Get Fresh on the American Riviera®: Savor the Flavors of Santa Barbara

Culinary Tourism Story Ideas

www.santabarbarafresh.com

CULINARY TOURISM:  Santa Barbara is more than eye candy.  The region's deep agricultural roots, boutique purveyors and local specialties attract foodies from around the world, as the culinary tourism niche market explodes. From picking blackberries and diving for lobster to harvesting lavender and crushing grapes, visitors have taken to the fields, groves and farms to savor our regional flavors and learn how to eat like "locavores".  Tap into cooking classes, legendary Santa Maria-style barbeque, locally caught spiny lobster, Santa Maria strawberries and Solvang's legendary sweets for the inside scoop.    

FREE CULINARY TRAVEL PLANNER:Planning a culinary adventure in Santa Barbara County is made easy with the 30-page Get Fresh on the American Riviera® culinary travel planner. The free-for-the-asking guide features regional culinary attractions and tours — from the oldest organic farm in Southern California (1895) to working olive oil estates, ostrich and nut farms, gourmet food product purveyors, farmers' and fishermen's markets, cooking classes, food and wine events, and much more.  www.santabarbarafresh.com

CORK REPORT:  The Santa Ynez and Santa Maria valleys are exploding at their viticultural seams with 100+ wineries and a colorful cast of cutting-edge winemakers.  New angles include the cache of young turks making tracks in the valley. Top picks include:  Drew Family, Sea Smoke, Carina Cellars, Angelica, Flying Goat, Jelly Roll, Palmina, Kenneth-Crawford and Benjamin Silver.  Gone Sideways?  There is more to this region than pinot noir…check out the Italian varietals including Mosby's Dolcetto and Traminers, Santa Barbara Winery's Primativo or Lagrein, Longoria's Pinot Grigio or a silky Sangiovese.  Rhone varietals, Spanish varietals and a wonderful round up of late harvest wines await the avid oenophile.

SUSTAINABLE SEAFOOD:  The Santa Barbara Channel is one of the nation's richest sources of bountiful, sustainable and high-quality seafood — from lobster, ridgeback shrimp, rock crab, white sea bass, California halibut, yellowtail, salmon, swordfish and thresher shark to such delicacies as Santa Barbara spot prawns and sea urchin.  Santa Barbara Harbor's 100+ local fishermen catch between six and ten million pounds of seafood annually, which equates to a $35-$40 million industry. For the real deal, check out the salt of the sea characters and fresh haul at the Fisherman's Market, every Saturday morning at Santa Barbara Harbor. 

BREW TREK: Santa Barbara may be known for wine, but that's not the only locally-produced beverage receiving raves. Five regional breweries keep things hoppin' for the thirsty tourist.  Island Brewing Company, Telegraph Brewing Company, The Brew House and Firestone-Walker Brewing Company are also on tap for beer connoisseurs. Coming soon…Hollister Brewing Company.

LIVIN' LA VIDA LOCAVORE:  Eating like a "locavore" is afast-growing trend for health-conscious and earth-friendly folk, centered around the simple concept of eating locally grown and harvested foods (within a 100-mile radius of where you live). Santa Barbara is uniquely self-sustaining when it comes to food and offers a truly regional culinary experience. Fresh, seasonal produce is readily available at daily farmers' markets and local grocery stores. Fresh catch from the Santa Barbara Channel is served up in local eateries and you can even buy seafood right off the boat at the Santa Barbara Harbor. Learn how to eat like a locavore on a guided culinary tour of Santa Barbara. After collecting ingredients at the Fishermen's Market, Farmers' Market, C'est Cheese and Our Daily Bread, Slow-Foodie guide Laurence Hauben will teach you how to prepare dishes you can easily make at home. The experience concludes with a delicious lunch paired to local wines. Tours are customizable.

