Santa Cruz County is a mecca of fresh, organic and locally sourced food. Restaurants are surrounded by farms offering fresh organic produce, pasture-raised meats and free-range eggs, and sustainable fisheries providing responsibly caught fish from the waters of the diverse, protected Monterey Bay. Indeed, some chefs do most of their shopping at farmers’ markets, while…

This is where to find not only the best dishes in Santa Cruz County, but the best restaurants for romance, great views and more.

It’s practically an embarrassment of riches, this delicious wave of artisanal pizza that has swept over our community. Yet the craze for this ancient culinary design of flatbread topped with variations on the theme of tomato, cheese, peppers, meat and herbs just keeps growing. And no one in Santa Cruz is complaining.

Spring definitely brings out the hunger artist in us all. The opportunities to savor find local food and wine (and beer and ice cream) is too tempting to resist. For example, the food scholars of Cabrillo College’s Culinary Arts Program will present their final dining showcase of the spring semester this week, May 15–17, at the beautiful Pino Alto Restaurant in the historic Sesnon House.