11 minute read
Santa Margarita
HUNGRY?
By Simone Smith
It’s January, a new year, a fresh start and for many, the focus shifts from parties and presents to food. The holidays are over, but there’s no denying that we love to eat, meet up with friends, and just maybe relax and have someone else do the food preparing, cooking, and cleanup. Many might think of heading to San Luis Obispo, Paso Robles or another city when hunger pangs strike or you feel like dining out, but Santa Margarita might surprise you. It may be a tiny town with one main street that can easily be bypassed on Highway 101, but by taking a slight detour onto El Camino Real (or if you’re lucky enough to be a resident), you’ll find the town actually has offerings of freshly prepared, delicious options at seven venues, three of which have exciting new changes for 2023.
The Porch Cafe, a popular local venue in the heart of downtown at 22322 El Camino Real, garnered the most attention this past year as its previous owner, Byron Smith, had been trying to sell the business. Previously, the location was the site of a favorite family-run business, Donati’s Hardware Store, but after the business' closing and selling, the building was completely renovated with the lower front portion becoming the location of the town’s first modern coffee house, Solomon’s Porch, started by Dana Cummings and named after his dog Solomon in 2004.
In the years since, Solomon’s Porch has gone through various owners, evolving into The Porch gastropub serving patrons not only coffee but also breakfast, lunch, and dinner with a full kitchen, added by Byron in 2015, enabling the cooking and serving of hot food. In 2019 a bar was also added giving locals a spot to meet and hang out after work, while listening to live music or waiting to head to another destination. Wanting to streamline to-go orders, Byron had been working on a mobile app, which, as luck would have it, was ready to put in place just before the shutdown of the pandemic enabling the business to survive through tough times.
Coming out of the pandemic, Byron decided to sell the business, but times had been no less challenging, seeing two back-toback owners making a go of it, but the third time’s the charm. Enter Nikki and Trevor Rocco. This young, energetic couple with years of experience in the food, wine, and hospitality industry have had their eyes on the Central Coast for a few years, but timing wasn’t right for the first go-round. However, the couple recently purchased a home in the area and made the deal to buy the restaurant when the opportunity again came around.
Nikki says they “will be getting the keys on January 15, 2023, and will open shortly after, continuing to be open a few hours each night for beer, wine, and light fare while testing recipes, developing some fun bar bites and expanding the business with the goal of serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner, seven days a week, within two months.”
Trevor will be the restaurant’s head chef, and will be closer to the Central Coast suppliers that he did business with while in the L.A. area. Nikki and Trevor are both looking forward to working with and supporting the area’s farmers, wineries, craft beer makers, and community through their restaurant with a warm, family-friendly atmosphere. Nikki says that one of Trevor's specialties is live fire cooking and they have plans to eventually do large format wood fire-roasted meats and veggies to incorporate into sandwiches and plates.
p.m. and dinners Wednesdays through Saturdays from 4 to 9 p.m. José invites you to try out their new dinner menu, dine indoors or bring a friend to enjoy a good steak and great beer out on the newly covered and heated patio.
Just down the street, across from Santa Margarita Feed, you’ll find J’s Country Kitchen at 22412 El Camino Real. Owner José Garcia opened his restaurant for breakfast and lunch in 2019, right before covid hit, making things difficult for the new business to really get up and going, between closures, staffing, and all the issues causing many to go out of business. With a large outdoor patio and to-go orders, J’s hung in there and is now not only serving happy customers breakfast and lunch but has also added dinner service in mid-November. At J’s Country Kitchen, you are welcomed by their casual country atmosphere and friendly staff offering “freshly made comfort foods, daily specials and homemade pies”. The food is good at J’s and whether it’s a delicious omelet, tasty burger, or salad, the portions are large, so be sure to bring your appetite or a friend to share with. Breakfast is served daily from 6 a.m. to 3
Looking for a small bite of something sweet or savory, or need a batch of delicious cookies or cupcakes for a celebration or event? You can find that at the cute shop now known as the Black Pearl Baking Company, tucked into the building next to Ancient Peaks Winery at 22720 El Camino Real, Suite A. Randi Pust, aka Rosie Bruiser (her former roller derby name) recently purchased the bakery, formerly Clementine’s, and took over in mid-November offering up an array of amazingly delicious items focusing on cupcakes and cookies. Randi grew up in Santa Margarita and has extensive experience in the food service industry. Starting at 16 as a deli worker for Safeway in Santa Rosa and later attending culinary school in Napa at 22, Randi went on to work at many restaurants throughout the state, including the Iron Gate in San Francisco and the Westin in Long Beach. Her local experience includes restaurants such as Big Sky Cafe, Cafe Roma, and the Vegetable Butcher in addition to owning her own private catering company serving wineries on the Central Coast. Randi says she loves to make vegetarian and vegan food but really can do anything. At the bakery, in addition to cookies and cakes, she also offers breakfast burritos, frittatas, cheddar biscuits, soups, and even organic dog treats and more. There’s no real hard-set menu and everything is delicious, so you’re sure to find something perfect, but things do sell out. Randi seems to have boundless energy and says she loves being at the bakery, listening to people’s ideas, and wants to do lots of community events, helping out with school, the fire department and local businesses. You can find Randi at the Black Pearl Baking Company Friday through Sunday, and she’s happy to take special orders and will be taking wedding bookings for catering from her cute vintage black and white trailer. Call Randi at (805) 709-1907, follow her FaceBook page to keep updated, or better yet, go on in and say hello.
