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.
Story by Taylor Stewart and Lacie Johns
In later autumn months, travelers explore Paso Robles and Morro Bay when the weather is still pristine, but the crowd sizes have reduced. Recognizing the appeal of this quieter time, the two cities joined forces to celebrate with a “Secret Season Supper”, showcasing the Central Coast at its most authentic.
Nestled along the coast, Shanley Farms in Morro Bay offered the setting for a dinner that brought together the vibrant communities of Morro Bay and Paso Robles, where the area’s commitment to sustainable tourism and regional cooperation was front and center.
The mastermind behind the menu was Chef Rachel Ponce (Publisher’s note: Rachel Ponce also serves as Edible Magazine’s recipe developer) whose cooking is an art of culinary contrast, with the wine as her inspiration. Instead of seeking flavor harmony, Rachel begins her creative process by selecting wines first, then crafting dishes that challenge and elevate the wines through intentional flavor combinations; while matching similar flavors can diminish a wine’s complexity, using contrasting elements can craft a sensory exploration.
“I feel lucky to be able to work with all of the ingredients the Central Coast has to offer and I love showing off the abundance that’s present here,” says Rachel. “I enjoy using a wine’s personality and characteristics to create a menu, so that each bite and sip creates a cohesive experience that relies on each other for completion. Leaving you wanting more.”
Highlighting Community through Secret Season
The dinner highlighted touches from local businesses.
The ambiance was set at Shanley Farms, a California-based fruit enterprise born from the collaborative passion of father-daughter team Jim Shanley and Megan Warren. Dedicated to food enthusiasts and culinary adventurers, the farm prioritizes ecological sustainability while cultivating a range of distinct produce, including finger limes and their celebrated lime pearls, alongside premium avocados and passionfruit. The farm and the Shanley Family’s home overlooks Morro Rock and gave guests a birds-eye view of the region.
“In my opinion, we have the best seat in the house,” Megan, co-owner of Shanley Farms, says. “Not only are we able to supply fresh passionfruit, coffee, avocado and finger limes to local and regional businesses, but we get a true view of how amazing this community is both literally and figuratively.”
Also involved were Open Air Flowers’ floral pieces that incorporate earthly, coastal tones to match the coastal autumn aesthetic of the dinner, and All About Events’ dishware that set the table for Chef Rachel’s meal.
The Secret Season Supper
The evening began with Morro Bay Oyster Company, featuring Pacific Gold Oysters topped with the farm’s finger limes. These hardy oysters thrive in the cold, rich waters of Morro Bay, hand-sorted and harvested after 12-18 months, then kept submerged until delivery. These were paired with Treana Wines Blanc de Blancs, to emphasize the region’s maritime bounty.
The Hope family has been farming in Paso Robles for more than 30 years. When they first arrived in this barely-discovered region, the family planted apples and grapes, unknowingly establishing themselves in what would become a significant viticultural terroir and one of the top winegrowing regions for quality red wine within the Central Coast. Their label, Treana, celebrates elements of the area that make their wine prosperous: sun, sea and soil.
The first course showcased a surprising culinary technique: a melted truffle dome of hand-churned butter mixed with local truffle, hardened into a dome shape that guests melted themselves using a torch lighter pen. Beneath the dome lay a delicate scallop resting on a bed of caramelized onion puree, sourced from Windrose Farm, with lime pearls from a Shanley Farms finger lime. Chef Rachel paired this with Aequorea Wine’s 2023 Derbyshire Vineyard Pinot Noir.
Chef Rachel’s Inspiration:
“I wanted to start the dinner out with high-end ingredients and throw some flame in to ensure the guests were able to settle in for a fun experience.”
Aequorea Wines, created by winemaker Aaron Jackson, focuses on coastal Pinot Noirs sourced from vineyards in the SLO Coast Wine AVA. The name, meaning “Of The Sea,” represents Aaron’s desire to produce wines from the foggy, windswept sites west of the Santa Lucia Mountains, no more than 6 miles from the Pacific Ocean.
Tucked in a 50-acre valley east of Paso Robles near Creston, Windrose Farm is a family enterprise run by Catherine and Justin Welch, their four children, and a dedicated farm team. With 12 acres for vegetable rotations, 6 acres of apple and stone fruit orchards, and 5 acres of heritage breed animal pasture, the remaining land serves as a rich habitat teeming with interconnected wildlife. For this evening, Windrose showcased onions through the first course, along with apples, lemon verbena, and sage leaf in various dishes throughout the meal.
