Tag archives: local food

Fine Food First, Gluten-Free Second: ‘Lilac Montecito’ Calling All Diners
By Gabe Saglie   |   February 27, 2024

“Gluten-free is really just a by-line for us – it’s important to what we do, and we do it well,” Gillian Muralles, owner of Montecito’s newest eatery, Lilac Montecito, recently told the Journal. “But if someone doesn’t care about that, I’d love to get them through the door just as much!” Mrs. Muralles and her […]

A LOCAL Journey: The Path from Tech Entrepreneur to Restaurateur
By Jeff Wing   |   December 26, 2023

“I cooked my way through college. I was the cook in our fraternity for a while because our actual cook quit, along with a couple other guys. So I made meals for 50 guys, six days a week. That teaches you how to cook pretty fast.” Not to worry; “Frat House Epicure” does not define […]

Take a Bite with The Grazing Place
By Amélie Dieux   |   November 7, 2023

Mother of two children, wife, and business owner with a chemical engineering degree, Monica Vuchkova is the quintessential new modern woman. Based in Santa Barbara, and thanks to her childhood in Bulgaria, food heritage, lifestyle, and her love of people, she started her company The Grazing Place in 2021. She creates exquisite gourmet boards for […]

Jemma Montecito 
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   October 24, 2023

Last week it was quietly announced that a new restaurant called Jemma Montecito is in the works for the Las Aves complex near the Bird Refuge; the complex traded hands last year for $19M, selling to a Los Angeles-based investment group, the Runyon Group, which has big plans to revitalize the complex and bring in […]

Cherries
By Melissa Petitto   |   June 20, 2023

The Farmers Market colors are saving me during this rainy, overcast, gray June. Walking through and looking at all the bountiful produce, envisioning what I will make once I take them back to my kitchen, is saving me from a major case of June Gloom. This week my daughter and I were drawn to the […]

The Feel of an Aperitivo Meal
By Brooke Bidwell   |   May 2, 2023

You do not have to travel to Italy to experience the delicious food that comes from its rolling hills and cobbled streets. Andrea Girardello and Brian Dodero opened Aperitivo at 7 W. Haley St. in October of 2020, inspired by the Italian emphasis on choosing fresh, quality ingredients rather than intricate preparations. The namesake? “Aperitivo” […]

A Gastronomy Gala
By Richard Mineards   |   March 14, 2023

To Gala, a new Anacapa Street eatery, formerly known as Pacific Crêpes, where I would eat regularly when I first came to Santa Barbara in 2007 and churned out a column for the Santa Barbara News-Press, just a tiara’s toss away. Now it has gone from a decidedly French theme to Spanish-owned by chef Jaime […]

Winter Whites
By Melissa Petitto   |   February 28, 2023

Well, readers, it’s still cold outside and a nourishing soup is on my mind. This week, I was pondering the white vegetables in the farmers market and their often overlooked brilliance. These vegetables, which are lacking in pigment, have a phytonutrient, or plant chemical, known as anthoxanthin.  Vegetables such as garlic, onion, fennel, potato, turnip, […]

A New Brick and Mortar for Rascal’s And How the Community Can Help!
By Christopher Matteo Connor   |   February 14, 2023

When life throws you curveballs, what does the owner of the vegan joint Rascal’s do? In short, Dalan Moreno gets to work and gets things done!  After a sudden and unexpected notice to vacate his downtown residency on Cota Street on November 4, 2022, Dalan was left in a moment of uncertainty. But if 17 […]

Santa Barbara Chefs Embrace the Bounty of the Season
By Claudia Schou   |   November 15, 2022

Blue skies, swaying palm trees, and warm weather make our city the perfect setting for California Dreamin’, but diners can still find hearty winter dishes on the menus of many of Santa Barbara’s best eateries.  Game birds, root vegetables, chestnuts, truffles, and other seasonal ingredients are among the rich cornucopia of flavors awaiting diners. “You […]

