• Read Current Issue
  • Find a Copy
  • Read Past Issues
  • All Stories
Register Login
logo main logo dark logo light
Favourites
  • Home
  • Stories
    • Drink
    • Eat
    • Community
  • Recipes
  • Cookbooks
  • Latest Issue
  • Experiences
  • Events and Partnerships
    • Fall Issue Release Party
  • Subscribe
logo main
Register Login
  • Home
  • Stories
    • Drink
    • Eat
    • Community
  • Recipes
  • Cookbooks
  • Latest Issue
  • Experiences
  • Events and Partnerships
    • Fall Issue Release Party
  • Subscribe
Photo of beans - Last Bite
September 1, 2024
Eat, Fall 2019 – Issue 25, Featured, Recipes

Last Bite: Spicy Beans and Greens

Recipe developer and self-proclaimed cookbook enthusiast Cate Furtado shares a story about her love for San Luis Obispo, and the comfort of a dish of spicy beans.

August 31, 2024
Drink, Featured

Can you judge a wine bottle by its cover?

This Central Coast winery thinks so – they actually create their "summer session" series wine blend flavors based on the “flavors” of the bottle art.

Photo of Pati Coelho, CRIÚ Event & Winery Staffing.
August 31, 2024
Community, Fall 2024 - Issue 45, Featured

San Luis Obispo area event staffing service CRIÚ creates memorable gatherings

This article by Edible writer Kasey Main gets a behind the scenes look at CRIÚ Event & Winery Staffing, which makes magical moments for diners at San Luis Obispo County area event...

Photo of Melani Harding in the field and wine cellar
August 31, 2024
Drink, Fall 2024 - Issue 45, Featured

Where wine grapes now grow in San Luis Obispo County, almond trees once thrived

In this article by Edible writer Linda Reed, the history of almonds as a major cash crop in San Luis Obispo County is explored at Bon Niche Cellars.

Photo of food and Silvia Martinez
August 31, 2024
Eat, Fall 2024 - Issue 45, Featured

MamaLatina Mexican food blogger shares culinary customs with San Luis Obispo County and beyond

In this Perspective piece, Mexican blogger Silvia Martinez shares how her desire to preserve the recipes of her elders inspired a food blog, captivated a following of Latinos and w...

Photo of Brown Butter Cookie and Ghriradelli
June 14, 2024
Eat, Featured

Brown Butter Cookie Partners with Ghirardelli

Brown Butter Cookie announced the launch of its latest creation: Brown Butter Sea Salt Shortbreads made with Ghirardelli chocolate chips in all three retail shops starting in June....

Photo of edible mushrooms
June 10, 2024
Eat, Featured, Summer 2024 - Issue 44

Mighty Cap Mushrooms grown in San Luis Obispo are served at restaurants across California

In this article, Chris Batlle shares the origins of his Mighty Cap Mushrooms business and how the mycelium has become stars on the plates of restaurants across San Luis Obispo Coun...

Photo of attendees at brew fest
June 7, 2024
Community, Drink, Featured

That’s a Wrap on the 2024 Firestone Walker Brewing Invitational Beer Fest

Here is how it all went down; supplemental parties included.

In Season - Photos of three food items
June 4, 2024
Featured, Food, Recipes, Summer 2024 - Issue 44

In Season: San Luis Obispo Chef’s dynamic cooking methods preserve and punch up flavor

In this article, Chef Rachel Ponce of Frunchroom and Pair With shares recipes that use dynamic cooking methods like dehydration, fermentation and curing.

Photo of strawberries in a bowl with rice
June 2, 2024
Eat, Featured, Summer 2024 - Issue 44

Last Bite: Sweet Rice with Fresh Strawberry Black Pepper Jam

This dessert is a cross between sticky rice and rice pudding. The sweetened, creamy rice is topped with a strawberry jam that has a lingering savory heat, thanks to...

Participants are guided in harvesting their own seaweed on local shorelines.
June 2, 2024
Featured, Food, Summer 2024 - Issue 44

Foraged seaweed off the coast of Cayucos is the protein of the future

In this article, San Luis Obispo chefs and fisherman explain how seaweed fished off Cayucos offers sustainable protein for the future. The vegetarian ocean product is driving the H...

Food for Thought - Summer 2024
June 1, 2024
Community, Featured, Summer 2024 - Issue 44

Summer Food for Thought: Letter from the Editor

Anyone who has ever worked back of house at a restaurant during a dinner rush knows how hectic the shift can be — an open flame on the grill, plates whipping down the line, “CO...

Candice and Ariette making food and taking photos
June 1, 2024
Eat, Featured, Summer 2024 - Issue 44

Creston chef and photographer with Mexican heritage shares stories through food

In this article, Chef Candice Custodio and Ariette Armella tell their story of friendship and Mexican heritage through food and photography. The San Luis Obispo County women togeth...

Birchwood Co-owner Howdy Nunez welcomes guests.
May 31, 2024
Featured, Food, Summer 2024 - Issue 44

Birchwood Nipomo offers beer garden and community in South San Luis Obispo County

This article illustrates how Birchwood Nipomo has served as a community gathering place in South San Luis Obispo County for decades, potentially acting as the site of the famed Mig...

