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.
… Pebble Beach Food & Wine doesn’t err on the side of modesty when it bills itself as “the nation’s premier culinary event.” But the annual four-day food festival aims to live up to the superlative with a star-studded list of more than 200 chefs and beverage vendors, and dozens of tasting experiences, seminars, lunches and dinners this Thursday through Sunday at the luxe Pebble Beach Resort on the Monterey Peninsula.
There is one Santa Cruz County chef showcasing her talents at this year’s event. Chef Jessica Yarr, owner of The Grove Cafe & Bakery in Felton, is returning for her second year, joining a lineup of vendors that includes television personalities Andrew Zimmern and Maneet Chauhan, famed restaurateurs Nancy Silverton and Alice Waters, and renowned chefs Stephanie Izard, Sean Brock and Kwame Onwuachi. In Monday’s story, Yarr shared what it’s like to prepare for such a massive event.
I’m going to attend the festival for the first time this Sunday, and will be writing about my experience at the elite gathering – watch for the follow up story early next week.
… Some of my favorite summer event series have set dates for the upcoming season. Wines of the Santa Cruz Mountains – an organization that promotes local wineries – released tickets for two of four Taste of Terroir events, all of which aim to deepen guests’ knowledge of the area’s wine culture through tastings and food.
The first event, Heart of the Mountain, is coming on Saturday, May 17 at David Bruce Winery in Los Gatos. It’s a tasting salon with six wineries followed by a dinner prepared by Nick Sherman, the chef/owner of Trestles in Capitola and Cavalletta in Soquel. On Saturday, June 14, Beauregard Vineyards in Bonny Doon will host Midsummer Night’s Dinner with chef Brad Briske of Home in Soquel. Tickets to both events are $175. FYI: Tickets to two more events at Ferrari Ranch in Corralitos in August and at Neely Wines in Portal Valley in September are forthcoming.
… The annual pop-up series hosted by Santa Cruz Community Farmers Market will return this summer to the Westside Santa Cruz farmers market with two events. On Saturday, July 26, Felton chef Jessica Yarr’s five-course feast includes Sungold tomato confit with baked feta, and a breakfast potato salad with gypsy peppers and jammy eggs. On Saturday, Aug. 9, chef Rodrigo Serna of La Posta’s menu includes canneloni pasta with spinach, basil and ricotta, and Fogline Farm chicken with summer beans and preserved lemon.
These breakfasts are held during the market and showcase seasonal produce from nearby farms. They’re a lot of fun – I was so impressed with the meal I had in 2023 with chef Katherine Stern of the Midway. Proceeds support the market’s free educational events throughout the year and food access programs. In an effort to keep the pop-ups open to as many guests as possible, tickets are offered at two prices – $80 or $150 – depending on what the purchaser can afford.
… A few odds and ends: Earlier this year, Sugar Bakery moved from its home in the Capitola Mall to the other end of 41st Avenue near Safeway. The new bakery is now open to the public. Stop in for excellent macarons or a slice of honey cake from baker Ela Crawford… Watsonville’s Slice Project – home of the most authentic New York-style slice in Santa Cruz County – opened a second location on the other side of town at the Hangar. Slice Project’s classic combos are on offer whole or by the slice noon to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday and noon to 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday… Attention brunch bros and babes: Venus Spirits Westside in Santa Cruz has mimosa service for $20 – it includes a bottle of bubbles and a trio of fresh juice to mix your own – and flights of spritzes and bloody Mary’s every Saturday and Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., plus DJ music by People’s Disco. And, the restaurant has a new lunch menu available weekends only.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Nearly 20 years after establishing a seafood market in the Santa Cruz Harbor, H&H Fresh Fish Co. is planning to open a second location in Santa Cruz’s Westside neighborhood this summer. Co-owner Hans Haveman told me that the decision to open the satellite location was motivated by concerns about how the Murray Street Bridge construction project will affect H&H’s original market in the harbor. Read the story here.
LIFE WITH THE BELLIS
If you haven’t watched the season 3 finale of “The White Lotus” on HBO, stop reading this section now and skin to the links below – major spoilers ahead.
I have a lot of thoughts – most of them not very positive, unfortunately – about this season, but my number one takeaway from Sunday night’s episode is: who doesn’t wash a blender out before they use it? Yuk! Moreover, who doesn’t wash a blender after they’re done with it, especially if they’ve had a change of heart about murdering their family and might want to rinse the poison they attempted to kill them with into the sink and out of harm’s way?
I can suspend belief that the father of the Ratliff family wasn’t in his right mind after almost committing familicide – and, let’s be honest, probably not used to cleaning up after himself. But when Lochlan makes a protein shake in the same blender that contains the obvious remnants of what believes to be a 12-hour-old pina colada allegedly made with curdled coconut milk?? I wanted to gasp, but I only gagged.
FOOD NEWS WORTH READING
➤ With 20% tariffs on European goods set to go into effect this week, wine drinkers are stocking up and sellers nationwide are seeing a run on bottles from Italy, France, and other countries in the E.U. Most price increases won’t happen immediately as sellers go through the stock they already have, but in a few months customers will see price jumps, they say. (Washington Post)
➤ San Francisco Chronicle released its Top 100 List of the best restaurants in the Bay Area this week, and an Oakland restaurant took the top spot. Burdell, a soul food restaurant, opened in 2023 and has gained national attention for its modern takes on Southern dishes. (San Francisco Chronicle)