FOOD+HOME Magazine: Fall 2025 Edition

An In-Depth Look at FOOD+HOME Magazine: Fall 2025 Edition

This post details all the content, features, departments, and prominent advertisements from the Fall 2025 issue of Santa Barbara's lifestyle magazine, FOOD+HOME. The issue focuses on food, wine, design, travel, and people, with a cover feature dedicated to Mexico’s vacation secret, Las Rosadas.

I. Major Features and Articles

The Fall 2025 issue includes several comprehensive features covering local Santa Barbara businesses, architecture, and international travel.

1. Las Rosadas: Mexico's Best Kept Vacation Secret

Featured on the cover, this article highlights the exclusive Mexican Pacific getaway.

• Accommodations: Las Rosadas is versatile, able to accommodate groups ranging from just 2 to up to 42 guests.
• Lodging Options: Oceanfront "Casitas" with two to three bedrooms are available, with low season rates ranging from $1,500 to $3,000 per night. The property also includes a larger, six-bedroom, 7.5-bath villa called Paloma Blanca.
• Dining Experience: Meals are designed to be memorable, including locally caught shrimp served on a banana mole sauce and desserts like ice cream atop chocolate-coated pineapple. Other dining is hosted on private, secluded beaches, accessible by golf cart, featuring Moroccan-style seating, plush pillows, and bonfires. Birth: "Casitas" with two to three bedrooms are available, with low season rates ranging from $1,500 to $3,000 per night. The property also includes a larger, six-bedroom, 7.5-bath villa called Paloma Blanca. Breakfasts are beautifully served and include local favorites like chilaquiles, omelets, local fruits (watermelon, papaya, and bananas), and homemade sweet breads.

2. A Style All Its Own: The Summerland Project by SALT Architecture

This feature showcases a recently completed residential project by Dylan Henderson, the principal owner of Salt Architecture in Santa Barbara.

• Location and Scope: The ranch is set into a lush hillside on an 18-acre parcel in the Summerland foothills. It includes a 5,600-square-foot main house, a detached carport-style garage, a barn, and a tack room.
• Design Philosophy: The design aimed for a harmonious relationship with the setting, with the clients requesting a house "very connected to the landscape". Henderson tied the structure into the natural landscape by using the existing topographic line to define the deck edge, making it feel like an extension of the hill.
• Sustainable Elements: A key feature is the use of **green roofs**, a sustainable system with vegetation planted over a waterproof membrane. The rooflines follow the stepping of the hillsides, and native plants on the green roofs create beautiful moments and a sense of being inside a lifted plane.
• Interior Details: The floor plan flows seamlessly between light and airy rooms. The custom cabinetry throughout, including the kitchen and refrigerator panels, was provided by Interior Wood Designs. The flooring is natural limestone from Europe in dove gray and creamy hues.

3. Forte Stone: Brazil Meets the American Riviera

This article details the origins and high-quality focus of Forte Stone, which has been official in Santa Barbara since 2003.

• History: The founders, Rachel and her husband, started the business after a strong, overwhelming feeling led them to agree to sell "rocks" for a man, a moment Rachel recalls as "written in the stars".
• Inventory: Starting with just six stone colors, the yard now holds nearly 200 varieties. While most are from Brazil (where Rachel grew up), they also source materials from Italy, Peru, Turkey, Israel, and India.
• Quality Focus: Forte Stone maintains a focus on quality, avoiding cheap commercial slabs. The right piece of stone is highly valued, with clients coming from as far as New Zealand.

4. Into the Night Sky: Q+A with J. K. Lovelace

A question-and-answer feature providing advice on night sky photography.

• Essential Equipment: The bare minimum needed to start is a **tripod** and a basic camera, as stabilization for long exposures is an absolute must. Even a smartphone can be sufficient, depending on the goal.
• Location: It is crucial to travel somewhere out of the influence of city lights, and preferably to a high elevation.
• Resources for Beginners: J.K. Lovelace recommends two resources: the Santa Barbara Astronomical Unit ([www.sbau.org](http://www.sbau.org)) for local events and enthusiasts, and Nico Carver (@nebulaphotos on YouTube) for absolute beginners.

5. Other Features

The issue also includes articles on Arnoldis, which features a brand-new look, and A La Carte SB, which discusses luxury carts that redefine celebrations.

II. Departments and Regular Columns

1. Home Chef: Fall Recipes with a Twist

This section features several seasonal recipes:

Fig, Honey & Walnut Holiday Toasts

A simple, elegant appetizer that pairs beautifully with a Santa Barbara sparkling rosé.

• Ingredients (Serves 6–8): 1 rustic baguette or sourdough loaf (sliced and toasted), 1 cup fresh goat cheese or ricotta, 6–8 fresh figs (sliced), ¼ cup chopped walnuts, 2–3 tbsp honey, fresh thyme sprigs, and a pinch of flaky sea salt (optional).
• Instructions: Toast the bread, generously spread the cheese, lay fig slices on top, sprinkle walnuts, drizzle honey, and garnish with thyme and sea salt.

Pork Chops with Pears & Cider-Rosemary Reduction

A sophisticated dish by Pure Joy Catering that balances rustic comfort with refined elegance. The sauce is made from apple cider and white wine, reduced slowly and finished with butter and Dijon mustard to harmonize the savory pork and sweet pears.