ECO-CONSCIOUS WINE TREK: Head to the wine country for an organic wine tasting excursion. Visit Richard Sanford's newest sustainable, organic winemaking venture, Alma Rosa. Learn about their sustainable growing practices and sample Mr. Sanford's Santa Rita Hills pinot noir. Then head to Deborah's Hall's Gypsy Canyon Wineryin Lompoc for a private tasting (note: by appointment only) with the winemaker who boasts the oldest vines in the County and produces a very rare Mission-Era "Ancient Vine" Angelica. Hall practices biodynamic growing, bottles her wines in recycled glass and makes her labels by hand with recycled paper. Make your way to Santa Ynez to visit the entirely biodynamically and sustainably farmed Demetria Estate, and taste their Rhone style wines; reservations required. End your wine tour at Sunstone Winery, a family-run operation that farms their 77-acre vineyards in an organic, bio-sustainable manner, meeting all California Certified Organic Farmer standards. Sustainable Vine Wine Tours offers guided tours of organic and biodynamic wineries in a biodiesel-powered van.

MISSION HUERTA RESTORATION:For a taste of the past, Old Mission Santa Barbara's Huerta restoration project brings Mission Era agriculture and horticulture back to life with an "orchard-garden" of grapes, herbs, fruits and vegetables cultivated for cooking and medicinal purposes during the 65-year Mission Era (1769-1834). Local horticulturist Jerry Sortomme heads the project; interviews and Mission era recipes available.

SIZZLING SEASONAL FARE:  Spring = Apricots.  Native to China, where they have been used for 2,000 years to treat tumors and ulcers, California produces 95% of U.S. apricots and Santa Barbara's Patterson is the predominant variety. Around town, chefs have elevated this wonderful stone fruit to cult status.  Go wild for wild sautéed salmon with a tangy apricot, orange, grapefruit, lemon reduction at Chad's on Chapala or the oriental chicken salad with shredded Santa Barbara cabbage, noodles, apricot, almonds and green onions at Mandarin Palace.  For the best apricot danish this side of Denmark, head to the Taste of Solvang (March), an annual food festival set in the quaint Danish village.  Check out the "Walking Smorgasbord" for other Northern European desserts and fare. 

SCHOOL'S IN SESSION: Take a cooking class under the tutelage of a local chef and bring a taste of Santa Barbara home with you. Montecito Country Kitchen is the stop for visitors who enjoy eating their own art, paired with wine of course. Bon Vivant Laurence Hauben leads culinary tours and cooking classes by appointment. Or, call the Cook It School or Fairview Gardens to register for a scheduled class. In the wine country, Trattoria Grappolo's chef Leonardo Curti puts an Italian spin on things with lessons in his home kitchen. And, the new Roblar Winery & Vineyards facility offers cooking classes taught by guest chefs from some of the world's finest restaurants and resorts.

BERRY GOOD: For the ultimate fruit buzz, head out to Morrell's Nut and Berry Farm in the beautiful Santa Ynez Valley and handpick your raspberries and blackberries.  The family-owned ranch is a postcard from the past with rows and rows of berries, a rustic barn offering baskets and an honor system jar. Nearby, one of the Morrells is usually roaming the premises or whipping up preserves.  There's nothing better than flicking these flavorful pods right into your mouth warm from the sun. Even better, take your freshly-picked basket down the road to The Brothers Restaurant at Mattei's Tavern and the bartender will whip up a batch of berry margaritas!

URBAN WINE TRAIL:  Tasters set on sipping in the city of Santa Barbara will find plenty of places to sample Santa Barbara County wines. Key stops include Cellar 205 Winery & Marketplace, Santa Barbara Winery, Jaffurs Wine Cellars, Whitcraft Winery, Stearns Wharf Vintners, Margerum Wine Company and East Beach Wine Company. Coming soon…Benjamin Silver Wines.

ROADSTOPS 101:Every region has its stash of great roadside eateries, places locals haunt and tourists hanker for.  These sleeves-up, non-franchised, no-reservations outposts are driven by cooks, bakers and pit-masters who are true Americana folk artists, preserving regional cuisine infused with a dash of local color.  In Santa Barbara, the area's rich and diverse agricultural and culinary roots run deep.  Fork in hand, a regional romp delivers a delicious slice of locally-farmed foods crafted into seasonal dishes and regional specialties that define Santa Barbara cuisine.  From the wonderful winter haul of spiny lobster to traditional Santa Maria-style barbeque and the sinful sweets of Solvang, the area is bursting with truly local bounty.  Get off the beaten path and savor the flavors with a tasty trek from valley to sea.

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5/2007