable techniques along with conventional methods, which leave no indelible mark on the people, places and products around us. Tasting room open 11am–5pm daily. 2933 Grand Ave., Suite A, Los Olivos; 805 686-1144; AltaMaria.com

Au Bon Climat Tasting Room and the Jim Clendenen Wine Library

Celebrating 30 years of winemaking in Santa Barbara County, Au Bon Climat is world renowned for beautifully balanced and elegant Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The tasting room features a large selections of cellar aged library wines and Jim Clendenen’s eclectic smaller labels. Open daily noon–6pm; 813 Anacapa St., Santa Barbara, next to the Wine Cask. 805 845-8435; AuBonClimat.com

Avelina Wine Co.

Tucked between a brewery, a distillery and railroad tracks, Avelina Wine Co. is where Old World grapes meet New World winemaking. With an emphasis on Italian varietals grown on the Central Coast in Santa Barbara County, the tasting room and winery are seamless, offering a first hand view of the winemaking process and the chance to get your hands dirty. Tasting room open 11am–6pm Sun–Thu and 11am–10pm Fri–Sat. 131 Anacapa St.; 805 770-7210; AvelinaWine.com

Buttonwood Farm Winery

In 1968 Betty Williams came to Buttonwood, creating a life that found expression through a connection with the land. The vineyard now has 33,000 vines with a mix of Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Marsanne, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Syrah. Visit the tasting room at 1500 Alamo Pintado Rd., Solvang. Open 11am–5pm daily. 805 688-3032; ButtonwoodWinery.com

Cambria Estate Winery

Farming for over 25 years, Cambria specializes in Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. They are committed to sustainable practices in both the vineyard and in the winery. Visit the tasting room 10am–5pm. 5475 Chardonnay Lane, Santa Maria; 805 938-7318; CambriaWines.com

Carr Vineyards & Winery

Established in 1999, Carr Vineyards & Winery specializes in ultra-premium, limited-production wines from Santa Barbara County. In the heart of Downtown Santa Barbara or in Old Town Santa Ynez: 11am–6pm for wine tasting, wines by the glass, flights of wine, wine on tap at 414 N. Salsipuedes St., Santa Barbara; 805 965-7985; and 3563 Numancia St., #101, Santa Ynez; 805 688-5757; CarrWinery.com

Casa Dumetz

Making wine from their organic vineyard in Malibu and from the Tierra Alta vineyard in Santa Ynez. Visit the tasting room Thursday noon–7pm, Friday–Saturday 11am–7pm, Sunday 11am–6pm or by appointment. 388 Bell St., Los Alamos. 805 344-1900; CasaDumetzWines.com

Flying Goat Cellars

Flying Goat Cellars specializes in vineyard-designated Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and sparkling wine. They offer four expressions of méthode champenoise: Goat Bubbles: Rosé, Crémant, Blanc de Blancs and Blanc de Noirs. YNOT is a blend of Pinot Noir from all Santa Barbara County vineyards. Thursday–Monday, 11am–4pm. Lompoc Wine Ghetto, 1520 E. Chestnut Ct., Unit A, Lompoc; 805 736-9032; FlyingGoatCellars.com

Foxen Winery & Vineyard

Bill Wathen and Dick Doré have been making wine together since 1985, when they founded Foxen Winery & Vineyard at the historic Rancho Tinaquaic in northern Santa Barbara County. Visit the two tasting rooms at 7200 and 7600 Foxen Canyon Rd., Santa Maria. Open daily 11am–4pm. 805 937-4251; FoxenVineyard.com

The Good Life

A craft beer and wine cellar featuring California craft beers and central coast wines. Open daily Sunday–Wednesday noon–9pm, Thursday–Saturday noon–11pm. 1672 Mission Dr. (Hwy 246) Solvang. TheGoodLifeCellar.com

Grassini Family Vineyards

Boutique winery specializing in handcrafted production of Bordeaux varietals. They focus on farming the vineyard to its fullest potential using renewable and sustainable resources. An artisan approach helps make wines that represent the uniqueness of Happy Canyon. Tasting room 813 Anacapa St., Santa Barbara; 805 897-3366; GrassiniFamilyVineyards.com

The Hitching Post II

The Hitching Post II offers their own world-class Hartley Ostini Hitching Post Wines. Open daily except major holidays. Cocktails/wine tasting at 4pm, dinners only 5–9:30pm. 406 E. Highway 246, Buellton. 805 688-0676; HitchingPost2.com

Les Marchands Wine Bar and Merchant

A world-class experience in a relaxing atmosphere, free of intimidation. Pick out a bottle from the extensive wine shop or enjoy shared plates and a glass at the wine bar. Open daily 11am–10pm; until midnight Fri and Sat. 131 Anacapa St., Santa Barbara; 805 284-0380; LesMarchandsWine.com

Longoria Wines

Longoria Wines is a small family owned winery producing acclaimed artisanal wines from some of the finest vineyards in Santa Barbara County. Visit their tasting room in Los Olivos at 2935 Grand Ave., daily 11am–4:30pm or in the Lompoc Wine Ghetto at 1700 Industrial Way, unit A, Saturday and Sunday 11am–4:30pm. 805 688-0305; LongoriaWine.com

Los Olivos Wine Merchant & Cafe

Specializing in premium California wines with a focus on highlighting the Central Coast. They feature Bernat Wines, which are estate grown and made by owner Sam Marmorstein. Open daily 11:30am–8:30pm. 2879 Grand Ave., Los Olivos. 805 688-7265; LosOlivosCafe.com

