Welcome to Lily Belli on Food, the weekly food-focused newsletter from Lookout food and beverage reporter Lily Belli, bringing you the latest local food news from Santa Cruz County, plus a few fun miscellaneous tidbits from my own life and around the web.
Keep in touch with me via text this week. I’ll send you a text alert every time I publish a post. You can reply too. Share your thoughts, send me tips, give me feedback. Sign up for text messages from me here. Thanks to everyone who’s already signed up. You can find all my food and drink posts here.
New Leaf has had a location at Pacific and Soquel Avenues in downtown Santa Cruz since 1996. Courtesy of New Leaf Community Market
… New Leaf Community Market has set a closing date for its downtown Santa Cruz store. The Pacific Avenue location will close Oct. 15. It plans to open a new, larger store in 2025 about a mile away in Gateway Plaza on River Street.
New Leaf’s relocation will leave the rapidly growing downtown district with just one grocery store, a Trader Joe’s on Front Street, to feed thousands of new residents who now live in the many apartment complexes that crowd the area. City officials say a tenant for the new grocery store has yet to be selected. Learn more here.
Left Coast Sausage Works owner Josh Fischer poses with “The Heater,” a secret menu spicy hot dog. Photo by Kevin Paineshaw/Lookout Santa Cruz
… Summer is hot dog season. With that in mind, I visited every hot dog stand in Santa Cruz County – and there are more than you’d think – to find the best hot dogs in the area. Check out my recommendations in my hot dog guide and learn how local standees have elevated this iconic American dish to an art form. Read it here.
… The Alderwood Santa Cruz reopened in mid-June with an all-new concept under the direction of new Executive Chef Mikey Adams. Adams’ concise inaugural menu features about a dozen bright yet informal appetizers and entrees, bringing a more relaxed atmosphere to the Michelin-starred restaurant. Read my experience here.
… Last week, I stopped into Emozioni Pasticceria in Soquel, craving chef Enzo Pelliccia’s Italian pastries. Since opening their Soquel Drive location in late March, Pelliccia and his business partner Michele Tartaglia have been hard at work adding more tables to their outdoor patio and even a mini market. Pelliccia told me they also plan to add housemade gelato to the menu later this summer. They’re currently working on recipes and waiting on ingredients to arrive from Italy. We’ll keep you posted.
Text Message
Want to stay on top of the latest local food news? We’ll send you a text alert every time we publish an article. You can even reply! Share your thoughts, submit tips, and give us feedback. Sign up here.
In case you missed it
Owner Charles Nelson poses inside Tocque Blanche’s new Le Creuset store. Photo by Kevin Payneshaw/Lookout Santa Cruz
If you’ve passed by Toque Blanche in downtown Santa Cruz in the past two weeks, you’ve probably noticed the colorful display of Le Creuset cookware gleaming out front of the store. The expanded collection is the result of a new partnership with the famous French brand. This isn’t the first time Toque Blanche has collaborated with a big-name brand, owner Charles Nelson said. Find out how this independent cookware store sets itself apart.
Event Spotlight
Latin American chef Diego Felix will be coming to Beauregard Vineyard’s Bonny Doon Tasting Room this Saturday with four seasonal tapas accompanied by four Beauregard terroir-focused wines. Menu items include halibut crudo with jicama tacos paired with Chardonnay and Mayan-style pulled pork with a Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon blend. Tickets are $45 for food, plus wine. Tickets can be purchased at colectivofelix.com.
Life with Bell
As you read this, I am finishing up our family’s first camping trip in Big Sur. Mike and I haven’t been camping since our kids were born, but a group camping trip planned by friends with a few other families seemed like the perfect first experience. I can’t wait to enjoy coffee and big plates of bacon and eggs in the morning, followed by our favorite snacks on the beach across from the campground. Then I realize that my 3-year-old son Marco and 1-year-old daughter Cecilia have never tried a s’more. I’m excited to make this first childhood memory, but also strangely nervous. I’ll let you know how it goes when I get back.
Food news worth reading
Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay, known for his scathing critiques of aspiring chefs on reality shows like “Hell’s Kitchen,” spoke openly on his Instagram page after his shocking bicycle accident. In the video, he lifts up his chef’s coat to reveal deep purple bruises across his torso and tells viewers that wearing a helmet saved his life. (Instagram)
