Explore a day in the life of an apiarist with Ojai Valley Inn’s interactive Beekeeping and Honey Tasting Experience. Ojai’s resident beekeeper explains the honey-making process, shows guests the insides of a working hive, identifies the queen bee, and leads a tasting of cold-pressed honey from Southern California.
Beginning at the Discover Ojai Center, guests will meet with the property’s resident beekeeper to briefly introduce vital pollinators, the European honeybee, in the bee yard in the Mistletoe Meadows. Upon arrival, guests will experience firsthand how it feels to be inside an apiary and learn about the daily life of the honeybee. The excursion will conclude with a honey tasting of local raw honey and guests will be provided with protective beekeeping suits. Following a white sage smoke ritual, guests will be escorted to the hives, where experts will lead an educational experience with live European honeybee colonies. Attendees will see the working hives up close and in great detail as the apiarist demonstrates how the bees work together throughout the honey-making process learning how a hive is created, how bees choose a new queen, and how honey is made.
Beekeeping and Honey Tasting Experience (Courtesy Ojai Valley Inn)
And speaking of spring road trips and wildflower watch, the 2024 Buellton Wine & Chili Festival returns on Sunday, March 17, at Flying Flags RV Resort with a lineup of food, wines, craft beers, seltzers, ciders and spirits. There will be a chili cook-off and a live performance by Firedance Irish dancers. Tickets include chili tasting, and live entertainment by Chickenbone Slim, DJ FIU, and traditional Irish Dancers. The Hot Chili Ticket ($65) for guests 21+ includes a souvenir wine glass, unlimited wine tasting, chili and salsa tasting, craft beer, ciders and spirit tastings. The Mild Chili Ticket ($25) is for guests who are under 21 years old and includes unlimited chili and salsa tastings, but no alcohol. Children under age 4 are free. Emerald attire is strongly encouraged.
Residents and visitors staying in Santa Barbara, Goleta and Santa Maria can catch a ride on the Brew Bus for a $25 round trip; from Lompoc, it’s $20. Tickets must be purchased in advance; no walk-up tickets will be sold at bus departure. To find out more information about pickup and drop-off locations, please visit the Buellton Wine and Chili Festival website.
With the return of Luna Luna, the long-gone amusement Artpark backed by hip-hop artist Drake being revitalized in DTLA, Downtown LA Proper will offer a new Luna Luna package. The immersive art exhibition runs through spring 2024 and the two-night package includes two Moon Passes to Luna Luna, a $50 dining credit per stay and house car chauffeur service to the exhibition and back.
Bad Bunny cocktail (Courtesy The Wayfarer)
Bad Bunny returns to L.A. for his Most Wanted Tour for a three-night show at Crypto.Com Arena from Wednesday, March 13, through Friday, March 15. Fans looking to kick off the celebrations before the show can visit The Rooftop at The Wayfarer DTLA, which offers a signature Bad Bunny cocktail. Incorporating flavors inspired by the Puerto Rican rapper, the cocktail blends aged tequila, carrot juice, Ancho Reyes Liqueur Chile Poblano Verde, lime juice and agave to create a tropical beverage experience with some Latin heat.
On Sunday, March 24, West Hollywood seafood spot Saltie Girl will host a one-night-only pop-up with Calvin Eng, chef and owner of Bonnie’s, the celebrated Brooklyn restaurant inspired by Eng’s Cantonese American heritage. The seafood-focused menu will showcase Eng’s approach to Cantonese cuisine inspired by his mother Bonnie. In addition to Bonnie’s favorites, Eng will reinvent chef Kyle McClelland’s Saltie Girl signatures featuring highlights from its tinned fish collection, expansive raw bar and more. A caviar-studded version of Bonnie’s MSG Martini with vodka, olive brine, Shaoxing wine and msg will be available, as well as a black sesame soft serve developed just for the evening by pastry chef and SweetBoy founder Ben Sidell. The menu will be a la carte with a $90 minimum spend required per person. Reservations are available via Resy and are strongly encouraged.
SLAB BBQ and NYC’s Prince Street Pizza are collaborating on a BBQ chicken pizza, launching Friday, March 8, for a limited time. The pizza — on Prince Street Pizza’s Grandma-Style Crust — will include smoked chicken and barbecue sauce from Slab BBQ, red onion, shredded mozzarella cheese, cilantro, and ranch dressing. The third annual Slab BBQ X Prince Street pizza BBQ chicken pizza will be available exclusively for delivery through the Postmates app from March 8 to March 14 ($39 whole pie/$6.50 for slices). Then it will be available in-store from all Prince Street Pizza locations in the Los Angeles area from March 15 to April 7. Twenty percent of proceeds will go to Children’s Hospital LA for March Matters.
What’s Popping Up is a weekly column in the L.A. Weekly that explores all that’s new in food and drink.
Barbie Blondie Sundae (Courtesy SweetBoy)
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