New Chef for Museum of Art Cafe

Chef Brenda Simon-winner of Albertsons Sizzling Santa Barbara Super Chef Cook-Off in May and owner of The Secret Ingredient catering-spilled the beans the other day: She’s taking over the Museum Cafe at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art (1130 State Street), most recently occupied by Fresco. “We should be open within the next month or so,” Simon confided. “They wanted it to be a little more upscale, but that’s a bit hard as there’s only a warming kitchen in the location.” The menu will partially feature “some pretty healthy stuff,” including “raw stuff not too many people are doing in town.” Simon will still keep her private clients and work as a caterer, but it’s clear she’s jazzed about this opportunity, claiming they were trying for a beer and wine license and that the museum might even reconfigure its cafe and store spaces so the two run parallel, giving the cafe a street entrance, and the best shot at a livelihood it’s never had.