Perhaps the most revelatory eating experience of my year to date happened at a destination that’s rarely open, with beginner chefs running the show, against a backdrop that few locals know exists.
Pino Alto Restaurant tucks into the historic Sesnon House on the west side of Cabrillo College, occupying what feels like a senator’s mansion, flanked by a gorgeous stretch of lawn framed by palms and a gazebo.
The lunch I enjoyed with Good Times editor/Cabrillo lecturer Brad Kava’s journalism class proved as memorable as the setting: strawberry-sliced almond-smoked bacon salad; potato-leek-red pepper soup; turkey-artichoke-provolone panini; grilled cheeseburgers; fried chicken sandwiches; hyper-fresh garlic butter pasta primavera popping with mozzarella, snap peas and zucchini; and indulgent anise-accented Italian-style strawberry shortcake.
That experience comes amplified by the fact students ranging from 14 to 44 set up, execute, serve and break down the whole affair, chaperoned by Cabrillo faculty with decades of experience in the craft, as Sean Rusev’s April 16 Good Times cover story, “Gourmets in Training” divulged in delicious detail.
The only bummer was that culinary school was out for summer, so it didn’t make sense to tease readers with what feels like a semi-secret until meals resume come fall.
Fortunately enough, Pino Alto hosts its Summer Backyard BBQ event Saturday, June 28, blessing the outdoor lounge and picnic area with music, lawn games and a buffet of goodies.
Guests can anticipate graduate-level deviled eggs, dry-rubbed ribs, blood orange-chipotle-glazed grilled chicken, red-white-and-blue pasta salad, corn on the cob, summer bean chili, bleu-cheese-bacon-wrapped steak tips, stone fruit cobbler and more ($65, cash bar).
Learning by doing is dope, especially when it involves cooking and eating. pinoaltorestaurant.org.
GREAT SCOTTS
Bring on the sweet corn, juicy stone fruit, verdant berries, vibrant peppers and brightly colored cherry tomatoes. Saturday, June 26, the Scotts Valley Farmers Market (5060 Scotts Valley Drive) ups the seasonal joy 9am-1pm with a bumper crop of intrigue. That includes the Boys & Girls Club art table, the Santa Cruz Public Libraries’ station, bike-blender smoothies and live music, plus Companion Bakeshop doing new brunch items and Hidden Fortress slinging hot or cold coffee and espresso. In other SVFM news: Casalegno Family Farm is back selling their heirloom tomatoes, tender beans and basil for pesto and caprese and beyond. Insiders say their heritage red garlic, brought from Italy over 100 years ago, is heaven on the tastebuds. Meanwhile, Market Match continues at all five of the Santa Cruz farmers markets for the rest of the season, with the first $15 upped dollar for dollar, and up to $20 at the Downtown Santa Cruz Farmers Market, July through December of 2025. santacruzfarmersmarket.org.
HERDING SNACKS
Well, shoot: Ella’s at the Airport in Watsonville is done. Well, yay: There’s a great new operator on the way to pilot the property, keep your radar tracked here…Stretch your idea of cute (and yoga): Beer Thirty Bottle Shop (2504 S Main St., Soquel) hosts goat yoga (!!) in the grassy space next door 11am Saturday, June 28, $33.30 includes $5 off a beer, beerthirtysantacruz.com…Summer solstice happened last Friday, which is also when Solstice Big Sur, a tasty new community treasure, reopened down the coast, and merits a nice summer drive for dinner Wednesday-Sunday, thevillagebigsur.com/restaurant…If Charlie Hong Kong (1141 Soquel Ave, Santa Cruz) couldn’t get more fun and thoughtful, it’s dropping a kids noodle party Saturday, July 12 for tots 6 and under, with food, music, stories, and face painting for just $5 (!?), charliehongkong.com…That’s cold, Costco, reserving the 9-10am hour weekdays and 9-9:30am Saturday for executive card members…World Central Kitchen aid trucks have reached its teams in Gaza for the first time in over 12 weeks, cooking at select kitchens, a critical step toward increasing meal production to meet urgent need, wck.org…Benny Franklin, escort us on our way: “Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.”
