Food & Drink

It’s been in business for less than a year, and COLD Coast Brewing Company has already gained national recognition for one of its ales.  In early October, the Lompoc-based brewery’s co-founders flew to Denver, Colorado, to attend the Great American Beer Festival—the largest annual commercial beer competition in the U.S. More than 2,000 breweries from […]

There’s a new way to shake off the Monday blues in the Santa Ynez Valley. Thanks to a partnership with Santa Maria-based dance company Klein Dance Arts, Zaca Creek in Buellton is hosting salsa dance sessions twice a month.  Each event in the Mojito Monday series is paired with a selection of tropical cocktails and […]

This year marked the return of a unique gathering, formerly held at the Cuyama Buckhorn on a periodic basis before fading out more than five decades ago. “Back in the ’50s and ’60s, it was a regular thing at the Buckhorn to do a chuckwagon meal, and over the years it just kind of went […]

Darting between two places of work on a golf cart has become a daily occurrence for one pair of local restaurateurs. Luckily for business partners Anthony Carron and Steven Fretz, their new Mexican restaurant, Campo del Sol, is located just a few blocks away from their steakhouse, Coast Range, in downtown Solvang. “We bought a […]

The biggest difference between traditional Santa Barbara County wines and Italian ones is in the way they’re treated at the table.   Pinot noirs and chardonnays are often imbibed in a competitive way—measured against one another—said winemaker Steve Clifton. His longtime brand Palmina recently merged with Demetrios and Karen Loizides’ new Vega Vineyard and Farm […]

History has shown time and time again that bananas and ice cream work well as a team. Banana splits. Banana-flavored ice cream. Ice cream-flavored bananas.  As unreal as the latter sounds, the Blue Java banana—known for its ice cream-esque consistency and vanilla flavor—is just as real as any fruit grown at Dewlson Family Farm in […]

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,” […]