Epicure.SB: Savor Santa Barbara Throughout October

Discover local secrets with this this year’s new epic-scoop theme
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CONTACT: Michelle Rodriguez, Director of Communications
Visit Santa Barbara
805.966.9222 x112, [email protected]

Jaime Shaw, Communications Manager
Visit Santa Barbara
805.966.9222 x107, [email protected]

EPICURE.SB: SAVOR SANTA BARBARA THROUGHOUT OCTOBER
Discover local secrets with this this year’s new epic-scoop theme

Santa Barbara, CA (August 14th, 2014) — epicure.sb, an homage to Santa Barbara’s culture, cuisine, and libations, returns this October for its 6th year and 31+ days of culinary-inspired fun.  The region’s abundance of natural bounty is celebrated in cornerstone events such as the Avocado, Lemon, Harvest and Seafood Festivals, as well as at local restaurants, hotels and wineries. Get the secret scoop on the Santa Barbara lifestyle with this year’s new theme: epic-Scoop.  Guests can take advantage of a password used by participating businesses to unlock secrets locals already know and receive unique offerings or experiences only available during epicure.sb.

Celebrating its 6th year, the epic-Scoop theme is designed to give an authentic, insider look at the Santa Barbara lifestyle.  Participating businesses craft culture, cuisine and libation events that fall under one of three categories: epic-Dish, epic-Venture and epic-Gathering. Get the scoop on all the events and hotel packages at www.epicuresb.com.

epic-Dish: Guests mention the password and unlock secret prix fixe menu’s, off-the-menu dishes or libations, to indulge in all month long.  Don’t miss:

  • Secret Beer Blend Menu at Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co.: Mention “epic-Scoop” to any of the servers and choose from a secret menu of beer blends: delicious combinations of beers with fun names.
  • Finch & Fork’s Secret Password Menu: Follow Finch & Fork on social media each week to retrieve the password allowing guests to indulge in a unique bite, one time cocktail, special dessert and more.
  • Epic Lemon: In honor of the Lemon Festival, The Lemon Tree Inn’s own Crocodile Restaurant & Bar is offering a special prix-fixe menu featuring the celebrated citrus, the lemon, in every course.

epic-Venture: Mention the password (“epic-Scoop”) for exclusive cultural experiences only available during epicure.sb. Highlights include:

  • Maritime Tastings – Cultured Shellfish & Finfish (Oct. 2 & 23): Go behind-the-scenes at the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum and learn how local fishermen catch local seafood, then watch local chef demonstrate how best to prepare it. Wine and olive tastings included.
  • Italian Mixology 101 (Oct. 8): Be treated like a VIP at the S.Y. Kitchen as you learn to craft the perfect cocktail from master mixologist Alberto Battaglini; then design your own signature cocktail all while savoring “stuzzichini,” small bites of Italian appetizers.
  • Desert. Wine. Photography. Pairing 101. (Thursday’s in Oct.): Enjoy a unique local food and wine pairing at Riverbench Winery in the Funk Zone with photo lessons from Eat This, Shoot That!  The best pairing photo is eligible for a special prize.

epic-Gathering: Festival’s, pop-up experiences and one-time events fused with a cuisine, libation or cultural element. Make time for:

  • Bacara in Bloom (Oct. 18): Join master floral designer and creative director Lorrene Balzani for a hands-on workshop at Bacara Resort & Spa featuring the newest trend in floral design, the “forager.”  Learn to create beautiful and sophisticated early fall arrangements from your everyday floras.
  • Curated Cocktails (Oct. 2): The Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara pairs signature cocktails with guided tours of current exhibitions. Come for the cocktails, stay for the art.
  • SB Open Streets – ¡Calles Vivas! (Oct. 25): From 10am – 4pm, more than 2.5 miles of beautiful Santa Barbara beachfront road will be closed to vehicle traffic and open to car free activities and adventures.

Hotel Packages: Throughout the month, hotels are partnering with restaurants and activities for guests to create epic-memories.

  • Epic-Indulgence: Hotel Indigo Santa Barbara’s Epic-Indulgence package includes the Epic-Scoop (redeem for specialty drinks and homemade ice cream at Blue Tavern Restaurant located at the base of the hotel) and Epic-Art (redeem for a limited edition poster from the Museum of Contemporary Art).
  • Epic-Value: The Ramada Santa Barbara is giving guests an Epic-Value for only $99 mid-week that includes a 2-for-1 dinner and discounted passes to wineries cultural attractions, restaurants and more.
  • Epic-Stay: Enjoy a romantic stay at any of the five Santa Barbara Hotel Group properties with dinner at Toma Restaurant overlooking the water, wine tasting at Santa Barbara Winery and a complimentary bottle of wine at check-in.

Signature Festivals: These annual festivals are a great way to share Santa Barbara’s bounty with locals and visitors.

  • California Lemon Festival (Sep. 20-21): Lemons in Goleta date back to the late 1800’s when they were first planted in the area. This family-friendly event celebrates the lemon with food, entertainment & more.
  • California Avocado Festival (Oct. 3-5): The largest vat of guacamole, avocado beer, avocado ice cream and more can be found at this popular festival highlighting Carpinteria’s favorite food – the avocado.
  • Celebration of Harvest Weekend (Oct. 10-13): Celebrate this year’s wine bounty with the winemakers themselves.  Take part in special events hosted by wineries from winemaker dinners to barrel tastings.
  • Santa Barbara Beer Festival (Oct. 18): Enjoy the beautiful grounds of Elings Park while sampling phenomenal brews from the best brewers in the west, noshing on local food and listening to good tunes.

ABOUT EPICURE.SB
Visit www.epicuresb.com for hotel package details, a comprehensive event schedule and a complete list of participating businesses.  Epicure.sb is designed to celebrate Santa Barbara’s abundant and diverse epicurean offerings. The annual promotion builds off of established foodie-friendly community events that take place in October, while offering additional programming that showcases regional cuisine, libations and culture.

ABOUT SANTA BARBARA
Featured on the cover of Travel + Leisure in May 2013 and voted Best Getaway by L.A. Times Readers’ Choice Awards in 2012, Santa Barbara is located just 92 miles north of Los Angeles and 332 miles south of San Francisco, on the Pacific coastline. Visitors can arrive via scenic Highway 101, train, bus or by flying into Santa Barbara Municipal Airport or Los Angeles International Airport. For travel and accommodation information and to request a free copy of the official Santa Barbara County Visitors Magazine, contact Visit Santa Barbara at 800.676.1266, 805.966.9222, [email protected] or SantaBarbaraCA.com. Visitor information is also available at the Visitor Center, 1 Garden Street (at Cabrillo Boulevard).

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