Staff Report
Central Coast winemaker and farmer James Ontiveros has opened The Station at 346 Bell St. in Los Alamos to create a wine tasting room, event space and eatery.
The restaurant is a partnership with Santa Barbara County chef, caterer and restaurateur Conrad Gonzales, who has closed his ValleFresh Los Alamos taco counter and café to concentrate on the new venture.
“I wanted an authentic, physical manifestation of the history that this region holds – both for my own family, and for others,” James Ontiveros said of his new venue in Los Alamos.
The new venture will entertain the public with wine tastings, a wine and beer bar, lunch and dinner service, as well as options for private parties.
Locally known as “The Station,” the 1926 “California Garage” is a Santa Barbara County historic landmark, alongwith the neighboring 1880 Union Hotel.
Guests will be greeted by the station’s original gas pumps, in addition to a barroom decorated in Old California-style. Ranchos de Ontiveros Estate Vineyard brands, Rancho Viñedo and Native9 will be available in a tasting format or for purchase from the wine and beer bar.
Accompanying Ontiveros’ wine labels will be a rotating selection of craft beer curated by Ontiveros and Gonzales, and revolving winemaker pop-ups by other Central Coast winemakers.
The main dining room for Gonzales’ new food business, Cisko Kid, will host additional wine-tastings and wine- and spirit-making talks, but will primarily serve meals featuring Gonzales’ signature tacos, Santa Maria-style barbecue, and oak wood-fire cuisine.
Serving as an off-site catering base for Gonzales’ ValleFresh catering company, as well as a full-service event venue, Cisko Kid Los Alamos will also include Gonzales’ new food truck, “Cisko Kid Mobile Eats,” which is available for all levels of catering.
The restaurant floor will have a capacity of about 90 diners and drinkers, with both front and back entries opening to outdoor gathering areas accommodating another 150 guests.
“First and foremost, we wanted to create a place for people to gather, to socialize, as a community and as a welcome respite for visitors. We’ve fashioned this space after ages-old social centers of this region, and have given it a ‘ranch living’ feel,” explained Ontiveros, whose California family roots stretch back to 1781.
“In thinking about a ‘home’ for my Santa Maria Valley wines, I wanted an authentic, physical manifestation of the history that this region holds – both for my own family, and for others,” Ontiveros continued, “which is why I chose to partner with Conrad on this endeavor. … “He’s a fourth-generation Californian of Mexican descent, raised in Santa Barbara County, and has also chosen this area to grow his businesses.”
“We have a very similar respect for the land which surrounds Los Alamos, and ties to it … James is looking for the expression of terroir in his wines, and I’m also paying tribute to this region through my cuisine, and even more so, through my local corn farming project,” Gonzales added.
Like the menus for his other Central Coast food businesses, the Cisko Kid Los Alamos menu will feature Gonzales’ tacos – all served on handmade tortillas – and his homage-to-California-burgers, plus new menu items including Wild Boar Smoked Ribs with Blueberry Barbecue, Deviled “OG” Land Avocados, and the requisite Santa Maria Barbecue.
Vegetarian and vegan dishes will be represented on the menu, as well as a selection of kid-friendly items.
Information about both Ranchos de Ontiveros Wines and the Cisko Kid restaurant may be found at ranchosdeontiveros.com and vallefresh.com.
Ranchos de Ontiveros Wines is also on Facebook and Instagram, at facebook.com/ranchosdeontiveros and @ranchosdeontiveros. Cisko Kid Mobile Eats may be tracked via Instagram at @ciskokidft, and the restaurant is at @ciskokideatery.
The venue is taking private event reservations. To view the space or get more information, email thestationonbell@gmail.com or call 805-344-1960.
For more information about the venue, contact Anna Ferguson-Sparks of Stiletto Marketing at 1-877-327-2656 or info@stilettomarketing.com.
