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.
… Almost three years to the day since Stephen Beaumier and Katy Oursler closed Mutari Chocolate House on Front Street, a new iteration of the bean-to-bar craft chocolate business has returned to downtown Santa Cruz. The Chocolate Studio has landed for a three-month pop-up in the former Flower Bar space on Cedar Street, with the possibility of a permanent move if things go well, said Oursler and Beaumier. (ICYMI: The Flower Bar closed in November.)
Inside, visitors will find hand-crafted, ethically sourced truffles, chocolates and bars from the White Label and Mutari Craft Chocolate labels, and one thick, luscious European-style sipping chocolate made with coconut milk. But the Chocolate Studio will include a wider selection of treats and beverages than the former chocolate cafés, including coffee, beer and wine, locally made pastries and sourdough bread from bakery Danielle Orlando of Capitola-based Dani O Bakeshop and, later this spring, larger savory dishes. Watch for the story later this week.
… Speaking of chocolate, I wrote about falling in love with Flower Child Fudge, a new product from Katie Belanger, the former owner of Honey B Market in Santa Cruz. The chocolate contains just five organic ingredients – whole medjool dates, unsweetened cacao, coconut, sea salt and vanilla – and every detail, from the handmade paper infused with wildflower seeds to the reusable colorful cloth wrapping, is thoughtfully and artistically created by Belanger. Check out Friday’s Eaters Digest for more info.
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… For more than three years, I’ve reported on the ups and downs of Santa Cruz’s crab and salmon fishing seasons, but the story coming out this week takes a long look at the state of Santa Cruz’s fishing industry. Unfortunately, it’s not good news. After nine rocky years of delayed, shortened and outright canceled fishing seasons, the number of commercial fishing boats active in the Santa Cruz Harbor has dwindled from around 100 in the 1980s and ’90s to around a dozen.
Local fishers, some of whom have been working out of the Santa Cruz Harbor for generations, say this year could be a defining moment for the county’s fleet. Watch for the story this week.
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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
In this healthy dose of local food industry history, Lookout correspondent Wallace Baine looks back on the Watsonville cannery strike, which took place from 1985 to 1987. The Watsonville Film Festival will mark the 40th anniversary of the strike with a re-screening of Jon Silver’s 1989 documentary, and a new short film on the strike’s effect on one local family.
EVENT SPOTLIGHT
On Sunday, Feb. 23, UC Santa Cruz’s Center for Agroecology is hosting a screening of the 2023 film “Farming While Black.” The film reflects on the plight of Black farmers in the United States, and spotlights a rising generation of young Black farmers. After the screening, there will be a panel discussion and Q&A with director Mark Decena. Tickets are free, but attendees must register beforehand.
LIFE WITH THE BELLIS
Parents with young children, where do you go out to eat? Are there any restaurants in Santa Cruz County that you consider kid-friendly? I can think of one.
The very few restaurants where I would feel comfortable bringing my almost-4-year-old son and almost-2-year-old daughter could be labeled “kid tolerant,” at best, which means: Kids are allowed in the space, but only if they act like mini-adults. For a restaurant to actually be welcoming to kids – and therefore families – it has to have some kind of infrastructure in place to allow children to be children without disturbing other guests.
I’m not talking about a playground – although, my friends and I joke that if a local craft brewery installed one, it would be the most happening place in town – but a small area with some books and blocks would be nice. Heck, I’d take an open grassy space in front of the restaurant. Most of the pizza parlors, traditionally the most family-friendly restaurants in America, in Santa Cruz County don’t even have video games.
A friend who recently took his family on a vacation in Australia said spaces like this were common in restaurants across the country, and it was one of the best parts of their trip. Not every restaurant needs to cater to families, but a few would be nice. Parents, which local restaurants are great for kids? Restaurants and breweries, what’s stopping you from setting aside a small area for kids to play while the parents relax? Text me your thoughts or email me at lily@lookoutlocal.com.
FOOD NEWS WORTH READING
➤ Last year, 10 people died from listeria poisoning after eating Boar’s Head deli meat. In this moving personal essay, a daughter of one of the victims reflects on how her mother’s untimely death has changed how she feels about the safety of the food she eats. (Grub Street)
➤ President Donald Trump’s tariffs intend to prioritize American-made goods, but can the U.S. really produce all of its food domestically? The notion might be admirable, but it’s out of touch with the reality of how Americans eat, and would certainly raise prices at grocery stores and restaurants. (The Atlantic)