Edible Santa Barbara Fall 2021

edible

ISSUE 48 • FALL 2021

Santa Barbara & Wine Country

®

Nourish & Nurture

Issue

Purple Urchin Pearl Munak Rethinking Hunger The Sea Cellar Nurturing Nature Food Security and Cooking from Scratch Nine New Santa Barbara County Wines L O YA L

T O

L O C A L

“It’s Like Banking With Friends”

“I love American Riviera Bank. The level of service is very personalized. It’s like banking with friends that you trust.”

— Sasha Ablitt, Ablitt’s Fine Cleaners

What does True Community Banking mean? It means working together to find solutions under even the most trying of circumstances.

OW NER OCCUPIED R EAL ESTATE LOANS | BUSINESS LINES OF CR EDIT | EQUIPMENT LOANS

Preferred SBA Lender

AmericanRiviera.bank • 805.965.5942 Santa Barbara • Montecito • Goleta • San Luis Obispo • Paso Robles

2 | EDIBLE SANTA BARBARA FALL 2021

EdibleSantaBarbara.com FALL 2021 | 3

edible

SANTA BAR BAR A

®

LIZ DODDER

MIKE MESIKEP

Fall 2021

page 10

page 56

Departments 8 Food for Thought

by Krista Harris

10 Small Sips Creative New Labels

by Wendy Thies Sell

15 In Season 16 Seasonal Recipe Eggplant Curry

by Krista Harris

20 Drinkable Landscape A Buzz About Brown Gin

by George Yatchisin

54 Support Local Guide 56 The Last Bite Fall’s Don’t-Miss Dish Shakshuka at Field + Fort’s Feast

by Liz Dodder

17 Farmers Markets 18 Edible Influences East Coast Sensibility, West Coast Seasonal Ingredients

page 16 4 | EDIBLE SANTA BARBARA FALL 2021

STE VEN BROWN

by Anna Maria Giambanco DiPietro

Tasting daily at the Margerum & Barden Tasting Room at Hotel Californian, 19 East Mason, Santa Barbara Margerum Wines are available at margerumwines.com, fine restaurants and food & wine retailers.

edible

SANTA BAR BAR A

®

Fall 2021

Features Farmer, Poet, Activist, Friend

by Janice Cook Knight

page 51

26 Food Security and Cooking from Scratch

by Nancy Oster

Recipes in This Issue

28 Rethinking Hunger

Soups & Appetizers

Why Feeding Those in Need Must Focus on Nourishment

27 Mallory’s Zucchini Soup

by Joy Manning

50 Plateau de Crudités

36 Purple Urchin

Main Dishes

Eco-Disaster or Uni Opportunity?

19 Autumn Santa Barbara Risotto

by George Yatchisin

16 Eggplant Curry

44 The Sea Cellar

51 Roast Chicken with Tarragon, Vegetables and Little Potatoes

Ocean Fathoms Seeks to Upend Tradition by Aging Wine Under the Sea

Beverages & Desserts

by Hana-Lee Sedgwick

21 The Bee Gin Again Cocktail

48 Nurturing Nature

21 Honey Thyme Water

by Pascale Beale

53 Stone Fruit Crumble

6 | EDIBLE SANTA BARBARA FALL 2021

PASC ALE BE ALE

22 Pearl Munak

FARM TO FORK .

GR APE TO GL A SS.

Nestled in an oak tree-studded 40-acre vineyard located in the heart of Santa Barbara County, Roblar Winery and Vineyards reflects the spirit of Santa Ynez Valley- rustic, authentic, and bold. Our philosophy is to foster a unique visitor experience of bringing together great wine, great food, and great friends.

roblarwinery.com

OPEN DAILY FROM 11am-5pm, full food menu served Friday through SundayFALL 2021 EdibleSantaBarbara.com

| 7

STE VEN BROWN

FOOD FOR THOUGHT NOURISH AND NURTURE Discussion around food security and hunger inevitably leads to a consideration of nutrition and how to get nourishing food to those in need. You’ll read about these efforts throughout North America in our special article in this issue, “Rethinking Hunger.” But it is gratifying to me to know that here in Santa Barbara, these endeavors have been underway for quite some time.

The Foodbank of Santa Barbara County has long emphasized providing Krista Harris at Jonata Vineyards. healthy and fresh food along with nutritional knowledge and education for children, families and seniors. Half of the food they distribute is fresh produce. And at the start of the pandemic, they quickly pivoted many of their programs to provide safe and easy access even as they dealt with the increased demand.

The Santa Barbara Farmers Market has been involved with California’s Market Match program for years. All of their weekly markets accept CalFresh EBT cards and with Market Match, up to $10 of every purchase on the card per day gets participants an additional $10 to spend on fresh fruits and vegetables.

We are also fortunate to have the Farming for Life program offered by Sansum Diabetes Research Institute. This “produce prescription” provides type 2 diabetes patients with local farm produce (from Fairview Gardens, John Givens and other organic farms) each week for 10 weeks at no cost. Participants receive a health assessment at the beginning and end of the period to track the results. The positive impacts can be immediate.

In this issue, Nancy Oster writes about food security and talks with Mallory Russell, health educator for the Department of Health and Wellness at UC Santa Barbara. Reading the article made me think of my own days as a student at UCSB— shopping at the Isla Vista Food Co-op and learning how to cook meals that were easy and cheap. I favored a lot of lentil soups, pasta and stir-fry vegetable dishes. I would have loved Mallory’s Zucchini Soup. And, in fact, I did when I made her recipe recently. It might become a regular in my home rotation this fall.

As you read this issue and as you shop and cook this fall, I hope you will think about the ways that food nourishes and nutures us all. Our community is made up of so many people with different needs, abilities and levels of health.

Food can be there for us all.

Krista Harris, Editor and Publisher

Visit our website at EdibleSantaBarbara.com and sign up for our email newsletter or go directly to EdibleSantaBarbara.Substack.com/welcome.

8 | EDIBLE SANTA BARBARA FALL 2021

edible

SANTA BAR BAR A Member of Edible Communities

Edible Communities James Beard Foundation Publication of the Year (2011)

PUBLISHER & EDITOR

Krista Harris RECIPE EDITOR

Nancy Oster COPY EDITING & PROOFING

Doug Adrianson DESIGNER

Steven Brown ADVERTISING

ads@ediblesantabarbara.com SOCIAL MEDIA

Jill Johnson CONTRIBUTORS

Pascale Beale Nell Campbell Anna Maria Giambanco DiPietro Liz Dodder Erin Feinblatt Krista Harris Janice Cook Knight Joy Manning Nancy Oster Hana-Lee Sedgwick Kim Schiffer Wendy Thies Sell Carole Topalian George Yatchisin 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.

®

FOXEN

®

V I N E YA R D & W I N E R Y

Wines of Elegance & Balance Since 1985 Solar powered. Sustainable wine growers.

Photo: Nell Campbell

Open Daily by Reservations | 7600 Foxen Canyon Road | 805.937.4251 | www.foxenvineyard.com

The SBCC Promise The SBCC Promise has provided more than 5,000 local high school graduates with the opportunity to pursue their dreams at Santa Barbara City College.

Created in 2016, the SBCC Promise covers all required fees, books, and supplies for two years, and is completely funded by private gifts.

Your gift makes it possible. sbccfoundation.org | (805) 730-4401

EdibleSantaBarbara.com FALL 2021 | 9

small

SIPS

Creative New Labels Nine New Santa Barbara County Wines WORDS BY

Wendy Thies Sell

Wine wasn’t the only thing flowing this year in Santa Barbara wine country. Creative juices were, too. The number of new wine labels launched locally in 2021 reached double digits, bringing the total to more than 275 different labels. Here are the stories behind nine new Santa Barbara County wine brands and their passionate producers.

“The number one goal is to create ultra-premium wines and at the same time find this happy medium of pricing ($26–32 per bottle). I’m committed to making some of the best wines that I turn out of my cellar,” Clifton said. “We have grand plans for this, expanding the repertoire of wines.”

This year, Clifton moved his wine production from Lompoc to the former Bridlewood property in Santa Ynez, which, he said, “opens up these great opportunities for maybe a My First Crush concert series.” It’s also a philanthropic endeavor; $2 from each bottle sold will be donated to the national campaign No Kid Hungry.

Wines are available at www.PalminaWines.com. More info at www.MyFirstCrushWines.com.

2 Donnachadh

1

My First Crush

New on the wine stage is someone who’s no stranger to the spotlight: singer/actor/teen idol Shaun Cassidy. He didn’t have to go far to find a winemaker to collaborate with on a wine project. Winemaker Steve Clifton (Palmina, La Voix and formerly Brewer-Clifton) is Cassidy’s neighbor in Santa Ynez. And their teenage sons have a rock band, but that’s another story.

Shaun and Steve’s wine label, My First Crush Wines, is a nod to a love of wine. Cassidy also happened to be the first crush of thousands of his fans, this writer included. Clifton makes the wines: Pinot Grigio, Pinot Noir rosé, Syrah and Pinot Noir.

Production will increase to 1,200 cases this year. Those who purchase a full case receive a bottle autographed by Cassidy.

10 | EDIBLE SANTA BARBARA FALL 2021

“We came up with the name, and we were so pleased,” Laurie Duncan said. “It’s a bit of a handful, with the spelling and the pronunciation and description. But now that the labels are out there, everybody likes them.

And it’s authentic.”

The mythical sea creature on the label is inspired by a Scottish selkie. Donnachadh Vineyard, located just nine miles from the ocean, feels the maritime influence. The Duncans and their winemaker Ernst Storm are committed to making sure a sense of place comes through in the wines ($30–55), inspired by the cool-climate wines of Burgundy and the Northern Rhône. The Duncans also brought onboard Food & Wine’s 2016 Sommelier of the Year, Vilma Mazaite, as the winery’s general manager.

More at www.Donnachadh.com.

DONNACHADH VINE YARD

MY FIRST CRUSH

Donnachadh Family Wine Company has released its first estate wines: Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Syrah and rosé of Syrah. Texas business entrepreneur Drew Duncan and his wife, Laurie, planted a vineyard on their 285-acre ranch along the Santa Ynez River in the Sta. Rita Hills AVA. Donnachadh (pronounced: DON nuh kuh) is the ancestral Gaelic name for Duncan.

4 Future Perfect Bursting onto the wine scene like a ray of sunshine is Sunshine “Sunny” Doench Stricker—actor, winemaker and founder of Future Perfect Wine. She and her husband, Nate, opened a cheery Los Olivos tasting room to debut Future Perfect wines just in time for summer. Doench Stricker’s whimsical vibe is reflected on her labels, which feature the sun and a rainbow.

“During Covid, I think we all rethought why are we are doing what we’re doing and who we’re doing it with,” Doench Stricker reflected. “If life is short, we should do what we love.

But even more so, if life is long, it should be what we love.

I just thought ‘I’m gonna leap all the way!’”

DEBOR AH CHADSE Y

Her first release of single-varietal, small-lot wines includes Sauvignon Blanc, Grenache rosé, Grenache, Tempranillo and Syrah.

3 Tread The team at Zaca Mesa Winery buckled down during the pandemic. It allowed them to find the path forward. This Rhône varietal–focused winery decided to launch Tread, a new brand dedicated to Santa Barbara County Chardonnay and Pinot Noir ($35–52).

“I want to make wines that have a reflection of who I feel I am: feminine but also wild, simple but powerful,” she said.

“I’m filled with a lot of joy, which is why the logo is timeless and communicates hope.”

The Future Perfect winery is in Lompoc, attached to Holus Bolus, where Doench Stricker’s mentors Amy Christine and Peter Hunken make their wines.

“It’s a lot of hard work and grit and fierceness. My dream’s coming true.”

More at www.FuturePerfectWine.com.

“Whenever you walk around the vineyard, you notice all the boot prints in the soil,” said Head Winemaker Kristin Bryden.

“That human connection to the land and all the work that’s involved with the growers, vineyard managers, teams of people that it takes to nurture all the vines, and the winemaker and production team—it’s a reminder to make something that’s reflective of the site.”

Fruit is sourced from the Sta. Rita Hills and the Santa Maria Valley’s Bien Nacido Vineyard. The abstract logo in the shape of a boot print with aerial images of three vineyard blocks represents Zaca Mesa being the third winery established in the county. It honors the founding family’s willingness to take a step in a new direction.

“The connection to the land is part of our DNA,” said Winery President Stewart Cushman. “It’s fun to have a business, a building and a property that’s been around almost 50 years, but we’ve got a lot of fun, new, exciting things going on.”

The winery, on Foxen Canyon Road, built a new, contemporary wine tasting area, the Club Lounge and Terrace, capitalizing on the vineyard and mountain views.

MIKE MESIKEP

More at www.TreadWines.com.

Above: Tread wine tasting room. Right: Sunshine “Sunny” Doench Stricker.

EdibleSantaBarbara.com FALL 2021 | 11

SIPS

BILLY SMALL

small

6 Scotty-Boy!

5 Attic Salt Winemaker Rob DaFoe knows what it’s like to reach great heights through hard work. The former professional snowboarder has been at the top of the mountain.

“Like snowboarding, there’s never a dull moment in winemaking,” DaFoe said. “It is extremely stressful if you care about what you’re doing. You’re always ‘on.’ Just like when you’re standing on top of a hill looking down, choosing your line. It’s the same thing with wine. You’re always choosing your line, where you’re gonna go, what happens if something goes wrong halfway down, what are you going to do when the snow does this, and the snow does that; the wine does this and you thought it was going to do that. Even though making wine is slow, things happen fast, so it still provides that same rush. It’s challenging, it’s fulfilling and it’s art.”

DaFoe streamlined his wine business—now a solo project— and launched a new label, Attic Salt Wines; unique, interesting blends ($32–36). He crafted a Grenache Blanc/Vermentino blend; an orange wine made from Grenache Blanc and Viognier; and a red Rhône-style blend. He’ll also release Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Grenache under the DaFoe Wines label. DaFoe is selling his wines out of his sleek new tasting room in Los Olivos.

“I’m really excited about the future. I’m from Santa Barbara and Goleta, so it means something to hopefully be part of this community and add something to the wines of the area.”

More at www.Dafoewines.comDaFoeWines.com.

12 | EDIBLE SANTA BARBARA FALL 2021

“All my [CCGP] wines are super slow, four to five years from vintage to release, if not longer,” Sampler said. “So, I wanted something with a quicker turnaround and at a lower price point: patio pounders, wines for everyone. They’re made in the same exact way, except they’re just not aged.”

Blush, orange wine, Grenache or Chardonnay co-ferments; natural wines vinified and blended in exotic ways ($24–38).

Sampler likes to say his easy-drinking Scotty-Boy! Wines are “wild, alive, mostly savage, and ready to slurp,” especially chilled on a hot afternoon. And he’s one winemaker who doesn’t care if you toss an ice cube into a red plastic cup.

Find the wines at Satellite in Santa Barbara or at www.ScottyBoy.wine.

