Here, find a curated list of the best food and drink events in Santa Cruz County for the coming week. At the top, I share my picks of unmissable local happenings.
On Friday night, head to the Rio Theatre for the Santa Cruz premiere of “Organic Rising,” a feature-length film that aims to shine a light on the real-world differences between organic and conventional farming. The film includes local voices from local certified organic farms, and the showing is sponsored by Santa Cruz-based nonprofit organization California Certified Organic Farmers. After the show, stay for a Q&A panel discussion with local organic growers, director Anthony Suau and CCOF representative Jessy Beckett Parr. Tickets are $6 per person.
A new mushroom festival is sprouting in Felton this weekend. The Santa Cruz Mountain Mushroom Festival is hosted by Far West Fungi, the Moss Landing-based mushroom farm, and they have gone all-out to bring dozens of mushroom activities and voices to Roaring Camp. The two-day festival on Saturday and Sunday offers presentations from leading industry voices and researchers, cooking and cultivation demonstrations, hands-on workshops, artists and vendors, a mushroom-themed food court, live music and a kid zone. Tickets are $75 per person per day.
Friday, May 3
- “Organic Rising” premiere | 5 – 9 p.m. @ Rio Theatre | $6
- Empty Bowls Full Hearts | 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. @ Teen Kitchen Project | $125
Saturday, May 4
- Worm Composting 101 | 10 a.m. – noon @ Farm Discovery at Live Earth | $30
- Santa Cruz Mountain Mushroom Festival | 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. @ Roaring Camp | $75
- Empty Bowls Full Hearts | 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. @ Teen Kitchen Project | $45
Sunday, May 5
- Santa Cruz Mountain Mushroom Festival | 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. @ Roaring Camp | $75
- Free Guided Tour of the UCSC Farm | 2 – 3: 30 p.m. @ UCSC Farm