New location for New Leaf Community Markets

The brand-new store for New Leaf Community Markets opens Saturday at King’s Plaza Shopping Center (1475 41st Ave.), after the former location (1240 41st Ave.) permanently closes the day before. A grand opening celebration from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday features samples, kids’ activities and drawings with gift card prizes. The new location has ready-to-eat foods such as a self-serve poke bar and “California BBQ.”

Other highlights: an expanded made-to-order coffee and juice menu, bulk food bins including items from local SunRidge Farms, craft beer and wines from Paso Robles and Santa Cruz Mountains and a choice of self-checkout or staffed checkout. Also, New Leaf is introducing reusable glass bottles for their house-made grab-and-go juices and smoothies. Customers can return these specific bottles to the store and receive a 50-cent redemption for each bottle. Hours are 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.

New Leaf Community Markets has started accepting Thanksgiving orders. Their offerings include turkey, ham, prepared dinners and sides, and desserts and rolls. Visit newleaf.com/reserve for details and ordering. Pickup is Nov. 25-29.

New hours at Zen Musubi

Zen Musubi (256 Potrero St., zenmusubi.com), which opened at a new location last month, has changed its hours. It is closed Mondays. New hours are 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday-Friday. People can order many onigiri varieties. These seaweed-encased Japanese rice balls are made with heirloom rice, sea salt and sesame seeds. Topping choices include wild caught salmon, organic chicken, organic tofu miso, crab, spicy tuna, seaweed paste and ume paste. Spam musubi and salad bowls (salad, rice and two toppings) are also available. Zen Musubi’s onigiri are also at the Aptos farmers market Saturdays and at Staff of Life (1266 Soquel Ave.) daily.

Bakery popup at Verve Coffee

The Magical Baker will sell a large variety of vegan, gluten-free goodies from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. (or earlier if sold out) Sunday at Verve Coffee Roasters, 816 41st Ave. The menu features pumpkin Babka buns, maple sugar sandwich cookies, apple hand pies, cornbread muffins, pumpkin cupcakes with maple frosting and more. For full menu and details, visit the business on Instagram @mariasgfbakery.

Gayle’s offers new sandwich corner

Gayle’s Bakery (504 Bay Ave., 831-462-1200, gaylesbakery.com) recently debuted a sandwich corner. These are available from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily with different sandwiches depending on the day. For example, Parisian croissants with ham and gruyere are available Monday, Francese buns with porchetta are available Tuesday and chicken or tofu Banh Mi is the Saturday special. To see the full menu, visit the restaurant in person or on Instagram @gaylesbakery.Scrumptious Fish & Chips popups

Scrumptious Fish & Chips (scrumptiousfc.com) has several upcoming popups. It will be at Scotts Valley’s Steel Bonnet Brewing from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday and Nov. 15, Nov. 22 and Dec. 13. It will be at Humble Sea Brewing Co.’s Westside Santa Cruz location from noon to 7 p.m. Saturdays and noon to 6:30 p.m. Sundays for the next six weekends (through Dec. 15). Lastly, making a stop at Balefire Brewing Co. in Live Oak from 4 to 8 p.m. Dec. 6. The food truck will be on vacation from Dec. 16 through Jan. 6.

Boardwalk Chili Cook-off results

At the recent Boardwalk Chili Cook-off, Ric’s Righteous Red won first place for Best Professional Con Carne. Seascape Golf Club received second place. Ric’s also earned top honors in the Best Professional Vegetarian category, while the team from local vegetarian restaurant Pretty Good Advice placed in second. Jack O’Neill Restaurant & Lounge was the winner for People’s Choice Professional. See full results at beachboardwalk.com/chili-cook-off. The event raised $5,000 for Jade Street Park’s Treasure Cove, a universally accessible playground.

Also, the annual Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk Bites & Brews series continues with events 4-8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays through Nov. 22. The menus at Brews at the Beach (near Neptune’s Kingdom) pair Boardwalk foods with local craft beer. For details including menus, visit beachboardwalk.com/boardwalk-bites-brews.

Popups at Saison Cellar & Wine Bar

Saison Cellar & Wine Bar (222 Mt. Hermon Road, Suite I, 831-200-8312, saisoncellarsv.com) continues to have regular food popups. Cousins Maine Lobster will be there from 4 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, and Cheese Shop 831 is doing a Raclette popup starting at 5 p.m. Saison’s hours are 2-9 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday.

Special tasting at Big Basin tasting room

The Big Basin Vineyards Tasting Room & Wine Bar (525 Pacific Ave., 831-515-7278, bigbasinvineyards.com/visit/santa-cruz-tasting-room) hosts an Odeon Vertical Tasting with founder Bradley Brown from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday. Attendees will taste eight wines including ones from 2008 and 2010. Cost is $55 per person (half off for club members), which includes light snacks. Buy tickets and learn more at bigbasinvineyards.com/reservation/type/odeon-vertical-tasting-2024.

Upcoming popups at wineries

There are a couple upcoming popups in front of Inversion Wines and Kissed by an Angel (75 Mount Hermon Road). The wineries are open 1-7 p.m. The food trucks arrive around 2 p.m., with live music 3-5:30 p.m. Parker Presents: Bill Oysterman will pop up Saturday, with music by Tim Bennet. There will be Japanese grilled food from Kikuchi (okibiyaki-kikuchi.com) on Nov. 16 with music from Brian Ruff. For details, visit inversionwines.com.

Wine, live music at Pelican Ranch

Pelican Ranch Winery (2364 Bean Creek Road, 831-332-5359, pelicanranch.com) will have wine tasting at its tasting room from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday. Visitors can preview a 2023 Calera Clone Pinot noir from the Las Nietas Vineyard (Santa Cruz Mountains). Cost is $15 for the public and free for wine club members. Ben Davis will play music starting at 2:30 p.m. Also, a new creation from the Pelican Ranch kitchen, Bronx-inspired pizza, will be available.

Quick Bites, compiled by Tara Fatemi Walker, is your weekly helping of Santa Cruz County restaurant, food and drink news. Send items to sentinelfood@gmail.com (Sunday 7 p.m. deadline for that week’s column). Want local food & drink news as it happens? Follow the Sentinel’s food crew on Twitter @santacruzfood.