Eats

When the Rushing family viewed a property off Jonata Road owned by Jack Buell, whose family ranch eventually evolved into the city of Buellton, they were entranced with it. The land had been unused since 2001.   “We thought it would be the ideal place to start a restaurant,” Chelsea Rushing said. The Rushings—Chelsea; her […]

Wes Hagen and Noah Rowles, two longtime area winemakers, figured Alisos Canyon had the wherewithal to be the newest designated American Viticultural Area (AVA) in Santa Barbara County. The two men liked the area’s location. They liked the soil. They believed in the workers who tilled the soil and harvested the grapes. So they labored […]

Annie Greene saw what she figured was a culinary need in Santa Maria. So she decided to fill it. “There isn’t much upscale fast food here, and most of what there is is pretty expensive,” she said. So she and friends Michael Xu and Claire Reyes decided to open a new restaurant that features what […]

The words on the window to the left of the Tom’s Burgers entrance, and on the window to the right of it, read, “Lompoc Strong.” Those words signify a commitment the business has made to the Lompoc Valley since opening its doors in 1979. On an unseasonably balmy mid-October day, Jenn Villareal, Tom’s Burgers manager, […]

Talk about a fruitful lifestyle move. Bob Oswaks had been in the television industry in Los Angeles for 30 years when he decided it was time for a career change. “It wasn’t anything all of a sudden. I had been working for Norman Lear for years. He talked to me after I had been working […]

Solvang resident Tom Orem is in seven wine clubs and purchases maybe 300 bottles of wine a year from Santa Barbara County wineries.  “You gotta have something that’s your hobby, and mine’s drinking wine,” Orem said. “I know how many [bottles] I drink a year, because there are 365 days, so that’s easy to figure […]

If I could be grateful for one thing the COVID-19 pandemic and all of the associated safety guidelines for businesses have spawned, it’s definitely the move from inside to outside.  Outdoor dining is so hot right now, and it’s a beautiful thing. Sitting with the breeze in your hair, dining al fresco on a patio […]

 A tiki bar is never done, according to Michael Cobb, but phase 1 of his new High Roller Tiki Lounge bar is just about complete. The Solvang winemaker (Sort This Out Cellars) and wine cocktail shaker closed his Copenhagen Drive location in January with the intent of relocating. Then COVID-19 hit, Cobb said, and it […]

It’s hard to tell whether smoke or fog hangs over Nipomo on Sept. 10 as we walk over to Birchwood Beer Garden around 5 p.m.  Field to Table Catering & Events’ food truck, The Cruiser, is parked in the front parking lot serving up the Aloha Menu—your choice of Kalua pork sandwich, Huli Huli chicken, […]

One day, Gina’s Piece of Cake was open, baking, and cranking out the cakes. And the next day, it wasn’t.  “When the pandemic first started, obviously, the mall just closed our doors,” owner Gina Martin said.  The saving grace? Because the shop is just inside the Santa Maria Town Center’s entrance, Martin said they had […]

The second annual Santa Barbara County Farm Day certainly isn’t going to be like the first.  About 1,000 people attended tours at 13 different locations for last year’s inaugural event in the Santa Maria Valley—this year will be the eighth Ventura County Farm Day. But farm tours aren’t really an option due to the COVID-19 […]

The barstools in 15 Degrees C Wine Shop and Bar and the view of chef Nathan Clapp’s open kitchen are on hold for the time being, but the authentic Italian food and neighborhood wine stop in Templeton has an outdoor oasis just for you.  Clapp dances and sings around his turntable of from-scratch pizzas and […]