7 Brvghelli Michael Brughelli launched his own wine label this year, sourcing Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from some of the best vineyard blocks in the Santa Maria Valley, an appellation that he knows like the back of his hand. He believes that the region “has the potential to parallel the world’s very best.”

Brvghelli Wines debuted in the spring, exclusively via mailing list, at $200/bottle.

“These are serious wines. They have impact and some gravitas,” Brughelli said. “There’s broad texture in the mouth, and then there’s bright acidity that makes it more focused. All these elements meld together to create the nuance, the spice, and the different flavor components in the wine. When the wine can be powerful but have a

BRVGHELLI

WENDY THIES SELL

Scott Sampler, who produces red luxury wines in Buellton under the Central Coast Group Project label, debuted ScottyBoy! Fine Wines & Super Coolers a year ago.

degree of lightness and brightness, that’s when Chardonnay and Pinot Noir can really be exciting.”

Consulting winemaker at Folded Hills and previously with Kenneth Volk and Bien Nacido Vineyard, Brughelli co-founded Scar of the Sea wines before creating his own eponymous label with pelicans gracing his logos. The former ocean lifeguard and firefighter handcrafts his wines at the legendary Clendenen Lindquist Vintners facility in the heart of Bien Nacido Vineyard.

“The old cliché about wines being made in the vineyard is very true,” he said. “I can’t overstate the importance of that, how that sets you up for success in the winery.” Brughelli plans to add a top-tier Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon in the future.

OPTIK WINES

More at Brvghelli.wine.

9 optik

DISKO WINES

One of the most accoladed vineyards in Santa Barbara County, Bien Nacido Vineyard, teamed up with one of California’s most accoladed winemakers, Joey Tensley, to debut a new brand, optik Wines.

8 Disko Keeping it fun and fresh, interesting and affordable. That’s the goal of Sean Hogan, who launched Disko Wines this year. The New Jersey native is assistant winemaker at Coquelicot, which is where he produces Disko in Buellton. Hogan’s wine industry mentor is his uncle, Mike Roth, of Los Alamos–based Lo-Fi Wines.

“I learned all I know from Mike,” Hogan said. “I fell in love with the styles of the Lo-Fi Wines as I was helping him make them.”

Hogan makes what he likes to drink. “They get put in a bottle, and the next day they’re ready to pop and drink. They’re fresh and fruity, and they’re ready to go.”

He creates a Gewürztraminer/Grüner Veltliner blend, a Gamay, and a low-alcohol “easy-drinking” Vermentino in a can; a forcecarbonated Piquette.

Hogan designed the music-related label himself. “I’m a hippy at heart, so I wanted a ’70s kind of retro look and to make it fun and bright.”

Disko wines ($26–30) are moving fast, so Hogan is tripling production this fall.

“An all-star cast, world-class vineyard, world-class winemaker,” said Nicholas Miller, vice president of sales and marketing at Miller Family Wine Company. optik is the ninth wine label in the company’s portfolio. This time, they went outside the company to find a winemaker, for a fresh approach. Tensley, a Santa Barbara County Syrah specialist who has over 200 90+ ratings, had never before made wine with Bien Nacido fruit. For optik, Tensley created two Syrahs, two Pinot Noirs and two Chardonnays sourced from different Bien Nacido blocks. The label, featuring an Eye of Providence, brings the optik concept to life through the lens of an outsider looking in. While Bien Nacido and Solomon Hills Estate Wines are geared toward collectors, optik Wines are priced to make them accessible to a broad audience ($35–45).

“In the world of wine, this represents some tremendous value considering the quality of wine and vineyard,” Miller said.

“With optik, we really want to share with the world.”

More at www.optikwines.com.

Wendy Thies Sell is a four-time Emmy Award–winning journalist, travel, wine and lifestyle writer and emcee. Wendy anchored the local TV news on California’s Central Coast for 12 years at KSBY and KCOY. She resides with her family in northern Santa Barbara County.

Available at local wine bars and shops and at www.DiskoWines.com.

EdibleSantaBarbara.com FALL 2021 | 13

14 | EDIBLE SANTA BARBARA FALL 2021

in

Season this fall FALL PRODUCE

YEAR-ROUND PRODUCE

FALL SEAFOOD

Artichokes Asparagus Avocados BRUSSELS SPROUTS Basil Beans, green Blackberries Blueberries Brussels sprouts Cabbage Cantaloupe Celery Cherimoya Chiles EGGPLANT Chives Cilantro Collards Corn Cucumber Dill Eggplant Fennel Figs GRAPES Grapefruit Grapes Kiwi Lavender Limes Melons Mint Mustard greens Nectarines SQUASH Onions, green bunching Papayas Peaches Peppers Persimmon Plums/Pluots Pomegranate Raspberries Squash, summer Strawberries Tangerines/Mandarins Tomatillo Tomatoes TOMATILLOS Turnips Watermelon

Almonds, almond butter (harvested Aug/Sept)

Mussels

Apples

Rock fish

Arugula

Sardines

Beans, dried

Spiny lobster

Beets

Swordfish

Ridgeback shrimp

Bok choy Broccoli

White sea bass ALMONDS

Carrots

Yellowtail

YEAR-ROUND SEAFOOD

Cauliflower Chard Dandelion

Abalone (farmed)

Dates (harvested Sept/Oct)

Black cod Clams

Edible flowers

Oysters

Garlic (harvested May/June)

Rock crab

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

Urchin

OTHER YEAR-ROUND

Leeks

URCHIN

Eggs

Lemons

Coffee (limited availability)

Lettuce Mushrooms POTATOES

Oranges Pistachios, pistachio oil (harvested Sept/Oct)

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

Potatoes

Olives, olive oil

Radishes Raisins (harvested Sept/Oct)

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

Spinach

Potted plants/herbs

Sprouts Squash, winter (harvested July/Oct) Walnuts, walnut oil (harvested Sept/Oct) Yams (harvested Aug/Sept)

OYSTERS

Pacific sanddabs BOK CHOY

Kale

Onions, bulb (harvested May/June)

SPINY LOBSTER

HONEY

Preserves SPINACH

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

PASTA

EdibleSantaBarbara.com FALL 2021 | 15

seasonal

Recipe Eggplant Curry Early fall usually brings a heat wave and lots of gorgeous eggplant to the market. It’s never too hot to enjoy a simple curry dish and the ingredients are pretty flexible. You can substitute other vegetables, just add them to the pan earlier or later depending on how long they need to cook.

MAKES 2–4 SERVINGS

⁄

1 2 cup

organic jasmine rice

1 cup water Salt Olive oil 2 small eggplants or 1 medium eggplant, sliced in

⁄

1 4-

to 1 ⁄2 -inch rounds or half rounds

2 teaspoons curry powder

What to do with your beautiful onion-skin-dyed Easter eggs? First on the list must be a classic egg salad sandwich.

You have many variations to choose from so you won’t get tired of them, even if you’ve made dozens of eggs.

Makes 2 sandwiches 3 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and coarsely chopped 2 tablespoons mayonnaise or 1 tablespoon mayonnaise and 1 tablespoon crème fraiche Salt and pepper, to taste

Additions: • A tablespoon of something crunchy, such as capers, chopped celery, chopped pickled vegetables, chopped radishes or chopped onion

Red pepper flakes, to taste Black pepper, to taste 2 cloves of garlic, minced 1 zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced in half rounds 1 tomato, diced 1 cup light coconut milk Small handful of cilantro or basil leaves, sliced Half a lime Sweet chili sauce or chopped peanuts, optional

Add the rice, water and a generous pinch of salt to a small saucepan and bring to boil. Immediately lower heat to barely a simmer and cover. Cook for 12–14 minutes.

Additional pickled vegetables (optional)

Add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of a large sauté pan and cook the eggplant slices for a couple minutes over medium-high heat, until they have a little color, while adding the curry powder, a pinch of red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Then add the garlic, zucchini and tomato (you can add a touch more olive oil if the pan is dry). Add additional salt and pepper to taste. Cook for another few minutes, stirring to combine all the vegetables. Then add the coconut milk, stirring to release any bits stuck to the pan and reduce the heat slightly. Simmer for 12–14 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and the liquid has reduced slightly. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Stir in the chopped cilantro or basil, a squeeze of lime juice and serve over the rice. If you like, garnish with a drizzle of sweet chili sauce or some chopped peanuts.

Lettuce

— Krista Harris

• A sprinkling of chopped fresh herbs, such as parsley, basil, cilantro, chervil or tarragon • A dash of something tangy, such as lemon or lime juice, or the pickled juice or caper brine if you used either of those or a dash of white wine vinegar Bread (sliced bread, baguette, bagel, roll, croissant or slider bun) Additional mayonnaise and/or mustard (optional)

Combine the eggs, mayonnaise, seasoning and additions and mix until incorporated but with 16 | EDIBLE SANTA BARBARA FALL 2021 a still chunky texture. Taste and add more seasoning or additions if needed.

STE VEN BROWN

Egg Salad Sandwich

SANTA

BARB ARA

COU NTY

Santa Barbara Downtown Santa Barbara Farmers Market

Carpinteria Carpinteria Farmers Market 800 block of Linden Ave. Thu 3–6:30pm SBFarmersMarket.org

Goleta Camino Real Marketplace At Storke & Hollister Sun 10am–2pm SBFarmersMarket.org

Lompoc Lompoc Certified Farmers Market Ocean and I St. Fri 2–5pm Facebook.com/ LompocCertifiedFarmersMarket

Orcutt Central City Farmers Market Oak Knoll South Corner of Bradley Rd. and Clark Ave. Tue 10am–1pm Farmers Market Orcutt on Facebook

Montecito Montecito Farmers Market 1100 & 1200 blocks of Coast Village Rd. Fri 8–11:15am SBFarmersMarket.org

Corner of Santa Barbara & Cota St. Sat 8am–1pm SBFarmersMarket.org

Old Town Farmers Market 600–800 Blocks of State St. Tue 3–7pm SBFarmersMarket.org

Saturday Fishermen’s Market Santa Barbara Harbor Sat 6–11am CFSB.info/Sat

Santa Maria Santa Maria Farmers Market

in historic

Los Alamos reservations at picolosalamos.com

Broadway & Main St. (located in Town Center West) Wed noon–4pm SantaMariaValley.com

Downtown Fridays Corner of Main St. & Broadway Fri 4–8pm (Seasonal) SantaMariaValley.com

Solvang Solvang Village Copenhagen Dr. & First St. Wed 2:30–6pm (until 6:30pm in summer) SBFarmersMarket.org

Vandenberg Village Route One Farmers Market 3745 Constellation Rd. Sun 10am–2pm

Garden or Indoor Dining Wednesday - Sunday weekend brunch

EdibleSantaBarbara.com FALL 2021 | 17

edible

I N F LU E NC E S

East Coast Sensibility, West Coast Seasonal Ingredients Anna Maria Giambanco DiPietro

JUAN CHAMI

WORDS BY

Chef John DeLucie

W

here’s the “Little Italy”? This was one of the first questions I asked upon arriving in Los Angeles some five years ago. As the daughter of a Sicilian immigrant and New York native, I craved the comfort food of my East Coast upbringing. Eggplant Parmigiana, Crotonese and Caciocavallo cheeses, bakery-fresh sfogliatelle and my mom’s chicken soup with orzo and tiny meatballs…you get the picture.

Growing up in an NYC suburb, there were outings spent poking around the Arthur Avenue market in search of good olives, bread, cured meats and pasta. Located in the Belmont section of the Bronx, aka “Little Italy,” the Zagat-loved area is home to shops selling a plethora of imported Italian foods and espresso makers. I have fond memories of strolling and tasting samples from the various vendors with my family. Later, we’d head home, our shopping bags full of foodie loot, and get to work on a big meal. I’d proudly don a fancy apron and shell peas on the patio or rinse blue crabs in the kitchen sink.

In the summertime, we grew tomatoes, basil, string beans, peppers and even grapes. Food was truly a part of our daily lives—not just something we scarfed down in front of the TV 18 | EDIBLE SANTA BARBARA FALL 2021

at the day’s end. We were all hands-on in la cucina. Let’s just say that the Easy-Bake Oven was not part of my childhood.

Later on, during a stint in Boston, I fell in love with Hanover Street—Bova’s Bakery in particular — where one could order up fresh piping-hot arancini, pizza rolls or a box of the most decadent biscotti I’ve ever had. On tour with a Broadway show, I discovered San Diego’s Piazza Della Famiglia, where India and Columbia streets are home to charming restaurants and shops that proudly display fine prosciutto, formaggi and handmade pasta.

A few years down the line, I settled in LA and realized that what had once been a bustling Italian neighborhood in downtown LA was long gone. With no place to order up real, old-fashioned Italian food, I took to re-creating my childhood favorites from scratch. I whipped up all the hits: arancini, focaccia, vegetable fritters, mozzarella in carozza, pasta alforno—Sicilian street foods, Italian-American comfort food.

On my unending quest for East Coast “OG” cookbooks and chef biographies, I came across John DeLucie — NYC chef, restaurateur and author of The Hunger: A Memoir of an

Accidental Chef. With an introduction by Graydon Carter, legendary editor of Vanity Fair, the book is an inspiring read that gives a glimpse of what goes on behind the scenes in the New York restaurant world. With praise from the likes of Anthony Bourdain, Bobby Flay, Bon Appetit magazine and Salman Rushdie, it’s a true foodie’s must-have.

For two decades, DeLucie has been an extremely sought-after, high-profile chef, launching numerous restaurants, including the 10,000-square-foot Ainslie in Brooklyn; Lumaca, located in the swanky boutique hotel HGU New York; and reopening Chelsea’s iconic Empire Diner. At the time of this writing, he’s set to launch his latest venture, Merchants Social, in Hudson, NY. A celebration of the bounty of New York’s Hudson River Valley, focusing on farm-to-table, regional ingredients, it’s sure to be a crown jewel of the burgeoning foodie scene on the Hudson.

But back to the rich culinary history of southern Italy by way of the East Coast, and how I yearn to fuse it with regional, seasonal Santa Barbara ingredients. On a whim, I reached out and was fortunate enough to speak directly with Chef DeLucie.

No stranger to the West Coast, having worked with Sean MacPherson of El Carmen, Jones, The Pikey and Swingers in LA, he was kind enough to share. “If you think like an Italian, with the ingredients at the forefront, then it’s easy. No matter where in the world you are, with amazing ingredients like the fresh, abundant produce in Santa Barbara, you’ll arrive at the same place with the cooking.”

DeLucie also suggests keeping it simple and pairing Santa Barbara County wines (I like Buttonwood Farm & Winery’s Zingy) with locally sourced, wild-caught, regional seafood.

Locals know how fortunate we are to have access to everything from rock crab, halibut and swordfish to sea bass, ridgeback shrimp and Santa Barbara spot prawns.

