cookiesinheaven

Labels: Arlington Theatre, Music, YouTube

We know that tipping is a touchy subject here, but not as touchy as it is to the wait staff at the restaurants owned by celeb chef Mario Batali. The red-headed TV personality is the subject of a class action lawsuit that alleges he's been screwing his employees over by skimming off the top of the tip pile.

The lawsuit claims that Batali has been holding back on sharing credit card tips and that the amount being withheld is equal to 4-5% of the nightly wine sales at his restaurants. - Consumerist and NYPost

Labels: celebrity chefs, karma, Restaurant

A former food-industry executive armed with the secret to the "nooks and crannies" in Thomas' English muffins displayed "suspicious conduct" before his planned move to rival Hostess, a U.S. appeals court said in upholding a ban on the move.

Chris Botticella of Trabuco Canyon, Calif., remains barred from starting the Hostess job while a trade-secret lawsuit filed by Thomas' parent company, Bimbo Bakeries USA, plays out. - USA Today

Labels: corporations, Food, secret ingredients

was delicious.

We will also be OPEN on Monday, August 2nd at the WheelHouse from noon- 2 pm. Andrew Zimmern and crew will be filming a webisode based on The Burger Bus! This one you won't want to miss! - The Burger Bus

Labels: Burger Bus, Food TV, Santa Barbara

Horror flicks shown in the Sunken Gardens at the Courthouse.
FABULOUSLY FUN!

Labels: Courthouse, Creature from the Black Lagoon, horror, Movie, Santa Barbara, Sunken Gardens

Labels: Central Coast, Restaurant, twitter

Arch Rock Fish: The Harbor from HJL Group Restaurant Advisors on Vimeo.

Labels: Arch Rock Fish, fish, Restaurant, Santa Barbara, vimeo

Donations from food manufacturers and a drop in cash donations are the main reasons for the shortage, according to officials at the the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County.

With unemployment high, and the economy tight, more families are seeking help simply trying to put food on the table - KEYT

Labels: economy, Food Banks, KEYT, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara Food Bank

Each day, about 200,000 Americans are sickened by contaminated food. Every year, about 325,000 are hospitalized by a food-borne illness. And the number who are killed annually by something they ate is roughly the same as the number of Americans who’ve been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2003.

Labels: america, food safety, hospitals

...In a stroke, a hedge fund manager here named Anthony Ward has all but cornered the market in cocoa. By one estimate, he has bought enough to make more than five billion chocolate bars.

Chocolate lovers here are crying into their Cadbury wrappers — and rival traders are crying foul, saying Mr. Ward is stockpiling cocoa in a bid to drive up already high prices so he can sell later at a big profit. His activities have helped drive cocoa prices on the London market to a 30-year high.

Mr. Ward, 50, is not some rabid chocoholic, former employees say. He simply has a head for cocoa. And, through his private investment firm, Armajaro, he now controls a cache equal to 7 percent of annual cocoa production worldwide, a big enough chunk to sway prices.

...Now, traders here are buzzing that Mr. Ward has placed an audacious $1 billion bet in the London market for cocoa futures. This month, he bought 241,100 metric tons of beans, they say.

His play has some people up in arms. While some see it as a simple bet that cocoa prices will rise on falling supply, others say Mr. Ward has created a shortage of cocoa simply to drive up the price himself.

The German Cocoa Trade Association and others wrote an angry letter to the London exchange on which cocoa is traded, demanding that it take action against what the association characterized as a “manipulation.” - NYTimes

Labels: Chocolate, cocoa, Financial

Labels: moon, songs, Tony Bennett, YouTube

There is an upcoming reunion and I am conflicted as to whether to go or not. Really don't want to revisit those somewhat wretched days. I know the guy who abandoned me at the Prom will be there. Nothing like having to walk home about 10 miles in a prom dress and heels.

Labels: High School, memories, reunions, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara Dons

Labels: Santa Barbara, Whole Foods

Upcoming Events

Labels: Carpinteria, farmers, farming, Festivals, Gaviota, Sustainable

I write like
David Foster Wallace

I Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software. Analyze your writing!

Labels: badge, Fun, writers

according to an ad that was seen in the Santa Barbara Snooze & Suppress (formerly known as the News-Press) and on the Hayes Commerical Property website.

Labels: cafe, Flickr, For Sale, Restaurant, Santa Barbara

People visit retreats for many reasons, seeking guidance, rest or refuge from a hectic life. Whatever it is they are hungering for, all of the guests at the Immaculate Heart Center for Spiritual Renewal in Montecito at least go away well-fed, thanks to the highly lauded meals of Teresa Fanucchi.

Her recipes, and the dramatic history of the group that employs her, the Los Angeles-based Immaculate Heart Community, inspired "A Place at the Table," a cookbook published last year by Elevated Lab Press. This spiral-bound gem offers seasonal meal plans and some 90 recipes, many based on vegetables, fruit and herbs from the gardens and orchards on the property.

...Since her days as a holistic culinary student at Bauman College in Northern California, Fanucchi has been interested in what she calls the spirituality of cooking. She is mindful of the labor and energy involved in growing ingredients before they reach her hands: "I try to bring an awareness and a respect for that in my cooking."

