santa barbara
Known for its sun-drenched days, sweeping ocean vistas, and Spanish Colonial architecture, Santa Barbara is the jewel of California’s Central Coast. But it’s the city’s community of farmers, chefs, and winemakers working together to showcase the area’s agricultural bounty that make it such a culinary hot spot. Come along as we explore Santa Barbara through some of its most devoted local champions. We’ll take a “foodie stroll” through the farmers’ market with Brandon Hughes, Executive Chef of locavore restaurant Wine Cask. Then we’ll visit the cellars of Margerum Wine Company with Doug Margerum, and stop and smell the roses in the flower fields and greenhouses of Myriad Flowers, with father-and-son team Harry and Erik Van Wingerden.
myriad flowers
In Santa Barbara, there is no “off season.” Year-round, the coastal city boasts a Mediterranean climate, with warm days tempered by cool ocean breezes, and 250-plus days of sun annually.
Myriad Flowers, run by the Van Wingerden family, capitalizes on the mild climate with 20 acres of greenhouses and 15 acres of flower fields. They produce 75 varieties of hydroponic roses and pompon chrysanthemums alone, plus tulips, lilies, dahlias, ranunculus, and anemones, to name a few.
The diverse selection is a boon to restaurants like Wine Cask, which buys fresh blooms from Myriad several times a week. For Wine Cask’s chef Brandon Hughes, showcasing the area’s bounty is not only a way to be “green” and support local growers, but also creates a strong sense of place: “By committing to local products–like flowers grown just a couple miles away that we pick up at the market down the street–we can create a genuinely local experience that doesn’t exist anywhere else.”
Get more information about Myriad Flowers International »
chef brandon hughes of wine cask
Brandon Hughes loves Santa Barbara for its beaches, hiking, and stellar golf courses. But it’s the city’s unparalleled access to produce and close-knit culinary community that make it the perfect place for the Executive Chef of Wine Cask restaurant to call home.
“We’re so fortunate to work with the quality and diversity of produce we have here. There’s nothing that can’t be grown in California,” says Hughes. “And all of us chefs, farmers, and winemakers…we hang out and support each others’ passions. It’s one of my favorite parts of the job.” Wine Cask’s menu changes daily, highlighting California’s diverse agricultural bounty with local produce, wine, flowers and so much more. Chef Hughes also champions the locavore movement by leading a weekly “Foodie Stroll.” The group shops the farmers’ market alongside Hughes, talking to farmers and learning about ingredients along the way. Then, they bring their haul back to Wine Cask’s kitchens to cook up an on-the-fly dinner made with the farmers’ market’s best.
Plan a visit to Santa Barbara’s dining and wine landmark Wine Cask »
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