AMA Sushi: Seasoned chefs bring centuries-old Japanese traditions to Rosewood Miramar in Montecito
By Claudia Schou   |   September 20, 2022

Step inside AMA Sushi, Rosewood Miramar’s new upscale dining room, and experience an homage to Edomae – a centuries-old Japanese culinary tradition that has resurfaced in recent years. Named for women who ventured into the ocean to collect seafood for their village, “ama” means “women of the sea.”  The team at this beachside resort is […]

Summer Splendor at Local Eateries The Sweetness and Spiciness of the Season
By Claudia Schou   |   July 26, 2022

Warm summer breezes and longer days beckon diners outdoors to explore the city’s diverse culinary landscape. Although there has been a recent uptick in virus cases, restaurant owners and chefs tempt diners with their summer creations. Several local eateries continue to exercise the same safety protocols at the height of the pandemic. “Our doors to […]

Where It All Vegan
By Christopher Matteo Connor   |   July 19, 2022

Who remembers that cookbook How It All Vegan by Tanya Barnard and Sarah Kramer? If you do, congrats, you’re older than you think. If you don’t, well, who can blame you? It was a vegan cookbook published in 2002. Before vegan burgers started popping up at fast food chains, before walls were packed with specialty […]

Pop Into a Pop-up
By Audrey Biles   |   July 5, 2022

We are all too familiar with the surfeit of restaurant and business closures that COVID left in its wake. Restrictions kept patrons away, and even the most bustling take-home enterprises had difficulty covering operation costs and rent. For many business owners, closure was the only option. For others, this time of uncertainty made bucket list […]

Beans BBQ: A BBQ Eatery Serves Reimagined Comfort Fare
By Claudia Schou   |   July 5, 2022

Pitmaster Kristi Bean recently debuted her barbecue eatery, Beans BBQ, nestled on State Street, just steps away from Granada Theatre.  Bean said the eatery is the love child of Beans BBQ catering business, which she started in 2014, the same year she migrated to Santa Barbara. At the core of the success story that is […]

Netflix’s The Andy Warhol Diaries Provides Inspiration for a Foodie’s Diary
By Claudia Schou   |   June 21, 2022

Saturday Dear Diary, This pandemic was so inconvenient, and awful, just awful. I’ve never felt so lonely and depressed in my entire life. Thank you for helping me get through the pandemic! I’ve kept sane with tantalizing home cooked meals and entertaining TV series like Pam and Tommy. Last night I finished the last episode […]

Six New Dining Options to Try This Summer
By Claudia Schou   |   May 24, 2022

If you’re planning to venture out in town this summer, start a list of some of the new eateries you’d like to visit during your al fresco culinary adventures. From Mexican-inspired bites and beverages to Nashville-style fried chicken, Santa Barbara has some exciting new eateries on its culinary scene. Santa Barbara Public Market has added […]

Montecito Country Mart Update
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   March 29, 2022

Last week Montecito Country Mart announced that its newest eatery, Alma Fonda Fina, is scheduled to open in June. The restaurant is the latest offering from Ramon Velazquez, a local Santa Barbara chef and Michelin Bib Gourmand winner, and the owner of the popular Corazon Cocina in the Public Market in downtown Santa Barbara. Alma […]

Montecito Deli to Change Hands
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   March 15, 2022

Word on Coast Village Road is that the owner of Montecito Deli, Jeff Rypysc, is in talks with a well-known Montecito restaurateur to sell the business, located at 1150 Coast Village Road. If all goes as planned, the deal will close April 1.  The new concept for the deli, which has been in the same […]

Harbor Restaurant Sells
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   March 15, 2022

The Harbor Restaurant/Longboard’s Grill, one of Santa Barbara’s most recognizable waterfront dining destinations, sold last week, according to Hayes Commercial Group, which brokered both sides of the deal.  The iconic restaurants on Stearns Wharf have been operated by the Scott family along with longtime Santa Barbara restaurateur Dave Perry for more than four decades. The […]