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GO TO THIS: SIX FOOD & DRINK EVENTS THIS SPRING
Spring is officially here, and it’s shaping up to be a delicious season. Mark your calendars for these exciting local food events.
April 19: DIYine: A Celebration of Homebrewing – More than a dozen amateur brewers will come together at the Veterans Memorial Building in downtown Santa Cruz and serve their homemade fruit wines, mead, beer, ciders and soft drinks like kefir water, sodas, kvass and more. Live music and snacks are included in the $35 ticket.
April 26: The Perfect Pair – At this showcase held at the historic Sesnon House at Cabrillo College, Cabrillo Culinary Arts students are matched with local wineries and challenged to create the perfect pairing of small bites and wines. Guests and judges determine the winners. Tasting tickets are $85.
April 26: Farm Discovery’s Spring Picnic – Enjoy food prepared by the Cabrillo Culinary Arts program, live music and a panel of speakers – including me! – at Farm Discovery at Live Earth’s Spring Picnic, held at the idyllic Live Earth Farm outside of Watsonville. Proceeds benefit the nonprofit’s farm-based education for students and underserved communities. Tickets are $20 per person.
May 2: Farm & Food Lab Benefit Dinner – Guests can experience and raise funds for Santa Cruz County’s first working school farm at this inaugural farm dinner at Live Oak School District’s Del Mar Elementary. A four-course meal will be prepared and served by students. All of the proceeds go to support the farm and agricultural education programs. Tickets are $150 per person.
May 17: Forks, Corks & Kegs – Experience the flavors of Santa Cruz at this tasting event at Kaiser Permanente Arena downtown. Local wineries, craft breweries, spirit-makers and food and beverage vendors will showcase small samples of their best creations. A $75 ticket includes unlimited tasting.
May 24: Extra Tasty Tour: Sweet – Collective Santa Cruz’s Extra Tasty Tour includes five food festivals in Santa Cruz and beyond over five months, each themed around a different taste profile, like “sour” and “bitter.” The event series kicks off with a “sweet”-themed event on May 24 at Humble Sea Brewing in Santa Cruz. This event is free. More details to come.
BEST OF THE WEEK AHEAD
Below, 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.
NEWS OF THE WEEK
ICYMI – here are food news stories from Lookout that you might have missed.
- ‘Unclear and stressful’: Restaurants, craft breweries brace for tariff increases on essential products (Lookout)
- Going green: Why some Santa Cruz cafés are suddenly obsessed with matcha (Lookout)
- Santa Cruz County agriculture industry faces uncertainty over Trump’s looming tariffs (Lookout)
- Staff of Life donates a half-ton of chicken to Second Harvest (Lookout)
