On the Menu

October 2, 2025

Getting zesty at the Goleta Lemon Festival 2025

By Pihu Jain

September 17, 2025

Tanghulu: the refreshing crunch you need this summer

By Pihu Jain

My friends and I often love to whip up some cool and cute desserts we’ve seen on the internet. We’ve tried the viral frozen Sprite gummies, frozen sour grapes and many more I can’t recall but they are taking up at ...

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 15, 2025

Green chili grilled cheese

By Pihu Jain

My biggest issue is spice. Specifically, the lack of it in so much of what I eat. My dad told me when I was younger, even to this day actually, that if I keep going down this path, I’ll burn off my taste buds and lose ...

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 31, 2025

Spanish Queen olive-basil pizza

By Pihu Jain

My family has been obsessed with pizza since long before we came to this country. As a little girl, my mom often made Indian-style pizza with paneer, Amul cheese and a sizzling mix of Indian spices. When we came to Ameri...

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 17, 2025

Oh-so-good onion pasta

By Pihu Jain

For maximum enjoyment, and especially if you haven’t seen “Holes,” I suggest you cook this recipe with your family and settle down for a whimsical summer evening of sweet onions and surreal storytelling. Cheers!

July 10, 2025

Zucchini & Tofu Pasta

By Pihu Jain

After surviving the last grueling finals week of junior year, I came home eager to start my summer of rest and relaxation. Throughout the year, I had noticed that my cooking incorporated too many processed foods and not ...

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 ...

June 26, 2025

A short story about family recipes

By Anusha Singh

I am three years old in my Dadi’s (paternal grandma in Hindi) Los Angeles home, sitting on her kitchen’s marble countertop, using her recycled cookie tins as drums. I watch as she kneads the dough for her Fijian-styl...

May 22, 2025

Back to our roots: Fijian fish suruwa

By Anusha Singh, Shayla Prasad

We love this dish for many reasons; not only does it bring us closer together and foster a sense of community, but it also allows us to take pride in our unique culture by sharing traditions we value with our friends.

May 15, 2025

From Mom’s kitchen to mine: A tribute to the people who feed us

By Lizzy Rivera

In honor of Mother’s Day, I thought it would be appropriate to give my own mother a shoutout, along with her food.

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.