CAPITOLA

Order Passover, Easter food from Gayle’s

Gayle’s Bakery (504 Bay Ave., 831-462-1200, gaylesbakery.com) has Passover and Easter food available by preorder. Customers are encouraged to order early; quantities are limited.

Passover dinner is available cold to-go after 8 a.m. and hot after 4 p.m. on April 12. The meal includes red wine braised beef brisket, latkes, honey glazed carrots and more. Other selections include matzo ball soup and chewy coconut or chocolate coconut macaroons.

Easter dinner, available cold to-go after 9 a.m. April 19, includes Niman Ranch ham, twice-baked potato casserole, lemon asparagus and butter flake rolls. Desserts include carrot cupcakes, chocolate brownie eggs and speckled egg cake. Gayle’s will be closed Easter Sunday, April 20.

Lago di Como shifts menu

Italian restaurant Lago di Como (21490 E. Cliff Drive, 831-454-8257, lagodicomoristorante.com) recently announced a spring menu. New selections include l’orecchia di elefante (veal chops Milanese). Dishes that have remained on the menu include fennel carpaccio salad with house pickled red onion, orange and bottarga (fish roe); and tagliatelle alla Bolognese.

Whale City Bakery expands hours

Whale City Bakery, Bar & Grill (7941 Soquel Drive, 831-661-5200, whalecityaptos.com) is now open for dinner from Thursday-Sunday, with plans to add more nights for dinner in the future. The restaurant, which opened in May 2024, is owned by the same person that operates Davenport’s Whale City Bakery. Bread and biscuits at this location are baked fresh at the Davenport bakery daily.

The Aptos menu features breakfast selections (available all day) including huevos rancheros, omelets, benedicts and pancakes. Lunch and dinner highlights include crabcakes, fish and chips, burgers, sandwiches, clam chowder and salads. Beverages include espresso and coffee, local draft beer and local wine. Hours are 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday-Friday, 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday-Sunday and 5-9 p.m. Thursday-Sunday.

FELTON

Emerald Mallard partners with Coffee Conspiracy on Sundays

Emerald Mallard, located at Humble Sea Tavern (6256 CA-9), now serves fresh drip coffee from local business Coffee Conspiracy beginning at 9 a.m. Sundays, along with sourdough focaccia, sourdough country rounds and a variety of cannoli. It’s open until 4 p.m.

Emerald Mallard is also open from 4-8 p.m. Thursday-Friday and noon to 8 p.m. Saturday. Beverages offered by Humble Sea include signature beers, handpicked wines and a selection of artisanal cocktails. Popular food dishes include smash burgers and duck leg confit, and during happy hour (4-5 p.m. Thursday-Friday) fried chicken sandwiches and “cheese skirt smash burgers.” Visit emeraldmallard.com for details. Also follow the business on Instagram @the_emerald_mallard to stay apprised of special events like ramen nights and occasional special Sunday brunch menus.APTOS

Tickets on sale for food and wine pairing benefit

Cabrillo College Culinary Arts and the Wines of the Santa Cruz Mountains are partnering for the second annual “The Perfect Pair,” a culinary and wine showcase on April 26 at Sesnon House (6500 Soquel Drive). Eleven teams of Cabrillo culinary arts students are matched with 11 Santa Cruz Mountains wines; each team prepares a dish to pair with their chosen wine, striving to perfectly match the food and wine. The public can buy $85 tickets for a 1-4 p.m. “walkaround tasting” to sample the creations. There are also tickets on sale for a wine master class. Ticket proceeds benefit Cabrillo College Foundation and support education and culinary arts programs. Read details, including list of participating wineries, and buy tickets at winesofthesantacruzmountains.com/events/the-perfect-pair-a-cabrillo-culinary-and-wine-showcase.

APTOS

Chef change at Mentone

Michael Cellucci is now chef de cuisine at Mentone (174 Aptos Village Way, 831-708-4040, mentonerestaurant.com). He has been promoted from sous chef, a role he filled for about two years. “Michael is a bright young talent who immerses himself in quality ingredients respectfully and carefully prepared, as one would expect at Mentone,” says owner/executive chef David Kinch. “He has shown himself to be a very good leader, leading by example, creating a positive work environment for all. We are thrilled to have him aboard.”

Chef Cellucci has added a few new menu items including boudin blanc and smoked trout. Mentone is open for dinner from 5-9 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday and serves lunch from noon to 2:15 p.m. Saturday-Sunday.

