After I first visited Guadalupe — getting misplaced within the dunes, consuming sopes at El Tapatio, appreciating the colourful structure, studying about its multiethnic historical past — I used to be smitten and vowed to return commonly. Greater than 20 years later, I’m embarrassed to say that I’ve solely been again a handful of instances, hardly ever discovering a go to handy, provided that the distant metropolis within the northwestern nook of Santa Barbara County sits to this point off of 101.
In the meantime, I’ve watched Guadalupe endure years of heartache. It was one of many few cities in California to just about go bankrupt (it didn’t), then the primary in 40 years suggested to dissolve (it didn’t), and even misplaced its major landmark, the Far Western Tavern. That restaurant moved to Orcutt in 2012 due, partially, to the prices required to retrofit the outdated brick constructing. These costly earthquake-safety necessities scared off new companies from investing as nicely, so I used to be left considering that Guadalupe’s considerably subdued establishment would go on endlessly.
I’m pleased to report that I used to be fallacious. I lastly made it again to Guadalupe earlier this 12 months, and located a way more vibrant downtown strip than I bear in mind. It nonetheless confirmed the allure of a sleepy Mexican farming pueblo — which is sensible, given the inhabitants is almost 90 p.c Latinx, most employed in agriculture — however there was palpable power and vivid coats of paint to the mercados and taquerias alongside Cabrillo Freeway.
Within the midst of all of it sits Guadalupe Social Membership, a wine bar, informal eatery, and occasion area that instantly grew to become a group hub upon opening in February. Attracting a mixture of longtime Latinx residents who’re more and more considering wine, retirees who reside up the coast in Nipomo’s Monarch Dunes growth, and the latest inflow of middle-class households who purchased properties within the Pasadero subdivision, the Membership comes at a prescient time. Because the close by Royal Theater — opened in 1939, closed since 1989 — undergoes a $5 million renovation, Guadalupe’s star is decidedly on the rise, with various considering that it could possibly be the subsequent Los Alamos.
“We wished a spot the place you can drink wine, eat good meals, and have a secure place in your children,” defined Brooks Van Wingerden, who bought the constructing along with her husband in 2021 and based the Membership along with her subsequent door neighbor in Arroyo Grande, Lexie Bell. Each are mothers of three younger children, and acutely appreciated that parental want for having enjoyable, however with ample fencing. Others craved that too, mentioned Bell, confirming, “They’ve charged in.”
Wine, meals, video games plus comfortable seating are the important thing components of Guadalupe Social Membership’s century-old constructing. | Credit score: Courtesy
The method — wine, meals, video games, occasional leisure, and so forth. — seems simple, however the story behind the wines they pour is something however. Since 2010, Van Wingerden has managed the day-to-day enterprise operations for Margerum Wine Firm, from Santa Barbara to Buellton and past. As she embraced parenthood, she advanced her job to construct tasks that expanded the model’s attain past the high-touch, small-batch bottlings which are Doug Margerum’s major concern.
That led to negociant labels similar to Valle de Inez, Riviera Wine Firm, and Diseños de California, that are affordably priced and bought by bigger retailers throughout the nation. However the Guadalupe Social Membership is their solely direct-to-consumer outlet. “There’s no different place the place you’ll be able to style these wines,” mentioned Van Wingerden. A flight is $15, glasses vary from $10 to $12, bottles are $30 to $40, and there’s the occasional providing from small manufacturers, like Ann Albert or Soul, that don’t have their very own tasting rooms. There’s additionally beer, exhausting seltzer, and non-alcoholic choices like apple cider and glowing water.
The meals service is very similar to what you discover at Margerum’s Santa Barbara tasting room: intensive snacks, cheese, and charcuterie, plus paninis and flatbreads. They’re aimed to share whereas tossing cornhole or bocce, taking part in a board recreation, or chasing your children across the expansive yard, which seems out over the dusty finish of the Santa Maria River and towards the mountains above San Luis Bay. That malleable outside area — greater than half-an-acre of what was beforehand a junkyard — could show to be the Membership’s high asset, in a position to host meals vans, reside concert events, and even substantial festivals sooner or later. (Greater than 500 folks loved the grand opening, as an example.)
The century-old constructing — retrofitted earlier than the Van Wingerdens purchased it, then designed by Bell — is break up down the center into two lengthy rooms, permitting ample area for overflow when the principle room will get busy and the chance to host non-public events with out closing out the general public. The Membership throws its personal occasions as nicely, like flower-arranging courses, mother-daughter teas, trivia evening, and wine tastings, typically that includes visiting winemakers. Upcoming are a trivia evening on July 20, Mestizo live performance on July 29, progressive tasting on August 3, and winemaker evening with Doug Margerum on September 7.
If the hour-plus drive from Santa Barbara appears daunting — extra in order that drive dwelling, after all — contemplate the practice, which leaves State Road simply earlier than 10 a.m., will get to Guadalupe earlier than midday, after which will get you again by 8 p.m. “It’s a terrific summer time day journey, “ mentioned Van Wingerden, who suggests lunch at El Tapatio or La Simpatia and a tour of the Dunes Middle earlier than settling in at her Membership. “Then you’ll be able to take pizzas from us or Two Guys Pizza to go on the practice together with a bottle of wine and also you’re set in your sundown journey dwelling.”
Margerum is very happy with his longtime collaborator, and bullish on the potential for Guadalupe. “It’s going to growth,” mentioned Margerum, who was readily available to share his wines throughout my go to. “Historical past will reward you for opening this and being the catalyst.”
After all, not everybody desires Guadalupe to turn into the subsequent Los Alamos, as even well-meaning gentrification of the culinary and cultural sort typically uproots those that’ve lived there longest. We’re in all probability a number of years away from that time, so hopefully strategic planning can be sure that everybody retains their place at Guadalupe’s desk. I’ll certainly be again to take my seat sometime quickly. I promise.
Guadalupe Social Membership, 945 Guadalupe St., Guadalupe; 805-356-6018; guadalupesocialclub.com
