Ribbon cuttings for new eateries along the Central Coast weren’t in short supply over the past 12 months.
When I looked back on the Sun’s food and wine stories of 2023, I was reminded of the contagious enthusiasm some of my interviewees exuded while gushing about their dreams of owning their own restaurant or tasting room finally coming true.
The year was also full of fun collaborations between several businesses within the food and wine industry. Here’s a rundown of some unique accomplishments and collabs from local restaurateurs and winemakers I had the privilege of writing about this year.
Home, sweet—and savory—home
A popular Orcutt-based food truck celebrated the grand opening of its first brick-and-mortar space in January. When the operators behind Nena’s Kitchen came across a vacant spot—the former location of The Hang Out—on South Bradley Road, they envisioned using the space to bring a new Mexican restaurant to town. “We just pulled the trigger and said, ‘Let’s do it,’” co-owner Octavio Lopez (pictured, left) told the Sun. “‘Let’s go ahead and get it,’ and here we are now.” The restaurant’s menu includes familiar favorites that originated with the food truck and newer offerings that the family-run business debuted in early 2023. One of Lopez’s recommendations for newcomers at Nena’s Kitchen is pozole verde, a Mexican stew with chicken and several toppings. “A lot of people don’t know about it, and they’re a little scared to try it,” Lopez said. “But once they try it, they come back for more.”
Lightning in a bottle
In February, local vintner James Sparks acquired a space in Solvang to open the first tasting room for his independent wine brand, Kings Carey. Sparks started the company as a passion project in 2014. He produced about 50 cases during Kings Carey’s first year. Since then, the boutique winery has grown to produce, on average, about 600 to 800 cases annually. To create his wines, Sparks uses organically grown grapes sourced from vineyards throughout both Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties. Visitors of the Kings Carey tasting room can choose between two appointment-based flights. Featured wines include grenache, chardonnay, syrah, pinot noir, and more.
Frosting frenzy
A Santa Maria staple since 2004, Gina’s Piece of Cake celebrated the grand opening of its second location in April. The company’s satellite bakery is located on East Clark Avenue in Old Town Orcutt, while its original storefront remains open at the Santa Maria Town Center. Both shops feature a wide variety of cakes, brownies, cookies, fresh bread, and other baked goods for patrons to enjoy. Before owning her own bakery, Gina’s Piece of Cake founder Gina Martin had aspirations of becoming a physician someday, she told the Sun. “I never intended to be a cake decorator,” Martin said. “I wanted to be a doctor. But now they call me the cake doctor.”
Drink outside the box
In July, the Margerum Wine Company opened a new tasting room in downtown Los Olivos. Guests of the intimate space on Alamo Pintado Avenue have the unique option of pairing their wine tasting flights with a sushi bento box, thanks to the winery’s collaboration with BB Sushi, based in Santa Ynez. Margerum Wine Company founder Doug Margerum told the Sun about his recommendations on which wines to pair with specific bento box items. The 2021 Margerum M5 red Rhone blend, for example, pairs best with the bluefin tuna, while the 2019 Barden blanc de blancs—from the Margerum Wine Company’s sister company, Barden—goes great with Dungeness crab.
Classy and grassy
Flying Goat Cellars in Lompoc teamed up with a Morro Bay-based shellfish farm to host a unique wine pairing event in October. Bubbles & Bivalves attendees were treated to various wine selections paired with oysters from Grassy Bar Oyster Co., located on the Morro Bay Embarcadero. Husband and wife Norman Yost and Kate Griffith, the owners of Flying Goat Cellars, discovered Grassy Bar during a kayaking trip. “We were thrilled about the taste and beauty of the oysters at Grassy Bar,” said Griffith, who described the company’s shellfish offerings as showcasing “a unique flavor profile influenced by the salinity and ecology of the waters that flow in and out of Morro Bay.”
Chocolate factory
In December, 10 local wineries—each located along the Foxen Canyon Wine Trail—teamed up for a two-day festival, titled Christmas on the Trail, that combined wine tastings with unique food pairings and holiday festivities. Two of the festival’s participating wineries, Riverbench Vineyard and Andrew Murray Vineyards, paired their wine offerings with chocolate truffles from Santa Barbara-based chocolatier Jessica Foster, who often uses unconventional recipes to craft her unique confections. Cottonwood Canyon Vineyard paired their wines with gingerbread cookies but also had festival attendees decorate the cookies themselves.
Send foodie tidbits to Arts Editor Caleb Wiseblood at cwiseblood@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Dec 28, 2023 – Jan 7, 2024.
