The year 2010 was a fortuitous time for The Santa Barbara Independent to launch the Foodie Awards, our annual celebration of the region’s restaurant scene. While still emerging from the depths of a recession, Santa Barbara’s culinary community built upon its historic farm-to-table ethos to blossom like never before, welcoming waves of restaurant openings that explored fresh concepts and focused on new neighborhoods, including the much-buzzed-about Funk Zone. Looking back, it’s been a rather delicious decade.
For our 10th annual awards, we’ve shifted back to one of our original goals for this issue: to showcase specific dishes that epitomize each restaurant’s unique offerings.
Please enjoy this year’s menu of Foodie Awards. We hope they will inspire you to visit these establishments and experience their gourmet glories all for yourself.
