Edible Santa Barbara Winter 2025

Tasting daily at the Margerum Tasting Rooms Hotel Californian, 19 East Mason, Santa Barbara and 2446 Alamo Pintado Ave., Los Olivos

Salad with Orange Marmalade Vinaigrette by Jane Chapman

Bouchon

edible

FEATURES

24 Local Non-Alcoholic Beverages to Enjoy All Year by Hana-Lee Sedgwick

28 New Space for the Saturday

Santa Barbara Farmers Market

A Conversation with Sam Edelman by Jennifer LeMay

34 The Pleasure of Gatherings

An Ode to the Love of Communing with Friends by Pascale Beale

40 An Expression of the Heart

Sean Fennel Finds his Calling at Sunburst Sanctuary by Jamie Edlin

44 Farewell to Huskalow

A Love Letter by Janice Cook Knight

50 Judy Adams

The Quiet Renegade by Sonja Magdevski

23

RECIPES IN THIS ISSUE

Condiments

18 Lemon Lime Curd

Soups and Salads

20 Chicory Salad with Orange Marmalade Vinaigrette

49 Kale and Sausage Soup with Garlic, Ginger and Tomato

Side Dishes and Main Dishes

16 Sautéed Curly Mustard Greens

35 Roasted Celeriac ‘Steaks’ with Sauté of Wild Mushrooms

38 Slow Roasted Salmon and Pistachio Dukkah with Warm Spinach and Potatoes

Desserts

49 Chocolate Coconut Pots de Crème 37 Orange Almond Yogurt Cake Drinks 23 Hibiscus Tonic Concoction

Cover photograph by Danielle Rubi

Unforgettable Serve

Aged even more Aged

Made with care

Crafted in Spain

THE EXCELLENCE OF EUROPEAN D.O. CAVA AND JAMÓN CONSORCIOSERRANO

Crafted in Spain, perfected by time

In a world that often prioritizes speed over substance, there remains proof that good things, and excellent taste, take time. D.O. Cava and Jamón ConsorcioSerrano are two such treasures, each representing a unique blend of Spanish tradition and taste created with time and perfected over centuries.

Cava has earned its place among the world’s finest sparkling wines, yet it remains wonderfully versatile. Whether paired with a simple salad, a casual meal or a celebratory toast, Cava brings a touch of elegance to every occasion. What makes Cava de Guarda Superior unique is that it is produced using the traditional method where secondary fermentation occurs in the bottle.

This meticulous process, lasting a minimum of 18 months, is carefully overseen by the D.O. Cava regulatory body, ensuring that each bottle upholds the highest standards of quality and authenticity. Made from organic vineyards that are over 10 years old, Cava de Guarda Superior reveals its craftsmanship with every pour. As the delicate, harmonious bubbles rise to the surface, you can truly appreciate the time and care it took to perfect them!

Similarly, Jamón ConsorcioSerrano is more than just a drycured ham. This exquisite product is made using traditional curing

methods which takes a minimum of 12 months to deliver a delicate and rich flavor. Each production is upheld to the rigorous standards of the Consorcio del Jamón Serrano Español, which ensures that every piece of Jamón ConsorcioSerrano bearing the seal is of exceptional quality. Like Cava, Jamón ConsorcioSerrano is not merely an accompaniment to festive tables; it is a versatile delight that can elevate everyday meals with its complex flavors and delicate texture.

Both Cava and Jamón ConsorcioSerrano are perfect examples of how time-honored craftsmanship, underpinned by the European Union’s commitment to quality and tradition, creates products that are unmatched in their category. They are not just crafted in Spain; they are perfected by time, offering a taste of excellence that is both accessible and extraordinary. Whether enjoyed on a special occasion or as part of your daily life, Cava and Jamón ConsorcioSerrano bring the best of Europe to your table.

Learn more on our website

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

There’s a saying in musical theater circles that when the emotion becomes too strong for speech, you sing. And when it becomes too strong for song, you dance. This might be a stretch, but perhaps when the emotion is too strong to express it in an article, you write a love letter. And when it becomes too strong for a love letter, you write a poem. The articles in this issue are just those kinds of expressions from the heart.

If there’s anything I love more than musical theater, it’s poetry and love letters. I’m thinking of the first College of Creative Studies poetry class I took from Robyn Bell during my first year at UCSB. And then years later when I picked up a copy of Griffin & Sabine: An Extraordinary Correspondence at Chaucer’s. Even more years later, when I started Edible Santa Barbara, I asked our contributors to write about what they were passionate about. It’s not difficult for me to see the connection that writing from the heart is what makes so many of the essays in this magazine resonate with our readers. So, when Rosminah suggested “Love Letters” as the theme for this issue, I felt a sense of coming full circle. The intersection of food, community, love and expression—it’s all here. I hope the articles, recipes and love in this issue warm your heart this winter.

Krista Harris, Co-founder and Associate Publisher

It’s 2025 and according to the calendar we are in the throes of winter in Santa Barbara County. While we normally experience a winter that’s more like springtime due to the Mediterranean climate and maritime influence, we have received little rain to start the growth cycle. Our neighbors in Southern California have taken the brunt of intense Santa Ana winds alongside a dry, parched landscape, creating an unstoppable force that has been devastating to so many. Until that rain comes, we are all still at risk of more wildfires. Please keep reaching out to others. Ask them, “are you OK?" And ask yourself, “am I OK?"

Between the state of world affairs, the daily news and this dark winter, we can—and should—find things to look forward to. It is OK to allow ourselves a few indulgences and kind thoughts, while also providing them to our friends and neighbors, especially those to the south right now.

This Winter issue is about love letters—what it means to show we care and how we choose to say it. Krista has reminded me that I, too, once had all the Griffin & Sabine books on my shelves and there was a quiet joy in opening each letter between the corresponding characters as they wrote their way through the barriers of time and space to find connection. This issue highlights the people and places around our county to whom Edible Santa Barbara’s contributors show their fondness and share that experience in their writing. I hope that you will do the same in your own creative ways. The act of connection goes far.

The Saturday farmers market now on State and Carrillo streets in downtown Santa Barbara has become a social hub and I encourage you to visit it, or the one nearest you. It is far from dormant, and bursting with people and produce.

Rosminah Brown, Owner / Publisher

Email us at info@EdibleSantaBarbara.com and visit our website at www.EdibleSantaBarbara.com

Edible Communities

James Beard Foundation Publication of the Year (2011)

OWNER/PUBLISHERS

Rosminah Brown

Rob Bilson

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER

Krista Harris

RECIPE EDITOR

Nancy Oster

COPY EDITING & PROOFING

Doug Adrianson

DESIGNER

Freeman Design Group

SOCIAL MEDIA

Liz Dodder

Jill Johnson

WEBSITE

Rob Bilson

CONTRIBUTORS

Pascale Beale

Rob Bilson

Rosminah Brown

Jane Chapman

Janice Cook Knight

Liz Dodder

Jamie Edlin

Krista Harris

Jennifer LeMay

Sonja Magdevski

Hana-Lee Sedgwick

Carole Topalian

George Yatchisin.

ADVERTISING ads@ediblesantabarbara.com

Edible Santa Barbara® is published quarterly by Brown Ink Media, LLC and distributed throughout Santa Barbara County. 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.

ROB B LSON

The SBCC Promise

The SBCC Promise has provided more than 7,000 local high school graduates with the opportunity to pursue their dreams at Santa Barbara City College.

Launched in 2016, the SBCC Promise covers all required fees, books, and supplies for two years, and is funded entirely by private donations.

“I am excited to be working in the culinary world, and thankful for the education I received at SBCC.” Your gift makes it possible.

– Ava Engle, SBCC Promise Alum

Ava Engle participated in the SBCC Promise for two years and graduated with an associate degree in Culinary Arts in 2021. She now works as a cook at Oracle’s world headquarters in Austin, TX.

sbccfoundation.org

small Bites

The Lost Art of Love Letters Connection Through

Correspondence

WORDS AND PHOTOS BY Rosminah Brown

Tucked inside the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum at the Harbor off Shoreline Drive is a treasure trove of historical artifacts, displays and activities oceanic explorers of all ages can enjoy. This includes the original Fresnel glass of the lighthouse at Point Conception, a full-size tomol (plank canoe) like the Chumash used to paddle out towards the Channel Islands for fishing, and a functioning periscope to peek out of the building over to the breakwater.

Among the interactive displays is a nook labeled the Lost Art of Love Letters. Here, visitors can pick up a packet containing postcards they can color or write thoughts, and the Maritime Museum will mail them off. It’s part of a Public Art Engagement Project created by educator and artist Sondra Weiss. While her inspirational letter-writing is currently headquartered at the Maritime Museum, her message is meant to resonate with anyone looking to share and connect. In fact, her words provided the inspiration for this Winter issue of Edible Santa Barbara.

“Take a moment to creatively reflect on who or what touches your heart and send it off, so others can feel it too.”

When I first met Sondra Weiss, she was at Alice Keck Memorial Gardens near downtown Santa Barbara. She had set up a little table overflowing with cards, paper, pens, crayons and assorted crafting material. No, wait, I take that back. I had met Sondra numerous times throughout the years, passing by in social circles and at art events. The thing about this town, and every small town, is that we aren’t just six degrees of separation from anyone else; it is closer to one degree. All it takes is a meaningful moment for these intersecting circles to align. This time at the Memorial Gardens was the first time we truly met. We sat with each other, worked on creating letters together with colored pencils and collage, then parted as friends.

Today we sit together outside the Maritime Museum, on the front patio of Dart Coffee Company. The view of the Santa Barbara Harbor is stunning, with bright blue calm waters and an equally dazzling blue winter sky and strikingly white clouds. We sip our coffee, watch people walk by, and observe a duo of upright paddleboarders slip through the water. She shows me her latest postcards, which are line drawings of waves and a whale—which beckons for an additional spark of creativity to bring it to life.

Sondra Weiss revives the art of letter writing.

Sondra draws much of her inspiration from her love of the ocean, and the beauty and balance it provides. She is drawn to the Pacific, through surfing, diving and sailing. Citing the 1980s campaign to “Save the Whales,” she realized how important it was to create a lasting relationship between ourselves and the things around us. With connection and familiarity comes comfort and attachment. Those feelings can be used for good. In a pivotal moment, she decided to encourage people to write letters for education and awareness of our ocean resources.

“People protect what they love,” says Sondra as she guides me through the Museum. Her work has taken her to conferences around the world, photographed side by side with members of the Cousteau family or, closer to home, fundraising with Jack Johnson’s Ohana Charitable Foundation and Heal the Ocean. Her work falls under the umbrella of the nonprofit Abundant Earth Foundation, and donations help buy her letter writing supplies, including postage stamps.

Any convenient spot where she can set up her table, a stack of postcards, crafting supplies and a friendly mailbox is an invitation to take a break, have a seat and write a letter to anyone you think could use one. During the height of the winter holidays, especially, she encourages others to send a kind word to people who might feel alone and could use extra words of comfort.

Back at the Maritime Museum, we head up to the fourth floor and step into the Outdoor Santa Barbara Visitor Center. For a local, there may appear to be little reason to make the trek up the elevator, but Sondra has divulged one of the Marina’s hidden gems: the balcony of the Visitor Center offers a dazzling bird’s eye view of the breakwater and far up the coastline, and any member of the public can access it. Don’t let this be a perk solely for tourists. Go there, take in the view, and remind yourself that this is one of the many spectacular reasons we love Santa Barbara. Then tell a friend.

Sondra and I send each other pictures of tacos and plants; it is one of our many love languages. We keep talking about the day we will sit down and write love letters to our favorite taquerias in town.

Rosminah Brown is a Santa Barbara native who types fast and eats slow. She once jumped in the Neptune Pool at Hearst’s Castle. She is always seeking a perfect, singular, exquisite bite of food. Edible Santa Barbara is a love letter to her hometown.

Above: The act of connection goes far. Right: Stunning Fresnel glass. Below: Sondra's postcards await your special touch.

small Bites

Slow Food, Fast Poems

Finding the Write Words at the Farmers

Market

by Annelise Kelly

Their poetry is part of the nourishment that is the currency of a farmers market: a creative exchange, food for the spirit and the soul.

