• Read Current Issue
  • Find a Copy
  • Read Past Issues
  • All Stories
Register Login
logo main logo dark logo light
Favourites
  • Home
  • Drink
  • Eat
  • Recipes
  • Cookbooks
  • Community
  • Latest Issue
  • Experiences
  • Events and Partnerships
    • Edible Weddings – Central Coast
  • Subscribe
logo main
Register Login
  • Home
  • Drink
  • Eat
  • Recipes
  • Cookbooks
  • Community
  • Latest Issue
  • Experiences
  • Events and Partnerships
    • Edible Weddings – Central Coast
  • Subscribe
Ben Arrona’s Benny’s Pizza Palace and Social Club serves the only Detroit-style pizza in San Luis Obispo County.
June 10, 2026
All Stories, Eat, Featured, Summer 2026 - Issue 52

Benny’s Pizza Palace Serves Authenticity in San Luis Obispo

Before opening a pizza restaurant, the owner of Benny’s Pizza Palace in San Luis Obispo was focused on other aspirations. But as writer Christian Camacho explains, Ben Arona is m...

Photo of Bella Steffenauer
March 6, 2026
All Stories, Drink, Featured, Spring 2026 - Issue 51

Perspective: Joebella Coffee’s Young Owner Spills the Tea

In this Perspective piece, a young coffee shop owner describes the challenges of running a business, and the joys of creating connection with customers and the community through co...

Goshi Sushi dishes
December 7, 2025
All Stories, Eat, Featured, Winter 2025 - Issue 50

A Living Legacy: Goshi is a San Luis Obispo Sushi Staple

The introduction of sushi to America made waves and as Jonathan LaFerrara explains in this article, that trend evolved into a culinary staple with Goshi in San Luis Obispo County.

Nathan Long
December 5, 2025
All Stories, Eat, Featured, Winter 2025 - Issue 50

Nate’s on Marsh is a Childhood Dream Realized in SLO

A small house-like restaurant on Marsh Street in San Luis Obispo was once the current owner’s childhood favorite. As Aja Goare explains, Nate Long’s restaurant continues to hel...

A spread of morning coffee and bites at KBRG Coffee Lab in Duncan Alley.
March 16, 2025
All Stories, Community, Featured, Spring 2025 - Issue 47

Warehouse Turned Hotspot: Duncan Alley in San Luis Obispo

With the development of Duncan Alley on Broad Street in San Luis Obispo, Damien Mavis hopes to offer the community its third place.

Creole food on table
March 7, 2025
All Stories, Eat, Food, Spring 2025 - Issue 47

Stirring the Pot: Finding Mardi Gras Year-Round in San Luis Obispo

There was a time when San Luis Obispo County had the “biggest Mardi Gras celebration west of the Mississippi.”

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....

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 sliced bread loaf
March 12, 2024
Eat, Featured, Food, Recipes, Spring 2024 - Issue 43

No Knead Bread Recipe From San Luis Obispo Home Cook

This no knead bread is quick and easy, requiring minimal ingredients and effort. Central Coast resident Lyndsey Hiltner created this recipe for her blog “Censored Baker,” which...

Photo of Irish Potato Bomb and Guinness Stew and Brown Bread
March 6, 2024
Eat, Featured, Spring 2024 - Issue 43

On Saint Patrick’s Day, We Feast

San Luis Obispo Chef Chuck Doherty cooks up a delicious reminder of how to honor the holiday.

Food being made on the line at The Bridge Cafe located in San Luis Obispo.
November 29, 2023
Eat, Featured, Winter 2023 - Issue 42

Formerly incarcerated staff at this San Luis Obispo café imagine a world beyond bars

The Bridge Café provides direction and purpose through serving meals.

September 4, 2023
Eat, Fall 2023 - Issue 41, Featured

Home Is Where the Heaping Plate Is: Coya

This Peruvian chef finds comfort in sharing cultural cuisine with the community.

Schoolyard Breakfast
April 16, 2023
Eat, Featured

School’s in for the Summer

Enjoy nostalgic atmosphere and hardy plates of food at the Schoolyard in San Luis Obispo.

Mean, Green Composting Machine
March 2, 2023
Eat, Spring 2023 – Issue 39

Mean, Green Composting Machine

Food scraps can help curb our climate concerns … or they can destroy our planet.

Cozy Drinks - Featuring KROBAR Craft Distillery
December 21, 2022
Drink, Featured, Winter 2022 - Issue 38

Cozy Winter Drinks Featuring KROBAR Craft Distillery

The holiday season calls for cozy cocktails! These specialty drinks use hand-crafted spirits from KROBAR Craft Distillery, which opened in Paso Robles in 2012.

Pierre Rademaker
December 1, 2022
Community, Winter 2022 - Issue 38

A “Maker” of Designs With Impact

Local food businesses and beyond understand the need for great marketing and branding. So they call Pierre Rademaker Design.

Cookie Cutters
November 30, 2022
Eat, Winter 2022 - Issue 38

The Classic Cookie Cutter: A History

A distinct decorating tool used for centuries makes cookies fun and festive.

November 30, 2022
Eat, Winter 2022 - Issue 38

Celebrating Chinese New Year

Annie Yu, San Luis Obispo cooking class instructor @sloasiancooking, enjoys introducing to friends the red envelopes of cash, customary red clothing and symbolic foods enjoyed duri...

Cépage at Paris Valley Road
November 16, 2022
Community, Featured

Celebrate the Season at the Paris Valley Road Holiday Winemaker Dinner

Celebrate the holiday season with an exquisite wine-paired dinner with Winemaker Doug Hidinger. Indulge in seven decedent courses, each perfectly paired with Paris Valley Road wine...

Edible SLO Winter Issue Release Party
November 8, 2022
Community, Featured

Join Edible SLO for the Winter Issue Release Party

Join us at Epoch Estate Wines to celebrate. Meet the team behind Edible Magazine, and toast with colleagues and the businesses that graced the pages of this issue.

    Join our Mailing List

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

    Recent Posts
    No‑Churn Honey Lavender & Blueberry Ripple Ice Cream
    June 24, 2026

    Keep It Cool: Homemade Ice Cream Recipes for Your Summer

    June 24, 2026

    A Garden Without Borders at Our Global Family Farm in San Luis Obispo

    A table of dishes from China Gourmet in Paso Robles.
    June 21, 2026

    China Gourmet Goes Off-Menu in Paso Robles

    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
    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.

    © 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