News, notes, recommendations and more from around Santa Cruz County food & drink via Lookout correspondent Lily Belli.
Local Business
Eaters Digest: Flower Child Fudge
There’s a lot to unpack in the new line of chocolate bars from Katie Belanger, Lily Belli finds. Her Friday newsletter also includes recommendations for food & drink events this long weekend and beyond and stories you might’ve missed.
This week in Santa Cruz County business: Watsonville grower settles over labor complaints; local wineries waiting for export updates
Bonnie Plants, an Alabama-based greenhouse growing company, will pay workers who say they were unfairly fired from its Watsonville facility more than $114,000. In her weekly look at Santa Cruz County business, Jessica M. Pasko also covers area wineries in the tariff crossfire, honors for Driscoll’s and Annieglass and numbers and events to know.
Lily Belli on Food: Val/Galentine’s adventures, wineries’ tariff trepidation, crab doldrums
Santa Cruz County food & drink news, notes, recommendations and more from Lookout correspondent Lily Belli.
Santa Cruz County business filings: Week of Feb. 10
The latest Santa Cruz County business filings of anyone conducting business for profit under a fictitious business name.
Eaters Digest: Five restaurants for Valentine’s Day
With Valentine’s Day just a week away, Lily Belli has some recommendations for romantic dinner spots around Santa Cruz County. Her Friday newsletter also includes food & drink events to put on your calendar and news you might’ve missed.
Best of Santa Cruz County food & drink events, Feb. 7-13
Lookout food & drink correspondent Lily Belli highlights top events happening around Santa Cruz County in the coming week, plus more listings from Lookout’s BOLO events calendar.
Santa Cruz wineries uncertain about status of Canadian exports after tariff backlash
Wineries throughout the U.S. were thrown into turmoil this week when Canada announced it would halt all imports of American alcohol, effective immediately. The boycott was later paused, but has left some wineries in Santa Cruz County unclear about when – and if – their exports, representing tens of thousands of dollars, will be accepted by the Canadian government, and what long-term effects Donald Trump’s tariff policies might have on American goods.
Low stock numbers usher in a ‘devastating’ Dungeness crab season
After a late start to the Dungeness crab season, fishers along the West Coast, including Santa Cruz County, are reporting extremely low stock numbers. It’s not clear why there are so few full-sized crabs, and it could be just a “down year,” according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. The low numbers are leading some Santa Cruz fishers to move on to other fisheries early, while others are capitalizing on the high price, which has doubled from previous years.
This week in Santa Cruz County business: Pacific Valley Bank looks north to Santa Cruz; deportation fears stalk Watsonville business
In this week’s local business roundup, Jessica M. Pasko spotlights a move by Salinas-based Pacific Valley Bank to open a branch in downtown Santa Cruz, notes the impact of Donald Trump’s immigration policy on Watsonville businesses and passes along other news, numbers and events to know.