BEN LOMOND

New farmers and makers market seeks vendors

The Ben Lomond Village Alliance is accepting vendor applications for the new monthly Wee Kirk Market, a farmers and makers market to be held at Wee Kirk Church (9500 Central Ave.). The market will occur the first Sunday of each month, June-October, and local farmers, artisans and creators can showcase their goods. Applications are open for vendors like agriculture producers, prepared food vendors, chair massager providers, craft makers, food trucks and community organizations. There are discounted vendor fees for 2025. Musicians and kids’ activity coordinators are also encouraged to apply; those selected will receive stipends. Community organizations can table for free, with approval. To apply, visit benlomondvillage.org/weekirkmarket. Contact blake@benlomondvillage.org with questions.

SCOTTS VALLEY

Wine tasting events at Pelican Ranch

Pelican Ranch Winery (2364 Bean Creek Road, 831-332-5359) is launching a wine Advanced Sipping Adventure Program from noon to 4:30 p.m. Saturday. “This spring fling is scheduled for the first two weeks of April and will involve tastings of pre-released wines: white, rosé and red,” says winemaker Phil Crews. Ben Davis will perform original acoustic music. The tastings are from noon to 4:30 p.m. this Saturday and April 12. Learn more at pelicanranch.com.

SCOTTS VALLEY

Pop ups at Steel Bonnet Brewing Co.

A few food trucks are appearing at Steel Bonnet Brewing Co. (20 Victor Square, 831-454-8429, steelbon.net) in the near future. Shockwave pops up from 5-8 p.m. Thursday and at the same time April 10. La Fenice Pizza appears from 5-8 p.m. Friday, and Cali Caracas visits from 5-8 p.m. Saturday and from 4-8 p.m. April 19. The Griddler is serving from 5-8 p.m. April 26, and Scrumptious Fish and Chips pops up from 4-8 p.m. April 11, 18 and 25.

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY

Plant-based test run at Erik’s Deli

Erik’s Deli is testing out a new plant-based sandwich for its menu by offering it for a limited time. If it does well, the sandwich will probably be available for an extended amount of time. Titled Chicken Impossible, the sandwich — served warm — features “Impossible” chicken breast, plant-based cheese, onions, tomatoes, clover sprouts and vegan basil pesto on an onion roll. It’s based on the local sandwich chain’s popular chicken pesto sandwich. Learn more and find a nearby location at eriksdeli.com.

SANTA CRUZ

Tickets on sale for homebrewing event

Tickets are available for DIYine: A Celebration of Homebrewing, which is April 19 at Veterans Memorial Building (846 Front St.). The tasting event offers samples of cider, wine, mead, beer and soft drinks. Tickets for $35 include 10 tastings, snacks and live music. Proceeds benefit the nonprofit Urban Works Santa Cruz (urbanworks-sc.org), which provides recreation activities for people with disabilities. Pronounced “DI Wine,” the event was held for seven consecutive years until the pandemic; this is the first time it’s happening since 2019. Learn more and buy tickets at eventbrite.com/e/diyine-a-celebration-of-homebrewing-tickets-1263034483139.

PEBBLE BEACH

Tickets, locals discount available for food and wine festival

The renowned Pebble Beach Food & Wine festival is April 10-13 at Pebble Beach Resorts. A few events are sold out and many have tickets available. The latter includes the Saturday and Sunday Tasting Pavilions on April 12-13. At each of these afternoon events, there are 40-plus chefs gathered for a walk-around tasting event, showcasing signature dishes paired with a wide variety of beverages. General admission is $450 per person per day (1-4 p.m.) or $595 for VIPs (admitted one hour early and includes access to a special area with added refreshments). A pass for both afternoon tastings is $750 general, $1,050 VIP.

Another event with tickets available is a vegetarian lunch on April 12 with several guest chefs. These include James Beard nominated-chef Franklin Becker (Point Seven in New York) and Jessica Yarr from Felton’s The Grove Café and Bakery. Cost is $295 per person.

Also, for local residents, there is a 10% discount code for select events. Anyone residing within a 200-mile radius of Pebble Beach can use this “LOCAL” promo code.

For tickets and more details, visit pebblebeachfoodandwine.com.

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 and drink news as it happens? Follow the Sentinel’s food crew on X @santacruzfood.