Food & Drink

Kaitlin Munoz has had a lot to celebrate this holiday season. A little more than a year ago, she relocated her fledgling Proof and Gather Baking Company from a registered cottage food kitchen in Lompoc to a larger-scale commercial kitchen in San Luis Obispo. Her stated long-term goal at the time was to open her […]

Muffins. Cookies. Cupcakes. No matter which of her baked goods is up for review, Jacqueline Rubio never gets tired of hearing “nostalgia-inducing” and similar adjectives as feedback from her customers. “I love when someone tells me it reminds them of a specific time or memory after they taste a certain treat,” said Rubio, the founder […]

After spending more than a decade working for various restaurants, two prolific chefs recently pursued a mutual dream they had on the back burner for a while—to own and operate an eatery that prioritizes food waste reduction through sustainable cooking practices. Rather than invest in a brick-and-mortar, work and life partners Tiffani Ortiz and Andy […]

Justin Trabue has wine in her veins. She was born and raised in Washington, D.C., but California beckoned since birth, with her namesake being Justin Vineyards and Winery in Paso Robles. “This was my initial spark connector to this region,” she said.  While in high school, her wine enthusiast parents invited a Black sommelier to […]

When local chef Michael Cherney found out one of his restaurant ventures had received the Michelin Bib Gourmand Award, he felt like waiting for Ashton Kutcher to come around the corner to tell him he’d been Punk’d. “I seriously thought it was one of my friends or employees playing a joke on me,” said Cherney, […]

A local produce carrier is hoping to redefine the farmers market scene in Lompoc. Route One, a nonprofit that hosts weekly farmers market events in Vandenberg Village, is extending its reach to multiple locations in the Lompoc Valley, thanks to a new custom-designed food truck. “Getting this truck ready to roll has definitely been a […]

Slot machines. Poker tables. Bundt cakes.  Husband and wife Tom and Terre Downey hit the jackpot in one of these arenas during a trip to Las Vegas, Nevada, when they were introduced to a hip bakery in town. It happened about two decades ago. The couple was visiting their son, who lived in Vegas at […]

I’ve spent a lot of time on San Luis Obispo County’s sparse number of buses. By the time they’re done slowly meandering, I’m always hungry but invariably stuffed with a little more information about this sliver of the Central Coast.  Golden Moon Chinese Restaurant revved up both my appetite and curiosity when I caught a […]

Before playing for the Los Angeles Lakers, Sasha Vujacic spent the early years of his professional basketball career in northern Italy, where he enjoyed bonding over regional wines with his father.  “At that time, my dad was exploring the local wines in the area and learning about the diverse practices, approaches, and traditions that determine […]

This year marked the return of the Santa Maria Wine Trolley, after the attraction’s two-year pause due to the pandemic.  The trolley resumed transportation services to local tasting rooms in May, and a recent boost in ticket sales inspired the program’s organizers to extend this season’s end date—originally in mid-October—to late November. “This is our […]

Wine. Cheese. Bocce ball. Set to open in late November, the Guadalupe Social Club will be home to many things—some with age restrictions, and others without.  The wine bar’s co-founders Brooks Van Wingerden and Lexie Bell, two mothers, both with three children of their own, aimed to create a unique space for wine tasting with […]

Fall is crush time for California’s wine industry. The Santa Barbara County Vintners Festival was Oct. 8 in Solvang. In San Luis Obispo County, the Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance celebrates Harvest Wine Month throughout October, while its rising-star sister, the San Luis Obispo Coast Wine Collective, rolls out Harvest on the Coast in November. […]