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.
… Last week, I visited the Edible Landscaping class at Cabrillo College, where a dozen students snacked on cookies made with black oak acorn flour and bison tallow before they walked to the greenhouse to transplant clusters of miner’s lettuce sprouts.
On April 29, Central Coast-based Indigenous chef Christina Lonewolf will use this miner’s lettuce, a native plant that has a color, taste and texture similar to spinach, in a five-course dinner made with indigenous ingredients. The meal, which will include smoked mussels with wild herb salsa verde and blue corn cookies, is open to the public for $55 per plate. It will be served during the final evening of the class’s four-month-long free film showcase on food justice after a screening of the film “Gather,” a documentary that sheds light on the revitalization of Indigenous food systems.
When instructor Mimi Schilling took over the class last fall, she decided to emphasize the “edible” in Edible Landscaping and focus on plants native to the Central Coast. Her decision stemmed from experiencing recent climate disasters in the area, including the CZU Lightning Complex fire in 2020 and the severe winter storms in early 2023.
“We’re seeing first hand what climate change does to our community,” Schilling told me. “Can we stop climate change with plants? No, but we can be mindful when we’re planting and planning our home spaces in order to do the most community good by planting California natives that are flexible, adaptable and use fewer resources.” Read the full story here.
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… A couple of weeks ago, I took a deep dive into the plight of Santa Cruz County’s fishing industry as it struggles under the weight of numerous environmental and political challenges. Last week, Lookout intern Carly Kay took a closer look at one area of friction: the presence of humpback whales along the Central Coast.
While humpbacks have been feeding in Monterey Bay’s nutrient-rich waters for decades, warming seas have pushed the mammals closer to shore — straight into crab-fishing zones. Entanglements in crab fishing gear are on the rise, despite limits imposed on the fishing industry to prevent them. Here’s what’s going on beneath the surface.
… I get a few emails a month from fans of the Westside’s La Cabaña Taqueria wondering if the restaurant will be returning to 2332 Mission St. in Santa Cruz once the remodel of the shopping center is complete. The answer is yes, although the exact date is still unknown. “We’re waiting for city approvals to move forward with construction, waiting on building shell approval and PG&E,” the business posted to Instagram on Monday. “The process has been slow.”
Last summer, Lookout correspondent Max Chun reported that the shopping center at the corner of Mission and King streets on Santa Cruz’s Westside has been undergoing “various stages of demolition, construction and remodel” since early 2023. At that time, the last two businesses operating out of the then-half-functional center — Arrow Surf Shop and La Cabaña Taqueria — vacated the building as construction moved forward.
Until La Cabaña Taqueria moves back into its newly renovated space, its Mexican home cooking, including its modern takes on vegetarian and vegan specialties, is available for catering and via occasional pop-ups. More info on La Cabaña’s Instagram page.
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ON THE MENU
This May, in preparation for the groundbreaking on the downtown mixed-use library project, the weekly downtown farmers market will move from its current location to a site two blocks away along Cedar Street and Church Street. The market plans to stay at this temporary spot for two to three years while it looks at options for a permanent home downtown.
One idea both the market and the city aim to explore further is creating a multi-use community space at the current downtown library site after the library moves to the new building. The city said it plans to host events in the parking lot next to the downtown library as soon as this summer. Watch for the story tomorrow.
LIFE WITH THE BELLIS
I can’t believe my baby, Cecilia, will be 2 years old in less than two weeks. Longtime readers of this column will remember when I announced that Marco, my son, would be getting a little sister. What is time, anyway?
We’re just having a family celebration for Ceci, but I’m already dreaming about the birthday cake I want to make for her. She’s currently obsessed with the Disney movie “Frozen,” and I’m working on a “Frozen”-themed cake. So far, I’m thinking of baking a funfetti-type cake but with blue jimmies, to mimic the snow that ice queen Elsa creates with her magic. The white frosting will be covered in sparkling blue and white sanding sugar, and hopefully I can find some figurines of the characters to place on top. (Did I have to look up specific terms for different kinds of sprinkles to make that description clear? Yes.) Will I be able to make my vision come to life for my big 2-year-old? We will see – and I’ll share a photo of the final creation.
FOOD NEWS WORTH READING
➤ Food delivery app DoorDash was ordered to pay almost $17 million to settle claims that it unfairly subsidized drivers’ wages with tips, rather than letting them keep the tips on top of their regular wages. The company followed this payment model from May 2017 to September 2019, and did not tell customers that their tips were being used this way. (The Associated Press)
➤ People are drinking less wine, except when it comes to this one Italian varietal. Pinot grigio and other white blends were the only categories to show notable revenue growth in the U.S. – up 11% between October 2023 and October 2024. California winemakers think younger customers are attracted to the sometimes-maligned white wine because it’s light-bodied, affordable and has low alcohol – and some are upping their production to match. (San Francisco Chronicle)