A love letter to ‘Tiny’

February 14, 2026 by

Food has become the main way love moves through our small Isla Vista house. It lingers in the kitchen as a pot simmers on the stove or a cutting board dries by the sink. Food is simply our love langua...
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Baking and ballots: Ordinary grocery runs through a political lens

January 29, 2026 by

Friday morning, the day before my best friend’s 21st birthday, I realized I had no more flour. This is probably not a problem for someone who is celebrating their 21st, but for me, it was a pers...
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The best cookie In I.V.: Sweet Pete’s Treats

January 29, 2026 by

Pete Smith, better known as “Sweet Pete” by Isla Vista locals, opened up a cookie shop in September 2024. The shop is tucked inside one of Isla Vista’s most beloved restaurants: Sam’s To G...
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Untraditional Thanksgiving traditions

November 27, 2025 by

My family has always treated holiday planning like a spontaneous sport. Everything eventually works out, but not before we pay double for flights we could have booked weeks earlier in advance.
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Happy Oktoberfest!

October 30, 2025 by

When October is around the corner, my feed overflows with people decked out in German-style dresses and others accessorized with suspenders and feathered hats. They’re most likely gripping onto a li...
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DoorDash at Home: Crunchwrap Supreme

October 2, 2025 by

There’s nothing quite as frustrating as when you’re opening the DoorDash app, only to find that any decent meal is going to run you around $30. We’ve all been there: hoping maybe this time you o...
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On The Menu Digital Map

September 16, 2025 by and


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In love with Part Time Lover

September 4, 2025 by

If you ever find yourself south of Santa Barbara, wander down to Part Time Lover for a drink and some music. It’s an experience worth the four-hour drive.
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Summertime Salad

August 10, 2025 by

As summertime slowly comes to a close, it’s time to squeeze in all the best summer recipes. Nothing screams summer quite like a cold pasta salad. Making a pasta salad is easy, only requiring a l...
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Sama Sama Kitchen

July 25, 2025 by

Next time your loved ones  visit you at school and offer to take you out to a nice dinner, drop everything and head to Sama Sama Kitchen. The Michelin Guide restaurant lives in the heart of downtown ...
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Calling all East Coast Gauchos: El Presidente

July 7, 2025 by

After living in Southern California for two years now, it is a dreaded task to fly home to the East Coast and find authentic Mexican food. Nothing remotely compares to the authenticity you can find in...
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The presidential menu

May 15, 2025 by

The A.S. Food Bank is facing future uncertainty for the first time in its existence. Will the program — and others like it — still exist in four years?
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Savoring Cinco de Mayo

May 8, 2025 by

In remembrance of the prolonged fight against colonialism in Central America, here are a few Aztecan-inspired salsas to incorporate into your Cinco de Mayo dishes this year.
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A Santa Barbara gem: La Super Rica Taqueria

November 21, 2024 by and

In a charming neighborhood northeast of downtown Santa Barbara, sits a bright blue taqueria. The enticing building is none other than the famous La Super Rica Taqueria. The restaurant was founded on M...
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Trick or treat: drink edition

October 31, 2024 by and

Happy Halloween Gauchos! With our favorite holiday just around the corner, we have concocted some hauntingly-mouthwatering cocktails and mocktails to get in the Halloween state of mind. Afterall, what...
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