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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… The Sunday farmers market’s days at the East Cliff Village Shopping Center in Live Oak are numbered. As I reported at the end of March, the 22-year-old market is facing an imminent move after it was unable to negotiate new lease terms with Swenson Builders, which owns the parking lot where the market has been held since 2002. After April 28, the market will need to relocate, and market organizers have worked diligently to find it a new home.
This week, Santa Cruz Community Farmers’ Markets will propose moving the market to a nearby school at a Live Oak School District board meeting on Wednesday. It believes Shoreline Middle or Live Oak Elementary could be possible new locations, and is hoping to “open the conversation” with the district, director Nesh Dhillon told me. It helps that the Live Oak market already has a relationship with the district – it provides food from local farms to the district’s nutrition program and regularly hosts Dia De La Familia, a day that offers incentives to district families to shop at the market. Read the update here.
… More from the farmers market:
- The market’s popular pop-up breakfast series returns this year with two events. On July 27, Home restaurant chef Brad Briske will prepare a multicourse brunch feast featuring his hyperlocal cuisine, with beverages courtesy of Stockwell Cellars. On Aug. 10, chef Diego Felix of Colectivo Felix and Fonda Felix will prepare a farmers-market-focused Latin American meal with sparkling wine from Equinox Winery. Both events will be held at the Westside farmers market location. Tickets are on a sliding scale, $75 to $150, and fundraise for local organizations. I attended last year, and enjoyed a fantastic meal by chef Katherine Stern of The Midway. These events sell out, so grab a ticket now if you want to go.
- The Scotts Valley farmers market reopens on May 4. This market runs seasonally May through Thanksgiving on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Joe and Linda Alberti Boys & Girls Club on Scotts Valley Drive. Grab a free strawberry shortcake on opening day.
- The Felton farmers market reopens on May 7, and runs Tuesdays from 1:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at 120 Russell Ave. in downtown Felton. It’s also celebrating with free strawberry shortcake, and a quick jam workshop from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. by Mountain Feed & Farm Supply.
… Bocci’s Cellar, said to be the oldest restaurant in Santa Cruz, is for sale. The landmark property on Encinal Street in the Harvey West Park area is listed for $1.199 million, and includes a four-bedroom/two-bath house, the restaurant and bar, and a large entertainment area. Bocci’s Cellar first opened for business in 1933, and was a hub for the local Italian community for decades. Current owners Gloria and Larry Behman have owned the iconic restaurant since 1985, and are hoping to find a new owner who will appreciate the restaurant’s history. Read more here.
… Ashby Confections is moving forward on a new shop in downtown Santa Cruz. “Get ready to indulge in our delicious handmade chocolates and candies in our beautiful new store and production facility on Pacific Avenue,” owner Jennifer Ashby announced on Instagram over the weekend. The chocolate and candy company is currently based in Scotts Valley, and specializes in artisan chocolates, truffles, salted caramels, brittles and fruit candies, often made with ingredients from local farms and beverage makers.
The new shop is at 1306 Pacific Ave. between Gobi Mongolian BBQ and Pacific Trading Company. Ashby Confections is one of eight food and drink businesses I spotlighted last fall that are opening storefronts in the downtown area.
… There are precious few places to grab a bite after 9 p.m. in the county, but you can now add Chocolate in Santa Cruz to the list. Starting this Friday, the downtown restaurant – on Pacific Avenue next to Bookshop Santa Cruz – will be open until 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights. Owner and chef David Jackman says they will take reservations until 9:45 p.m. and seat walk-ins until the last minute. “We hope that offering service a little later will add even more fun to coming downtown!” says Jackman. Chocolate closes at 9 p.m. the other days of the week. More info at chocolatesantacruz.com.
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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Warmer days are on the way, and three of the area’s most popular summer fine dining event series have released their dates. Check out the lineups for Vine to View, Taste of Terroir and Outstanding in the Field in Friday’s Eaters Digest – I noted events that caught my eye, in case you need a guiding hand.
LIFE WITH THE BELLIS
Longtime readers will remember when I dramatically minimized the stuff in my kitchen. Last January, my husband and I got rid of about 90% of our dishes, extra cookware, cutlery and cooking utensils. We kept the minimum that we thought a family of three – going on four, at the time – would need. Like, the bare minimum: four bowls, four coffee mugs, one set of each cooking utensil, and on and on. I received some interesting responses at the time, some supportive, others that thought it was unnecessary and a waste of time. To which I could only reply, to each their own.
The other day I realized that we made that change more than a year ago, and I have yet to miss one single thing that we got rid of. In fact, I can hardly picture any of it. Our effort was successful in simplifying our lives in a way that we craved with two small children and an active, full life. And once the excess was cleared away, I could more clearly see what I truly needed, and it wasn’t much. The things we did keep just see a lot of use.
One thing I’m so glad I kept, even if they gather dust most weeks, is a vintage set of eight champagne coupes. I love bringing them out and popping the cork off of something fizzy when guests come over. Because even in my minimalist kitchen, you have to keep the things that spark joy.
FOOD NEWS WORTH READING
➤ Momofuku chef and mega-entrepreneur David Chang attempted to trademark “chili crunch” in an attempt to dominate the spicy condiment’s market. Momofuku makes a version of the deep-red, spicy condiment, but so do dozens of other companies. Chang was widely criticized for his actions, and last week dropped the campaign. Chang, who is Korean, also apologized to the Asian American community who felt “marginalized” by his actions. (The Guardian / NBC News)
➤ The Environmental Protection Agency has established national limits on six types of “forever chemicals” in drinking water, known as PFAS. The chemicals have been associated with a laundry list of serious health concerns, and are nearly impossible to destroy. Eleven states already have regulations for PFAS in drinking water, but now the country’s public water systems will need to meet new federal limits. (NBC News)