Holiday Mexican Cornbread

A golden, cheesy side dish with a festive flair, kept moist by creamed corn. It features lively color and gentle heat from jalapeños, bell peppers, and scallions. The recipe includes cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese, and optional additions are bacon or cilantro.

2. Garden Notes: Five Ways to Jazz Up Your Curb Appeal

Landscape designer Lisa Cullen offers tips to boost the "general attractiveness of a property as viewed from the street".

1. **Tidy Up What You Have:** This involves a general cleanup, such as pruning trees and shrubs (best done by a professional), deadheading plants, washing off dirt and spider webs, sweeping the front walk, and applying a fresh layer of mulch.
2. **Edit Your Existing Landscape:** Walk the garden to note which plants are looking poor and replace or hard-prune older, woody, or messy varieties (like old lavender, rosemary, tall agave, or unpruned bougainvillea).
3. **Upgrade Hardscape:** Funky driveways with potholes or lumps should be addressed, either with a power wash or a complete redo.
4. **The Entry:** Gates and privacy hedges can improve curb appeal and property value by framing the entrance and making a statement. Privacy can be created with a hedge or a "screen," which is a combination of fencing and strategic tree planting.

3. The Last Word: The Perils of Flavored Wine

Columnist Bob Wesley, a Santa Ynez-based wine buying consultant, criticizes the phenomenon of flavored wine, especially "pumpkin spice wine". He describes the trend as transforming wine—an ancient beverage—into a "saccharine vagabond mutant".

Wesley contends that these wines taste like "nutmeg had a violent bar fight with cinnamon" or "potpourri dissolved in cheap used oak barrels". He urges readers to "repudiate, ridicule, and revolt against" any drink that tastes like a "Yankee Candle factory explosion".

4. Other Departments

• The Perfect Bite: Highlights Lucky’s signature ribeye steak.
• Gift Guide: Offers suggestions for wine, travel, and sports. Featured items include Viski Seneca Diamond Crystal Wine Glasses (House of Rio), the Amber Lewis for Anthropologie Black Bar Cabinet, an Opinel No.10 Corkscrew Folding Knife (Mācher), and the Jan Barboglio Girasol Decanter (Coast 2 Coast Collection).
• Dine Out: A general guide to the best eats in Santa Barbara.

III. Prominent Advertisements and Local Listings

The magazine includes various listings and advertisements for local real estate, dining, and home design services:

A. Real Estate and Rentals

• Sotheby's International Realty: Features several Santa Barbara properties, including a rare opportunity to build on the famed Riviera at 1208 Las Alturas Rd. (\$1,750,000) and a high-value listing at 1284MesaRd.com (\$21,995,000). A rental at 857 Ferrelo Pl. offers panoramic ocean, island, and city views for \$30,000/mo. Agent Crysta Metzger is featured.
• Katie Mohun, Esq. (EK&A Real Estate): A luxury real estate advisor with a legal background, offering sophisticated expertise in transactions across Carpinteria, Montecito, Santa Barbara, Goleta, and the Santa Ynez Valley.

B. Dining and Hospitality

• Cabrillo Inn at the Beach: Located oceanfront on "East Beach," offering spectacular ocean and island views from non-smoking rooms, a heated pool, and sun decks. They offer Spanish Vacation Cottage rentals and 2BR/2BA vacation rentals weekly or monthly.
• GALA Restaurant: Opening in Fall 2025 at 705 Anacapa St., Santa Barbara. They will serve dinners, local and Spanish wines, and fun cocktails Tuesday through Saturday.
• Moby Dick Restaurant (The Oyster Bar): Located on Historic Stearns Wharf. The restaurant offers fresh coastal flavors, locally curated cocktails, and is open on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. The Oyster Bar offers Oyster Hour Monday to Friday, 5-6 PM, and Weekend Brunch is available Saturday and Sunday.
• La Arcada Plaza: Invites visitors to savor the season in the Arts District, featuring 21 boutiques, galleries, and culinary escapes at 1114 State Street. Dining establishments mentioned include Andersen's Bakery & Restaurant, Hook and Press, Mizza, Petit Valentien, and State & Fig.

C. Home Design and Lifestyle Services

• Lloyd Sigler Design (New Century Modern Furniture): Specializes in custom, handcrafted dining tables and furniture. They use only hand-selected solid hardwoods (no plywood, particle board, or thin veneers) for heirloom quality pieces that are numbered and signed by the designer.
• La Sumida Nursery: Celebrating its 67th anniversary (1958-2025). The nursery features cool season vegetables and flower bedding for fall and winter planting. Their Holiday Gift Shop offers items like organic nuts from Santa Barbara Pistachio Company and gourmet foods, with fresh Christmas Trees, Poinsettias, Wreaths & Garland arriving Thanksgiving Week.
• Santa Barbara Design Center: Advertises custom furniture, including handcrafted sofas, sectionals, or chairs, built in California using high-quality, sustainable materials.
• Coleman Carpet Cleaners: Advertises "Clean & Green" services for oriental rugs, carpets, fine furniture, and drapes, operating since 1969.
• Santa Barbara Interiors: Offers interior design, cabinetry, and window coverings.
• Angelus Paving Stones: Promotes two new paving stones, Porcellana and Torino. They assure the foundation for Southern California outdoor living, mentioning a temperate climate with year-round sunshine.