....The daughter of a pistachio farmer, Fanucchi, 41, grew up in Bakersfield, and meals often came from the family gardens. You could say she has returned to her roots, with produce growing just steps away from her current work kitchen.

"It's really lovely. When it's that close and that fresh, there's such a beauty in the simplicity of the food," she says.

A case in point is her watermelon salad, where three ingredients — olive oil, lime juice and fresh mint — enliven the fruit in a surprising way. - Latte Times

You can purchase "A Place at the Table" for $35 at www.immaculateheartcenter.org/

Labels: Chef, Cookbooks, local, Montecito, Spirituality

Located in the heart of the Arts District in downtown Santa Barbara, this bar has thrived as a popular event center for over 20 years. Featuring a highly visible corner location, this 160-seat business faces the highest traffic count in Santa Barbara, with a central island bar, extensive booth seating and one of the largest outdoor patios on State Street. Several successful restaurants line this block, drawing customers to the area from a mixed demographic of professional lunch-goers, tourist diners and the late night bar crowds. Complete with a full service chef's kitchen, updated sound and lighting system, and an outdoor live music stage this is an excellent investment opportunity for an expansion-minded buyer... Current on-site events feature acoustic bands, outdoor art exhibits and local wine tastings, with a proximity to local performance venues that generates additional foot traffic before and after a show. - BizBuySell

Labels: For Sale, Restaurant, Santa Barbara

Labels: Birthdays, burrito, Chipotle, History, Restaurant, Vegetables

...This afternoon, Gov. Jennifer Granholm is to sign into law two cottage food operation bills that will allow individuals to make or package certain foods in their kitchens instead of having to use a commercial food operation as they do now.

Baked goods, jam and jellies, candy, vinegar, dried fruit, herbs and mixes made in your kitchen could all be sold publicly provided they are properly labeled to reflect that they are homemade and identify all ingredients under guidelines provided by the state.

The new measures will allow people to sell their goods publicly at farmers markets, roadside stands, county fairs, flea markets and festivals without a state Department of Agriculture license. An individual residence could make up to $15,000 gross annually from such sales, which could help some families with good bakers and cooks make ends meet or spur the creation of entrepreneurs.- Detroit Free Press

Labels: Bake Sales, Farmer's Markets, Food, Michigan

Labels: Music, Spain, YouTube

The subject property is a rare opportunity to acquire 1.5 Million square feet of greenhouse space on 45 pristine acres of agricultural land in Carpinteria, California.

This unique property has tremendous 101 Freeway presence and visibility which adds to the prestige of this asset. The property features a 300 gallon a minute well, a 2,000SF refrigeration area, and a 40,000SF packing warehouse. Currently, the property is used to cultivate , grow and sell orchids flowers on a mass level and also on an individual basis at the property's retail store. A buyer can continue to run the orchid business which would provide a great income stream or the buyer can produce a different product at the site. The property also has great long term potential as a future development site for commercial or residential use. - LoopNet

Labels: Agriculture, business, Carpinteria, For Sale, LoopNet

This cafe offers a highly visible State Street location, facing one of the highest traffic counts in Santa Barbara. Known for their organic imported coffee and exquisite pastries, this location has quickly become a staple in the local community. Several office buildings line this block, drawing customers to the business from a mixed demographic of professional caffeine junkies, tourist walk-bys and late night study crowds. Complete with nearby parking, an owner office and indoor loft seating, this floor plan is one-of-a-kind on State Street. Daily repeat clientele enjoy the outdoor patio as a perfect place to "people watch", and the interior is lined with bench seating to accommodate a number of patrons.

Labels: BizBen, Coffee, For Sale

Labels: beer, openings, restaurants, Wine

Labels: Oceana, octopus, soccer, Spain, sports, YouTube

is looking for a few good donations...

Rummage sale donations needed
Please support the "Organic Soup Kitchen"

Saturday July 10th will be our 1st annual rummage sale. Let us know if you have anything to donate, we will pick it up...

email anthony@organicsoupkitchen.org and leave details, please include your phone #.

Thanks,

Anthony Carroccio
Excecutive Director
Organic Soup Kitchen
anthony@organicsoupkitchen.org
www.organicsoupkitchen.org

Labels: Benefit, homeless, non-profit, rummage sale, Santa Barbara

Labels: bloggers, cakes, humour

1 1/2 ounces Pimm’s No. 1 Cup
lemonade (or ginger ale or lemon-lime soda)
lemon slices
cucumber slices
(optional: orange slice, fresh borage and/or mint leaves, apple slices, strawberry)

Labels: Drinks, polo, Recipes, summer

Avocado trees stressed by excessive salt produce smaller fruit, said Charley Wolk, an avocado grower in Fallbrook, a major center of San Diego County's $137 million annual avocado crop, about 40 percent of the state total. Smaller fruit reduces growers' income, because they're paid by weight and not the number of avocados they produce.

"As the blend gets more Colorado River water, we get more salt," said Wolk, owner of Bejoca Grove Management. "I think it's rather unique. The water meets the state's standard for human consumption, but it's not worth a damn for us to grow things." - North County Times

Labels: avocado, California Agriculture, farmers, Water

Labels: Holidays, Music, YouTube

Labels: dolphins, Environment, Japanese, Movie, Oceans, Santa Barbara, The Cove

Labels: Canada, cartoons, Holidays, horses, YouTube