Whether they’re looking to take the next step professionally or wanting to show off for friends and family, the students in Anne Baldzikowski’s Cabrillo College class learn to assemble wedding cakes from the bottom up. Laura Sutherland sat in on the final exam, where there’s extra credit for cutting up your cake and letting classmates take a bite.
Laura Sutherland
Follow Laura Sutherland on: Twitter, Instagram, Facebook. Laura Sutherland has been covering culinary travel and destinations around the globe for the past 30 years. Her articles have appeared in national and international magazines like Real Simple, Taste and Travel International, Writer’s Digest, Parents and Family Fun, and she is the author of six guidebooks. She also writes for Edible Monterey Bay and numerous websites and newsletters.
Posted inFood & Drink
These views weren’t made for just walking: Where to get breakfast, lunch and dinner along West Cliff Drive
Iconic West Cliff Drive is a Santa Cruz favorite for locals and tourists alike, and whether you need breakfast and a caffeine pick-me-up, a snack or lunch on the go or a sit-down dinner with killer views, the food and drink options aren’t bad, either. Laura Sutherland gives us the tour, with stops at Shrine Coffee, Steamer Lane Supply and Jack O’Neill Restaurant & Lounge.
Posted inFood & Drink
Cocoa-nuts rejoice: Santa Cruz County chocolatiers have a match for every dad this Father’s Day
Got a dad in your life who’s a griller? A rocker? Sports fan? Practical joker? Father’s Day is nearly upon us, and Laura Sutherland has a guide to pairing Dad with offerings from local chocolate makers Marini’s, Tiny House, Donnelly, Mackenzies and Ashby Confections.
Posted inLatest News
Sunday Reads: Remembering firefighter Brian Tracy, Jim Denevan’s big canvases & latest news quiz
No need to trek all the way to those packed valleys up north when the Corralitos Wine Trail will lead you to world-class…
Posted inFood & Drink
The dish on Nita Gizdich and her fabulous pies
Nita Gizdich has been making her famous pies for 57 years. Yes, you can buy them in shops around Santa Cruz County, but your best bet is to drive through the fields of Watsonville to the Gizdich family ranch and farm so you can have a piece of pie fresh out of the oven.
Posted inFood & Drink
South County sips: A guide to the Corralitos wine scene
No need to trek all the way to those packed valleys up north when the Corralitos Wine Trail will lead you to world-class wine right here in Santa Cruz County. Laura Sutherland saddles up to give you the roadmap to Alfaro Family Vineyards, El Vaquero Winery, Ferrari Ranch Wines, Nicholson Vineyards, Lester Estate Wines, Regan Vineyards Winery, Storrs Winery and Windy Oaks Estate.
Posted inFood & Drink
Cabrillo College’s culinary arts program — ‘Santa Cruz’s quiet secret’ — stokes classroom-to-kitchen pipeline
From creating wedding cakes and catering special events to putting on lunch and dinner at the upscale Pino Alto Restaurant at the campus’ venerable Sesnon House, Cabrillo College gives students hands-on experience as they pursue options from certification to associate degrees, sending them into restaurants and businesses across Santa Cruz County and beyond.
Posted inFood & Drink
Craft beer on every corner: A guide to Santa Cruz County’s world-class scene
Santa Cruz County is small, but our craft beer punches way above its weight class. Laura Sutherland had the tough assignment of scoping out breweries and brewpubs (often with trusted pooch Waffles) from Scotts Valley to Soquel, Westside to Watsonville for this Lookout guide.
Posted inFood & Drink
A (definitely not definitive) guide to lunch in Watsonville
There’s no shortage of options when the noon hour finds you in Watsonville with a rumbly tummy. Laura Sutherland has a few suggestions, from a seafood standby to farm-to-table and airport views to a taqueria/craft beer gem tucked speakeasy-style inside a gas station.
Posted inFood & Drink
In vino veritas: A guide to Westside Santa Cruz’s walkable wine scene
With rainy season just about over (right?) and longer days, what better time to get familiar with — or revisit — the walkable winery tasting rooms of Santa Cruz’s Westside. Red, white, bubbly, in refillable bottles … there’s more than enough to make a weekend or two out of, and Laura Sutherland takes us for the stroll.