Santa Ynez Valley Restaurant Weeks returns for its 12th consecutive year, Jan. 17-31, bringing with it a variety of special prix fixe price points that showcase the region’s culinary bounty — and the perfect Santa Ynez Valley wines to pair with it.

As with years past, participating Santa Ynez Valley Restaurant Weeks restaurants will feature curated, chef-driven three-course prix fixe menus at price points of $30, $40, or $50, plus tax & gratuity. Many area wineries and tasting rooms will also participate at various levels and price points, including offering two-for-one tastings, special tasting flights, and discounts on bottle purchases.

“After the events of the last two years we’re all looking for meaningful ways to reunite or reconnect with family, friends, and loved ones,” says Shelby Sim, president and CEO of Visit the Santa Ynez Valley. “Food and wine make the perfect centerpiece around which to celebrate, and Santa Ynez Valley Restaurant Weeks features the best of both in a wonderful setting that numerous media outlets have recently hailed as a must-visit in 2022.”

As Julia Child, who was no stranger to the Santa Ynez Valley, once said, “To be a good cook you have to have a love of the good, a love of hard work, and a love of creating.” These qualities and more will be on full display from participating Santa Ynez Valley Restaurant Weeks restaurants, chefs, wineries, and winemakers. The full list will be published online and in the January B issue of the Star out Jan. 17. 

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More than 100 restaurants, wineries, tasting rooms, vineyards, ranches, breweries and entertainment venues will be featured in the inaugural “Taste of the Santa Ynez Valley,” hosted by Visit the Santa Ynez Valley, from Thursday through Sunday, Oct. 17-20.

 “Santa Ynez Valley wine country is quietly rising to the top of wine lovers’ lists as a must-visit wine region, and our offering of not one, but six,towns to explore and consume means there’s something here for nearly every ‘taste’,” said Shelby Sim, president of Visit SYV.

Taste of the Santa Ynez Valley will celebrate wine and the grape harvest with seminars, tastings, dinner pairings and other events.

Taste of the SYV includes hands-on wine country cooking experiences such as a class at The Baker’s Table in Santa Ynez, featuring selections from Chef Robin Goldstein’s cookbooks, wine pairings from Max Hoetzel’s F2 Wines and bread from The Baker’s Table owner/baker, Amy Dixon.

A Ballard-based class will be led by Chef Budi Kazali at his countryside Ballard Inn and The Gathering Table restaurant. A Cutting, Casing and Curing Cooking Class, including lunch, with be taught by chef/owner Jeff Olsson of Buellton’s Industrial Eats, and chef/heritage pig breeder Jake Francis of Valley Piggery.

For those interested in educational and entertaining seminars, there are choices from a wine and cheese session run by Cynthia Miranda, owner of Santa Ynez gourmet sandwich; a session with cheese and charcuterie purveyor The Lucky Hen Larder; and an AVA showdown at Buellton’s Sideways Inn.

The “Sta. Rita Hills vs. Santa Maria Valley Wine Seminar” will featurean in-depth discussion with a winery panel of the region’s finest producers, and wine tastings from the two AVAs using pinot noir and chardonnay to highlight their differences.

Taste SYV will be capped with a multitude of evening experiences, with winery and beer dinner choices ranging from an open-air, communal feast on Thursday night at Bell Street Los Alamos restaurant dinner; to a Friday evening barbecue dinner and live country music at Maverick Saloon in Santa Ynez, or the Grimm’s Bluff Vineyards & Winery Dinner at the Happy Canyon AVA Estate.

Saturday evening will have Pence Vineyards & Winery Dinner at Solvang’s Root 246, featuring a multi-course menu crafted by Chef Crystal “Pink” DeLongpré, or the Wine Dinner at First & Oak Restaurant, a Michelin “Plate”-honored establishment; to another Saturday winery dinner with Chef Budi Kazali of Ballard Inn and The Gathering Table; to Sunday’s Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co. Craft Beer Dinner at the brewery’s Buellton taproom.

“We are so excited to premiere ‘Taste of the Santa Ynez Valley’ this year. It is our hope that it becomes a yearly pilgrimage for the world to spend some time learning and experiencing the SYV,” Sim added.

Produced in partnership with Santa Barbara-based En Fuego Events, with sponsorship by Wine Enthusiast Magazine, ticket proceeds from the inaugural Taste of the Santa Ynez Valley will benefit Santa Barbara Vintners.

Tickets and VIP package options for the four-day event weekend range in price from $40 to $975 (plus online processing fees), with multi-day pass and single-day ticketing levels and choices, aside from individual event tickets.

For a schedule of events, pass details and inclusions, visit TasteSYV.com.

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Two local business and tourism agencies have received honors at the recent Telly Awards, according to their winners list. The the Solvang Chamber of Commerce won Bronze in the General – Local TV category, and Visit the Santa Ynez Valley (Visit SYV) won Bonze for General – Promotional Video. 

“The Solvang Chamber of Commerce launched several special initiatives to enhance the City of Solvang and the ability of its businesses to thrive,” said Tracy Beard, executive director of the Solvang Chamber. 

The award was for the Solvang Chamber’s advertisement featured on KEYT featuring many local women representing their businesses, professional, philanthropic and personal passions and contributions to Solvang and the Santa Ynez Valley.

Visit SYV’s video focused on their promotion of various activities in the valley from visiting Ostrichland USA, horseback riding, wine and beer tasting, as well as the branding of their slogan “Easy to Find, Impossible to Forget.” 

“The Visit the Santa Ynez Valley team (Danielle Laudon Ruse, Marisa Yott, and me) are very proud to have won this award for our first official venture into producing video to promote our region. This is only the beginning,” said Shelby Sim, President/CEO for Visit SYV. 

Notable past local winners of a Telly Award was in 2009 when the Solvang Conference and Visitor’s Bureau won Bronze for their Amgen promotional video in the category of Commercial Regional TV & Multi-Market Cable – Travel/Tourism.

Founded in 1979, the Telly Awards honors video and television made for all screens and is judged by The Telly Award Judging Council; a group of leading video and television experts from some of the most prestigious companies in entertainment, publishing, advertising, and emerging technology.

View all of the winners of the 40th Annual Telly Awards winners at www.tellyawards.com/winners.

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The Spirit of the Santa Ynez Valley is a workshop that has been designed to teach every associate in a visitor-facing role how to create the very best guest experience possible. The workshop will be from 8:30 a.m. to noon on Tuesday, September 27,at the Grange Hall located at 2374 Alamo Pintado Ave, Los Olivos.

“The goal of Spirit of the Valley is to raise the level of experience for every visitor or guest, enticing them to not only return, but to tell others about the wonderful experience they had while here,” said Shelby Sim, executive director of VisitSYV.
Besides being taught first class customer service, Spirit of the Valley will teach managers and staff a little about each of the six communities (Solvang, Buellton, Santa Ynez, Ballard, Los Olivos, Los Alamos) and can take home information on frequently asked questions, such as activities for kids or entertainment after 5 p.m.

Please join VisitSYV at 8:30 a.m. for coffee and registration. The program begins at 9 a.m.

To register log onto https://www.eventbrite.com/e/spirit-of-the-santa-ynez-valley-tickets-27629351133.

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