Welcome to Lily Belli on Food, a weekly food-focused newsletter from Lookout’s food and drink correspondent, Lily Belli. Keep reading for the latest local food news for Santa Cruz County – plus a few fun odds and ends from my own life and around the web.
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… Following the departure of Jeffrey Wall in March, Alderwood Santa Cruz has named Mikey Adams, a Santa Cruz native, as its new executive chef. Adams has worked in fine-dining restaurants locally and beyond, with previous stints at Soif in Santa Cruz (working with chef Santos Majano, who recently opened Hook & Line just down the street from Alderwood), Restaurant 1833 in Monterey and Angler in San Francisco. Angler has one Michelin star, and is part of the same restaurant group as Saison Cellar in Scotts Valley. Alderwood Santa Cruz will reopen this Friday.
I’m looking forward to talking to Adams about his new position, and not just how he’ll approach the menu. Alderwood is the only restaurant in the city of Santa Cruz to be mentioned in the prestigious Michelin Guide (Mentone in Aptos is also listed), but has made headlines several times since it opened for a troubling altercation between an employee and a group of guests in 2020, the sudden closure of its highly anticipated sister restaurant Alderwood Pacific in 2023, and Wall’s abrupt, sour departure in March. Can a new chef with local roots at the helm help right Alderwood’s position in the community?
… Mark your calendars, and purchase tickets early for the Homeless Garden Project’s recurring Sustain Supper, coming Saturday, July 20. Every Sustain Supper is unique, with new chefs and keynote speakers at each event, but there are a few changes for 2024. This is the only supper this year – usually, there are two events – and chef Reylon Agustin from Sierra Mar at Post Ranch Inn in Big Sur is preparing the entire meal, rather than several chefs collaborating.
Anne Kapuscinski, the director of Coastal Sciences & Public Policy at UC Santa Cruz, is the keynote speaker. She also serves as the board chair for the Union of Concerned Scientists.
The event starts with a tour of HGP’s farm near Natural Bridges State Beach in Santa Cruz, and a reception with local wines and kombucha, Alta Organic coffee and tea, and live music. The $150 ticket price goes directly to HGP, a local nonprofit organization that provides job training and transitional support to individuals experiencing homelessness. More info on BOLO.
… Maybe it’s just because summer is finally here, but hot dogs are having a moment in Santa Cruz County. There are at least seven distinct hot dog stands from Boulder Creek to Watsonville that put their own spin on the American classic. I’m visiting them all so I can share my findings in a guide, and am already fascinated by each vendor’s unique story and approach.
For example, did you know that the only real Chicago dog in Central California can be found at River Dogs, a tiny hot dog stand based in Boulder Creek? While the toppings can be re-created, River Dogs is the only vendor to import authentic Vienna Beef hot dogs from Chicago. See the full story here.
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ON THE MENU
If you’re on Instagram, you’re probably following at least one food influencer, who shares where they eat, what they order, and why you should go there, too. They’re not new – these specialized accounts have been a part of social media for at least a decade – but it’s only recently that a few have taken root in Santa Cruz County, and risen to popularity with thousands of followers for short-form video posts and photography highlighting food at local restaurants and pop-ups. Although the format is light and fun, the effects are real, with local businesses that have been featured in the videos reporting a bump in foot traffic and sales as soon as 24 hours after a video is posted, and sometimes lasting far longer. Watch for the story later this week.
EVENT SPOTLIGHT
Food writer and Food & Wine magazine editor Khushbu Shah will be at Bookshop Santa Cruz next week to promote her debut cookbook, “Amrikan.” She’ll be joined by one of Santa Cruz’s food celebrities, fellow writer and cookbook author Andrea Nguyen. I can’t wait to see these two powerhouses in conversation. Register for your free ticket here, and check out this wonderful Q&A I wrote with Nguyen back in March 2022.
LIFE WITH THE BELLIS
I’m very excited to be taking my first food writing course this month. I’ve been looking for one for years but because it’s pretty specific, I never found one that interested me. When former Bon Appetit magazine editor Ali Francis announced she would lead one with guest appearances by some of my favorite modern food writers, I couldn’t sign up fast enough. The class is held remotely through the month, and last week we discussed the core tenets of writing about food (which is really just the core tenets of writing), and were joined by writer and author Alicia Kennedy. I’m already feeling inspired, and am hoping the course will help me craft more informative, entertaining stories for you, Lookout’s readers.
FOOD NEWS WORTH READING
➤ The dining room is quickly disappearing from American life. Most of us eat our meals in the kitchen, living room or other multipurpose space. The number of Americans eating alone has grown too, as has the rate of loneliness, depression and anxiety. Could those things be related? (The Atlantic)