Food & Drink

With 80 locations in California alone, Juice It Up! surprisingly doesn’t have a presence in San Luis Obispo, Monterey, or Ventura counties. Before the end of June, Santa Barbara County was on this list as well.  That changed with the grand opening of the brand’s first Central Coast location in Santa Maria. The new store […]

The first chapter of Carolyn Dismuke’s new nonfiction book outlines her departure from San Francisco, where she left her studio apartment behind to embark on an ambitious road trip across California. Over the next 25 months, Dismuke lived out of the suitcases she was able to fit in her convertible. “I’d only planned to be […]

Melding the bold flavors of his childhood with locally sourced ingredients, Pequín Coastal Cocina Executive Chef Frank Barajas, of Santa Maria, hopes his new restaurant will fill a void in the area for elevated, Mexican-inspired cuisine. Launched on June 28 and replacing Somerset Grill at Vespera Resort on Pismo Beach, Pequín is named for one […]

With more than four decades of restaurant experience under his belt, Anthony Burns was eager to help “carry the torch” for a longtime friend who dreamt of owning a diner someday. For the past three to four years, Burns, 61, and Roscoe Holloway, 86, have talked on and off about opening a restaurant together. The […]

Central Coast pinot noir was arguably the breakout star of 2004’s Sideways. During a road trip to explore Santa Barbara County’s wine country, Paul Giamatti’s character, Miles, can’t stop singing praises about the variety.  Nearly two decades later, a Lompoc-produced pinot noir is garnering some favorable attention in AMC’s new mini series, Cooper’s Bar. The […]

Eric McDaniel was 18 when he started his first job, working in the kitchen of Giavanni’s Pizza in Orcutt. Could he have predicted owning the joint about two decades later? “It kind of is a little bit of a dream come true,” said McDaniel, who bought the pizzeria with his wife, Brittany Jones-McDaniel, in early […]

For Roblar Farm’s patrons and lead farmer, the venue’s new market garden is nothing less than a win-win.  “We’re not just doing the traditional farm stand varieties, I’m putting some things out on the table that honestly don’t sell all that great,” said farm director Michael Vining, who has been enjoying the experimentation aspect of […]

When it comes to ingredients, less is definitely more, in Cameron Ingle’s view. Before entering his new role as executive chef at Pico Los Alamos, Ingle worked for Blue Hill at Stone Barns, where “70 percent of the dishes made were three ingredients,” he said. Ingle is approaching his new offerings at Pico in similar […]

With great grapes, come great expectations. And those high expectations will be met with both of Turning Tide’s two newest wines, created from locally sourced grapes—picpoul and sauvignon blanc—picked in October 2021. The back label of the wines—both of which Turning Tide bottled during the spring of 2022—describes the unique, atmospheric conditions that lended a […]

Paso Robles-based event producer Morgen Hoffman is gearing up for her second season of “one-of-a-kind dining experiences” that spotlight local chefs and vintners, as well as venues “that are unique, off the beaten path, and represent the Central Coast as a destination,” she said. “I look for locations that aren’t normally accessible to the public […]

The letters in COLD Coast Brewing Company don’t spell the temperature of the beer it serves. It’s actually an acronym from each of the brewery’s four owners’ last names.  Now, more than two years after the quartet originally hoped to debut their new venue, Lompoc locals Dave Caro, Eric Oviatt, Mike Lamping, and Jason Drew […]

Mike Sinor of Arroyo Grande prefers to fly under the Central Coast wine-industry radar, according to friends and colleagues. However, his long list of accolades and endeavors continues to keep him in the spotlight. Among his achievements during his 30-year career are producing a Wine Spectator 96-point pinot noir, helping launch the nonprofit organization World […]