When the beautiful bounty of the farmers market weighs you down, when you haven’t room in your bag for another bundle of parsley or basket of berries, there’s one more stop. Visit the typewriter poets and collaborate on an original hand-crafted literary creation that may actually lighten your load. Witness it composed on the spot on a vintage manual typewriter, and add embellishments (washi tape, stickers) to complete the tiny, colorful, mixedmedia manuscript. Carry on, uplifted.

Simon Kiefer, a retired city planner, began by typing love letters on State Street after 2020. It started out an intense oneon-one process—deeply satisfying but time-consuming. He shifted to poetry, recognizing that while his format changed, “these are impromptu poems that, nearly every one of them, is about the subject of love. It can be the love for a partner or a parent or a child or a dog, but they’re all about this notion of love. Even when the poem is for the [requesting] person themself, it’s an aspect of love—it’s people looking for confirmation or affirmation or assurance that they’re gonna be OK.”

Soon, his wife joined him behind the folding table at the Tuesday farmers market. Karenina Manpearl, a labor and delivery nurse at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, met Simon contra dancing in 2006. She recalls “it was an act of love, Simon inviting me to type poetry with him, because I was having such a hard time after my dad died. My experience of writing the poems is similar to my experience of nursing, and to my experience of contra dancing. I feel like I am beaming the person in front of me with love, like I’m calling on the muse to speak through us, to make whatever people need come through us. When I’m contra dancing, I’m often beaming people with love. As a nurse, it’s what I do. Like, ‘How can I just love and support this person with what they need?’”

For Simon, the process “is an exercise in paying attention.” People tell him what they want in their poems, “but I’m also getting visual cues about how they present themselves in the world. You can read all sorts of things nonverbally. I pay attention to all of that, and then I just get my ego out of the way and I let the words flow based on what I’m hearing and seeing. My goal is for them to be seen, to feel that I’ve really witnessed them.”

Their poetry is part of the nourishment that is the currency of a farmers market: a creative exchange, food for the spirit and the soul. “We are locally grown,” says Karenina. “We produce it in front of us, in front of the buyer. It is organic.” Their promise of “no AI” parallels the “no GMO” on their neighbors’ signs.

Another link with the edible wares of the farmers market: “We have in good confidence learned that most of our poems live on refrigerators around town,” says Karenina. “Yes!” Simon laughs. “Folks are shopping at the market for things that go on the inside and outside of their refrigerators. One time I actually wrote a poem about someone’s love FOR their refrigerator.”

Once a week, on vintage typewriters, they cultivate connection, creativity and love, “so nourishing to people and so needed in our digital age,” says Karenina.

Find Simon Kiefer and Karenina Manpearl at the Downtown Santa Barbara Farmers Market on Tuesdays and occasionally on Saturdays. You can also hire them for events such as weddings, birthdays and retirement parties.

Annelise Kelly is an LA native who traded California sunshine for Oregon rain, but feels blessed to visit friends and family in Santa Barbara. She always flies home with a checked bag full of citrus and avocados, and maybe a bottle of wine.

Karenina Manpearl and Simon Kiefer at the Tuesday farmers market.

ANNEL

SE KELLY

small Bites Recipes Are Love Letters

Share and connect through our love of food

WORDS AND PHOTOS BY Rosminah Brown

Ihave to give credit to modern times for introducing me to the concept of a love language. More specifically, defining love to encompass much more than romantic love. Your love language does not have to be words in a well-composed English sonnet, although it can be. It is how you express your care, concern and fondness. Your love language can be “I made this for you,” or “Let me know you got home OK,” or “Have something to eat.”

Asking for a recipe, or sharing one, is its own love language and the recipes themselves are love letters. Especially if it’s one passed down the generations.

My own grandmother made cookbooks in Hong Kong, and my mother put together a collection of her favorite Thanksgiving recipes many years ago to share with me and my brother. She’s currently working on translating some of her own mother’s recipes into versions that a Western home cook can re-create. My internal and highly biased poll indicates that people would really like to have some of these recipes when they’re available.

My point is, one can say, “I love you,” but the effort of making and sharing a recipe is an act of love in and of itself.

I started collecting recipes before I was 10 years old. I’m Generation X, after all, and although I much preferred a meal of hot dogs, simple mild cheese quesadillas or Chinese rice noodles with pale chicken bouillon broth, I had also memorized recipes of cookies from scratch, chicken stew with dumplings, and a signature guacamole. These resided in the Treasure Chest, in my case a book much like a scrapbook, where the index cards fit into plastic sheaths. My husband Rob’s mother handed down a box of recipes that is stitched with yarn to look like a stove top and is outrageously cute, but frustratingly disorganized.

casseroles have the ever-present and super-salty cream of mushroom soup, but they are so deeply ingrained into our memories and conditioning that we cannot help but feel the twinge of nostalgia at the thought of them. Are they the best versions out there? Probably not. Are they your favorite? Probably yes and it’s your opinion that matters.

OK, sure, many of these Recipes from the Elders did actually come from the back of box mixes, and so many

Nowadays, Rob and I still collect recipes, almost daily. But we do it on our little devices that are also our phones, cameras, weather stations, calendars and the entirety of human knowledge in one hand-held device. How amazing is that! If you are still staring at your own Treasure Chest of family recipes, longing to re-create some childhood favorites but daunted by the task of

Asking for a recipe, or sharing one, is its own love language and the recipes themselves are love letters.

sorting through the index cards and falling down the rabbit hole of deciphering the cursive handwriting, maybe it’s time to let more modern tools do that work for you.

For recipe collecting, Rob and I have used an app called Paprika. It’s a one-time-fee app per device for PCs and iOS (either phones, desktops, laptops or tablets, whichever you use most) and it zaps any recipe online and stores it. It organizes the ingredients and instructions into an easy-to-follow layout, it scales recipes, it makes them shareable.

Another option with a free version that’s very popular is the Recipe Keeper app. It’s the simplest and fastest way to try out recipe management and see if it works for you. What I really like about this app is that you can take a photo of a printed recipe and it will transcribe it into a digital version … provided it too can parse the cursive. But I’ll drop another tip in here: If that written recipe of your grandparents used any kind of branded grocery item, there’s a very good chance it was a “back of box” recipe and it’s already floating around on the internet. Try searching for that recipe name, and then use the recipe app to save a copy of it for you. Those recipes were already short-cuts, or hacks according to the latest slang for a tip, and saving the recipe online instead of typing it out is its own shortcut. You’re welcome!

One more thing about recipes. How about those large collections of recipes, with lots of beautiful photos, often packaged in hardcover. You know, cookbooks? So many cookbooks are published these days and they’re all beautiful tomes worth keeping nearby. The word is getting around that recipes are a good way to communicate love, sharing, educating about cultures and traditions or simply great tips—er, I mean hacks—to improve your cooking skills. Modern cookbooks are the grandest recipe love letters of them all. However, they sure are big and there sure are a lot of them out there.

When Rob and I blended together into one small cottage, we found so much of our lives and possessions overlapped that we were faced with many duplicates, even triplicates of household items and books. The cookbooks alone were a force to be reckoned with, plus we keep buying each other more cookbooks as gifts. When the pandemic hit and we retreated into our family pod, we moved from being recipe-driven for

meals to being ingredient-driven, working with what we had. The books, however, were silos and isolated from organization. For this, we invested in an online subscription, called Eat Your Books. You can think of it as a search engine for all of your cookbook, magazine, and blog recipes. Any cookbook or food magazine can be added to your online library making all of their recipes searchable with the click of a button. So if you find yourself with an abundance of kale, type “kale” into your Eat Your Books collection and it’ll return a list of recipes that match your search criteria along with the name of the book/magazine and page number where the recipe can be found. It’s important to note that Eat Your Books points you to the recipes’ location, but it doesn’t display the full recipes themselves. Yes, I know that when you get a new cookbook, there is the excitement of the novelty and obsession to make every recipe in it, but what about a few years later, and dozens of cookbooks later? That’s when you need a good tool to keep your options top of mind and easy to access.

It’s not a free resource, but for how much you’ve invested in cookbooks, this moves your books from a neglected shelf back into your hands. Now, when the CSA box drops, or the latest produce at the farmers market beckons, there’s a way to access all your cookbooks again. At any age, this is a gift.

After the holidays have wrapped up, and while the thoughts of giving and community are still fresh, please write a recipe for your friends, ask for recipes and share them far and wide. These little love notes bring people together and show we care.

Rosminah Brown is a Santa Barbara native who types fast and eats slow. She once jumped in the Neptune Pool at Hearst’s Castle. She is always seeking a perfect, singular, exquisite bite of food. Edible Santa Barbara is her love letter to her hometown.

Love and nostalgia, all in a box.

Store your recipes on an app.

ROB B LSON

seasonal Recipes

Sautéed Curly

Mustard Greens

Mustard greens are in the “happy medium” category— more substantial than spinach, but more tender than kale. They are also arguably more flavorful than both. There are many varieties of mustard, with greens ranging from bright green to dark red and all sorts of sizes and textures. The fairly common curly green mustard leaves are easy to grow or find in local markets, but any variety can be substituted in this recipe—which is more of a guideline. Feel free to experiment with the variations listed at the end.

MAKES 2–4 SERVINGS

Olive oil

Red pepper flakes to taste

1 garlic clove, minced

1 bunch of mustard greens, roughly chopped

Salt and pepper

Dash of wine vinegar

Heat a skillet over medium heat and add enough olive oil to coat the pan. Add the red pepper flakes and garlic, then add the mustard greens. You may need to do them in batches to fit them all into your pan. After a couple minutes they will wilt down, and you can add more. Generously season each addition with salt and pepper. Cook until tender, 5–10 minutes depending on the thickness of the leaves. Add a splash of vinegar, stir to combine and serve.

Variations:

• Use avocado oil and a dash of sesame oil instead of olive oil, add some finely minced fresh ginger to the garlic and finish with a dash of tamari sauce and/or rice wine vinegar.

• Add some finely minced salt-preserved lemon to the garlic and finish with fresh lemon juice instead of wine vinegar.

• Add some walnut oil to the olive oil, substitute a fruity balsamic vinegar for the wine vinegar and finish with a garnish of freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

—Krista Harris

KRISTA HARRIS

seasonal Recipes

Lemon Lime Curd

Instead of citrus marmalade this winter, why not make a few batches of lemon lime curd? You can use all lemons or all limes, but often I find I have just a couple of each. And lemons and limes are equally zesty and delicious. This curd can be immediately put to good use on your morning toast or served with scones, and you can also use it as a topping for pancakes, as a filling between cake layers or in tarts and trifles.

MAKES 1-2 CUPS

3–5 lemons and/or limes

½ cup sugar

2 large eggs

2 egg yolks

8 tablespoons butter (1 stick)

Pinch of salt

Zest the lemons/limes until you have about 2 teaspoons of zest, add it to the sugar and mix together to release the citrus oils into the sugar. Juice enough lemons and limes for ½ cup of juice.

In a heavy saucepan or double boiler, add the sugar/zest mixture, the citrus juice, eggs and egg yolks. Whisk while cooking over low heat. Gradually add the butter, while continuing to whisk until the curd begins to thicken. Then keep stirring with a silicone spoon/spatula until the curd is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon. Pour the curd through a small strainer into jars or a bowl. Cover and chill for at least an hour, or until thickened.

—Krista Harris

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seasonal Recipes

Chicory Salad with Orange Marmalade Vinaigrette

by Jane Chapman

As a self-diagnosed salad fanatic, this seasonal recipe is a love letter to one of my favorite winter salad greens—or, rather, to the gorgeous garnet hues of chicory. I repeatedly turn to chicory when it’s cold “ish” here on the Central Coast, and our bodies and souls crave the season’s nutrient-dense jewel-toned bounty.

What I love about chicories are their sturdy leaves and their versatility. In this salad, I have combined two types of chicory—a Castelfranco Di Lusia and a Treviso chicory sourced from The Garden of….. —at our Saturday farmers market, along with fresh pomegranate seeds, Satsuma tangerines (the finest are from Penryn Orchard), fresh tarragon and my homemade Orange Marmalade Vinaigrette.

This salad may be enjoyed alone or served with your preferred protein, chopped nuts or goat cheese to make it more substantial as the main course.

Pro tip: Cut off the small white base of the chicory and then gently peel away each layer rather than chop the leaves. Keeping the leaves whole will make for a more beautiful salad and, if you make it ahead, it will prevent the leaves from browning.

