Eats

Some of Alessio Carnevale’s fondest childhood memories took place at his uncle’s gelato shop in Calabria, Italy. One of these throwbacks begins with a broken arm, which may have inadvertently determined Carnevale’s career. “One summer, my uncle broke his arm, and my mother said I needed to help him out in the shop. It was […]

Wine tasting isn’t the only thing bringing visitors to Brick Barn Wine Estate in record numbers this summer.  Formerly home to a successful horse breeding facility, the 35-acre Buellton property recently announced a full slate of seasonal happenings (including live concerts, stand-up comedy shows, and outdoor film screenings), some of which sold out almost immediately. […]

At the end of June, a board of judges gathered in Paso Robles for a blind tasting event to determine the winners of the California Mid-State Fair’s 2021 Central Coast Vinegar Competition. From a pool of entries encompassing 10 coastal counties (from Alameda to Ventura), Solvang’s Broken Clock Vinegar Works placed first in one of […]

If you give a mouse a cookie, society has been groomed to assume the rodent will consequently demand a glass of milk. But what if said cookie giver doesn’t carry dairy products? While probably best known for its vegan burger, burrito, and taco offerings, Dreamers Vegan Takeout in Lompoc offers a rotating menu of delicious […]

Why watch the Friends reunion when you could just live it instead? While Father’s Day weekend marked the official reopening (albeit, a “soft opening”) of Kay’s Orcutt Country Kitchen (closed since last November), the iconic eatery is formally celebrating the occasion with an upcoming reunion of its own.  On June 26 and 27, five of […]

While the opal in Golden Opal Baking is a reference to founder Taylor Tate’s birthstone, the gold exterior also serves as a loving nod to her lineage. “I chose golden because my grandparents have had many loved golden retrievers over the years, and it just felt fitting to have a little piece of them in […]

On the back of every bottle at Future Perfect Wine, a dedication reads: “For the fearless, dreamers, scallywags, dazzlers, explorers, and incurable romantics. We are all connected and this is for you.” These are the deities Sunny Doench Stricker, founder of the label, aims to please with her newly released libations. The public was invited […]

Henry David Thoreau walks into a wine bar. This isn’t the start of a joke, just an image conjured up while speculating how said philosopher might have responded to Dreamcote founder Brit Zotovich’s “life’s short, make it count” approach to both winemaking and wine drinking.  Zotovich’s favorite quote is one of Thoreau’s most famous: “You […]

Arkansas and Vermont are the only states left without pins on the map of the United States hanging in Smith House Manufacturing on Thompson Avenue in Nipomo.  The Smiths had shipped Monkey Spit Hot Sauce products to every other state in the union as of May 22 and are eager to claim the remaining two […]

Growing up as the daughter of two business owners, Santa Maria local and lifelong foodie Rachel Boston had always hoped to start a business of her own one day. The only question was what? “It has been a huge dream of mine, but the question always was what should I do that I am passionate […]

If a title as boss sounding as the Dogfather isn’t enough to convince patrons to give this house-made sausage on a toasted hoagie a go, it might help to know it’s a staff favorite at the Santa Ynez Sausage Company. “I love to add caramelized onions, chopped-up house pickles, and Dijon mustard to make it […]

Monkey see, monkey dough, as participants of an upcoming fundraiser will discover. During the virtual workshop, those who sign up will get to bake their own batch of monkey bread.  Led by Recipes Bakery founder Meichelle Arntz, Baking for Angels takes place on a Sunday afternoon (May 16, from 3 to 4:30 p.m.) and pre-registrants […]