The Santa Barbara Culinary Experience, in partnership with the Julia Child Foundation for Gastronomy and the Culinary Arts, will present its first Taste of Santa Barbara, May 16-22, a county-wide celebration of food and drink in the Santa Barbara region.
The lineup of events and programming, which is open to the entire community, includes an evening with Julia Child’s grandnephew Alex Prud’homme and niece Phila Cousins; and Julia-inspired cooking classes, dishes and drinks; farm-to-table dining experiences; and “Julia” screening with the directors.
Through a special collaboration with the Santa Barbara County Food Action Network, attendees will also have the opportunity to attend a panel on rebuilding our food system, tour county-wide farms, and visit farmers’ markets to experience first-hand how food producers are building resilience in our region.
Tickets for Taste of Santa Barbara signature events can be purchased online here. The complete lineup of signature events and featured partner events follows:
May 16-22
Dine Around Town with Julia Child and Cocktail Crawl with Paul
Julia Child inspired numerous Santa Barbara area chefs, and her passion for good food made with local ingredients echos from their kitchens. Julia and Paul Child often entertained friends with cocktails, many of them crafted by Paul Child, who was known for his custom libations. Explore Santa Barbara County’s loved bars and restaurants for specials in honor of these two love birds.
Fore more, visit https://sbce.events/dine-around-town-with-julia/.
May 16-22
Santa Barbara Restaurant Week
Participating restaurants will present Julia-inspired pre-fixe menus priced at $30, $40, and $50 all week long. For more: https://www.sbrestaurantweeks.com/.
May 16, 6 p.m.
Two Baking Brits – Homage To Julia
Join Pascale Beale, chef and owner of Pascale’s Kitchen, and Sandra Adu Zelli, chef and owner of Gipsy Hill Bakery as they team up for a Two Baking Brits event. The chefs will prepare a special Julia Child Provencal-inspired winemaker dinner with Sonja Magdevski from Casa Dumetz Winery, featuring a springtime five-course tasting menu with wines paired for each course, and organic produced sourced from the Santa Barbara Farmers Market. More info and tickets: https://www.pascaleskitchen.com/events-and-classes.php?Events.
May 18, 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
A Taste Of Santa Barbara Cooking Workshop
Chef Robin of A Taste of California presents a live cooking workshop featuring classic Julia Child-inspired dishes: Tapenade + Anchoïade with Homemade Crackers, Salmon Niçoise with Olive-Caper Vinaigrette, and Cherry Clafoutis. Visit https://privatechefrobin.com/product/a_taste_of_santa_barbara/ for tickets.
May 19, 6 p.m.
Julia Child Santa Barbara Seafood Stew
Join Apples to Zucchini Cooking School for a hands-on cooking class where you will learn to create Julia Child’s “Santa Barbara Fish Stew.” The meal will begin with Roasted Romanesco in Sauce Veloute and end with Fresh Strawberry Tart. Ingredients will come from local farmers and local fishermen. The class is limited to 12 participants to ensure that everyone has an opportunity to learn techniques and tips at each stage of cooking the meal. More info and tickets: https://events.humanitix.com/julia-child-santa-barbara-seafood-stew
May 19, 6:30 p.m.
Wine & Dessert Fireside Chat with Julia Child’s Family
Join us for a night under the stars by the ocean, honoring Santa Barbara legend Julia Child. Guests will enjoy a fireside chat with Julia Child’s My Life in France co-author and grandnephew, Alex Prud’homme, and niece Phila Cousins. Conversation led by author, co-producer of Inside Julia’s Kitchen podcast and Director of Outreach for The Julia Child Foundation for Gastronomy and the Culinary Arts, Lauren Salkeld. Tickets include a Fess Parker wine tasting, along with a dessert flight from Hilton’s Executive Chef, Yesica Arredondo. More info and tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wine-dessert-fireside-chat-with-julia-childs-family-tickets-333831016557
May 19-20
A Taste of Cuyama
A curated event in Cuyama Valley to experience a local food system. Start off with a local beverage-tasting experience with Cuyama Beverage Company, followed by a three-course, farm-to-table dinner featuring ingredients from the local farms and area ranches with optional wine pairings at Cuyama Buckhorn. Next day will feature a regenerative farm tour at Rock Front Ranch, a local ranch featured at the tasting and dinner for a full circle experience, followed by a drive back to Santa Barbara through the county’s high desert. More info and tickets: https://www.cuyamabuckhorn.com/happenings/a-taste-of-cuyama
May 20, 11:30 a.m.