“Say you come across beautiful heirloom tomatoes at the farmers market. You build it from there. A simple focaccia or tray of bruschetta drizzled with locally sourced olive oil—you’re good to go.” I love the oils made by Global Gardens, tucked away in Los Olivos. It’s worth noting that they’ve made their own oils and fruit vinegars for over 16 years right here in Santa Barbara County.

At the end of the day, I propose a harmonious partnership, not an East vs. West rivalry, in the kitchen. Following the sage advice of one of NYC’s top chefs and inspired by his distinctively simple style, I plan to let the ingredients dictate the dishes. When guided by the freshest, local, regional, seasonal offerings, you can’t go wrong.

I concocted the following recipe in my Santa Barbara County kitchen with guidance from Chef DeLucie, and I invite you to give it a go. Pair it with a Chardonnay or Viognier on a crisp night this fall.

Inspiration might strike, so feel free to get creative and change things up based on what’s in season, fresh and on hand.

Buon appetito!

Anna Maria is a copywriter based in Santa Barbara County. She draws from her experience as a wellness professional, plant-based cook and graphic artist to create approachable, educational content. Anna Maria is also a wine writer with WSET Level 2 with distinction certification.

Recipe Autumn Santa Barbara Risotto MAKES 4–6 SERVINGS

4 tablespoons olive oil 1 medium kabocha or butternut squash, cleaned, cubed Sea salt 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar 2 medium onions, chopped 1 cup mushrooms (like black trumpet) 3 1 ⁄2 cups water 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth 1 1 ⁄2 cups carnaroli or arborio rice

⁄ cup Marsala

1 4

Pepper

⁄ cup pepitas, toasted

3 4

6 ounces crisp, cooked, crumbled pancetta Parmesan cheese

In a large skillet over medium flame, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil.

Add squash and sea salt. Sauté until it begins to brown, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Add chopped sage and cook until just tender, stirring often about 7 minutes. Add red wine vinegar and toss to incorporate. Transfer squash to plate and wipe skillet clean.

Heat remaining olive oil in the same skillet over high heat. Add chopped onions, sprinkle with sea salt and sauté for 3 minutes.

Add the mushrooms and cook down for about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook until onions are soft and deep golden brown, stirring occasionally for about 15 minutes. Set this aside.

In a large pan, bring 3½ cups of water and the broth to simmer.

Cover and keep warm over low flame.

Add rice to onions in the skillet and stir over medium heat until the rice is translucent, about 4 minutes, then add the Marsala and stir until absorbed. Add 1 cup warm broth mixture; stir until almost all liquid cooks off, about 4 minutes.

Continue adding broth by cupfuls until rice is al dente and risotto is creamy, stirring constantly. You may not need all of the broth mixture. Add the squash and season with salt and pepper. Stir in toasted pepitas and pancetta and transfer to a large serving bowl.

Garnish with Parmesan cheese, extra toasted pepitas and pancetta.

Listen to “Autumn Leaves” by Nat King Cole and enjoy.

EdibleSantaBarbara.com FALL 2021 | 19

drinkable

LANDSCAPE

A Buzz About

Brown Gin

W

hen Covid protocols allow, drive through one of Goleta’s sprawling industrial parks and then wander through a warren of hallways and offices to find Goleta Red Distilling Company. Open for three years this April, the brainchild of Michael Craig does many things well, from rums to an overproof liqueur that marries orange and coffee and that is too easy to drink for its potency.

And then there’s what seems like some freak of engineering, the brown gin. You read that correctly—if I just poured a shot of it for you in a glass, you would assume you were about down some rye. Actually, it’s Goodland Barrel Rested Gin, which starts with Craig’s Goodland Gin— silver medalist at the 2019 ADI tasting of Craft Spirits—that is then aged for six months in small brand-new American oak heavily charred barrels (ones he originally bought to make bourbon, but that’s still coming).

Goleta Red isn’t the only distillery playing with barrels and gin—it’s been a thing since at least 2008, and once NPR

20 | EDIBLE SANTA BARBARA FALL 2021

George Yatchisin

has written a story about a trend, you can’t feel too exclusive about it. (Plus, historically, gin got shipped around in barrels that in their woody way did stuff to the contents, so really this is just everything old is new again, especially if people think they can market it.) Do note none of the barrel-aged gins use the word “aged” on their labels, as the Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau won’t allow it. The government doesn’t yet recognize this as a thing.

All that said, the Goodland Barrel Rested Gin is a potent platypus of a pour—the very citrus-forward, less juniper-bomb gin is there, but it’s got a bit of tannins, now, too, both depth and polish. And it means it’s irresistible if you like to putter around with ways to re-invent classic cocktails.

In fact, I thought it was the bee’s knees. No, I’m not that old, make that The Bee’s Knees, as in the Prohibition-era cocktail most likely created by Frank Meier, head barman at the Ritz in Paris. He was most likely a resistance fighter during

STE VEN BROWN

WORDS BY

WWII, and author of 1936’s The Artistry of Mixing Drinks, which included a chapter on handicapping horses. Different, amazing times. The drink is a mere three-ingredients simple— gin, honey water, lemon. And back then, when gins more often originated in bathtubs, the more of the latter two ingredients, the better.

One of the “Top 15 Amazing Small Town Bakeries” in the U.S.!

- Travel & Leisure

So imagine what the drink, which I’ve dubbed the Bee Gin Again Cocktail, is like today, not just with a good gin, but a barrel-rested gin? You want all those botanicals (the very Goleta avocado leaf and red peppercorn included), plus their oaky edge, to show. Using Meyer lemon is not only delicious, so fragrant and floral, but also a phonetic nod to Frank Meier.

And then there’s honey water. Think of it as richer simple syrup, and you’re not using any bad-for-you white sugar, either.

Even better, we can score all sorts of local honey. So while you might not be drinking your immediate local landscape if your backyard isn’t lucky enough to be graced with hives, it’s always possible a busy bee visited your yard on its pollinating way.

I used some of Rick Sawyer’s Hollister Ranch Honey, raw, unfiltered, unheated and rich with some wild sage. It’s good to thin it a bit with water, as that makes it easier to mix into the cocktail and makes things a tad less sweet, too. It doesn’t hurt to give the honey water one last extra zip of flavor by tossing in some fresh thyme; just be sure to strain it out as you don’t want little green flecks in the finished drink.

ARTISAN BREAD HAND-MADE IN SMALL BATCHES

Now Open in Ballard!

2449 Baseline Ave, Ballard, CA 550 Bell St, Los Alamos, CA info@BobsWellBread.com • BobsWellBread.com

George Yatchisin happily eats, drinks and writes in Santa Barbara.

He blogs at GeorgeEats.com.

RECIPES

The Bee Gin Again Cocktail MAKES 2 COCKTAILS

1 ounce honey thyme water (see recipe below) 1 ounce fresh lemon juice (Meyer preferred) 4 ounces Goleta Red Goodland Barrel Rested Gin 2 strips lemon peel for garnish

Add all ingredients except for the lemon peels to a shaker with ice and shake well. Strain into 2 coupes. Decorate each with a lemon peel.

Honey Thyme Water MAKES 1 CUP

Add ½ cup heated water just before boiling to ½ cup local honey (Hollister Ranch). Add a tablespoon of slapped fresh thyme sprigs.

(You slap them so that they evince some of their oils.) Stir to mix.

When it cools a bit, filter into a glass container to store. Keeps in the refrigerator for weeks.

EdibleSantaBarbara.com FALL 2021 | 21

NELL C AMPBELL

Pearl Munack at the Saturday Santa Barbara Farmers Market.

22 | EDIBLE SANTA BARBARA FALL 2021

PEARL MUNAK

Farmer, Poet, Activist, Friend WORDS BY

Janice Cook Knight

O

n Saturday mornings, I hear the siren call of our heirloom variety she favors. After several years of buying tomatoes on summer Saturdays, I notice a small hand-lettered Santa Barbara Farmers Market. Most Saturdays I sign at Pearl’s stand. It reads, “Poetry Readings on Request.” simply can’t resist going, even if I only need “a few things.” My husband rolls his eyes when I say this because “I’d like to hear a poem, please,” I say, wondering what I he knows I’ll come home with more than that. How could I will hear. Her poem? Or another poet’s? pass up perfectly ripe strawberries, the season’s first cherries or “You’d like to hear a poem?” Pearl thinks a minute, grabs sourdough bread made from grains grown and ground into a folder with hand-written sheets of notebook paper. “Alright, flour in the Lompoc Valley? here goes.” She launches into a poem, and it is a stunner— In the summer and fall months, the call is even more painting a picture of a time, a place, a climate: a delightful tantalizing, as I will be greeted by Pearl Munak’s tomatoes. childhood trip to the beach on a hot day. Pearl has a deep, Her rainbow displays of heirloom tomatoes are what first resonant voice, a soft Texas accent. I ask her about where she grew up. Houston, she says. I know Houston is hot and humid drew me to stop and shop. Her stand is in a great position at in the summer, and Pearl’s “The Old Houston-Galveston one of the market entrances, the first thing I see as I walk in.

Road” captures that essence. I nod The Munak Ranch sells red and thank her for the poem and Celebrity tomatoes and Sweet the tomatoes.

100 Cherry Tomatoes, yes, but After several years of buying tomatoes also the varieties Green Zebra, After that, I often ask Pearl to on summer Saturdays, I notice a small orange Persimmon, Sungold read a poem if I’m not in a hurry. hand-lettered sign at Pearl’s stand. It reads, Her poems cover a myriad of cherry tomatoes, Red and Black Brandywine in shades of “Poetry Readings on Request.” subjects: politics, food, spirituality, burgundy and dark green, and crickets, the natural world and Pineapple, a bi-color, large, red human nature. Often, she recites them from memory. I try not to hurry at the market most and gold tomato. Munak Ranch also sells small melons, summer Saturdays, because it’s when I’m with my people —food people. and winter squash and lemon cucumbers. And this summer, Taking the time to listen to thoughtful poetry while I buy the they also have eggs from their flock of assorted chickens. produce I’m going to take home and eat all week brings me joy.

The taste of Pearl’s tomatoes and melons always brings Over the years, I wanted to know more about Pearl. Who me back to her stand. Pearl’s 80-acre farm is in Paso Robles; was this farmer who was also a poet?

“Paso” is known for its intense summer heat and cool winters.

Munak Ranch produces some of the sweetest tomatoes at our I visited the farm on a gorgeous day in early June this year. market, and the melons she sells are always ripe and fragrant.

I brought along my friend Kim Schiffer, a fabulous cook and They are as varied as the tomatoes: green-fleshed Rocky Sweet, farmers market shopper, who made crayfish etouffee for lunch orange Ambrosia, white-fleshed Ananas, watermelon and to share with Pearl. orange-fleshed Honeyloupe.

Kim is from Louisiana, and Pearl is from Texas, and I figured the Southern ladies would hit it off. They did, and In her relaxed way of doing a farmers market transaction, lunch, outside on a shady spot overlooking oak-studded hills, Pearl takes her time as you select your tomatoes, not rushing was as good as the conversation. Pearl told us her story. to collect the money. She’ll tell you about the tomatoes if you ask—why they are so flavorful and sweet, or about a particular

EdibleSantaBarbara.com FALL 2021 | 23

Pearl received a liberal arts education at the University of Texas at Austin, moved to Los Angeles with her first husband and become a social worker. Eventually, that marriage ended, and she met Edwin Munak, a systems engineer. The two of them loved nature, and Pearl and Ed did a lot of hiking and backpacking in their spare time. After a few years, she decided to go to law school at Loyola (many of her female friends were becoming attorneys).

Ed, who was originally from a Croatian family in Kansas City, Kansas, had a dream of farming and harbored good memories of his grandparents’ farms, especially a grandmother who grew row crops. Pearl said Ed wanted to do something “purely good.” Pearl shared his dream. Her grandparents had been in ranching and farming as well. Eventually, Pearl and Ed married and left corporate life to pursue that dream. They looked all over for land, and in 1973 the Munaks bought land bordering a river in Paso Robles that would become Munak Ranch, planning to raise cattle.

Their parcel was about 150 acres, half of it planted in apple orchards. The Munaks discovered that apples are a low-yield crop in their area. They sold off the apple acreage to neighbors.

Cattle ranching was not as successful as they’d hoped.

They tried various crops, including alfalfa, but it wasn’t until they tried growing tomatoes and melons that things began to click. It turned out that the temperatures in Paso Robles, with warm summer days and cool nights, were extremely favorable for growing both tomatoes and melons. At first, they did nearly everything themselves, with the help of nephews and a niece during the summer months, and occasionally young farmersin-training—foreign students—as part of an ag program.

The Munaks brought on Hugo Gomez as farm manager in the late 1980s. Now Hugo and three of his sons—Victor, Jesus and Ariel—work the farm and/or the farmers market. They are excellent farmers and have helped to make the farm the success it is. The Gomez family live on the farm, right next door to Pearl. The farm is now 80 acres, much of it planted in row crops, although hilly parts of the land are studded with native oaks.

Pearl, at 79, is largely retired from the day-to-day farm operations. Sadly, her husband Edwin passed away in 2019 at the age of 89.

in production. The first tomatoes to ripen are the Sungolds, the smallest tomatoes they grow. The day we visited, they were oh, so sweet. This year the Munak Ranch’s first Saturday Santa Barbara market was the last weekend of June when they had enough of the other types of tomatoes to sell.

They farm organically, although the farm no longer has organic certification. This does not deter their fans, who know how they practice farming. They sell their produce directly to restaurants, and besides Santa Barbara, they sell at the Santa Monica, Cambria and Monterey farmers markets.

In the late fall and winter months, the Gomezes plant a cover crop of several beneficial plants to restore the soil, including vetch and sugar snap peas. Later it will be tilled under to prepare for the summer crops.

After moving to Paso Robles, Pearl practiced law for a few years but eventually decided to dedicate most of her time to their farm. She kept a hand in as an advocate, though, when her church introduced her to a volunteer opportunity working with the homeless community. She became the president of an organization called Transitional Food and Shelter, which she ran for 16 years. And as part of the work, she was able to find homes for people in her area who desperately needed them.

Annual fundraisers helped cover the cost. Some of her poems reflect her experience working with this group.

“Have you always written poetry?” I ask.

“I wrote a little,” Pearl says. “Then I joined a local poetry group. That’s when I really began to write.” She has quite a trove of poetry, reading several poems to us the day we visit.

Sometimes she reads her poetry at her church.

After several lovely hours walking the farm and learning about their operation, Victor says, “The thing about Pearl is, she knows how to share.” She certainly does, through her advocacy work, her poetic voice, and those gorgeous fruits and vegetables. There is something about Pearl. I say to Victor, “Pearl is Zen,” meaning disarmingly present and direct.

I learn that Pearl and Edwin arranged to leave their farm, after her passing, to the Gomez family. The Gomezes’ love the farm and the farming lifestyle and will continue the operation.

Hugo’s son Victor and his wife are raising their young son on the farm. Perhaps one day he will continue the farming tradition.

