Locals braved the heat in Santa Maria this weekend to attend an annual festival celebrating the rich culture of North Santa Barbara County. On Saturday afternoon, Pioneer Park was filled with the ...

Santa Maria-style barbecue dates back to the mid-19th century, when settlers in rancheros throughout the Santa Maria Valley roasted sirloin over red oak fire. A century later, in the 1950s, Santa ...

Crystal Bermudez is your community news reporter covering northern Santa Barbara County, including the Santa Maria, Lompoc and Santa Ynez valleys. The smell of red oak smoke and sizzling meat will ...

There’s no better place to swirl a glass of Pinot Noir and dive into a delicious cut of rib eye steak roasted over a red oak fire than the Santa Maria Valley. The region prides itself on its ...

California is known for a lot of things—sunshine, wine, earthquakes—but its barbecue scene isn’t one of them. Which isn’t to say they don’t have it at all. There are, of course, the smattering of ...

A restorative meal can be a powerful motivator when the miles of a road trip stretch into a long, semideserted landscape. Just 45 more minutes until I can sip that cold, creamy date shake. Another two ...

California's Central Coast is throwing down the gauntlet this May, positioning Santa Maria Valley as the undisputed home of West Coast barbecue. As National Barbecue Month heats up, Santa Maria isn’t ...