Tag archives: food
Julia Child spent her final years in Montecito. Her words could almost serve as a blessing over Ancora Osteria, where Chef Luca Crestanelli has built a restaurant, and a life, around much the same philosophy of taking the chance, working hard, and doing things properly. Luca was 23 when a friend from his summer restaurant […]
Burkdoll Farm has an abundance of stone fruit right now, and the plums are divine. As much as I try not to favor one season, summer has always held a special place in my heart. Memories of Alabama summers – juicy stone fruit, fireflies, sprinkler runs, and slow childhood days – come rushing back with […]
My husband and I went to La Jolla for the Concours d’Elegance, and somewhere between the oceanfront lawns, the village charm, the beautifully poured glasses, and dinner above the cove, I found myself thinking the same thing again and again: Santa Barbara people would love this. Of course, the La Jolla Concours d’Elegance was the […]
Earlier this year, my husband and I spent time in Milan doing one of my favorite things in the world, discovering a city by the way it eats and drinks. I have always loved aperitivo in Italy. It is one of those simple pleasures that makes life feel instantly more civilized. A glass arrives, something […]
One week of SB Culinary Experience x Wine Tasting event slated for May 11-17, in partnership with The Julia Child Foundation for Gastronomy and the Culinary Arts. The Julia Child Foundation’s signature honors, The Julia Child Award, will be announced and presented on Friday, May 14, at Godmothers Bookstore Summerland. 411: https://sbce.events SCA Community Gathering […]
Dried dates are always available at our farmers market, but lately I have been adding them to almost everything from a sweet potato topper with olives and herbs, to a salad addition, to a perfect and healthy vehicle for a dessert, so I thought they deserved an article of their own. Flying Disc Farms has […]
A round 15 years ago I made a new friend. At the time, she was in her 70s and proudly declared that she didn’t cook anymore. She and her husband ate out or ordered in most nights and if her adult children came over, they could cook if they had the inclination. At the time, […]
More spoiler alerts on Monte’s Restaurant (1198 Coast Village Road) Montecito! First up – Chloe Lobdell, a Santa Barbara native, is now the Rincon Hill Farm Director, replacing Aiden Ostrowski. Seen making deliveries to the restaurant are local sea urchin merchants, as well as purveyors of tableware and décor. Inside views from peeps include the […]
From brioche French toast on lazy mornings to prime rib before the big show, Lucky’s has long been “Montecito’s Second Living Room.” For 25 years, this beloved steakhouse has been serving unforgettable meals – and creating cherished memories for our community. Now it’s time to celebrate, and this is the last week to submit your […]
The holidays approach. In old timey lingo? “The holidayeth approacheth” (I’m pretty sure). December’s “Peace on Earth” pandemonium will be heralded as usual by the early warning system we call Thanksgiving; a commemoration turkeys movingly refer to as “Pilgrims Are Jerks.” Their naming convention is awkward, their ennui more than understandable. Today, many enlightened holiday […]
When local investment empath (and healthy hair exemplar) Graham Duncan bought Pierre Lafond’s beloved and fallow Wine Bistro space in the Upper Village, local eyebrows arched as one. There were whisperings in the woods. A jewel in the Upper Village crown, the cozy retail oasis perched above the miraculous Corner Green has long been a […]
Oren Giladi, owner of organic meal service Organic Oren, never set out to be a chef. Yet the path revealed itself almost effortlessly, as though he’d been destined for it from the beginning. His original plan was to become an artist. In college, he studied art as an undergraduate in New York. While he cooked […]
You’re the top, you’re Mahatma Gandhi. You’re the top, you’re Napoleon Brandy. You’re the purple light of a summer night in Spain. You’re the National Gallery, you’re Garbo’s salary. You’re cellophane. Cole Porter’s famous lyric was surely written about the human race. Yeah, we’re the top! [cut to outdoor shot – two strangers on Coast […]
It’s been eight months since David Fishbein and Joseph Miller, co-founders of Los Angeles-based real estate collective The Runyon Group, opened The Post in Montecito. “It has been lovely to see how embraced The Post has been in its early days,” said Fishbein in an email to the Montecito Journal. “I am constantly overhearing people […]
Gai lan or Chinese broccoli belongs to the same family as broccoli and kale – the Brassica family. Gai lan originates in China, and is in season right now in all its gorgeousness at Chavez Family Farms. In traditional Chinese medicine, gai lan is thought to be a detoxification vegetable, aiding and supporting the fire […]
Over the years, every time I visited Ojai, I’d stop at the bend in the curve on Besant Road at The Ranch House’s kitchen door bakery to grab a loaf of their rye bread to bring home. Sometimes there would be a meal there – but there was always a bread stop accompanied by a […]
Montecito’s Upper Village is about to welcome a new culinary gem: Little Mountain, a refined, ingredient-driven restaurant helmed by acclaimed Chef Diego Moya. Slated to open soon, the restaurant will showcase Moya’s signature wood-fired, seasonal cooking rooted in sustainability and global technique. His diverse culinary journey spans top kitchens from Lima to Paris to New […]
For this week’s Dear Montecito, I asked Jules Bartling, one of the core founders of The Girl’s Kitchen, to update our community on the pop-up kitchen and meals team bringing whole foods to our community, and to communities negatively affected by the current administration. From Jules: I like to think of The Girl’s Kitchen (TGK) […]
You won’t feel any pane paying at Santa Barbara’s latest walk-up food joint The Win-Dow, located on the corner of Chapala and Ortega, opposite Paseo Nuevo. The eatery, which features $4.35 smash-cheeseburgers and inexpensive fried chicken, along with $6 milk shakes, is the sixth outlet opened by founder Jeff Goodman, who formerly worked at the […]
It’s the beginning of stone fruit season and Burkdoll Farm has some of the very first peaches! Plump, juicy, ranging in color from white to deep golden, the peach is one of those quintessential summer treats. The peach originated in China over 8,000 years ago and is packed with nutritional value. A peach is chock […]