A slice of the Salinas River runs through part of the Munak Ranch. There is ample groundwater, and on-site wells supply the water needs of the farm. They don’t dry-farm. “Dryfarming is more used for grain,” Pearl tells us. The water is carefully managed, and the tomatoes are growing in neat rows tied up with string to make them easier to pick. Black plastic mulch below the plants keeps moisture in, and underneath the mulch is a water line to deliver moisture evenly. Fish emulsion is also added to the irrigation as a natural fertilizer.

I can’t help but appreciate how large Pearl’s circle has become: through the Munak Ranch, her work in the community and the gift of her poetry. We all touch each other’s lives in ways we may not be aware of. Pearl is one of my heroes.

Munak Ranch plants the first tomatoes in February or March (they start in a greenhouse) and continues until autumn. The season ends when frost makes an appearance again, usually in October or November. Victor Gomez says they do five plantings during the season to keep the tomatoes

Janice Cook Knight is an award-winning writer, cookbook author and cooking teacher based in Santa Barbara. She enjoys gardening, music and the science of cooking, and is thrilled by a good recipe. She blogs with her daughter Sarah Migliaccio Barnes at TriedAndTrueKitchen.com and can be found on Instagram @triedtruekitchen.

24 | EDIBLE SANTA BARBARA FALL 2021

Munak Ranch can be found at the Santa Barbara Farmers Market on Saturdays from late June or early July until sometime in November when the first frost shuts the vines down for the season.

Peas

By Pearl Munak I snap off the tip of the pod, zip down the inside string, open the pod with my thumbs, and run my finger down.

Out come the peas to the pan, “pling,pling,pling!”

I’m back on the weather beaten porch.

Run your finger down the wall; minute checkers of paint fall off at your touch.

Grandma’s on her chair, Mom, Aunt, cousins on the floor.

There is a little moving air this time of day on the porch.

How proud I was to take a part In (clumsily) taking peas apart!

Some say it’s bread and grape juice makes the bond ’tween saints above and saints below, But they’re wrong!

The Old HoustonGalveston Road Nothing happens, then my cousin squats, grinning, like the best thing in the world’s gonna happen.

“Guess what?” she says.

“We’re havin’ corn?” “NO!” “Watermelon?” “NO!” “…Galveston?” “Yeaaaa!”

My mother said, when she was young, she wouldn’t die and go to Heaven, she’d die and go to Galveston.

Tension grows when we slow, shoot off pavement to oyster shell, continuous growling, grinding, dust keep us back from the car in front, the car behind us back from us.

“When do we get to the causeway?

Will the drawbridge go up?

WITH US ON IT?” At last, wet oleander air, weathered boards of Murdock’s pier let me stare through measured cracks at what we came here for.

Jump tiny ripples! Waves too big– jump anyway, and up, and up weightless, as a roller-horse of warm-cold water is lifting us over invisible brown hurdles, the same grin on our faces!

“Time to come in!”

“Can’t we stay out?”

Wash sand from my suit in the public shower with it on. Sand grits on my towel in the changing cell. It’s not nice to put on dirty pants, but there is no choice.

The Buccaneer offers Chicken a la Reine for soup. Uncle orders Chicken a la Rhine.

I wonder, “Does a chicken have a rind?”

On the way back, Inner Sanctum plays.

White-painted trees by the road are ghosts.

Black trees behind them won’t bear looking into.

I’m carried up to bed. Sloshing starts again before it’s nothing.

Jump up, and up, and up and up!

KIM SCHIFFER

By Pearl Munak

Pearl with her farm manager, Victor Gomez, at Munak Ranch in Paso Robles.

EdibleSantaBarbara.com FALL 2021 | 25

FOOD SECURITY AND COOKING FROM SCRATCH WORDS BY

T

here is an old saying that advises, “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.” During the Covid shutdowns, food security became a major concern for all of us. To limit our trips to buy groceries, we had to think about what we could store in our kitchen refrigerators, freezers and pantries that would provide nutrient-rich balanced meals for our families without taking too much preparation time.

We are fortunate to live in a community where locally grown fresh produce is readily available. However, not everyone knows how to cook from scratch using fresh, unprocessed ingredients.

And those who do often think in terms of complex recipes that use specialty ingredients. Like many others, I struggled to think of simple meals to eat on those nights when we felt too tired to cook and, pre-pandemic, we would have opted to go out to eat.

The pandemic changed the way we plan our meals — to favor ingredients that are readily available, go together easily and are nutrient rich, filling and flavorful.

After I became fully vaccinated, I decided it was time to get outside and do some volunteer gardening at an organic garden that grows food for charitable distribution. On my first day of weed pulling, garden manager Mallory Russell dropped a cluster of bananas she’d just harvested onto a picnic bench in the communal area next to the chicken house and garden. She picked up and handed me one of two zucchini that had been on the vine a tad too long. She must have noticed my quick intake of breath as I estimated that this zucchini was large enough to make five zucchini breads and wondered how much more grated zucchini I could stuff into my freezer. Her deep brown eyes smiled knowingly above her cloth face mask as she took off her straw hat and wiped her brow. Then she described a simple recipe for a creamy zucchini soup that uses whatever amount of

26 | EDIBLE SANTA BARBARA FALL 2021

Nancy Oster

zucchini you have available. I thanked her and put the zucchini into my take-home bag.

I soon learned that Mallory’s other job was working as a health educator for the Department of Health and Wellness at UC Santa Barbara. In that role, she teaches UCSB Cooks classes for their Food, Nutrition, and Basic Skills (FNBS) program.

FNBS is the part of the UC Basic Needs Initiative that teaches UCSB students the culinary skills they need to stretch their grocery budgets and become more food secure.

Yes, food security is an issue at UCSB and other UC campuses. At UCSB 48% of undergraduates and 31% of graduate students experience food insecurity. Half of them skip meals to stretch their food budgets. A cup of coffee sometimes serves as a whole meal.

The FNBS program began in 2015, but the 2020–21 pandemic has really highlighted the need for students to learn how to cook balanced meals from scratch using fresh, frozen, packaged and canned ingredients.

When the UCSB Cooks workshops began in fall 2019, 300 students applied for 20 spots. When the pandemic hit in spring 2020, many students lost their jobs and searched for new housing options. So instead of eating prepared food on a residential meal plan, they were trying to figure out how to prepare three meals a day themselves. The need for Mallory’s cooking classes became even greater. Mallory says, “With food security programs, the resources are used to get food to people. But do they know how to store fresh produce and how to use it?” Her classes quickly pivoted to online, and the number of spots available per class quadrupled, but the number of applications also increased.

“Buying ready-made sandwiches and burritos adds up,” Mallory says. She teaches her students how to use fresh, unprocessed ingredients instead. “We get to know a new ingredient,

Nancy Oster learned to cook from her mom, grandmother and aunts who lived through the 1918 pandemic but never talked about it. During this pandemic, she exchanged family recipes online with her cousins as they all cooked their way through the crisis, savoring the comfort foods of their childhoods and sharing family memories of their grandma’s kitchen.

STE VEN BROWN

like cauliflower, and what it combines well with.” Her students learn to minimize food waste and how to set up a simple cooking space. She says, “You really just need the bare bones to cook: a knife, a cutting board, a sauté pan, stirring spoon and a can opener. It’s fun to see the world opening up for my students, hear stories of things they’ve eaten as they grow more confident about cooking and start to try out substitutions based on what foods are available to them.”

About highly processed foods, she says, “Read the label.”

For example, she found that “a bottle of watermelon juice contained 41% cane sugar and the first ingredient was water, so nutritionally, it was primarily sweetened water.” Foods are processed to increase their shelf life and to shorten meal preparation time. These foods are often stigmatized as higherenergy food choices with lower nutrient values. But Mallory says, “Our program works closely with food pantries and with those cooking on limited budgets to teach our students ways to make those ingredients part of a more balanced, nutrient-rich meal.”

As Mallory plans for the fall 2021 quarter classes, she says, “We are trying to lean into what we’ve learned.” Students liked cooking from their own living spaces. Roommates and family were free to join in. They learned how to scale up to share the meal with their household or neighbors. Mallory says, “Some people think, ‘Let’s get this horrible period of anxiety, uncertainty and hardship behind us and just return to prepandemic normal.’ But that would mean a whole year and a half of innovation lost. What was beautiful about pandemic cooking is we became super flexible. We had to adapt quickly, experiment and be creative.”

At a time when we felt deeply vulnerable, we found our strength and used that time to learn and share new skills. We not only learned to make bread, we figured out how to make sourdough bread!

Mallory points out, “We started to see how interconnected everything is.” Our whole community responded to food insecurity by learning new skills and sharing resources with each other. In response to the restrictions, we checked with neighbors and called friends for their shopping lists when we went to a grocery store. We shared flour and traded loaves of bread.”

Now is the time to celebrate the sense of confidence and selfreliance that we gained during this past year and a half. We can also take time to reflect and to acknowledge what we’ve learned about nurturing ourselves and each other.

This year, don’t just give your neighbor an oversized zucchini; share a simple recipe along with it. Learning to cook from scratch is a fundamental lifeline to food security and a skill that will last a lifetime.

RECIPE

Mallory’s Zucchini Soup This recipe is easy to customize. You can make it with broccoli or cauliflower, and you can add ginger, cayenne or Italian seasonings.

MAKES APPROXIMATELY 4 SERVINGS

1 onion, chopped 1–2 tablespoons olive oil 3–4 cloves garlic 1 large zucchini sliced (the blended zucchini gives it its creaminess so use as much as you have) 4 cups chicken stock 1–2 tablespoons butter Salt and pepper to taste

In a stockpot sauté chopped onions and olive oil. After a few minutes add garlic, stir until brown. Add zucchini and sauté for another couple minutes. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil. Cook until the veggies are tender, about 15 minutes. With an immersion blender, blend until it has a smooth and creamy texture. Add butter, salt and pepper to finish.

EdibleSantaBarbara.com FALL 2021 | 27

E A T. D R I N K . T H I N K .

On the following pages, we bring you the second in a series of thought leadership stories that span topics of sustainability, access to healthy foods and

local communities who are tireless champions in the battle against nutrition insecurity and hunger.

nutrition, restaurant revitalization and regenerative agriculture. These are

Dr. Frank says “the power of one can be huge,” and we could not agree

the values that Edible Communities, as an organization, has been devoted

more. One person, one organization, one community—each purpose driven,

to for the past two decades. Our work lends itself to the singular notion that

can massively impact our food system. We believe that every person should

excellent storytelling has the power to change lives, and that by exploring and

have access to a high-quality diet that is filled with nutritious foods that

elevating important conversations like these, we can effect everlasting change

are raised and grown using sustainable practices. As consumer advocates we

in our communities too.

all play a critical role in reshaping the demand for this, and we all must be

Please join us in supporting the work of our featured subjects—Michel

diligent in advancing this agenda if we are to ensure that no one is left behind.

Nischan, sustainable food advocate and co-founder of Wholesome Wave; and

Tracey Ryder

native food historian and chef, Dr. Lois Ellen Frank—two heroes from our

Co-Founder, Edible Communities

Chef Michel Nischan Photo courtesy of Wholesome Wave

28 | EDIBLE SANTA BARBARA FALL 2021

edible Communities |

S IG N AT U RE

S E C T ION

R ET H I N K I N G H U N G E R Why Feeding Those in Need Must Focus on Nourishment

STORY

BY

Joy Manning

When anyone in a community struggles with food

equality. Communities of color and those living in poverty

insecurity, it’s everybody’s problem. In the United States

in the U.S. got sick from COVID-19 at a rate two to three

alone, an estimated $90 billion in excess healthcare costs

times higher than the rest of the country, according to the

annually are associated with food insecurity, according to

2020 Wholesome Wave impact report. The underlying rea-

research from the Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation’s study

sons why aren’t specific to the pandemic. “Four of the Top

conducted by researchers affiliated with Harvard’s School

5 drivers of this disparity are obesity, diabetes, hyperten-

of Public Health, Brandeis University and Loyola Univer-

sion and heart disease,” says Nischan. These are all chronic

sity. The social and emotional toll hunger takes on commu-

conditions that can be prevented and often reversed by in-

nities is harder to quantify, but no less deeply felt.

creasing access to nutritious food.

But of course, for those personally experiencing food

Yet, when the foremost experts in hunger talk about

insecurity, the problems are impossible to ignore. For

hunger in terms of food security, it drives a cultural con-

those receiving SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance

versation that leads food banks to be well-stocked, but of-

Program) benefits, getting the most calories for their dollar

ten it’s with ultra-processed food. “It has to be about more

is likely at the forefront of their mind, and sometimes that

than getting meals on the table,” Nischan says.

means families eat more processed foods than they’d like.

To that end, Nischan and Wholesome Wave co-found-

Michel Nischan, a four-time James Beard Award-winning

er Gus Schumacher worked on a SNAP “doubling” pro-

chef and sustainable food movement leader, is working to

gram that makes every $1 a participant spends worth $2

change that. And for Wholesome Wave, the nonprofit he

when they buy produce. What began as a nascent pilot

founded in 2007, it is a primary goal.

program in Columbia, Md., in 2005 has since grown into

Wholesome Wave recently reset its priorities, in fact, and

a federally funded program started by Wholesome Wave

will now squarely focus on nutrition—not food—insecurity.

that helps more than 40 million people eat more greens

The goal is to change the way people think about hunger.

and less instant ramen.

The distinction between food security and nutrition

As part of Nischan’s shift to nutrition security, Whole-

security is a critical one, according to Nischan. Most

some Wave is also ramping up its Produce Prescription

North Americans have access to enough calories to avoid

Program. It’s an umbrella program that partners with lo-

hunger thanks to government programs, food banks and

cal organizations, such as hospitals and health clinics, to

hunger relief organizations. “This makes them technical-

empower doctors to write prescriptions for nutrient-dense

ly ‘food secure,’ but they’re still not getting the nutrition

fruits and vegetables, often local, that patients pick up

they need to be healthy,” says Nischan. “We aren’t solving

weekly, free of charge.

the real problem.

“It’s about people having the kind of diet that promotes good health and prevents disease,” he says. It’s also about

“Many people visit the doctor and hear, ‘If you don’t eat better, the next time I see you you’ll have type 2 diabetes,” says Nischan. His next big goal is securing Medicaid and

EdibleSantaBarbara.com FALL 2021 | 29 Visit ediblecommunities.com for more photos and podcasts

Medicare funding for these programs so they become as common as prescriptions are for drugs. “Your insurance company will pay for a kidney transplant, but not the vegetables that can prevent the disease,” he says.

Piloted in 2010, the Produce Prescription Program is ambitious, but peer-reviewed research shows that it works. A 2017 study published in Preventive Medicine Reports showed that participation in the program helped

HUNGER BY THE NUMBERS The problem of food and nutrition insecurity across North America is incalculable, but these sobering statistics show that work still must be done to ensure everyone gets the nourishment they need to live a full life and prevent disease.

bring down participants’ A1C (a number that indicates one’s average blood sugar level). A 2012 study in the journal Public Health Nutrition showed produce prescriptions improve overall well-being.

