Three Central Coast chefs share their passion for blackberries. Check out their recipes for the sultry seasonal fruit here, including Blackberry Tarragon Pie from pastry chef Emilie Sandven at Helena Avenue Bakery in Santa Barbara
While still sparkling with the same starry glamour it’s always had, California’s Santa Barbara has a fresh buzz, thanks to the emergence of the Funk Zone – an artsy neighbourhood hub drawing in creatives of all stripes.
For a midday snack, the daily creations at Helena Avenue Bakery all use locally milled organic flours and naturally fermented yeast. My go-to menu item is avocado toast made with organic avocados and sunflower sprouts from the nearby seaside city of Carpinteria.
Admire chefs and bakers through the clear glass window at this local bakery, as they prepare scratch-made buttermilk biscuits, granola, and even homemade ricotta. Pop in for grab-and-go pastries and picnic items or stop by during breakfast or lunch to take down the Smoked Pastrami Reuben or Spicy Fried Chicken Sandwich, with sides like Crispy Smashed Fingerling Potatoes.
Remember: Even if you’re on a food tour, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Helena Avenue Bakery serves up fresh buttermilk biscuits, gooey breakfast sandwiches on pillowy brioche and clean, light avocado toast with cucumbers, sunflower seeds, feta and aleppo pepper.
Offering an eclectic showcase of savory and sweet provisions for any time of day, with libations including coffees and kombucha, the setting was charmingly artisan with indoor/outdoor seating available.
There are very good reasons that crowds head to Helena Avenue Bakery for breakfast every weekend. The artisan breads and pastries are great to start the day before hitting the wine tasting rooms, but don’t miss one of the breakfast sandwiches on brioche—the custardy baked farm eggs are worth it.
To boost your morning mood, try Helena Avenue Bakery’s fried chicken breakfast sandwich. “An authentic Southern approach, which takes me directly back to my Texan roots,” said Chef Jason Paluska of what sets it apart. “I have family in Tyler, Texas, and this is how it’s done properly.” Every ingredient is meticulously sourced, from the Wayne Farms chicken thighs to the jalapeño pepper jam and California wildflower honey finish. With black-pepper bacon nestled inside a warm, buttery biscuit, this breakfast dish may have you thinking you’re still in a dream. For the night owls, The Lark next door features Chef de Cuisine Logan Jones’s sophisticated yet playful Southern fried chicken dish with Calabrian chili oil, bread-and-butter pickles, and smoked date caramel.
The genius behind Sherry Villanueva’s Acme Hospitality group (Les Marchands, The Lark) is anticipating, then overdelivering on, the needs of the Santa Barbara foodscape. And what was desperately needed in the Funk Zone — an urban wine trail only two blocks from East Beach — was a deserving kickoff to a day of tasting. Enter Helena Avenue Bakery, Acme’s two-year-old café that shares space with the Santa Barbara Wine Collective. Under the direction of chef Adam Shoebridge, they’ve created a breakfast spot worth leaving your beach umbrella for with exemplary sweet (apricot-thyme croissants, stone fruit galettes) and savory (green eggs & ham biscuit with jack cheese and green harissa) options to pair with the locally roasted Dart coffee.
The first Suite C Dinner last month impressed: There was caviar with potato chips (a great textural vehicle for the eggs), barbecued oysters with country ham and XO sauce (whose charred flavor contrasted the light and bright ocean flavor), and black truffle with cornbread and popcorn cream, which came through in a salty, velvety aftertaste that was reminiscent of movie-theater popcorn. They were followed by shrimp and grits, short rib with scallion and embered mushrooms, and a cherry pie. Then came the March 1 Nashville hot chicken night and a Fat Tuesday dinner on March 5.
Sherry Villanueva (The Lark, Lucky Penny, Loquita) added Helena Avenue Bakery to her repertoire in 2016. The business shares a space with the Santa Barbara Wine Collective and features communal wood tables and rustic patio. Expect breads like baguettes, rye bâtards, and fig rosemary boules as well as savory-side dishes including curried cauliflower and toasted farro salads, seasonal soups, and sandwiches, as well as breakfast.
