With flavors including key lion’s mane pie, chagalate and cordy creamsicle, Paul Lazazzera and Katie Sarna are introducing their mushroom-infused frozen treats at pop-ups around Santa Cruz County.
Food & Drink
Tortilla Flats’ new owner touches up a Soquel staple
While Zolina Zeravica is aiming to keep what’s made Tortilla Flats a local fave, the longtime employee-turned-owner has given the Soquel Mexican restaurant a colorful paint job and has added new cocktails and tequila tastings to the menu.
Farm Discovery kicks off summer season, plans fall feast
Summer camps are in full swing at Pajaro Valley nonprofit Farm Discovery, which is aiming to expand its mission of educating about food and building community connections to more youth in Santa Cruz and Monterey counties. Its Fall Feast in the Fields, set for Sept. 23 and featuring chef Jessica Yarr, is again a big piece of the fundraising puzzle.
Made with free-range sheep milk, Garden Variety Cheese proves it’s anything but
Garden Variety Cheese has been a farmers market mainstay for over a decade. The cheese brand is the brainchild of Rebecca King’s Monkeyflower Ranch, based in Royal Oaks. Along with sheep cheese and yogurt, King sells pork, lamb and eggs.
Cocoa-nuts rejoice: Santa Cruz County chocolatiers have a match for every dad this Father’s Day
Got a dad in your life who’s a griller? A rocker? Sports fan? Practical joker? Father’s Day is nearly upon us, and Laura Sutherland has a guide to pairing Dad with offerings from local chocolate makers Marini’s, Tiny House, Donnelly, Mackenzies and Ashby Confections.
Lily Belli on Food: Santa Cruz’s permanent parklets progress, a prescription for produce, and summer flavors
Hello eaters! Jessica M. Pasko here. While Lily is out on maternity leave, I’m pitching in on the latest local food news. A little about me — I’m a writer and a native of upstate New York, living in Santa Cruz for over a decade. Our rich food culture is just one of the many […]
Produce prescription program launches in Live Oak
Platos de Bienestar: Healthy Plates aims to make it easier for 60 patients of the Live Oak Health Center to get more fresh fruits and vegetables in their diets, and participants can fill that prescription at the Live Oak farmers market.
Santa Cruz transitions to permanent parklet program
Downtown Santa Cruz businesses that want to make their pandemic-era outdoor dining arrangements permanent must apply for a permit by the end of June, and while the city has worked with restaurants and incorporated their feedback on costs and other issues, it’s still a pricey proposition for some.
From cod to squid salad, H&H Fresh Fish offers more than just salmon at Santa Cruz County farmers markets
H&H Fresh Fish started off as a way for Hans Haveman to sell his salmon catch. Now, it mostly gets its catch from other local fishers. H&H has expanded to more than a dozen different farmers markets from Aptos to Oakland, as well as a main location at the Santa Cruz Harbor.
The dish on Nita Gizdich and her fabulous pies
Nita Gizdich has been making her famous pies for 57 years. Yes, you can buy them in shops around Santa Cruz County, but your best bet is to drive through the fields of Watsonville to the Gizdich family ranch and farm so you can have a piece of pie fresh out of the oven.