I N T H E U N I T E D S TAT E S :

35 million Americans live in households that struggle with food and nutrition insecurity.

84 percent of households served by Feeding America, a network of food banks, say they buy cheap food instead of fresh food to ensure they’ll have enough to eat.

27.5 percent of households with kids are food and nutrition insecure.

19.1 percent of Black households and 15.6% of Hispanic households experience food and nutrition insecurity.

1 in 19 Americans relies on SNAP benefits.

Image courtesy of Wholesome Wave

This is not to say that Nischan believes Wholesome Wave has all the answers. From the beginning, Wholesome Wave has partnered with local organizations to bring ideas and funding to a collaboration that fits the specific needs of its community. “We don’t want to be the organization that rides into your town with our solution to your problem. Addressing nutrition insecurity is different in every community,” he says. And, as we know, paying attention to those differences is critical to finding solutions.

Continued...

30 | EDIBLE SANTA BARBARA FALL 2021

edible Communities |

S IG N AT U RE

S E C T ION

I N CA N A DA :

1 in 8 Canadian households faces food and nutrition insecurity.

1 in 6 Canadian children experiences food and nutrition insecurity.

In Ontario, 3,282,514 visits were made to food banks in 2019-2020.

Black and Indigenous people are 3 times more likely to be food and nutrition insecure than white people.

EdibleSantaBarbara.com FALL 2021 | 31

edible

Communities

M A R K E T P L ACE

32 | EDIBLE SANTA BARBARA FALL 2021

edible Communities |

S IG N AT U RE

S E C T ION

EdibleSantaBarbara.com FALL 2021 | 33

34 | EDIBLE SANTA BARBARA FALL 2021

Dr. Lois Ellen Frank | Photo by Daphne Hougard

Indigenous communities, for example, live with some of

sauce. “These are ancestral foods that promote wellness,”

the highest rates of food and nutrition insecurity in North

she says. After the training, 32 families received the pre-

America. A study published in 2017 in the Journal of Hunger

pared dish, plus the recipe and the ingredients they’d need

& Environmental Nutrition found that from 2000 to 2010,

to make it themselves. “You think you aren’t teaching that

25% of American Indians and Alaska Natives were consis-

many people, but it’s a ripple effect,” she says. One family

tently food insecure. It’s a daunting statistic.

passes the information to another.

Dr. Lois Ellen Frank is a Santa Fe, N.M.-based chef

This passing of knowledge from one person to the next

and native food historian. She believes that the health and

can help keep food traditions alive. “It takes only one gen-

nutrition security of Indigenous communities (and all

eration for a recipe or a method of agriculture to disappear.”

communities for that matter) can best be served by put-

And preserving these recipes and traditions matters

ting attention and energy into solutions and not focusing

when it comes to solving the problem of food insecurity. A

on the problems. Frank would rather focus on concrete

2019 study published in the journal Food Security suggests

tasks she can do to help. “I’m a big advocate of the power

that tribal communities can achieve increased food secu-

of one person,” she says. She provides culinary training to

rity and better health outcomes if they have greater access

those who cook in community centers and schools to help

to their traditional foods and the ability to hunt, fish and

people reconnect with traditional foodways through native

preserve native foods.

plants and recipes.

Recently, she taught cooks in one school to make refried bean enchiladas with corn and zucchini in a red chili

For some, starting a nonprofit organization is a great way to make a difference. But, as Dr. Frank also reminds us, helping just one person can have an impact too. e

EdibleSantaBarbara.com FALL 2021 | 35 ediblecommunities.com

36 | EDIBLE SANTA BARBARA FALL 2021

PURPLE URCHIN

Eco-Disaster or Uni Opportunity?

WORDS BY

George Yatchisin +

I

PHOTOGRAPHY BY

Erin Feinblatt

f you love the intense tang of salt and sea that you can only get slurping uni, all these years you’ve been enjoying red urchin. As if to prove

everything is bigger in California, the larger red urchin prized in our state, more grapefruit-sized, are the outliers when it comes to urchin girth. Most are smaller, like the purple.

And while the oceans are full of millions more of the purple, they haven’t—up to this time— been a human food source. A striking lavender, generally about as big as a billiard ball, a purple urchin doesn’t seem too threatening on its own, despite its spines. The problem with this seemingly innocent echinoderm is that they do two things very well: reproduce and devour.

So in 2013, when a sea star wasting disease of still-unknown origin wiped out all the starfish, the purple urchin’s major predator was eliminated.

(The exact reason isn’t clear, but most scientists tie the die-off to a rise in ocean temperature. Yes, this is a story of global climate change.) Good news for ravenous urchins, very bad news for kelp forests.

More than 90% of bull kelp was lost along the Northern California coastline within just a few years, taking all the marine life that lived in it with it. All that was left were ghostly purple urchin barrens at the sea bottom.

EdibleSantaBarbara.com FALL 2021 | 37

From left: Douglas Bush, Stephanie Mutz and Harry Liquornik at the Cultured Abalone Farm. Opposite: The purple urchin eat their fill of the red ogo seaweed.

Economic disaster followed: As Science Daily points out, “The bull kelp deforestation triggered the closure of a $44 million recreational abalone fishery and the collapse of the [California] north coast commercial red sea urchin fishery.”

While purple urchin barrens haven’t been as much of an issue in Santa Barbara waters (partially, a recent UC Santa Barbara study discovered, because local waters still have two urchin predators: spiny lobster and sheepshead), it’s still a big question what to do with the urchin invasion.

For after they eat everything, there’s nothing left to consume.

You might think that would mean their demise, but that’s not so. “The purple urchin have real tenacity to sit there almost dormant for incredible periods of time,” Douglas Bush, general

38 | EDIBLE SANTA BARBARA FALL 2021

manager of the Cultured Abalone Farm, explained to me on a recent visit to his Dos Pueblos Canyon facility. “They’re empty!

So there’s not enough left to them to have commercial value.”

That is, no commercial value until Bush starting thinking.

For assistance, he turned to Sea Stephanie Fish— world-famous red urchin diving team Stephanie Mutz and Harry Liquornik.

“Aquaculture and capture fishery, we don’t typically coexist, we’re not brothers-in-arms,” Bush asserts. “But the idea was Stephanie would fish for the purple urchins and bring them here.”

Since Bush and his team already work with abalone, adding the urchins into their program wasn’t too difficult. “We can feed them the same harvested and cultivated seaweed,” he says, “and you can get a reliable and consistent uni product in a short period of time.”

EdibleSantaBarbara.com FALL 2021 | 39

40 | EDIBLE SANTA BARBARA FALL 2021

Top: Harry Liquornik (foreground) and Douglas Bush (background) checking the tanks where the urchin are fattened up. Closeups: Stephanie Mutz demonstrates how to open up the urchin.

Much of that consistency comes from the complete control The Cultured Abalone has—when you start at zero, all the ultimate taste is what you’ve fed the urchin, which is important for a species that eats everything.

“They’ll eat plastic bags,” Mutz points out when she arrives with a new batch to deliver. “Numerous people have told me urchins would be a great way to get rid of a body. Don’t know why they know that.”

Bush reaches into a tank, pulls out some seaweed, and we both munch on the crunchy ogo. “We feed them this,” he says, “with its distinct, vegetable umami flavor.” Once the hibernating purple urchin fattens up their gonads (that is the part we eat, you know) on this ogo, Bush insists, “Their taste is unbelievable — sweet, creamy. You can taste the seaweed variety

in the uni.” On the first taste test of the product, Bush recalls asking his team, “Is it just me, or is this really, really good?”

“We’re surprised it worked,” Mutz says.

But work it has. Bush jokes that, like most start-ups, they ran through all their prototypes, and then they restocked.

Mutz’s clients who usually bought her red urchins loved the product —Angler, The Sunset Restaurant, The Morris and Hog Island Oyster Co.— and it certainly means something if you have excited chefs of the caliber of José Andrés, who has them sent to his home in Washington DC. Here in Santa Barbara, Jeff Olsson of Industrial Eats and Daisy Ryan of Bell’s are happy to get their (gloved) hands on the purple urchin.

While the Cultured Abalone Farm and Sea Stephanie Fish aren’t the only ones working on making purple urchin the next

EdibleSantaBarbara.com FALL 2021 | 41

Top left and bottom right: There is nothing better than uni eaten straight from a spoon. Top right: The Cultured Abalone Farm’s Dos Pueblos facility with its tanks for abalone and now urchin. Bottom left: Stephanie Mutz, Douglas Bush and Harry Liquornik during a rare moment of rest.

food fad (that might just help save an ocean ecosystem)— there’s already a company called Urchinomics working on a similar path—most don’t have the knowledge and experience of the Santa Barbara team. Bush even sold purple urchin in the past for embryonic research to places like Brown University. Still, he also admits, “It’s one of the weirder creatures.” And Mutz adds, “Genetically, they’re more similar to humans than rats are.”

Almost harder than getting the purple urchins viable as a product was figuring out how to market them. “We really wanted to brand ours,” Bush says, pointing out all the great nomenclature for oysters as an example.

“We wanted something a little whimsical, a little regional, so we riffed on everything we could think of purple or local— Gaviota Sunsets? Royal Purples? But we couldn’t come up with

42 | EDIBLE SANTA BARBARA FALL 2021

a gold standard like Humboldt Fog or Sea Smoke.”

Luckily, Bush thought of one of his abalone customers, the restaurant Erizo in Portland, Oregon. Erizo is Spanish for urchin, although it actually means hedgehog, which got Bush thinking. “I Googled slang for hedgehog and found the old Roma word hotchi-witchi, which sort of means urchin of the forest. And that’s why our uni are now called Purple Hotchi.”

Perhaps we won’t have to fear a purple urchin invasion eating up all the kelp forests. Instead, it will be delighted diners eating the invasion of Purple Hotchi at fine restaurants everywhere.

George Yatchisin happily eats, drinks and writes in Santa Barbara.

He blogs at GeorgeEats.com.

ella & louie flowers for celebrations of all sizes delivering Santa Barbara and Santa Ynez www.ellaandlouie.com

ISSUE

29

RIN • SP

16 G 20

eat. drink. read. think. ding Buil d Foounities m Com les

ess iny M The T

se Ru Hou ider No C Town ll a Sm D • T H I N K of a A Taste R I N K • R E A Big E AT • D

WE DELIVER… Subscribe Online Today

EdibleSantaBarbara.com EdibleSantaBarbara.com FALL 2021 | 43

MICHAEL HABER

44 | EDIBLE SANTA BARBARA FALL 2021

THE SEA CELLAR

Ocean Fathoms Seeks to Upend Tradition by Aging Wine Under the Sea

WORDS BY

Hana-Lee Sedgwick

FAB FERNANDE Z

W

hen it comes to things that give character to a wine, most people think of terroir first and foremost. After all, terroir—the natural environment in which wine is produced, including such factors as soil, terrain and climate—is an essential aspect of wine production, imparting certain flavor profiles into the fruit as it grows. Of course, the personality of a wine is also impacted by the winemaking techniques used during production. How a wine is aged can greatly affect its overall character, too.

Traditionally, wine is aged in underground or climatecontrolled cellars in a stable environment where the temperature stays around 55°. Over time, the wine matures and slowly oxidizes, developing new flavor profiles and textures.

But what if the stable setting essential for this aging process was found not underground but under sea? Enter Ocean Fathoms— with their attempt to age wine in the ocean, they are challenging the way we think about aging wine. Although their work is on hold right now, pending approval from the California Coastal Commission, the story of their enterprise is an interesting one.

Ocean Fathoms is the brainchild of Emanuele Azzaretto, who was inspired to try underwater aging after hearing of the 2010 recovery of an 1841 shipwreck in the Baltic Sea. Sparking his intrigue were the dozens of bottles of French Champagne recovered from the wreckage. According to those who got to taste them, they had aged remarkably well under the water—so much so that many bottles were sold at auction for record prices.

“Around that time there were a few producers in Europe starting to age wine underwater, specifically Veuve Clicquot.

But no one would sell me a bottle, so I thought, ‘How hard could it be to do it myself?’” says Azzeretto, a lifelong diver from Italy who moved to Santa Barbara 14 years ago.

Setting out to replicate and improve the ocean aging process himself, Azzaretto dedicated the next several years to perfecting underwater wine aging. During the first year of testing, he met Todd Hahn, a former sports and entertainment agent, and when the two hit it off, they decided to partner together to create Ocean Fathoms.

Opposite: Ocean Fathoms ages the wines in two-ton cages constructed of recycled metals. Above: One of a kind aged wine bottles.

EdibleSantaBarbara.com FALL 2021 | 45

“I initially thought the concept was great and was intrigued by the uniqueness of the bottles,” says Hahn, “but after I tasted the wines, I fell in love. I knew this was something special.” He admits that during the early years of Ocean Fathoms, many in the wine world wrote the project off as “gimmicky.” Despite their belief in the process and product, Azzeretto and Hahn found that building their brand was more difficult than anticipated.

However, after a mutual friend introduced them to Burgundy transplant Jordane Andrieu, owner of Heritage Fine Wines in Beverly Hills, things started to fall into place.

“When Jordane first tasted the wine, he admitted he didn’t want to like it, but he actually loved it so much that he wanted to be involved,” says Hahn. “Neither Emanuele nor I have a background in wine, other than the fact we love to drink good wine. Having Jordane’s pedigree and expertise added some muchneeded credibility to what we were doing.”

Today, Ocean Fathoms is a joint effort between Azzaretto, Hahn, Andrieu and James Beard Award–winning wine professional Rajat Parr, who got involved after testing some of his own wines under the sea with Ocean Fathoms. Though they come from diverse backgrounds, their shared passion for this unique project makes it a symbiotic partnership.

So how, and why, does aging wine in the ocean work?

Utilizing the sea as a natural cellar, Ocean Fathoms proposes to age wine at 70 feet below the surface in a location roughly a mile off the coast of Santa Barbara.

“Offering the optimal temperature of 55°, no oxygen, no UV light and no sound, we discovered the perfect environment for aging wine,” says Azzaretto. He looked at over a dozen different locations before finding the one that would be ideal: a gently sloped sandy area away from fishermen and other activity. Adds Hahn, “The waters off the coast of Santa Barbara may be one of the few places worldwide where underwater aging can be done so well. It’s really the ideal spot for the aging process, with the ideal temperature for aging wine, with minimal fluctuation, and where the ocean currents gently turn the wine in the bottles, which we think has a positive effect on the wine.”

Utilizing a patented process developed by Azzaretto, the wine is aged in two-ton cages constructed of recycled metals. “The metals and salty ocean water create an underwater battery of sorts that slowly ionizes the wine, splitting the tannins and accelerating the aging process,” says Azzaretto, who developed seven different versions before landing on the one they are now using.

