Summer evenings in Santa Barbara with Morello wine & The Pasta Shoppe

This week I share with you Samantha Bearman whom is involved in social media and public relations of food and wine and other areas, but also is a freelance photographer, writer and lover of travel.  She shared with me her summer experiences living in Santa Barbara.  Enjoy!

Santa Barbara evenings in June, July and August are truly the epitome of summer nights. The weather is warm but the coastal breeze keeps the temperature between a cool 65-75 degrees. The city plays host to tourists both from within California and the USA to those hailing from Europe and South America. In an effort to enhance the community spirit and showcase all of the delicacies that Santa Barbara has to offer, First Thursday was born. Within the Santa Barbara Public Market the sleek, modern, glass hosting room was filled with a variety of people, couples, singles, young professionals starting their night after a hard work day, and those already enjoying their summer in Santa Barbara. 

Morello wine tasting was the first table to greet patrons as they were offered up to 5 wines to sample. The sommelier said that he liked to see people holding some wine because it made them speak slower and listen better, thus he was quite attentive to the needs of everyone in the room. He even tailored the wine tasting to several patrons who preferred only to taste white and he let them top off their glasses several times with their wine of choice. 

The Pasta Shoppe in Santa Barbara

However the big star of the night was by far The Pasta Shoppe! They had gnocchi in a pesto sauce that was light and left every plate licked clean, a flat noodle dipped in a red tomato sauce was gobbled up by those lucky enough to snag a nibble, and for those with certain food allergies there were gluten free pasta options. This was a lovely evening for the community to come and not only explore the inner workings of the Public Market – a fantastic spot for lunch, dessert, or a meeting -  but to get to know the people behind the Pasta Shoppe and create a comraderie with the local business. Many of those who visited the First Thursday event quickly made their way to the Pasta Shoppe store front and loaded up on some larger portions as well as grabbing some Morello wine for the weekend ahead. If you missed this first Thursday never fear, the Pasta Shoppe will show you the same warmth when you visit them inside the public market, their hours are Monday- Wed: 10:00am- 8:00pm, Thursday – Sat: 10am – 11:00pm and Sunday: 9:00am – 8:00pm. Also don’t think that the Pasta Shoppe is just a hot spot for lunch and dinner it is also a unique location for breakfast and drinks too! Follow them on Twitter/Instagram @eatlovepasta Pinterest: The Pasta Shoppe LLC

 

All photography is compliments of Samantha Mae Photography.

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