This salad can easily create a quick meal for one or satiate a larger group. The salad ingredient amounts given here serve four to six people and the marmalade vinaigrette recipe makes a larger batch, which can be stored in your refrigerator for one to two weeks. If you make the vinaigrette ahead, bring it to room temperature before you dress and serve.

From one salad lover to another, enjoy.

MAKES 4-6 SERVINGS

2–3 small heads Castelfranco Di Lusia chicory

1–2 small heads Treviso chicory

3–5 Satsuma tangerines, peeled with a paring knife and sliced into wheels or segments

1 cup pomegranate seeds

Fresh tarragon

Orange Marmalade Vinaigrette

⅓ cup apple cider vinegar (try Sideyard’s Yuzu-infused vinegar for an extra pop)

⅔ cup olive oil

⅓ cup Dijon mustard

3 tablespoons orange marmalade

½ teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon fresh ground pepper

To begin washing your chicories, fill your sink with cold water and gently place them head down to soak. Next, arrange them on a kitchen towel to air dry.

Rather than cutting, gently peel away each leaf after cutting off the root.

To make the marmalade vinaigrette, combine all the ingredients in a small Mason jar and set aside. Keep at room temperature until you are ready to dress your salad.

Once the leaves are thoroughly dry and you are prepared to serve, arrange the chicories and Satsuma tangerines in your serving bowl. Give your vinaigrette a generous shake to mix, and then gently dress your salad. Pour the vinaigrette slowly, adding a little at a time. Be careful not to overdress. Garnish with the pomegranate seeds and fresh tarragon, and serve.

Jane Chapman is a Santa Barbara native with a lifetime of experience in the kitchen and recipe development and has worked in the restaurant business for over 20 years. She prides herself on simple, delicious and approachable recipes to encourage the burgeoning home chef. Her newest venture, The Communal Table Santa Barbara, curates intimate events for women combining food and conversation. Her goal is to create authentic community and connection one meal at a time. To learn more or attend one of her events, visit www.CommunalTableSB.com.

Colorful winter chicory from The Garden Of.....

R. BROWN

The Lowdown on a Hibiscus Celebration

by George Yatchisin

Cocktail inspiration can come like a missive from multi-media. Take this issue’s Hibiscus Tonic Concoction, brought to mind by this odd mix: an obscure Welsh band, the film Barbie and my partner’s wise desire to consume less alcohol in a dark time when we might need to keep our oppositional wits sharp.

I’m going to assume few of you are fans—let alone have ever heard of—the delightful, tuneful, yet often rocking-tothe-point-of-anarchy band Los Campesinos!, but on their debut 2008 LP there’s the song “My Year in Lists” that opens thusly:

You said “send me stationery to make me horny” So I always write you letters in multicolours Decorating envelopes for foreplay Damn extended metaphors, I get carried away

Challenge accepted, Campesinos. I will send you a letter vividly ruby with the star of the drink, from one of my favorite local purveyors. Theo Stephan has done all sorts of wonders with her peripatetic Global Gardens (now snugly settled in Santa Ynez), primarily distinct olive oils, but also cookbooks, classes and vinegars. Indeed the Barbielicious Sweet Hibiscus Golden Balsamic Vinegar started as a one-off but was so popular she had to bring it back, with all apologies/honors to Mattel and Greta Gerwig. It’s so pink it would make itself blush.

It’s also kind of a shrub premade for you—after all, what goes into a shrub but fruit/ flower, vinegar and a hint of sugar? In addition to its sanguinary nature, hibiscus also is beloved as a way to make drinks (generally tea) the world over, thanks to its tang, perched between floral lift and something citrusy with a light splash of raspberry-ness. Also note while I keep using flower as a word to discuss hibiscus, what generally gets used in food production is the bloom’s sepals/calyx, the outer parts that protect the unopened flower bud. I would hate for any botanists to get their pistils in a twist due to my sloppy nomenclature.

While you don’t want to drink this vinegar as a shot (unless you’re fond of coughing until you turn as red as the product), it makes for a strong base if you come up with other ingredients to soften the mix. Some sweetener is necessary, hence the teaspoon of agave. And while the inclusion of yet more acid in the form of lime juice might seem counterproductive, it instead cuts the slightly syrupy nature of the vinegar while brightening the flavor, too. Together the lime and agave just round things out. And, yes, they lead you a bit towards the lovely land of the Margarita. That’s where you can opt to make this nonalcoholic or not. It works just fine without the not-even-a-fullshot of mezcal, but that smokiness makes a lilting, lingering counterpoint to the hibiscus, both on the nose and on the palate. Even with the liquor, you’d have to throw back a pitcher of these to get very drunk.

Last, but far from least, particularly as it’s most of the drink, is the tonic water. Fever-Tree is just a solid product to begin with, but their elderflower adds a certain magic of a spring day, bright blossoms of flowers, some citrus zest wisping on the wind. Given St-Germain, the most common elderflower liqueur, is often jokingly called bartender’s ketchup, as it magically seems to improve nearly every drink, here’s your chance to get some of those delicate flavors in without any extra ABV. (I must be honest and admit there’s a bit of sugar in this tonic product, too, so it provides a bit more sweetness, even with the bitter quinine.) Plus, a fizzy drink is always festive, especially when it’s this regal ruby color. What better time for a love letter than Valentine’s Day?

RECIPES

Hibiscus Tonic Concoction

MAKES 1

1 tablespoon Global Gardens Barbielicious Sweet Hibiscus Golden Balsamic Vinegar

2 teaspoons fresh lime juice

1 teaspoon agave syrup

2 ounces Fever-Tree Elderflower Tonic Water

Optional: ⅔ ounce mezcal

This is a built drink, so put your cocktail shaker away. These instructions are for a single serving. (If necessary for a crowd, line up your glasses and add each ingredient down the production line.) As for a glass choice, it’s a smallish drink, so you can use something between a coupe and a liqueur glass—have fun with it.

Add each ingredient directly into the glass in order. Be sure to pour in the tonic slowly, as the drink will fizz and foam up. Add the mezcal for people who want a bit of alcohol kick, but the drink works as a no-alcohol cocktail, too.

The color is so lovely you don’t really need to garnish, but you can have fun, too. If you think ahead and have an ice tray that makes 1-inch diameter spheres, make some with blueberries in them. Then it becomes an Eyebiscus Cocktail when you drop one or two in each drink (plus, then there’s a tasty fruit treat at the end). You could also cut strawberries on an angle and use a cocktail pick to make hearts out of their halves, then put those atop the drink rim.

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

small Sips Local Non-Alcoholic Beverages To Enjoy All Year

by Hana-Lee Sedgwick

Each holiday season I find myself eagerly saying “yes” to every festive gathering, fully embracing the holiday cheer, which inevitably means a steady flow of delicious food and celebratory drinks. By the time January rolls around, both my social calendar—and my liver—are ready for a little break. While I don’t go all-in for Dry January, I do like to significantly scale back, easing into the new year with a little more balance. So, whether you, like me, are seeking lighter sips to start the year off right, or alcoholic beverages simply aren’t part of your lifestyle, here are some local zero-proof options worth exploring and the stories behind them.

Tilden Non-Alcoholic Cocktails

After Vanessa Royle gave up alcohol during the pandemic, she crossed paths with Mariah Wood, a lifelong non-drinker, at Harvard Business School. Both were frustrated by the lack of quality non-alcoholic options and felt inspired to create something better than the usual club soda with lime.

“Mariah and I were tired of drinking sparkling water while our classmates sipped elegant alcoholic cocktails and wines,” says Royle. “It quickly became clear we weren’t alone—a good number of our classmates were either quietly choosing not to drink or actively trying to cut back for various reasons.”

After jotting down their idea for a zero-proof adult beverage on a napkin, they spent a year pouring their energy into tinkering, testing and researching. The result was Tilden—a collection of distinctive craft cocktails without sugar, carbonation, adaptogens or preservatives. “We knew there was a market of people who work hard, play hard and want to be social without needing alcohol, and we’re incredibly proud of what we’ve created,” says Royle. “It wasn’t easy, but we did the work for people who, like us, are thirsty for a more inspired sipping experience.”

Vanessa Royle and Mariah Wood celebrate with Tilden.

Though Wood is based in Boston, Royle is now based in Santa Barbara and is thrilled to see Tilden embraced by the local community. “People in Santa Barbara care about what they put into their bodies, and they’ve welcomed Tilden with open arms,” she says. “It’s amazing to see people of all drinking preferences ordering Tilden cocktails at some of the best restaurants and bars across the region.”

Tilden offers two delightful cocktails, each featuring no more than 15 ingredients: the fresh, herbaceous Lacewing, highlighting cucumber, basil, lychee, pear and Szechuan pepper flavors; and the savory Tandem, with bitter orange, tart cherry, smoky oak, lapsang and warming ginger. Bottled in 750ml, Tilden cocktails are designed to be served over ice with a simple garnish, making them nearly effortless additions to an alcoholfree January and well beyond.

January Drinks

For years, winemaker Dave Potter has crafted acclaimed wines from Santa Barbara County under his popular labels Municipal Winemakers and Potek. During the pandemic, while many continued to enjoy his wines (perhaps a bit more often than usual), there was also a noticeable rise in interest for nonalcoholic alternatives. This growing demand inspired Potter to launch January Drinks in 2021—a boutique brand offering zero-alcohol aperitifs made from wine and botanicals.

Potter describes January Drinks not as a non-alcoholic wine, but as a kind of “non-alcoholic tea” crafted from Santa Barbara County grapes, thoughtfully blended with fruits, herbs, roots, barks and other natural aromatics. “The pomace is macerated for tannin and color extraction, and infusion ingredients are steeped in hot water like a huge cup of tea with herbs and spices,” he explains. “It’s a cross between how breweries add hops to beer, then strain them, and how traditional vermouth or aperitifs are made by macerating ingredients in a base wine.”

January currently comes in two flavors—Manzanilla Chardonnay and Juniper Grenache—with a third, Smoke Syrah, on the way. The Manzanilla Chardonnay, crafted from Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay, is infused with chamomile, Meyer lemon, gentian, cinnamon sticks and red peppercorn. It’s a refreshing, slightly bitter aperitif—a lovely alternative to a classic spritz. The Juniper Grenache is a crunchy red with a blend of juniper berries, bay laurel leaves, black tea, sumac, smoked sea salt and black peppercorns, designed to be served well-chilled.

Potter recommends serving January Drinks in a wine glass to “fully express the dimensions of flavor,” but emphasizes that these are not de-alcoholized wines.

“Technically speaking, they’re closest to a cross between a piquette and a tisane—a refreshing and intriguing drink all its own,” he says. With their layered flavors, January Drinks are captivating nonalcoholic options—ideal for pairing with meals or savoring on their own.

Dave Potter and his January Drinks. R. BROWN

NEMAKERS

Sideyard

Launched in 2020 by Sarah Bourke, Sideyard began as a creative experiment born from her growing interest in the bold, tangy flavors of fruit-based shrubs. “I first came across shrubs on a cocktail menu in 2019, and the flavors made my taste buds explode,” Bourke recalls. “I immediately wanted to learn how to make my own!”

She began foraging fruit from the front and side yards of her Santa Barbara apartment complex and experimenting with small-batch, fruit-infused vinegars. “The more I tinkered,” she says, “the more this fun creative outlet became a true passion.”

Today, Sideyard celebrates California’s bounty by championing local farms and sustainable practices. “Every bottle directly supports a small-scale, community-based, regionally rooted farm, which is a great point of pride at Sideyard,” says Bourke, who adds that each label “prominently features” the name of the farm partner behind the flavor. Even more, Sideyard exclusively sources second-quality fruit— meaning, fruit that’s cosmetically imperfect yet still incredibly flavorful—to reduce waste and provide additional revenue for farm partners. “Sideyard exists to build demand for regional food systems, regenerative farming practices and organic growers,” Bourke says, “while sharing stories that celebrate our farm partners.”

Since launching Sideyard, Bourke has crafted over 20 unique flavors but recently narrowed her focus to seven offerings that showcase the best of each season: Yuzu, Kumquat, Pomegranate, Passion Fruit, Prickly Pear, Syrah Grape, and Strawberry—all organic, vegan and free of added sugars. While initially drawn to shrubs by way of cocktails, Bourke shares that she “hardly ever

drinks alcohol anymore,” instead using her fruit-infused vinegars in marinades, vinaigrettes and mocktails. Indeed, Sideyard’s bright, complex flavors serve as a fantastic base for mocktails, offering a refreshing way to brighten up the winter season, sans the booze.