“By utilizing natural electrolysis, we are able to break up the molecules inside the bottles and allow them to blend more completely with the alcohol, changing the complexity, color and vibrancy. After just 12 months in the ocean, the resulting wines are completely different than the same wines aged in a traditional cellar.”

“Essentially, our process ages reds in a way that takes the sharpness out after just one year, so they become less acidic and more velvety—the equivalent to roughly seven to 12 years of aging,” says Hahn. “On the other hand, the white wines and Champagnes become more vibrant and zippy, almost like they’ve been reverse aged.”

46 | EDIBLE SANTA BARBARA FALL 2021

Whether the wine is dramatically aged in a short period or simply enhanced and/or changed in character may be up for debate. But one thing that is noticeably different about Ocean Fathoms’ wine is the unique look of the bottles after time spent under the water.

“Because of the plethora of sea life we have here in Santa Barbara, each bottle ends up being really special and one-of-akind,” says Hahn, who admits that part of the appeal of their project is that every bottle is truly unique. Indeed, each bottle is like a work of art, adorned with an assortment of barnacles and shells that not only differentiate it from other wines, but add an air of mystery and intrigue to what’s inside — much like discovering an undersea treasure.

Ocean Fathoms’ ocean-aged wine includes the brand’s own proprietary wines, predominantly made with Santa Barbara County fruit, as well as collaborations with California producers and high-profile global brands, including Dierberg and Star Lane, Pax, Francis Ford Coppola and Taittinger. While the wines are limited to private buyers for now and go for $350+ per bottle, the team hopes to expand production and distribution in the near future.

“We are incredibly proud of the product, but also of our process —that we’re working with the ocean instead of against it,” says Azzaretto, who mentions that philanthropy is an important part of their business model.

A significant part of their marketing strategy is dedicated to promoting ocean protection initiatives. And Ocean Fathoms plans to donate 1% of gross revenues to Santa Barbara–based ocean-related philanthropic organizations. “Without the ocean, our company wouldn’t exist. It is our lifeblood, which is why it’s important to us to give back and make an effort to support ocean and marine life conservation, research and education,” says Azzaretto.

While Ocean Fathoms has turned many heads in and out of the wine world, not everyone is supportive of this oceanic wine venture. There are those who still consider it to be nothing more than a marketing ploy. “A load of BS,” according to one local winemaker— and, more importantly, the California Coastal Commission has its reservations.

Several months ago, the Coastal Commission found Ocean Fathoms to be in violation of the California Coastal Act, an act passed to regulate coastal zones in order to promote and protect the short- and long-term conservation and use of coastal resources.

Their findings—that storing wine under the sea adversely affects marine biological resources, alters seafloor habitat and traps and entangles fish and marine life— caused Ocean Fathoms to bring the wine up out of the water to avoid extensive fines.

While a Coastal Commission hearing is postponed for now, Ocean Fathoms maintains that their operation is environmentally safe, and the team is confident they will be able to resume and expand operations soon. Much like the process of storing wine away for a future day, only time will tell.

Hana-Lee Sedgwick is a Santa Barbara native who writes about wine, food and travel. As a freelance writer, editor and wine consultant, she happily spends her downtime eating, drinking and wandering, documenting it on her blog, Wander & Wine.

R E N A U D ’ S

P A T I S S E R I E

S a nta B ar bara | Lo ng B ea ch | L a Ca na d a | M o nte c i to w w w. rena ud s b i s t ro. co m

Extra virgin olive oils, flavored olive oils, olive tapenades, table olives, gourmet vinegars, local food products.

Open Thursday through Monday 11am–5pm 2901 Grand Ave., Los Olivos 805 693-0700 olivehillfarm.com

OPEN MON: 12– 4PM, TUE – WED BY APPOINTMENT, THU–SAT: 12–7PM, SUN: 12– 6PM

388 Bell Street, Los Alamos, CA 93440 805.344.1900 CasaDumetzWines.com

EdibleSantaBarbara.com FALL 2021 | 47

NURTURING NATURE WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY

Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit and resign yourself to the influence of the earth.

—H EN RY DAV I D T H O R E AU

A

few weeks ago, I visited paradise. Meandering up and over the hills that take you from the Pacific coast down into the mountain-ringed bowl of the Ojai Valley and nestled in on a tree-lined street is a farm unlike any I have visited before. As I stepped out of the car, one of the first things that struck me was the sense of complete tranquility and peace that enveloped me, like a lovely cozy shawl on a chilly day or a warm breeze caressing your skin on a balmy evening.

This enchanted oasis, a 10-acre farm, belongs to BD (Robert) and Liz Dautch. I was there with a fellow Brit, Sandra Adu Zelli, to video BD talking about his farm for a project she and I were working on. Neither of us anticipated that we would be so spellbound.

We spent a few hours walking through the farm, up and down the alleys of burgeoning vegetables and fruit-laden trees, admiring the fragrant herbs sown between the rows, listening to BD as he talked about tending the land and the journey that had led him to this corner of California.

We listened as he described the transformation of the soil into something rich and nourishing, producing a vast array of crops week after week, season after season, year in and year out. We learnt about the challenges changing weather patterns have created, water shortages and the ravages of fire on the community. It is evident that farming is not for the faint of heart, that it requires dedication and endurance, akin to the stamina needed for a slow-motion long-distance race.

It was also evident that BD and everyone who worked on this farm nurtured the land, working by hand, carefully planting, weeding, thinning, pruning, transplanting and picking— and

48 | EDIBLE SANTA BARBARA FALL 2021

Pascale Beale

that the land, in turn, nurtured them. I felt as though I was watching a dance, a symbiotic relationship between those who tended the fields and the land that fed them and, in turn, fed us.

I wondered if this was not a good metaphor for life in general and for all of us. Is our need to nurture the land and coax from it an abundance of life similar to the need of people to tend and nurture each other?

Albert Einstein once wrote, “Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.” One cannot help but wonder what nature had in mind over the past 18 months as we have, for the most part, retreated into a form of forced hibernation. This is not our natural state. Where once we would have gathered together, we have, for more than a year, in varying degrees, practiced the art of self-containment. Our work lives have experienced a profound upheaval. Our homes, having been converted to hybrid work-living spaces, may remain that way as many companies migrate their work platforms to remote/parttime-in-the-office models. How then do we reconnect and feel comfortable in this new cycle of life?

At the time of writing this article, I have just returned from one of the first farmers markets that felt “normal,” or at least as close to normal as we can get these days. The market tables have returned to their former configurations, people (not all) are walking around unmasked, friends are gathering in groups and chatting, shouting out, “It’s so lovely to ‘see’ you!” People seemed less harried and less stressed with the prospect of being in a crowd, feeling out their level of comfort, akin to trying on a new set of clothes and seeing if you feel relaxed walking about it them.

It’s been an adjustment, but the underlying current was one of joy and the sentiment that “we can now get back to the business of being in our community” was tangible. People are eager to commune with one and other, as demonstrated by the plethora of pop-up al fresco dinners mushrooming all over the country, from simple farmyard gatherings and informal vineyard

EdibleSantaBarbara.com FALL 2021 | 49

picnics to more elaborate multi-course dinners with hundreds of guests in attendance.

If there is a hesitancy amongst some, it’s because in other parts of the country and around the world, communities are experiencing the same paralysis we lived through months ago, all of which upsets our natural equilibrium. So how have people coped? Many, myself included, have turned to gardening.

From the simplest potted herbs on a windowsill to digging up great patches of earth for Victory-style gardens with raised beds and veggies a plenty, gardening in all forms has exploded in the past year. There is a logical thread to this. In getting one’s hands stuck in the dirt, planting and nurturing our seedlings, we are physically and tangibly tied to the passage of time, to the vagaries of weather and the seasons. There is something inordinately satisfying about growing something, let alone eating your own produce.

My efforts have produced a mixed bag of results. My peach tree produced exactly one peach,— a beauty, but only one. The plumcot next to it is dripping with fruit. I have no idea why that is, well, maybe an inkling. I think I need to nurture my plants a little more, realizing that my laissez-faire attitude may not be conducive to an abundant harvest. I have friends with prodigious green thumbs who have fed their families from their fecund gardens. If there is one thing I have learnt, and appreciate all the more, it is just how much work goes into a well-tended vegetable patch, let alone a full-sized working farm.

Little wonder then that every year, come harvest time, farmers and their farmhands have gathered together to celebrate the season’s crops. For millennia, there have been harvest festivals with large family-style gatherings, foodladen trestle tables set up in barns, courtyards, fields and farmers’ homes. The festivities offer a small respite to the daily mountain of tasks that farmers face, knowing that the next day they’ll be back up at the crack of dawn to tend the land once more. I am, all the more so since my visit to BD’s extraordinary farm, filled with gratitude for their valiant efforts to bring this nourishment to the local population.

My small potted plants and minute herb garden will not feed the masses, or even my family, but I too will have a small dinner of gratitude to fete this season and the fact that we are, hopefully, emerging from this crisis.

Marcel Proust, known for waxing lyrical and at length about madeleines amongst other things, also wrote, “Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.”

I cannot think of a more fitting tribute for the men and women who toil throughout the year bringing us sustenance, and reminding us how nature nurtured feeds us all.

50 | EDIBLE SANTA BARBARA FALL 2021

HARVEST MENU RECIPES

Plateau de Crudités (photo on page 49) A crudités platter is a large dish of raw vegetables, which can be left whole or sliced, diced and cut for your guests. They can also be spectacular. I love these dishes as there is something very festive about them with everyone choosing their favorite morsels. This is a lovely way to start a meal for a crowd, plus you can ask the extra hands to help prepare all the ingredients.

There’s no right or wrong way to do this so have fun laying them out on a board or tray. I like to serve this with a good mustard vinaigrette and perhaps some hummus alongside.

MAKES 8 SERVINGS

The following is a suggestion. Please use the best vegetables that are seasonally available to you. This will change throughout the year. Here is a suggested list. All the vegetables are carefully cleaned, then each prepared in the following manner.

1 cauliflower, florets separated 3 Persian cucumbers, cut into thin sticks Assorted radishes, some very thinly sliced, some quartered 1 head celery, cut into thin sticks 1 pound assorted multicolored carrots, peeled and thinly sliced in lengths 4 Baby Gem lettuces, quartered 1 pound cherry tomatoes 1 pound asparagus, stems trimmed

⁄

1 2 pound

⁄

1 2

snap peas, ends trimmed, sliced on a bias

pound green beans, steamed to just barely cooked

1 large zucchini, peeled into strips, each strip rolled up to form a cylinder 2 yellow/baby squash, peeled into strips, each strip rolled up to form a cylinder

Arrange the vegetables in an attractive pattern on a large platter or tray.

I usually start with the largest vegetables first and form a diagonal line across the platter, tucking in the other vegetables around the central line and working out towards the edge of the plate. Serve with the mustard vinaigrette.

FOR THE VINAIGRETTE 1 tablespoon nut mustard or Dijon mustard

⁄

1 4

cup olive oil

Zest and juice of 1 lemon 1 tablespoon pear champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar Pinch coarse sea salt 6 grinds of black pepper

In a small bowl, whisk together the vinaigrette ingredients to form a smooth emulsion.

Roast Chicken with Tarragon, Vegetables and Little Potatoes MAKES 8 SERVINGS Olive oil 2 large yellow onions, peeled and finely sliced 2 pounds small yellow or red potatoes, or fingerling potatoes 1 pound carrots, peeled and thinly sliced on a bias into

⁄

1 2 -inch-thick

pieces

1 pound squash or zucchini, peeled and sliced into

⁄

1 2 -inch-thick

2 chickens

pieces

⁄

(3 1 2 – 4

pounds each), organic if possible

6–7 tarragon sprigs 2 lemons, quartered Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400°F. Pour a little olive oil into a roasting pan that is large enough to hold the chickens and vegetables without crowding them too much. Add the sliced onions, potatoes, carrots and squash, and shake the pan backwards and forwards a few times to lightly coat the vegetables.

Nestle the chicken on top of the vegetables. Drizzle a little olive oil over the chicken. Sprinkle the tarragon over the chicken and the vegetables. Scatter a pinch of salt over the chicken and add 5–6 grinds of pepper. Squeeze the lemon quarters over the chicken, then insert the quarters into the chicken cavity.

Roast in the middle of the oven for 15 minutes and then lower the temperature to 375° and roast for a further 60–75 minutes. When the chicken is cooked, let it rest for 5–10 minutes before carving, Serve the chicken with the vegetables and some of the lovely pan juices that will be in the bottom of the pan.

EdibleSantaBarbara.com FALL 2021 | 51

52 | EDIBLE SANTA BARBARA FALL 2021

Stone Fruit Crumble I cannot think about the harvest season without thinking about a tasty crumble. My mother taught me to make apple crumbles as a child in London. The recipe was handed down to her by my father’s mother, Ilse. If ever there was a comforting dish, this is it. In those days we would go for great long walks across London’s parks, returning home with chilled fingers and toes and everything else in between. A hot cup of tea and a spoonful of crumble would instantly thaw us out. We would delight in the crumbles’ spices and buttery crust. Coastal California may not be as cold or damp, but the pleasure we derive from this dessert is undiminished. This version uses late-season stone fruit but can be made with apples and pears too.

MAKES 8 SERVINGS FOR THE FRUIT 2 pounds stone fruit, pitted and chopped Zest and juice of 1 lemon 1 teaspoon cinnamon

⁄

sugar

⁄

cup water

1 4 cup 1 3

ChocolateMaya.com 15 West Gutierrez Street • Santa Barbara, California 93101 Phone: (805) 965-5956

FOR THE CRUMBLE 10 ounces unbleached all-purpose flour 9 ounces butter, cut into little pieces

⁄

1 3

cup sugar

Sprinkling of additional cinnamon and sugar

Preheat oven to 400°F. Place all the fruit ingredients in a deep baking dish (at least 1½ inches deep and 9–10 inches in diameter) and toss to combine well.

To make the crumble, place the flour in a large bowl. Add 8 ounces of the butter and mix it with the flour, using the tips of your fingers, until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Don’t worry if you have little lumps of butter left—it should look like that! Add the sugar and mix to combine. Cover the fruit with the crumble mixture. Sprinkle a little extra cinnamon and sugar over the crumble. Dot the surface with the remaining butter. Bake in the center of the oven for 40 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve with vanilla ice cream or a dollop of crème fraiche, or both!

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 The Menu for All Seasons, Salade II, Les Fruits and Les Legumes. Visit her website and blog: The Market Table at PascalesKitchen.com.

FRESH

LOCAL Support Local!

We deliver directly to your door—the best our community has to offer: local organic produce, grass-fed meats, hormone-free poultry, local seafood, fresh baked pies and breads, cheeses, coffees, artisan food specialties created by local chefs and much more…

• Subscriptions start at just $22.50 • Delivery options include weekly or every other week • Freedom to suspend your delivery • Weekly billing • Various box sizes available • Gift Certificates available

Huge Variety of Local Foods!

www.PlowToPorch.com EdibleSantaBarbara.com FALL 2021 | 53

STE VEN BROWN

COLIN QUIRT

ROB HATHERILL

edible

SA NTA BARBA R A COUNT Y

SUPPORT LOC AL GUIDE Now more than ever, it’s important to seek out and support local businesses. Here is our guide of some of the current and past advertisers that we fully support and hope you will, too. Click on any of the websites for a direct link to get more information about what they offer and any updated hours of operation.

