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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… In case you haven’t already heard the news that we’ve been yelling from the rooftops for the past 24 hours, yesterday the staff of Lookout Santa Cruz found out that we won a prestigious Pulitzer Prize – in the coveted Breaking News Reporting category, no less – for our coverage of the January 2023 storms.
We are all beside ourselves with joy and still mostly in disbelief, and are truly honored for the recognition. A Pulitzer Prize is the highest award in American journalism, and Lookout might be the youngest media outlet to receive it; we were less than two and a half years old when we did the reporting for our entry.
You can take a look at our winning body of work at pulitzer.org. If nothing else, be sure to check out the timeline of the coverage before, during and after the storm. A sincere thank you to Lookout’s members – we couldn’t do it without you. Consider supporting Lookout with a membership today to access all of our work, including the full catalog of my food and drink reporting.
… A familiar face has returned to the dining scene with a splash. Chef Santos Majano, the former executive chef at Soif and founder of The Kitchen at Discretion Brewing, has returned after a four-year hiatus with Hook & Line, a sustainable seafood restaurant in the storied former Soif space on Walnut Avenue in downtown Santa Cruz.
I was impressed by the highly seasonal menu, which focuses on small plates and snacks with a handful of impressive entrees, like a risotto with shaved asparagus, morel mushrooms and crisp-skinned yellowtail. Majano is known for his commitment to the best local ingredients and a precise but never too stuffy style of cooking. I’ll be back for the halibut ceviche with sweet potato in a tangy, spicy Peruvian marinade and to try a show-stopping whole trout showered with fresh herbs. Read my full review here.
… The Dolphin Restaurant at the end of the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf will be torn down this fall to repair pilings underneath it that were damaged by a storm surge at the end of December. While the city, which owns the wharf and all the buildings on it, hoped that the restaurant could be saved, demolishing it is the only way to fix the broken pilings, says David McCormic, the development manager in charge of the wharf.
It’s yet to be determined whether the Dolphin will be rebuilt, he says. First, the city plans to consider input from the community in a “reimagining process” on what the future of the end of the wharf might look like. “When we say the Dolphin may or may not be rebuilt, it’s not because we don’t want to or because Mark [Gilbert, the restaurant owner] isn’t interested, it’s because this process has yet to happen,” McCormic said. “We love the idea of having a cafe, this destination at the end of the wharf. But we really need to have that communication and that discussion with the community.” Here’s what we know so far.
… After being rescheduled from its previous location in Harvey West in March due to health concerns, the Santa Cruz Cookout will be held this Saturday in DeLaveaga Park from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. This free community event is hosted by local organizer Ayo Banjo and Santa Cruz County Black Health Matters Initiative, and aims to celebrate diversity through live music, food and community connection. Ken Brown’s Soul Food, which is affiliated with the Word of Life Church, considered the oldest Black church in Santa Cruz, will barbecue. The food is available for free to attendees. There’s a full lineup of local Afrobeat and Black artists, including NEXTies winner Alwa Gordon, and family-friendly activities. More info here.
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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
After a nail-biting two-month saga that started in March with the sudden dissolution of its longtime agreement, the Live Oak farmers market will be able to stay at the East Cliff Village Shopping Center parking lots, its home of 22 years, after all. Last week, after two months of negotiations, Santa Cruz Community Farmers’ Markets and property owner Swenson Builders signed a one-year lease for the lot through May 2025. Farmers market board president Sandra Ward says they couldn’t have done it without the incredible outpouring of community support. Full story here.
EVENT SPOTLIGHT
Here’s an elegant way to celebrate Mom this weekend: Beauregard Vineyards is hosting a Mother’s Day brunch at its scenic tasting room in Bonny Doon. If you’ve never taken the drive – just 15 minutes from Santa Cruz – it’s worth it; the tasting room is housed in a historic building and surrounded by a lawn with picnic tables shaded by redwood trees. The five-course springtime menu includes wagyu boneless short ribs, white asparagus with hollandaise, and chocolate crepe with flambéed strawberries for dessert, plus wine pairings. Tickets are $80 per person.
LIFE WITH THE BELLIS
My sweet son, Marco, turned 3 on Sunday, and we had a birthday party for him at a local park. The past two years I felt like I went a little overboard with his birthday parties, and both times ended up overcommitting myself to the point when I was too stressed out at the event to really enjoy myself. I was adamant that I wouldn’t put myself in the same situation, and would host an event that I thought I could achieve and would be fun for Marco. I decided on pizza and cupcakes at the park near our house.
I felt good about my decision, especially because I got the pizzas delivered directly to the park. This is one of my favorite parenting hacks: Most pizza places will deliver anywhere with an address, including public parks. But when it came to the cupcakes, I began to doubt myself. More than 40 kids and adults had RSVP’d and I balked at the price for cupcakes at several local bakeries. I’m a good baker and can certainly make a cake, but hesitated at the thought of the time-consuming process when I already had so many other things to do.
So I channeled my inner Ina Garten, the famed home cook and cookbook author, and chanted her motto to myself: “Store-bought is fine.” Yes, this food writer used boxed cake mix to make almost 50 funfetti and chocolate cupcakes, and you know what? It was great. They were tasty and the kids loved them, especially covered in rainbow sprinkles. At one point I almost convinced myself to at least make the frosting, but stopped that flash of mom guilt in its tracks. I reminded myself that it’s OK to do less if it means you can enjoy yourself more.
FOOD NEWS WORTH READING
➤ A new California law will ban service fees and could eliminate surcharges on restaurant bills. While that might sound like good news for consumers, industry leaders warn that restaurants could absorb the fees into their menu, which would lead to higher prices. (CBS News)
➤ Sweetgreen, a fast-casual chain that espouses a plant-forward, environmentally friendly menu, has started serving steak. Beef production is notoriously climate-damaging, but the company says it’s a necessary addition while it seeks to expand its appeal from lunch to dinner, and is focusing on sourcing from “trusted suppliers” of grass-fed and pasture-raised meat. (Washington Post)