Hana-Lee Sedgwick is a Santa Barbara native who writes about wine, food and travel. When not keeping busy as a freelance writer and editor, she happily spends her downtime eating, drinking and wandering up and down the West Coast. Follow her on Instagram @wanderandwine.

RESOURCES

Tilden Non-Alcoholic Cocktails

Available at many locations around Santa Barbara County.

Use the QR code to locate Tilden nearest you. www.DrinkTilden.com

January Drinks

Municipal Winemakers 22 Anacapa St. Santa Barbara

The tasting room is open daily: noon–8pm. www.MunicipalWinemakers.com

Potek Winery

406 E. Haley St. #1

Santa Barbara, CA 93101

The tasting room is open daily. Sunday–Thursday: noon–8pm Friday and Saturday: noon–9pm www.Potek.com

Sideyard

Popular spots to shop locally include all Oat Bakery locations, the Daisy, the Eddy in Santa Barbara, Elder Flat Farm in Los Alamos, and Los Olivos General Store. Or order online with free shipping for purchases over $50 at www.DrinkSideyard.com.

Sarah Bourkes own side yard inspired her Sideyard business.

ELL LAUREN.

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 $26

• Delivery options include weekly or every other week

• Freedom to suspend your delivery

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New Space for the Saturday Santa Barbara Farmers Market

A Conversation with Sam Edelman

WORDS BY Jennifer LeMay PHOTOS BY Rosminah Brown

The Santa Barbara Saturday Farmers Market is bigger and better than ever.

After years of planning and many months of hard work, the Saturday Farmers Market opened in its new downtown Santa Barbara location on September 28. The market is now truly in the heart of downtown, branching out from the intersection of State and Carrillo streets. The new spot is certainly more visible and spacious than the Cota Street commuter parking lot, where the market had been held for nearly 40 years and where the City of Santa Barbara will soon start building a new police station.

Farmers and shoppers alike had concerns about the new location before the move, but in my experience over the past couple months the new market has been as crowded as ever and people seem happy. I caught up with Sam Edelman, general manager of the Santa Barbara Certified Farmers Market, to learn more about all that went into the move, and how things are going.

The move from the old location to the new one must have been a long time in the making. It reminded me of preparations for Y2K, and how a lot of work took place behind the scenes to make the actual transition appear seamless. What were your goals when planning and implementing the market move?

The planning and preparations were years in the making, but efforts really ramped up in early 2024, leading up to our September 28 opening. The location was approved by the Santa Barbara City Council on April 30, 2024, where the general market parameters were set and the street closure plans worked out, but then it was a matter of putting the puzzle together to determine where all the farmers would be placed.

In the month or so leading up to the big move, extensive planning took place that involved working with numerous City departments. This included public works, transportation, downtown

Celery root aka celeriac at Milliken Family Farm.

parking, police and fire, as well as outreach to various property and business owners located in the general area of the market. This was really an all-hands-on deck operation, as we were relocating to a major city thoroughfare in the heart of downtown Santa Barbara. We had training and trial runs for setting up the substantial barricades placed at each end of Carrillo Street to safely secure the streets, and we crafted a traffic control plan.

Our goals were to do our best to have as smooth an opening day as possible, and I feel that we achieved that goal. The first market was heavily attended; we posted impressive sales and the overall reaction of our farmers and customers was very positive.

With the move, we lost the rows in the old parking lot, and our familiarity with where our favorite vendors were situated. How is the market organized now, and how can customers find specific vendors? Is there a design function to the new layout? The layout of the new market is quite different from what we had been accustomed to for almost 40 years. A significant amount of thought and planning went into the placement of our farmers at the old site, and such a different configuration did make things a little complicated. Numerous factors played into the final farmer placement, which began with input from the farmers themselves. Some of them did make specific location requests, and most of those were

accommodated. Most were more general requests, such as “I would like to be in the shade” (if they had products more sensitive to sun) or “I would like to be next to so-and-so,” if they had been adjacent to a certain farmer for many years.

On my end, there were many factors to consider, such as how much linear space our farmers had at the previous location, with the goal of giving everyone approximately what they were accustomed to. I also worked to try to keep certain communities of farmers together within the site itself, to give our customers a more familiar feel. Farmers’ historical arrival and exit times were also considered, to create an ease of entry and exit.

We have a map of our farmers available at the market information booth (at the northwest corner of the intersection). More commonly, customers come to our booth and ask where to find certain growers or products, and our knowledgeable market staff is happy to direct them.

Tell me a bit more about the planning process, what worked out well, and if there’s anyone you’d like to recognize for their efforts.

The saying “It takes a village” really applies here. I have an incredible market staff, almost all of whom have been working for our association for at least 10 years. Collectively, we were all able to make this rollout as seamless as possible, in coordination with the various City departments.

Jessica Grant, supervising transportation planner, really

Sam Edelman, general manager of the SBCFMA.

Vibrant winter produce at the farmers market.

helped shepherd us through the entire planning process and did an incredible job. Also, Behdad Gharagozli, supervising transportation engineer, and Derrick Bailey, principal traffic engineer, did great work on the traffic control plans and signaling. From my market staff, I would like to recognize Alfredo Puente, one of our senior market managers, and Derek Trost, who assists with the very important barricades every Saturday morning, as well as our other incredible Saturday on-site staff: Vicky Sarquilla, Max Ortiz, Kimmy Iniguez and Shannon Fanning—they all keep our markets running smoothly.

How was the actual transition on the weekend of September 28? I went to the market and the general lack of chaos was a good sign, but I’m sure a lot was happening in the background. How did it look from the organization’s side?

Thanks to extensive planning, the actual transition was much smoother than anticipated. The farmers were given their placements a few weeks prior to the move, and I know many of them went by ahead

of time to get a look at the space. The most important component to the opening day was the safe closure of Carrillo Street. City staff assisted us at 5am the first couple of weeks, which was very helpful, and since then we’ve been doing it ourselves. To safely close the streets, we must tow two large trailers to the site, each equipped with 900-pound barricades and an attached gate that needs to be in place prior to opening.

On opening day, it took us about three hours to place the traffic control cones and signs and set up the barricades. We have cut that time down by half, as we continue to enhance our operation. Thankfully, our staff member Derek Trost has experience towing horse trailers, so he’s been very helpful. I usually start the day on site at about 4:45am, starting with the traffic control plan. Soon after, Alfredo meets me on site to set up the market information booth to get the farmers situated. Derek arrives and we head over to pick up the first trailer to start the hard street closure. There are a lot of moving parts and work to do before the customers arrive for the market’s 8am opening.

Farmers market shirts for sale.

Derek Trost, one of the SBCFMA heavy lifters.

Is there anything you’d like to share about opening weekend and reactions to the new location?

I think that one thing that really stood out from both the customer and farmer sides was how incredible the site is. It’s much easier for customers to park than everyone had anticipated, and much easier to navigate within the site due to the wide streets. We’re also hearing comments about how beautiful the site is. People enjoy walking through, admiring the stunning mountain views, architecture of the buildings and the large shade trees. It’s proving to be much more welcoming than many of us expected.

How has the market been going over the past months?

Overall, things are going very well. The market has really brought life to that central downtown area of Santa Barbara, and I have received numerous reports of positive impacts on surrounding businesses. While some farmers may not yet have reached the sales levels they had at the Cota location, many of them have reported record-high sales. Overall average sales for the first couple of months have been slightly higher than those at the previous location for this same seasonal window. And most of the regular shoppers have been able to find their favorite farmers.

Why is the very center of the market, where State Street and Carrillo intersect, empty of vendors? Can we stand around and socialize there?

It’s primarily left clear in case a fire truck needs to enter the site during an emergency. That central portion of the market has indeed naturally turned into a nice gathering space.

The farmers market is bustling with people and produce.

Vendor map of the Saturday market. It's subject to change, but accurate at time of publication.

“People are enjoying walking through, admiring the stunning mountain views, architecture of the buildings and the large shade trees.”

After speaking with Sam, I spoke with three longtime farmers at the market. Tom Shepherd, Robert “BD” Dautch and Jacob Grant all had positive things to say about the new location.

Renowned farmer Tom Shepherd was one of the original vendors at the first Santa Barbara farmers market in 1983. He was all smiles when I asked how he likes the new market. “It’s super, and there are so many improvements—wider aisles, beautiful buildings and trees, much more space.” He loves the location he selected, right in front of the historic Hill Carrillo Adobe. He’s seeing a lot more “new faces” at the market compared to the previous location where 90% of the shoppers were regular customers.

Jacob Grant , of Roots Organic Farm, serves on the board of directors for the farmers market and participated in the relocation planning process. While he still has some concerns about the configuration of the market and how it’s more spread out, he is happy with the wider aisles and the fact that vendors are set up on both sides of the streets. One customer he spoke with provided a lengthy explanation of the spiritual energy inherent in the layout and central location.

“Everyone asks how I like the new market, and I realized that the important thing to me is whether the customers like

it.” Sales are good, he said. He also pointed out that it would be nice to have more places for people to sit and rest, so that’s something they hope to provide in the future.

Robert “BD” Dautch from Earthtrine Farms, another farmers market original, said he’s happy with the new market and turnout, and is especially glad to see that plenty of customers are showing up and doing real shopping: “That means more people in our community are eating good, fresh, seasonal food.” His vendor location is a bit smaller, but he says his crew is great and makes it all work well.

Jennifer LeMay loves shopping at our bountiful farmers market and writing about local food and farms. In her spare time, she enjoys exploring our region’s trails and photographing birds.

RESOURCES

The Saturday market runs from 8am to 1pm.

For a listing of all Santa Barbara farmers markets and additional maps, visit www.sbfarmersmarket.org.

Please note that the vendor map is a guide that may change over time.

Tom Shepherd of Shepherd Farm. Jacob Grant of Roots Organic Farm.

“BD” Dautch of Earthtrine Farms.

The Pleasure of Gatherings

An ode to the love of communing with friends.

WORDS

AND PHOTOS

BY Pascale Beale

Alice Waters once wrote, “This is the power of gathering: It inspires us, delightfully, to be more hopeful, more joyful, more thoughtful—in a word, more alive.” This is the motto my family lives by. For as long as I can remember, we have gathered en masse around the table for every meal and every festive occasion. Birthday celebration: dinner party. Seeing friends: dinner party. Family reunion: dinner party. You get the gist. Whether it’s just the family, two or three of us, or the whole tribe—80 or more in France—we sit down and eat together. It has always been thus.

One of my earliest memories is helping my grandmother

set the table. She was a perfectionist, and table settings had to be just so. For even the simplest meal, battalions of silverware marched across the pressed tablecloth. At a minimum, each person would use two forks, two knives, a spoon, three plates and two glasses. Different silverware was used for formal dinners where knives, forks and plates multiplied in an orchestrated dance of fine crystal, tinkling bone china and polished utensils. I was captivated by this ritual as it represented the setting of the stage for the meal to come. This was the backdrop upon which she presented all her fragrant, succulent food. Although very young, I wanted a seat at that table; I wanted to belong there.

Young children in the family would usually be fed early and put to bed before the “grown-ups” had dinner. This being France, dinner often started at 8 or 9 o’clock and lasted at least two hours. I longed to sit there, but there was one rule: You would not be excused because you were tired. You were expected to participate in the conversation (or to be silent) until the meal was finished. When I was finally allowed a seat at my grandparents’ table, propped up at the far end (there was a strict seating hierarchy depending on age, gender and birth order), I quickly learned that there were advantages and disadvantages to being granted access to this, to me, hallowed space. The advantage: Adults talked about EVERYTHING—small children notwithstanding. It was fascinating. The disadvantage: 11pm is late for a 6-year-old. I would strain to keep my eyes open and feign not being tired for fear that my now-finally granted privileged access to the big table would be revoked. All this to say that these gatherings held a special meaning for me: I felt as though I had entered a magical, delicious kingdom, and I never wanted to leave.

In London, where we lived for most of the year, my mother carried on the tradition of large dinner parties. These were less-formal affairs; we used less china and silverware, but the structure of the meal was just as elaborate. Three or four courses were de rigueur. We also gathered for even our simplest meals. This was our daily ritual. This was when we discussed the day’s events, school dramas, work issues, politics, weather and food, always food. We often had conversations at lunch, debating what we would make for dinner. There was a conviviality that we all relished.