Farms & Ranches Winfield Farm 805 686-9312 www.WinfieldFarm.us Taste the magic of Winfield Mangalitsa! Mangalitsa ground pork (the real hamburger) and hickory-smoked bacon are now featured in the Larder Meat Company’s Larder Club meat box, delivered monthly throughout California (sign up at www.LarderMeatCo.com). You can also order through our Mangalitsa Market on the Winfield Farm website—please call first! Follow us on Facebook (WinfieldFarmBuellton), Twitter (@ WinfieldFarm.us) and Instagram (Winfield_Farm).

Food & Restaurants Bob’s Well Bread 550 Bell St., Los Alamos, CA 805 344-3000 2249 Baseline Ave., Ballard, CA 805 691-9549 www.BobsWellBread.com Now in two locations with convenient online ordering, Bob’s makes bread the old-fashioned way: handcrafted in small batches with the finest ingredients and baked to perfection in a custom-built stone-deck oven. Drop in to taste what visitors and journalists are raving about as “worth the drive” about—signature Pain au Levain, award-winning artisanal breads, croissants and specialty pastries. All-day menu of made-to-order breakfast, lunch and weekly special dishes. Indooroutdoor picturesque café. Los Alamos: Thu–Mon 7am–4pm. Ballard: Thu–Mon 8am–4pm. Café closes at 3pm. Closed Tue and Wed.

Chocolate Maya 15 W. Gutierrez St., Santa Barbara 805 965-5956 www.ChocolateMaya.com Chocolate Maya handmade chocolate confections: a variety of velvety truffles and chocolate-dipped temptations that are made from the highest-quality chocolate (Valrhona, Felchlin, Conexion, including small bean-to-bar artisans couverture) fresh local ingredients and exotic findings from their travels overseas. Covid-19 hours noon–4pm every day. Closed on Wednesday.

54 | EDIBLE SANTA BARBARA FALL 2021

Il Fustino

Renaud’s Patisserie & Bistro

La Arcada 1100 State St. San Roque Plaza, 3401 State St., Santa Barbara, 805 845-3521 www.ilFustino.com

3315 State St., Santa Barbara 805 569-2400 1324 State St., Santa Barbara 805 892-280 1187 Coast Village Rd., Montecito 805 324-4200 www.RenaudsBistro.com

Il Fustino is Santa Barbara’s first and finest olive oil and vinegar tasting room. Il Fustino purveys only the finest and freshest olive oils, all grown and milled in California. They also provide an unparalleled selection of artisan vinegars. San Roque Plaza: Open Mon–Sun 11am–5pm. La Arcada: Open Thu–Sun noon–4pm.

Olive Hill Farm 2901 Grand Ave., Los Olivos 805 693-0700 www.OliveHillFarm.com Specializing in local olive oils, flavored oils and balsamic vinegars as well as many locally produced food products. Olive oil and vinegar tastings with fresh local bread available. Open Thu–Mon 11am–5pm.

Pico 458 Bell St., Los Alamos 805 344-1122 www.PicoLosAlamos.com Located in the historic 1880 General Store, offering a casual dining experience with innovative cuisine made from locally sourced ingredients. The extensive wine list has earned a Wine Enthusiast “Top 100 Wine Restaurant” award two years running. Open Tue– Thu 3–9pm; Fri–Sat noon–10pm; Sun Burger Night noon–9pm.

Plow to Porch 805 895-7171 www.PlowToPorch.com Plow to Porch Organics is a local organic/pesticide-free produce and grocery delivery service to members who subscribe. They simplify the purchase of local fresh organic produce and other organic, local foods in order to inspire good nutrition, support local farmers, protect the environment and make eating healthy food fun!

Subscriptions start at $22.50.

Renaud’s is a bakery specializing in French pastries and French-style cakes, as well as a bistro offering an extensive menu for breakfast and lunch. Open Mon– Sat 7am–4pm; Sun 7am–3pm.

Wine & Beer Au Bon Climat 813 Anacapa St., Santa Barbara 805 963-7999 www.AuBonClimat.com The tasting room and the Jim Clendenen Wine Library are known for world-class Chardonnays and Pinots, yet other varietals are available. Jim Clendenen made wines of vision and character for over 30 years.

Amazing lineup of current releases and library wines on hand. Tasting room open Mon–Fri noon–6pm, Sat and Sun 11am–6pm. Outdoor wine tasting daily.

Reservations recommended.

Babi’s Beer Emporium 380 Bell St., Los Alamos 805 344-1911 www.BabisBeerEmporium.com Great beer. Impeccable selection. Great fun.

Adventurous beer drinkers can discover unique, hardto-find craft beers, ciders and special projects—on tap or in bottle. Stay to have a bite from Dim Sama’s menu.

Thu–Sat noon–7pm, Sun noon–6pm, Mon noon–4pm, Tue–Wed by appointment only.

Buttonwood Farm Winery 1500 Alamo Pintado Rd., Solvang 805 688-3032 www.ButtonwoodWinery.com Since 1983, the vineyard and its award-winning wines have been hand-raised and hand-crafted with the goal of environmental responsibility. The vineyard now

Specialty Retail

has 38,000 vines highlighted by Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Franc, along with small blocks of Semillon, Grenache Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Grenache, Syrah, Merlot, Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon. Tasting daily by appointment 11am–3:30pm.

Blue Sky Body Care 818 599-9119 www.BlueSkyBodyCare.com

Casa Dumetz

Hand-fashioned organics. Beyond soap, grey-water friendly, compostable packaging, fair-trade and handcrafted, yucca-based vegan.

388 Bell St., Los Alamos, 805 344-1900 www.CasaDumetzWines.com A boutique winery specializing in Rhône varietals crafted with premier Santa Barbara County fruit. Their wines are sold almost exclusively at their tasting room in historic Los Alamos and through their wine club.

Thu–Sat noon–7pm, Sun noon–6pm, Mon noon–4pm, Tue–Wed by appointment only.

ella & louie

805 691-9106 www.EllaAndLouie.com

Foxen Vineyard & Winery

C AROLE TOPALIAN

7600 Foxen Canyon Rd., Santa Maria 805 937-4251 www.FoxenVineyard.com The Foxen Boys’ winery and tasting room features Burgundian and Rhône-style wines. Visit the historic shack “Foxen 7200” for Italian and Bordeaux-style wines.

Picnic tables and scenic views at both locations. Open daily by reservation.

Lafond Winery Vineyard: 6855 Santa Rosa Rd., Buellton, 805 688-7921 Funk Zone: 111 Yanonali St., Santa Barbara, 805 845-2020 www.LafondWinery.com Lafond Winery & Vineyards is the sister label to neighbor Santa Barbara Winery. With the first grapes belonging to Lafond Vineyards being planting in 1962, owner Pierre Lafond established the first commercial winery in Santa Barbara County. The Lafond label specializes in Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Syrah. Visit the Funk Zone tasting room Sun–Thu 10am–6pm, Fri–Sat 10am–7pm or the vineyard in the Sta. Rita Hills 10am–5pm daily.

Margerum & Barden Tasting Room at the Hotel Californian, corner Winery Tasting Room, 59 Industrial Way, Buellton; 805 686-8500 www.MargerumWines.com Enjoy wine tasting, order from their menu, and stock up on provisions at the combined Margerum and Barden Tasting Room across the street from Hotel Californian in the Santa Barbara Funk Zone. Indoor and outdoor patio seating, with an indoor mezzanine that can host private events. Handcrafted Rhône varietal wines from Margerum Estate Vineyard and from grapes grown at top Santa Barbara County vineyards. All complemented with a simple fare menu—cheese and charcuterie, pizzas, paninis, salads and other foods to complement the wine. The winery in Buellton is open by appointment for wine tasting and winery tours.

Refugio Ranch Wines 2990 Grand Ave., Los Olivos 805 697-5289 www.RefugioRanch.com Refugio Ranch is a 415-acre former cattle ranch nestled into the Santa Ynez mountains. The 28 acres of vineyards are farmed and harvested by hand, with a focus on low yields and concentration of fruit. Visit the tasting room in Los Olivos—a converted early-1900s warehouse now home to two tasting bars, a VIP lounge and an expansive outdoor deck.

Roblar Winery and Vineyards 3010 Roblar Ave., Santa Ynez 805 686-2603 www.RoblarWinery.com

Floral designer Tracey Morris has two great loves: flowers and people. Relying on more than 25 years of design experience, Morris helps clients celebrate their big occasions with exquisite and expressive floral arrangements. Ella & Louie produces a range of looks from classic elegant designs or brightly colored flower crowns to unusual yet stylish. Local delivery.

Professional Services American Riviera Bank 525 San Ysidro Rd., Montecito, 805-335-8110 www.AmericanRivieraBank.com 1033 Anacapa St., Santa Barbara 805 965-5942 www.AmericanRivieraBank.com

Located in an oak-studded 40-acre vineyard in the heart of Santa Barbara County, Roblar Winery and Vineyards reflects the spirit of Santa Ynez Valley—rustic, authentic and bold. They showcase the variety and beauty that Santa Ynez has to offer, with a diverse lineup of delicious wines, a menu of truly farm-to-table, locally sourced foods and their fantastic estate-driven experiences.

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. Montecito branch open Mon–Thu 9am–5pm; Fri 9am–5:30pm. Santa Barbara branch open Mon–Thu 8am–5pm, Fri 8am–6pm.

Santa Barbara Winery

Blue Sky Biochar

202 Anacapa St., Santa Barbara 805 963-3633 www.SBWinery.com

818 599-9119 www.BlueSkyBiochar.com

Santa Barbara Winery is the oldest winery in Santa Barbara County. Established in 1962, Pierre Lafond pioneered the commercial vineyard business under the Santa Barbara Winery label in the Sta. Rita Hills. The winery and tasting room is located in Santa Barbara’s Funk Zone and is one of the only fully operating wineries of its kind in the urban district. Tasting room open Sun–Thu 10am–6pm, Fri–Sat 10am–7pm.

Taste of Sta. Rita Hills 2923 Grand Ave., Los Olivos, 805 688-1900 www.TasteOfStaRitaHills.com Taste of Sta. Rita Hills is the go-to store for unique Sta. Rita Hills and Central Coast wines, featuring hard-tofind wines by Sea Smoke, Paul Lato, Bonaccorsi and many others. They offer some of the best Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from the Central Coast.

Zaca Mesa Winery 6905 Foxen Canyon Rd., Los Olivos 805 688-9339 www.ZacaMesa.com Since 1973, Zaca Mesa Winery has crafted distinctive wines from their unique mesa-top vineyard. As an early pioneer of the region, they now have 150 acres planted, specializing in the production of estate-grown Rhône-style wines. Tasting room and picnic area open daily 10am–4pm. Call for more information on winery tours and private event space.

Garden and landscape design, edible gardens, living soil, food forests.

SBCC Foundation 805 730-4401 www.SBCCFoundation.org The SBCC Foundation was established in 1976 to provide Santa Barbara City College with private philanthropic support. The foundation acts in partnership with the college and bridges the gap between available public funding and institutional need, as determined by the college leadership. The SBCC Foundation provides more than $4 million annually for student success programs, scholarships, book grants and other critical needs of the college in order to support SBCC students as they prepare for careers, transfer to fouryear universities and pursue lifelong learning goals.

SEEAG 805 901-0213 www.seeagSEEAG.org Since 2008, the nonprofit SEEAG (Students for EcoEducation & Agriculture) has impacted the lives of over 60,000 students, offering a variety of agricultural education programs free of charge, including the annual Santa Barbara County Farm Day, held this year on September 18. Their mission is to educate students and the greater community about the farm origins of our food and agriculture’s contribution to our nutritional well-being.

EdibleSantaBarbara.com FALL 2021 | 55

AS

T

THE

L

Shakshuka

at Field + Fort’s Feast

Fall’s

Don’t-Miss Dish Words and photos by Liz Dodder

Shakshuka is one of my favorite dishes to find

on a breakfast menu: spicy roasted peppers and tomatoes with eggs poached right in the sauce. It’s usually served in a skillet with some fresh toppings, along with bread for dipping.

Shakshuka’s origins are Northeast African with variations found throughout the Middle East. Now, with Chef Austin Moore at the helm at the Feast café at Field + Fort in Summerland, we can have Shakshuka California-style (topped with avocado and feta), made with local Santa Barbara County peppers and tomatoes, lasting through fall and later.

This delightful furniture and décor shop opened in 2019 on the main drag in Summerland, with a small café in the back corner. The idea started out as a tea and coffee spot, but has turned into a breakfast, lunch and dinner-to-go destination, thanks to Moore and his interesting menu.

“Creating Mediterranean flavors and seeking out local and organic produce is just second nature to me,” says Moore, who grew up with a mom who was also a chef in the Santa Barbara area. He then left home for Portland and flourished in the food scene there (his ramen was named one of Portland’s top 10 new food carts) before returning to Santa Barbara County after 13 years.

He loves to blend the exotic with the familiar: California comfort food meets the East. Produce is mainly sourced from local farms: Catlin Ranch, Hilltop and Canyon Farms in Carpinteria and Earthtrine Farm in Ojai. Tomatoes come from Shepherd Farms in summer and early fall. Moore extends those summer tomatoes by canning fresh.

To make Moore’s California shakshuka, char locally available peppers over an open flame. Use a grill or a gas burner; hold the pepper over the flame until blackened, then turn to char the other side. (Or, use the oven broiler to char each side.) Let cool, then peel.

Blanch tomatoes quickly, then peel. Combine whole tomatoes and peppers, diced onion and garlic, plus dried ancho chiles in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring, about 10 minutes, then blend roughly (immersion blender is easiest, but any blender on low works).

Place sauce in an individual cast-iron skillet and mix in paprika, cumin, coriander and salt and pepper to taste. Make a hole in the sauce with a wooden spoon, and crack an egg into the hole. Cook in the oven at 450° for 10 minutes, or until egg is done.

(Or, fry an egg to place atop.) Top with avocado, feta, an herb mix of parsley, cilantro, tarragon, mint and dill, then serve with griddled bread.

