Eats

Hawaii-happy partners Preston Tripp and Ashlee Alewine felt compelled to bring an edible piece of the tropical Pacific Rim to the Central Coast.  An award-winning chef, Tripp conceptualized and whipped up dishes for restaurants from California to Oahu, Hawaii. Alewine’s Central Coast roots brought the couple back to the Five Cities—the place where they first […]

Sometimes the best kind of food to pair with wine is food for the soul, according to a local yoga teacher known for pairing poses with rosés.  When Jennifer Barajas teaches yoga classes at a winery or vineyard, her students are treated to some complimentary wine after the session ends. But there’s an extra twist […]

Fresh fruit and vegetable giveaways, free food samples, and complimentary wine tastings are among the festivities scheduled for 2022’s Santa Barbara County Farm Day celebration. This year marks the annual program’s fourth iteration and will take place in Santa Maria on Saturday, Sept. 17. The multi-venue event is organized by the Students for Eco-Education and […]

Technically, Bar Le Côte in Los Olivos is closed on Tuesdays—except for the two to three hours when a Thai food pop-up takes over the venue.  For the past two months, husband and wife Nik and Ashley Ramirez have been hosting their weekly pop-up business, Na Na Thai, at the restaurant every Tuesday starting at […]

Wine is often the headliner at Flying Goat Cellars Tasting and Art Salon in Lompoc. But the venue’s yearly Honey Bee Day celebration usually attracts visitors who crave a different kind of buzz.  The family-friendly event includes honey tastings and beekeeping demonstrations hosted by members of the Lompoc Valley Beekeepers Association (LVBA), said Flying Goat […]

Four long tables full of handcrafted ceramic bowls stood near the entrance of the Dick DeWees Community and Senior Center on Wednesday, July 27. Many guests of this year’s Lompoc Empty Bowls fundraiser circled the display more than once before making a selection. “They’re all painted by hand. Every bowl is one of a kind,” […]

With 80 locations in California alone, Juice It Up! surprisingly doesn’t have a presence in San Luis Obispo, Monterey, or Ventura counties. Before the end of June, Santa Barbara County was on this list as well.  That changed with the grand opening of the brand’s first Central Coast location in Santa Maria. The new store […]

The first chapter of Carolyn Dismuke’s new nonfiction book outlines her departure from San Francisco, where she left her studio apartment behind to embark on an ambitious road trip across California. Over the next 25 months, Dismuke lived out of the suitcases she was able to fit in her convertible. “I’d only planned to be […]

Melding the bold flavors of his childhood with locally sourced ingredients, Pequín Coastal Cocina Executive Chef Frank Barajas, of Santa Maria, hopes his new restaurant will fill a void in the area for elevated, Mexican-inspired cuisine. Launched on June 28 and replacing Somerset Grill at Vespera Resort on Pismo Beach, Pequín is named for one […]

With more than four decades of restaurant experience under his belt, Anthony Burns was eager to help “carry the torch” for a longtime friend who dreamt of owning a diner someday. For the past three to four years, Burns, 61, and Roscoe Holloway, 86, have talked on and off about opening a restaurant together. The […]

Central Coast pinot noir was arguably the breakout star of 2004’s Sideways. During a road trip to explore Santa Barbara County’s wine country, Paul Giamatti’s character, Miles, can’t stop singing praises about the variety.  Nearly two decades later, a Lompoc-produced pinot noir is garnering some favorable attention in AMC’s new mini series, Cooper’s Bar. The […]

Eric McDaniel was 18 when he started his first job, working in the kitchen of Giavanni’s Pizza in Orcutt. Could he have predicted owning the joint about two decades later? “It kind of is a little bit of a dream come true,” said McDaniel, who bought the pizzeria with his wife, Brittany Jones-McDaniel, in early […]