Brook captures the natural sounds of the vines and vineyard as he hears them from day to day.
May 31, 2024
Drink, Featured, Summer 2024 - Issue 44

San Luis Obispo composer and winemaker Brook Munro creates album from sounds of harvest

This article explores how Brook Munro used his San Luis Obispo studio to produce an album that harmonizes the sounds of harvesting wine grapes in the Edna Valley. His album is call...

Photo of Jacob and Fiona
May 31, 2024
Drink, Featured, Summer 2024 - Issue 44

Niner Winery in Paso Robles offers garden-grown produce along with flavorful wine

In this article, Fiona Bond and her husband Jacob Burrell share how their partnership supports farm-fresh food at Niner Winery in Paso Robles.

Family stands in farm
May 30, 2024
Eat, Featured, Summer 2024 - Issue 44

Willow Brook Blueberry Farm offers visitors a chance to pick their own fruit all summer long

In this article, the Snodgrass family carries on the legacy of their late patriarch with their Willow Brook Blueberry Farm near Arroyo Grande. They offer a u-pick option and supply...

Good as Gold, illustration of lemons
May 28, 2024
Featured, Food, Summer 2024 - Issue 44

Tasting Spot: The history and applications of lemon

This article explains the history and culinary application of lemons, which are commonly grown in California and San Luis Obispo County.

April 29, 2024
Community, Featured

Nate’s On Marsh’s to Host Kentucky Derby Day Watch Party

While Nate’s on Marsh is 2,242 miles away from Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, the San Luis Obispo neighborhood restaurant will host its third annual Kentucky Derby Day ...

April 17, 2024
Featured, Food

Food in Cinema at the SLO Film Fest

Food, wine, and cinema are on the menu for this year’s SLO Film Festival. Check out these three films that are sure to be the perfect pairing for a dinner and a movie night out.

    Join our Mailing List

    Sign up for free and be the first to get notified about updates.

    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

    🍷🎊 Special congratulations to Janell Dusi of (@jdu 🍷🎊 Special congratulations to Janell Dusi of (@jdusiwines) who was honored as the 2026 Winemaker of the Year by The Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance (@pasowine), in partnership with Independent Grape Growers and The Vineyard Team.

Janell was one of 3 honorees for the 2026 San Luis Obispo County Wine Industry Awards and celebrated their accomplishment at the California Mid-State Fair.

This past year, J Dusi Wines reached their 100 year milestone and was featured in “Centenarian Zinfandels” from the Winter 2025 issue written by @katycasafestiva .
    More than just wine country 🍷 At Ancient Peaks & More than just wine country 🍷

At Ancient Peaks & Margarita Adventures, it’s more than just wine. It’s zipline adventures through the trees, scenic vineyard e-bike rides, immersive escape rooms, and award-winning wines paired with delicious cuisine.

Located just 10 minutes from San Luis Obispo and Paso Robles, your next adventure is closer than you think!

Guided E-bike tours of Santa Margarita Ranch and Ancient Peaks Winery’s estate Margarita Vineyard. 

ESCAPE! At @margaritaadventures 

Find something for everyone at @ancientpeaks!
    🍵 Every cup of tea begins with a landscape. 🌴 Bef 🍵 Every cup of tea begins with a landscape.

🌴 Before it becomes a beverage, tea is part of a forest, a watershed, a climate, a community, and a culture. It carries the story of a place and the people who have cared for that place across generations.

🇨🇳 In Yunnan, China (the birthplace of tea) some communities still cultivate tea within ancient forest ecosystems that have sustained both biodiversity and human livelihood for centuries. Spending time in these landscapes not only changes the way we think about tea, but about food, farming, and what it means to live in relationship with the land that nourishes us.

What might our food systems look like if we approached them not simply as production systems, but as relationships?

🧳 In November 2026, SLO-based Tea Sommelier, Jennifer de Treglode, will be leading a pilgrimage to Yunnan to learn from these landscapes, traditions, and communities firsthand. 

➡️ INTERESTED? tinyurl.com/Yunnan-Tea-Journey

Words: @sacredmountainteas 
Photos: @pauline.ferrieres 
Design: @stephenheraldo
    🍷 Visit Ancient Peaks Winery (@ancientpeaks)   Sto 🍷 Visit Ancient Peaks Winery (@ancientpeaks)
 
Stop by our Tasting Room & Café to explore our current wine releases, including our limited-edition Pearl Collection reserve wines, and enjoy our full café menu.
 
✨ Retro tasting flights are just $10!
 
Come sip with us today!
 
📍 Open daily | 11 AM–5:30 PM
    From Mike Sinor, Founding Winemaker of @ancientpea From Mike Sinor, Founding Winemaker of @ancientpeaks and Co-Founder of @sinorlavallee , comes Shuck Shack Oyster and Natural Wine Bar in Avila Beach. He opened the business with his children, Tomas and Esmée, with premium hospitality as the priority. 

The wine bar is just steps from the beach and offers local oysters, tinned fish, caviar and chips alongside heavier options like wood-fired pizza, European-style nachos, Nduja and cheese melts, and other shareable bites. The wine list spotlights rare pours from a deep bench of producers, many championing regenerative farming, alongside a few Sinor Family favorites.
    🇵🇹 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

    © Copyright Edible San Luis Obispo

    • Find a Copy
    • Subscribe
    • Advertise with Us
    • Past Issues
    • Contact Us
    • About
    • Login
    • Register
    • Reset Password

    Login

    Forgot password?
    Or login with:

    Register

    Create your account now