Food & Drink

Proof and Gather breads and pastries are hot commodities in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties. From farmers’ markets and weddings, to direct-to-consumer channels and wholesale accounts, business is bustling for proprietor Kaitlin Munoz, and she couldn’t be happier. Born and raised in Lompoc, Munoz began her baking career as a child, whipping up […]

Fudge, toffee, kipper, biscuit, truffle. Is this a list of snacks, cute dog names, or wine club tiers? Answer: all of the above. While donating a dollar per wine shipment to Little Wolf Rescue (a California-based animal rescue organization), the two co-owners of Arrowsmith’s Wine Bar decided to name the venue’s wine club levels after […]

Everyone knows it takes two to tango, but how many does it take to mango? In the case of Three Dreamers Farmstand, the answer is one mother and two daughters with mutual aspirations. Although the venue doesn’t carry mangos, per se, it does specialize in a fruit with a similarly yellowish-red tint: pears, which are […]

Picture a bath bomb, except you’re dropping the delicate orb into a cup of mini marshmallows and hot, steaming milk. The sphere dissolves and you take a sip of what’s become hot chocolate. Cocoa bombs are one of Ashley Boscutti’s favorite items to prepare, as part of her cottage industry bakery, Bella Ann’s Sweets. Before […]

What happens in New Zealand doesn’t necessarily stay in New Zealand.  Los Olivos local Simonne Mitchelson was 18 (the country’s legal drinking age) when she moved to Auckland and became passionate about the city’s wine scene. Ten years later, Wine Enthusiast recognized Mitchelson as one of the most innovative—and youngest—wine professionals currently working in the […]

Invited to participate in a virtual Q-and-A under vague circumstances, the duo behind Bell’s in Los Alamos felt less in the dark after a surprise guest hopped on the call. “They had all these fake technical difficulties and then the U.S. director of Michelin called on the video meeting to announce that we had been […]

You don’t need an airplane, helicopter, or Google Earth to get a bird’s-eye view of Zaca Mesa Winery. Just grab a bottle of Tread, the Los Olivos venue’s newest release.  “If you were viewing a vineyard from overhead in aerial view, you would get this picture,” Winemaker Kristin Bryden said in press materials, describing the […]

Solvang’s newest coffee spot is both a source of caffeination and congregation. Repurposed from a local church’s social lounge, Holy Grounds Cafe and Coffee Shop celebrated its grand opening at the end of August, after a six-week period of remodeling.  One of the church’s deacons, Pam Gnekow, pitched the coffee shop idea to her peers […]

Michael McDonald—the prolific local chef, not the Doobie Brother—has experimented with so many ingredients over his three-decade career that he’ll occasionally forget parts of his own recipes. Luckily his contact list is full of former mentors, students, and collaborators. And the great thing about sending a quick text is “you don’t have to have a […]

Popular San Luis Obispo vegan takeout joint Ziggy’s doesn’t just have the support of SLO County residents. “People ask us all the time, ‘When are you going to open in Santa Maria or Lompoc?’” said Alex Gonzalez, manager of the vegan eatery. “We even have people drive from Bakersfield and Fresno just to have lunch. […]

Santa Barbara local Peter Cham said most people are surprised to hear that it takes him multiple days to make fried chicken.  “I know fried chicken sounds really simple, but it’s surprisingly difficult to make really good,” said Cham, executive chef at Roblar Winery in Santa Ynez. “So with ours, we brine it for 24 […]

Alan Vecente’s prolific culinary career has taken him to professional opportunities in Nevada, Colorado, New York, and Spain, but his latest venture is based in the small Central Coast town he grew up in. In more ways than one, the Sisquoc Baking Company’s origin is a story of coming full circle. The bakery was founded […]