The recent changes to fresh food options in Santa Margarita are welcomed, but we can’t thank those enough who have stayed the course through the past difficult years. Caliwala market and deli is now celebrating three years in business, helping out the community, providing fresh, organic, fair trade and sustainable healthy options. Rosalina bar and restaurant serves up delicious “barrio soul food” dinners, happy hour specials and weekend brunch. The Range, a Central Coast (and California) favorite, offers eclectic country casual ambience, serving up locally sourced, farm-to-table meals, amazing steaks, and fabulous servers. Cash or local checks only, no credit cards and be sure to make a reservation — it’s worth it. Ancient Peaks Winery Cafe is open daily 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. with options of charcuterie, amazing salads, sandwiches and burgers, using their own smoked meats with beef sourced from Santa Margarita Ranch.
As Randi says, “support your local businesses who go out of their way to help their community and please their customers.” Feeling hungry? The small businesses in Santa Margarita welcome you.
Mayor of Atascadero's Vision for 2023
By Heather Moreno Mayor of Atascadero
I’ve made Atascadero my home for nearly 20 years and have enjoyed being an integral part of our city’s continued growth from a bedroom community to a place where folks want to be, where nightlife is burgeoning, restaurants and shops are booming, and there’s something fun for your family to do all year long. People across the county, and California, are realizing what’s so special and unique about Atascadero: our people!
Every community has experienced a foundational transformation over the last few years as we adapted and re-adapted to ever-changing conditions. Whether it’s the evolution of our Downtown or any of the new developments across the city, while most of the feedback we get is excitement, some residents express concern that these changes might jeopardize the character of our charming town.
I hear and understand these questions. Part of what drew me to Atascadero many years ago was the relaxed pace, the quality of life, and the neighborliness of our community. But none of that has changed – we simply want our current residents and business owners to feel safe and supported as we welcome our future neighbors to enjoy Atascadero’s quality of life.
As we crafted our goals for Atascadero’s successful D-20 sales tax measure in 2020, we underwent an extensive public outreach campaign, seeking input from local residents about the main issues they wanted addressed and prioritized. Over and over, we heard these three main points: a desire for Downtown enhancement, better broadband infrastructure, and investments in public safety.
The primary goals of the Downtown Infrastructure Enhancement Project are safety for all road users, including pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists, and to support economic development and growth in the Downtown by creating a zone that slows traffic speeds, improves appearance and safety, and increases parking.
The next phase of Atascadero’s Downtown revitalization is creating a zone that is walkable, safe, conducive to large events, with ample features and parking for pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists. We will enhance economic development by supporting existing and future merchants with additional parking, calmed traffic patterns, safe pedestrian connections and crossings, and an overall more enjoyable Downtown experience. This project will allow for greater economic opportunities for everyone in Atascadero, better large-scale events, and more convenient avenues for “multimodal” commuters, meaning those biking and walking as well as driving. In this current phase, the city will hold a series of 10 public workshops in January and February 2023 to discuss particular amenities and design, which will then be submitted for council approval, with construction expected to begin in 2024.
The cities of Atascadero and Paso Robles were recently awarded a $200,000 grant from the California Public Utilities Commission for the North County Broadband Strategic Plan to increase broadband access, reliability, and infrastructure throughout the North County region. This groundbreaking strategic plan should be completed by March 2023, and I believe it will be a highlight of our council’s achievements in the first quarter of this year.
Increasing broadband connectivity for Atascadero residents means making it more convenient for folks to access telehealth appointments and connect with loved ones, better bandwidth for students studying virtually, and revived investment in remote workers and entrepreneurs and those looking to relocate their home and business to our city. High-speed internet is rapidly becoming an essential in modern life, often referred to as the “fourth utility.” We heard the frustration and concern from residents who might feel ignored and overlooked by large utility companies that don’t understand the unique geographic elements of our community. Our Broadband Strategic Plan is a leap forward in the right direction to address these concerns and get Atascadero connected once and for all.
And finally, we’re working hard to support our first responders who work 24/7, 365 days per year to deliver critical emergency services to Atascadero residents through our police and fire departments. We are fully funding new public safety equipment like fire trucks and patrol cars, planning and funding a replacement for our 70-year-old Fire Station 1, and recruiting new officers and dispatchers to ensure emergency city services are efficient and available at all times. Our increased public safety wages and mental health resources for frontline personnel guarantee that we’re taking care of our officers’ and firefighters’ physical and mental needs so that they can continue serving Atascadero for years to come.
I know our residents love and appreciate Atascadero; I see it every day as I’m connecting with constituents to hear their thoughts about how to make our city greater and safer. As we experience growth and change, I’m thankful to live in, work in, and represent a city that keeps setting its sights on a brighter future. And I am incredibly grateful for all of you who contribute to our amazing community!
