In the Santa Ynez Valley, Restaurant Week kicked off Monday, and similar events will follow in other cities across Santa Barbara County. All are scheduled to be takeout only in light of continued COVID-19 restrictions on indoor or outdoor on-site dining.
All Restaurant Weeks anchor pricing to the year at hand. For this round, pricing (exclusive of tax and tip) starts at $20.21. This year, proprietors have upped the ante by targeting families instead of only single diners, and they have highlighted meals that work well at home.
Most restaurants are offering Meals for One, Meals for Two and Family Packs. Select wineries and tasting rooms will offer tasting flights and special deals on wine. The towns of Solvang, Ballard, Santa Ynez, Solvang, Los Alamos and Buellton have eateries that are part of the Santa Ynez Valley event. Restaurant week runs through Jan. 31.
The participating eateries, wineries and their menus are available at DineSYV.com.
In Lompoc, Restaurant Week is set for Feb. 22-28. A list of participating eateries soon will be posted at lompoc.com/restaurant-week.html.
Santa Maria’s Restaurant Week runs this Friday through Jan. 31, and details are available at santamariavalley.com/events/the_great_santa_maria_takeout/.
Santa Barbara has yet to finalize dates for its 2021 event; check for updates at sbrestaurantweeks.com/.
On a related note: In an effort to boost the income — and spirits — of the many restaurants and wineries forced to cease on-site dining and wine tasting, a Buellton resident created an online reference for consumers in search of food and wine options during the initial and current shelter-in-place orders.
The SYV Directory was the brainchild of local marketing consultant Kady Fleckenstein of Kadydid Consulting in the Santa Ynez Valley. Fleckenstein’s goal was to help businesses survive the first pandemic-related stay-at-home order early in 2020.
She started by listing all of the businesses, wineries and restaurants that offered curbside delivery and noting what specials or online events they might offer.
In the first month alone, 6,000 unique visitors looked at the site.
Fleckenstein and her friend and cohort Jillian Knight urge all businesses affected by the shelter-in-place order to provide them with current information on hours for pickup and any special deals. A new feature on the main site focuses on what’s new across the entire valley, and includes links to local news sources.
For more information, visit SYVdirectory.com or email [email protected].
Paso Robles Alliance Honors Beckett Family of Peachy Canyon Winery
From left, Josh, Nancy, Doug and Jake Beckett. Nancy and Doug founded Peachy Canyon Winery in 1988, and their sons, Josh and Jake, now are the director of viticulture/winemaker and general manager, respectively. (Courtesy photo)
The Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance on Jan. 12 announced that the Beckett family, founders and owners of Peachy Canyon Winery, are the 2020 Wine Industry Person(s) of the Year.
The annual award recognizes a person or people who exemplify the spirit of the Paso Robles Wine Country with outstanding leadership, vision and stewardship. While the award normally is presented at the alliance’s annual gala, the event was canceled because of pandemic restrictions. Instead, the Beckett family — Doug, Nancy and sons Josh and Jake — will be honored in an upcoming “Where Wine Takes You” podcast as well as in an episode of the weekly Paso Wine Zoom Hangout.
“We would like to thank the Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance, its members and associates, for recognizing the Beckett family and our involvement in promoting Paso Robles Wine Country,” said Doug and Nancy Beckett, founders of Peachy Canyon Winery.
Jake Beckett
Josh Beckett
Nancy and Doug Beckett moved to Paso Robles in 1982 seeking a life in the country. In 1984, Doug’s love of wine led him to a job making wine with Pat Wheeler at Tobias Winery. In 1988, Doug and Nancy founded Peachy Canyon Winery. Over the years, Peachy Canyon Winery grew into a multistate distributed brand, bringing the Paso Robles American Viticultural Area (AVA) name to many markets both nationally and internationally.
Brothers Josh and Jake Beckett joined the family business after college — Josh in 1998 and Jake in 2000. Josh took on winemaking duties at the family brand, and Jake manned the tractor in the vineyard as well as took to the road, further establishing Peachy Canyon Winery as a national brand. In 2008, Josh and Jake partnered to start their own winery, Chronic Cellars. In 2010, they left Peachy Canyon to dedicate themselves to Chronic Cellars full time. After the brothers built Chronic into a successful brand, WX bought it from them.
When Doug decided to retire, his sons returned to the family brand in April 2019. Jake is now the winery’s general manager, and Josh is again winemaker and director of viticulture.
Members of the PRWCA vote on candidate nominated for the Industry Person(s) of the Year award; members comprise wineries, vineyards and related businesses.
Also announced Jan. 12 are the alliance’s 2021 board of directors, executive committee and departing board members. The board of directors include Molly Scott, chairwoman, JUSTIN Vineyards & Winery; Tyler Russell, vice chairman, Cordant | Nelle; Randy Heinzen, treasurer, Vineyard Professional Services and Coakley Vineyard; Austin Hope, secretary, Treana and Hope Family Wines; Chloé Asseo-Fabre, director, L’Aventure Winery; Josh Beckett, director, Peachy Canyon Winery; Cris Cherry, director, Villa Creek Cellars; Noreen Martin, director, Martin Resorts; and Faith Wells, director, FedEx.
Departing the board are Malani Anderson of Turley Wine Cellars, Sarah Kramer of Umpqua Bank and Jason Haas of Tablas Creek Vineyard.
The PRWCA is the official trade and marketing organization representing wineries, growers and businesses in the region. Click here for more information.
Wine Business Monthly Updates Two 2021 Events
Wine Business Monthly, the leading provider of information to the wine industry and presenters of Central Coast Insights and WiVi Central Coast, has moved one event online and delayed the other for a year.
In light of continued restrictions on in-person events, Central Coast Insights, an economic and financial conference, will now be held as a single-day webcast on March 30. Registration for Central Coast Insights opens Feb. 2.
However, the popular WiVi Central Coast tradeshow will be delayed until March 2022. WiVi, as it’s known, is the largest industry trade show south of San Francisco. It features nearly 200 exhibits, including new products and demonstrations, as well as educational seminars and networking opportunities for winemakers, grape growers, winery owners and managers.
Information on both events can be found at wivicentralcoast.com and centralcoastinsights.com.
— Laurie Jervis tweets at @lauriejervis and can be reached via [email protected]. The opinions expressed are her own.