The second course showcased locally made Etto Casarecce pasta featuring a Shanley Farms passionfruit cream, and olive oil-fried zucchini and crisp fried shallots. Etto, a family-owned pasta factory in Paso Robles’ Tin City, prides itself on their pastas crafted using a traditional process with a single ingredient: organic American grain, resulting in a product high in protein and low in sugar.
The pasta was paired with Giornata’s 2023 Orangotango, a wine created by Etto’s founder, Brian Terrizzi, and his wife Stephanie. Fermented on skins for 14-21 days, the wine is a distinctive orange color and favors balance and subtlety.
Chef Rachel’s Inspiration:
“I used passionfruit in a way that I haven’t seen before. I thought it would be fun to throw it into a cream sauce. The creaminess was inspired by the wine I was working with, to cut the tartness of the passionfruit.”
The third course featured a line-caught black cod, served with Mighty Cap mushrooms, caramelized onion, bacon, and a ginger demi-glace. Mighty Cap Mushrooms, founded in 2018 by Chris Batlle as a garage side-hustle, has grown into a leading producer of high-quality local, sustainably grown gourmet mushrooms which can now be found on menus throughout SLO CAL.
The wine pairing came from LXV Wines‘ 2022 G2 North Vineyard Cabernet Franc, crafted by Neeta Mittal—one of the first Indian women to own a U.S. winery. Recognized with a Top 10 Tasting Experience in America by USA Today, LXV creates wines that bring global flavors to the table.
Chef Rachel’s Inspiration:
“I was pushing for an umami flavor and I like using fresh catch because of where we are. Black cod is what was pulled in that day. I tend to use Mighty Cap Mushrooms every single week in different projects because they are that good, and I love what flavors Mighty Cap & bacon do together with a delicate fish.”
The last entree showcased braised lamb sourced from Tablas Creek, served over creamed potatoes with blackberries, charred brussels sprouts, and cilantro. The lamb was paired with their flagship Esprit de Tablas blend, modeled after Chateau de Beaucastel’s red wine. Tablas Creek, a 135-acre estate in the Adelaida district of Paso Robles, is the world’s first Regenerative Organic Certified winery. Committed to organic agriculture since their inception, Tablas Creek raises a flock of sheep to control weeds and nurture soil vitality within their vineyards. Visitors can not only sample their wines but also purchase locally raised lamb directly from the estate.
Chef Rachel’s Inspiration:
“Lamb neck isn’t used enough for how much of a melt-in-your-mouth meat is. I really wanted to introduce that to the guests. The potato was a great base for it, and added charred brussels and fruit to produce a tangy dish.”
The dessert course was a pairing featuring Black Market Cheese Co.’s Silver Lining cheese drizzled with Sierra Honey Farm’s Onion Blossom Honey and served with a shortbread cookie. The course was complemented by Re:Find Distillery’s Easy [e] Cocktail—a creative blend of barrel-finished vodka, honey simple syrup, and lemon juice, garnished with a sage leaf.
Chef Rachel’s Inspiration:
“If given a choice between a sweet and savory dessert, I tend to go with something savory. I met Kristy with Black Market when they were first opening and I’ve been a big fan of their unique cheeses. Paired with my favorite Sierra Honey Farm honey, with so much depth, I just loved being able to combine the two.”
Black Market Cheese Co. emerged from Evan and Kristy Bishop’s dream when they purchased a farm in the rolling hills of wine country in 2013. Over a decade, they meticulously grew their flock of dairy sheep and goats while developing traditional old-world cheese recipes.
Sierra Honey Farm is a small specialty apiary that was first nestled at the base of the Sierra Mountains before moving operations to Paso Robles. Unlike traditional honey producers who blend hives, Sierra Honey Farm creates small crop honey from secluded private ranches along the Central Coast. The careful harvest process allows the production of a variety of flavored honeys, reflecting their priority of building strong relationships with growers, bee enthusiasts, and customers.
Re:Find Distillery, founded by Alex and Monica Villicana, represents an innovative approach to artisan spirits from Paso Robles wine country. The distillery pioneered a revolutionary concept: transforming saignée—the free-run juice that boutique wineries typically discard—into refined spirits. By fermenting and distilling this overlooked byproduct, RE:FIND reclaims 60 acres of wine grapes annually and inspires an exploration of ingredient quality and fermentation, emphasizing transparency.
The “Secret Season Supper” was more than a meal—it revealed the depth of Paso Robles and Morro Bay’s agricultural and culinary landscape. Each course told a story of passion, sustainability, and craftsmanship, highlighting how small producers can transform local ingredients into a robust dining experience. As the evening demonstrated, the “secret” of this region lies not just in its pristine autumn landscapes or reduced tourist crowds, but in the individuals who work tirelessly to cultivate and celebrate the flavors of home.