Breakfast is a great time to visit to enjoy the full complement of baked goods and to snag sandwiches like green eggs & ham with tomato jam and Cheddar on a buttermilk biscuit. Don’t leave without grabbing a peanut brittle cookie.
Step across the room to order lattes, pastries, avocado toast and breakfast biscuit sandwiches. Then grab a seat at one of the communal tables to enjoy that Green Eggs and Ham Sandwich ($10), say, with Black Forest ham, jack cheese and spicy green harissa.
In one of the Funk Zone’s refurbished warehouses, Helena Avenue Bakery is serves breakfast, lunch and baked goods. For breakfast don’t miss the Green Eggs & Ham slathered in spicy green harissa sauce along with freshly baked morning buns.
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Stop at the picnic counter for egg croissants with arugula pesto and prosciutto; apricot-thyme croissants; cinnamon rolls; sprinkle-coated donuts; hand pies with seasonal jam; stone fruit galettes; quiche; house-pickled vegetables; Brussels sprouts Caesar salad; savory focaccia; cold fried chicken sandwiches and so much more.
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Mornings in the Funk Zone begin at this industrial bakery that features roll-up garage doors, long communal tables, and a countertop full of homemade pastries including surprisingly good bagels.
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In the heart of the Funk Zone, and housed in the same warehouse as Santa Barbara Wine Collective, Helena Avenue Bakery serves up hearty breakfast sandwiches and freshly baked pastries until 11 a.m., and sandwiches, salads and goodies from the picnic counter till 6 p.m.
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Homemade breads galore, paired with pastries (both savory and sweet) , charcuterie plates, along with deli sandwiches and salads, are some of the items you will find. While sharing space with the industrial, yet chic Santa Barbara Wine Collective Winery, you can order your food and pair it with any of the array of wines they offer.
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The combination of wine and baked goods leads me to fantasize an afternoon sipping wine and munching on treats and sandwiches.
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These two wineries and three others share the same roof along with Helena Avenue Bakery. Thus my tasting “mini flight” was paired with breads and cheeses.
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Escape Australia recommends starting the day with breakfast at Helena Ave.
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Also in The Funk Zone, plan to visit the very special Helena Avenue Bakery (131 Anacapa St.), located in a beautifully-restored, historic warehouse. Here organic breads and pastries are baked from scratch daily. My girls were delighted with the strawberry-glazed donuts and hot cocoa. I savored every bite of my egg and cheddar buttermilk biscuit with heavenly house-made tomato jam.
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While tasting at Santa Barbara Wine Collective, you can also fill yourself up with freshly baked goods from Helena Avenue Bakery, which shares space with the Collective.
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Breakfast is a great time to visit to enjoy the full complement of baked goods and to snag sandwiches like green eggs & ham with tomato jam and Cheddar on a buttermilk biscuit. Don’t leave without grabbing a peanut brittle cookie.
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Restaurants not to be missed include… Helena Avenue Bakery, 131 Anacapa St., for breakfast sandwiches, salads, seasonal soups, cheese boards and charcuterie at communal wooden tables.
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Pastry chef Bethany Burns pulls out a perfectly free-formed galette, its pillowy crust folded delicately over thick slabs of yellow peaches, and smiles proudly.
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Affectionately known as the American Riviera, Santa Barbara is home to Spanish revival architecture, farm-to-table cuisine, locally-produced wines and outdoor recreation fit for Bear Grylls.
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The Helena Avenue Bakery offers handmade pastries and breads, and an assortment of sandwiches, salads, pickled vegetables, salami, and cheese boards.
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Hana-Lee, certified Specialist of Wine and Sommelier, reports on our newest addition to the Funk Zone.
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Helena Avenue Bakery – Good Bread in the Best Place.
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The Funk Zone, Santa Barbara, California… a hip pizza place, Lucky Penny, as well as Le Marchands, the wine bar and merchant. Helena Avenue, a trendy artisan bakery is opening soon too. All of the above were created by Acme Ventures.
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KEYT and John Palminteri report on Helena Ave. Bakery.
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