It has been quiet on the blog as I have been doing what everyone else is currently doing… adapting to life with a global pandemic. As a lot of people find themselves cooking more, I have purposefully tried to get takeout more in an effort to support our local restaurants. There are so many great options in the Santa Barbara area. For the latest on my local finds, I recommend checking out my Instagram – @glutenfreeinsantabarbara. It is a way for me to highlight some great local businesses in a fraction of the time that it would take to do a blog post.
On Tuesday, I tried Neighbor Tim’s BBQ for the first time. It was definitely off the beaten path as it was in the back of a parking lot on a side street near the airport. But it was worth the trek as everything I had was insanely good. All of their smoked meats, sides (other than their mac n’ cheese) and BBQ sauce are gluten-free. They even had their sauce lab tested to be certified gluten-free. I ordered the pulled pork sandwich without a bun. It came with one side – I chose the bacon baked beans. I also got a side of the corn and bean salad. When I got home, I made a sandwich out of the meat with a Canyon Bakehouse bun. It was perfect for soaking up all of the delicious BBQ sauce.
I hope you and yours are all staying healthy and sane-ish. Please let me know if there are any great local gluten-free options that I haven’t visited yet, and please… wear a mask.
For parents of young children, sometimes you feel that a drink is necessary. Santa Barbara has no shortage of breweries or wine tasting rooms. But the breweries aren’t really a draw for Celiacs and sometimes wine just feels a little too refined when you’ve got boogers and spit up on you from your offspring. Enter the 
There are always 12 different ciders on tap, with 5 more taps coming in the near future. They have 4 different flavor profiles so there is truly something for everyone. The ciders feature fresh pressed juices (nothing from concentrate) that are sourced from three different states and there are no artificial colors, sweeteners or preservatives added. Basically you can feel good about getting your drink on. I did a taster flight so that I could sample their different flavors. I had Grow a Pear, Tropical Hopical, Viva and Homemade Apple Pie. My favorite was Grow a Pear, but Viva which combined pomegranate and lime was a close second. Homemade Apple Pie tasted exactly as it was intended, bringing back memories of Thanksgiving. The Tropical Hopical blended mango with hops and would be a good choice for those who would love the hoppy taste without the gluten. There are exclusively GF snacks for purchase (think potato chips, cookies and trail mix). They frequently have food trucks, but they can’t vouch for them being safe for celiacs as expected. I had Woodstock’s GF pizza delivered while we were there which went perfectly with the cider. If you want to have a drink with a side of corn hole, board games and fun tunes, Santa Barbara Cider Company is your new go-to place.
Braving the smoke in Goleta from the Whittier Fire, we decided to try Hollister Village’s newest restaurant, 
This past weekend I went on a lunch date with my 96-year old grandma. She loves a good sandwich, so we decided to try the new location of 
gluten-free in sb 