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For decades, it was a slice of 1950s Americana, one of the last remnants of an iconic hamburger stand. It was a place to get a delicious, albeit greasy, cheeseburger with side of big and breaded onion rings, and wash it down with a pineapple milkshake.
Fosters Freeze, founded in Inglewood, enjoyed a successful run in Carpinteria, at 5205 Carpinteria Ave., but fell victim to the COVID-19 pandemic and a changing, more modern appetite among Carpinteria users.
But fear not. A new restaurant has taken its place, and it even hints at the Fosters legacy.
Welcome to The Good Plow, Carpinteria’s newest — and possibly its healthiest — restaurant.
“There’s very much a need for a new restaurant in Carp,” owner Katie Lesh said. “I have always wanted to open a restaurant. We have been casually looking for a spot for like six years.”
Lesh said that when she heard Fosters was closing, she jumped at the chance to lease the space, but was crushed when she found out that the Hamburger Habit was aleady in talks to occupy the spot. Lesh said her husband, Jason, talked to the owners and eventually were able to sign a lease for The Good Plow.
“We’re very family friendly, we’re very affordable,” said Lesh, who works directly with the farms and fishermen to source the food. “We can just do it for a lot cheaper than anyone else can.”
Most of the food is vegetarian, although the restaurant does sell “The Real Burger,” a grass-fed burger from the San Julian ranch in Buellton, and fish tacos.
The rest of the menu consists of items such as vegan Korean fried tofu tacos, a tofu poke bowl, and avocado toast. The restaurant opened four days ago.
The food is prepared by chef Pedro Garcia, who is originally from Ecuador. He has worked all over, with stints at restaurants in Georgia. He was also a chef at Cottage Health.
“It was a great collaboration,” he said. “I have never worked better with other people than I have with Jason and Katie.”
The Leshes also own the Farm Cart in Carpinteria, where they sell organic fruits and vegetables.
The restaurant is open from 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, and from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
For those who miss the iconic Fosters Freeze, Jason and Katie Lesh built a soft-serve frozen yogurt cone dispenser on the side of the building. It even sells chocolate-dipped cones.
Draughtsmen Aleworks Honored
Assemblyman Steve Bennett, D-Ventura, has named Draughtsmen Aleworks as the 2021 Small Business of the Year.
“It is a great honor to recognize Draughtsmen Aleworks for their dedicated efforts and contributions to our community,” Bennett said. “During these challenging pandemic times, it has been admirable to see the brewery build on their skills to creatively give back to our community. The continued support to local organizations is creating meaningful change and strengthening community services and resources.”
Draughtsmen Aleworks’ first taproom opened in Goleta in 2015, focusing on craft beer. Since then, the brewery expanded locations to Santa Barbara and continued to grow its beer selections. Its products have increased, too, to offer innovative cider and hopped tea brews, according to a news release.
Draughtsmen Aleworks also ventured into winemaking, becoming one of the first breweries to cater to both beer and wine fans.
Team members from Draughtsmen Aleworks joined Bennett in Sacramento on Aug. 18 to accept the award.
Law Firm Names Partner
Santa Barbara’s Casey Summar was recently named a partner at Law Firm for Non-Profits.
She serves on the boards of MOXI, The Wolf Museum of Exploration + Innovation and the Common Table Foundation, and as a trustee for The Colleges of Law, Santa Barbara and Ventura. She has extensive experience with nonprofit work in both California and Tennessee, previously founding and serving as the executive director for the Tennessee Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts, which later became the Arts & Business Council of Greater Nashville, according to a news release.
Summar is licensed to practice law in California and Tennessee. She graduated magna cum laude from Belmont University and received her juris doctorate with honors from Vanderbilt University Law School.
The firm, at 133 E. De la Guerra St., Suite 331, opened a Santa Barbara office in 2019 and helps clients launch nonprofit organizations. It provides a variety of services to assist clients in complying with governmental regulation and building successful organizations. Clients for the firm include United Way Inc., the Santa Barbara Foundation, the National Children’s Chorus, PATH, the Thousand Oaks Library Foundation, the Sea Shepherd Conversation Society, Arts for L.A., Girls Scouts of the Greater Los Angeles and many others.
Hotel Bed Taxes Up
The City of Santa Barbara collected $3.1 million in transient occupancy taxes for July, up about $1.9 million from the prior year, when COVID-19 restrictions were in full effect.
Compared with July 2019, last month’s revenues were higher by 29%; however, that is largely because of increased average daily rates, which are 35% higher than July 2019, with occupancy nearly even, according to Jennifer Tomaszewski, finance and treasury manager for the City of Santa Barbara.
July is the first month in the city’s fiscal year. The city’s adopted transient occupancy tax budget for the 2022 fiscal year is $19.5 million.
— Noozhawk staff writer Joshua Molina can be reached at jmolina@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.