Santa Barbara Culinary Experience Serves up Inaugural Taste of Santa Barbara | Homes & Lifestyle

A screening of the documentary ‘Julia’ will take place Friday, May 20 in SBCC’s Garvin Theater. (Courtesy photo)

To continue the upward momentum of the Santa Barbara region’s culinary and cultural scene, the Santa Barbara Culinary Experience, in partnership with the Julia Child Foundation, will present the first Taste of Santa Barbara, May 16-22, a countywide celebration of all things food and drink

Tickets for all events are on sale now and can be purchased here. The full Culinary Calendar of Events can be found here.

Taste of Santa Barbara will feature an array of events at restaurants, bars, farms and wineries, as well as pop-ups, workshops, and speaker panels.

Signature events include a screening of the documentary “Julia,” followed by a conversation with Oscar-nominated directors Betsy West and Julie Cohen; Rebuilding Our Food System, a panel talk with visionary leaders who are tackling the challenges to develop a more sustainable food system; and the signature Taste of Santa Barbara Wines event, featuring wine tasting and conversations with winemakers at El Presidio in Santa Barbara.

Many of the region’s restaurants and bars will also participate in the Dine Around Town with Julia Child and Pub Crawl with Paul, where the public can enjoy tribute dishes or specials, as well as inspired cocktails that Julia and Paul likely would have loved.

“We’re so thrilled to bring back the Santa Barbara Culinary Experience through this thoughtfully curated and innovative celebration that really showcases the vast bounty of all things related to food and drink in Santa Barbara,” said Donna Yen, executive director of the Santa Barbara Culinary Experience.

“Our goal was to create an annual event that’s accessible to our entire community, and also provide an educational platform for important conversations about our food systems, and what we can all do to be part of the solution,” she said. “We think Julia herself would agree that the Taste of Santa Barbara honors her legacy, by educating and encouraging others to appreciate  the joys of cooking, eating, and drinking well.”

Following is the Taste of Santa Barbara schedule of signature events:

Friday, May 20

“Julia” screening and directors Q&A with Oscar-nominated directors Betsy West and Julie Cohen, 7-9 p.m., in Garvin Theatre at Santa Barbara City College. Click here for tickets.

Saturday, May 21

Saturday Farmers Market Program at the Santa Barbara Certified Farmers Market, featuring a live taping of Heritage Radio Network’s “Inside Julia’s Kitchen” podcast with local farmers, in partnership with Santa Barbara County Food Action Network, 9 a.m.-noon, corner of Cota and Santa Barbara streets.

Rebuilding Our Food System: Learn about the latest innovations from local and national leaders who are working toward a sustainable and more delicious food system in Santa Barbara and around the world. Panel discussion with Rep. Salud Carbajal, Dr. David Cleveland, Danielle Nierenberg, and Dr. Jessica Vieira, moderated by Todd Schulkin, with an introduction by Shakira Miracle. In partnership with Santa Barbara County Food Action Network, 3-5 p.m. at Garvin Theatre, Santa Barbara City College. Click here for tickets.

Sunday, May 22

Regional Farm Tours at locations around Santa Barbara County, bringing the Rebuilding Our Food System panel to life through in-person farm visits. In partnership with Santa Barbara County Food Action Network, 9 a.m.-noon.  Ticket sales will be announced soon on sbce.events.

Taste of Santa Barbara Wines featuring interactive tastings, pop-ups, and panels with a range of Santa Barbara County wineries, 1-4 p.m. at El Presidio de Santa Bárbara State Historic Park. Click here for tickets.

The Taste of Santa Barbara is made possible by the support of its 2022 sponsors. Sponsorship opportunities are still available; for more information click here or email Donna Yen, [email protected]

Taste of Santa Barbara is also seeking volunteers for this year’s event. For more information and to sign up to volunteer, click here.