Farm Tour: Rock Front Ranch and the Cuyama Valley Food Action Network
Join Rock Front Ranch to see first-hand how regenerative practices are applied in a high desert climate. Farmer Alisha Taff will discuss how to cultivate the finest, purest, most healthful honey, why jujubes are an ideal superfruit to grow in the Cuyama Valley, and how together, farmers in her community are developing a resilient food system model via the Cuyama Valley Food Action Network. Tour is part of the Taste of Cuyama Package offered by the Cuyama Buckhorn and includes a honey tasting. Tickets: https://www.cuyamabuckhorn.com/happenings/a-taste-of-cuyama
May 20, 2 p.m.
Farm Tour: Piedrasassi Wine & Bread (21yrs+)
Join farmer, miller, and baker Melissa Sorongon and winemaker Sashi Moorman at their winery/bakery Piedrasassi, in the Lompoc Wine Ghetto. Learn how Sorongon transforms locally grown grains into artisan bread, naturally fermented with grapes from her vineyard. Learn about heritage wheat, see how grains are milled, and taste the tang of traditional fermentation. Do a barrel tasting with the winemaker, then return to the tasting room to taste finished wines and bread. Tour includes wine and bread tasting and take-home sourdough starter. Attendees must be 21 years or older to participate. More info and tickets: https://tasteofsb.ticketsauce.com/e/piedrasassi-wine-bread-21yrs
May 20, 7 p.m.
“JULIA” Screening and Directors Q&A
At Garvin Theatre, Santa Barbara City College
Join Oscar-nominated directors Betsy West and Julie Cohen for a screening and conversation about the first feature-length documentary about Julia Child. Film will be followed by a Q&A with the directors moderated by Todd Schulkin, executive director of The Julia Child Foundation for Gastronomy and the Culinary Arts and host of the Inside Julia’s Kitchen podcast. More info and tickets: https://tasteofsb.ticketsauce.com/e/julia-screening-and-directors-q-a
May 21, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
Santa Barbara Farmers’ Market Program
Experience one of California’s most diverse farmers’ markets to see, smell and taste the region’s bounty. Visit Taste of Santa Barbara booth for seasonal food demonstrations and tastings, an immersive scavenger hunt, and a live recording of the “Inside Julia’s Kitchen” podcast featuring local chefs Pascale Beale and Jeremy Tummel. Connect with the Santa Barbara County Food Action Network and meet food system actors who are helping build a more resilient foodshed. Free event; more info: https://sbce.events/saturday-farmers-market/
May 21, 3 p.m.
Rebuilding Our Food System
Garvin Theatre, Santa Barbara City College
Learn from local, national, and global leaders who are tackling our most pressing food-related challenges about how place-based, community-led, cross-sector collective action can build a more sustainable, resilient food system in Santa Barbara and beyond.
Join Shakira Miracle, Santa Barbara County Food Action Network executive director; U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal; Food Tank President Danielle Nierenberg; and a panel of regional food system changemakers moderated by Julia Child Foundation executive director Todd Schulkin. Talk to be followed by a reception featuring beverages and light bites showcasing the bounty of the region.
