Attendees of the galette workshop at Apples to Zucchini Cooking School in Santa Barbara gathered around chef Jill Barton with wine provided by Foxen Vineyard in one hand and homemade sourdough bread courtesy of her colleague, Jeff King, in the other. Alternating sips and bites with friendly chit-chat and longing glances at the collection of herbs and spears of asparagus piled high on the far end of the countertop, the class eventually settled down long enough to watch Barton transform fat and flour into pâte brisée. After the demonstration, the students were gifted balls of dough made earlier in the day, rolling pins and time to build their own savory and sweet galettes.
Part of the Taste of Santa Barbara experience—a week-long celebration of Julia Child and the bounty of her erstwhile home—galettes were a natural choice for this class. Rooted in French techniques and cuisine, these free-form pies are easy to make, quick to bake and, most importantly, neutral in flavor. A galette is a buttery, flaky canvas on which the incredible variety of springtime produce can shine.
“All of our fruits and vegetables are from the farmers market,” said Barton. “We try to source as local and as fresh as possible. We have a relationship with all of the farmers, so it’s important that they’re represented. And their produce is gorgeous, so why would we not source from them?”
Roaming the Old Town Santa Barbara Farmers Market on State St., Barton opted to lean into green for the savory option. She dreamt up an asparagus galette paired with homemade ricotta, freshly shelled English peas and a lemony herb salad. Likewise intent on celebrating the season, blueberries and apples inspired King’s sweet version.
“I wanted to do something seasonal, so I started with strawberry and experimented with rhubarb, but landed on apple and blueberry,” said King. “They were all good, but that combination was the best.”
Seasonality and locality are two of the key tenants on which Apples to Zucchini was founded. The school, which offers workshops for children, teens and adults, also emphasizes the importance of cooking, eating and cleaning together as a group.
“It’s all about the community,” said Barton. “Nancy [Martz], our founder, is partly Austrian and I’m Swiss and French, so we both grew up eating around the table with table manners. Every day was family time for us, and this is something we want to share. We want to teach kids and adults to set the table, to be part of a community and not just eat in front of a TV.”
This commitment to community keeps locals coming back. Madison Daugherty, alongside her mother, were eager to participate in the galette workshop after taking a paella class the previous year.
“We just had the most fabulous experience ever, so we wanted to do it again this year,” she said.
Due to an upcoming building auction in June, Apples to Zucchini is relocating from its current address at 2300 Garden St. to the Santa Barbara Middle School for its summer programming. The board members are in the process of finding a more permanent home, but they hope to find a kitchen space that can also accommodate events.