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.
… There are several excellent-looking events happening over the next week, so clear your calendars.
This Thursday, head to Madson Wines, an urban winery in Santa Cruz’s Westside neighborhood, for another installment of Monterey Bay Fisheries Trust’s Get Hooked event series. This time, chef Diego Felix – of catering company Colectivo Felix and empanada speakeasy Fonda Felix – will prepare a Latin American-inspired meal highlighting local seafood. These fundraisers raise money for and educate guests about MBFT’s Community Seafood Program, which purchases fish from Monterey Bay fishers and distributes it to local food relief groups like Second Harvest Food Bank. Tickets are $138, and include four courses, wine and gratuity. View the menu here.
Fruition Brewing in Watsonville is popping bottles and pouring crisp drafts all weekend long to celebrate the craft brewery’s sixth anniversary. On Saturday, Fruition will release a special IPA brewed with Trinity County Brewing Company, and Vegan Donuts 831 and The Window Burger will pop up with donuts and smash burgers. On Sunday, Geezer Dogs will serve Mexican hot dogs alongside cookie company Amor Y Azucar. Both Saturday and Sunday have live music from 1 to 6 p.m.
On Monday, July 21, chef Katherine Stern of Santa Cruz’s The Midway is hosting Margins Wine winemaker Megan Bell for a special four-course dinner. Stern’s hyperlocal and super seasonal menu – with duck from Pescadero’s Root Down Farm with olive-herb relish or grilled eggplant with slow-roasted tomatoes as the main – will be paired with Bell’s evocative, low-intervention wines. Tickets are $125 per person.
… Every month, Vim Dining & Desserts in Santa Cruz hosts extravagant afternoon teas, with themed sweet and savory treats alongside tea, coffee and cocktails. This month, on Sunday, July 27, chef/owner Jesikah Stolaroff is creating a menu inspired by the board game Candy Land, with treats like a King Kandy fudge brownie with caramel buttercream and Gramma Nutt peanut soba noodles with cayenne peanut brittle. I can say from experience that these special events are absolutely delightful – and dressing up is encouraged. Tickets are $75. Reservations required.
… This summer, Santa Cruz Community Farmers’ Markets is hosting two pop-up brunches at the Westside farmers market, and the first is coming up next Saturday. On July 26, chef Jessica Yarr of The Grove in Felton will serve a summery, produce-focused feast, including a sungold tomato confit with feta from Garden Variety Cheese and a breakfast potato salad with jammy eggs and crispy Fogline Farm pork belly.
On Aug. 9, chef Rodrigo Serna of La Posta’s menu includes a corn frittata with pepperonata and homemade levain bread, plus cannelloni stuffed with spinach, basil and ricotta. Tickets to both brunches are on a sliding scale from $80 to $150, including beverages. Proceeds benefit the farmers market’s education programs.
… This Moon Dinner series at Chaminade Resort & Spa looks far out. Guests can enjoy an outdoor family-style dinner with a discussion about planetary science with educators from UC Santa Cruz, followed by telescope viewing over Monterey Bay. Events will be held from 7 to 9:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 3; Thursday, Sept. 4; and Sunday, Oct. 5. Tickets are $93, including gratuity and tax.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
In a detour from my food and drink beat, I’ve written two stories on the Murray Street Bridge this month. The first spotlighted the bridge closure’s troubling effects on area businesses. In a second story, posted Monday, I spoke with Santa Cruz Public Works Director Nathan Nguyen about why construction is more difficult than the typical roadway project. In an update Tuesday, my colleague Max Chun spoke to Port Director Holland MacLaurie about plans to possibly expand water taxi service across the harbor.
EVENT SPOTLIGHT
The Extra Tasty Tour continues next Saturday, July 26, at Venus Spirits in Santa Cruz with the third of five events in this summer series. The Sour Jam Summer Slam celebrates all of the electrifying, lip-puckering flavors of acid in all its forms, including pickles, sourdough bread and pastries, fermented foods and citrus-infused beverages, plus a Santa Cruz Skateboard competition, 30 local artists and makers and a sourdough bread baking contest judged by local professionals. This event is free to enter.
AND: I will be hosting an exclusive mini-tasting tour before the event starts for 12 Lookout members. We will visit four to five vendors for a special sample and an introduction to their food and drink businesses. These tours are super fun – grab a ticket for $20 while you can.
LIFE WITH THE BELLIS
Over the past month, my husband, Mike, and I have been trying to eat a little better, especially when it comes to snacks. In the past, we’ve been quick to grab a cookie at the grocery store checkout, bagged chips or something else crunchy and salty, so, in addition to subbing in protein-packed hard-boiled eggs and cheese sticks, we needed something to satisfy that craving. The answer, for us, has been homemade roasted mixed nuts. I toss a bag each of walnuts, almonds and pecans on two baking sheets and roast them for about 15 minutes until they’re deeply toasted. As soon as they come out of the oven, I toss them a generous amount of olive oil, sea salt, smoked paprika and garlic powder. We can’t stop eating them, and I’ll even crush them over my yogurt in the morning instead of granola.
FOOD NEWS WORTH READING
➤ San Francisco seafood restaurant Swan Oyster Depot has come under a social media firestorm for displaying a pro-Trump hat inside the dining room. Once a favorite haunt of the late chef Anthony Bourdain, in recent years the restaurant has also made headlines for racist behavior toward Asian diners. (San Francisco Standard)
➤ An Italian candy company has purchased all-American cereal giant Kellogg for $3.1 billion. Ferrero, an industry leader that owns internationally known brands such as Nutella and Tic Tac, is expanding its reach into the American market; it also recently purchased Nestle’s American chocolate business and the maker of ice creams Blue Bunny and Halo Top. (NPR)