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 is a grassroots effort emerging on the Westside in Santa Cruz by area business owners to unite the district, which covers more than a square mile on the west side of town, under a single name: Westside Marketplace. The goal is to promote the neighborhood as a destination for both locals and tourists, à la Tin City in Paso Robles and the Funk Zone in Santa Barbara.
The brand is launching with an event on Saturday, Nov. 16, “Welcome to Westside Marketplace,” with around a dozen vendors, so far, offering specials and pop-ups to attract newcomers. The effort is in its early stages, and any business owners in the area who are interested are welcome to join, representatives from the group told me.
FYI: The Swift Street Courtyard, one building in the middle of the proposed district that houses at least a dozen businesses, including Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing, El Salchichero Craft Butcher and 11th Hour Coffee, will retain its name. Read the story here.
… A bunch of opening announcements came across my desk this week. Here’s the tea:
Ten-year-old hard cider company Tanuki Cider is opening a tasting room on the Westside in Santa Cruz in collaboration with an existing tasting room, Sones Cellars, at 334-B Ingalls St. Celebrate the opening on Saturday, Nov. 16 from noon to 10 p.m. and check out cider-maker Robby Honda’s single-variety ciders made from locally sourced apples.
Pop-up shop J&M Sourdough Bagels is opening a storefront at 5980 Highway 9 in downtown Felton, offering sourdough bagels with classic toppings and handmade schmears. A ribbon-cutting will be held on Monday, Dec. 2.
Food truck My Mom’s Mole is partnering with Watsonville Public House. Starting this Thursday, My Mom’s Mole will offer its classic mole-based dishes and an expanded menu at the craft brewery at 625 Main St. on Thursday through Monday.
Sugar Bakery has outgrown its spot in the Capitola Mall, baker Ela Crawford announced Monday on Instagram, and is moving to the former Crumbl Cookies storefront in Soquel. The 4-year-old bakery was “bursting at the seams,” and the larger space means “more cookies, cakes, and macarons,” she wrote. The official opening date is TBD. Read about Crawford’s inspiring story as a Ukrainian immigrant and self-taught baker here.
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ON THE MENU
I’ve been cruising Santa Cruz County looking for the best sandwiches in the area, and I’m excited to finally share the result later this week. Watch for my list of top spots, from the best torta in Watsonville, to a killer vegetarian Reuben, to the tri-tip sandwich I can’t stop craving.
ICYMI
After 10 years and close to 2,000 tours, the ride is over for Brew Cruz, the craft brewery bus tour headed by Annie Wolff Pautsch, writes Lookout business correspondent Jessica M. Pasko. “I felt like I knew when a good thing had to come to an end, at least in the care of me,” Wolff Pautsch said of the decision to cease operations. Read the story here.
NOTED
Eater SF, the Bay Area branch of the national food news site, published a list of its best places to eat in Santa Cruz, including popular spots Humble Sea Brewing Co., Cat & Cloud Coffee, Bad Animal and Ferrell’s Donuts. (I counted four links to Lookout’s food and drink coverage within this list. Can you spot them?)
LIFE WITH THE BELLIS
The sense of dread that had temporarily receded while I was asleep returned Tuesday morning as soon as I opened my eyes, and before I even got out of bed I decided to make cookies. I’m normally a pretty even-keeled person, but when I’m feeling stressed – say, because of a big election – I turn to baking. Because you know what really helps when you’re feeling anxious? Chocolate chip cookies. And complicated dark chocolate cakes. And sourdough bread. And losing yourself in the process of molding sugar, fat and starch, marking the temperature and weighing ingredients, the knowledge that if I follow these directions exactly, I will have something sweet and beautiful at the end.
It turns out, I’m not the only one. A girlfriend sent out a group text Tuesday morning asking how our group of friends is faring, and two other women also confessed to baking pumpkin bread and planning out baking projects before the sun had fully risen over the horizon. And then this rolled across my feed: Apparently, it used to be traditional to bake a cake on Election Day. So if the news of the day is urging you to pull out your stand mixer and vanilla extract, just know that you’re not alone.
FOOD NEWS WORTH READING
➤ In general, cooking with plastic should be avoided because harmful chemicals can leach into your food. That’s especially true when it comes to black plastic kitchen tools, which have the same chemical mix as computer and television housing. Throw your black plastic spatulas in the trash, says a biochemist, and upgrade to wood or metal. (The Atlantic)
➤ Are you a parent of a picky eater? I am, and according to a new study, it’s not our fault. A study found that food fussiness in children is often due to genetics rather than environment, and peaks around 7 years of age. Researchers hope the findings “will help to alleviate some of the blame directed at parents.” (CNN)