Uncorked and On The Rocks: An Evening at Blackbird

The Santa Barbara Culinary Experience (SBCE), in partnership with The Julia Child Foundation for Gastronomy and the Culinary Arts, is an annual celebration of all things food & drink in Santa Barbara County. There's no one better to host this month's Uncorked and On The Rocks than Lorna Kreutz, who oversees winemaking at three amazing Santa Barbara County wineries. Lorna will take us through the exquisite wines from Lincourt Vineyards, Foley Estates, and Firestone Vineyard, alongside a delectable dinner curated by Executive Chef Travis Watson. The evening will begin with a reception on the patio, followed by a four-course dinner in Blackbird, carefully curated to perfectly pair with these wines. 

This dinner will feature two seatings, one at 5:30PM and the other at 8:00PM. 

*Dinner Menu Coming Soon*

Lorna Kreutz

Lorna experienced her first taste of the wine industry through a hospitality position in Edna Valley and was immediately inspired by the business, this made her shift into wine production after completing a viticulture internship.

Lorna obtained her start in wine production from Longoria Wines in Sta. Rita Hills in 2005. She can still remember the first time she topped a barrel and her early fascination with the synergy of farming, science and artistry that goes into creating a great wine. She also fell in love with the rolling vineyards of the Sta. Rita Hills AVA, and knew she wanted to be part of this highly acclaimed Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wine region. After a few vintages at Longoria as Assistant Winemaker, Lorna decided to return to school to pursue a Bachelor of Science Degree in Enology from California State University Fresno. While in Fresno, she worked in production at Fresno State Winery, receiving her degree in 2008. She then moved on to become Enologist and Assistant Winemaker for Summerwood Winery and Niner Wine Estates in Paso Robles.

With Pinot Noir as her first oenophilic love, as it was the first wine she learned how to make, Lorna headed back to her home base in the Sta. Rita Hills, in 2011, where she joined the Foley Wine Group as Assistant Winemaker for both Lincourt Vineyards and Foley Estate. There, she was and still is happy to be part of a winemaking team comprised of hard working, generous, and fun individuals. Now in the role of Winemaker, she is excited to continue the tradition of producing high quality wines from some of the best vineyards in Sta. Rita Hills. Though every wine shines in its own way, Lorna’s personal favorite Lincourt wine is the Grüner Veltliner.

Chef Travis Watson

As a former University of Arizona football player, "chef" seems like an unlikely career choice for a guy who also loves competition shooting and Brazilian jiujitsu. But then he was inspired at 14 by his first football coach who was also an Executive Chef at a restaurant where Watson was employed as a dishwasher. Cooking seemed much cooler and definitely more fun, and once he was promoted to prep cook a few months later, the die was cast. 

After high school, Watson attended Scottsdale Culinary Institute. Upon graduation, he did an impressive externship under Chef Jacques Paccard in Paris. Upon his return to the States, enrolled in the University of Arizona in Tucson. Bit by the travel bug, he spent summers and the years after graduation traveling, working and learning in cities like Seattle, Los Angeles and Denver and countries such as Japan, France, Italy and Mozambique. He was fortunate enough to work at some of the finest hotels and restaurants across the world.

In 1999, Watson settled back in Arizona, working for Fox Restaurant Concepts as Corporate Pastry Chef where he was responsible for opening 27 restaurants across the country over the next eight years. He left Fox to take over the helm as Executive Chef of Avalon, where he and his team were named "Best New Restaurant" and "Best New Chef." From there Chef Travis worked at the Royal Palms Resort and Spa, the Ojai Valley Inn and Spa, the Stanley Hotel, Rancho Bernardo Inn and now Chef Travis leads the team at the acclaimed Hotel Californian in the American Riviera, Santa Barbara.