An Olallieberry Tour of Santa Cruz
Where to Find Olallieberries on the Central Coast of California
Travel through Santa Cruz's farms and restaurants and taste the local olallieberry creations.
There are few better ways to get to know an area than to try what the locals eat. In Santa Cruz the locals eat olallieberries. They also drink olallieberries, pick olallieberries and spend several months a year waiting for olallieberry season. Here is the inside scoop on where to go for everything olallieberry.
Where to Pick Olallieberries
Olallieberries are ready to be picked in June or July and there are several places in the area where you can pick your own berries.
Just north of Santa Cruz, along gorgeous Highway 1, is Swanton Berry Farm. There, you can pick berries on a farm that proudly advertises both its commitment to sustainable agriculture and its support of workers’ unions, two causes close to the hearts of many Santa Cruzans.
Another spot for u-pick-em lallies is Gizdich ranch. Gizdich has been in the same family for generations. Lucky visitors can schedule a tour with one of the Gizdich family members and hear all about how the area has changed in the last 25 years. Visitors who miss the olallieberry season can still go to the store at Gizdich. Frozen berries, juice, and luscious olallieberry pie can be purchased at the store all year round.
Bakeries Serving Olallieberries
The Gizdich pie shop isn’t the only place in town where you can get olallieberry baked goods. The Buttery is a local bakery, and local institution, where you can find incredible olallieberry pies. Situated on what was once the center of the Villa de Branciforte (the original Spanish pueblo that much of Santa Cruz was built on top of), the Buttery makes a good starting point before a day of exploring the town.
On the other side of town another local bakery, Kelly’s, makes pies, tarts and other creative goodies with Olallieberries. It is the perfect stop on your way up north on Highway 1 or before a long seaside walk on nearby West Cliff.
Restaurants Serving Olallieberries
Given its close proximity to San Francisco and the Central Coast’s agricultural abundance, it should come as no surprise that Santa Cruz has several highly rated restaurants. Two of the best Santa Cruz restaurants, O’Mei and Oswald’s have been known to serve incredible olallieberry creations.
O’Mei is a local favorite, according to the folks at Zagats, one of the best Chinese restaurants in the Bay Area. The restaurant serves reasonably priced, family style, Chinese food with a gourmet twist. Sauces are as beautiful as they are delicious. Lucky diners can finish their meal with refreshing olallieberry sorbet.
For a more upscale experience, visitors should head over to Oswald’s. People travel for miles to enjoy the ever-changing menu at this local bistro. The food is outstanding and the restaurant is elegant, but never stuffy. One recent olallieberry creation was a Meyer lemon pudding with olallieberry sauce.
Where to Find Olallieberry Wine
No trip to Santa Cruz is complete without hitting a local winery. Bargetto Winery has been making wine in the Santa Cruz Mountains since the end of prohibition. The Soquel tasting room is the perfect place for some local wine tasting and for picking up a bottle of Chaucer’s Olallieberry Wine.
Details
Bargetto Winery, 831-475-2258, 3535 N. Main Street, Soquel
The Buttery, 831-458-3020, 702 Soquel Avenue
Gizdich Ranch, 831-722-1056, 55 Peckham Road, Watsonville
Kelly’s Bakery, 831-423-9059, 402 Ingalls Street
O’Mei, 831-425-8458, 2316 Mission Street
Oswald’s, Corner of Front and Soquel, (Reopening in new location February 2008)
Swanton Berry Farm, 831-469-8804, 20 minutes north of Santa Cruz on Highway 1