I recently read an article by Dorie Greenspan discussing meals at home in Paris, in which she wrote: “Dinners at home are not really about the food. They’re about friendship and the conversation that goes on around the table, often late into the night. Yet so much of the talk is about food—the food we’re sharing, the meals we remember, the ones we’ll soon eat, the food we’ve cooked and what we want to cook.”

Her words made me think of Jim Haynes, an iconic American in Paris, who famously opened the doors to his home every Sunday for nearly 40 years, inviting complete strangers to come for dinner. He fed over 100,000 people during that time and delighted in the friendships, love affairs, marriages and babies resulting from his unusual, multicultural gatherings. I love the idea of this melting pot of humanity, coming together to meet others, to commune, to laugh and to discover. He is not the only one focusing on a meal as a catalyst.

Michael Hebb, sometimes regarded as the originator of the modern underground dinner party, once said, “Shelter, in many ways, was provided for us in the natural environment, but the table is a very intentional space created for a communal act of eating together. It’s a pretty wild development in human history.”

Roasted Celeriac ‘Steaks’ with Sauté of Wild Mushrooms

One of my students exclaimed the first time I taught this in a class, “I love a good steak, but I don’t miss the meat in this at all — it’s incredible!” I was thrilled, as I also LOVE this dish and will use any excuse to find a new vehicle to mound mushrooms on. In this recipe it’s the celeriac ‘steaks.’ Roasting the celeriac caramelizes and intensifies its flavor. It develops a deeply rich, earthy, nutty umami flavor that is transformative with mushrooms. I used some freshly picked chanterelles the first time I made this, which was pure indulgence but absolutely worth the splurge if you find some at the market. Serve these by themselves as a first course, or with a light green salad for an exceptional lunch.

MAKES 8 SERVINGS

3 pounds (about 4) celeriac, peeled, trimmed and sliced into ½-inch-thick disks

Extra virgin olive oil

¼ cup Herbes de Provence

Coarse sea salt

Black pepper

1½ pounds assorted mushrooms, cleaned and sliced

2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

1 tablespoon butter

2 ounce piece of Fontina or cheddar cheese

Preheat the oven to 400° F.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cover the parchment with the celeriac disks. Drizzle a little olive oil over the disks. Scatter half the Herbes de Provence over them and turn the disks over. Drizzle a little more oil over the disks and sprinkle the remaining herbs over them. Season with 3 pinches of salt and 8–10 grinds of pepper. Roast for 75 minutes or until fork-tender, turning them over halfway through the cooking time.

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet placed over medium-high heat. Sauté the mushrooms until just golden brown. Add the chopped parsley and butter and cook for 1 minute more. Leave in the pan.

Mound the cooked mushrooms on top of each cooked celeriac disk. Grate the cheese over the mushrooms. Return to the oven and cook for 3 minutes so the cheese has just started to melt. Serve immediately.

I delight in the idea of an intentional space dedicated to the act of communing together, a space dedicated to our sharing of thoughts as we share nature’s seasonal bounty in the form of the food we make.

As a teenager, I took over some of the cooking at home. We—and by that I mean our entire family—learned to cook for large numbers of people from an early age. From big boisterous winter Sunday lunches designed to satiate the guests after long blustery walks across Hampstead Heath to our annual festive al fresco gathering around the well at my father’s farmhouse in Provence. This was where the garden was transformed into a large lounging lunchtime party, in the style of Manet’s painting Le Dejeuner sur l’Herbe (with clothes on, though!). The tiled well served as the large tabletop, and guests served themselves, scattering to eat among the pillows and rugs strewn across the grass, caressed by the summer breeze. These were heady, bucolic times.

My delight in feeding others was not limited to large gatherings and special occasions. During my student days at university in London, dinners consisted of friends crammed around an impossibly small table in the kitchen of my alwaysfreezing flat, books temporarily piled on the floor as we delved into dishes designed to thaw us out. We discussed everything from lectures to challenging assignments, whether to go on protest marches and plans for the summer holidays. We laughed a lot.

After graduation came work and immigration. I was a transplant to a new country. What better way to get to know people than by inviting them to dinner?

This is the premise behind Break Bread, Break Borders, a nonprofit based in Dallas, a “food for good” company where refugee women from war-torn countries are economically empowered by cooking for a living. The idea came about when Jin-Ya Huang, its Taiwanese immigrant founder, in collaboration with local refugee resettlement agencies, hosted a gathering where the community could share a meal and have conversations about refugees, immigrants and the many difficulties they face. The result is an organization centered on the nurturing nature of food for both the provider and the recipient.

Perhaps this is why I have always taught cooking classes structured around a meal rather than specific dishes. As we cook the three courses, we learn not just about the timing of the dishes but also about each other. There is time to listen, talk and enjoy each person’s life experience. There are few settings where this is possible today, as we are bombarded with social media and endless electronic communications.

When you spend hours in a kitchen cooking together, boundaries are broken and friendships forged. Such is the power of breaking bread with friends and strangers alike.

Legions of immigrants have done just that since they set foot in this country; the vast lexicon of worldwide cuisines that form the patchwork quilt of culinary trends across the 50 states is a testament to that. The food people migrate with binds us together, sometimes in poignant and powerful ways. The League of Kitchens based in New York City, for example, is an unusual cooking school whose instructors are a diverse group of women from around the world, each sharing their culinary traditions with students in their homes. Like Jim Haynes in Paris, these gatherings provide a deeper understanding of the world through food. When you spend hours in a kitchen cooking together, boundaries are broken and friendships forged. Such is the power of breaking bread with friends and strangers alike.

During the pandemic lockdown, many of us rediscovered the joys of gathering, albeit in different ways. Although we could not eat out or travel, we could still pull up a virtual chair at a dinner table and share a common meal across the ether. During quarantine, I taught many private classes: retirement celebrations, a father and daughter get-together, business team-building classes, and an extraordinary surprise birthday party linking 18 households from Florida to California. I emailed the recipients the recipes a few days ahead of time. They shopped for the ingredients prior to the class, and then, at the appointed time, we cooked together. We laughed, they told familial stories, we chopped, they asked questions, we whisked vinaigrettes and tasted as we went along.

Despite the physical separation, they were connected through the dishes they prepared together, experienced the same aromas in their kitchens, and tasted the same food. Even separated by thousands of miles, we shared meals with each other, computers propped open on the dinner table to chat and cook with each other.

Now beyond the first wave of Covid, the world is still, it appears, in a state of upheaval. Now, perhaps more than ever, is the time to gather around the table, listen to each other and care for and nurture each other. Such is the power of sharing food. It nourishes us all, body and soul.

Orange Almond Yogurt Cake

This is a deliciously moist, tender and delicately orange-scented dessert. A slice of this cake served with a cup of tea and a good book, and I’m in heaven. It’s also excellent served alongside a cup of coffee for breakfast.

MAKES 8 SERVINGS

1 teaspoon butter

4 eggs

6 ounces sugar

2 ounces light brown sugar

Zest of 3 oranges

½ cup orange juice

¾ cup Greek yogurt

6 ounces ( ⅓ cups) all-purpose flour

6 ounces (1½ cups) almond flour or almond meal

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ cup orange marmalade

¼ cup toasted sliced almonds

Preheat the oven to 375° F.

Line the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper. Lightly butter the sides of the pan.

In a large bowl or stand mixer, whisk the eggs with the sugars until they are pale, fluffy and doubled in volume. This will take at least 2 minutes in a stand mixer and closer to 4 with a handheld mixer.

Add the orange zest, orange juice and yogurt. Whisk for 15–20 seconds. The mixture should be completely smooth.

Add the all-purpose flour and almond flour (or meal), baking soda and baking powder. Whisk until just combined, about 15–20 seconds more. The batter should be completely lump-free. Don’t panic if it looks runny, that’s normal.

Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin and bake for 45–50 minutes, or until a knife or toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes before glazing.

Heat the marmalade with 1 tablespoon of water in a small saucepan. As soon as the marmalade is bubbling, remove the pan from the heat. Brush the marmalade over the top of the cake, then scatter the almond slices on top. Let the cake cool for another 30 minutes before serving.

Slow-Roasted Salmon and Pistachio Dukkah with Warm Spinach and Potatoes

Itaught cooking classes for a little while at The Little Door Restaurant in Santa Barbara. It was a beautiful kitchen to teach and eat in, and the atmosphere was always warm and convivial. They had chic black-andwhite dinner plates, which made the food look terrific; hence, the plate of choice used here. I’m convinced that finding a pretty or striking dish and presenting your food with a flourish makes it taste even better. As the adage goes, you (do) eat with your eyes first!

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

FOR SAL MON AND HERB RELISH:

Olive oil

1¼ pounds salmon filet, cut into four equal parts

½ cup packed, finely chopped parsley

¼ cup packed, finely chopped dill

2 finely sliced green onions

3–4 sprigs lemon thyme, leaves only

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

Salt and pepper

FOR THE SPINACH AND POTATOES:

⅔ pound baby potatoes

Olive oil

1 shallot, peeled and thinly sliced

2 green onions, trimmed and finely sliced

1 pound spinach, washed, dried and sliced into ½-inch wide strips

Salt and pepper

Juice of ½ lemon

8 pitted and chopped dates

FOR THE PISTACHIO DUKKAH:

1 tablespoon Herbes de Poisson (or a mix of fennel, mustard and coriander seeds)

⅓ cup (2 ounces) pistachios, chopped

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

½ tablespoon finely chopped fresh oregano

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Drizzle a little olive oil onto a rimmed sheet pan or shallow baking dish. Lay the salmon in the pan and turn it twice to coat it.

In a small bowl, combine the parsley, dill, green onions, lemon thyme, lemon zest and juice, a good pinch of salt and 5–6 grinds of pepper. Add ½ tablespoon of olive oil and combine again. Spread the mixture all over the salmon. Roast in the center of the oven for 17–18 minutes.

While the salmon is roasting, prepare the spinach and potatoes. Cook the potatoes in boiling water until just knife-tender, about 9–10 minutes. Drain and return the potatoes to the pan to keep warm.

Pour 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a large pan placed over medium-high heat. Add the shallot and green onions and cook, stirring frequently, until soft, translucent and with a touch of color. Toss in the spinach, and cook until just wilted. This will only take a minute or so. Season with a large pinch of salt and 5–6 grinds of pepper. Add the lemon juice and chopped dates, and gently combine. Remove from the heat but leave in the pan.

To make the dukkah, place a small skillet over medium heat. Add the Herbes de Poisson and dry roast until they release their fragrance. As soon as you can smell the spices, add the pistachios and cook, stirring frequently, until they are just browned. Add the sesame seeds and cook 1 minute more. Spoon into a small bowl and let cool. Add the chopped oregano and combine.

Spoon the spinach mixture into a serving dish. Slice the potatoes in half lengthways and tuck them into the spinach. Place the salmon on top of the vegetables and spoon the dukkah down the center of the salmon. Serve immediately.

An Expression of the Heart

Sean Fennel Finds his Calling at Sunburst Sanctuary

WORDS BY Jamie Edlin PHOTOS BY Rosminah Brown

“What permaculture teaches us is that what we’re doing today is for the future.”

“It was like my heart burst open,” Sean Fennel recalls as he describes the permaculture class that he attended shortly after moving from New York to California in 2013.

“The course at Quail Springs in the Cuyama Valley, an educational permaculture site, changed my whole life. It was a revelation. It was all about being in harmony with nature; bringing together land, resources, people and earth in a sustainable way. It was then that I understood what I’m supposed to be doing with my life,” Sean says while strolling through his garden at Sunburst Sanctuary outside of Lompoc.

Sean grew up on a dairy farm in upstate New York, but he had other plans following high school. He was awarded a scholarship in painting and drawing at the prestigious Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. Advertising and graphic design soon caught his attention, and he switched majors.

Sean was promptly hired by a top ad agency in New York City and handed the creative reins of several high-profile accounts. It was on one of those jobs that he met his wife, Ischa, a copywriter on the same account as Sean.

Like-minded on many levels, both Sean and Ischa were involved in a meditation study group. Though early in their careers, they were inspired to take a year off to focus on their spiritual selves. And that’s when they discovered Sunburst Sanctuary, a community dedicated to spirituality, a holistic lifestyle and the practice of meditation.

“That first year spent at Sunburst was exhilarating in so many ways,” Sean says. “A part of me wanted to stay, but it wasn’t the right time for me to leave my career when there was so much more I wanted to do in advertising.”

