If last weekend’s show of support at the launch party for SANTA BARBARA CULINARY ARTS A Taste of Santa Barbara’s Culinary Bounty,a new cookbook featuring 62 recipes from Santa Barbara County chefs, caterers and food purveyors, is any indication, our towns’ future chefs will be graduating into a very welcoming culinary community.
Local chefs were out in full force to support the cookbook, which is a special project of the nonprofit Santa Barbara Culinary Arts. The group raises money to endow the Santa Barbara Culinary Arts Scholarship in Honor of Julia Child for students at the School of Culinary Arts at SBCC.
“We love to support the community,” says executive pastry chef Julia San Bartolome of Sweet Arleen’s.Sweet Arleen’s, which primarily sells via food truck, has plans in the works to open a storefront in Santa Barbara. “We’ve scouted out Santa Barbara as key market,” says San Bartolome. “Ideally we’ll open something in 2015.”
Culinary student Angela Hernandez was one of many who staffed the event, held on May 3 at the Gourmet Dining Room at Santa Barbara City College (SBCC). Handing out delicious samples from Via Maestra 42, Hernandez says the program has really taught her the principles of cooking and really given her a good foundation. “My end goal is to be involved in baking,” says Hernandez, who currently has a part time job at Panera Bread. “My first semester we did a lot of baking, but I really get to do a lot outside of school.”
The School of Culinary Arts at SBCC also has brings in local chefs as guest speakers, many of whom contributed recipes and were on hand to sign books. Tama Takahashi edited and designed the cookbooks, with photography by Linda Blue. SANTA BARBARA CULINARY ARTS A Taste of Santa Barbara’s Culinary Bounty is available for sale at local bookstores and other supporting venues.
—Leslie Dinaberg
Originally published in Santa Barbara SEASONS on May 12, 2014.