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A hen with eggs
March 1, 2025
All Stories, Eat, Featured, Food, Spring 2025 - Issue 47

Farm fresh eggs and backyard chickens in San Luis Obispo

The gentle cluck of backyard chickens is for many San Luis Obispo County residents the sound of nourishment, connection and even companionship.

Collage of photos - Amuse Bouche - Starters to entertain the mouth and the mind.
March 1, 2025
All Stories, Eat, Featured, Food, Spring 2025 - Issue 47

Amuse Bouche: Spring 2025

Starters to entertain the mouth and the mind.

A photo of a beet
March 1, 2025
All Stories, Eat, Spring 2025 - Issue 47

Tasting Spot: Move to the Beet

Semi-sweet orbs with gem-like tones of purple, red and yellow, the beet is a versatile root vegetable that can gin up any salad, Buddha bowl or fresh juice. Spring is the perfect t...

SBIFF Presentation
February 28, 2025
All Stories, Featured

Food and Film Collide at the 40 th Santa Barbara International Film Festival

Looking on at the Hollywood stars as they waived to fans and smiled for photographs at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, it would be hard to imagine such a silver scre...

Valentine's Day for Foodies - Photo of San Luis Obispo
February 4, 2025
All Stories, Community, Experiences

Valentine’s Day Gifts for Foodies

Cupid’s arrows will soon be flying through the air. As Valentine’s Day approaches, many couples seek out presents for their special someone. And friends, too (Galentine’s Day...

Photo of pasta plates receiving garnish
January 14, 2025
All Stories, Community, Experiences, Featured, Food

Secret Season Supper: A Celebration of Community and Culinary in Morro Bay and Paso Robles

While the Central Coast sees a surge of visitors each summer, there’s a “secret season” that offers an even more exclusive experience.

Aja Goare - Portrait Winter 2024 Food for Thought
November 17, 2024
All Stories, Community, Featured, Winter 2024 - Issue 46

Food for Thought: Winter 2024

If you’re reading this right now, you are experiencing a first alongside us. This is Edible San Luis Obispo’s first ever digital issue! As we get older, we don’t experience q...

Photo of a salad
November 17, 2024
All Stories, Eat, Featured, Food, Winter 2024 - Issue 46

Cook the Cover

Inspired by our friends at Edible San Diego and their annual Cook the Cover celebration, we put the call out to you, our readers, to be featured in the magazine – asking you to s...

May 15, 2019
All Stories, Community, Summer 2019 - Issue 24

What to Do When Your Inner Grease Trap Overflow-eth

An open letter to anyone quietly suffering from a life on the Line.

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    Recent Posts
    Spring Events Photo
    March 15, 2026

    Spring Events on the Central Coast

    Illustration by Dyna Beach
    March 12, 2026

    Customized Caffeine: Celebrating Central Coast Coffee

    Les Petites Canailles - Julien Asseo
    March 10, 2026

    Bistronomics: The Cost of Doing Business in SLO County

    🇵🇹 Portugal style wines are on the menu at Monarch 🇵🇹 Portugal style wines are on the menu at Monarch Grove Winery (@monarchgrovewinery) in Grover Beach (@visitgroverbeach where the owners recently opened a new tasting room. 🦋🍷

- - -

“On the Move” is featured in the 2026 Summer Issue of 
@edibleslo

Story By Emily Basanese
Photography by Sarah Kathleen

Monarch Grove Winery’s tasting room has been a fixture of the Grover Beach Amtrak station, greeting riders as they disembarked from the train. Like the butterfly, the tasting room recently migrated away, just around the corner to a larger space. Owners Ercilia Martins and Julie Garcia are excited for this new stage of their business.

After that initial trip, Julie was hooked. She began taking winemaking classes and scouting locations for the right space to open a tasting room at home in Grover Beach. They wanted to apply that same Old World approach characteristic of Portuguese winemaking to their wine. That’s when they landed on Monarch Grove Winery.

Ercilia and Julie purchased Monarch Grove Winery on the first day of 2024, but their passion for wine started long before their acquisition. Ercilia is originally from Portugal and grew up in the countryside, where her family made their own table wine. She brought Julie home for visits in 2019 and 2022. That’s when Julie first began learning about winemaking from Ercilia’s father, Joe Martins. 

“I fell in love with the culture and wine, and how food went with wine,” Julie says. “It’s an art.”

Transformation has been a running theme in both Julie and Ercilia’s lives, so a winery branded with the Monarch butterfly, a creature that undergoes dramatic physical change itself, was a serendipitous fit. 

“The Monarch is a symbol of transformation and this whole experience has been a big transformation in our lives,” says Julie.

Grover Beach was also spot-on. When Ercilia first visited the small beach town, she instantly felt at home; it reminded her so much of Portugal. Grover Beach may not have the renown of San Luis Obispo or Pismo Beach, but that was part of the appeal. 

“There definitely has always been a pull to this community,” says Ercilia. In 2018, the two purchased their first home in Grover Beach and
    Some frames from Edible SLO Summer 2026 release pa Some frames from Edible SLO Summer 2026 release party. Thank you again to everyone at @theandersonpaso for your hospitality!

🎥: @stephenheraldo
    We laughed, we toasted, we celebrated - and we’re We laughed, we toasted, we celebrated - and we’re still smiling about it! 
 
What a beautiful evening of merrymaking to celebrate the release of our Summer issue. We’re grateful to all who helped bring the magazine to fruition: our editors, writers, photographers, illustrators, designers, story subjects, advertisers, partners, EVERYONE who graciously shared their resources, talent and stories with us. The only thing that could top that was enjoying a pretty rad party together.  
 
Huge thanks to @theandersonpaso for hosting the party in such a beautiful space, and for the delicious food, drinks and hospitality that made it so memorable. Now let’s show up for them - their restaurant is OPEN! ✨👏
 
Thank you, Edible community, for making these events some of the highlights of our lives. We’re grateful to celebrate alongside you. Consider our cups (and hearts) full ❤️
 
📸: by @simpledaysocial
    “Have It Your Way” introduces you to @chinagourmet “Have It Your Way” introduces you to @chinagourmetpr  owned by Jack Ming Chen. At China Gourmet, the menu is just a suggestion. 

Words by @ajabgoare 
Photography by @fusillofoto 

“I don’t see my favorite on the menu but I want it.” @chinagourmetpr owner Jack Ming Chen is happy to oblige. 

Team members at China Gourmet as well as on photographs of some of their popular dishes. 

Team members at China Gourmet as well as on photographs of some of their popular dishes. 

At China Gourmet, it’s all about having the dining experience that’s all about what you want.

🤤

This article was featured in our Summer 2026 issue. 

Subscribe to Edible SLO and receive your quarterly printed magazine delivered to your door.
    🤔 “Perspective: Executive Taste” - In this Perspec 🤔 “Perspective: Executive Taste” - In this Perspective piece, Loretta McFarland shares how learning to cook in her home kitchen as a child led to a career with unexpected opportunities to serve some iconic people, including a music legend and an American president. 

Words by Loretta McFarland
Illustration by Jenna Hartzell

➡️ This piece is featured in the Summer 2026 issue of Edible San Luis Obispo.
    “I’ve always been an activist at heart. I wanted t “I’ve always been an activist at heart. I wanted to change the world, and I thought that I could do that for law enforcement through helping kids. Now I’m learning how to be an activist.”

Before opening a pizza restaurant, the owner of (@bennyspizzaslo) in San Luis Obispo was focused on other aspirations. But as writer Christian Camacho explains, Ben Arona is making a difference with each slice.

Read full article on edibleslo.com

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