Our weekly Events Wire newsletter is your guide to Northern Santa Barbara County concerts, arts, and local happenings—delivered every Friday.
NECTAR OF THE GODS: Between the two of them, Mogens and Inge Marie Mortensen have much more than 50 years of experience in the food and hospitality industries, much of it on the Central Coast. The friendly pair serves up American dishes with a European flair at their family owned Ambrosia Restaurant, a Santa Maria favorite famed for offering “a good meal for a good deal.” Credit: FILE PHOTO BY K. REKA BADGER
Another year rides the bullet train into history, leaving us with a blur of memories steeped in area wines and the fragrance of Santa Maria-style cookery. A look back reveals a landscape of pungent falafels, fresh sushi, cooking competitions, and mail-order barbecue. Personal chefs have gone organic, winemakers embraced unusual varietals, and new wineries continue to open across the county. Here’s a look at some of the notable company we’ve kept throughout the lively run of 2008.
Bid K. Reka Badger a happy 2009 at rekabadger@hotmail.com.
MOROVINO MAKES A MOVE: Morovino Winery owners, David and Andrea Bradford, moved the winery, established in 1994, from its longtime location in Solvang to a new tasting room in Avila Beach. The couple enjoys meeting tasters and helping to demystify wine, especially amid the “fun and funky” community of the winery’s new seaside home. Credit: FILE PHOTO COURTESY MOROVINO WINERY
WINERY FUN STUFF: Costa de Oro Winery’s tasting room in Santa Maria livens up area nightlife with live music on Fridays. In between greeting guests and serving tasty appetizers, co-owner/winemaker Gary Burk and his wife, Teresa, often join band members on stage to belt out a few rousing tunes. Credit: FILE PHOTO COURTESY COSTA DE ORO WINERY
THE NATURAL CHOICE: Natural Café celebrated a year of operation in Santa Maria, serving up wholesome goodies designed to feed the soul without clogging the arteries. Briana MacLaren, who’s still the location’s general manager, proudly displays the café’s “Best of” titles, awarded by food-savvy readers of the Santa Maria Sun. Credit: FILE PHOTO BY K. REKA BADGER
DRINKS LIKE A DREAM: Seven Santa Barbara County winemakers bottled Vino de Sueños (Spanish for “wine of dreams”) and staged a gala party, complete with wine tasting and sales, sumptuous hors d’oeuvres, happy schmoozing, and live music. Proceeds from the event helped to cover food, emergency rent, medical bills, and support services for area farm and vineyard workers, as well as their families. Credit: FILE PHOTO COURTESY KROS ANDRADE
FILL YOUR STOMACH: Realizing a long-held dream, Iris Rideau opened Bistro Rideau at her eponymous Santa Ynez Valley winery, home to the historic El Alamo Pintado adobe. The New Orleans native figured it was high time someone offered solid food on the wine trail, and is delighted to introduce her Creole cooking, including savory jambalaya, crawfish étouffée, and oyster loaf po’ boys, to friends and visiting tasters. Credit: FILE PHOTO COURTESY BISTRO RIDEAU