Those who want to see first-hand how resilience is being built into our local food system from the ground up can join regional farm tours on Friday or Sunday. Tours of countywide farms, ranches, community gardens, and processing facilities will demonstrate regenerative and sustainable agriculture and food production practices. More info and tickets: https://tasteofsb.ticketsauce.com/e/rebuilding-our-food-system
May 22, 10 a.m.
Farm Tour: Restoration Oaks Ranch and Santa Barbara Blueberries
Join farmer and rancher Ed Seaman at his family’s 900-acre ranch to learn how they have applied agroecology principles to produce food in partnership with nature. See how limited resources such as water and topsoil and wild habitats are carefully managed and meet the thousands of worms who transform local food scraps into “black gold” that builds soil fertility. If the berries come early, stay after the tour to pick and taste blueberries in u-pick fields. If not, tour will include complimentary $10 coupon for picking when the season does start. Most years, the picking starts in early June. More info and tickets: https://tasteofsb.ticketsauce.com/e/restoration-oaks-ranch-and-santa-barbara-blueberries
May 22, 10 a.m.
Farm Tour: Center for Regenerative Agriculture at Jalama Canyon Ranch
Join Jesse Smith, White Buffalo Land Trust’s director of land stewardship, and other members of the WBLT team at their 1,000-acre Center for Regenerative Agriculture, where they are working to restore the ecosystem via agriculture. Visit their vineyard and learn how what you eat and drink can improve the world. Enjoy tasting products from WBLT’s regenerative food brand, Figure Ate, and discover how these products address ecological needs. More info and tickets: https://tasteofsb.ticketsauce.com/e/center-for-regenerative-agriculture-at-jalama-cany
May 22, 10 a.m.
Farm Tour: Rodeo Farms Strawberry Field Day
Join grower Luz Gudino in the strawberry field to learn how this sweet fruit is grown and harvested. See first-hand how Rodeo Farms employs sustainable practices, such as drone technology for pest management, careful pruning to keep plants healthy, and organic amendments to boost soil health. Pick your own Monterrey and Cabrillo strawberries off the vine to take home and taste them dipped in chocolate or topped with whipped cream. Tour includes a two-pound clam shell basket to pick your own take-home strawberries. More info and tickets: https://tasteofsb.ticketsauce.com/e/rodeo-farms-strawberry-field-day
May 22, 11 a.m.
Farm Tour: Trinity Community Gardens and Organic Soup Kitchen
Join Trinity Community Gardens and the Organic Soup Kitchen to see first-hand how nonprofits can work together to grow food, provide nourishment, and build community. Tour the three-acre organic garden and “food forest” orchard, learn about small-scale sustainable practices and closed-loop systems that any gardener can employ, and taste a variety of delicious garden-to-bowl soups. Tour includes soup tasting. More info and tickets: https://tasteofsb.ticketsauce.com/e/trinity-community-gardens-and-organic-soup-kitchen
May 22 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Route One Farmers’ Market Program
Join us at the newest farmers’ market in our region to see, smell and taste Santa Barbara County’s bounty. Visit the Route One and Santa Barbara County Food Action Network booths for seasonal food demonstrations and tastings, a tour of the mobile farmers market truck that is expanding food access in North Santa Barbara County, and meet food system actors who are helping build a more resilient foodshed. Live music and food trucks will be on-site.
May 22, 1-4 p.m.
Taste of Santa Barbara Wines
El Presidio de Santa Bárbara State Historic Park
Learn and taste what makes Santa Barbara County wines unique from the rest of the world. We’ve hand-picked 12 wineries from six federally-sanctioned American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) to pour in the Presidio Orchard. Winemaking panel discussions will be throughout the afternoon inside the Presidio’s historic chapel. Attendees will get to hear directly from growers and winemakers. Stop by Heritage Goods and Supply’s special pop-up store, which will feature books and products from local authors and artisans as well as specialty foods available for purchase. More info and tickets: https://tasteofsb.ticketsauce.com/e/taste-of-santa-barbara-wines