‘Now and Then’ opens tonight in Carpinteria

CARPINTERIA — The Alcazar Theatre and Ensemble will open its 2023 season tonight through Sunday with “Now and Then” by Sean Grennan.

The curtain will rise at 7 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, with matinees at 3 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays at the theater, 4916 Carpinteria Ave., Carpinteria.

The romantic comedy/drama features Andrew Miller as Jamie, Raymond Wallenthin as “Man,” Jadzia Winter as Abby and Shannon Saleh as “Woman.” The play is directed by Asa Olsson.

“Now and Then” is a romantic drama/comedy about love, following your dreams and the costs of personal decisions.

The story is about an aspiring pianist, his girlfriend, Abby and a mysterious older gentleman, Jimmy, who offers them $1,000 each to talk with him. As the three swap stories, Jamie considers the decisions he faces about his musical career and his future with his girlfriend.

“It is, at the end, very much a love story,” Mr. Grennan said. “It kind of asks us what is love worth in our lives? What is it worth going through for love? Are we destined to be with certain people?”

Tickets for the play cost $20 for general admission and $15 for seniors and students. To purchase tickets, go to www.thealcazar.org.

Celeriac

Also commonly referred to as celeriac, this winter vegetable is a member of the Apiaceae family. It’s closely related to parsley, fennel, carrots and parsnips. Celeriac’s flavor is reminiscent of all its family members rolled into one, with nice underlying notes of celery throughout. It can be enjoyed in both raw and cooked forms. I most commonly use celeriac in pureed soups or shredded and tossed with mixed greens and a robustly flavored salad dressing. This week I prepared a celeriac, potato and carrot hash brown as the Fix of the Week, below. Grown by several local farmers, celeriac is available at the weekly Saturday Santa Barbara, Tuesday Santa Barbara and Wednesday Solvang farmers’ markets.

Blood orange tangerine juice

This is one of the tastiest citrus based juices you can find, anywhere.

With seasonal fruit grown by Friends Ranches in Ojai, they blend their deep red pigmented blood oranges with sweet seasonal tangerines for an incredible dynamic flavor. Yielding a bright red color, this juice is excellent for enjoying as it comes, to be incorporated into cocktails, used to make reduction sauces, or used in marinades and salad dressings.

You can find it seasonally at the Saturday Santa Barbara farmers markets. It’s sold in pints, quarts and half gallon quantities. The half gallons are $17 each.