Piper Cheney

May 7, 2026

Crispy Rice Salad

By Piper Cheney

The best kinds of nights are the ones composed of something delicious set in the center of the table ready to be shared. This crispy rice salad is exactly that kind of dish. It can be a casual weeknight dinner or served ...

February 14, 2026

A love letter to ‘Tiny’

By Piper Cheney

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 language at home.  All UC...

January 29, 2026

Baking and ballots: Ordinary grocery runs through a political lens

By Piper Cheney

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 personal crisis. I had p...

January 29, 2026

The best cookie In I.V.: Sweet Pete’s Treats

By Piper Cheney

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 Go. If you can’t se...

November 27, 2025

Untraditional Thanksgiving traditions

By Piper Cheney

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.

October 30, 2025

Happy Oktoberfest!

By Piper Cheney

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 liter-sized beer in a ...

October 2, 2025

DoorDash at Home: Crunchwrap Supreme

By Piper Cheney

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 open the app, there w...

September 16, 2025

On The Menu Digital Map

By Pihu Jain, Piper Cheney

September 4, 2025

In love with Part Time Lover

By Piper Cheney

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.

August 10, 2025

Summertime Salad

By Piper Cheney

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 little time and a lot...

July 25, 2025

Sama Sama Kitchen

By Piper Cheney

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 Santa Barbara on Sta...

July 7, 2025

Calling all East Coast Gauchos: El Presidente

By Piper Cheney

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 a family-run Santa ...

May 15, 2025

The presidential menu

By Piper Cheney

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?

May 8, 2025

Savoring Cinco de Mayo

By Piper Cheney

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.

November 21, 2024

A Santa Barbara gem: La Super Rica Taqueria

By Stella Rhodes, Piper Cheney

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 Milpas Street in 1996...

October 31, 2024

Trick or treat: drink edition

By Piper Cheney, Stella Rhodes

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’s a good part...