And so Sean and Ischa returned to New York City and to their careers. Sean rose quickly through the ranks of the advertising world, his creativity and smarts recognized by agencies and clients alike as he applied his talents to the campaigns behind some of the most recognizable brands in the world. He was on top of his game and still growing.

But that didn’t mean he put his spiritual self aside. He and Ischa continued to visit Sunburst for a couple of weeks each year over the course of 17 years.

“My thought was that I’d eventually retire at Sunburst, but not yet,” Sean says. “I loved what I was doing. I was very secure in New York and in my career.

“But something changed when we came out to Sunburst for a wedding in December of 2012. Something in my heart was telling me that Sunburst is where I now should be, that the only way to get out here was to let go of the lamppost and take a chance. I had done everything possible that I could imagine in advertising. It was time for something different.”

If he had any hesitation about walking away from his stellar career, there was the possibility of overseeing advertising for the 13 Sunburst-owned natural food markets across Utah, Arizona and California. In moving to Sunburst, it seemed Sean could keep one hand busy putting his advertising experience to practice while leading a more spiritual lifestyle.

Regenerative farming includes growing good soil.

Sean made the move to Sunburst on Saturday March 28, 2013, and on Monday, March 30, Whole Foods purchased all of Sunburst’s markets with the exception of New Frontiers Market in Solvang. So much for that opportunity! But when one door closes….

“Sunburst asked if I’d be interested in attending a permaculture workshop. Those two weeks changed the course of my life,” Sean says.

“What permaculture teaches us is that what we’re doing today is for the future. It’ll take a few months before we see the rewards of what we’re planting today. If we’re not looking at the future, we’re not sustainable. I’m not just farming; I’m growing food to feed and nourish people. All of the investments we make on this property—people, food, compost, water—are for the good of the whole,” Sean continues as we walk through the garden and orchard, the take-home from his permaculture education.

Having invested a number of years in turning dirt and weeds into rich soil and produce, much of it by his hands alone, Sean faced another turning

Sean grows winter crops to nourish the body and soul.

Tools for a Wednesday Garden Party.

Sunburst Sanctuary

point in his life: a stroke. As he tells it, he was up early that Tuesday morning in 2020 and spent the day seeding, planting, composting and readying the fields for the heavy rain that was expected. Five inches of rain fell the night that Sean suffered a serious stroke.

“That kinda changed everything,” he says with a sigh. “But no regrets. It became my aha! moment. I wasn’t taking care of myself. I was tending to others along with my farm. I wasn’t in balance. I had to learn that lesson so that I could be the person I am today physically, as well as mentally and spiritually. The garden is more alive now than before my stroke, because there are others finally working with me.

“It took six months of therapy before I could return to my garden. I couldn’t initially walk, but I didn’t come out here to be a retiree sitting in a chair and watching others do what I wanted to be doing. That’s not me. I’m in this until the end. I want to be someone who is carrying the vision forward and sharing what I’ve learned.”

That vision gave birth to Sean’s weekly Wednesday Garden Party when anyone can join Sean at Sunburst and work the garden. Sean promises that no one goes home empty handed, whether it be with produce, a bag of seeds or, most valuable, the fact that they learned something new. I’m one of those people.

As Sean and I leave the farm, my arms cradling freshly picked fruit and vegetables, he stops to point out the row of beets and another of carrots surrounding the cabbage, the beets and carrots acting as a method of natural pest control. Practicing permaculture creates a self-sufficient ecosystem that respects the earth and works with nature rather than trying to tame nature.

“I have so much,” Sean gushes. “I don’t desire anything more. I’m just doing it for the sake of creating a community. Everything I do is from the heart. This is my gift, my expression of the heart. Creativity is not a mind process. It’s a heart process.”

Sean has been following his heart from the start. That’s love.

Jamie Edlin writes Chew On This, profiling local farmers, ranchers, fisher people and other growers and gatherers of the foods we eat. She also heads Hollywood & Wine, a marketing agency geared to the wine and hospitality industries. She resides in Santa Ynez with her husband, two dogs and a cat along with a micro farm and a well-used kitchen.

RESOURCES:

Sunburst Sanctuary

7200 Hwy 1

Lompoc California

Each Wednesday Garden Party is from 9 am – 12 noon. It is welcome to all and free to attend.

Nobody goes home empty-handed at Sean's Wednesday Garden Party.

Young lettuce is planted for the winter harvest.

Farewell to Huskalow

A Love Letter

by Janice Cook Knight

In the fall of 2024, I found myself saying goodbye to Huskalow, the house and garden in Santa Barbara I have lived in and loved for 20 years. It’s a big old house, 105 years old, and on a large property—over two acres. It has an ocean view and an abundance of trees, including native oaks and 40 fruit trees, many of which we planted. Maybe we got a little carried away. But it’s that kind of place: It fuels the imagination and invites creativity.

I’d always dreamed of living in an older house—like the ones in the novels I read as a kid, most of which were set on the East Coast. These homes were nothing like the house I grew up in—a small San Fernando Valley tract home built in the early 1950s. I like to think I dreamed of Huskalow long before I met her: a beautiful older home with a large garden in need of tending.

My husband, Jim, and I bought Huskalow a few years after we were married because we needed a larger place for our family. Both of us love to cook and garden, and we were eager for a bigger property where the family could stretch out. This was a remarriage for both of us, with two children each; the three youngest were all in their teens when we moved in. We were told the name Huskalow means Sunset Hill in the Algonquin language, and indeed the house is located at the top of a hill on the Riviera. It had good bones, this dream house, but needed a lot of help after 87 years—things like electrical

and plumbing and a new roof. And we added a swimming pool and a koi pond.

We learned that the house, besides being old, was also historic, having been designed in 1919 by the well-known Pasadena architect Reginald Davis Johnson. Soon we discovered that the landscape architect Lockwood de Forest Jr. had designed the gardens in 1924, and that the property originally had included 10 acres. Some of the existing fruit trees on the property were quite old, including a gnarled three-trunked pomegranate from the original 1924 plans—still giving tasty fruit almost every year. An odd-looking lemon tree has the ugliest fruit—small and almost brown-skinned, but incredibly juicy and sweet. A large sapote tree gives creamy green fruit about every three years. A swath of strawberry and lemon guava trees, tall with beautiful smooth limbs, line an old path on the property, producing lots of fruit each fall. It was not a surprise to discover that two of the previous owners had been fruit ranchers. The property has fed and nourished us. It’s been a place for friends and family to gather; a place for three family weddings; a place to experiment in the garden, with fruit trees, beekeeping, an asparagus bed, herbs and greens in boxes, fava bean cover crops and edible flowers. We’ve harvested and eaten many fat bunches of “Ice Cream” bananas. We’ve learned several techniques for making compost, raised chickens for their eggs and learned to prepare all kinds of jams and preserves from our peach, blood orange, Meyer lemon, nectarine and apple trees.

Farewell to family weddings at Huskalow.

JAN CE COOK KN GHT

Farewell to Huskalow.

R. BROWN

Several local gardeners and tree experts have educated us about the garden: Farmers Randy Wade and Sandy Lejeune, garden designer Pat Brodie and tree pruner Terri Clay, among others, have guided us. Over the years gardeners Sergio Franco, Marshall Chrostowski and Erik Campos have made our vision real. We’ve learned so much about roses, pruning, soil fertility and insect friends and foes.

Most mornings I’ve walked the land, my trusty house cat at my side, picking fresh produce, tending to plants or just noticing what’s in bloom. Many local wild animals frequent the property, including bobcats, coyotes, skunks, foxes and various species of birds.

I had never seen a mountain lion until a few weeks ago, when we surprised each other in the very early morning. Actually, it was my house cat, Bob, who alerted me to the larger cat’s presence by staring fixedly in the near distance with an alarming expression. The lion, walking under the strawberry guava canopy, disappeared into the bushes like a dream, and Bob and I quickly retreated to the house! This reminds me that the land is for all of us animals, not just we humans.

Besides the abundant food from the garden, there is beauty in the myriad plants and views of mountains, sandstone, the islands, sea and sky.

Gardens once designed by Lockwood de Forest Jr. R. BROWN

Huskalow awaits new life with a new family.

Huskalow has been an ideal home for entertaining. The kitchen and patio have an ocean view, which makes people feel expansive and happy. Ah, the meals we have made! Previous owners tell us they loved to cook and entertain here, like we do. Just for fun, I calculated the number of dinners we’ve cooked in 20 years—say, five or six nights a week— that’s 5,600 dinners! And even more breakfasts, because we don’t eat breakfast out very often. No wonder I’m an ace at scrambling eggs; no wonder I know so many recipes by heart. And yes, I’m also a cooking teacher and food writer, that’s my life’s work, but still, that’s a lot of practice.

I think of those five other families who lived in this house before we did, over the previous 87 years. Several former owners or family members have contacted us, because this house was memorable and important to them. Their cooking and gardening have imbued the house and land with their own food histories.

Third owners John and Stephana McClaran, residents from 1940–1955, kept horses for their kids to ride, had a huge rose garden and an even larger strawberry patch.

Fifth owner Barbara Grisinger sold the house to us in 2004. She was a caterer, of Polish heritage, and loved to make piroshkies every Christmas. She handed down her recipe to me. She also gifted us a delicate porcelain pots de creme set, white with gold rims and lids, for baking the French custard in a water bath.

They were passed down to her from the fourth owner of the house—a woman named Mildred Barnhill. I’ve used the pots de creme set a few times, they’re so pretty.

Following the tradition, I will leave it for the next residents of Huskalow—another large family—along with

my chocolate pots de creme recipe. Something so lovely should stay with the house.

We’ve made umpteen pots of soup in this kitchen. Recently I revised a soup cookbook I wrote many years ago, and had the pleasure of testing 60 old and new recipes for vegetarian soups for an entire year. The large kitchen helped make the job easy.

One of our favorite soups is not vegetarian. It’s a kale and sausage soup made with tomatoes, ginger and lots of garlic. We like to make a big batch, freeze some for later and basically eat the soup all week. It’s great in the winter when kale is abundant in the garden, plus winter is the best time to grow kale—it’s extra tender in cool weather.

This soup is hearty, but not heavy, as there is nothing starchy in the soup, just spicy goodness. We make it with Jim’s homemade turkey or chicken stock (See Jim’s recipe in “You Say Bone Broth I Say Stock,” issue 27). Every couple of months he makes a batch of stock, simmering it for 24 hours. We almost always have stock on hand in the freezer. We like to make some kind of soup year-round.

Another thing I learned to make here is hoshigaki, the Japanese-style dried whole persimmons. I learned about the process from local food writer Laurence Hauben. We’ve never grown them, but several friends have gifted them to us in abundance. Whole Hachiya persimmons are peeled when ripe but still firm, and hung from their stems on long strings. Every year in October and November, the fruit dries in the dining room, looking like dangling orange lanterns. But this year, because our move happened in November, I skipped making hoshigaki for the first time in years. It’s sad, but the reality of moving is real. Much as we have loved it here, we decided it was time for a smaller place. And though of course we’ll miss living here, we are excited for the change that moving will bring.

Our large and generous house helped us to provide for our family and friends, while the land has provided so much. Besides the abundant food from the garden, there is beauty in the myriad plants and views of mountains, sandstone, the islands, sea and sky. Kind neighbors surround us, and the hilly streets have been great for daily walks with our dog, Milo.

It has made for a rich stew, this house called Huskalow. I won’t ever forget her and am grateful beyond measure for the many years we’ve had to enjoy her. A toast—to Huskalow! May she and her residents continue to thrive. To her next 105 years!

is an award-winning

and

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cookbooks,

worked as a restaurant chef, food coach, recipe tester for Bon Appetit magazine, and as a lecturer on Julia Child for the Road Scholar program. She leads team-building cooking classes for businesses and small groups, and recently finished a memoir about her house and garden, with recipes

Janice Cook Knight

writer

cooking teacher based in Santa Barbara. Author of the

Your Heart

she’s

A room with a view of "Ice Cream" bananas.

R. BROWN

Kale and Sausage Soup with Garlic, Ginger and Tomato

This favorite winter soup was adapted from a recipe by Marcia Kiesel in Food and Wine magazine.

