In many ways Santa Monica is a dream town come true. And the dream town came to Paris recently and told us all of its tales of fun in the sun, its great art scene, its dazzling shopping streets and centers, its green approach to life and lifestyle, gourmet restaurants and best of all the beach, beach, beach and more beach. And of course the Santa Monica Pier, built in 1909 and one of the most iconic and recognizable in the world. 

Renowned chef, Raphael Lunetta was on hand to talk about the importance of locally sourced produce and products of which he is a pioneer on the cooking scene in Santa Monica, which in turn was at the vanguard of the local food movement. Born and raised in Santa Monica and Venice in California, the French-trained chef is an avid surfer and is known locally in Santa Monica as the Surfing Chef. But keep in mind that the Surfing Chef was also named the Best Chef in California in 2014, has appeared as a judge on Bravo’s Top Chef and is the owner and chef of Santa Monica’s iconic restaurants, the sophisticated Lunetta and the neighborhood spot Lunetta All Day. He explained that autumn was probably the best time to visit Santa Monica. 

Santa Monica is perched on the Pacific Ocean and is just 15 miles (24 kilometers) west of Los Angeles. Santa Monica was developed in 1875 by John P. Jones, a U.S. Senator from Nevada who sought to create an oceanside resort town with Colonel Robert S. Baker, who had bought the Santa Monica and San Vicente rancho from Jose Sepulveda and Jones built a Victorian home overlooking the ocean (called Miramar, or “view of the sea”), which later operated as a hotel, according to the Los Angeles Conservancy. Santa Monica also played a role in auto history and aviation, as the site of early auto races and the Douglas Aircraft Co. explains the Conservancy. And those visionaries, John P. Jones and  Colonel Robert S. Baker, have left behind one of the great oceanside resort towns in the world. ©Trish Valicenti for The Gourmet Gazette. https://www.santamonica.com/