Municipal Winemakers

After spending their formative years traveling and studying terroir and techniques, Municipal Wine is now working hard to make honest, interesting and delicious wines for the people of this world. They do this with love— carefully and slowly. Tasting room open daily 11am–6pm at 22 Anacapa St., Santa Barbara; 805 931-6884; MunicipalWinemakers.com

Qupé

For 30 years, Qupé has been dedicated to producing handcrafted Rhône varietals and Chardonnay from California’s Central Coast. Employing traditional winemaking techniques and biodynamic farming practices, they are true to type and speak of their vineyard sources. Open daily 11am–5pm. 2963 Grand Ave., Suite B, Los Olivos; 805 686-4200; Qupe.com

Riverbench Vineyard & Winery

Since 1973 Riverbench has produced some of Santa Barbara County’s finest Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes. With their initial harvest in 2006, they have now begun producing their own wines with winemaker Chuck Ortman. Tasting room is open 10am–4pm daily. 6020 Foxen Canyon Rd., Santa Maria. 805 937-8340; Riverbench.com

Sanford Winery

Home to the oldest Pinot Noir and Chardonnay vines in Santa Barbara County, Sanford produces distinctly complex wines from their iconic vineyards. Make reservations for a VIP tasting or stop by to sample a flight at their picturesque tasting room. Downtown SB location coming soon! 5010 Santa Rosa Rd., Lompoc; 800 426-9463; SanfordWinery.com

Standing Sun Wines

Standing Sun Wines focus on Rhone variety wines, handcrafted in small lots from some of Santa Ynez Valley’s premiere vineyards. Tasting room at 92 Second St., Unit D, Buellton, is open Thursday–Monday 11am–5pm; 805 904-8072 or 805 691-9413; StandingSunWines.com

The Winehound

The award-winning Winehound features the world’s best wines—from the everyday to a luxury cuvée—all top dogs, no mutts. Open 11am–7pm Monday through Saturday, noon–6pm Sunday. 3849 State St., Santa Barbara. 805 845-5247; TheWinehound.com

Zaca Mesa Winery & Vineyards

A Santa Ynez Valley estate winery dedicated to Rhone varieties. Since 1972, they have handcrafted wines from grapes grown in their vineyards to express their distinct character and genuine quality. Open daily 10am–4pm. 6905 Foxen Canyon Rd., Los Olivos. 805 688-9339 ext. 308; ZacaMesa.com

edible Source Guide Maps

Los Alamos

Buellton

Hitching Post II

Standing Sun W ines

Buellton Visitors Bureau

New West Catering

Industrial Eats

Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co.

Alma Rosa Vineyards

Sanford W inery

Lompoc Wine Ghetto

Solvang

1. Valley Brewers

2. Succulent Café W ine Charcuterie

3. Fresco Valley Café

4. Solvang Visitors Bureau

5. Cecco Ristorante

6. The Good Life

7. New Frontiers Natural Marketplace

8. Buttonwood Farm Winery

TOBUELLTON,SOLVANG

Los Olivos & Ballard

1. Enjoy Cupcakes

2. Qupé

3. Longoria W ines 4. Alta Maria Vineyards 5. Consilience and Tre Anelli

6. Olive Hill Far m

7. Los Olivos W ine Merchant & Cafe

8. Zaca Mesa W inery

9. Foxen W inery

10. Riverbench W inery

11. Cambria W inery 12.

1. De Su Propia Cosecha

2. Flying Goat Cellars

Longoria W ines

Santa Ynez

Goleta

Santa Barbara

1. Municipal W inemakers

2. Avelina Wine Co.

2. The Lark

2. Lucky Penny

2. Les Marchands W ine Bar and Merchant

3. Riverbench W inery

4. Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co.

5. Backyard Bowls, Downtown SB

6. Chocolate Maya

7. McConnell’s Fine Ice Creams

8. Nest

9. Center for Sustainable Medicine

10. Silvergreens

11. Grapeseed Co.

12. Bouchon Santa Barbara

12. Scarlett Begonia

13. Arlington Tavern

14. SB Public Market

15. Community West Bank

16. Wonder

17. Carlitos

18. Renaud’s, Arlington Plaza

19. Sama Sama

Plow to Porch

edible Source Guide Maps

Carpinteria

Montecito

20. Chocolats du CaliBressan

Isabella Gourmet Foods

Cielito Restaurant

American Riveria Bank

Sojourner Café

C’est Cheese

Carr Winery

Cava Restaurant & Bar

Here’s

Tecolote Bookstore

thelast Bite

The Vintners’ Kitchen

Each year the Santa Barbara County Vintners’ Association holds its Celebration of Harvest festival at Rancho Sisquoc Winery. And each year, Stephen Bedford of Bedford Winery is behind the scenes cooking up an incredible staff lunch. The idea came about in order to take the pressure off the food service for the festival and to give everyone a good meal before it starts. And what a meal it is. This year Stephen cooked up a hearty harvest stew composed of smoked pork, green tomatoes, peppers, collard greens, mustard greens, kale and delicious Mexican yellow beans from Lompoc Beans. It was served with polenta made from locally grown field corn, dried and ground—a locavore feast.

Prep starts well before the event. The day starts at 5am, and lunch is served at 11:30am. The meal would not be possible without Stephen’s vision (case in point: his acquisition of enormous cast-iron kettles from Amish country in Lancaster, Pennsylvania) and a fleet of talented and dedicated volunteers. And everyone who has a meal served from those enormous cauldrons could not be more satisfied or grateful.

Top: Volunteers help prepare lunch for Harvest Festival staff, winemakers and chefs. Bottom left: Stephen Bedford dishes up his delicious stew. Right: Stephen Bedford takes a break from stirring the blue corn polenta while another volunteer takes his turn.

80 | EDIBLE SANTA BARBARA WINTER 2013

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEFFREY BLOOM