Eats

When it came down to figuring out which wines paired best with this year’s lineup of Girl Scout cookie flavors, William James Cellars owner and winemaker Robin Bogue espoused one golden rule. And that is, besides being obvious, “Try not to eat all the cookies in one sitting.” “When we decided to do this pairing […]

Call it a hyperactive sweet tooth. Call it joie de vivre. Call it what you want; Gary Bayus has it. The Pismo Beach resident is whole-heartedly and unabashedly wild about desserts. So much so, that every time he goes out to eat, it’s what he eats first. “Sometimes it’s dessert first, and sometimes it’s just […]

One dark and stormy Wednesday morning in Nipomo, Bob “Kiwi Bob” Criswell found out just how akin to family his farmers’ market customers truly are. At daybreak, his son, Michael, decided there had been enough snoozing in the Criswell household. Always a fan of selling kiwi at the local farmer’s markets—the same way his father […]

Fresh from a relaxing month-long visit to his native South Africa, Santa Ynez Valley winemaker Ernst Storm vividly recalls not only the sights but also specific scents that he encountered while hiking deep into lush forests along the country’s scenic Golden Route. “There are layers of leaves that never see sun. It’s clean; it’s not […]

Like the very best wines, some homecomings are meant to be savored. When U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Nick Firestone returned home to the Santa Ynez Valley after a 10-month deployment in Afghanistan last November, his parents, Adam and Kate Firestone, were overwhelmed with elation. “When his mother gets to hug him, safe and sound, we […]

Dusk is falling in sleepy Los Alamos, but the Alamo Motel is just beginning to heat up. Motel visitors and locals alike spread out colorful Mexican blankets on the front lawn, soon to be dotted with picnic suppers sourced from nearby Bell Street Farm. Some settle into rocking chairs, while others sprawl out and consider […]

When hard-working Angela Soleno followed her heart, starting her own wine label in 2008, she still worked full-time at wineries in Los Olivos, bartended on weekends in Ventura, and took freelance writing assignments to make ends meet. The single mother of two, who grew up in Orcutt, also juggled driving her children to cheer practice […]

The anticipation of that frenetic pop. The delicate spray of bubbles. That’s right: Sparkling wines should be embraced across the seasons, 365 days per year. Well, at least the really good ones should. Speaking of really good sparkling wines, I recently had the rare pleasure of mulling this topic over with Jackie Leopold, sales and […]

You can’t argue with physics, right? Georg Riedel, the 10th-generation owner of Riedel Crystal, made a rare appearance in Santa Barbara County in December to state his case that physics plays a critical role in the enjoyment of wine. Santa Barbara Vintners, the region’s vintners association, played host to Riedel, whose family founded the esteemed […]

Ayda Robana believes that thoughtfully crafted food transcends sustenance or even art, that when done right, it can bridge the gap between generations and miles. The Santa Barbara-based caterer and private chef draws from her Tunisian background and worldly travels to create meals that honor both the bounty of the Central Coast as well as […]

This year brought many exciting new places to enjoy wine, beer, and food here on the Central Coast; for example, a Hollywood star opened a wine tasting room, a Master Somm came to town, a health-minded corporation started a restaurant, and a high-end bakery set up shop. For the last week of 2014, the Sun […]