MAKES 8–12 SERVINGS

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

8 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

2 large onions, finely chopped

2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger

1 pound mild Italian chicken or turkey sausage, sliced ¼ inch thick

1 pound spicy Italian chicken or turkey sausage, sliced ¼ inch thick

1 (28-ounce) can Italian plum tomatoes, chopped, juices reserved

2 quarts homemade turkey or chicken stock

¾ pound kale, large stems and ribs discarded, leaves coarsely chopped (8 cups)

Sea salt

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot. Add the garlic and onions and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 12 minutes. Add the ginger and Italian sausages and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the tomatoes and their juices; bring to a boil. Add the stock and kale; return to a boil.

Reduce the heat to moderate and simmer until the kale is tender, about 10–15 minutes. Season the soup with salt and pepper and serve or let cool and freeze.

Chocolate Coconut Pots de Crème

This recipe is adapted from one given to me by my lovely friend and extraordinary cook Kim Schiffer.

MAKES 8 SERVINGS

8 egg yolks

10 ounces bittersweet chocolate

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate

3 cups full-fat canned coconut milk, such as Trader Joe’s organic, or Aroy-D

¾ cup sugar

1 tablespoon brandy or vanilla extract

Optional: Fresh raspberries or strawberries as garnish

Optional: Whipped cream

Optional: Toasted coconut

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Whisk egg yolks until light and creamy, about 1 minute.

In a double boiler, melt the chocolates.

In a small pot, heat half of the coconut milk and all the sugar. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Add the rest of the coconut milk.

Let cool to just warm, then whisk into the egg yolks, whisking constantly.

Add the melted chocolate and brandy or vanilla. Strain through a fine sieve into a liquid measuring cup.

Pour into eight (2-ounce) ramekins or pot de creme cups. Set them in a large, deep pan.

Pour hot water in the pan until it reaches about halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Cover containers with lids or with foil and seal tightly.

Bake until the sides of the custards are set but the center is still soft when jiggled, about 25–30 minutes.

Remove from the water bath and let cool slightly.

Serve warm, topped with fresh raspberries or strawberries and whipped cream. If not garnishing with fruit, sprinkle a little toasted coconut on top of the whipped cream.

Freshly ground black pepper

R. BROWN

Chocolate Coconut Pots de Crème

Opposite page: Kale and sausage soup.

Judy Adams The Quiet Renegade

WORDS BY S onja Magdevski PHOTOS BY Rosminah Brown

“Have you ever felt a cow’s tongue?” Judy Adams asks me. I am standing next to my hero at her ranch on a brilliant Saturday morning, nestled along Alamo Pintado, this exceptionally idyllic twolane road between Los Olivos and Solvang, sprinkled with farm stands and flowers. Judy represents stability, calm, compassion, toughness and perseverance. All hustle with a soft side. The kind of archetype built on the Western Prairie.

“Come here, Dolly,” she calls out as her lazy, gorgeous cow leisurely makes her way toward us. “She loves people,” Judy says. “People stop on the side of the road just to pet her.” It’s hard not to love Dolly seeing how much Judy cares for her. When Dolly approaches, Judy leans over to kiss her forehead. “Give me your hand,” Judy instructs. She takes my hand and Dolly gently moves forward. Her thick tongue licks my palm. Its roughness tickles my skin. I laugh at how silly and sweet the whole thing is.

I am sure many of you don’t know who Judy Adams is. She prefers it that way. Judy Adams is legendary in our local wine industry as one of the first grape haulers starting in the mid 1970s who is still active. Every generation of winemaker since has worked with her. When she first came to the Santa Ynez Valley as a young girl the area was all about horses. To me it’s like she was here before the railroad. She has witnessed the burgeoning wine industry evolve into one of the primary agricultural and tourism drivers of the region, even though our local leaders think y’all visit here to eat pastries in Solvang. The valley back then was a major Thoroughbred breeding and training area along with Arabian horse farms. According to some old-timers, the horse density population in our small valley rivaled that of Kentucky and Texas. Changing state and federal laws soon made that business untenable for many. Believe it or not, ostrich farms had a brief spotlight as the next big thing, though “where the water flows, the river goes.” Many ranches were soon sold for the shiny new toy—grapes—our age-old opportunistic economic system continually hard at work.

This is a story about one side of Judy’s dynamic life. She has been involved with the ranching community from the start, though I only know Judy through grapes. She has just rolled with it along the way, always staying true to her brand while the world around her dramatically transformed. I bet if you ask anyone in our local wine industry for Judy Adams’s contact, it is tagged in their phone. It’s like a badge of honor. She has an outsized influence in the zeitgeist of the area simply for being exactly who

Judy Adams, the quiet renegade.

Most wineries on the receiving end had forklifts to offload the bins upon delivery, though for a select few who didn’t, Judy would help bucket the grapes out of the bins. We are talking 2,000 pounds per ton times several tons worth of grapes, which makes for a long, slow day. I’ve done it. Adam Tolmach of Ojai Vineyard was one of the holdouts.

she is. When my husband, Greg Brewer, started his own farming company in 2007 for Brewer-Clifton winery, he decided since Judy Adams drives a dually, then that’s what they’d drive, too. “Judy was cool,” he said. “We wanted to get what she had.”

In those early days when vineyards didn’t have forklifts, Judy would park her truck at dawn among the vines and wait. The crew would lift heavy wooden picking bins onto the flatbed. They’d harvest directly into the bins, crews running up and down rows, picking grapes into buckets and climbing onto the truck to dump the buckets into the bins. Acres and acres worth. The original fee was $10 per hour for waiting, and $25 for delivery. While this style of harvesting is not uncommon around the world today, you can picture how this quickly becomes economically unrealistic with industry growth.

“That was my job,” Judy laughs. “I was a lot younger then.” Quickly realizing how unsustainable this was, Judy started renting her own forklifts. Eventually, all the vineyards and wineries, including Tolmach’s, were equipped with forklifts. Judy’s routine became logistics and freight. For a while when Coastal Vineyard Care and Associates (CVCA), one of the largest vineyard management companies in our area, was expanding, Judy became their trusted hauling partner delivering one- to eight-ton loads across the county and state, from Napa to San Diego, for their clients.

“We have never been in competition with the big trucks and we don’t want to be in competition with them,” Judy said. Her business has been built on the boutique wineries that constitute the primary focus of the Central Coast wine growing region that she continues to serve today.

After a round of phone tag, Ben Merz, one of the owners of CVCA, left a long message describing how much Judy means to him. “She has been such a staple in our wine industry. I

Vintage tools from a working farm.

Have you ever felt a cow's tongue?

Chickens are a part of Judy's menagerie.

have been working with her since 2001, when I started my career. I am proud to say she is the person who taught me how to drive a forklift properly. Many hours of loading her trailers and her giving me advice on exactly how to load those bins on straight,” he laughed. “She has carried away thousands and thousands of bins of grapes that we grow and everyone loves her and respects her.”

Eventually, it became standard practice for vineyard management companies to control the entire process from end to end, farming to delivery, for efficiency, labor and cost. When I began in 2004 working with John Belfy of Buona Terra Farming, that was the norm. Picking grapes is strenuous and the variables surrounding those conditions are sometimes out of your control. If you set a pickup time with the driver at 8:00am, though half your crew doesn’t show up, or if they’re tired, or the pick takes longer because the clusters are tiny—any combination of variables can swing your outcome. Meanwhile, the clocks are running while the driver waits. Judy was very generous with a $10 per hour wait time, even back then.

I first met Judy when I had a grape contract that read Roadside, which meant you were responsible for pickup. “How am I going to pick up two tons of grapes in my Subaru?” I asked the vineyard manager. He laughed and said, “You call Judy.” Word of mouth has always been her style. She had never advertised—carefully expanding and contracting her business over the years based on industry needs. As I interview her today, 48 years after she started hauling fruit, she keeps a humble grip on her accomplishments and her emotions. As we sit inside the house she and her husband built in 1967 on the five-acre property they bought on their wedding day, I am struck by the genuine intimacy of it all, and her powerful connection to this place. When giving me directions for our meeting, I asked Judy for the gate code. “There is no gate code,” she laughed.

Judy knew from a very young age she belonged in the country. Her grandparents moved to the Santa Ynez Valley in the 1950s from Pasadena to work for the Davidge family ranch along Refugio Road near where Kalyra Winery stands today. Judy was very close with her grandparents and immediately fell in love with the landscape when visiting. As her parents moved from city to city for work, they, too, almost landed in Santa Ynez. During the planning process, knowing Judy’s love for the valley, her grandparents persuaded her parents to let Judy move ahead and live with them when she was 10 years old. The area then was more country than it is today, known for cattle ranching, orchards and citrus. Judy thrived. She rode horses, worked cattle, joined 4-H and grew up living her dream on a ranch. Her parents never ended up building their home, yet Judy stayed.

“The lifestyle is what I needed, I knew that from a very young age,” Judy reminisced. “I don’t know how I knew that. I just loved the country and the animals. I was not a city girl.”

The ranch eventually evolved into one of the first vineyards in the Santa Ynez Valley, called Viña de Santa Ynez, planted jointly between the Davidge family and their neighbors the Bettencourts. I used to source Gewürztraminer from Viña de Santa Ynez from 2011 to 2014. It was self-rooted with the bones and soul of an old vineyard that I chose as an homage to my grandmother, Ilinka. I wanted to honor her, and Gewürztraminer was the closest relative to her native Balkan Traminec, which she would have had growing in her Macedonian village. The vines produced compact, tiny clusters that hung like chains of ornaments the size of gingerbread cookies around the trellis. We skin-fermented the rose-goldcolored fruit for 30 days. With each punch down, the color became richer and the aromatics more outrageously perfumed. We aged the wine in barrels, and with time the tangerine creamsicle hue mellowed, transforming into this goldenstrawed summer sunset that smelled like fresh apricots, jasmine and wild roses.

As Judy graduated from high school, the Davidges offered to pay for college. She respectfully declined, intent on figuring out a steady country life. She began working for an animal feed company and once she and her husband, Dick, married, they started their family and their working farm. They had three dairy cattle and delivered raw milk to 25 families around

Judy with her cow Dolly.

the valley. Cattle feed was expensive on a retail scale so Judy asked the Bettencourts, who ran a dairy on their land, if she could source grain from them wholesale. Soon, in proper Judy fashion, she was helping other local families with their grain needs, ordering and delivering, until the feed salesman finally told her to open her own business. A + B Feed started in 1976 based on the Avon cosmetics model. She and her partner did all the work with their friends. At the beginning of the month her crew would call their clients and by the end of the month they’d deliver feed.

At that same time her feed business started booming, Viña de Santa Ynez started producing fruit and needed someone to haul grapes for their winery clients. Judy already had the trucks and the relationship. She traded hay for grapes during harvest season and called her friends again. “It’s not unlike the feed business, except I was in control of that schedule,” Judy said. “I am not in control of the schedule for the grape business.” She ran the feed and grape business simultaneously until 1990 when her husband needed open-heart surgery. She gave up feed and kept the grapes. The camaraderie is what has kept her going. “I just love helping people,” she repeated during our conversation. “I am a country girl. Harvest feels like a roundup. It’s the same excitement and fun. Everyone is jazzed up. I am helping people that I have grown to know. Helping people has been my joy through life.”

In 2023 the Santa Ynez Valley Foundation recognized Judy as one of their Champions of the Valley. Each year they honor a man and a woman for their exceptional volunteer work “who tirelessly enrich the Santa Ynez Valley and Los Alamos … whose efforts exemplify the vibrant spirit of our community.” Judy said the award has been one of her biggest joys since being here.

“I was blown away because all I’ve really done is sort of been nice,” she said. “I belong to lots of groups and go to a lot of meetings and I have accomplished a bunch. I have always been

involved in the community. Road projects, horse groups, cattle groups ….” Her voice trails off. “Why is that valuable to you?” I asked. “I enjoy helping and we can accomplish a lot of things by doing things together,” she said. “Everything is local, and I like being local.”

At 77, Judy laughed that she always wondered what it would be like to retire. Today, she still manages her grape business with her friends by her side. With the relatively recent institution of night picking for most vineyards when someone figured out how to put lights on tractors, this has changed their schedules dramatically. Their days used to begin at about 8am and go until 10pm. Today, in the frenzy of harvest their days begin at midnight and go until noon or 1pm the following afternoon. She is in full control of her schedule now as she cherry-picks the deliveries she wants to choose during her favorite time slots, which generally starts at 5am, and no longer travels out of county for deliveries. She’s earned it. Her only rule, that she of course regularly bends because she’s Judy, is to require winemakers to schedule a delivery before 3pm the day before. “Some winemakers want to taste the fruit right up until the very last minute,” she justified.