Liz Dodder is a drinker, eater and traveler who has eaten five kinds of foie gras in one day. She’s also a blogger, writer, photographer, recipe developer, web designer, social media maven and Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW). www.CaliCoastWineCountry.com

56 | EDIBLE SANTA BARBARA FALL 2021

edible

Spring 2009 / Number 1

SANTA BARBARA Celebrating the Food Culture of Santa Barbara County

edible

Summer 2009 / Number 2

SANTA BARBARA

Celebrating the Food Culture of Santa Barbara County

edible

Fall 2009 / Number 3

SANTA BARBARA Celebrating the Food Culture of Santa Barbara County

edible

Winter 2009 / Number 4

SANTA BARBARA Celebrating the Food Culture of Santa Barbara County

edible

ISSUE FIVE • SPRING 2010

SANTA BARBARA

edible

SANTA BARBARA

Celebrating the Food Culture of Santa Barbara County

Celebrating the Food Culture of Santa Barbara County

Sustainable Seafood Fairview Gardens A Culinary Journey The Pod Squad Whitcraft Winery

Heirloom Heaven Abalone Palmina Winery The Hidden Promise of Suburbia Food from the Hearth

Local Honeybees Culinary Bootcamp Edible Landscape Thanksgiving Santa Barbara Channel Seafood

Chocolate: From Cacao Bean to Confection Salmon A Seasonal Stew Endless Pastabilities

Eggs Backyard Chickens Beekeeping Salt: The Essential Ingredient Artichokes Community-Supported Agriculture

Member of Edible Communities

Member of Edible Communities

Member of Edible Communities

Member of Edible Communities

MEMBER OF EDIBLE COMMUNITIES

ISSUE SIX • SUMMER 2010

Wine Caves: Down to Earth Stone Fruit Recycling Edible Flowers MEMBER OF EDIBLE COMMUNITIES

edible

edible

ISSUE SEVEN • FALL 2010

ISSUE 8 • WINTER 2010 MEMBER OF EDIBLE COMMUNITIES

SANTA BARBARA

SANTA BARBARA

Celebrating the Food Culture of Santa Barbara County

Celebrating the Food and Wine Culture of Santa Barbara County

edible

ISSUE 9 • SPRING 2011 MEMBER OF EDIBLE COMMUNITIES

SANTA BARBARA

Celebrating the Food and Wine Culture of Santa Barbara County

edible

ISSUE 10 • SUMMER 2011 MEMBER OF EDIBLE COMMUNITIES

SANTA BARBARA Celebrating the Food and Wine Culture of Santa Barbara County

edible

edible

ISSUE 11 • FALL 2011 MEMBER OF EDIBLE COMMUNITIES

SANTA BARBARA Celebrating the Food and Wine Culture of Santa Barbara County

edible

ISSUE 12 • WINTER 2011 MEMBER OF EDIBLE COMMUNITIES

SANTA BARBARA Celebrating the Food and Wine Culture of Santa Barbara County

ISSUE 13 • SPRING 2012

Santa Barbara Celebrating the Local Food and Wine Culture of Santa Barbara County

Where’s the

An Interview with

One of TIME magazine’s “100 most influential people of 2010” talks to us about his garden, cooking and his upcoming lecture in Santa Barbara

Croissants!

edible

edible

ISSUE 14 • SUMMER 2012

Celebrating the Local Food and Wine Culture of Santa Barbara County

Celebrating the Local Food and Wine Culture of Santa Barbara County

Salt of the Sea Sorrel and Rhubarb The Rituals of a Meal

Almonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend

of the Harvest

Lompoc Wine Ghetto Culinary Lavender Pasta and Water

Pistachio Harvest La Huerta Mission Gardens Farmer to Table

Biodynamics

Nothing Like Chocolate The Lazy Gardener

edible

edible

ISSUE 16 • WINTER 2012

Santa Barbara Celebrating the Local Food and Wine Culture of Santa Barbara County

edible

ISSUE 17 • SPRING 2013

Santa Barbara Celebrating the Local Food and Wine Culture of Santa Barbara County

edible

ISSUE 18 • SUMMER 2013

Santa Barbara

Celebrating the Local Food and Wine Culture of Santa Barbara County

EAT DRINK

Eating in Los Alamos Market Walk with Patricia Perfect Picnics

Sauvignon Blanc Coffee: Grown in Goleta Eating Acorns

MEMBER OF EDIBLE COMMUNITIES

edible

edible

ISSUE 21 • SPRING 2014

Giannfranco’s Trattoria Culinary Inspirations Edible Mushrooms

For Love of Pinot The Art in Artisan Bread Zaca University

Santa Maria-Style Barbecue Lompoc Beans Ice Cream

Regenerative Earth Farms Aquaponics Exotic Edible Trees

MEMBER OF EDIBLE COMMUNITIES

MEMBER OF EDIBLE COMMUNITIES

MEMBER OF EDIBLE COMMUNITIES

MEMBER OF EDIBLE COMMUNITIES

Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara

Celebrating the Local Food and Wine Culture of Santa Barbara County

edible

ISSUE 22 • SUMMER 2014

Celebrating the Local Food and Wine Culture of Santa Barbara County

edible

ISSUE 23 • FALL 2014

Santa Barbara Celebrating the Local Food and Wine Culture of Santa Barbara County

edible

ISSUE 24 • WINTER 2014

Santa Barbara Celebrating the Local Food and Wine Culture of Santa Barbara County

Celebrating the Local Food and Wine Culture of Santa Barbara County

Guerilla Brewing and Feral Fermentation

WINE & BREAD ISSUE

MEMBER OF EDIBLE COMMUNITIES

Santa Barbara

ISSUE

COOKS ISSUE

Funk Zone

ISSUE 20 • WINTER 2013

LIVING BEER

LOCAL T HE BE L LY OF T HE

edible

ISSUE 19 • FALL 2013

Santa Barbara

Celebrating the Local Food and Wine Culture of Santa Barbara County

THE

Eating Daylilies

Diving for California Gold Fish on Friday Fisherman’s Market MEMBER OF EDIBLE COMMUNITIES

ISSUE 15 • FALL 2012

Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara

Unsung Heroes

Bob and Ellie Patterson’s Artisanal Gelato and Sorbet

Renaud’s Patisserie & Bistro

Wild Yeast Bread Profound Pairings A Passion for Spices

MEMBER OF EDIBLE COMMUNITIES

Winter Blossoms

Scoop?

Michael Pollan Grass-Fed Beef In the Kitchen with Bradley Ogden What the Kids Are Growing Canning Farmers Market

MEMBER OF EDIBLE COMMUNITIES

edible

ISSUE 25 • SPRING 2015

Santa Barbara

edible

ISSUE 26 • SUMMER 2015

Santa Barbara

Celebrating the Local Food and Wine Culture of Santa Barbara County

The COOKS Issue

Celebrating the Local Food and Wine Culture of Santa Barbara County

ISSUE 27 • FALL 2015

Santa Barbara Celebrating the Local Food and Wine Culture of Santa Barbara County

EAT DRINK

LOCAL ISSUE EAT DRINK

5 YEAR

LOCAL

Anniversary Issue

The New Solvang The Thrill of the Grill All Aboard to Carpinteria

MEMBER OF EDIBLE COMMUNITIES

MEMBER OF EDIBLE COMMUNITIES

edible

The COOKS Issue

ISSUE

The Art of Small Farming Tending Henry The Perfect Salad

The Season for Persimmons Eating Lotus Santa Maria Agriculture

Fine Chocolate Solvang’s Kringle and Crown Do Your Kids Cook?

MEMBER OF EDIBLE COMMUNITIES

ISSUE 28 • WINTER 2015

edible

ISSUE 29 • SPRING 2016

Celebrating the Local Food and Wine Culture of Santa Barbara County

Celebrating the Local Food and Wine Culture of Santa Barbara County

Gaviota Wine Without Water Home Off The Range Grunion

The Shrimping Life Unleashing the Yeast Savoring Wildlands

E AT • D R I N K • R E A D • T H I N K

E AT • D R I N K • R E A D • T H I N K

E AT • D R I N K • R E A D • T H I N K

edible

ISSUE 30 • SUMMER 2016

Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara

Strawberries: A Love Story The Pig Next Door Decorative Eggs

MEMBER OF EDIBLE COMMUNITIES

edible

ISSUE 31 • FALL 2016

Santa Barbara Celebrating the Local Food and Wine Culture of Santa Barbara County

edible

ISSUE 32 • WINTER 2017

Santa Barbara

Celebrating the Local Food & Wine Culture of Santa Barbara County

edible

ISSUE 33 • SPRING 2017

Santa Barbara

Celebrating the Local Food & Wine Culture of Santa Barbara County

ISSUE 34 • SUMMER 2017

Santa Barbara

Celebrating the Local Food & Wine Culture of Santa Barbara County

Harvest

& Holiday ISSUE

The

Building

Issue

Communities

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY

Farm

ISSUE

Food

COOKS

GUIDE

SPECIAL INSERT

Interwoven: Santa Maria In Search of Masa Chef Justin West

The Tiny Mess A Big Taste of a Small Town No Cider House Rules

Santa Maria AVA The Channel Islands Eyes On Hives Girls Inc.

The Papaya Man Santa Ynez AVA Cottage Industry

The Fervor for Fermentation Year of the Rooster The Apiary

A Passion for Peaches Happy Canyon AVA The Beer Trail

E AT • D R I N K • R E A D • T H I N K

E AT • D R I N K • R E A D • T H I N K

L O YA L T O L O C A L

L O YA L T O L O C A L

L O YA L T O L O C A L

L O YA L T O L O C A L

edible

edible

ISSUE 35 • FALL 2017

Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara

Celebrating the Local Food & Wine Culture of Santa Barbara County

Celebrating the Local Food & Wine Culture of Santa Barbara County

Harvest & Holiday

Bringing the Homestead

ISSUE

edible

ISSUE 36 • WINTER 18

edible

ISSUE 37 • SPRING 18

Santa Barbara

Celebrating the Local Food & Wine Culture of Santa Barbara County

Santa Barbara

Celebrating the Local Food & Wine Culture of Santa Barbara County

ISSUE

S anta B arbara Santa Barbara

Celebrating the Local Food & Wine Culture of Santa Barbara County

Ten Glasses C el eb r a t i n g Ten Yea r s

Renewal and Rebuilding

Renewal and Rebuilding

Cookbooks: Culinary Journeys Teach Kids to Cook Blue Sky Center in Cuyama

A Love Letter to Los Olivos From Grape to Great Winemaking Takes a Journey

Barbara County in this Issue A Love LetterSanta to Los Olivos From Grape Farm to GreatGuide Winemaking Takes a Journey

L O YA L T O L O C A L

L O YA L T O L O C A L

L O YA L T O L O C A L

L O YA L T O L O C A L L O YA L T O L O C A L

edible

ISSUE 43 • FALL 2019

Santa Barbara

Celebrating the Local Food & Wine Culture of Santa Barbara County

edible

Harvest & Holiday ISSUE

Urchin

A Sicilian Christmas Reverie Loyal to the Soil Fairview Gardens

Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara

Celebrating the Local Food & Wine Culture of Santa Barbara County

ISSUE ISSUE 40 41 •• WINTER SPRING 2019

Wine Issue

Local Sea

Celebrating the Local Food & Wine Culture of Santa Barbara County

Santa Barbara

Celebrating the Local Food & Wine Culture of Santa Barbara County

edible

ISSUE 40 • WINTER 2019

ISSUE

In Search of

ISSUE 42 • SUMMER 2019

edible

ISSUE ISSUE 37 39 •• SPRING FALL 2018 18

The

Home

edible

edible

• SPRING ISSUE ISSUE 38 •37 SUMMER 2018 18

ISSUE 44 • WINTER 2020

Santa Barbara & Wine Country

Heirloom Green Corn Frittata and Her Cousins Earth to Table Mistaken Identity

Funghi e la Cucina Italiana Talking Shiitake Jetsetter of the Vines Comfort Food

L O YA L T O L O C A L

edible

ISSUE 45 • SUMMER/FALL 2020

Santa Barbara & Wine Country

edible

T E N

A N N I V E R S A R Y

/

L O Y A L

T O

edible

ISSUE 46 • WINTER 2020 –21

Santa Barbara & Wine Country

Y E A R

L O C A L

T E N

& Wine Country

Y E A R

L A T OR LYO C/A L L O Y A L A N N I VL O E YA R S

T O

L O C A L

edible

ISSUE 47 • SUMMER 2021

Santa Barbara

®

Heirloom Green Corn Frittata and Her Cousins Earth to Table Mistaken Identity

ISSUE 48 • FALL 2021

Santa Barbara & Wine Country

®

The

Sustainability Issue

Meyer Lemon Tart at the Stonehouse

Wishful Recycling Wine Trailblazers A Beer in Every Kitchen Noey Turk T E N

Y E A R

A N N I V E R S A R Y

/

L O Y A L

T O

L O C A L

Nourish & Nurture

Cooks

San Ysidro Ranch

Issue

I S SUE

I Sea Olives Drinking the Landscape Everything But the Bird Dry Hopped Wine T E N

Y E A R

A N N I V E R S A R Y

/

L O Y A L

T O

L O C A L

Julia Child in Santa Barbara A Trio of Chef Memories Demystifying the Sommelier L O Y A L

T O

L O C A L

Julia Child in Santa Barbara A Trio of Chef Memories Demystifying the Sommelier LOYAL

TO

LOCAL

Gather. Nurture. Feed. Repeat. From Garden to Breadboard Baking Bread with Wild Yeast A Taste of Macedonia in Los Alamos Building a Better Meat System L O Y A L

T O

L O C A L

Sustainability & Wine

Finding Solutions to Food Waste

Rosé: Life Seen Through Pink Colored Glasses L O YA L

T O

The Birds & The Beef Day Trippin’

L O C A L

12 Years… Thank you, Santa Barbara County for all your support!

If you would like to be in our Winter 2021–22 issue, please email us at ads@EdibleSantaBarbara.com

Purple Urchin Pearl Munak Rethinking Hunger The Sea Cellar Nurturing Nature Food Security and Cooking from Scratch Nine New Santa Barbara County Wines L O YA L

T O

L O C A L

T h e O l d e s t C o m m e r c i a l W i n e ry i n S a n ta B a r b a r a C o u n t y F A M I L Y O W N E D & O P E R AT E D S I N C E 19 6 2

Lafond Winery & Vine yards

Santa Barbara Winery

J O I N U S T H I S S E A S O N AT O U R N E W S A N TA B A R B A R A W I N E R Y TA S T I N G R O O M L O C AT I O N AT

2 8 A N A C A PA S T R E E T S A N TA B A R B A R A F U N K Z O N E We’d like to extend our sincere gratitude for the support & friendship of the Santa Barbara community & our loyal W ine Club members over the years.

We are honored to be part of this special community!

S A N TA B A R B A R A W I N E RY S A N TA B A R B A R A F U N K Z O N E TA S T I N G R O O M & W I N E R Y 2 8 A N A C A PA S T R E E T, S A N TA B A R B A R A | 8 0 5 . 9 6 3 . 3 6 3 3 W W W . S B W I N E R Y. C O M

L A F O N D W I N E RY & V I N E YA R D S W I N E R Y & V I N E YA R D S I N S TA . R I TA H I L L S 6 8 5 5 S A N TA R O S A R O A D , B U E L LT O N | 8 0 5 . 6 8 8 . 7 9 2 1 W W W . L A F O N D W I N E R Y. C O M