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.
… Last spring, I opened Instagram and saw nearly 50 posts by Pescavore, a Santa Cruz-based seafood jerky company that Lookout profiled back in 2024, when the company was preparing for a major expansion. The content was angry and confusing, and seemed to attack other seafood companies for racism, terrorism and “misinformation.”
At the time, I didn’t feel like it warranted a report, but a few months later, I received several emails that changed my mind. The senders identified themselves as victims of harassment by Pescavore founder Clarice Owens. In emails, in-person interviews and phone calls – from as far away as the East Coast – these individuals chronicled months of public online attacks that, they said, damaged their reputations and caused significant mental distress and chaos in their lives. Despite reports to law enforcement, police said there was little they could do to stop her.
Several individuals and companies successfully sought restraining orders, but it did little to slow Owens’ attacks on Instagram and LinkedIn and by email and text messages. In December, she was incarcerated ahead of her January trial for violating the orders yet again. Later this month, she faces charges of felony stalking and 34 misdemeanors for violating protective orders. In the weeks leading up to publishing the story, the court granted two more restraining orders against Owens, for a total of six.
I spent three months reading court documents, speaking to victims, and attending court dates in order to share this complicated and difficult story. Read it here.
… Bad Animal’s restaurant reopened on Friday as Bad Animal Bistro after a one-month closure – the downtown Santa Cruz bookstore and wine bar were open during that time – with chef Nick Hahn at the helm. This is his first time leading a kitchen; Hahn was the chef de cuisine under chef Lalita Kaewsawang of Hanloh, the Thai kitchen that operated at Bad Animal from October 2022 to mid-December, and also worked at Michelin-starred n/naka in Los Angeles.
The menu has done a hard pivot from the elevated Thai cuisine offered over the past three years, and now showcases modern French bistro fare. The list is still coming together, but on Instagram I’ve seen images of trout rillettes topped with roe, shaved puntarelle salad, chanterelle pasta and bavette steak au poivre.
In case you missed it – I spoke with owner Andrew Sivak in late December about the transition and plans for the downtown Santa Cruz bookstore/wine bar/restaurant, including an expansion. I’ll visit in a few weeks once the team gets their feet under them, and report back.
… Families looking at camps for kiddos during the spring and summer can check out the 2026 schedule at Farm Discovery at Live Earth for outdoor farm education-based learning experiences. The camp programs run the week of April 6-10, and for 10 weeks from June 1 through Aug. 7, and are open to children 5-17.
The camps take place at Live Earth Farm, located on Green Valley Road outside of Watsonville, and include hands-on activities like farming, cooking, art, hiking and biology. Learn more at farmdiscovery.org.
NOTED
Farewell, Eaters Digest – hello, new Weekender! Friday’s Eaters Digest went out for the final time last week. Starting this Thursday, the best of Eaters Digest – dining tips, best bites and food events – will combine with Weekender’s top arts and entertainment news for one weekend-focused guide, delivered on Thursdays.
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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Abbott Square is seeking two new, distinct food or drink tenants to fill recently vacated stalls. General manager Joey Ward is crowdsourcing ideas for cuisines the market doesn’t yet offer, and aims to bring in businesses ready to open quickly and complement the downtown Santa Cruz market’s independent lineup offering everything from sushi to burgers. Read the story here.
EVENT SPOTLIGHT
The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk’s fishiest festival, the Clam Chowder Cook-Off, returns Feb. 21-22. Think you have what it takes to go ladle-to-ladle with restaurants and amateur cooks from across the region? Register by Feb. 8 to compete for the best New England (cream-based) or red (tomato-based) soup. Everyone else – purchase a $15 tasting kit on either day to sample six chowders and cast your vote for your favorite. The cook-off is a fundraiser for Santa Cruz Parks & Recreation.
LIFE WITH THE BELLIS
The best thing I ate this week, by far, was a s’more on Seabright Beach with my family on Sunday evening. We burned our Christmas tree in one of the fire pits while watching one of the most spectacular winter sunsets in recent memory. My husband, Mike, stopped by Day’s Market to grab supplies, while I snagged a campfire near the shore. My 4-year-old son, Marco, and 2½-year-old-daughter, Cecilia, roasted marshmallows, squishing the gooey candy between graham crackers with squares of chocolate. It felt good to honor our holiday tree with one last family gathering, and to end the weekend slightly sticky and smelling of salt and smoke.
FOOD NEWS WORTH READING
➤ As if the world didn’t feel topsy-turvy enough, last week Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the Trump administration released an overhaul of U.S. dietary guidelines that flips the food pyramid on its head. The new model prioritizes whole foods, high-quality proteins like red meat and full-fat dairy, and healthy fats while urging Americans to avoid ultra-processed foods and added sugars. Why they needed to literally turn the pyramid upside down to do this is unclear. (NPR)
➤ Has the restaurant industry finally hit peak pizza? Once America’s second-most-popular takeout item – after Chinese food – major chains are seeing slowing sales, with consumers opting for other food options or smaller, cheaper meals. (The Wall Street Journal/$)