When her husband passed away in 1995, she divested from her day-to-day working ranch life and sold off the cows, lambs, pigs and sheep. She framed the outbuildings with decorative Western themes. She wanted something pretty to look at to relieve her grief. Today, Dolly; her other cow, Red; and her darling white miniature horse, Frosty, keep her ranch alive, along with the frequent visits from local preschool kids who, for more than 50 years, have regularly visited her farm to get a taste of country life.

“Frosty loves kids,” Judy said. “He walks alongside them so they can pet him.” In addition to her grape-hauling business, she boards horses and has a bookkeeping job on the side. Her family lives all around her and she is a new great-grandmother.

Back outside after Dolly licks my hand, Judy pulls her flannel shirt toward me seeing that I am slightly uncomfortable with the saliva covering my hand. “You can wipe it off on me,” she says. In the meantime, two women drive through the front gate with no gate code and saddle up their horses for a ride. We visit briefly with Frosty, who runs out to greet me. “Can kids ride Frosty?” I ask, thinking how fun it would be for a 4-year-old to ride a mini horse. “No,” Judy says, in her signature sweet way and I quickly realize that was a stupid question from a city girl.

As she walks me back to my car, I realize we haven’t talked at all about wine, the main reason she has been working in the industry for close to five decades and counting. “Do you drink wine, Judy?” I ask. “A little bit,” she beams. “I like the Moscato. Sorry. My drink of choice is a Margarita.”

Sonja Magdevski is a winemaker, writer and owner of Clementine Carter in Los Alamos, California. She spends her time at her tasting room, winery or is out investigating her next story. See more of her work at ClementineCarterwines.com.

A gathering space where Judy is the mayor!

COUNTRY edible

SANTABARBARA & WINE

SUPPORT LOCAL GUIDE

Now more than ever, it’s important to seek out and support local businesses. Here is our guide of the current advertisers that we fully support and hope you will, too. Visit the websites to get more information about what they offer and any updated hours of operation.

Food & Restaurants

Alessio Artisanal Gelato

1623 Mission Dr., Suite A, Solvang www.ViaGelateria.com

Alessio Artisanal Gelato is a family-owned and -operated gelato shop using locally sourced ingredients to bring authentic Italian gelato to the Santa Ynez Valley. Wholesome, real ingredients. Featuring new flavors weekly. Located in the Parc Place shopping arcade with convenient parking. Open Wed–Sun noon–6pm.

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” —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. Indoor-outdoor 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. Mon–Tue and Thu–Sat noon–5pm, Sun noon–4pm. Closed on Wednesday.

Full of Life Flatbread

225 Bell St. Los Alamos, CA 805 344-4400

www.FullofLifeFoods.com

Chefs Clark Staub and Jilliana Davie create innovative dishes based on what is grown locally and in season. The menu changes weekly, offering inspired flatbreads and regional specialities from a wood-fried oven. Guests can choose to dine indoors or outdoors. Takeout and curbside pickup is also available. Open Thu 4–8pm, Fri 4–9pm, Sat noon–9pm, Sun noon–8pm. Closed Mon–Wed.

New Frontiers Natural Marketplace

1984 Old Mission Dr., Solvang 805 693-1746

www.NewFrontiersmarket.com

New Frontiers is in the business of providing naturally delicious foods of the freshest and highest quality, as well as a full array of other choices for healthy living. Visit their website for menus, special savings and coupons. Open daily 7am–8pm.

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.

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 $28.

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.

Buttonwood Farm & Vineyard

1500 Alamo Pintado Rd., Solvang 805 688-3032

www.ButtonwoodWinery.com

A small gem set amidst the splendor of Santa Barbara County’s Santa Ynez Valley. Their vineyard is surrounded by a prolific farm with olives, pomegranates, peonies and their famous peaches. Enjoy wine tasting in their beautiful outdoor garden or intimate tasting room patio. Open for tasting 11am–5pm daily; food served Sat and Sun.

Clementine Carter

388 Bell St., Los Alamos, 805 344-1900 www.ClementineCarterWines.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.

Foxen Vineyard & Winery

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.

COLIN QUIRT

STEVEN BROWN

Goodland Wine Shop & Bar

4177 State St., Goleta 805 695-3003

www.GoodlandWineShop.com

The shop offers locally produced wine and beer, as well as kombucha and mead. Glasses of wine and snacks are available at their wine bar. Check their website for winemaker events, held on Tuesdays at 6pm. The shop is open Tue–Sat 11am–7pm. Happy Hour Wed–Thu 5–7pm.

Koehler Winery

5360 Foxen Canyon Rd., Los Olivos 805 693-8384

www.KoehlerWinery.com

Koehler Winery crafts premium estate-grown wines from the heart of Santa Barbara wine country. Situated on the celebrated Foxen Canyon Wine Trail, Koehler Winery is located in one of California’s most diverse and distinctive growing regions. Koehler Winery’s rustic-inspired tasting room and estate grounds are open daily 10am–5pm.

Margerum Wine Company

19 E. Mason St., Santa Barbara 805 845-8435

2446 Alamo Pintado Ave., Los Olivos 805 504-1209

www.MargerumWines.com

Located near Santa Barbara’s waterfront across the street from Hotel Californian, Margerum Wine Company offers tastings or wines by the glass in their expansive tasting room or on the heated patio. An indoor mezzanine can host private events. All complemented with a simple fare menu—cheese and charcuterie, pizzas, paninis, salads and other foods to complement the wine. Or visit the tasting room in Los Olivos which offers bento box food and wine pairings and oyster and sparkling wine pairings with reservations in advance. The winery in Buellton is open by appointment

Riverbench Vineyard & Winery

137 Anacapa St., Ste. C., Santa Barbara 805 324-4100

6020 Foxen Canyon Rd., Santa Maria 805 937-8340 Riverbench.com

Established in 1973, when the first Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes were planted on the property. For years since then, some of the most renowned wineries have purchased Riverbench fruit for their wines. In 2004, Riverbench began producing their own still

and sparkling wines in limited quantities, with many available exclusively through their tasting rooms in Santa Maria and Santa Barbara.

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.

Specialty Retail

ella & louie

www.EllaAndLouie.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 to unusual and stylish. Local delivery.

Services and Organizations

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

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.

Maravilla

5486 Calle Real, Santa Barbara 805 321-6718

www.MarvillaSeniorLiving.com

Senior living in Santa Barbara. A sprawling 20-acre community of beautifully landscaped grounds bordered by mature eucalyptus and the San Jose Creek—within walking distance of prime shopping districts. Experience the best in senior living with quality care and upscale amenities.

Santa Barbara Botanic Garden

1212 Mission Canyon Rd., Santa Barbara 805 682-4726

www.SBBotanicGarden.org

The Santa Barbara Botanic Garden is a 78-acre botanical garden containing over 1,000 species of rare and indigenous plants. In this living museum, every plant is part of a special collection of California’s native plants managed by their team of gardeners and horticulture professionals. Open daily 10am–5pm, reservations required.

Santa Barbara Certified Farmers Market

805 962-5354

www.SBFarmersMarket.org

The Santa Barbara Certified Farmers Market Association is a nonprofit mutual benefit corporation that provides California farmers with direct access, at landmark locations throughout Santa Barbara County, to market their cultivated products to the local community.

SBCC Foundation

805 730-4401

www.SBCCFoundation.org

The SBCC Foundation has provided Santa Barbara City College with private philanthropic support for over 45 years, serving as the vehicle through which individuals and organizations may invest in the college and its students. The Foundation provides more than $5 million annually for the SBCC Promise, student success programs, scholarships, emergency grants and more— supporting SBCC students as they prepare for careers, transfer to four-year universities and pursue lifelong learning goals.

Santa Barbara South Coast Chamber of Commerce

www.SBSCChamber.com

Representing 1,100 businesses and 75,000 jobs from Carpinteria, Santa Barbara, Goleta and everywhere in between, the Santa Barbara South Coast Chamber of Commerce is proud to advocate for business, support economic development and promote tourism and visitor services.

Winter’s Don’t-Miss-Dish

Rhubarb Upside Down Cake with Blood Orange Semifreddo and Pistachio Tuile at

From the moment its doors opened on Bastille Day in 1998, Bouchon has been more than just a restaurant. It offered a taste of France along with an introduction to the brand-new “wine country cuisine” that we now know and love. It was also at the forefront of farm-to-table dining, reinforced by its longstanding offering of chef visits to the Santa Barbara Farmers Market, which still happen on Tuesdays and Saturdays.

Bouchon and its owner, Mitchell Sjerven, have always managed to capture the spirit of fine dining, and also the soul of a small, comforting neighborhood spot. Nightly and seasonal specials offer a taste of something new and different, as well as simple and pleasing. Bouchon has been a backdrop to our celebrations as well as tough times—offering us warmth, comfort and the promise of good company. Over the years, Bouchon has been one of the biggest champions of Santa Barbara County wines. Bouchon is, in many ways, a beloved friend to Santa Barbara.

Head Chef Vicken Tavitian loves cooking here, mostly because of the sense of community. “Taking folks to the farmers market, feeding regulars before their shows here in the arts district, pairing local wines … these allow me to connect with people and put my twist on the story.”

For winter, he was inspired to create this Rhubarb Upside Down Cake, topped with Blood Orange Semifreddo and Pistachio Tuile. There’s a unique allure to rhubarb; it’s strikingly tart and needs some care and creativity to nudge it into perfect balance that is both bold and delicate, jammy and floral. With a touch of sweetness and the pairing of blood orange and pistachio, Tavitian transforms rhubarb’s simple stalk into a delightful treat. This dessert delivers exactly what the heart needs this season.

Make the tuile by combining egg whites and sugar, then add flour for a paste, and a little vanilla extract. Lay this paste onto a

Bouchon

baking sheet and spread out with a spoon. Sprinkle roughly chopped pistachios over the flattened dough and bake at 350°F until the edges are golden brown. This is a fragile cookie dough; don’t bake it too long. Let it cool, then break into large pieces.

To make the cake, make sure to get the most vibrant, reddest pieces of rhubarb, and cut them into 1-inch bits. Add them to a bowl with a little sugar, and let them macerate for about 15 minutes, until the juices come out.

While that sits, make a basic vanilla cake, folding in flour at the end, as gently as possible. Pour the rhubarb mix into the bottom of a greased cake pan and pour the batter over the top. Bake at 350°F uncovered for 35–40 minutes, until lightly browned. Flip the finished cake over onto a platter. Let it cool completely.

For the semifreddo, cut a blood orange in half; juice one half and save the rest of the fruit segments. In a double-boiler on low heat, slowly heat 2 egg yolks and ¼ cup sugar, adding 1 cup cold heavy cream a third at a time and whisking continuously until thick. Set this aside to come to room temperature.

When ready to serve, whip 1 cup heavy cream with a little blood orange juice and a little vanilla until soft peaks form. Fold this, a third at a time, into the egg mixture.

To serve, top a piece of cake with semifreddo and tuile, plus blood orange pieces and pistachio dust.

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

WE ARE A COMMUNITY

Our hearts are with our neighbors affected by the devastating Southern California fires. We thank and support all the individuals and organizations who are working tirelessly to bring relief and hope during this challenging time.

New Saturday Location!

SATURDAYS

Downtown Santa Barbara

Carrillo Street and State Street

8:00am – 1:00pm

SUNDAYS

Camino Real Marketplace

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

(805) 962-5354

TUESDAYS

Old Town Santa Barbara

600–800 Blocks of State Street 3:00pm – 6:30pm

WEDNESDAYS

Solvang Village

Copenhagen Drive & 1st Street 2:30pm – 6:00pm

Shopping at the outdoor farmers market is the perfect way to stock up on what you need every week at one of our area’s six markets. At the farmers market, you’ll find the area’s best seasonal offerings. This winter, look for sweet and juicy citrus; hearty mushrooms; flavorful leeks; peas and fava beans; fresh greens such as kale, spinach, chard and collards; root vegetables; dates, dried fruits and nuts, plus so much more.

6 Markets • 6 Days a Week • Rain or Shine

THURSDAYS Carpinteria

800 Block of Linden Avenue 3:00pm – 6:00pm

FRIDAYS Montecito

1100–1200 Block of Coast Village Rd. 8:00am – 11:15am