Starting Feb. 23,, some 30 restaurants will participate in the Inaugural Santa Barbara Restaurant Week (SBRW), a 10-day event showcasing the cuisine and culinary creativity that have helped to make Santa Barbara a destination for foodies.

The eateries will offer pre-fixe dinner menus at accessible prices that represent the gastronomical delights for which the area is known. SBRW gives foodies an excuse to be excited to get out and indulge in the flavors and aromas each restaurant brings to the table.

“It’s about fresh ingredients and our food-centric culture on the South Coast,” said Leslee Garafalo, SBRW co-founder.

“In creating this event, we reflected on the wealth of fabulous restaurants and what they mean to the community and we’re truly amazed. It has become as much about the place, as it is about the food that’s so integral to it,” Garafalo said.

Since the tumultuous winter season and aftermath of the Thomas Fire and floods remain so close to the community’s heart, SBRW has partnered with the California Restaurant Association Foundation (calrestfoundation.org) and their grant program, Restaurants Care.

The program enables restaurant/hospitality employees to apply for a grant of up to $1,000 that will assist them with finances lost due to the local natural disasters. Fifty percent of registration fees to SBRW will go toward the fund to support victims.

Participating restaurants will provide opportunities for guests to donate to the fund.

“Santa Barbara’s restaurants — all 450 of them— are essential to the community,” Garafalo said. “Not only have so many of the industry staff been directly affected by the disasters, but the whole community considers the culinary culture ours.”

“Highlighting our restaurants and joining to benefit our neighbors go hand-in-hand,” she said.
 
SBRW urges diners to eat at restaurants they’ve never tried or to return to a favorite spot for a special experience. Pre-fixe menus allow restaurants to find price points that are accessible to everyone.

The list of participants is representative of the local diverse culinary culture from seafood and steaks to Latin and European classics to the seasonal, California menus that have grown out of the local landscape.
 
A full list of participating restaurants is at sbrestaurantweeks.com/restaurants/.

Visit Santa Barbara Restaurant Week at https://www.sbrestaurantweeks.com to view each participating restaurant and their special menu offerings for the event.

— Leigh-Anne Anderson for Santa Barbara Restaurant Week.